Conglomeration

In class today, we discussed conglomerations. Keeping up with who owns what, when, seems to be a very daunting task, as it seems to change and trade so often that it hardly seems worth keeping up with. I am interested in finding out the benefits and dangers of conglomeration. That being said I enjoy having some say in what is aired on my television (should I choose to purchase cable) and I appreciate that the media market is open for free trade, completely relying on the principles of supply and demand rather than a nation of PBS and public service announcements. What a delicate balance.

Favorite Media Text

A recently discovered favorite media text of mine would be the Showtime show "Dexter." The show blends the typical elements of drama with the elements of horror movies, creating a new blend of suspense and interest. The show blends convention and invention by forcing the viewer to root for the serial killer, something funny in itself. Certainly the producers feel pressure to balance the different genre's delicately to keep interest in as many fans as possible, including those not normally interested in either dramatic storylines or horror plots. Artists probably have fun portraying abnormal characters, as the storyline seems to reveal that the writers did not expect the show to be popular enough for each new season. The fans obviously appreciate such a hybrid, as the show has been brought back for a second and (airing currently) third season. I'm sure that many TV viewers are not as entertained by horror stories as I am, but on the other hand, as a fan, I am not typically attracted to drama in television, but the show balances well.

5 levels of production in media

In class on Tuesday, we discussed the 5 levels of the production of media. I must admit that it took some time to grasp how much is incorporated into media production and distribution. Thinking about it in terms of my life, I considered the process of the creation and distribution of a CD I purchased recently, "Innocence and Instinct" by the group Red. Producers include the artists, the label, the recording studio executives, the management, the marketers, and more people than I probably know are even involved in the process of music-making. Rights owners span to cover everyone from the artists to the label owners, including many of the people considered producers. Content Aggregators would be those who set up the band's site, along with fansites and street team coordinators. Distributors would largely involve the label again, but would include all stores who sell the CD, as well, and in my case, sites that sell the whole CD in mp3 form. And finally, hardware producers include everyone who makes mp3 players (in my case, Dell) to the people who make the system in my car. Production is bigger than I ever realized or imagined.

Hybrid TV Genre

If I had the opportunity, I think I would combine a horror storyline with elements from a gameshow. A "root for your favorite victim" push sounds fun to me. Whoever survives the killer wins? I know this sounds like some bad movies that've come out recently, but I think some good ideas can be failed at being actualized. Slasher elements, like shaky camera, heavy breathing, the inevitable attempt to stop the killer, etc with prizes awarded the longer one's character avoids the killer, and the grand prize going to the person able to stop the killer or to be the last one alive. And no, Im not necessarily suggesting that this be real.

News: Read it or Watch it?

I find myself to be more or less bothered by the subjectivity of news on tv. I know its difficult to be subjective, period, but numerous times I've seen examples of TV news so desperate for their scoop that they don't bother verifying facts and just air whats easy to come by. This frustrates me...it seems that paper news has more hanging in the balance and has to go through a little more trouble to make sure they dont report incorrect information (their jobs as reporters, the reputation of the paper, etc.) The news on television has so much going on at the same time, all the time, that they dont have to bother correcting mistakes, and that frustrates me that someone else thinks they should tell me what is important. It really feels like someone reading a paper and telling me what they thought about it more than it does giving me all the information possible. Its a lot more difficult to misunderstand printed news. [/rant].

Semiotic domains

Until tuesday's lecture, I did not realize that I was involved in something called a semiotic domain. In fact, I'm included in many semiotic domains, and I have the feeling I havent realized the half of them. The games I play, the groups I form, the church I attend, the body of believers worldwide, college students, Malone students, liberal arts majors, undergraduates, cooks, friends, children, children in my family...the list goes on. Its truly interesting that these kinds of things have titles, besides cliques or groups with shared interests. Semiotic domains sounds much more mature, I like it. I play a game that has its own modality, few people in the affinity group, and we pride ourselves in our design grammar. To think someone has labeled all these things but has probably never heard my design grammar or played my game (entered into my semiotic domain) is really interesting to me. This lecture made me want to be an active learner in every situation that I can be, rather than sit back and be critical, which is much more natural.

semiotics, a response to the reading

After reading the semiotics reading, I found myself wondering how often I'm influenced by advertisements without realizing it. I like to consider myself rather perceptive of when someone is attempting to influence me, but I think I need to realize that its probably inevitable that as long as there are signs and connatations, I will be influenced. The article did a good job of portraying both sides of a sign, how it is necessary/inevitable, yet also harmful/dangerous. All in all, this reading was an interesting introduction into a topic that I have never encountered before.

Myth in Mass Media

Within the past few months, the movie Brick resonated within me. Hearing about the Pull Yourself up By Your Bootstraps myth reminded me of this movie, because the movie is about one person never giving up to get what he wants, information about the death of his ex-girlfriend. This guy goes through hell and seems to often be at the right place at the right time to see/hear exactly what he needs to get to the bottom of what happened, and why. (Good movie, check it out).
The movie didnt fit the myth because he just seems determined, but maybe this is why. Rather than waiting for the info to come to him, he seeks it. so maybe, maybe not.

Responding to "The American Myth"

The whole topic of the Great American Dream is an intimidating one because each of us has been surrounded by it throughout our entire lives, and Im not sure we can know how deeply it has effected us. I'd like to say that I dont buy into pluck (hard work will guarantee you success/comfort) or luck (being born into wealth is the only way you can get wealthy) in entirity. However, a certain balance of these can bring some comfort. Each of us wants to have some kind of control over where they are going in life and how successful theyll be, so pluck puts the ball in our court, and lets us earn something for ourselves. Luck is like predestination: youll never know if you were meant for the amount of money you have, so its not worth selling your soul to get it.

Media Log

I would imagine the results of my log are similar to almost everyone else's from the class. Besides the necessity of homework, the vast majority of my media intake is solely for the purpose of entertainment. That being said, I spend A LOT of time engaging mass media for the sake of pasttimes. I wonder what I could accomplish with all that time put toward something more noble, like charity. Or maybe I could watch a movie about charity...

Problem and possibility

Problem: some people are dumb. Society can use mass media to convey very biased, subjective views and information to persuade or color a person or situation to be less of what it actually is and more of how they want people to view it. This is unfortunate, unless a person merely seeks entertainment from the media. Otherwise, faulty or subjective information seems to be the downside to mass media.
Possibility: Mass media mediums allow anyone to project an idea into the blood of culture. If you have an opinion or a thought that you simply feel people would be better to know or be familiar with, than mass media tools such as youtube, television, newspapers, cds, and films allow a single person to reach untold millions.

Formative Media Text...for me

One media text that got me thinking was a movie that few people have heard of called The United States of Leland. The main character reminded me of myself in the way he thought, a way that disregarded traditional or societal influences upon him. The movie made me thankful that I am more monitoring of my thoughts and actions, because the outcome is not good for the character due to decisions he makes based on his unusual thinking.