Simply Midterm Questionss!!!

Here is my mystery assignment for my midterm!!!

1. After studying media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned? Be specific?
I have learned a lot about media around me. I have also learned how difficult the writing process can be in regards to radio, television, and film. I learned how to script commericials and video news stories. I have also learned to accept all forms of media from blogs,to Google alerts, Tweet deck, to Twitter, and to Facebook. All are really important tools that we must learn to utilize effectively.

2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a 1. a critical reader; 2. a writer, and 3. a critical thinker in this class so far?
1. As a critical reader I have learned to look for key aspects and that I can actually stay on top of the readings.
2. As a writer I have learned that I FINALLY understand the four tool sets, and that I am not that awful at writing blogs.
3. As a critical thinker I have learned to take my media experiences, such as attending a sporting event, and open my eyes up more. I know see media messages all around me that I usually didn’t take much notice to before.

3. What's one thing YOU would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
I believe I would have made sure that I had my book right away. We really dove right into it!! I also think that I would have been able to contribute more to the class if I had my book, but luckily I got on top of the ball!

4. What's one thing you would like ME to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
I really enjoyed the first half of the semester but we really focused on the four tool sets. I know I previously learned them in Mass Media, but luckily I now understand them much better then I did last year. Another thing that would have been interesting to do the first half of the semester is comment on classmate’s meditations as part of an assignment. Like in class, read one meditation and respond for credit or something along those lines. I also would have liked to break down scripts of scenes from movies or television series. I hope we get a chance to do that! Maybe even getting to watch an interview of a writer in the industry would have been been an interesting way to start this class off.

5. Please comment on the usefulness of the course blog, your personal blog, our films, and our book(s) as learning tools.

The course blog was at times kind of confusing. I really liked that I could get all of my assignments simply by checking it. It was extremely useful in regards to reading and understanding each chapter. I LOVE MY PERSONAL BLOG!! I never thought I would say this, but blogging is really fun. I always thought it was kind of dorky and silly. My opinion has definitely changed, I wish that our blogs were more interactive with the class assignments. My personal blog has been extremely useful in regards to practicing and understanding the material being used in class. The use of meditations really help me learn how to apply the four sets of tools to the world surrounding me. I don’t believe we have watched many films in class, but our youtube videos have been helpful in regards to our learning process. Lastly, our book and tool sets have really helped me understand media and many applications of it. I never thought I would learn how to use twitter in a class before!

Hulu: An Evil Plot to Destroy the World- Meditation # 3

The wonderful world of Web 2.0 allows me to watch TV shows that I have missed online for free. Seems too good to be true doesn’t it? Hulu is a website that offers commericial- supported streaming video of television shows and movies. Only offered in the United States, the website provides video in flash format. Not only does this site provide a wonderful source of advertising but a place where viewers can meet and discuss their favorite shows/movies.

When I have a ton of homework, am working at the store, or just forgot that my show is on I do not have to fret that I missed my shows. Not only does Hulu allow me to catch up on missed shows, it allows me to begin to start other series all the way from the beginning. For my third meditation I will discuss how Hulu.com has become part of my everyday media life and connect it to the four tool sets we learned in class. I will discuss Hulu itself, and four advertisements they used about a year ago.

Brain Triune:
Limbic- The different images, TV shows, and movies offered on Hulu all are processed through my limbic brain. Each make me feel many different emotions. The advertisements make me laugh. Also having the security that I will be able to watch my favorite shows without missing an episode make me feel at ease.

Eight Shifts:
Technological shift- From analog to digital. Talk about a technological shift, when I was younger if we missed a show I would have to wait for a rerun. To make sure we didn’t miss our favorite shows, my mom used to record them on our VCR. Today not only can I order TV shows on my television, but I can watch them from my personal laptop on Hulu with one click of the mouse.

Personal Shift- From mass to personal/participatory. Hulu offers members to login to comment their thoughts and opinions on a forum at the bottom of every episode and movie page. There users can share their views. Watching your favorite show on TV doesn’t allow you to participate in a nationwide conversation about it, but Hulu does.

Here are four advertisements (all really funny) that you should watch prior to reading my connections to the last tool sets.
Elisha Dushku for Hulu


Alec Baldwin for Hulu


Seth MacFarlane for Hulu


Denis Leary for Hulu



Seven Principles:
Ownership- Hulu is owned by a joint venture of NBC Universal (General Electric, Fox Entertainment Group (News Corp), and ABC Inc (the Walt Disney Company). Advertisers pay these huge media conglomerates to show their commercials and ads during shows. The commercial motive behind this media is obvious. To increase ratings and viewership of shows that these studios produce, and get revenue from the advertisers posting on the site.

“Reality” Construction/Trade-offs- The trade-offs of this media experience is that we are enhancing our lives through the online availabilities of television shows on Web 2.0. This media creates a reality that television shows can be watch free online, legally. The story that is not being told is that the media conglomerates who own Hulu air their studio’s shows. The actors/actresses in the commercials are in TV series on the networks who own Hulu. They are promoting their series in the commercials and on Hulu. I did not realize how beneficial it is for these huge studios to have a website like Hulu, where they receive profit from advertisers and increased ratings for their series.

Production Techniques- The advertisements use studio sets of the television series the actors are in as a background for the commercials. The music played in the background adds a feeling of Hollywood to it. Reminds me of the music played in the films Harry Potter. The special effect at the end of each advertisement adds humor to the basic concept. Lastly, the camera angles and zooms all contribute to giving the commercial a Hollywood "feel."

Value Messages- The value message that Hulu is trying to promote in these advertisements that Hulu is so easy to use and now you can watch your favorite shows anywhere. You can continue to “rot your brain” anywhere you can bring your laptop!

Persuasive Techniques:

Humor
-Many of Hulu’s commercials use humor to persuade viewers to watch episodes online.
-The premise of the commercials is that it was created by aliens (all Hollywood celebrities) to turn our brains into “moosh” so they can be eaten. This is hilarious!!
-Seth MacFarlane uses the voices of different characters from Family Guy to persuade through laughter.
-The slogan itself “Hulu: An evil plot to destroy the world. Enjoy!” is really clever and funny.
-Alec Baldwin uses the symbol of quotes when he introduces himself as a “TV star.”

Repetition
- Words repeated in each commercial: Free, Hulu, Mushy, Goo, Brain, and Alien.
- The phrase “TV rots your brain.”

Rhetorical question
- Alec Baldwin commercial: “You know they say TV will rot your brain?”
-Alec Baldwin commercial: “There’s nothing you can do to stop it. I mean what are you going to do turn off your TV and computer?”

Beautiful People
-The actors are good looking (with exceptions of Dennis Leary). Elisha Dushku also appeals sexually by having that alien tongue licking something.

Big Lie
- Persuading through dishonesty claiming that the actors are aliens and Hulu is a scheme to soften brains so they can eat them.
-Example: Whenever the actors speak about TV rotting our brains and that they will eat them. Also each advertisement the actor claims they are an alien with their own little tag line:

1. Eliza Dushku’s advertisement “Because we’re aliens, that’s kinda our thing.”
2. Alec Baldwin’s commercial “Because we’re aliens, and that’s how we roll.”
3. Seth MacFarlane’s commercial “Because we’re aliens, and that’s our gig.”
4. Dennis Leary’s “Because we’re aliens, and you’re not soup yet.”

Now my question for you…..Do you Hulu?

Shutter Island- Meditation # 2

The psychological thriller, Shutter Island, came out in theaters about two weeks ago. The film is directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo. Taking place in 1954, a U.S marshal named Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is assigned to investigate a patient’s disappearance from Boston’s Shutter IslandAshecliffe Mental Hospital. There he is faced with his own personal motives and a twisted plan of the hospitals doctor. He believes the doctor’s treatment of the patients is illegal and unethical. A hurricane cuts Teddy and his partner, played by Ruffalo, from outside communication and traps them on Shutter Island. As the plot progresses, Teddy begins to doubt everything around him, including his own sanity.

Going into the film, I had very high expectations. Being another Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese team up, I didn’t expect to be so let down at the end. I pretty much figured out the ending right before the climax of the film. Don’t get me wrong, Shutter Island was still an entertaining movie- just not one of Scorsese’s best.

Without giving away the entire plot (it is only worth seeing if you don’t know the ending), I will connect this media experience to the four tool sets we learned in class. Here is the trailer of the film, so you can understand my later connections.


Triune Brain:

Limbic- The film depicts many visually appealing images on the screen. These images played with my emotions that made me feel anxious.

Neocortex- The plot of Shutter Island is very complex. At one point in the film, DiCaprio’s character discovers a note that reads, “The law of 4, who is 67?” This discovery was processed through the neocortex, and left the audience to ponder the meaning behind it.

Reptilian- Many scenes in this film appealed to my Reptilian brain. I felt my instinct of survival kick in for the character, because if I were Teddy I would get the hell off of that Island, even if it meant that I had to build a raft!

Eight Shifts:

Personal- From mass to personal/participatory- I used blogs and websites such as Rotten Tomatoes to read reviews by critics and the public before I saw the film.

Aesthetic Shift- from discrete to convergence- I not only found the movie time on my smart phone, but also used my smart phone to purchase movie tickets from movietickets.com mobile option.

Seven Basic Principles:

Production Techniques- There was many different production techniques used in the film. Many shots are cut quickly and abruptly to startle the audience in both the trailer and film. The props, sound effects, camera angles, and lighting all created an eerie mood to Scorsese’s psychological thriller. The camera angles used also create the sense that something could happen at any moment. From long shots (picture on right), Scorsese develops a sense of loneliness and entrapment that the main character feels being stuck on Shutter Island. When Teddy remembers his home life, the lighting and color of the film become more colorful. The special effects used during scenes where the weather gets intense, when Teddy has nightmares, and when he blows up a car were also effective production techniques.

Pacing- Upon reflection on this media I observed that it was really long. The overall pace of the film stretched out and many scenes could have been left out. After seeing it once, I connected all of the clues that explained the end of the plot (which I will keep to myself). I definitely would love to rent this film when it comes out so I can connect the dots as the plot unfolds in front of me. Many of my hunches were correct! As you can see in the clips/teaser video below, pacing is relevant in many scenes.


Persuasive Techniques:
Symbols- The number 4 was a symbol throughout the film. At the end we learn the number 4 is a systematic number/symbol for the main character, Teddy. We also learn that certain characters are symbols connected to Teddy’s life.

Fear- Fear is used throughout the trailer and film to attract audiences and persuade them that there is something wrong with Shutter Island. In the trailer one of the guards states “we take only the most dangerous, damaged patients. Ones no other hospital can manage” and a scary image of an insane patient appears. This instills fear. They also persuade in the trailer through showing a patient write run on the main character’s notebook during an interview. Fear is also used in the trailer/scenes of the movie when Teddy’s wife appears in his nightmares. She appears as a ghost who begins to bleed, then turn into ashes. (See in picture on right)

Diversion- Scorsese uses this persuasive technique many times throughout the film. For example, in one scene rats are used to divert the audience’s attention away from the fact that Teddy’s partner goes missing. Also the partner is used in many scenes to divert attention away from the odd therapists.

Timing- This technique was used to orchestrate various story and production elements during the film. One example is when clips from Teddy’s past comes on screen to explain who the character is. The timing of these clips is very important and helps provide explanation to certain characteristics of Teddy. For example, one of the main therapists is German and Teddy has an aggression towards him. A clip of Teddy killing a Nazi in the war is then shown.

Rhetorical question- The trailer ends with the rhetorical question: “Wouldn’t you agree, if you see a monster you must stop it?”

Humor- Although a thriller, DiCaprio’s character delivers a few one liners at the beginning to lighten up the dark film. For example, in the trailer his character responds “No offense doctor, screw their sense of calm.” DiCaprio’s character feels no empathy for the patients of Shutter Island.


Overall, the movie was very entertaining but at the same time a let down. I would suggest to go see it on a rainy day or just wait for it to come out to DVD/Blue ray. Hopefully my meditation didn't give out too many spoilers!!

(all photos and clips are property of Paramount Pictures, I do not own or have any rights to any of them in this blog post)