Turning Japanese

With the widespread influence of media on a global scale thanks to technological updates from long-distance calling to the internet, nations and peoples across the world have been pulled closer together than ever before without ever taking an actual step towards one another. What has, in turn, developed is a concept called globalization, or the increase in the opportunity for communication, the movement of people and ideas, and an exchange of both material and intellectual goods on a large scale. This flow of influence between populations has had its effects on the cultures involved, a process that means unification to some and wide-spread conformity to others.

One of the by-products of this globalization process is what Professor Straubhaar defined as hybridization, or the interaction or mixing of previously separate cultures with the progression of time. As peoples share information, ideas, and products, one of the eventual outcomes is the bringing together of cultural groups that would otherwise — thanks to geographical distance, predominantly — be quite distinctly disconnected. The result is an increased awareness of other cultures, customs, and thought processes, as well as even the adoption of some of these ideas into other populations.

While the United States of America is overwhelmingly considered to be the dominant spreader of the media, and thus ideals, of its culture, a prime example can be seen in an alternative situation: the flow of the concept of Japanese-style game shows into American television.

The Japanese game shows have a tendency to operate on extremes; entertainers, celebrities, and everyday people alike have the chance to appear on one and participate in a rather exaggerated series of tasks for prizes or simply the entertainment of an audience. "Takeshi's Castle," a Japanese classic that appeared on televisions across the nation from the mid- to late '80s, is perhaps one of the most famous examples of this. In the show, participants compete in a series of often absurd physical challenges, from "Super Mario"-reminiscent block-jumping to climbing a hill clad in protective gear while "guards" roll giant foam acorns and other nuts as obstacles down towards the approaching people. A failure in one of these events often meant falling into mud or water. The appeal of the show for many laid in watching the often humorous and slapstick outcomes of taking on the outrageous challenges.

A look at the original "Takeshi's Castle," as aired in Japan under the title "風雲！たけし城" or "Fuun! Takeshi-jo," can be seen below:

Over time, thanks to a combination of the internet and television, "Takeshi's Castle" made its way to the United States. In the early 2000s, Spike TV aired over 80 episodes of the show, adding humorous dubs to both spoof the series and introduce it to American audiences. The result was a trend in Japanese-inspired game shows. Most recently, shows like MTV's "Silent Library" and ABC's "Wipeout" have provided not a spoof on these game shows, but actually their own versions of them featuring American contestants participating in events strongly influenced and inspired by the original shows of Japanese origin. Some of them ("Wipeout") have even gone so far to do so that they have come under legal attack from the stations that originally aired the shows (Japan's Tokyo Broadcasting System) for allegedly copying some of the series completely.

"Mystery Pistachio"

As online media such as YouTube has exploded in popularity, entirely new kinds of celebrity have sprung forth through the form of vloggers, directors, and more. People who would otherwise be ordinary users uploading videos onto the website have come into fame, with loyal viewers, or subscribers, from across the globe climbing into even the millions for some of the more popular names. The pervasiveness of the media has grown with this, something I realized in further detail when I came across this video by MysteryGuitarMan, a musician who has become known for his inventive (and somewhat eccentric) music videos:

While advertising has entered into the online media scene with 30-second clips that play before and occasionally between streaming videos such as those from popular internet television source Hulu, I found this advertisement a particularly powerful example of how deeply embedded it can become. Even as audiences move away from other forms of media where advertising has made its mark, the industry doesn't fail to follow as made clear in this relatively new variety of product placement. By turning over the creation of the actual advertisement to an entertainer with a large following, as the number one subscribed director on YouTube, a catchy, amusing internet clip is created with a promotion for the Wonderful Pistachios product incorporated thoroughly into the mix.

As detailed in Professor Straubhaar's lecture, techniques to include product placement and the use of celebrity make this advertisement-in-disguise extremely powerful and effective, as a YouTube celebrity with an incredible following of 1, 104,780 subscribers (as of 8:20 on this Sunday night) creates a music video centered around the pistachio product, and is even still eating them during the vlog that follows the music portion.

The appeal of an advertisement like this can be found in the fact that, as the advertising industry discovered long ago, people want to become more like the celebrities they admire, to include purchasing the same things that they do. By seeing this video of MysteryGuitarMan eating Wonderful Pistachios, viewers are more likely to buy the product themselves, simply because he makes them "look good," or even something as simple as drawing there attention to it so that they're more likely to recognize and purchase some pistachios of their own during their next trip to the grocery store.

Additionally, a link to the Mystery Pistachio website in the information bar below the video directs users to even more celebrity endorsements, featuring famous faces from Snooki to Chad Ochocinco reveling in what is presented to be an extremely delicious pistachio snack.

Live Free or Die Hard ... in a 3 Acts

     In a pattern divergent from the classical tragedy structure followed most often by stories of moral questioning and life lessons such as Shakespearean tales, the structure of modern Hollywood's movies has fallen into that of a 3-act organization. Divided into portions that provide an introduction, a complication, and a conclusion as well as a powerful and pivotal moment called the climax, these movies provide well for scenarios where the stakes are constantly on the rise until, at last, that defining moment occurs. 

     One example of such a film can be seen in 2007's action-packed "Die Hard" sequel, "Live Free or Die Hard." In it, the crime-fighting protagonist John McClane is reintroduced with a host of new characters as well as one particularly formidable enemy.

    The movie opens with a first look into the lives of the main characters, and also provides background on their lives and their plights. Then, it moves into a stage full of twists and turns, as new information is uncovered and unprecedented difficulties arise. Finally, a climactic moment precedes an ending marked by falling action and a resolution between the characters in the story.

     The movie opens with a series of mysterious deaths occurring in the places of residence of several hackers, each occurring only after they have completed a deed for a mysterious, high-paying employer. From there, characters are introduced: Matt Ferrell, another hacker and secluded tech enthusiast, also fulfills the requests of the unknown entity, which is revealed to the viewer between close-up shots of details in his apartment, from the multiple monitor screens he uses to the screamo song playing in the background. Protagonist Detective John McClane is also given an introduction as he makes his way to Ferrell's residence as a favor to local law enforcement. The characters meet, followed by an explosive situation that forces them to stick closer together, as well as putting some faces to the antagonist shadow organization. The characters are forced to team up, and discover a pattern to the recent murders that reveals an even larger plan in the works to shut down the entire infrastructure of the United States through the use of a technique called a "fire sale," intended to shut down the nation's technological capabilities. Thomas Gabriel, the man behind the destructive plot, is revealed to viewers, as are those who work for him in his secret base. This takes approximately 30 minutes to unfold, an amount of time stated to be common for 3-Act structures by Professor Ramirez-Berg in lecture.

     The plotline progresses with the second step in the sequence, which makes up a majority of the film to introduce some variety of complication or difficulty for the protagonists(s) to over. This occurs in "Di Hard" through a series of events that raise the stakes for each character. Though it was shown McClane was being targeted by Gabriel to be taken down as a threat to his plot, some of the biggest action sequences in the film as, after winning a battle against Gabriel's love interest and right-hand woman Mai, he decided to focus all of his resources  on giving him the same pain that he's caused. In turn, a major step of the fire sale is completed, shutting down power to most of the Eastern seaboard, and a dangerous new move is taken when Lucy, McClane's estranged daughter introduced earlier in the film, is kidnapped to lure the protagonist to his doom. Furious, McClane goes on a full-out mission to destroy Gabriel and rescue his daughter as well as the country. As the FBI struggles to deal with the damages, other key explanations into the reason's for the antagonist's actions, however twisted, are revealed.

     Now in its third and final act, the action rises as McClane infiltrates Gabriel's location to rescue Lucy and the now-kidnapped Ferrell. He and Gabriel come face-to-face and enter into the climax, a deadly shootout that concludes with the antagonist pressing a handgun into his shoulder, ready to deliver a fatal blow. From there, the remainder of the action occurs, and the events and end situations of each character are revealed in a "happy ending" suited for the 3-act structure, as explained by Ramirez-Berg. This final act is noticeably shorter than the practically 60-minutes act that preceded it at a length of thirty minutes. 

     Audiences are left not only with an explosive action thriller, but also with a prime example of the 3-Act structure as it functions in much of modern Hollywood's works.

That Sitcom Show

As described by Professor Tait during Wednesday's lecture, the traditional American sitcom provides a snippet of story with each episode that ends cleanly at the end of every — normally 30-minute — installment. The episodic structure creates a view-friendly plot line featuring characters that change very little as the seasons progress, allowing people to tune in any time without any prior knowledge of the series and understand what is going on. Additionally, sitcoms tend to produce humorous pieces that are a bit hyperbolic in nature, making for a quick taste of comedic entertainment in a manner not unlike what Easy Listening does as a genre for the music medium.

 "That 70's Show," a period sitcom centered around a group of teens growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, delivered such snippets of comedic actions to viewers over the course of its 8 seasons on air. With plot lines that often focus in on exaggerated tales of teenage shenanigans, each episode has a tendency to serve as a skit-like event, linking together in a series that often has very few other common linkages aside. Episodes included the humorous aftermath of an impromptu graffiti session on the side of the local water tower to one of the main character's comical relationship with his stern father and extremely nurturing mother.

A television-centric stage set-up also provides a classic example of "people watching people watch TV," another aspect of TV sitcoms described during Professor Tait's lecture. The main hangout for the group, character Eric Foreman's basement, features a television set straight out of the '70s that the furniture in the area is arranged around. Characters also consistently gather around it, during which time snippets of comedic dialogue tend to occur.

Additionally, characters in "That 70's Show" undergo little development throughout the series aside from some love-interests that are interwoven across a span of several episodes, creating a viewing experience that is extremely accessible to anyone looking for a little entertainment.


Image courtesy of fanpop.com.

Shots and Angles in Modern Film

The final piece of the X-Men movie series that premiered in 2000, "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" was composed of a majority of high-action shots with memorable usage of special effects as two groups of "mutated" humans entered into a battle for control and the fate of the human race. While the intensity and sheer amount of action sequences the occurred throughout the film may at a glance appear to live little room for the more subtle usage of camera angles and shots, even here the techniques Professor Ramirez-Berg described in lecture are present. Within a single scene in the movie, three appear, as show in depth below:

As X-Men member Shadowcat (Ellen Page) flees from her attacker, the Brotherhood's Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones), much power is lent to the mammoth man's character, as his main feature is his unnatural strength and power to the point where he is smashing walls behind those that she runs through (her defining ability being able to pass through objects) during the chase. A sudden turn of the tables occurs as both of them suddenly sink into the floor however. It is here where an ironic use of the low-angle shot occurs. Usually meant to signify a character's power, here it takes a sarcastic look at a character that is usually incredibly powerful throughout the series as, though the viewer feels as if he or she is looking up at the Juggernaut, the expression of struggle on his face takes away that power thanks to the pairing of close-up shot that helps reveal the emotions there.

There is then a shift to a medium shot that reinforces the Juggernaut's loss of power, as he is now stuck in the floor. A movement from the low-angle shot to the eye-level shot also emphasizes that he is losing control of the situation in question.

Finally, through reverse-order shot progression, the viewer is able to gain the details of who has gained the power that the Juggernaut has lost. Another usage of the low-angle shot, this time more literal in meaning, gives the strength to Shadowcat as she stands over her would-be assailant. 

It is these subtle usages of shot and angle within the film that send messages to viewers that would otherwise be lost from live-to-film translation.

"X-Men 3: The Last Stand" movie stills courtesy of: Screencap Paradise

Star Works

In a time known as the "golden age" of Hollywood industry, when iconic actors and actresses like Humphrey Bogart and Judy Garland were still lighting up screens across the nation, a hierarchy of powerful film studios rose to the top, producing countless films and, among them, the classics still watched and remembered today. A look behind the curtain of these studios, however, reveals the complex and carefully structured process that brought to life the movies that marked the Classical Era.

One of the most essential parts of the Hollywood movie machine was a factory-based, vertically integrated system that gave studios complete control over every step of the movie-making process, from production to the actual screenings. As detailed during lecture, each studio possessed, for example, its own "stable" of actors and actresses to fill the roles for movies to be produced as well as directors, producers, and more. This, in turn, created a team of dependable artists available to be put onto the production of any movie necessary, whenever was necessary. In addition, as certain stable actors and actresses rose to fame, so, too, would the studios whose movies they would appear in.

One such example of the power of the "stable" of actors, known as the star system, appears in "Media Now" is Rudolph Valentino, who rocketed to fame following his starring role in the romance, "The Sheik." Following his iconic role in the movie, Paramount Pictures found that his fans, a majority of which were female, were interesting in viewing movies they perhaps normally wouldn't be, simply becuase he was in them. This, in turn, led to the placement of the starring actor's name being given even more prominence than even the title of the actual movie itself, as can be seen in the movie posters for one of Valentino's later films, "The Eagle."



The end result left studios focusing on promoting the star power of its actors and actresses in order to lend the companies their success. After all, by emphasizing a popular actor or actress as opposed to the title of the movie, profits could be boosted by a wave of that artist's fans coming in to view the movie.

All Family ... All Humor?

"All in the Family," a family-based comedy that first aired in 1971, according to IMDB, brought controversial issues from racism to sexuality to the forefront through the day-to-day interactions between infamously bigoted head of the household Archie Bunker and the other members of his family. Though met with a wide variety of both acclaim and criticism, the show remained an enduring part of American television history, remaining on air for 8 years and winning honors from Emmys to Academy Awards.

Since the times of "All in the Family," however, the content and types of shows to be broadcasted around the nation have changed greatly, though family-based comedies still exist. One particular comedy, "Two and a Half Men," follows the lives of a womanizing bachelor, his brother, and his brother's son, who have all found themselves living in the same beach-front home thanks to a messy divorce.

At a glance, these shows vary greatly: though relatives, the Harpers of "Two and Half Men" hold none of the familiar structure that "All in the Family" does, with the Bunkers consisting of a man, his wife, his daughter, and her husband. Simultaneously, there is much less focus on the concept of family tolerance and acceptance that occurs in the contemporary show as opposed to the classic one. However, both feature two strongly opinionated male leads, who serve as the leaders of their respective households. Charlie, the bachelor, is the owner of the house in which his brother and nephew are staying, and Archie is both the husband, father, and father-in-law to the other members of the house. Both address issues in society through characters intended to be bigoted, but with a charming quality, when one observes the insults gilded in humorous quip that make up many of these characters' lines.

One of the biggest differences, however, occurs in the variety of topics addressed. According to a list of episode summaries available online, "All in the Family" addresses a variety of topics ranging from homosexuality, as was featured in the episode that was screened in class, to others from rape to religion. "Two and a Half Men," however, seems to focus almost solely on what has been criticized as portraying women in a negative light, as many of the actresses who appear on the show are either manipulative, overtly sexual, or simply insane.

Both shows, however, do address controversial issues by containing characters who seem to be strong supporters of bigotry, and have found a receptive audience and fan following -- something evident in the long life of "All in the Family" and of "Two and a Half Men," currently in its eighth season.

Demand in the Design

The early 20th century marked a turning point in American media history, as both technological advances and the determination of new, innovative uses for it created a medium that rose to dominance during the 1920s: radio. What was originally an advancement of a communication form already in existence, morse code, grew and developed into the "Radio Music Box" originally conceived by David Sarnoff, as described in "Media Now." In turn, its convenient nature allowed it to become a household object, and thus spread its popularity across the nation.

Technological advancement as a driving force finds its foundations in the concept of innovation in general. By creating more efficient and more advanced means of carrying out the motions of everyday life, these things gain popularity within social spheres. Originally, the radio was considered to be a "wireless telegraph" when it was first invented in 1896 by Guglielmo Marconi. Intended to further mobilize the telegraph system, it allowed radio stations to broadcast and receive messages from ships at sea that were beyond the reach of the usual wires. However, what began as a technological advancement for morse code as a means of relaying messages gained technological advances of its own — De Forest's vacuum tube that allowed for sounds like music to be broadcast, for example — that allowed it to become its own medium.

Once the technology had blossomed into full development, Sarnoff's idea helped radios find their way into American homes. From there, what the technological advancement that had brought into the spotlight triggered a chain reaction of events that, set off by those original sparks of innovation, allowed radio to become so influential during the '20s. The concept of entertainment embedded with commercials as a source of funding led to the music, shows and variety that piqued the public interest. Soon the demand of the audience led to the need for supplying more radios and more radio content, thus allowing it to rocket to the powerful influence it held during that era.

MTV and the Cultivation of Stereotypes

The widespread significance mass media holds in modern life has become, to a recognizable degree, an influencing factor in the thoughts and opinions of not just the U.S., but also of societies across the globe. It has raised concerns for some, possibilities for others and neutrality on other accounts. Above all, the attention it has received from its importance has garnered interest into the inner workings of the influence it exerts on populations and the individuals that comprise it. 
With these theories on the science behind the media in mind, one can approach phenomena in news and in everyday life from several varying angles, in a hope to better understand the full power of the forces behind it. One such concept, known as cultivation theory, can be applied, for example, to a late 2009 dispute between members of the Italian-American community and popular television station, MTV, that received coverage from several news sources.

The idea behind cultivation is this: people with strong exposure to certain mediums like television are more likely to view the scenarios and situations depicted within it as commonplace and, perhaps most significantly, as reality.

An article appeared on FOXNews.com last November, in which MTV reality show, Jersey Shore, came into accusations of depicting Italian-Americans in a negative light and encouraging Americans to stereotype the group as a whole. The story featured two national Italian-American organizations, UNICO National and the National Italian American Foundation, both of which were seeking the cancellation of the show.

In his interview with the news organization, UNICO National President Andre DiMino, expressed his dissent with MTV's decision to air the show despite the concerns that came out during the program's promotional phase: "They're trying to sweep it under the rug, this very outward and blatant stereotyping that they're advocating. I'm going to determine what our next steps are going to be. We just can't remain silent. We've lived through 'The Sopranos' when we were all gangsters and thugs, and now we're being portrayed as buffoons."

The concept behind the concerns of these groups becomes clearer when the cultivation theory is incorporated into the mix: it would mean that, once Jersey Shore became widespread, Americans would apply the concept of spray-tanned, party-loving, self-proclaimed "guidos" to all Italian-Americans, and as a result damaging the reputation of the group. A commercial for the show can be viewed below:

This is explored further in another story that appeared in TIME in December of last year. In it, the opinion of English professor Gina Barreca, who worked on a series of essays examining the portrayal of Italian-Americans in HBO's The Sopranos. She stated that the "Guido subculture," as it is referred to in TIME, that is featured on Jersey Shore is "a celebration of ignorance.

As likely obvious from its current large viewership, Jersey Shore is still being aired, and has even entered into its second season. While, at this point, opinions on whether or not the show has actually caused a negative impact on the nation's image of Italian-Americans are still greatly varied, it is clear that the concerns that were and are still being raised as well as the idea of the "nation's image" itself can be explained and better understood through the concept of cultivation theory.

Stories into the Spotlight: Agenda Setting in the Media

One of the concepts of the relationship between media and society that caught my attention was agenda setting. Through understanding the meaning of this as a link between media coverage and the public opinion, it allowed me to better assess a story that had caught on to much popularity for a short time over the summer: a dispute between Bill O'Reilly and Jennifer Aniston. By being introduced to the concept of agenda setting, I was provided with information for a better understanding of something that confused me with the amount of coverage and attention it received.
Agenda setting, at its core, is defined as the action taken, consciously or subconsciously, by a person or group that has the power to influence the public agenda and the topics that are considered important at a certain period in time. "Media Now" details this concept, stating that in the political sphere, for example, well-covered candidates and other figures may push to the forefront topics that they find important, or in some cases useful to their cause, prompting more on the subject to appear in both the media and everyday life. The converse is also possible, due to the inevitable fact that the media, as a body with a finite number of stories that can be covered on a day-to-day basis, has the power to select which concepts and events take prominence for that day, week, season and beyond. 

This concept of the media selecting what stories will be featured and, in turn, talked about and regarded with importance, brings to mind a week in early August where a media member — or, truly, a group — initiated what seemed to be a chain reaction of stories covering a singular event and topic for discussion. While this certainly cannot be regarded as the only instance of the media bringing an instance that would've otherwise been overlooked into the spotlight, it was one that struck me as somewhat odd: the short fascination with something of a dispute between Bill O'Reilly and actress Jennifer Aniston.
It began as O'Reilly showed a clip on his FOX News show of a recent interview with Aniston over her upcoming movie in which she plays a single woman who chooses to have a child on her own using artificial insemination. In the interview, she states that times are changing and that there is no reason why a woman wishing to have a child should have to have a man in her life. He responded to this clip by declaring, among other things, that her message is "destructive to our society." This brought much more attention to both himself and the promotional interview Aniston was featured in, and as a result, things snowballed further as pop culture news sources among other news channels began focusing in on this with the angle that a feud was occurring between them, with headlines often featuring how his comments "slam" hers, and, when she was later asked about his words, hers as "shooting" back at him. 
What began as a single, small interview as a promotion for a film suddenly became a story that was covered on dozens of celebrity blogs and news channels, one of which is shown below as a still from CNN's take on the incident, courtesy of the HLN channel on YouTube:





 While this has no political ties, the concept of agenda setting does seem to help explain what exactly happened in this case. The main focus of many stations covering the argument appeared to be about Aniston and O'Reilly disagreeing, and less about what they were actually disagreeing about. However, further into these stories it comes to light that the coverage of the argument between them drew a lot of attention to the role of men in modern families, as well as on pregnancy and childrearing in single women and teenaged girls.

Going Exploring

The truth is, RTF 305 wasn't a class that I selected on its own to take. About two months and two weeks ago, in the midst of orientation nervousness and the daily panic of almost never being able to find my way back to Jester at the end of the day, I met up with my counselor and signed up for a FIG. Part of that package was this course, Introduction to Media Studies, and it was for that reason I ended up in one of the super-tiny-desk-equipped chairs of the auditorium on the first day of classes at 10 a.m. -- or, rather, 10-ish, thanks to my inability to not get very, very lost trying to get places even if I do have a map. Or two. Plus Google Maps.

 Of course, there was more to this decision than just whether or not it came with the group I joined. I wasn’t sure what media studies really entailed, but I wanted to find out and had a feeling it would help me with my freshman first semester goals of building a solid foundation for the rest of my time in college. Admittedly, there've only been three classes so far, but I’m already very sure that this course is helping to spur progress in not only my journalistic thinking -- I am a journalism major, after all! -- but also in my everyday life. While it's often said lately that print journalism is "dying," I strongly believe that the truth is that it's just being reinvented, chipped off and molded into other things so that it can serve an even broader purpose as the world around us changes. This is one of the concepts that inspired me to study journalism, in fact; I’d like to become a part of this evolution of print journalism beyond what it is and has been. I hoped -- and am still hoping -- that this class will help usher in more and more knowledge about the other mediums of the media that all journalists will need to adapt to and combine and separate in a variety of combinations. This could be something much different than just the idea of extinction, but instead an opportunity to pioneer new ways to convey what print journalism always has, while also allowing us a better chance to update the process and find ways to create something more streamlined and able to merge it with technology and other mediums to create something that can work more efficiently and artfully to carry out the duty of informing the public, as well as others like entertainment and more.

I feel and expect that RTF 305 can help give me a true multimedia experience where I can experience aspects of communication that are unfamiliar to me, so I may start to learn how to use them effectively and creatively. I also believe that it can broaden my horizons as a member of society, and to help me better appreciate other mediums like ... well, film, radio and television. With this I hope to gain a better understanding of the sources of much of the information both my society and I receive, so that I can better think for myself about the issues presented to me at any given time. I mean, I'm pretty sure my horizons are being broadened already! I've always wanted to have my own blog (I technically tried once when I was a lot younger, but I feel like maybe ones that explode with Counting Crows songs and pixellated red balloon embellishments the instant you access the homepage probably don't really count). It'll also force me to overcome my own insecurities about dealing with other mediums, so that maybe sometime before the end of the semester I'll be able to blog like a pro without feeling nervousness set in with every. Word. I. Type. Ahh! 

I’ll admit I haven’t really read very many blogs, although especially now I’m getting more interested in seeing more! One that I have tried reading and really enjoy is this blog, by a band called Born Ruffians. It’s not much news, or feature, or super serious writing, but I always feel like the personality that shines through in their posts, the majority of which are written by bassist Mitch Derosier, give a really refreshing, fun, look into the lives of a small handful of musicians. In my mind, it stands as a lively example of how even the tiniest bit of communication has the power to connect people in ways they otherwise wouldn't be, as Derosier's posts help give shape to the band's identity and to reveal people much more real and much closer than those who are conveyed to listeners through their music alone.