Visual Narrative

 

 

 

 



To Be Continued........

Rich on Reading

          This article brings up an interesting debate. Just like Nadia, I read for my assignments but rarely do I read as much as I should. I believe that there are both positives and negatives to this article.
          It is true that standardized test scores are lower and lower each year but who is to say that it is all because of the internet. If it is because of the internet then I believe teachers should find a way to make us interact in other forms of communication. For instance, in my Media Literacy class we have blog assignments. My teacher understands that us students spend majority of our time on the computer anyways so why not just make our assignments on computer. That was a smart idea because she is still making us readers. For example, what I am writing about now. Our assignment was to go online to the site where this article was posted and create more of a debate about it on our blogs. We may not be reading out of books but we are still reading and communicating on the topic at hand.
          I believe that more courses and classes should take this approach. It is much more convenient and it saves a lot more time. Who knows? Maybe next semester we will have a class where the assignments are on a social media network like Facebook or twitter.
This was a funny little video posted by a young teen on the topic of Decline in Reading.

Film Styles

          As many of us are aware, there are different types of films and each film has its different style. The first film I will be talking about is Coach Carter. Coach Carter is about a coach that moved schools and will be taking over the new coaching position. Unfortunately, the new team he will be coaching aren't used to being winners and therefore, need lots of help. The first part of the film was about the coach teaching these thugs how to first become young men and second, talented basketball players that win. This took lots of hard work, dedication, and much discipline.
          This film had a unique style. In most films like this one you are used to the new coach coming in and changing everything and transitioning this team into champions. Although this was the case for majority of the movie, there was a litlle contrast in the end. Normally, the team will have been undefeated the entire season and continued on to win the championship. However, in Coach Carter the team went undefeated the entire season and made it to the semi finals. In the semi final game the Oilers were getting killed and made a historice comeback. Unlike most movies, instead of making this comeback and winning the game, the team lost in the final seconds.
          This to me was an interesting film style because in the end the story relays a message back to its audience. It says that it is good to be great but you won't always be the greatest. After the team had lost, the community still had their signs held high and still congratulated the Oilers. The players then came to realize that they didn't only make a change in their winning, they made a change in themselves and in their community.

Advertising

          I first want to start off with a few facts about advertising, given to us by Silverblatt ch. 14 "Overview of Advertising".
U.S. ad spending in 2006 reached a record $285 billion-the equivalent of $950,000 for every person in the United States.
An hour of prime-time network programming contains 18 minutes of advertising, down from 16 minutes in 2003 and 12 minutes in the 1980s.
By the age of 65, the average American has seen two million TV commercials.
American children are exposed to 40,000 ads per year.
When dateline NBC recently asked children to choose between a banana and a rock with a Scooby-Doo sticker on it for breakfast, nearly all chose the rock.
          Just by reading the few facts listed above you can make many statements about the effect of advertising on Americans. By looking at the 3rd fact "An hour of prime-time network programming contains 18 minutes of advertising, down from 16 minutes in 2003 and 12 minutes in the 1980s" we can say that overtime, the shows that we watch are becoming shorter and shorter due to advertising. These are the same one-hour shows but the commercial time is growing, which means that more commercials are being shown and less actual television.
          I will be honest, advertising isn't all bad because sometimes that commercial catches your eye and the item they are showing is highly attractive. For instance, I like cell phone commercials because of the new technology that is being built with the phones. My phone is half broken and I've been looking for the perfect phone to fit me for weeks now. This commercial came on the other day for a Blackberry Torch. I have always been the one that says "I will never buy a blackberry" but the advertisement for the phone fit my specifications so well that I am currently doing everything possible to get one.
          Overall advertising has come a long way over the days and will continue to thrive. Little do many know, but advertising is still an important part of communication.

Journal/ism/ist

          What is Journalism and who are Journalists? Journalism is defined as "the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues, and trends to a broad audience. Journalism dates at least from the Acta Diurna of Rome (a series of public announcements that can be considered the prototype of the modern newspaper), but it was not until the 15th cent. that the invention of printing made possible its rapid growth. Daniel Defoe has been called the first journalist, as distinct from a writer. Modern journalism, however, began in the latter years of the 18th century with each venture serving, as it does in many countries to this day, as the proponent and voice of a political party or social group. Even in the 19th cent. journalists, despite their increased liberties in England and the United States, were largely controlled by political parties. " However, there is much variation in journalism but the overall idea is to inform the people. Jouralism covers government, business, arts and entertainment. Job fields include editing, photojournalism and documentary.
          A Journalist, on the other hand, collects and distributes information about current events, people, trends and issues. The work a Journalist creates is reffered to as journalism. As stated online, "Reporters are one type of journalist. They create reports as a profession for broadcast or publication in mass media such as newspapers, television, radio, magazines, documentary film, and the Internet. Reporters find sources for their work, their reports can be either spoken or written, and they are often expected to report in the most objective and unbiased way to serve the public good. A columnist is a journalist who writes pieces that appear regularly in newspapers or magazines."

" It's Just a Movie"

          Is it just a movie? Many of us have argued or asked the same question that Smith mentioned in chapter 1 "

The question arises almost every semester. My introductory media classand I will be hip deep in analyzing the details of a particular film, andthen a hand will creep up, usually from the back: “Aren’t we readingtoo much into this? After all, it’s just a movie.” Taking a deep breath,I then launch into a spirited defense of our analytic activity." This may not seem like much of a deal but it is actually is an important topic.

          If we look too much into movies now days imagine what kids are thinking when they see these movies about the devil coming out and taking over people or movies about the world supposedly ending in 2012. I believe that there are some movies out there that we should pay very close attention to but some movies are just for fun and amazement and those movies are just messing with your head if you read to closely into them.
          I believe that this is one of the reasons why television shows and movies have ratings for them. I remember we had this conversation in class about how real movies and shows are now days and what happens when litlle children watch them. We were arguing about if it should be the director of the show or movie's fault or the parents. Many of us agreed that it is the parents. If they continue to let their children watch these movies then they know what they are getting themselves into. On the other hand the directors could cut back some on their plots. But the question still remains what is it that we can do?

"Real" Media

            My assignment is to identify and closely examine a media form or program or piece of writing that I feel is "real" to me and that affects me in an emotional way. The main show that is real to me is ESPN. I am so drawn to sportscenter because it has to do with everything I want to be in life.
          I always talk about hopefully making it proffessional in football or basketball. When I tell people this they also reply with the same question. Do you have a backup plan and what is it? This question is always asked because chances of making it pro are slim. The actual statistic of making it the the NBA is 1 in 1 million. My chances of making it pro in football are a little better. But my backup plan is to become an ESPN analyst or broadcaster. This is the main reason I watch sportscenter so often because I imagine myself either talking about the new upcoming superstars or me being talked about as one of them.  I also watch it so I can look closely at what it takes to become an analyst. I look at what teh host talk about today and how well they talk and know about the subject they are commicating about. This is a major reasons I am a communications major. I am trying to get an early feel on how to communicate fluently in front of large crowds and even on television.
          This show is "real" to me because it tells the truth. It talks about coaches' gameplans and upcoming games, athletes, and they even have segments that help you you improve your game and your IQ on the field or court. I will continue to watch this show and continue to work my way on the show. I hope that one day you guys will see me. Maybe as the new face of ESPN.