Mr Oconnor's Media class

This has been one of my absolute favourite classes that i have ever took in high school. I have learned so much in this class that i never thought i would get to know about. Because of this class i now have a understanding of the media world that we live in. I analyze things now when i see them or hear about them, instead of simply taking them in without thought. Another reason that i love this class is because of what it has done to my music taste. I used to just like the mainstream music like everyone else, but now i have developed a love for indie bands and other music that most people dont listen to. The gtreatest example of this that i can share is my love of Arcade Fire. When i first heard them, i have to say that i didnt think that they were special. I didnt see what was so good about them. But, because of this class and Mr Oconnor, i learned to love them, and now Arcade Fire has become my favourite band. This class also brought me a greater respect and understanding for the movie business. We talked about camera angles, lighting, different points of view, and all of that information brought me to love making movies. This class has brought me so mush new information, and has opened up a whole new world for me. I love the media world now, i love to know how information is brought to people, and how it is manipulated by different sources. Next year, i am taking the Film and Literature course in EDSS, and i think that this class was an amazing course to take to get me ready for that. I couldnt have asked for a better class that was more fun than this.

Movie Magic

Yesterday, for the sake of all that is media class, four brave children went into the forest to film a movie. The premise: a war film based around a sniper duel in the jungles of Burma, in 1944. The cast : Brian, Stephen, Noah, and myself. The experience was one of the greatest that i have ever had. We arrived in the forest at 7:30, and immediately were met with our first obsticle, a river. Stephen decided that he would take one for the team, and sacrafice his dryness to construct a bridge. With a bridge made, we soldiered on, until we found the perfect place to film, the railway tracks near the edge of the forest. We started filming as soon as we were there. Amazing shots began to be captured by the camera, and ideas became reality. This event has really made me think of my future and what it is that i want to do with my life. I have in the past considered to be a director, but now i think that it should seriously be considered. I love filming things, and gettind my ideas out in moving picture. The movie business is one that i truly want to get into someday. Filming is an art and i think that i would love to get to work with it more in the future, and possibly make a career out of it.

Who is The Arcade Fire?

In a little while, the Canadian indie band Arcade Fire went from relatively unknown, to a worldwide sensation that everyone is talking about. How could this happen? Its through their excellent songwriting and performances, shows and concerts, albums, and their hight profile Grammy win. The bands debut album, Funeral, has been hailed as a modern classic, and is a very high seller for a indie release. The album, whis was brilliantly written, was met with glowing reviews in 2004 when it was released, and is still regarded universally as a breakthrough album for the music industry. Their next album, Neon Bible, much darker than Funeral, was also met with critical acclaim when released in 2007. But the band went from small name, to worldwide hit in 2010 with the release of the album, The Suburbs. The album won the attention of everybody, because of its sound, and structure, and it was universally acclaimed by reviewers. The band went on to recieve the Grammy award for Album of the year, which propelled the band into the media world. Suddenly, all anyone was talking about was Arcade Fire. I love the band. The albums that they have made are all excellent, and their style is brilliant. I was first introduced to Arcade Fire in my media class, and i have loved them since i first heard them. My hopes for this great band are that more amazing music is released, and that the fire never burns out.

Who cares about Politics?

As a semi- patriotic Canadian, my views on our countries politics are nearly nonexistent. I have no idea what happens in our government, and i have no real drives to want to know anything about it. Now, thats not to say i know nothing about politics. I watch shows like the Daily Show and the Colbert Report, and i can say, that to a small extent, i know about American politics. I only have the intrigue to know about American politics, because of the way that it is presented to me. Through those shows, which are comedy shows, i learn about the things that politicians do in America, which are normally viewed as idiotic and funny. The other day i was watching the Colbert Report, and i learned that a presidential candidate spelled America as Amercia on a book cover. Imagine if this type of stuff happened in Canada. Thats pretty difficult to do, because of the way our news is given to us. The only show that we have in the style of Cobert Report is the Rick Mercer report, and it too satirizes the government and its decisions and mistakes. In my opinion, if this country was to have more shows like that, then more people, myself incuded, would care more about our government, and would question the choices that our politicians make more often, leading to a better democracy.

The Power of Twitter

First, ive got to get something out of the way. I love twitter. One might be able to say that im addicted to it. Every morning when i wake up, i check my twitter feed, and i check to see what is happening in the world. News about topics that are interesting, funny jokes, opinions, and everything you could possibly want to hear in 140 characters. Now previous to my time in media class, i was only a facebooker, and i had no real want to be on Twitter. That has all changed now. I love to tweet, follow people and be informed in entertainment and world issues. But Twitter has the power that facebook doesnt, and thats getting information out in the world fast and easy. Millions of people can follow a news source, and whenever something happens, they can all know about it and fast. Twitter is the greatest social networking site on the internet. It has the power to show people the news, unfiltered, and from anywhere in the world. Also, it has the power to change the world. When the Stop Kony campaign began, it began on twitter, with the Kony hashtag. The media responded with covering the attempted takedown of a war criminal, and even though the attempt didnt go as well as planned, it still brought worldwide attention to the issue at hand. Twitter has power to change the world, and bring people together to work on issues as one, unified group.

E3 2012

This week, in Los Angelas, thousands of people will walk through the convention centre. Why would this be? What is going on? Well this week, Electronic Expo is in full swing, the time of year where gamers, retailers, and magazine writers go crazy about information coming out of the entertainment world. All throughout the year, speculation rises as to what is going to be revealed at the event, and rumours fly wild until proven false or true through press conferences or full anouncements. New installments into franchises, new movies, information, and not to mention, merchandise and advertising for companies. Big title games like Halo 4, and Call of Duty Black Ops 2 were fully revealed this week, and the internet has gone crazy with anticipation for these titles. I have never been to this convention, but one day i am planning to go to see how crazy it truly is. A convention of this magnatude is a great idea for the entertainment world, because its lets us consumers know exactly whats going on in the world. It also lets people, like myself, find new products that we want to buy. Some games are known about for a while, but it is not fully known how good they are until E3 rolls around. I know that this event has gotten me pretty excited about some games, like Dishonored, a stealth game that mixes elements of some of my favourite games. And its not just me, its the whole entertainment world that has gotten excited about the new prospects of this billion dollar industry, the entertainment world that surrounds us.

Battle of the games

This is a topic that I truly like to talk about. The issue I'm addressing is that of which video game is better. In this great debate, 2 sides on the online front are apparent. There is one side, Call of duty, and the other side is Battlefield 3. Now, every year there is an installment of Call of duty that hits store shelves. Because of past installments, the popularity of this franchise is huge. A lot of people enjoy the game, because it's easy to adapt to, but every year I feel that the franchise is going down hill. Every time a game comes out, my brother buys it, and every time he plays it but it's always the same. Now, Battlefield is a much different story. I began to play Battlefield in the summer, playing Bad Company 2. It was a blast. Easily better than the years call of duty installment, Black Ops. Throughout the summer, I played tons of battlefield, and I eagerly anticipated the release of battlefield 3. Battlefield is better, in my opinion, and I much more enjoy playing it over call of duty any day. Any game where you can fly a jet into a tank is my kind of game.

Objection!

So yesterday, my brother, friend and I went to the Beat Goes On used CD store in Waterloo. Why would we do such a thing you might ask? Well that would be because we all, especially myself, like to have actual copies of Artists' albums in our posession. I do not own an IPod, but i do have a phone that can hold hundreds of songs. I am proud to say that 99% of those songs are actually purchased, and only a few are from youtube conversions of songs. I personally like to spend my money on new music to listen to, as my musical taste changes often (although its mostly Alternative) and i love to have the real, physical album. Most people that i know either download their songs from the internet, or buy them from iTunes. I object to these actions. I really do think that the CD is very important, and that it is the best way to get music. If you buy a CD, you can listen to it on the computer, Xbox, Ps3, CD player, in the car, and you can share the music with your friends. If you illegally download music, its wrong, and if you suppoet iTunes, then others cant have the songs if they dont have an iPod. I believe that CDs are very important to modern music, and that they are the best way to transfer music.

Representation #2

The other day i saw a commercial on tv that i found very interesting. This is the commercial. It is a Dr Pepper commercial, specifically Dr Pepper 10, a new low calorie variant of the drink. The idea of the commercial was that the drink was only for men, and it showed a man walking through a set with a backdrop of men doing stereotypical things. Now, im a guy, but i dont walk through my shed and, like in  the commercial, ride electronic sharks, slide down poles, or have a clubhouse where i watch explosions. In my opinion, i think that the commercial is a terrible representation of men in our society, and it shows us as dumb adrenaline junkies who like to do stupid things. Also, the words thet the man says are also stereotypical and unjust, like the closing lines, where he says "keep the gardening and lady drinks, we're good" presumably to the female audiance watching the commercial. This commercial is a great example of how men are misrepresented in the media. In my opinion it is unjust, and its not fair that this happens.

What Happened tp Music?

BEN HERE! What happened to music? Chilli Peppers, Rolling Stones, R.E.M, Smashing Pumpkins, they  all were good bands, but suddenly it seems as bands have dissapeared and solo musicians have taken over the scene. Either that or dubstep and electronic music, if you can call it music. I guess we still have bands, like Arcade Fire or small groups, but these musicians have been pushed aside to make space for pop and hip hop music. I am a fan of older music, particularily from the 90s, because of the sounds and music created by my favourite genre, alternative rock. I enjoy listening to Oasis, because they sold their music, and not their looks and image. Todays music industry is all about the image, and not about the music. I think that this should change, and that it needs to, because i want to see those big bands and awesome music on top again, and not more Justin Bieber and Katy Perry dominating the charts.

media representation

One thing that i have learned in this class is that of the issue of media representation. before this class, i never thought much of what i saw in movies and on t.v. now, whenever i watch a commercial or a movie, i think of the stereotypes and representations of the different social groups. Different religions, different cultures and even the foods that they eat or are promoting generally are stereotyped in the media. Black actors are put forth as lesser than white people, descriminating against them. Women are generally either seen as lesser then men in movies, but are shown as much smarter than men in commercials for various products. I will blog more about this issue in the near future. peace