Globalization

     With over 6.6 Billion people living on this planet, Earth is a giant place that seems to get smaller each and every day. Technology is constantly evolving and is allowing us to keep in contact with parts of the world some thought would never be accessible. Globalization is the process of increasing interconnectedness among nations, cultures, and people. It is supported and accelerated by technological developments.  

     An example of globalization is seen with the increase in glocalization. Glocalization is when an idea or formula that has proved to be successful in one place is taken and adopted in another. The popular TV game show titled "Family Feud" was very successful in the United States of America and ran for many years with a variety of different hosts. It still runs today in the USA, however, the concept of the show has been taken and translated into a Spanish version that airs in Mexico and in the USA on certain Spanish TV Networks. The show follows the exact same concept, but is called "100 Mexicanos Dejeron." This show has taken off and is still running on local TV networks.
     The fact that a successful TV game show can gain popularity in pretty much any other country in the world is a sign that the world is in a sense becoming one large country. There are no longer huge barriers keeping people from different parts of the globe from communicating with one another. If a TV show can be translated and become a success in a foreign country, the possibilities of what all countries combined can do are limitless!

***VIDEO***

Family Feud [USA]

***VIDEO***
"100 Mexicanos Dijeron" [Spanish version of Family Feud]

T-Mobile MyTouch4G [Advertisement]

     One of my favorite ads that I have recently seen played on TV, has got to be T-Mobile's new commercial for their recently launched MyTouch4G smart phone. This is the first ad in T-Mobile's new ad campaign that just started rolling out for their newly improved "4G" network. This ad really caught my attention based on the fact that it sort of has that feeling and very similar style to Apple's famous campaign to promote Mac's over PC's. The ad ultimately made me feel that T-Mobile's network has less restrictions than the competition, which in this case is AT&T. 

     An appeal that is used, and more than likely works in T-Mobile's advantage is sex appeal. In the ad, AT&T and the iPhone 4 are portrayed by 2 men. One man [iPhone 4] is giving another man [AT&T network] a piggy-back ride that is obviously painful for the man carrying him [iPhone 4]. On the contrary, T-Mobile's MyTouch 4G is represented by the actual phone itself, and is being held ever so gently by a beautiful, appealing, young woman who represents T-Mobile's network. The sex appeal is strong in that there is an all white background. The men are in black & white suits that don't stand out much, while the T-Mobile woman is wearing a bright white & pink summery dress that catches the viewers attention instantaneously. 

     The ad does a great job using the sexual appeal. The ad not only promotes the the newly MyTouch4G smartphone, but also mentions to the public that T-Mobile now has the "largest 4G network" in the country. It's pretty much common knowledge that men tend to be more tech savvy than woman. With that said, it's no surprise that T-Mobile would use an attractive young female to promote their network along with their newest smart phone. T-Mobile also uses the theme that Apple is most notably known for in their "Mac or PC" campaign from a few years ago. It's rather funny how T-Mobile uses the same concept against Apple and AT&T at the same time in one ad.

     Overall, this commercial ad for T-Mobile is very successful in attracting the viewer and informing them about their new smart phone and newly improved network. By using sex appeal, the ad grasps their  target's attention and will ultimately get it's points and intentions across to the public.

***VIDEO*** [T-Mobile MyTouch 4G][Commercial]

Hollywood's 3-Act Structure [Armageddon]

     It's not hard to see that most, if not all, Hollywood films seem to follow the same basic structure. The genre of the film usually does not change the fact that the viewer is expecting to be introduced to a problem, have the film hit a conflict/complication in the middle of the film, and watch it end with a resolution that makes everything end for the better. This is known as the "happy ending" structure that most people expect from a film. 

     A good example of this 3-Act Structure being used, is in the film "Armageddon." This is personally one of my favorite films in that it makes the viewer feel nearly every type of emotion know to man. The film begins with an introduction to the problem which is that a giant asteroid is on its way toward Earth and that it will bring an end to the world as we know it. The introduction tells about the time when Dinosaurs, and most species, were wiped out by an impact caused by an asteroid. The last line of the introduction, "It happened before. It will happen again. It's just a question of when" gives the viewer the knowledge that this film will be about another possible asteroid impact on earth. That last line is also the peak of the introduction part of the 3-Act Structure.

     As the film progresses, the people at NASA have to find a group of men who are willing to help destroy the Asteroid by going up into space and drilling a bomb into the asteroid, essentially blowing it apart. This here is plot point #2, or the complication in the film. The problem is fixed when NASA finds a man named Harry and his friends, who are known as the best drillers in the world. The drillers then go under intensive training to help them prepare for the conditions they will experience on the asteroid. The peak of this plot point is right before they are about to board the shuttle. Here, one of Harry's workers, who is dating Harry's daughter, is singing to her as he prepares to leave her behind. This scene gives the viewer the feeling that the time has finally come for these drillers to show what they are really made of and make use of the training that NASA has provided them with.

     Lastly, the climax and resolution of this film comes when they encounter a problem on the asteroid and discover that one of them will have to stay behind to detonate the bomb that will blow up the asteroid and save all of mankind. The climax is when Harry has to tell his daughter that he won't be coming back home like he had promised and that he wants her to go ahead and marry his worker, AJ. The scene is enhanced by the use of an Aerosmith song made specially for this film and in the way the scene was filmed showing his daughter crying as she puts her hand on one of several screens to "touch" her father one last time. This climax is then essentially resolved when Harry stays behind and blows up the asteroid, thus saving the entire world.

     This movie is over two hours long, and is a film that easily makes use of the 3-Act Structure. They introduce plot point #1 in the opening scene, reveal the conflict and plot point #2 in the middle of the film, and ultimately end the film with the climax and resolution. Overall, this film is a great example of Hollywood's Classic 3-Act Structure.

***VIDEO*** [Armageddon: Opening Scene][Plot Point #1/Introduction]

***VIDEO*** [Armageddon: Leaving On A Jetplane][Plot Point #2/Conflict]


***VIDEO*** [Armageddon: Ending][Climax/Resolution][Start at 4:45]

Shot & Shot Regression [Saving Private Ryan]

     The way in which in a movie is filmed can sometimes be the difference that decides whether a movie is good or great. The angle and different types of shots used to film a scene of a movie has the power to make the viewer feel or react a certain way. Great film makers know how these tactics work, and use them to their advantage. The use of such shot progression and camera angles are brilliantly used in what is one of the best war films of all time, Saving Private Ryan. 

     In the opening scene, once Tom Hanks' character begins to remember his time at war, there are some amazing shots that take place. This scene begins with the soldiers huddled up inside some type of water/land vehicle, waiting to hit land to fight in Normandy on D-Day. The first couple of shots are close ups of some of the soldiers. These shots give the audience a hint of how intense this day really was. The shots help capture the emotional side of the fighting. The cameras then  move on to extreme close ups once the whistles blow to lower the gates to let the soldiers out onto the shore. The important detail is given to us here that the soldiers are about to be let out into war. The cameras zoom in to the wheels/latches that open and shut the gates of the vehicle. From here, the scene turns to a sort of middle shot that shows the American soldiers getting shot at by the enemies. However, this shot does not show who is doing the shooting. Following this, the cameras give a long shot showing the backs of the enemies as they are shooting their American targets. This final shot gives the whole perspective of what is actually taking place and shows us just how large the scale of things is. 

***VIDEO CLIP*** [Saving Private Ryan - D-Day opening scene][Start at 1:21]

     Another scene within this movie is when the American soldiers are attempting to find Private Ryan. They encounter another rally point and find some soldiers who might know where Ryan is. A commander then gives the soldiers a bag full of dog tags, that signify dead soldiers.  The soldiers are instructed to look through the tags to see if they find Private Ryan within the names. The scene begins with a middle shot of about 3 soldiers sitting down at a table sifting through the dog tags. The information provided to the audience here is that there are a plethora of dog tags that in turn means that their have been an equal number of casualties. The next shot is an extreme close up that shows some name on the dog tags. This gives a more detailed perspective on how the tags look. Following this shot is another middle shot showing some other soldiers walking in the background behind the men who are looking through the tags. This shows the audience that the American soldiers are in a pretty public area and that other soldiers are watching them sift through the dog tags of deceased soldiers. This shot then turns into a long shot showing the whole picture of what is actually taking place. From here a close up on the Airborne soldiers passing by in the background, shows the audience the reality that some of their friends and companions names are in the pile of dog tags that the American soldiers are laughing about while searching through them.

***VIDEO CLIP*** [Saving Private Ryan - Dog Tag scene][Start at 4:03]

     Shots and shot progression are definitely some very important aspects that help tell a story much better. The feelings that an audience feels vary by the film styles and angles used in filming certain scenes. The fact of the matter is that so much can be said by simply filming a scene in a certain type of shot. Saving Private Ryan took advantage of such shots and thus went on to win a plethora of Oscar awards for being such an amazing film.

The Studio System

     Between the 1920' and 1940's, America was in the historical period which we now call, "Classical Hollywood."At this time, the entire film industry was controlled by the Big Eight producers-distributors. They were MGM, Paramount, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., United Artists, Universal, and Columbia. Combined, these studios had access to and controlled every portion of the film industry. They owned theaters, controlled the flow of products, and locked out the competition in both the distribution and exhibition sectors. However, what was perhaps one of their greatest weapons was their ability to contract talent. Having control of popular actors, producers, and directors meant that these studios could market and advertise their talent in hopes of luring in customers and ultimately gaining more profit.

     An effect from contracting talent on the studios was that it somewhat forced them to stay within a certain box or genre. This contracting of talent would intertwine with the studios star system. This was the best representation of what a certain studio did and what it was known for. However, this limited what kinds of films a studio could create. If all they had on contract was serious actors who were always portrayed in gangster/detective films, all they could make were gangster/detective films. Stars under contract were known specifically for what type of role they commonly portrayed. Such as MGM star Judy Garland. She was contracted to this studio as a child and was kept under this same studio for years. She was best-known for her role in the film "The Wizard of Oz." In nearly every film she was in, she displayed a consistent set of character traits that was associated with a certain genre.

     An example of just how much control these studios had over their contracted talent involves Judy Garland. Studios would use their stars to promote other stars within their studio. Such as when MGM had Judy Garland sing a song to Clark Gable. By doing so, not only was MGM promoting a very young Judy Garland, they were also reminding the public that Clark Gable was under their studio as well. It was pretty much like killing two birds with one stone, in that they were showing their relatively new talent and their already established superstar. 

     Overall, the power that these studio systems had was incredible. They literally had control over every single aspect of the film industry and could shape it however they wished. Today, things are much more different and different groups control certain parts of the industry. This era truly was a historical period for not only film, but for the country as a whole.

***VIDEO CLIP***

==> MGM's Judy Garland singing to Clark Gable [Dear Mr. Gable]

"All In The Family"

     The TV sitcom "All In The Family", was voted one of TV Guide's "50 Greatest Shows of All Time" and stars Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Conner) who was voted Bravo's "TV's Greatest Character of All Time." This show was known for breaking grounds with the stories that it's characters appeared in. At the time, the show depicted several controversial issues that no other sitcom dared to take part in. Such issues dealt with racism, cancer, rape, poverty, homosexuality, and many other topics that, at the time, most American's were not comfortable speaking about.

     A show that is somewhat similar to "All In The Family" and is getting rave reviews in today's modern society, is the TV sitcom called "Modern Family." This show also tackles some of the same topics that were covered in "All In The Family." The show is based around three of couples that are all related. One of the couples is an older male who has re-married a younger Columbian woman. He has a daughter who is married to the average modern male. They are the second couple who pretty much live the average American life. He also has a son who is homosexual,  lives with his partner, and adopted a child. The issues are the same that "All In The Family" talked about. 

     Despite these shows focusing and talking about similar topics, they still happen to be very different. When "All In The Family" talked about homosexuality and similar issues, it was something that the American public was almost embarrassed to watch, much less speak about. The issues were much more controversial in the 1970's.  Also, the show wasn't truly centered around controversial characters, except for Archie Bunker being depicted as a bigot. "Modern Family" differentiates itself by having the main characters deal with such controversial topics. The main character has divorced and re-married a much younger/attractive Columbian woman. That itself is something that decades ago would have stirred up much debate. Furthermore, the son of this man is homosexual, lives with his partner, and has adopted a child. All three of those facts are something that nowadays, doesn't truly shock the American public. The issues remain the same, but the public's perception towards them has significantly changed for the better in my opinion.

     The topic of racism is something that was focused on much more in "All In The Family" than in "Modern Family." A reason for this might be that given the time, 1970's, "All In The Family" was based upon the strong racism that was asserted between whites and blacks. Racism was a much larger topic back then than it is now. The main character in "All In The Family" is a bigot, while in "Modern Family" some of the lead characters are homosexual. There is a big difference in time, which is what leads to different topics being focused on more. In the 1970's racism was the big topic, but in today's society, equal rights for homosexuals is what stirs up debate. It's not so much that "Modern Family" doesn't cover what "All In The Family" did, but rather that "Modern Family" focuses on the major issue that is on the American public's minds in today's society.

***VIDEO CLIPS***

"All In The Family" - Homsexuality

==> This clip shows Archie Bunker from "All In The Family" taking one look at Roger and labeling him as being a homosexual right away. Start at 2:37.

"Modern Family" - Car Moment

==> This is a clip from "Modern Family" showing a conversation between the two homosexual partners speaking about how they make a perfect team/couple. Mentions parenting skills and adoption.

"Modern Family" - On Homosexuality in America

==> This clips shows one of the homosexual characters speaking up about how he is proud that his role is opening up more people to realizing that homosexuals are just the same as any other types of people. He wants people to realize that we are all more alike than different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er8R4ceLg24

Regulation and Government Intervention

     Prior to the 1912 disaster involving the Titanic, there were practically no types of regulations, guidelines, or boundaries placed upon broadcasting through radio. Pretty much anybody who could afford to purchase a radio kit, could start broadcasting on their own. The initial technology that was radio, was somewhat more geared to men and young boys. It was a sort of hobby that would help bond a father and his son together. The problem was that thousands upon thousands of people began to pick up on this new hobby and with that came a huge overflow of radio broadcast. However, after the Titanic incident, the American government developed a handful of new regulations that would restrict and help shape radio broadcasting become what it is today. 

     Regulations and Government Intervention are necessary parts of the radio industry. In general, if it were not for the Governments initiative to step in and put guidelines and restrictions on the use of broadcasting over radio, our country would be in absolute chaos. This force works by limiting what can and can't be said over the airwaves, such as foul language or anything that can spark fear or immediate danger to listeners. It also placed restrictions as to who can broadcast and under what frequencies in order to keep traffic to a minimum and to control who could access the airwaves. The purpose of these boundaries was to keep things from getting out of control and to ensure that the country was safe from harm. 

     Such regulations and acts by the US Government ultimately affected the evolution of America's radio system. An example of this is came in 1912 when Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover was given authority to allocate radio frequencies. This was the first step in the government's attempt to take control of radio broadcasting. Next, during World War I, the United States Navy took control of all radio. They forced manufacturers to pool patents to improve radio technology and equipment. By the early 1920's radio was standardized and formatted for daily and weekly schedules. then, perhaps the biggest form of regulation came in the form of the Radio Act of 1927. This established standard broadcast bands and set standards. Furthermore, it allocated frequencies and required stations to gain licenses in order to be able to broadcast on the airwaves.

Social Learning

     Since the invention of the television, and even as early as the creation of the radio, the typical American family has been able to be exposed to the outside world. A normal stay-at-home family could now easily gain access to people and characters from all around the world by means of a radio or television set. It is argued that most children today are raised up by different forms of media such as the Internet  and televion, rather than being raised by their parents. They spend more time interacting with media than they do with actual human beings. With that said, it comes to no surprise that people learn from what is portrayed on these forms of social media. Social learning is something that has significantly changed our world.

     Social Learning is the theory that explains media effects in terms of imitating behavior seen in the media. In other words, this theory claims that what we see portrayed on TV or on the Internet, is what we feel is normal or what is accepted by society as either being tolerable or intolerable. As stated earlier, children are a key example of this theory. It can be said that children learn about life more from the media than they do from their parents or actually experiencing things on their own, combined! What a child sees on TV is what they will take in and decide if they choose to accept it into their mentality or not.

     An application of Social Learning can be seen in how my little brother back home in Houston grew up. Before I left for college, everything my little brother knew was mainly taught to him by me. I would spend time with him and would show him how to perform certain task and told him what was right and what was wrong. However, in the time that I've been away from home, I have noticed that he learns a lot from watching videos on YouTube and from watching cable television. The way he acts is an exact reflection of the shows he watches. For example, he recently picked up watching skateboarding videos on YouTube, and sure enough, he now has about 3 skateboards back home. The fact is that now that I am not there to personally be involved with him, he has taken it upon himself to learn things on his own. An example of this can be seen a recent computer purchase that I made back home. My dad had me buy him a new desktop computer for school, and I was setting it up, he kept trying to interrupt me and takeover the tasks. He would constantly say "I know how to do that already" or "Let me do it, I can do it on my own." I had never noticed this before, but this last visit back home made me realize that he is really intent on doing things on his own. 

     As strongly portrayed in the film "Tough Guise," my younger brother is a prime example of Social Learning. He is intent on doing things on his own and learns through the media. He feels that he is grown up and since he is the only child at home now, he must figure things out by himself. In a sense, it is a good thing that he has become independent. However, the downside to that is that he may eventually become too afraid to ask for help when he really is in need. Below I have attached a link to a video that explains how the Marlboro Man gives off the idea that a real man makes it on his own, and if he doesn't it is his own fault. I feel this goes hand-in-hand with how my brother acts now that he is 12 years old. He feels that he is in control and should do things on his own. 

Link to "Tough Guise" Clip [ start at 1:01 marker] ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFEzQv806wI

Framing

     There are many tools and tactics that modern day media uses to help get their ideas across to mass audiences. It's a very difficult job to appeal to all types of demographics with one distinct message. However, by using framing the source is able to make the audience think about the topic in a desired way. In recent times, the use of framing has increased significantly and is something that is much more publicly visible.

     Framing is a technique used by the media to get their target audience to think about a topic in a specific manner. This tactic, or theory in general, is the way a topic is presented and what is included or excluded from the overall story. The final message that a person receives from a given story is all in the hands of the creator or editor that was in charge of the final product. 

     An application of framing can be found in Apple's latest advertisements for their new iPhone 4. The producer, or director, behind the first ad created to promote the Apple iPhone 4 is essentially the person who sold the iPhone to the millions of people who eventually purchased the final product. The framing used to promote the device is very impressive. When viewing the ad, the person is made to think that if they purchase this device, they can connect to anyone, anywhere, at any given time. The fact of the matter is that this is not entirely true. There are several factors that have to be considered in order for the product to work just like it is presented in the advertisement. Framing is key in this ad, and is the basis on which Apple is selling the product to the public.

Link to Apple iPhone 4 FaceTime Ad ==> http://www.apple.com/iphone/gallery/ads.html#ad-facetime

RTF305

I decided to take this class in hopes of being accepted into the School of Communication at The University of Texas-Austin. I am currently in the School of Natural Sciences, pursuing a degree in Computer Sciences. However, I have always had a passion for for video/audio and things of that nature. I love making videos on my Macbook and enjoy mixing audio together. Earning a degree in RTF is something that I would like to accomplish in my collegiate career.