Blog 9: Essay 2

Are We Simply Being Informed?

By Angelica Molina

As we sit down and watch a program on television, specifically the news, we think we’re simply sitting there on our couch being informed of the day’s events, the weather, and other little segments of what’s going on in the world. Little to our knowledge, that’s not all that this news station has in mind. The media manipulate us and our emotions in a variety of ways to ensure that we come back to that channel at that specific time slot. In the movie “Hero”, a movie about a heroic act of a selfish, seedy man wrongly credited to a dishonest person with heroic tendencies, we see many examples of reporters working day and night exploiting a serious situation.  

In the movie “Hero”, there is a scene in which Gale Gayley, a news reporter, is lying in her hospital bed, when talking to some visitors; she comes to a realization that someone anonymously saved the lives of fifty-four people. She felt this was a fantastic story, being a high-profile news reporter. Though she was injured, Gale went out and interviewed all the survivors of the plane crash who had an encounter with the anonymous man. The only evidence they have of this “angel” is a shadow on a frame on some footage the cameraman was shooting. The footage is then edited with the most heartfelt moments of the interviews, making sure that each of the survivors’ injuries is within shot of the camera. There is also some music playing lightly in the background, and some moving images dancing across the screen. 

If you notice, this marketing technique that Gayle Gayley used is not uncommon. All channels put together these sequences and edit them to provoke a certain emotion using music, color, and images. For example, an ASPCA commercial will flash grayscale images of animals in cages, most likely wounded. As dogs with three legs and cats with one eye fade in and fade out on the screen, “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan plays softly. As a tiny tear falls onto your cheek, you reach for the phone and pull out your credit card.

Though Gale has an emotional attachment to the “hero” that selflessly saved her life as she was stuck under an airplane seat, there is still a specific reason as to why the News station even broadcasts the story, for ratings.  After John Bubber deceitfully comes forward as the man who saved the fifty-four people from a plane that was eventually going to burst into flames, he becomes not only a hero to the survivors, but to everyone who has access to a television or a newspaper. Everyone idolizes this man, who, we know as an audience to the movie, is not the real hero. Throughout the movie, we see that the people have John Bubber t-shirts, and children have John Bubber action figures. Women also swoon over him. The news station sets up events with him, filming him every step of the way, ensuring that his image as this credulous, selfless man continues to leave people wanting more. At this point, they’ve filmed him going to visit sick children in a hospital. They also dug into his background discovering that he is a Vietnam hero and televise the reunion of other soldiers he had fought with. In this aspect of the movie, the media also indirectly manipulate these people into giving the wrong man credit for a selfless act. 

In one scene of the movie, there are two men who work for the news station. They make it evident that they only care about the ratings that John Bubber is bringing to the news station. The media trick us into thinking that they sincerely care about its viewers or about a specific subject, in this case, John Bubber. When really, their intentions and hard work all lie within the hunger for higher ratings. This is made clear during the scene in which Bubber is going to jump off of a building, and the possibility that he may not really be the man who saved the fifty-four people. They basically say that they put everything into John Bubber, and he is bringing ratings to the station. 

So next time you’re watching the television, really think about what you’re watching. What emotion are they attempting to provoke? This psychological technique has been used for many years, but we don’t really notice them, because we are distracted by entertainment. The movie “Hero” uses this technique as an example for how easily swayed an audience can be.

Blog 8 Follow Up

When I’m sitting at a restaurant, ready to dig into a mouth-watering tofu dish while everyone else at the table is eating a steak, it’s is very easy to become the object of ridicule and alienation. There are tons of people who come up to me and ask what I’m eating. I don’t usually get annoyed because if I unknowingly saw someone eating a white block, I’d ask as what the hell they were eating as well.

But most of the time, I’ll be encountered with a few smartass carnivores who think they know everything. The questions I get are absolutely ridiculous and most of the time, unintelligent. These are just a few:

“If you were on an island with nothing to eat but lettuce and pig, which would you eat?”

“What if you become anemic? You know I became anemic from being a vegetarian?”

“Did you know that you can become blind from not eating meat?”

When I get these questions, I feel offended due to the level of stupidity of the questions. It makes me feel like not only do they think I’m weird (which is fine), I feel like they think I’m dumb or uneducated on nutrition for making this lifestyle decision. Most of the time, there are no other vegans or vegetarians around me, so I get ganged up on by four or five different people who will not let me get a word in. It’s extremely frustrating to me especially since some meat eaters won’t let their arguments go past that monotonous catchphrase, “But it tastes so good”, while I try in vain to educate them about veganism and how their meat eating not only affects their bodies, but the environment as well.

                Another situation that I absolutely dread, are family gatherings. Not birthday parties or anything of that nature, but Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. These situations actually make me wish I was a meat eater. No, not because the delicious odor of a rotting carcass being sliced and mutilated on a plate before me is oh so irresistible, but because my family ridicules and harasses me. This is different from anyone else I know coming up to me and telling me I’m not getting enough protein, but this is my family, and they don’t even approve. Of course, I have those loving aunts who tell me time and time again, “I wish I was as strong as you.” while picking at their pork chops. Then of course, I have the conservative, rich uncles who think I’m too radical. "Angelica, sometimes going to an extreme is not the answer, in reality, the answer lies somewhere in the middle.", my family members would say to me. It's really difficult sometimes to deal with being an outcast at family parties just because of my lifestyle as a vegan. However, I do not seek the approval of anyone and I will not change that.

Blog 8: The Other

When I was just a freshman in high school, I stood outside of a puppy mill with a group of people and protested the atrocities that these dogs had to go through. At that moment, I was only a few months into my vegan lifestyle, but as I held up that sign and screamed in rage toward this torture chamber, I realized that this was my enemy, and from that point on always will be. Being an animal rights activist is not only about going to protests and not eating meat, it’s about being a voice for the animals that don’t have one. It’s about putting you in their place, and thinking beyond the fact that they are “just an animal”. Who would they stop, if only they could? What would they say?
I feel that those who participate in the exploitation of animals are the “other” for me. I can never understand why a person would want to contribute to the suffering of another being for the sake of their own benefit, vanity, or their taste buds.

Blog 6: Hero Analysis

The media manipulate our emotions through a variety of ways. Specifically, in the movie “Hero”, there is the scene in which Gale Gayley puts together a piece on “The Angel of Flight 104”. As Gale was laying down in her hospital bed, she realized that there was someone who anonymously saved the lives of fifty-four people. She felt this was a fantastic story, being a high-profile news reporter. Gale went out and interviewed all the survivors of the plane crash who had an encounter with the anonymous man. The only evidence they have of this “angel” is a shadow on a frame on some footage the cameraman was shooting. The footage is then edited with the most heartfelt moments of the interviews, being sure to include each injury on the survivors. There is also some music playing lightly in the background, and some moving images dancing across the screen. 

If you notice today, this marketing technique is not uncommon. News stations do things like this more often than not. In the movie, Gale Gayley strategically puts together a specific formula of images and audio to make her viewers fall in love with a mere shadow. Even before any of the viewers have a materialized image of this hero in their minds, the story brings tears to their eyes. Though Gale has an emotional attachment to the hero, there is still a reason as to why the News station even broadcasts the story, for ratings.  After John Bubber deceitfully comes forward as the man who saved the fifty-four people from a plane that was eventually going to explode, he becomes not only a hero to the survivors, but to everyone who has access to a television or a newspaper. Everyone idolizes this man, who as we know as an audience to the movie, is not the real hero. In this aspect of the movie, the media also indirectly manipulate these people into giving the wrong man credit for a selfless act. 

In one scene of the movie, there are two men who obviously work for the news station. They make it evident that they only care about the ratings that John Bubber is bringing to the News Station. The media trick us into thinking that they sincerely care about its viewers and about a specific subject, when really, their intentions and hard work all lie within the hunger for higher ratings. This is made clear during the scene in which John Bubber is going to jump off of a building, and the possibility that John Bubber may not be the “hero” is presented to them. They basically say that they put everything into John Bubber, and he brings ratings. 

Blog 5: Planning for Media Paper

For my midterm paper, I've decided to choose Walter Winchell as my topic. I chose this particular person because he invented the gossip column, which has gone through many changes over the years and now an empire has grown around the category of celebrity gossip. This, in my opinion, has influenced mass-media significantly. 

Some sources I will use are : 

http://www.radiohof.org/news/walterwinchell.html

http://www.evesmag.com/winchell.htm

Books:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Secret-Life-of-Walter-Winchell/Lyle-Stuart/e/9780548387252/?itm=1&USRI=walter+winchell

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Winchell/Neal-Gabler/e/9780679764397/?itm=2&USRI=walter+winchell

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dish/Jeannette-Walls/e/9780380810451/?itm=1&USRI=gossip+media

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Celeb-20/Kelli-S-Burns/e/9780313356889/?itm=4&USRI=gossip+media

Blog 3: The Matrix Analysis

Angelica Molina

October 5th, 2010

ENG 101-ENG 103

Luke Vaseliou

The Matrix: Sci-Fi Classic and Fashion Guide? 

While flipping through a fashion magazine, or even just looking at the ads for your favorite brand-name, do you ever consider where the inspiration comes from? Of course, designers have their own vision and artistic eye, yet, most of these “looks” have to come from somewhere. Their inspiration can derive from a time period, an animal, food, or even a movie. One of the most influential movies in fashion is “The Matrix”. Released in March of 1999, “The Matrix” was a film most definitely ahead of its time. The iconic anti-gravity scenes and long, black trench coats are those we recognize and still enjoy today. But, how can a movie such as “The Matrix” have a significant impact on the runway? I’m almost certain there aren’t many people around wearing black sunglasses and long, black, leather coats. 

In the beginning of the movie, we see the character of Trinity, being hunted down by a swarm of policemen, as she rises and places her hands on her head, you see she is wearing glistening, black leather pants along with a tight leather muscle shirt, and a cropped, black, leather jacket. The costume designer, Kym Barrett commented on this look, explaining that: “Trinity's shiny cat suit was meant to look like an oil slick, something like mercury, that you can't catch, it moves so quickly through your fingers.'' So there most definitely was some sort of correlation with the action sequences, and the sleek look of the costumes. A collection that contained looks reminiscent to Trinity’s is the Dolce and Gabbana 2003 Fall Winter Ready To Wear Collection. The ensemble contains futuristic black sunglasses, and a cropped jacket with minimal accents, giving it a sleek futuristic look. Trinity, the heroin of the movie, represented a strong symbol for female power, so her look was influential for most designers. 

The style was also meant to give a futuristic look, and the concept is successful. Barrett took futuristic fashion, and brought it down to a minimalist level. Minimalism is a type of style that focuses on clean, neat lines with very little or no embellishments to the article of clothing or accessories. Another collection that latched onto this trend was the Balenciaga Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2003 collection. The look featured a lot of sleek black articles of clothing. The usage of colors besides black or white was very scarce. The runway collection also featured different styles of leather leggings which mimicked the textures of the clothing worn by the main characters. This particular collection also paid homage to Neo’s long black trench coat as well as Trinity’s crop jacket. The collection features black patent leather jackets of medium length and cropped jackets and coats, still maintaining the minimal concept. 

Even the antagonists of the storyline, “The Agents”, were accounted for. In Sean John’s Fall of 2003 menswear collection, most of the models wore blacked out sunglasses and the majority of the collection was black, grey, or white. The simple color scheme complemented the clothing’s lack of embellishment. The collection also featured some suits, which were black. The accessories and accents were also black, but different textures, some shiny, again resembling the sleek black leather articles of clothing worn in The Matrix. 

These are just some of many examples of runway collections influenced and inspired by the 1999 Sci-Fi hit movie, “The Matrix”. The movie’s thought-provoking plot and strong, well developed characters draw many in to the world of The Matrix, leaving much room for imagination and artistic inspiration. Even today in 2010, many designers are still following the guidelines for a minimalistic and futuristic style, sometimes still using the fashion of The Matrix as a stylistic undertone for the overall motif of their collections. I believe the movie will serve inspiration in the fashion world for years to come. 


Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/04/style/allure-of-the-trench-coat-that-matrix-look.html?pagewanted=2 Article:   Allure of the Trench Coat: 'The Matrix' Look


http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2003/fall/main/newyork/menrunway/seanjohn/#%20
Sean John Fall 2003 Menswear Collection


http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch?designer=design_house12&event=show930 
Balenciaga Fall 2003 Collection

Blog 4: Reflection

                Before I started this class, I was very familiar with brainstorming techniques such as clustering, listing and free writing. In High School, my teachers pushed these techniques on me and my classmates, however, I always felt as if it didn’t help me out much. However, when you gave us the example of clustering in class after watching the Matrix, it very much helped me improve on this technique. Another component of writing that I feel I improved on is topic sentences and theses.  Though I’ve written countless essays requiring a thesis statement, I feel that the in-depth lesson on strong and weak thesis statements clarified some issues I had with them. Now I know the difference between having an opinion, and having a position on a given topic.

                Out of all the assignments that were given to us, the interaction with ENA 099 was by far my favourite. I enjoyed reading Murad’s work, critiquing it, and helping them to achieve better writing skills. When I was responding to Murad’s entry, I was very confident in my critique and I was well aware of all the criteria of a good blog entry. I also remain confident that my advice will help Murad’s writing to improve. I preferred interacting with someone who was not in my class because I had the opportunity to analyze their work on a strictly unbiased level. I also felt that this assignment really gave the class a sense of what blogging is really about. Reading the work of others, taking in their information and commenting on it are the main elements of social media.

                In closing, I really don’t have much else to reflect on, except I really do like the class. All of the assignments are relevant and meaningful. I also enjoy the community that we’ve created in the classroom. I do feel that this is a good group and as time goes on, I notice that most of us are comfortable in class discussion. :]