Blog Post 7: TV Sitcoms

           An important aspect of of the TV sitcom is its modified three act structure. The three act structure of conflict, escalation, and resolution has been an established format for entertainment and story telling even before the early days of Classical Hollywood. In TV sitcoms however, due to commercial breaks, the three act structure is an efficient and simple formula that helps to capture the attention span of an audience for half an hour or so.

           A very popular, modern sitcom today is 30 Rock. Each episode of 30 Rock follows a very similar three act structure. In the first few minutes of the show a conflict is introduced. Liz Lemon usually has difficulty controlling one of her actors and Jack Donaghy faces some sort of business or relationship trouble. After the first commercial break the second act begins, and the original conflicts begin to escalade. Usually things have taken a turn for the worse as Liz prepares for the inevitable final confrontation with Tracy, an ex-boyfriend, or whatever it is that she is fighting against. Finally, in the third act, every plot line regarding Liz, Jack, Tracy, Kenneth, and Jenna comes together in some absurd way and together everyone solves their problems. Their problems for that episode are resolved, but these are only mini-resolutions. The story of 30 Rock as whole is pretty much the same at the end of each episode as it was at the beginning.

Blog Post 6: Rope

           In Alfred Hitchcock's film Rope, he uses camera placement and various shots to evoke different types responses from the audience throughout the film.

           In the opening scene, Hitchcock uses a long shot (LS) of a city street to establish the location of the film and to help orientate the audience. As the camera begins to rise, we hear a man scream offscreen in an one of the apartments. This shot explains that a man was just murdered in a busy neighborhood in broad daylight which initiates the whole plot of the movie.

           This medium shot (MS) is what we see immediately after the initial opening long shot. This medium shot gives us the vital information that a man has just been killed by two other men, Brandon and Philip. It gives the audience the knowledge that these men just committed murder and will spend the rest of the film trying to cover it up.

           This close-up shot (CU) took place in the final scene when James Stewart discovers the truth that these men committed murder. The rope he is holding is the murder weapon that the men used and is an important detail. It evokes regret and dread in Brandon and Philip once they discover that they have been found out.

Blog Post 5: The Studio System & Vertical Integration

           Vertical Integration was a very important aspect of what made Classical Hollywood's studio system so successful at the time. Vertical integration is when one company owns all levels of production in a company such as, production, distribution, and even exhibition. The studios had huge lots comprised of musicians, editors, and a stable of actors at their disposal.

          The kinds of films the studios produced under vertical integration varied from studio to studio. In vertical integration, each studio had contracts with certain stars, directors, editors, and anything else that you can imagine at their disposal for all of their films. Some big stars at the time would be in over 80 films a year as opposed to the 1 or 2 stars are in today.

           Casablanca is an example of a Warner Brother's film that wholly embraced the idea of vertical integration. This film starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, two of Warner Brother's stars, was a global success after its release, and it was all made by Warner Brothers every step of the way. Michael Curtiz, a relatively unknown Warner Brother's director, directed the film and the most of the film was even shot on a lot in Warner Brother's studio. By controlling all aspects of the film from start to beginning, Warner Brother's made Casablanca a hit and one of the most successful movies of all time.

Blog Post 4: All In The Family vs. The Simpsons

           A modern equivalent to All In The Family from the 1960's can be found in Matt Groening's The Simpsons. In fact, Groening has openly admitted that Homer Simpson is directly based on Archie Bunker in many ways.

           While The Simpsons is a much more ridiculous type of comedy show, both programs share similarities. Both shows make a point to comment on society in each episode. Also, both Homer and Archie represent male patriarchs who are out of step with the rest of their respective worlds. In the episode of All In The Family that we watched in class, Archie was struggling with homophobia. Homer usually struggles with Lisa's progressive ideas in The Simpsons too.

           These shows are different however due to their levels of absurdity. For it's time, All In The Family was very edgy and cutting edge, however The Simpsons have taken the next step further. No issue is off limits for Homer to tackle. Also, the fact that The Simpsons is a cartoon allows for many situations that could never take place on a television set in All In The Family.
           Archie was intentionally meant to be a closed mined character so that the conflict in each episode could arise between him and some faction of society. Conflict in The Simpsons arises due to Homer's intellectual deficiencies against society. All In The Family dealt with issues that were important in society at the time. The Simpsons does that too to a certain degree, but it is not solely limited to that criteria. A simpsons episode can have social relevance or be completely absurd and parody something. Both programs are art in their own ways, because they hold a mirror up to society. I know that enjoy them both!

Blog Post 3: Radio & Technology

          Technological changes greatly influenced the radio industry during the 1920's by creating a way for popular music to reach the masses of society. In 1887, Thomas Edison introduced the speaking phonograph, which later David Sarnoff transformed into 'a household music box', which teens today use to blare Kesha and The Jonas Brothers through in their bedrooms. In 1924, with the advent of popular radio play, record sales in the U.S. declined by half of their previous sales. Families went throughout their daily routines constantly listening to the radio because the technology at the time allowed them to do so.

wired.com

         During the 1920's, people were enthralled by the radio because they could listen to their favorite songs over the airwaves for free. This technological advancement had the same effect on society at the time, that television would have on future generations. Music technology is as important today as it was during back then too. The Internet has made it so that people can torrent or illegally download their favorite songs today for free, which has also led to a decline in record sales. It is the music industries responsibility to keep up with the growing technological advancements that occur everyday. If they do not, they will not be able to survive.

poplicks.com

On an unrelated note, here is the new trailer to a movie that I wrote & directed this past summer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBfaOQR20bM

Blog Post 2: Social Learning

I think the concept of social learning accounts for the large number of teenage pregnancies in America today. The notion of social learning asserts that audiences imitate the types of behavior that they observe in the media. The messages and lifestyles portrayed in television, movies, and music often shape what audiences recognize as responsible and acceptable behavior. For this reason, the media has a large responsibility in determining the type of content that it allows to entertain us.

In recent years, there have been many television shows that portray single teenage mothers in society such as MTV's Sixteen and Pregnant and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Consequently, 750,000 teenagers become pregnant each year in the U.S. (courtesy of http://www.pregnantteenhelp.org/articles1.html). Sex is portrayed in these shows as being socially acceptable, and therefore the teens who watch these programs are mimicking what the see. Even Bristol Palin, daughter of prominent U.S. politician Sarah Palin, has become famous in the U.S. due to her recent teenage pregnancy. What other qualifications would justify her being a contestant on Dancing With the Stars? It's sad that these programs and individuals make teenage pregnancy seem so casual and nonchalant when it's really an epidemic that is a hardship for many families around the country.


Here is a clip from MTV's Sixteen and Pregnant (courtesy of youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12MrdhGohk8

Hegemony In Classical Hollywood Cinema

     Hegemony helps me understand why men are portrayed as always being so strong and virile in Classical Hollywood Cinema. Hegemony allows the most powerful individuals in society the ability to shape and control the way that everyone else thinks about something. Quite often, the rest of us are blissfully unaware that we are even being manipulated in such a grotesque misuse of power. The ruling elite make it so that what they tell us is socially correct and therefore left unquestioned. Throughout Classical Hollywood Cinema, people were taught to believe that men should act like Humphrey Bogart and women should look like Audrey Hepburn.

Picture Courtesy of austinchronicle.com

           In the Alfred Hitchcock film Notorious, Carey Grant exemplifies the archetypal heroic male figure that Classical Hollywood Cinema praised. Throughout the movie Grant rescues Ingrid Bergman time after time and is never seen without a suit and tie. Hitchcock made it so that even when confronted by Nazis in the climactic final scene, Grant's character never shuddered or strayed away from the level-headed, stoic character that Hollywood demanded he play. The men of Classical Hollywood were told to be bold and daring, which in turn instilled that in ever common man around the country who watched their films. 

The Final Scene of Notorious (courtesy of youtube)