Extra Credit Evaluation Blog

       Overall, I enjoyed the experience of using a blog for the RTF 305 course. Being a first-year at UT, this is my first time ever using one in class. The use of a blog helped me research on a topic or term that may not have been fully covered in class to gain more knowledge of it. However if we were to be given more time to do do the assignments, it would help to better prepare for it.
       Initially, I had trouble adding pictures and posting links, but once we discussed the steps on setting it up during Jeremiah's TA session, I pretty much got hang of it right away. The most interesting blog prompts were the ones that asked us to give us our own opinions on certain terms while adding our own proof of that idea (i.e. a video, picture, etc). The less interesting ones were the ones where we basically all wrote the same content on a certain topic.
       I would definitely recommend using a blog in future courses, either in RTF 305 or other undergraduate courses at UT Austin because it definitely gives students the opportunity to do more hands-on work. They not only showed our perspectives but the fact that we were able to view others blogs helped as well.
       Overall, I would recommend that the topics of the blogs be presented in the syllabus or at least with more time to give students a better chance of completing the blog post.

Yes you can use my blog in a paper or report.

10th RTF Blog Post: Globalization

       Globalization is the process by which different societies and cultures become integrated through a network of communication and trade. It increases opportunities for communication, exchange of material and symbolic goods, and migration of people across national borders. Through it, we are able to see what is going on around our world with the comfort of staying in one place. 

       A part of globalization discussed in class is the glocalization of media products. It is the act of taking an idea or formula that proved successful in one place and adopting it in another. This is commonly seen in books, television series, films, and even restaurant chains where the changes made are simply in the language or slogans, and everything else remains the same.

       An example would be the American comedy television series, The Office, broadcast by NBC. The show is an adaptation of the BBC series The Office, which depicts the everyday lives of the office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.  Although both shows have generally the same plot and characters, the UK version of the show is vastly different from the US version to relate to viewers in their society.

9th RTF Blog Post: Advertising

       The ad I decided to present was the snickers commercial, starring Betty White. It aired during the 2010 Super Bowl. It starts off on a Long Shot, showing a group of guys playing football on a dark, muddy field. It zooms in to show Betty White, running around, looking rather slow. She gets tackled by a guy and retrieves back to her team. While huddled up, he says "C'mon man you've been riding me all day." the guy replies, "Mike, you're playing like Betty White out there." Basically, we're supposed to assume that that is not Betty, but a random guy (Mike) who is not playing to well. His girlfriend approaches and gives Betty a Snickers bar to apparently refuel or gain energy. It transforms him back into a man. I fell that this commercial is powerful because it exaggerates on the ability of a candy bar.

       I feel that the main potential appeal of this advertising was physiological need. A physiological need is the idea of putting your list of needs in a pyramid and trying to satisfy each one in the order of importance. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty, you will tend to try to take care of the thirst first.  After all, you can do without food for weeks, but you can only do without water for a couple of days. Commercials such as this one try to convince us that their product is a physiological need, meaning that we need it to satisfy ourselves.

       The creators of this commercial exaggerate on the fact that Snickers gives you the strength to continue playing. So to be good in football or any sport, perhaps you might want to try a bar to gain your energy. It is a physiological need because this commercial attempts to make the viewer believe that he needs it to be strong, or to win. The ad ends by saying "You're not you when you're hungry, Snickers satisfies."
      

8th RTF Blog Post: 3 Act Structure

In Christopher Nolan’s, The Prestige, we see how Hollywood’s three-act structure is presented and how the climax is built up until the near end of the film as discussed in Professor Ramirez-Berg's lecture.

The first act usually includes the first 30 minutes and is the setup of the screenplay. In the story, we are introduced to the two main characters that play magicians in the movie: Robert "The Great Danton" Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). The two colleagues first start out as friends and assistants to a magician. Unfotunately, disaster strikes during their performance to the underwater escape. Borden ties Julia's (Angier's wife) in a complex knot that keeps her from escaping the water chamber in time, leading to her death. ,During the funeral, Angier confronts Borden, asking which knot he tied. His answer is that he "doesn't know," which Angier can not accept. This is the beginning of their rivalry.

 Act II comprises of the next two quarters of the film (generally from 30-60 minutes long). It is the confrontation. Throughout this part of the film, we see that both magicians' intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle full of obsession, deceit and jealousy. The movie goes back and forth in time showing the different schemes that each protagonist played on the other to ruin their attempts of success. Angier disguises himself as an audience member to sabotage Borden's "Magic Bullet" trick. He intentionally shoots a finger leaving Borden scarred from what he did to his wife. To get back at him he equally ruins Angier's "Disappearing Bird" trick. Soon enough, Borden returns with his most impressive trick: "The Transporting Man". Angier "breaks his head" throughout the rest of the movie to figure out the secret. 

 The third and final act reveal Bordon's trick. Angier finally realizes that the secret of Borden's "Transported Man" was simple. Borden had a twin brother, and they were switching back and forth between the roles of Borden and his assistant. It also reveals Angier's secret to replicate himself in his trick. He owns a machine that replicates a double, and rigs a trapdoor on stage to get rid of him after the show. The last minutes result as the climax, filling all the gaps that were left out throughout the movie.

7th RTF Blog Post: Serial Features in TV Sitcoms

       In today’s TV shows, there are specific features for the different types of television programs (series, serial, and episodic). A serial show tells a story that develops over a period of time, which requires sequential viewing to make sure the viewer doesn’t miss anything. For serial shows, the characters tend to be more complicated and dynamic; their stories are told throughout the entire season(s). The plot is also not always predictable. Unlike episodic shows (such as House or Family Guy), serial does not follow a pattern (i.e. problem in the beginning; solution at the end). Every episode brings new problems and, sometimes, new characters.

       An example would be the TV series, LOST. LOST contains very complex characters and tells a story over time. The end of every episode leaves you more confused than the one before, but gets you closer to understanding the plot. It tells the story of several strangers who survived a plane crash on an island. Over time, the characters’ stories unfold and the viewers realize that there is more to the island than previously thought. Overall, each episode tells a story, but the episodes together tell a bigger story.

6th RTF Blog Post: Match Point

 The movie I decided to analyze was Match Point. My first shot is the Close Up shot. As discussed in class, this is the important detail shot. Here we are able to see the character's (Chris Wilton) facial features and descriptions. Here, he is having a drink with a girl that he is interested in. We infer that his eyes are engaged to the other character's. His feelings and emotions are then presented through the shot, which is what the director (Woody Allen) wants us to see.

The second shot is the Medium Shot (also known as the information shot). It is usually a shot from the knees or waist up. it is used to show a relationship between characters. In the movie, this is the part where we find out that Chris is attracted to Nola. We are able to see that both characters are flirting with each other and having a very intensive conversation. This is the first scene where the movie becomes more interesting; it foreshadows what is to come.

The last shot I chose for the movie was the scene with Nola and Chris walking in an unknown neighborhood discussing their secret affair. It is a Long Shot. These types of shots mainly shows a whole setting; the character(s) are also seen in full view. It shows the two characters isolated from the world. The fact that they are alone and the type of shot help the viewer understand what message the director is trying to portray. Clearly, they are doing something that is frowned upon in society which heightens the scene as well.

5th RTF Blog Post: Studio System

One of the factors for the success of Classical Hollywood was the way the studio system was set. Major studios, such as the Big Five, were completely vertically integrated which meant that they worked with all aspects of their films. Large companies like these held contracts with all of their employees including their major stars. They basically used famous actors to sell a movie.

Studios would use Hollywood stars to put an emphasis on their image rather than on real acting talents. Therefore, audiences would go to see a film for a certain actor rather than for the plot of the movie. In doing so, the actors would constantly play the same type of character in a movie whether it be a criminal, or the rebel, or the girl that everyone loved.

An example would be a feature film starring John Wayne. He has come to be considered one of the many archetypal movie stars. Although his acting career varied, John Wayne was most famous for starring in war and Western films such as Stagecoach, Rio Bravo, and True Grit.

Image From http://stevesomething.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/stagecoach.jpg