Lauren Zalaznick: The Conscience of Television

Operation Redlight: Star Power Data

After you all finished up your presentations for Operation Redlight, we looked at some data about the actors that you chose to play the role of the protagonist.  Here's a recap of the data we observed:

8 out of 10 protagonists were white
1 out of 10 protagonists was black
1 out of 10 protagonists was Hispanic

8 out of 10 protagonists were male
2 out of 10 protagonists were female

This week, we'll be reading several articles surrounding the topic of Casting & Fate.  This theory, discussed thoroughly by George Gerbner, will guide our discussions for the rest of the semester.  Remember the IMDB scavenger hunt from today?  Who was frustrated looking for some of the items?  Ladies, how do you feel about Bella representing you TWICE on this list?  Keep a careful eye out, as always, and please post or email me real life examples of the theories we are studying in class.

Hasta la pasta,
Cordes

Final Discussions

Topics:
These links will take you to a topic of interest.  Jump in and read, watch, or listen to these new topics.  Make sure your ideas are thoughtful and not shallow.  Can your see the difference?

I can't believe how much Call of Duty my cousin plays.  I think he is addicted and that is just they way it is I guess.  

Pretty weak.   How about this?

Call of Duty is highly addictive for several reasons.  Clearly the orienting response is being constantly activated as the gunfire, explosions, and perpetual violence will keep the brain triggered.  This also is layered on top of the other "reptilian hot buttons" on display.  That boys have the added bonus of trash talking each other creates a unique bonding experience.  You don't even have to be a jock to join in too.  In many ways, it is a much more democratic experience for the players as they can accomplish a social standing without physical

1. Politics/ Censorship- Arnold
2. Branding/ Gender- Monster vs. Rockstar Energy Drinks
3. Advertising- Ethics of Marketing to Children
4. Advertising and Social Networking
5. Violence & Women
6. Men & Women
7. Men and Gender Codes
8. Hollywood Profits & Money
9. Social Media- Potential and Limits

Take Home Final for Wednesday:
Pick one of the issues previously listed.   

1. Establish an original thesis based upon your observations of the issue.
2. Directly connect your observations to any of the five core principles of media literacy that apply.
3. Counter argue with a position of a classmate or with an opinion from a source.
4. As this is a take home essay, you have over 48 hours to consider the issue, develop a stance, collect evidence for support, seek opposing views and counter-argue, and conclude.  Do not come in empty handed  on Wednesday. 
5. Please type and double space the final.  My preference but not required.

Final Discussion- Social Media and its issues

 Prosecution:
Facebook Issue #1
Facebook Issue #2
Facebook Issue #3
Issue #4

Defense:

Are Distractible People More Creative?

Can Twitter Lead People to the Streets?

Learning by Playing: Video Games in the Classroom

 

 

Final Discussion- Arnold - Censorship/Private Lives/ Politics

 In response this week's media bombshell:
From Daily Beast

For many years, Schwarzenegger employed pit-bull attorney Marty Singer—whose legal threats to journalists are the stuff of legend—to stamp out negative stories and discredit women who claimed he'd misbehaved in front of them. Even Anthony Pellicano, the disgraced private investigator currently serving a 15-year sentence for wiretapping, racketeering, and wire fraud, reportedly worked on Schwarzenegger's behalf for a time, sifting through his client's own trash to suss out potential enemies.
But perhaps the greatest coup came in 2002, shortly before Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy for Governor. That year, David Pecker's American Media, which publishes supermarket tabloids like The National Enquirer and Star, purchased a slew of fitness magazines from Schwarzenegger's mentor Joe Weider in a transaction valued at around $350 million. Soon after, AMI signed up the Terminator himself in a multi-year contract that made him the executive editor of a number of its publications.
AMI got a PR boost from the publicity, and Schwarzenegger got a certain amount of immunity from the company’s tireless attack dogs. As one longtime AMI staffer put it to Los Angeles Magazine in a 2004 article by Ann Louise Bardach, “When Weider was being bought, the edict came down: No more Arnold stories.”

Should politicians be fair game?  What is the ethical fallout that his behavior was purposely shielded by a corporate sponsor?

Final Discussion- Branding- Thanks Morgan!!

Monster vs. Rockstar- From Moran Hlinka
Be sure to watch the video...
Discuss the advertising/ branding techniques.

Finals Discussion- Children and Marketing

McDonald's defends advertising to children

vs.
The Corporatized Child

CCFC Part 1 of 2

View more presentations from CCFC  and one more here. 

Discuss...

Final Discussion -Advertising-Social Networking

Company Site
Facebook page

Discuss the strategy and effectiveness. 

Final Discussion- Representation of Violence Against Women

Watch this clip from a recent Gossip Girl
Further Commentary  Read comments.
 Feminist Frequency has some thoughtful posts as well.
More on the Bechdel Test and stats and
Discuss...

Final Discussion- Relationships and Advertising

And here is an example how it plays into political commentary as well.

Pesky Wife Blamed After Republican Presidential Hopeful Drops Out

Discuss...

Discussion Final- Male Gender Codes

Discuss...

Final Discussion- Hollywood $$$

Why?

To put the matter baldly: as a frightening proportion of supposedly grownup movies have reverted to the childish, so a disarming proportion of supposedly child-friendly movies have found friends in an adult audience.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/16/110516fa_fact_lane#ixzz1N0zeki4P

Satire for a pitch session:



From Disney Cars 2
Candland Movie...Really?

Fright Night vs. Fright Night- Amplifier effect evidence

Fright Night 1985


Fright Night 2011

Analysis to come...

Google Survey Tutorials

Enjoy!
Google Survey -Set Up
Google Survey- How to Share
Google Survey-Review Results

Web 2.0- Links and Tutorial

Voicethread Tutorial and Link dump for Web 2.0.  If you are using a Google Survey...Great!

Great breakdown of representation from Feminist Frequency

The Smurfette Principle


Followed by the Bechdel Test...

Spot on Satire - Amplifier effect Fast Five

Today Now! Interviews The 5-Year-Old Screenwriter Of "Fast Five"

Hall of Shame Playlists- Spring 2011

Candidate 2.0 from Katie Kemnitz

Hall of Shame- Jerrick's Blog Link
Stephanie Porter-


Mike Worthy

Srijan Shrestha

Alan


Brenden O'Malley



Dan S.


Chris P.


America C.


Christine Terry


Todd W.

More Product Placement- Brief History

Found @ Sociological Images

BoingBoing Live on Japan, radiation, and nuclear crisis—archived video

My favorite site hosted a great discussion on the Japan nuclear crisis.

Watch live streaming video from boingboinglive at livestream.com

Hiking The Appalachian Trail In 4 Minutes

Another cool video from the intertubes

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.

The Personal Impact of the Web

This is an interesting debate from NPR's On The Media that follows our first unit of study of this course. Take a listen and learn. I found the terms of "online disinhibition effect" to be quite interesting in regards to how the internet may facilitate our id in to a space that would otherwise be unspeakable. 


Here is the entire show.

Friday Fun- Crumpin' and falling

99% of the cool stuff comes from BoingBoing


Tarragona Towers of

Casteller from Mike Randolph on Vimeo.

Alma and Blanche and Let Me In -Film Study

Alma

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Nuit Blance

Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.

Annotated Scene from Let Me In

60 Minutes Facebook Profile 2010

The Movie is up for plenty of awards but here is the most recent profile of  Facebook Part 1  & Part 2.

Superbowl Commercials- What else?!

The Good


The Bad



The Ugly

The Rest

Monday News 1/31

More zombies on the way...
Egypt and more
Why China blocks the word Egypt

Here is some ethical fodder too from the Deadspace 2 campaign.

From Sociological Images

Monday News

1. Outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt Plans Stock Sell-Off

2. H&R Block & Wrigley Join GM & Taco Bell Suspending Ads On Racy MTV 'Skins': Is Subway Next?

3. And from a book review in the New York Times of Cinderella Ate My Daughter

 Yet the princess phase, at least in its current hyper-feminine and highly commercial form, is anything but natural, or so Peggy Orenstein argues in “Cinderella Ate My Daughter.” As she tells the story, in 2000 a Disney executive named Andy Mooney went to check out a “Disney on Ice” show and found himself “surrounded by little girls in princess costumes. Princess costumes that were — horrors! — homemade. How had such a massive branding opportunity been overlooked? The very next day he called together his team and they began working on what would become known in-house as ‘Princess.’ ” Mooney’s revelation yielded a bonanza for the company. There are now more than 26,000 Disney Princess items on the market; in 2009, Princess products generated sales of $4 billion.

 

Friday Fun and Assignment #1

A) Complete the Media Diet Survey
B) Sign up for google docs.  Just follow the presentation.  Assignment #1 is in the last slide


C) then a cool video

France: Outlawing Ana

Alisa Miller- TED Media Presentation

Mean World Times Assignment

Check out these examples of MeanWorld Times 2005 Edition.