My Top 10 Revelations From Around The World (Of Media)

Revelation Numbero Uno: Censorship

US solider covering face of Hussein statue before pulled down

“Censorship comes from many sources. The production agency, whether an independent producer or a network, usually has guidelines about what materials are acceptable. Advertisers exercise a significant role in determining content, frequently refusing to sponsor a program to which they have some objection…Owners want their media properties to reflect their personal and social views whenever possible, or at least not present views that disagree with theirs.” P. 13

When learning about censorship, the first thing that comes to mind is media censorship in the war. I know there is a lot of debate in this category, accusing certain news channels as being biased. I know this is true, and I find this rattling seeing how the U.S. is a country that boasts morals of freedom. In Mass Media and Society, I learned that more than what the average American thinks is real news is actually censored, the owners of the news channel only telling one side to every story. This was eye opening and startling to learn, but I am thankful that I am no longer as naive as before. This is also the reason why half the time you are hearing about the celebrity that ended up in jail last night over what is going on over seas. As sad as this is, it is important to realize not everything you see these days is legitimate, and being skeptical is important for survival.

"Toxic Sludge Is Good For You"



Revelation Numéro Deux: Controversial Material

Three Wise Monkeys

“Although prevented by the Communications Act of 1934 fro censoring program material, the FCC is authorized to levy fines or suspend a station’s license for “communications containing profane or obscene words, language, or meaning… In 1996, despite objections from civil liberties groups and Action for Children’s Television, the Supreme Court ruled that the FCC has the right to establish a “safe harbor” for adult programming, ostensibly to protect child viewers. “ P. 14

Controversial material is something I have always been very intrigued with. I am a strong advocate against ‘sex sells’ types of advertisements and television programs; I believe women are volunteering to degrade themselves by being portrayed in promiscuous clothing or behavior in order to sell a product or gain a large audience. I cannot stand the things that are being showed on Television these days, and I really do not look forward to when I have children and I need to protect them from seeing things they are too young to see. Although the FCC has created the “safe harbor” scheduling, I believe there has been some kind of fail in this system since every time I watch TV there seems to be more and more sex; from subliminally injected to in your face unavoidable. Yes sex sells, this is an obvious selling technique, but there is a difference between selling sex to children and not just the appropriate age group.

Miley Cyrus Pole Dancing at the 2009 Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards

Revelation Trinitas: The Elements of Production

“The media writer must know the tools the director uses to bring the script to life, whether for a six-hour miniseries or a 30-second commercial—or even a piece of cyberspace spam. When you write for a visual or aural medium, you should be familiar with the key production techniques that can facilitate and enhance a script. You should learn what the camera can and cannot do; what sound or visual effects are possible in the control room; how microphones help create mind pictures what terminology to use in furnishing descriptions and transitions what a Web site consists of; and other technical and production devises and terms that are essential for effective writing.” P.20

iamagonistes.wordpress.com

I enjoyed learning about this chapter because I think it is important to know about behind the scenes technicalities if you plan on writing a script. Before this class, I had never even attempted writing a script, and I now know how much I enjoy it. Learning about all the camera shots ( pan right, medium shot, etc) and other production techniques really furthered my knowledge in this field, something I can really appreciate.

Revelation Numer Cztery: Appeals of Television

“[An] important factor in preparing a commercial or PSA is to appeal to the audience’s basic needs or wants. All viewers and listeners are motivated by essential psychological and intellectual concerns, some conscious, most subconscious. By playing on these motivations, the copywriter can make almost any audience feel or believe almost anything and, in many cases, even persuade the audience to take some action.” P. 81

I have always known about the appeals of commercials, but it was interesting to put these appeals into categories. It is crazy how easy it is to persuade someone to do something with the power of human emotion. Ethical, logical, and emotional appeals are all used as strategies to market product and information to people. The ability to trigger someone’s subconscious and convince them to do something without them even realizing it is something out of this world to me. I have always been intrigued by advertising and marketing so I really enjoyed looking at the behind the scenes of this world, how to script appeals without seeming too obvious.

AT&T TXTing While Driving Commercial

Revelation Sayı Beş: Sports Writing

“The language of sports is more colloquial, and although technical terms should be avoided so the general audience won’t be confused, sports jargon and expression in common use relating to a specialized area of sports are not only acceptable, but necessary to establish expertise by the sportscaster and empathy between the sportscaster and the audience.” P.180

My ideal dream job is to be a sports reporter, so I obviously really enjoyed learning about sports scripting. As not a huge sports person, I have learned that it will be necessary to learn more about it before I even attempt to work in this field. In this chapter Hilliard quotes Peter Lund, president of CBS sports who said “Entry level people often are in the position of supplying information to producers and talent. It must be accurate, and available at a moment’s notice.” Luckily I’ve learned this, and I plan to become a sports person in order to pursue my dream; being the girl who goes up to the NFL player after winning the super bowl and says, “So, what are you going to do now?”

Erin Andrews ESPN sports reporter in GQ

Revelation Numero Sei: Reality Programming

“The American viewing public is attracted to the format’s combination of truth-based events, highly dramatized script interpretations, highly stylized products, and people in competitive situations ranging from land or sea or air races to surviving in dangerous places to nabbing a husband to winning a talent contest to police investigations to adventurous rescues to emergency medical activities to courtroom cases—among other circumstances or predicaments. “ P. 253

aceshowbiz.com photo of the Kardashian sisters

Although I am still questioning the whole reality TV fad, Hilliard definitely cleared some things up for me in the section above. It is crazy how addicted people get to watching pointless show like Keeping Up With The Kardashians (who are the Kardarshians anyways?) and The Real Housewives series. I see the appeal after reading the chapter on reality program, but it doesn’t make me hate it any less. Shows like the Jersey Shore are not only sending the wrong ideals to younger people, but also creating stereotypes and degrading people across the nation. How can other countries take us seriously when ‘celebrities’ like Snookie are being paid (actually paid!) to make appearances around the country. This is crazy, and Americans that fall for this mindless entertainment need to change the channel, in more ways than one.

Revelation 排名第七: The Interview

“The three major interview types are the opinion interview, the information interview, and the personality interview. Any given interview can combine elements of all three…very rarely are interviews either completely scripted or completely ad-lib.” P. 287-268

Tom Cruise on Oprah

I can definitely say that I have learned a lot about interviews in this class, not only from reading the Hilliard book but also from actually watching interviews and scripting them myself. I now have a different perspective when watching my favorite shows like the Tyra Show and Oprah, I can see the work that goes it to creating a functional production like this. I also happen to have just done an interview for another class, so I learned from the book to go into the interview with a set of questions while also expecting the interview to not go completely as planned. Also-after watching all the presentations done by my peers in class, I can really understand how all three types of interviews can easily blur together, especially with a well rounded interviewer that knows how to ask the right questions.

The Tyra Show

Revelation Numeris Aštuoni: Music Videos

“At the beginning of the 21^st century, music television networks continued to explode-with dozens vying for places on the cable dial. Like radio, many music television networks tended toward specialization to reach specific demographic audiences…without visual action and attractiveness, the music program on television might just as well be listened to on the radio. Although the music must be the audience’s primary focal point, the visuals must be integrated effectively enough to hold the audience’s attention and interest. The success of music videos illustrates the importance of visual action. “ P. 314

Old Crow Medicine's Show Wagon Wheel

Hilliard’s section on music videos really caught my attention. There is nothing I love more in life than get home after a long day, put on the TV to find nothing on, and watch VH1 countdown. I really honestly love it. I never even debated that idea that I could script a music video, and I think I have found my calling. I think music videos are a great why to capture even a wider range of emotions. There is something about being able to watch a video along with your favorite song that is so powerful. It’s true, I swear and try it. Here is an example of a great music video that uses both the audio and visual factor to tie all emotions into one little package.

Revelation Numero Siyam Na: Music on the Internet

A Photo of Outkast from Kalamu.com

“In the past decade, various Web sites on the Internet have moved from pirating to ethical use of copyrighted music after losing a number of lawsuits.” P. 321

This is interesting to me because I never really think twice when downloading music illegally. I never thought about how radio could be affected by this, but it is clear that it is, and they have had to adapt to the change. Sites like Pandora and Hype Machine help control piracy along with giving users the chance to explore different artists. There is a thin line between copyright and music, especially when the Internet is thrown into the mix.

Revelation หมายเลขสิบ: Biographies

www.web-biography.com

“1. Tell a person’s story in strict chronology; 2. Narrate in the past (even if the subject is still alive, which can be alternately awkward and ghoulish); 3. Have mostly other people tell the subject’s story (“It’s called ‘Biography’ not ‘Autobiography’” is the credo) even if the subject is still alive. P. 237

I have always found biographies to be an entertaining way to past time, so I especially enjoyed learning about how to properly do a biography. I also have been in several school-related situations that have required an interview, so needless to say I was glad to have covered that chapter in the Hilliard book. I think he really sums up the basic structure of a biography well, in a very clear and concise manor. I now know a really great way of learning more about someone, and it’s also cool to think about everything I’ve learned while watching my favorite bios.