Topical Future

Interpretations of the future (in films) are always changing, mainly (in my opinion) as a result of current and/or past world events.

One could take a look at Star Trek (both the original TV series and the movies). Star Trek depicts a future in which people of all races work together in harmony to get a job done, something that seems a far cry from life during the Cold War (when Star Trek made it's debut). The future of mankind in Star Trek was a positive one where everyone got along fairly well. Racism was not present, and the overall message was that the people of Earth CAN all get along well together - an uplifting mindset to be in during that era.

In contrast, the future in V for Vendetta (while not nearly as advanced as in Star Trek) is plagued with violence, racism, censorship and so-on. V for Vendetta depicts a future Britain being controlled by a totalitarian government, while war has essentially destroyed North America (only ever referred to as the United States). People who go against the government are 'black-bagged' and basically taken off the map, removed from existence. The government will not tolerate deviance. Overall it is not a very forward-thinking society, like Star Trek. The film adaptation of V for Vendetta focuses more on government and world issues than the 80's graphic novel did, probably to make it more applicable to this era (one that is essentially on the verge of being controlled by the media, where world relations are still not at their best).

I think that visions of the future constantly need to be altered to remain topical and relevant to today's issues. If there is nothing in a movie's depiction of the future than audiences can relate to, nothing to provoke thought, than what's the point in even making the movie?

Silent Films: Good and Relevant.

Silent films, in my opinion, can be and are considered 'good'. While to some people certain silent films may only be of historical interest, the fact remains that all pieces of film from the silent era are very relevant to media today. A film such as Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat may not be of much interest to most people (myself included), but it is by no means irrelevant to the film medium as a whole. As discussed in class, there is much that can be learned about that time period from the movies that it produced. A movie like Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, however, can be and is still being enjoyed by people as a 'good' film. While some films are hindered by their age (due to the lack of advances in technology that could make for a more entertaining piece), others simply become better as they age, much like a fine wine. Aspects of Modern Times that make it enduring are the inclusion of a plot and humour. A good plot holds the interest of the viewer, while tasteful humour makes the experience enjoyable. These make it interesting to watch and therefore it has a better shelf life than something like, say, Workers Leaving A Factory, which was almost comical in it's simplicity. That said, I do believe that films from the silent era do retain the potential to be looked upon as 'good', if good means both entertaining and of substance.

Music Video Analysis

In the music video for "Howlin' For You" by the Black Keys, we see scores of summer blockbuster cliches synced up with a catchy rock song by a band that has finally broken through to mainstream radio.
Reality (pft, hardly...) in "Howlin' For You" is portrayed very much like it would be in what might be seen as a mindless popcorn flick. This is obviously because the whole video is made to look like a movie trailer for just such a film. I think that it might have been intended to be a parody of this particular genre but it could also be some attempt at a tribute or satire (it depends what point of view you're looking at it from).

Ah, stereotypes. This video is chalked full of summer-action-blockbuster-popcorn movie stereotypes such as explosions, violence, beautiful women, and so on. This video cleverly employs almost every stereotype that comes to mind when thinking of the summer action movie trailer. We've got the cliche narrator (who sounds like he's reading the back of a DVD) running us through the cliche plot (something bad happens to someone, who in turn wants revenge). We see short snippets of what brainless popcorn-munchers want to see, which it to say violence, romance (sex) and the delivery of memorable lines ("I once choked a chupacabra to death with my bare hands for not saying grace."). It's silly and we know it, but we gobble it up anyway.

When watching this music video, I had a bit of a hard time trying to pick out creeds and values. We see certain groups being portrayed in certain ways (for example, men are portrayed as being stupid and only interested in sex). This video implies that killing scores of men just to justify one murder (watch the video, you'll get it) is all fine and dandy.

I think that this video would appeal to teenagers because it contains all of what many of us look for in a movie. It has action, women, and a simple plot (albeit false, as this music video is essentially a trailer for a fake movie). It catches your eye and entertains, and it's a welcome change from scantilly-clad women dancing to autotuned music.

In my opinion, "Howlin' For You" could fall into both the category of 'I like' and the category of 'good'. On the one hand, I like this music video because it breaks away from what you would typically see on a TV station. I also enjoy the song more than anything by Ke$ha or whatever, so I might be slightly biased. On the other hand, I believe that this is a good video because it appears to have had much more effort put into it than most of the videos one might see on a top 20 countdown. It has been directed and produced in such a way that it is convincing as a movie trailer(apparently it had IMDB fooled, they actually uploaded an article about it). While the focus of the video is less on the music and more on the imagery, it is an effective way to USE the music, and I think that it aids in creating a mood fitting of the song. Therefore I believe that the video for "Howlin' For You" by the Black Keys is a good music video, but that it could also be seen as simply a likeable piece of media.

Task #1: Creating your Media Profile

1. I believe that media is very important in my life. Every day I find myself immersed in all sorts of media: radio, Internet, literature, etc. Even if I don't notice it, I'm constantly being influenced by media.

2. -Movies: I enjoy watching movies, because it's fun to temporarily immerse myself in a story (the same goes for books).

-Music: I really like music because, like all media, it can be really diverse.

-Internet: The Internet is pretty much a cesspool of different forms of media. You can read books, watch videos and connect with from all over the world.

3. I think social networking is cool, although I only have a Facebook account. It's a neat way to stay in touch with friends and I think it's more convenient than just sending emails. The one thing I dislke about social networking is when people get so tied up in it, creating multiple accounts on different websites (why join more than one social networking site?). I mostly use media for entertainment and information (I watch informative videos on YouTube and read up on a lot of stuff), but I'd like to play around with making videos more often than just for school projects (I might put more effort into it if it's for fun and I don't have a deadline to meet).

4. Desert Island Choices:

TV show- I really don't watch much TV, so I don't know what my favourite show would be, but I guess I'd take Seinfeld just because I like Kramer.

Movie- I'd choose Star Wars simply because it is extremely quotable. I could keep myself busy for minutes just reciting sappy scenes to myself. "I... I killed them. I killed them all."

Album- I'll get back to you on that after I've listened to every single album in existance.

Video Game- Goldeneye. Not the Wii version, the N64 version. What better way to waste time on an island? Maybe I could finally beat the unlock the Aztec and Egyptian levels. Plus, if I get bored of the game, I can just turn it on and listen to the phat beats in the background music.

Book- I would take The Book of Even More Awesome, because I haven't read it yet and it might make me happy to read about all the awesome things that I'm missing out on whilst stuck on a forsaken island. :-(