Extra Credit

I had never written a blog before taking RTF 305.

Positive Aspects of the Blog: The blogs added convenience, both for the students and (I would assume) for the TAs as well. Assignments were much easier to keep track of, and easy to turn in.

Negative Aspects of the Blog: Technically, I encountered no problems with the blog, save for the odd time would occasionally appear. Conceptually however, the blog proved to be more problematic than I initially expected. Though we did go over the blog posts to begin the class, it seems as though there was a disconnect between what the prompt stated and what was expected from students. A clearer outline for the blog posts, or perhaps the ability to drop one of the posts would help ease the transition to this particular form of writing.

I was able to overcome my difficulties with the blog by attempting to follow the prompt exactly, but this was not always the most effective course of action.

My favorite blog post was about the ad that we had to breakdown, because this post allowed some degree of creativity and flexibility in terms of what the student was able to write about. The most difficult post was the first one, mainly because of inexperience with the writing style, as well as a fairly dense topic with which to write about.

I would recommend using a blog for other courses, mainly because a blog facilitates transfer of assignments and makes it easier to keep track of various assignments.

My biggest suggestion for improving the blogging experience, would be a clearer set of guidelines with which to write a blog. True, we are told what the content of the blog should be, but it seems as though a sample post (which were added after the course began) would be most beneficial to begin with.

Yes, you can use my blog in a paper or report

This Wide World of Ours

Globalization is the process wherein disparate cultures are able to congeal and merge to form a larger whole. Globalization is made possible because of recent advances in technology, allowing instantaneous and easy communication around the globe. In addition to merely facilitating communication, globalization also represents the unification of various cultures, such as the appearance of McDonald's in the middle of China, or the usage of Sony products in Brazil.

One of the drawbacks of globalization is supposed "cultural imperialism," or the continual imposition of Western, and particularly American ideas upon the wider world. America, and the West in general, features a capitalistic set of values, which are often in direct conflict with ideologies of the east. Yet, such is the force of Western influence, that these cultures are often obliged to shift to a Western mindset, as Western companies and products begin to saturate and control the market. Indeed, globalization allows for specific companies to influence not just a particular part of the world, but the entire globe.

An example of cultural imperialism is the transplantation of western beauty ideals, such as blond hair, to the world at large. This New York Times article (New York Times) outlines how poor women in Russia sell their hair so that wealthier individuals can buy them for use as wigs or extensions. The article shows that the Western beauty concept of blond hair has saturated even the vehemently anti-west former Soviet Union, with the hair being quite valuable. The hair not only services those wealthy Russians who wish to appeal to western sensibilities, but they are also shipped around the world, thus illustrating how far the American concept of beauty has spread.

Fly Little Pengiuns

The BBC ad featuring flying penguins was powerful because it employed both novelty and shock value to grab the viewers attention and promote the station.

The ad begins with the calm voice of Terry Jones in an Arctic setting with a group of penguins, a fairly non-descript opening. However, as the ad progresses, he piques the viewer's interest by explaining that these are not any ordinary penguins. The penguins then take to the air as Jones explains that these penguins can fly and live out the winter in the jungles of South America. The ad seizes the attention of the viewer by showing the utterly ludicrous idea that penguins can not only fly, but fly to South America when it gets too cold, making it powerful by its sheer absurdity.

The ad is an example of satisfying curiosity, for it poses a question at the beginning in regards to these particular penguins, and then proceeds to answer said question. The benefits of an ad that satisfies curiosity, is that it appeals to the innate sense of curiosity that every person has; even if someone does not particularly care for an ad they will feel compelled to discover the answer to the riddle that is presented.

The penguin ad personifies the idea of satisfying curiosity, because it is able to lure in viewers by promising a special kind of penguin, and then deliver with a powerful image of penguins taking flight. Terry Jones' narration as the camera zooms across a glacier full of penguins draws the interests of the viewer by posing an unanswerable question. The only way for the viewer to feel satisfied and receive an answer is to continue watching, until they are surprised to find a group of penguins taking flight.

The ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRgmnm00lQ

Dr. Jones I Presume?

The film "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" employs the standard 3 act Hollywood narrative, with the introduction of the character as an adventuring archaeologist against his sinister nemesis René Belloq (plot point number one), the realization that the Nazis are trying to uncover the Lost Ark of the Covenant and that Indiana Jones must discover it first (plot point number two), and finally the actual discovery and eventual recovery of the Ark by Indiana Jones (climax).

The first act finds the character first introduced whilst he is in a jungle, searching for a treasured artifact. After being abandoned by his cowardly accomplice, he is able to recover the idol and escape the booby-trapped temple, only to find rival archaeologist René Belloq there with an angry mob of natives. The film thus establishes the heroic nature of Indiana Jones and the dastardly ways of his rival, who is willing to do anything to accomplish his goals.

The movie then proceeds onto the second act, wherein Jones, after returning to his job at the university, is approached by a group of US agents who ask him to recover the fabled Ark of the Covenant before Hitler and Belloq can do so. In order to discover the ark however, Jones must approach his former lover Marion Ravenwood, who is in possession of the mystic Staff of Ra which reveals where the ark is buried. However, he is not the only one looking for her, and a group of Nazi agents attempt to steal the piece of the staff by force, leading to the second mini-climax wherein the girls bar is destroyed and she accompanies him on his journey. The stakes are heightened as Jones, now has to worry about the safety of his fait-accompli as well as having to stop the Nazis before they endanger the world itself.

In the final resolution act, after arriving in Egypt, Indiana discovers that the Nazis are digging in the wrong spot, and he proceeds to find the ark right under their noses. However, he is discovered and left to die with while the Nazis take away the ark. After escaping, Indiana is able to recapture the ark, but it once again falls into Nazi hands. Belloq then takes the ark to a secluded island with a hidden Jones in tow, to test the power of the artifact. The climax occurs when the Nazis open the ark only to have their faces melted, while Jones and Marion close their eyes and avoid its power. Thus the climax reveals that the stakes have peaked, as the Nazis do indeed have the legendary ark when they unwittingly release its monstrous power. The climax occurs at the end of the film, which ends happily as Jones recovers the ark and keeps Marion safe.

You've Got My Attention

Axial Characters often have axial skeletons

The axial character is key to the success of a sitcom, for he draws the attentions of the viewer and contextualizes the rest of the cast in terms of his personality. Other characters in a show are oftentimes, not even perceived as complete figures, but rather the fragments that the axial character sees them as. These other characters need not be fleshed out fully in order for the axial character to complete a story arc. Indeed, it is often better that these characters are not completed for it always for a sense of empathy with the title character not afforded to those less important in the cast, giving more meaning to the axial character as a whole.

Such a Happy Family

The axial character is central to the show "Everybody Loves Raymond," for the character of Ray Romano defines not only the characters around him, but also the entire world of the sitcom itself. Ray is always the main focus whenever he is in a scene, and the world seems to be defined by his pessimistic attitude. While his immediate family is gradually formed as the series progresses, they are still defined in the roles in which Ray views them. Ray's overbearing mother constantly guilts and manipulates him in to performing tasks for her, while his cantankerous old father shows deep resentment of anything "girly." Ray's brother is a morose and ponderous fellow, who always complains that Ray has everything better than him, a fact which is oftentimes correct. Ray's wife is always exasperated with him, and often seems just on the brink of a breakdown. These characters are usually seen only through the cynical lens of Ray, warping our perceptions along with him. Thus we can see the importance of the axial character, for all the other characters as well as the world itself, are viewed only through the lens of Ray's pessimistic attitude.

Do the Kung Fu Hustle

The director employs the use of low-angle and medium shots coupled with close ups to show the progression of the main character from a petty criminal to kung fu master.

Before

After the hero's true potential has been unlocked, his expression changes from one of constant annoyance and fear to to one of cool impassivity. When he is revealed after his short recovery, he is wearing clean white robes, and the director uses a low angle shot to reveal his new-found power. The shot focuses on the back of the character, and as he opens the door light floods in bathing him in an angelic glow to further emphasize his transcendent nature.

After

The shot then switches to a close-up on his face, which up to this point in the film had been constantly contorted in fear but now remains steady and relaxed. The camera never leaves his face as he turns around to view the multitude of opponents that face him, circling as he circles, staying steady at eye-level. After the character is done surveying his surroundings, the camera pans down and to the back of his head once more, just as he is about to fight his final battle.
As the battle unfolds, the shot switches to a medium range, to show a more traditional viewing angle for the action. Once he dispatches the henchmen, the fight begins with the evil "Beast." The camera remains at a medium shot throughout the concluding battle, until the very end. Just as he defeats the "Beast," the camera once more closes on his serene face, as he unleashes his final and most devastating technique, the fabled "Flying Buddhist Palm Technique."

The Gilded Age

They would never have allowed this

During the Golden Age of Hollywood, the ability of a studio to completely control every aspect of a movie's production and distribution via Vertical Integration allowed for an unprecedented volume of quality films to be created.

Unlike film production today, movie studios used to treat the creation of a film in much the same way that a manufacturing industry would, with efficiency reigning king. Everyone from stars and writers to cinematographers and gaffers were put under contract, and indeed sometimes even traded around much like a piece of property. Many films were "authorless," with no particular director getting credit for a film. But most important was the ruthless efficiency with which these studios produced the films in question. By controlling every aspect of a film, the studio was able to keep costs down as well as ensure that a movie would be produced and marketed as quickly as possible. The studios kept all those involved in a film's production on site to reduce the time needed to assemble a film as well as to enable quick distribution.

Like old studios, he doesn't give a damn

A clear example of the power and effectiveness of Vertical Integration is the year 1939, regarded by many to be one of the finest years in cinematic history. 1939 saw the release of several films considered to be amongst the greatest ever, such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a feat which would not have been possible without the studio's rigid control of the film creation process. As noted in the film 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year, such prodigious output would not be possible today, as the bureaucracy and costs associated with creating a film have skyrocketed exponentially since the golden years of Hollywood. Though many would consider the idea of Vertical Integration to be both monopolistic and exploitative of most of those in the film industry, one cannot deny the idea's role in creating an environment where studios could create vast amounts of high quality films at much reduced costs.