Week 9: Cultivation Theory - power + the media

 

In light of yesterday's documentary, look at this theory and write some notes that would work in a Power + the Media essay. 

Week 9 | Tuesday - Celebrity Culture | Media Ecology

   MEDIA ECOLOGY CONCEPT : celebrity culture 

• Celebrity culture is part of our world. This culture is perpetuated by Richard Dyer's 'Star Image' theory...

Richard Dyer Star Theory

Richard Dyer is a British media theorist, who discussed a star’s special place in the audiences’ lives. He (similarly to Hall) suggests that a star’s meta-narrative impacts on the consumption by the audience. He argued that the star image is manufactured and artificial and that individual stars have their own unique selling point (brand values) in order to grab and hold our attention – for example – Justin Bieber’s hair, JLS’ colour codes...

• Celebrity culture – How does contemporary celebrity culture impact media production and consumption? 

Wikipedia's Explanation of Celebrity Culture

 

Celebrity culture is a high-volume perpetuation^{[needs copy edit]} of celebrities' personal lives on a global scale. It is inherently tied to consumer interests where celebrities transform their fame to become product brands.

Whereas a culture can usually be physically identified, and its group characteristics easily observed, celebrity culture exists solely as a collection of individuals' desires for increased celebrity viewing. Celebrities themselves do not form a cohesive and identifiable group with which they identify themselves, but are rather found across a spectrum of activities and communities including acting, politics, fashion, sports and music. The "culture" is created when it is common knowledge within a society that people are interested in celebrities and are willing to alter their own lives to take part in celebrities' lives. The "culture" is first defined by factors outside of celebrities themselves and then augmented by celebrities' involvement within that publicly constructed culture. Celebrity culture has become a part of everyday society and functions as a form of entertainment.^[1] Today, everyday citizens play an important role in the perpetuation of celebrity culture by constantly checking the whereabouts of celebrities, their friends, the trends within celebrity culture, and the general lives of celebrity via media.^[1] Celebrity culture is now reflected in social norms and values because of the extreme citizen involvement.^[2] Today, as it is now used as entertainment, celebrity culture is viewed as a form of "escapism" from reality and a means of preoccupation for everyday people

Perpetuation of celebrity culture[edit]

According to Oliver Dreissens, celebrity’s social and cultural prominence can be traced back to the success of the mass media.^[6]The various forms of mass media allowed for the spread of new images and branding of celebrities. Especially with the inclusion of televisions in the average home, there became more of a familiarity with the people or celebrities now "in our homes".^[7] Media surrounding celebrities has heavily influenced not only celebrity culture but the general social environment in our lives.^[8]Celebrities are known to not only influence what we buy but many other things such as body image, career aspirations and politics. Richard Dyer has stated that celebrity culture is bound up with the condition of global capitalism in which "individuals are seen to determine society".^[9] Newer technologies, such as cable television and 24/7 coverage, have made today’s celebrities manufactured for mass consumption, as opposed to the celebrities of the thirties and the fifties who were more self-made.^[10]24/7 coverage pushed for more programming and people to fill the extra time. With this evolved more shows and celebrities who partook in the additional screen time. Reality television has been a large part of fostering a new celebrity culture that is more interchangeable and recognizable.^[11] Cable television and social media sites such as YouTube, have made “overnight” sensations which have perpetuated today's perception of celebrity culture.^[11]: 493 Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, who rose to immense fame after being discovered on YouTube, are argued to elicit emotional ties and self-reflexiveness that invoke a seemingly personal connection.^[11] This can be seen with some fans, especially female fans, feeling like they have a certain ownership or connection over a celebrity.^[12]

^{Questions to consider:} 

^{1. How might the Star Theory and Celebrity Culture work together to the advantage of the big 5 and those with funding to hire the A-list actors?} 

^{2. How might the Celebrity Culture that exists in the world, impact audiences trends in what types of movies they choose to see?} 

^{3. How might it be argued that Celebrity Culture be an example of the 2-Step-Flow theory in the passive audience theory and do you think this is true?} 

^{4. How might this be relevant to both Power + The Media as well as Media Ecology?} 

Week 9 | Wed - NZ Classifications

 

Do some research by navigating this government agency's website. Write down answers to the following questions;

https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz

- What do the classifications office do?

- What is the process for classification of media in NZ? 

- How do they work out how to classify material in current society? 

- Being NZ government- owned, how do we know that they are operating independant of what the current government of the day wants?

Week 9 - Case Study for Power + the Media (Don't Look UP)

Let's look at a good example of Power + the Media.

As a result of celebrity culture, celebrities who were once just storytellers, acting out the stories based on ideologies of script-writers and movie-makers, now are powerful enough and have enough of a following that they are creating movies with powerful messages.

 https://www.queensjournal.ca/dont-look-up-is-all-message-no-movie/#:~:text=The%20climate%20crisis%20and%20the,rich%20people%27s%20short%2Dterm%20gain.

Activity 

Write a paragraph in response to the question below, using the 'Don't Look UP' move as a case study. Find out when it was released, name the director and a few of the A-list actors involved. 

Question;

"The power balance is shifting from institutions to audiences. How far do you agree with this statement?"

Week 9| Monday - Ownership - Power + The Media Recap

 

Week 8 | Fri - Vertifcal + Horizontal Integration recao

Write down some examples to do with Disney in both horiztontal and vertical integration.

 

Activity:

Use this question below to write an introduction that inlcudes all key 'ownership' topic terminology as well as good examples and definitions of horizontal + vertical intergration.

 Power and the media

3. 3  ‘Audiences now have just as much power as media institutions.’ To what extent do you agree with

   this statement?

Week 8: Thursday - The Creepy Line - documentary

 

Take notes in reklation to Media Ecology, Power and the Media and also Media Regulation

- data collection (Media Ecology)

- young people particularly getting news from social media (power + Media / media ecology)

- regulating platforms (power + media)\

- net neutrality  - whether social media companies are editorials or neutral platforms (held responsible)

- in what ways are we being manipulated by Google? (3 ways)

- what happened in the case of Dr. Roberts Epstein and Jordan Peterson? Why is this cause for concern? 

Week 8 - Mon/Tuesday | power of Narrative | Power + the Media

   

narrative

/ˈnarətɪv/

Learn to pronounce

noun

1. a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   In Media Studies narrative is how the story of a media text is constructed and how it relays its information to an audience.

   
   

   
   

   When we are looking at POWER IN THE MEDIA, and considering all media is telling a story, we can ask ourselves, from whose point of view is the story being told? 

   
   

   Narrative is powerful - the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, shape society's beliefs about themselves and others. 

   
   

   TASK 1. Read this article: 

   
   

   A Maori filmmaker and the fight for proper Indigenous narratives
   

   
   

   TASK 2. Answer the questions: 

   
   

   1. If the power to tell stories and shape narratives is only held by a few, what dangers lie in that? 

   
   

   2. Write a paragraph about Merata Mita. Why was her work important and how would you describe her efforts? 

   
   

   3. Why would you argue that it is important for Indi filmmakers, outside of the established institutions, to be creating media / telling stories? 

   
   

   
   

   Task 3: Read this article

   
   

   How Native filmmakers are restoring cinematic narratives

   
   

   Task 4: Answer these questions

   
   

   1. How are indigenous stories being funded? 

   2. What are some of the stereotypes that were perpetuated in early indigenous portrayals of the native Americans? 

   3. Who is one example of an indigenous voice in NZ who is succeeding at telling stories from an indigenous point of view and garnering the interest of the wider world? 

   4. Where do indigenous films have a platform to be viewed currently?

   5. What in your oppinion, is the future of more authentic portrayals and representations of indigenous people on screen, moving forward? 

   
   

Week 8- Monday | David Gauntlett + Identity Theory

 What we know about David Gauntless so far;

“Identity is complicated; everyone's got one.” Gauntlett believes that while everyone is an individual, people tend to exist within larger groups who are similar to them. He thinks the media do not create identities, but just reflect them instead 

Let's look at this article and clip from David Gauntlett himself 

https://davidgauntlett.com/digital-media/new-video-on-identity-for-uk-a-and-as-level-students/?fbclid=IwAR3ej7DimvZ2DDzuxJ0i9I-lx9R0iQJVtDpka8A0xcL-0PUsAU4X2VhNFtQ

Consider the question 

Why is it hard for us to ask the question 'how does this media text construct identity'? 

What are some key notions of identity that we should take into consideration? 

Acivity 

Write a paragraph for a Power in the Media essay, including both Stuart Hall (Reception theory), Blumler and Katz (Uses + Gratification theory) and Gauntlett's theory

"New media plays a huge role in creating people's identity". Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why? 

Week 7 - Friday | Future of Technology - issues | Media Ecology (Keleidoscope Case Study)

 

Make some notes on the future of technology in media

- Bandersnatch 

- Keleidoscope 

- AI 

We need a case study to refer to in terms of how audiences are looking for interactive content to consume.

Keleidoscope is a good example, from Netflix. Write down all the info about it. 

 https://collider.com/kaleidoscope-does-it-work/#:~:text=Kaleidoscope%20revolves%20around%20a%20heist,to%20be%20saved%20for%20last.

Wk 7 - Hollywood Writers Strike

  

In groups, do some research and come up with answers to the following research questions;

1. Who is currently striking in Hollywood right now? 

2. What are the core issues that they want resolved? 

3. How would this tie into an Media Ecology ? Think about this example of current events in relation to how Hollywood is structured and how technology is contributing to changing economic models. Write a couple of sentences that explain this example in relation to both a technology question and an ownership question. 

Week 7 | Tuesday - Hollywood Ownership

  

Week 7 | Case Study - The Sound of Freedom

 

Sound of Freedom
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alejandro Monteverde
Written by	Rod Barr Alejandro Monteverde
Produced by	Eduardo Verástegui
Starring	Jim Caviezel Mira Sorvino Bill Camp
Cinematography	Gorka Gómez Andreu Aec
Edited by	Brian Scofield
Music by	Javier Navarrete
Production company	Santa Fe Films
Distributed by	Angel Studios
Release date	July 4, 2023
Running time	131 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Languages	English Spanish
Budget	$14.5 million[2]
Box office	$182.5 million[3][4]

Sound of Freedom is a 2023 American action film directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, and starring Jim Caviezel,

The film was released on July 4, 2023, by Angel Studios. It was a sleeper hit, becoming one of the most successful independent films in history.^[6] It has grossed $182 million against a $14.5 million budget. It received mixed reviews from critics,^[7] while audience reception has been highly positive.

In the entertainment industry, sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was unpromising on release but became a success later on

The film was completed in 2018 and a distribution deal was made with the Latin American subsidiary of 20th Century Fox.^[25] When the studio was purchased by the Walt Disney Company, it shelved the film. Subsequently, the filmmakers bought the distribution rights back from the studio.^[26]

Verástegui approached Angel Studios with the release rights. Angel presented the film to an online group of 100,000 investors in its past projects called the Angel Guild, which gave it a "yes" vote within days.^[2] In 2023, Angel Studios had acquired the worldwide distribution rights, with a planned release during the second half of 2023.^[26] In May of the same year, it received a release date of July 4, 2023.^[27]

Angel used equity crowdfunding to raise the funds needed to distribute and market the film. Seven thousand people invested, allowing Angel to meet its $5 million goal in two weeks.^[2] They also encouraged patrons to "pay it forward" to allow people who might not otherwise see the film to watch it in theaters for free.^[28] Sound of Freedom is Angel Studios' second theatrical release after His Only Son.^[29]

On July 26, Angel Studios confirmed that Sound of Freedom would be released in 23 international markets throughout 2023. The film was released in UAE on August 17, in South Africa, Iceland and Lithuania on August 18 and Australia and New Zealand on August 24. The film has been released in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Croatia^[30] on August 31. In addition, the film will be released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on September 1 and Spain on October 11

Week 7｜ Tuesday - power + the media - censorship of free speech and Christchurch massacre case study

 

Christchurch massacre 

- they talk in this video about a bit of the moderation process