Michelle's Media Blog

Well, at the beginning of the year I was not too sure of what this class entailed. I had heard to take the class because it was very easy, and I had one open period so I figured, “Hey, why not fill this with Media, it can’t be too hard”. Now, I almost disagree with my own judgment. I do not feel that media was ‘difficult’ class, but I do believe it was a very time consuming class. I did not think I would be doing as much work as was required. There were many group projects, little assignments and tests. I did not really enjoy any of these, aside from the music video. Also, we took many long dull power points. Although I made the class sound not so good right now, I disagree with myself once again. I did have fun in Media class this year. I liked my fellow peers in the class, along with my teacher. Just because I did not enjoy much of the work in the class did not mean it was a bad class. I honestly do not enjoy doing a lot of work in any of my classes, but you have to face the fact that it must be done. Sure, the projects may have been very time consuming and the power points may have been long and dull. But aside from that I had a good experience in that class.
When I went into this class I did not know much about media. I think I knew just about as much as the average person knows. You watch the advertisement and simply look at it. You do not truly understand the meaning of the ad and what they company is trying to throw out at you. You either like the ad and believe it, or you don’t. Now after taking Media class, I am able to have a better, clearer understanding of what is being said to me. You learn how companies are willing to do anything to get you to buy their product. They may change the whole subject (item) of the ad around just to make it look more appealing than it really is. A very god example of this was shown by the ‘Dove Campaign for Real Beauty’. I personally knew that things like this were being done before media, but never realized to what extent this is happening. There are companies who will completely change the whole look of their product in order for us to buy it. To me that seems wrong, because they are not giving you the truth. But that is something I learned in media. YOU, the viewer or consumer, has to find the truth yourself. The class has opened my eyes to many advertising schemes, and just trick in general. I am now much more media alert and can really analyze what is happening in our society, or furthermore, the world.
Also in Media class, the next big interesting concept I learned was about the paparazzi. I always knew and read often about the paparazzi; they will follow you to a crazy extent, but never knew exactly how wild it could actually be. I saw how they will put not only their (the paparazzi)’s life in danger, but also their peer’s lives on the line. I think this is just an insane concept. If a celebrity wanted you to know that much about their life, they could have told you. The paparazzi spread way too many offensive and private posts about innocent celebrities.
Throughout this class I have learned a lot. This has helped me understand what is happening around me, and shows me how I cannot fall into the media trap. By being under the spell, I will just be another follower. Media has taught me to think for myself, and be myself.

Grease mania! That’s right! Our music video was ‘Summer Nights’ from the original movie ‘Grease’. Yes, this is actually quite an interesting choice. Not the usual pop, rock or rap we hear on the radio now. We decided to go the unique way…wooo musicals! Plus, who wouldn’t want to see their friend dressed up looking like Danny Zouko from Grease? Well during the process of this music video I had a lot of fun. I found it nice to be able to work in groups with the peers that I wanted to. This way we were able to co-operate easily and understand each other’s thoughts. Also, it was easy for us to meet up to film our video. During the filming we did not have many technical difficulties. This was aside from the outbursts of laughing during the middle of a lyric. We found it to make the video. Filming was quite fun and very entertaining. The only real challenge was syncing the music to our video clips. That was the only problem while doing the whole process. We found that we had a perfect amount of time to work on this project and felt very good about our finished product. The only change that I believe we could make for a film is to film it in more than one location. My overall impression on the whole music video ordeal is that it was a very unique way to do a project. It was fun because I had always wanted to make a music video, and here was my opportunity. I know that I will enjoy seeing some of my other peer’s work also.

So the next part of our blog is supposed to be about our experience at Much Music. Unfortunately I was unable to go on this trip. From here on, I plan to take an educated guess on what would have happened while there. This trip must have been great to experience the whole construction of media. At Much Music you would be able to experience and see first -hand what really happens behind the screens and on commercials. Sure, at home when we are watching these TV shows, they seem so perfect. Everyone looks so happy and all runs smoothly. In real life this is most likely untrue. Just because people in the audience are clapping, doesn’t mean they necessarily want to. You are often told when to clap. Also if questions are asked, they aren’t just random people who are asked. If you are one of the chosen people, you will be pre- warned. Not only will you know all of this, but you will have a planned answer. Talk about construction to match what Much Music wants us to see or what! Much Music is certainly trying to give off a certain vibe by telling people what to say or do. They are constructing the image that they want to show their viewers. When the commercials are on, you the viewer at home also does not know what is truly happening. Often they may be coaching the next person on what to say, getting hair and makeup done and/or preparing celebrity guests. There are so many things that go on behind the scene to prepare for just that day’s show. There are so many people involved in the making of one show. The effort that is put forward is often suspiring.
Although I did not attend this trip, I truly wish I could have. It looks like such a good way to really see how media works close up and personal.

Well, these Calvin Klein ads certainly are racy! As you can see, these are very visual ads. Most of them show young teens standing in a very suspicious looking room. It looks like a place where nothing good could happen. The teens are standing in the center of the room. There is nothing but cheap 70’s wood paneling on the walls and a purple shag carpet. Does this scream pedophiles house or what? Also there is a ladder in the middle of the room where the teen often leans, or poses up against. The teens are not wearing anything but their CK jeans and some kind of a white top. For girls it is a white tank top, while for guys it is a t-shirt. Sure this may seem like a causal outfit now, but once seen in the ad you can tell there is some sexual content behind it. I almost believe that it is supposed to make the teen look innocent. With this innocent look you would not assume for the teen to be in any kind of sexual area. But really, it’s all wrong. There is a man behind the camera that is filming. He has a very low voice, and is often sounding as he is kind of whispering? He is the one who during the ad is talking to the teen. He speaks to them in a very odd way, asking briefly, sexual questions. Personally, if I were ever asked those questions by an old man in a basement like that, I would be out of there in a minute. When the teens answer the questions they seem very shy and timid. I also believe this is adding to their image of innocence. I feel strongly that there is a very sexual message behind all of these advertisements. Also, they in my opinion do fall under the category of pornography. The teens are displaying many sexual characteristics. Their poses, basic body language, clothing and even the language seems quite seductive.
I find these ads to be extremely controversial. These children are almost being somewhat exploited and they are all under the age of 16 (or looks like they are). They have definitely gained attention for Calvin Klein in general. They were very shocking ads, but I have to admit he did get his name out there. Now this may not have been the best way to do something like this, but he definitely made the news. I am glad that advertisements like these were taken down because I believe they may be just a bit too racy for people. You also have to think who the target audience of this ad is? Most likely teenagers! If teens see other teens acting this way then they may do the same, and that is the last thing we need now!

1) Heroic Masculinity
2) Muscles and the "Ideal Man"
3)The New Warrior
4) The Caveman Mentality
5) Attitude is Everything

The process of making our documentary was extremely time consuming. I say this mainly because I first had to learn how to use Movie Maker. Neither I nor my partner knew how to use the program, so it was rather difficult. The first big mishap was when I used Windows Live Movie Maker, and had half the project completed. Sure this sounds fine now, but a few days later I went to continue working on it, it would not open. So of course I had to go back to the drawing board. This time I realized I had Movie Maker, and things were a lot easier now. We took a lot of time preparing what we wanted in our movie. We thought of many ideas which would work well, but some of them were actually very hard to do physically. This eliminated some of our possibilities. We then had to find the same free time in our schedules, to fit in when and were to film. Luckily all the places we wanted to film at allowed us to. Seeing as our era was the fifties, we went to a diner. Specifically, we went to Wimpy’s. The people there were very nice and let us film. Just finding time to record us acting was the most challenging. Although many things went wrong during the whole span of the project, many things did work out. We found it very easy to find lots of information on our era. The fifties was an extremely busy and interesting time. Much of the media expanded and developed during the fifties which is why it was so easy to talk about, therefore it made finding information for most categories easier to locate. Also, I liked how we were able to incorporate so many different components of the fifties. We showed pictures, to videos and songs. I felt this was a good way to represent the era, because you were really able to see what it was like to live in the fifties. One part we found did not work, was the time. I felt that we did not start this project soon enough, although we had the information about it. If we were to gather our information quicker and actually start our project, it would have been a lot easier and possibly better. Planning our project was fairy easy, but the work of doing it was quite complicated. Putting the project together was time taking and complex. I found it difficult to make sure the timing for everything lined up, and to make sure I only used that amount of time. Also I realized that it is hard to fully express yourself in the movie about the specific era because you do not want to bore the audience by having too many words on a slide. The last stage of our project was filling in our booklet. That was by far the simplest part of the project. Doing a works cited page was also very time consuming considering we used many sources. It was necessary, but hard time- taking work. I felt that our classmates also had very good video documentaries. They were appealing and kept me interested the entire time. I found it very interesting learning about all of the different era’s. Many of these documentaries were a good length of time and included lost of pictures and videos. I liked how most of them were able to convey the time period in a positive way. They were defiantly able to represent each aspect of the era so we, the audience, could clearly understand it. Also, I liked how many of the videos did not have a lot of writing explanations on their videos. Often when these appear in a documentary it loses your interest easily. I found that overall they were done very well and I enjoyed most of them. Sure, everyone could have used some more information here and there for each category, but I now have a clear understanding of each era. I found these very useful because I am now educated on life and living from back in time, and how far we have advanced. I have also learned when certain technology and trends started. I have gained knowledge about many new interesting facts from each era, not only from my peer’s projects, but of course my own.

Why do you think there is so much focus in our society on body image?

I think that there is so much focus on body imagine in our society because of the media. They are the ones who put the idea into our mind that we have to be perfect. We are pressured to look exactly like all the hot celebrities or models our age. Usually these people have the “perfect everything”. They not only have the perfect hair, makeup, skin, and of course the perfect body. Usually they are quite slim or in shape. The media gives us the idea that in order to be popular or successful in out society you have to follow/have the look of the celebrity. Since the media puts that idea in our head, we all assume that we have to follow this idea and strive to look the same. We all believe that we have to look flawless all the time, but really this is a near to impossible goal.

Where does our notion of an "ideal" body come from?

The notion of an ideal body comes from celebrities or models in the media. They are the ones, who are always published in magazines and such, and these are what we, the consumers buy. We assume that in order to be popular and attractive, we must look like them. Usually their body types are slender and toned. Of course they all have the perfect sun tan too.

Why do we think we should look a certain way?

We think that we should look a certain way because of all the pressure the media puts on us. We believe that what the media advertises about the celebrities is the way we should or have to look. We also think that by having the exact looks of a celebrity it will make us more successful or powerful. Really, this is untrue. It should not matter that you look exactly like a celebrity, as long as you dress respectable, and are a healthy and confident person then you should be fine in life.

How does the ideal image of a woman's body differ in other cultures? In other historic times? How does this compare to the ideal image of a man's body?

In different cultures different body types are a must. For example; some cultures a ‘full’ figured woman is what is desired or needed. In others it may be the complete opposite where very slender women have the ideal body. Back through time the ideal body was different. There were fads of what shape would be desired, for example; an hourglass figure or a skinny ‘Twiggy’ look. This compares to a males body in a very unique way. Men have always been thought of to have a bigger build than a woman, and more manly. Their ideal shape has stayed mostly the same throughout time, slender, toned and muscular, while a desired women’s shape has changed over time. There have been times where a more plump shape has been fashionable, and others, where skinny is all the rage.

Who controls what images we see?

Ultimately WE control what we see. Of course the media are the ones who are putting these images our there for us to see, but we are the ones to choose what we take part in. You do not have to subscribe or watch any of these media tabloids etc. We are the ones who choose what we see or what we believe. We can either subject ourselves to the media’s ideas and be a ‘follower’, or be our own person and not pursue what the ‘norm’ is, or how others believe we should look.

Do you think teenage girls are especially vulnerable to these ideas? Do teenage boys feel similar pressures?

Yes, personally I do believe that teenage girls are especially vulnerable to these ideas. I know personally even sometimes when I pick up one of my magazines and see someone with a beautiful tan and perfectly toned body, I sometimes wish that I could look exactly like that. I think that teenage girls get lost in the media because we sometimes feel that we have to look exactly how they project others our age to be. I also feel that boys feel similar pressures. Men in media are usually unbelievably muscular, and really how is this possible without some kind of enhancement. This is not a natural look at all. I believe boys feel the same pressure to be the same as those shown in the media.

Dove paid 2.4 million dollars for 30 seconds of commercial time during Super bowl XL (2006) to launch the commercial featuring the young girls. The Dove commercial is very different from most of the commercials featured during Super bowl broadcasts. (Typically these commercials are light-hearted, comedic, and rarely address social issues.) What do you think are some of the reasons why Dove would choose the Super bowl to showcase their commercial?

I believe that dove chose the Super bowl to showcase their commercial because first of all the Super bowl is one of the biggest watched, world wide television specials. So many from around the world would be watching at this time and would be able to view the commercial. Many of the viewers are young people, who Dove hopes to impress. Also, considering this commercial is so different, it would be very unique and would stick in people’s minds. Therefore they would remember this, and the product, which would result in profit for Dove.

For the most part, the Dove campaign has been well received by audiences. However, in addition to a few critics, there have also been some examples of the ads in public spaces being defaced. Why do you think some people may be critical of the Dove campaign?

I think that some people may be critical of the Dove campaign because it is such a different ad. With such uniqueness in an ad, there are sure to be people with their different opinions on such a topic. This could be a very controversial ad because of what they are doing. They are changing someone’s total look, and making them an untrue person. Many find this offensive and wrong, because this changed image is being placed into the media. Once this picture is in the media, this is what we now feel pressured to look like. But in reality it may be impossible for us to ever have this look because the actual person who the picture is of, doesn’t really look like this, as it was edited.

There are many acts of plagiarism committed around the world, and I have to say one of the most well known incidents in recent years is between musicians Avril Lavigne and the 70’s pop group the ‘Rubinoos’. They both have songs with not only very similar titles, but the chorus, melody and beat in general are similar. Does this sound like a case of plagiarism to you? I know it certainly does to me. The two songs, ‘Girlfriend’ by Avril Lavigne, and ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’ by the ‘Rubinoos’ is where it all begins. As we can see, the titles of the song are clearly compared to each other. Next we have the song its self. At the beginning you may just assume that this might have been a case of over- reaction, and people were only judging the similarities just by the title of the song. However, as one plays the song, the chorus jumps out at you as a familiar tune,and the similarities start to become clear and it becomes quite apparent when you hear the resemblances of the melody, rhythm and beat. The connection almost comes to the point where someone like me, who is not very technical with their music terms and sounds, can feel that the song could possibly be plagiarized. Now we get to the words in the chorus, which are somewhat similar again, with the switch of the word girlfriend and boyfriend. To the normal person, one would believe that Avril has stolen this song from the 70’s hit by the ‘Rubinoos’. We can all tell that the chorus resembles the song by the ‘Rubinoos’. An act of plagiarism could easily make or break Avril’s career and image. Celebrities do not want to be known as “plagiarizers’ or ‘copy writers’. Many of her fans and co-workers could easily choose not to listen or support someone who is un- true to the world and themselves. Also they could even possibly believe that she is being unfaithful to the music industry as a whole by re- using someone’s rhythm, tempo, melody and lyrics. This is a potentially harmful accusation against the young star which she will just have to deal with and will be discussed by the music industry and pubic forever. One would think Avril’s people; the one’s she has working for her from the music industry such as her manager, would have checked this type of situation out prior to the song being released. It is difficult to understand how the outside world would notice such a similarity, when her professional advisers and recording company label would not have caught this likeness during the recording or editing of the song. Once word of the similarities had been made public, by several different forms of media, over and over again, a law suit and harsh words hit Avril and her co-writer Luke Gottwald. Avril, and Luke claim to never have heard of the band, and furthermore, never even heard the song that is being compared to her song. She and her co-writer denied the accusations of copying the song. They feel that there are very few similarities and that the ‘Rubinoos’ have no grounds to win the lawsuit against them. Some feel that the similarities may just be that, similar, but not plagiarized. Others feel strongly that the chorus is a copy of the ‘Rubinoos’ song. Though there are many different opinions on the comparison of these two songs, which some feel is just a coincidence as there are only so many words and notes that can be put together musically. Some suggest that it was inevitable that one day it had to happen; a song would have similarities to one that was already published. This is one fact we will never know, however Avril Lavigne did reach an ‘undisclosed settlement’ with the ‘Rubinoos’ for the lawsuit they brought against her claiming she copied their hit song from the 70’s. One can read into this settlement what they want, however it must be noted that a settlement does not always mean admittance to plagiarism or copyright infringement. Avril’s manager stated, ‘The settlement was a way for everyone to avoid the headache of a lawsuit’.