Saturday, 10 November 2012

Reading Mass Media




Red by Taylor Swift

1.     This album is written and created, for the most part, by Taylor Swift.  She and her publicists use a variety of advertising strategies such as photoshoots specific to the new style, direct tweets from Taylor herself, and iTunes promotion. I’m sure a lot of different people profit from an album, because a lot of different work is done which includes a lot of different jobs.
2.     The purpose of Taylor Swift’s music is for her to express different emotions she has felt in different experiences of her life. Mostly, I’d say, her albums fulfill the purpose of entertainment. The target audience was probably young females at a time, but I’d say she reaches much more than just that. Taylor Swift’s unique songwriting style appeals to a lot of people because of her honesty and relatability. I like her music because of these same reasons.
3.     The message being conveyed is whatever lesson Taylor learned before writing any given song. Her songs support a love for love, and a hate for falling out of love. I have much less experience in these areas than she does, but I would never disagree with her, because I can’t argue somebody’s experience. I would say her songs are very effective in reaching their targeted audience and more. Whatever point Taylor wants to get across, she will get across.

X Factor

1.     Simon Cowell created the X Factor. He has spread it to two different continents, and he makes sure that everybody knows he reserves all rights to it. It is portrayed as a ticket to fame and fortune, all profits going towards the creators, the judges, and the contestants.
2.     The purpose of this show is to showcase musical talent, particularly singing, and creating artists. The intended audience isn’t very specific. For the most part, it’s family friendly so it allows for all ages, but I suppose it really focuses on a specific genre of music, so you could say the targeted audience is pop-song lovers?
3.     The belief behind the show is that if you put a good voice on an overdone stage singing a hit song, you’ll create a star. I do share these beliefs, sadly. I’ve watched too many talented artists go home and too many good-looking-alright-voiced singers make it really far to not believe that whatever Simon Cowell is doing is working.

Tony Bowls Magazine
1.     Tony Bowls is the designer of many unique and interesting grad dresses and evening gowns. His magazine features these dresses for dress stores or fanatic dress-buyers. All profits, I’m sure, go to Tony and his employees.
2.     The purpose is to put all of Tony’s designs into one easy-to-read book so that stores can feature these magazines to potential buyers. I suppose it would fall under the category of information? Or perhaps persuasion. It really depends on how you look at it. The intended audience is definitely graduating females. It appeals to me because I’m a graduating female in the market for a good grad dress.
3.     This magazine essentially says, “Hey, I’m a really nice grad dress, you should buy me”. There aren’t really any stereotypes being portrayed, unless of course you count the fact that all of the models in the magazine are the same size and beautiful? You could say that it’s a marketing scheme to make the dresses look better. I don’t necessarily agree with these beliefs. In fact, I think it would be helpful of Mr. Tony would display how his dresses fit females of the larger, or shorter, or any other body typed client he might encounter. 

Thursday, 18 October 2012

Monday, 15 October 2012

Social Network Review



The Social Network has been infamously renamed “The Facebook Movie”. However, after watching the Social Network, it’s clear that the plot centers only on the creation of the landmark social networking website, not on Facebook itself. It’s about inspiration, betrayal, and the cost of success, the cost of fame, and the cost of a billion-dollar-idea.
Brilliantly, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin told this story through multiple perspectives (of each of the super-smart young men who claimed to be there at Facebook’s creation) and two legal battles. He actually told the most important aspects of the story through two depositions for two different lawsuits. These different perspectives on movie-making give a greater insight to the downside of becoming a multi-billionaire in your twenties and how the rewards may not always justify the struggle- especially not for Mark Zuckerberg.
As far as the acting goes, the performances are rather spectacular- especially those of the leads, Eisenberg, Garfield, and Timberlake.
Eisenberg portrays Mark Zuckerberg as an ironically iconic figure- a genius, clueless to human interaction, is the mastermind behind the greatest social network ever created to date. Eisenberg plain and simply steals each and every scene he’s in. Audiences are drawn in by his glaring at the characters around him as to imply boredom and lack of interest in their affairs, all the while delivering insights that could make a person near him feel that very way. Rather than bringing jealousy upon his character from the movie watchers, Eisenberg manages to create sympathy for the young multi-billionaire- he finds the humanity in someone so smart and yet so sad and angry. He doesn’t take for granted the amazing lines Zuckerberg has, and instead, was able to fully realize the potential of a hero, an anti-hero, and a misunderstood evil genius all wrapped up into one rather awkward Harvard student.
            Eduardo Saverin, the best friend to Facebook’s head creator, Mark Zuckerberg, is the rare type of genius-mastermind who actually prefers the college social experience to the imitation of it created online. He is soon understood as a slightly naïve student caught up in a gold rush moving too fast for him to keep ahead of or even up with. Andrew Garfield does not disappoint with the wide range of emotions he brought to the single most exciting and unexpected character in the story.
            And of course, there was Justin Timberlake perfectly cast as the savvy businessman who transformed Facebook into the monster-of-a social networking site it is today. Timberlake continually proved throughout his presence in the film that he is not the joke of an actor some people may want to label him as.
            The very audacity to tell a story of this period of time not yet finished playing out is what makes the script so exciting. It is both funny and dead-on.  The Social Network truly captured the very essence of the speed, sheer unbelievability, and shocking plot-twists that all took place in the creation of Facebook. The Social Network might have been a film that defined a generation had the question of Mark Zuckerberg’s multi-billionaire happiness had been explored at a greater depth. 

Monday, 10 September 2012

Profile of a Consumer

 
Hours/Week
Most Time to Least Time
Favorite to Least Favorite
Attraction
Television
6-8 hours/week
3
5
America’s Next Top Model, The X Factor, The Voice, America’s Best Dance Crew, Friends, The Office, etc. I mostly watch reality shows and comedies to relax, I suppose.
Video
1-2 hours/week
7
7
One Direction videos…
Movies
4-6 hours/week
4
4
They’re a good way to relax after a lot of homework, or they’re a solid entertainment option for hanging out with friends.
Radio
0-2 hours/week
9
9
Entertainment when I’m driving.
CD’s
2-4 hours/week
6
6
Entertainment when I’m driving.
Newspapers
0 hours/week
10
10
I’ll skim the paper at breakfast, but I mostly just look at pictures.
Magazines
0-1 hour/week
8
8
Looking at what celebrities are wearing to events is my guilty pleasure.
Comics
0 hour/week
12
12
I don’t read comics- but if I did, it would be Batman. He is my attraction.
Books
2-4 hours/week
5
3
I love reading books, because it’s easier to find true-story novels than on any other media, and biographies are my favorite.
IPhone
12-14 hours/week
1
1
My iPhone has Facebook, Instagram, twitter, GPS, texting, Google, the Dictionary… Why wouldn’t I be attracted to it?
Laptop
12-14 hours/week
2
2
I use the internet to find recipes for when I cook, I blog on it, and I watch movies/television on it. It attracts me for many reasons.
Video Games
0 hours/week
11
11
I am not attracted to video games in the least. I don’t even have games on my iPhone.
 
I find that I use multiple medias each for information and my personal entertainment- but definitely more for entertainment purposes. The internet, for example, I use to research information for school, to blog for school, and to watch YouTube videos for school. However, most often, I use the internet to skim Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest- although, in all fairness, I use Pinterest to find recipes and DIY crafts, so that’s really a combination of information and entertainment. I find that, for the sites I use, anyways, information is very accurate and helpful in my everyday life.  As long as you steer clear of sites like Answers.com or any other site that allows viewers to post information (besides, of course, Pinterest), the information should be legitimate and useful.

Thursday, 6 September 2012

In With the New...

Our modern day media is in with the new, and out with the old. It is now socially unacceptable to lack electronic devices such as an iPod, cell phone (preferably smart), and a computer- for teenagers, anyways. Until now, however, I have managed to live without a computer. Granted, I've had an iPhone for the last two years, so it's never been terribly necessary before. But now, things are changing. Just to hand in assignment students need internet access and a printer. I had to prepare an argument to convince my parents that it is, in fact, necessary for me to have a computer for school. So laptop shopping we went, because laptops are just easier, and now here I am, typing on this new little contraption, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. Now I'm one of those "in with the new" people following up on the latest trends. I have a laptop (shared with my father) AND an iPhone at my beck and call. I have access to Google, Facebook, Youtube, Wikipedia, etc. I don't even have to think anymore. My computing skills are no longer needed as I have two computing devices much more capable than I am. How will this change my life? How has this already changed the lives of many? Am I interested in becoming one of those people? Am I already one of those people? I suppose I am. I am in with the new, and I'm out with the old.

Wednesday, 5 September 2012

One Down, Four to Go

A computer lab full of brand new computers ready to take us into the new electronic age of schooling- yet we leave it nearly empty as only four students inhabit these seats. Four students are taking the Media Studies class. There were five, but one dropped it this morning. She couldn't handle the heat of blogging. I know it sounds almost sad now, but this is a good thing. No, this is a great thing. I'm thrilled. No waiting for slow students to finish assignments and no trying to catch up to fast students three assignments ahead- this is a dream. An interesting subject, a laid back teacher, a small class. I am waiting to find someting worth complaining about.
Bring on the media. Fill me up with advertisements and cheesy marketing. Four of us, we sit. We wait. We enjoy.