Archive for May 2011
This political cartoon can be seen as a visual metaphor. The symbol of the “American patriot” is being compared to both the civil war times, with John Locke and now to the average person. Patriotism, in a sense, has slowly lost its power or its meaning to the American culture. The reading of metaphors in visual text is useful because we see what is beyond the surface. We look at things in a different perspective if we were to take into consideration the vast majority of signs in a system are at work. In the back of our minds, we still keep in mind the original thoughts and ideas we perceive, however we are much more open to formulate other perpectives based upon what we take into consideration.
It is fulfilling its purpose in semiotics because we are able to view signifiers and their signifieds as a part of a system. It is appealing to any audience that is open to exploring the differences and non-conventional aspects of visual metaphors. By obtaining an understanding of making the unfamilar, familiar makes analyzing text more effective. It communicates what is not easily seen on the surface.
Another example of this is in this picture of the SUV being metaphorically compared to a rhinoceros. The car is being compared to the qualities of a rhinoceros’ tough, protective skin associating this with the safety of the car. This is similar to the example the textbook gave about the aeroplane being reffered to as a bird. This visual metaphor involves the function of transference to the particular qualities from one sign to another. The comparsion can also be viewed as a form of an ontological metaphor. Not in terms of the car being personified but more so, the associated qualities and ideas with entities that are most obvious.
Word Count: 303
This is a commercial by IHOP that shows a young man proposing to
his significant other. There is not a clear cut audience that this commercial
is attempting to target. They were probably trying to target young people and
suggesting that proposing to someone at IHOP is not the best place to do it
because their meals give a negative connotation to engagements. It’s quite
funny because the waitress comes out with their order at the wrong time. Well,
would it have changed how funny the commercial was if they had the waitresses
bring out their meals after the proposal? Probably because then we would only
think about the proposal and not the function of the food being served and its
significance at that particular moment in time.
If we also look at the relationship between the ring and the plate
of double cheese scrambles. Is the commercial implying that the ring he
proposed to her with is “cheesy” or more directly cheap, corny or a
joke? Can cheap rings be associated with a plate of food? Well, in this instance,
yes. But is it’s signified always parallel in all commercials with rings, for
example the Jared commercials? This may not be the case for all instances. All
these signifiers interact to construct the rhetorical stance that IHOP’s meal
menu has an effect on everyday life. There weren’t any stereotypes that I could
associate this commercial with.
The role that technology plays in electracy in this sense that,
couple of years ago this would not be viewed as an “ideal” way of proposing
to someone you love nor would it be the right setting. The reaction of his fiancé
would not have been the reaction that most people would expect. At the end of
the clip, you see the guy playing little to no attention to his fiancé’s
enthusiasm about the ring and their proposal afterwards.
Word count: 315
The movie Safe falls under or can be catergorized as a clear cut paradigm as it relates to a particular genre. The movie can be categorized as a comedy, high suspense, thriller, science fiction or just plain old drama. It has the Hollywood conventional aspect to how the film is structured, in terms of the theme, settings, presentation, story formulas, types of characters and the stars (actors) involved.It follows the convention but there is something that is non-coventional about it. All of these elements of a film have been evident in other films quite similar to this one, well what makes this film adhere to a certain genre? Is it not clear cut what the director was trying to get at? The real idea is that with paradigms they are so interchangable that it is not so easy for someone to place a film or style of a film in a set category. The same can be said about the movie I Am Legend. Consider the clip below from the movie where the “zombies” or infected mutant people decide to attack Dr. Robert (Will Smith).
The film appears to be a science fictional, action film. Some may argue that it is purely post apocalyptic because the movie gives a illusion of what could happen if we dont find a cure for cancer or what could happpen if the cure can become the cause. The same idea of Safe as being a sciene fiction film because it was telling the story of the AIDS pandemic that occurred around that time. The setting of the movie can influence the genre that this particular narrative may be categorized in. For example, the dark, eerie streets and sounds of the zombies waiting to make their move, makes us feels as though this film is a high suspense, science fiction movie. the shots of Will Smith battling the zombie gives the film a feel of it being an action film. It all depends on if the lighting, the setting and the shot that changes the whole perspective of how this film is categorized.
Post #5-(Argumentative)
Posted on: May 26, 2011
Rhetorical argument within narratives is usually seen as being very
believable. The storyline often captures the attention of the audience. The
more persuasive the argument, the people tend to believe it based upon what and
how it is being presented. Paradigms are relevant to how they, narratives, are
being revised in terms of what genre we can classify or categorize a particular
style or technique. In the case of the clip below from the ABC Family’s hit
series Pretty Little Liars, the scene in the hospital gives the
illusion that Hanna is seeing the deceased Aly in her room. Aly reappears to
check on her because she wanted to make sure she was alive but she begins to
play on her emotions about what really happened the night of her death. Then,
she disappears to some unknown destination.
As we can see, the idea or type of style behind this scene can be view by
the audience as being somewhat of a mystery; others may view it as a bit
science-fictional, a drama or a mixture of both. The paradigms of this TV show
are so interchangeable that we, as viewers cannot only see this show in just
one particular light. That is the most interesting thing about paradigms; the
signifiers are a part of some defining category. The composition of the rhetoric
would make a difference because if the narrative would be affected by the style
in which the authors wrote it. It can be understood that if Aly were to just
come back and all was well again, that would leave viewers confused, or if Aly
would have killed Hanna when she went to visit her. However could this mean
that, this is what makes a mystery, a mystery? Well, certainly it is dependent
upon what each person considers a mystery to be, personally I would be lost if
Aly had decided to reveal her secret that she was alive. Notice that when the
scene first started, it appears that Hanna is hallucinating, and then it
reverts to her appearing to be very real.
Word count:345
As presented in Who the f is Jackson Pollock? , the narrative is centered around the perspective of Teri. The story is being told from her point of view. The “voice of God” acts as an aid in the way the narrative is being presented. Narratives privilege certain perspectives in film documentary such as having a voice over because viewers are compelled to believe what the voice over is saying. It is viewed as conventional for us to formulate our ideas about what is occurring in a documentary based upon how the voice over presents it. By presentation I mean, how it is said, how the producers of the film want it to be interpreted and what is said. Lets consider this clip from the beginning of the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The voice over in this movie has some level of credibility because we, the viewers are “forced” to view the story in terms of how it is being told. If the voice over is very commanding and forceful, we tend to perceive the narrative as very serious; if the voice over is mellow or funny we perceive the story to be so. The index is apparent in the movie in terms of the direct connection that is made between the voice over as what we perceive from it. The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s voice over allow us as the audience to believe what is taking place in the narrative. Also, I noticed that in relation to Who the f is Jackson Pollock? and Teri, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the characters in that film, the story is told by the characters/actors. Therefore this poses a new question, “Does having the characters or actors in a narrative documentary or film tell the story make it much more credible than just hearing the voice over?” or “Could it be that it we are so used to hearing the voice over in a narrative that it has become the norm, therefore we fail to notice this certain privilege perspective?” With regards to raw footage, the way it is edited can assist in how effective the story being told may come across. Yes, raw footage as is, has no voice over because it is footage that is being filmed “as you go”. Yet it is still viewed as being credible. After being edited, whether voice over is included or not, it is still a narrative.
Word count:407
How can we really know if this news clip was meant to be real or fake? The clip looks real, not staged, the news reporter and the announcer both look credible. The clip starts off as being quite funny, it incorporates graphics for the effect of the bats coming out of the Christmas tree. The narrative in this film unfold by telling the story of a local Christmas tree farmer and a housewife that purchases fake trees. The questions that are being asked are “What makes a Christmas tree real or fake?” and “Which is better?”
Looking at the report you can clearly tell that it is fake. The report is giving a false representation of what news in reality is. It has some level of truth in it because it aims at giving credible stories from both the farmer and the housewife. They both are talking about things that are happening in the “real” world. By this I mean that in the event that you buy a real Christmas tree, there could be a chance that a bat or some animal could be living in it and could go unnoticed by the farmer that sells it. However, notice that the story is being told in a certain way. The people being interviewed and the interviewer are behaving in different ways.
The irony of it all is that this news report is trying to get the question of whether a Christmas tree is fake or not, answered, but the report is clearly fake. It is quite interesting to know that documentaries, news reports, photographs, paintings and other forms of media such as these are being presented as narratives in light of them being fake. Then, can we ask this question, Is it fakery if we dont have the crediblity to back it up? Who made these expertists, well expertists?
Word count:310
Essay film has become one of the most entertaining yet informative ways of telling a story both conventionally and non-conventionally. It is a more effective way to any audience engaged in what the film is presenting. It is a fact that documentaries (or expereimental film) are experiments, meaning that producers have more freedom to make the documentaries geared towards a particular audience and their unique styles. Could this mean that not all fiction documentaries seem to tell a story effectively if it only seems to be gear towards a certain style or form (action, romantic, suspense, comedy, etc.)? Well, consider this fictional documentary about potatoes not being able to go to college by Phil Watson. It is fictional because it is a made up story; it is combines both convention and non-convention.
The clip starts off similar to a regular documentary but the context being presented and the way is it present may be seen as being funny. Yes, the guy in the clip is taking about potatoes and making a reference to how they are not treat like humans (college student), however it is the story and the way it is present that makes it much more entertaining. Consider this clip, it is a compilation of clips from the documentary about the Subway Diet featuring Jared Fogel, nutrition facts and a short clip in the beginning.
This clip consisted both narrative elements of documentary and film. Yes, the story about Jared Fogel losing weight from maintaining a subway diet for a year is certainly true, however the way that this clip presents the same information is much more entertaining. The first clip about potatoes seem to stick to the conventional way of making a documentary, while the second clip aims at making it more informative and entertaining in the same way.
In this third clip, we are seeing a different way of presenting a narrative. Yes, it is a commercial, however, the voice over presents the narrative in as certain style that gets the audience’s attention.
Word count:340
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The narrative conventions of documentary film are ones in which we as culture have placed on how a documentary should be produced, edited and showed. The norms associated with documentary films are that they usually have a voice over, a narrator telling what is going to happen or explaining every step or event that will occur. The people in these documentaries try not to pay much attention to the fact that the cameras are present. By doing so the make the film appear to be more “realistic”, uninterferred by the interviewer and the production crew. However, as we have seen, quite a few of modern day documentaries tend to stray away from the conventions that tend to be attached to documentaries. This new style or form of narrative conventions in documentaries appear to be more realistic because the people aren’t necessarily acting. They are aware of the presence of the cameras and are still able to show their personalities. The “acting”is not scripted so the characters are truly being themselves. Let’s consider this clip of a documentary about individuals who play Bingo to either pay their bills or just for leisure purposes. This is a more Observational mode in this documentary.
In this clip, the participants are not necessarily “acting” because the cameras are present. They are showing who they truly are. Also alot of the film was edited, could that possible mean that the film is not following the conventional constructs of a narrative in documentary? No, more so the idea that the film makers hadn’t taken multiple shots to cause the film to be scripted. Narrative in documentary follows a more compelling baseline that is a framework for complex and factual material. It tells a story of series of events. This conventional approach effectively construct a convincing narrative because of how the facts are produced, the audience that it attracts, how it engages that audience and what we perceive to be as the “reality”.
Word count: 327
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