class lectures part 2 Flashcards
medium function of the media
- tied soley to the conditions of it’s use and general nature
eg. A place to go in a date= movie theater (this is a MATING FUNCTION where the content is irreverent)
content function of the mass media
eg. votes guided for election by newspaper content, experience, & media itself
- weather channel guided how you dress
the information is MORE important than the experience!
manifest function
-obvious set face function
eg. watching the news in the morning to…
learn about what is new in the world
eg. A car ad in a magazine..
To get people to buy cars
latent function
more hidden functions of the mass media ( sometimes even subconscious)
eg. reading the newspaper in the morning so you don’t have to talk to your wife
eg. A car add in a magazine to remind people that they like the car they already own
societal functions of the mass media
- ) status conferral
- ) passing in values and traditions
- ) narcotizing
- ) services out political system
- ) community and social cohesion
- ) services the economy
status conferral
legitimizes an issue/ person/ organization/ social movement and brings us status
eg. if it is in the front page/ cover it tells us it is important
eg. 1960s civil rights movements= media told is it was important and to pay attention
passing on norms, values, and traditions
media teaches us what is right and what is wrong. Some aspects include enforcement and homogenizing
enforcement
media shows you who gets punished and for what
- sometimes mass media IS the punishment (embarrassing people)
eg. women left at the alter, fiancé goes on honeymoon without her and ends up in the NYT - media is widely criticized when it doesn’t up hold the status quo. Eg. Rap criticized
homogenizing
mass media doesn’t show subcultural norm, values, and traditions
narcotizing
(dopes us up)
- serves disfunction
- information overload
- focuses on superficiality
services our political system
- informs us of upcoming elections
- people in out democratic government get their information from the mass media
community and social cohesion
mass media connects us to other people by sharing common interest and concerns
- especially dramatic in times if crisis
eg. 911
how mass media services the economy
online shopping
advertising
business section of the newspaper
individual functions of the mass media
- guide behavior
- Guide understanding
- develop self concept
- professional tool
- facilitate interaction
- substitute interaction
- ) emotional release
- ) ritualize our lives
how does mass media facilitate interaction?
it gives us things to talk about
How does media help to develop self concept?
by giving you people you can identify with which causes is to create idea about ourselves and how we fit into the world
-also gives us both positive and negative role models
how does mass media guide our understanding of the world
-defines reality & social construction of realities
eg what type of place is the world?
what does it mean to be a man or woman?
mean world syndrome
TV makes people see the world as mean and violent
what determines content of the mass media?
- legal system
- organizational procedures
- technological constraints
how does the legal system determine mass media?
changes copy rite laws
eg. US didn’t recognize European copy rite laws so european books were cheaper causing American authors to have to develop a distinctly different style to profit
how do organizational procedures determine the content of mass media?
- only a small fraction of things put out/ published end up in bookstores, theater, and radio
( music videos weren’t a thing until MTV was invented)
( market testing pop songs made it so immediately gratifying songs were more likely to be put out)
how do technological constraints determine media content?
silent films=> talking => color=> animation
the 3 min song bc that’s how much discs could hold.
cultural conventions
technological constraints become cultural conventions
- violating= risk of alienating people
- different in different cultures
eg. 3 min songs are normal
what factors are considered in storage of media content?
- ) longevity
- ) capacity
- ) portability
- ) accessibility
- ) reproducibility
storage of media has political and social consequences (centralization v decentralization)
kitsch
low quality art
elitist view of mass media
mass media aims lower so they can make money which causes low art
populist view of mass media
there is nothing wrong to appealing to mass taste
memories in relation to film
film provides us with words and memories that stick with us throughout our lives “life is like a box of chocolate”
an example of films influencing our conceptions of reality
love and romance
persistence of vision
allows movies to work
- visual image remains in the Reyna of the eye for a second after it is there
pictorial realism
short (1 min or less) films with simple movement
eg. Waterfalls, Gondola in Venice
sustained narrative
in movies when the telling of stories became important
Age of Griffith 1906-1916
Hollywood is born
- films grew longer, more popular, and more profitable
- first nickelodeon
- movies could be a business
Importance of Birth of a Nation
showed that movies could be a business & also could really evoke emotion
Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC)
east coast based company that controlled almost everything related to movies
- people revolted against them hb moving to Hollywood
why Hollywood?
-Cheap land and Weather Rocks!
Hollywood in the 1920s
- became studios
- movie palaces built
- actors became like our royalty
- lots of sex scandals
- women emancipated
- FAST time
how did the advent of sound change Hollywood?
- the Jazz singer was the first talking film
- verbal comedy became popular
- more expensive dubbing required
- film became more popular
the golden age
difficult times in the word=> music helps people escapes from hard times
- average household goes to movies twice a week
- music/ comedies are popular
- movies that deal with social issues (gangsters) and patriotic films
- stars contracted by certain movie studios
- 7 studios control almost all films
Post World War 2 Decline causes
- ) TV took people away from the movies
- ) red scare
- ) paramount case
- ) forgiven films become more popular
red scare
concern about the spread of communism. House of American Activities Committees interviewed and put out a black list for people not allowed to work in Hollywood
paramount case
restraint of trade case argued that Film industry was an ologopery and that their vertical integration of Production, Distribution and Exhibition was not allowed= as a result studios got out if exhibition
reaction to post WW2 decline
- better film experience: wider screens, better color, improved sound systems
- more stunts
- films that would appeal to everybody
- epics +large scale
Take over of Hollywood by non Hollywood business interests
- caused by studios moving towards bankruptcy
- really changed Hollywood because super focused in making $$
radical changes in the 1960s
-more artsy, experimental, and more specific audiences
- rise in independent films
-ride in social commentary
DID NOT LAST VERY LONG
youth
- more likely to go to theaters
- 3/4 of audiences between 16-30
- attracted to disaster pictures
blockbuster
-a widely successful film
eg jaws
-young people would go to these films and then going again and again
change in movie esthetics
plot and character driven => sensation driven
sequels
- continuing a story of previous movie
- much less risky, already have audience,
remake
-the remaking of an old movie, but now with a new cast
prequels
telling a story that takes place before a previous film
reboots
staring a series over with a new take/ cast
based on other media content
eg. books(Harry potter), video games, comic books (Spider-Man), TV show
toys and games
Lego movies and transformers
$ making
- more money spent on movies than ever before
- cost sharing becomes popular
- now movies have to appeal to more people ( dumb down script esp. compared to radical changes)
why do actors make so much $?
- first weekend is very important to a films success
- people will go to films w/ their favorite actors
- esp important for international films
international
- increasingly important for films
- 70% of money made over seas
- action films
why are action films popular overseas?
(boys with Toys Travel)
- visual action, and physical humor transfers easier
- goal is to have films that are easily acceptable all across the world
CB(zero)
actors get a share of the profits after the studio breaks even
changes in release pattern
biggest cities-> big cities->cities-> small towns
- idea:word of mouth would spread the film
- Jaws changed this with a high profile national release
independent films
made outside of Hollywood systems. made for less money, without major stars, attract specialized audiences, edgier more serious & provocative
-follow old pattern of release
popular entertainment
movies were popular entertainment NOT art
self distribution
used to make indies (sometimes when studios don’t finance them!)
-more film are distributed online
forgein films
go after similar audiences as indies
-Americans aren’t usually big fans of these but they have become really popular
cineplex
movie theaters with more than one screen
- have people more access to indies
- mostly found in the mall (have symbiotic relationships with malls)
megaplex
movie theaters with 20 or more screens
-even more access to independent films