Archive for June 2011
Responses to “Wii like Michael (Rhetoric # 2)” by Aryn Haynes
Word count:103
Responses to “Cultural Myth (Figure 1)” by Daniel Ramos
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This cultural myth seems that it has been a part of ours society since the first professional suit was tailored. In a sense, we have enforced the importance of a good first impression, which has no negative connotations however. Like you said, we are a visual society and that we are influenced by what we see. We can then ask this question, if we were to create a new image of what professionalism was or even facilitate some of the other forms of professional dress, would the same myth be enforced today by our society? Probably, but we as a society have come such a long way, so may be now we can afford to be a bit lenient.
Word Count:119
Repsonse to “Old Spice metaphor (Rhetoric)” by Betty-Ann Townsend
I do agree with you that this commercial seeks to attract a particular audience or consumer, ie. the average woman who wants her man to be “all of that” and then some. Old Spice has utilized signifiers in our everyday lives to influence how we formulate our very own interpretations. There might be some more signifieds that we could consider. It could be that there is not much of a deeper meaning but if we take into account the other signs within this commercial and make the connections between them, intertextually, then we can come up with more answers as to why Old Spice may have used these signs versus using other signs that could potentially give the same effect, semioticly.
word count:121
Synthesis makes the connection between the narrative, the argument and the image structure within a particular text. In this text (Food Network Star), the synthesis involved the story that is being narrated by the competitors. It’s narrative may not be as clear upon first glance, however if you consider the story that each person gives, you will see that it’s telling the story of 19 hopefuls on the ultimate journey to be the next Food Network Star. The same can be said for television shows very similar, such as American Idol or even Dancing with the Stars. Even though they may not all be apart of the same genres, but their narratives are quite similar in some sense.
As it relates to argument, the “reality” aspect of the show is questioned. The influence of the cameras, the reaction from the judges and the competitors are all taken into account. Are the competitors acting or are they genuinely expressing who they truly are on camera? If so, we then being to question the “realism” of the show; what is real and what might not be real. The authenticity of the text being presented plays a critical role in who the audience will formulate their interpretations. We read the text as a whole for the most part, generally overlooking each specific part and it’s function in semiotics.
Visual images act as windows in which we can see beyond what the text is presenting. We take into account the structure of the images communicating a specific thing. Whether they are verbal or non-verbal, we can almost always identify the signifiers and their signifieds. The creators of Food Network Star are no longer the determinants of the meaning of this text and the other interpretations of it as well. We, being the community of viewers, make our perspectives apparent.
Word Count:304
Post #19-Food Network Star (Figure)
Posted on: June 16, 2011
In this short clip of an episode of Food Network Star, the camera plays a very important role in how viewers react to what is taking place on the show; the signifiers and their signifieds helps the audience to formulate interpretations. Some of thee things I noticed in this clip what the shot of the guy at the farmers market when they just arrived and the way the camera focused on the judges as they critiqued the contestants plates. The long trailing shot made you think that there was a surprise awaiting to happen when the constants came to the farmers market. The emotions that are evoked while looking at this particular shot influences how the audience felt at that moment. The camera shots on the face of the judges as they react to the performances of the contestants and the food they have presented, influences the audience’s interpretations. How we read the interactions within the show assist us in formulating ideas of what could be taking place.The camera, music and motion
assist the audience in reading tv shows. The camera seemingly becomes our eyes, a
way of seeing the show as if we were there. By doing so we can formulate interpretations of
what is occurring through the eyes of the camera. Images from television shows seems to not
require much decoding, we interpret what we see based upon what the character
or scene is depicting. Since we have internalized these codes at a very young
age, we become conscious of their existence as we watch and analyze the conventions and non conventions of a show. It is easily understood that the conventions in a television shows are of the norm and can easily be recognized by any member of a particular audience. There is not much work that needs to be done when “reading” this type of television show.
Word Count:311
This season on Food Network Star, the competitors and judges seem to be more critical about how they are perceived by their “at home” audience. As noted in past seasons, there has been quite a few changes to the direction the show is heading. Yes, Food Network is aiming at keeping the show interesting and exciting as the seasons progress. However, one might argue that the show is becoming a reality tv show, focusing more on the drama that comes along with competing to be the next Food Network Star. But has there ever really been a genre associated with food related television shows? Did we, being the audience, ever really thought about where the specific conventions of this type of television show might be placed? By examining different parts of the show, we can pick out a few elements that can be categorized into various genre types. Overall, the show is a regular food television show with a side of reality and drama.
Another element of this type of television show that we can take into consideration, is the idea of whether or not the actions of the cast or rather the competitors are influenced by the cameras being present. Do they react in certain ways because of what they think the audience would see or are we formulating our own perceptions based on what the cameras are showing? Yes and no because whose to say that the competitors actions are being influence or whether what is happening is more so reality. It is understood that the cameras are meant to assist us in how we perceive things and function as our eyes. As we look at the show and all the rhetorical and conventional aspects of it, we can realize that there is more to just what we “see and read” . We would have to focus on other elements to come to a conclusion, if possible of how they all function.
Word count: 323
Food Network Star is a show on Food network, that puts a group of professional chefs up to the challenge of becoming America’s next Food Network Star. At first glance you would imagine that this television show was just like any other food competition, bragging right and title holding show like, Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, etc. However, the interesting element about this show is that it is very similar to a reality tv show, in the sense that contestants become so caught up in the show and how their lives become affected by those who they are competing against. Most certainly, the average viewer would recognize that this show is slowly becoming a reality tv food drama. The contestants are strategically coming up with ways to get “knock out” the weakest and strongest competitors each challenge. The competitors seek to prove to both the judges, their fellow contestants and America that they are worthy of claiming the title of th next Food Network Star. During the process, we see the true intentions of the contestants, some may encourage their fellow competitors to keep up the good work, while others seek to be on top regardless of who they step on. ‘Its a dog eat dog kinda thing’ most people may say however, when did Food Network Star become such a reality show. Seasons before didn’t have this much drama and rivalry among the contestant. Is this what the Food Network show was aiming at this season? If so, they have hit it! Claws are beginning to come out, people are being put to the test by their fellow competitors and true intent is becoming more and more evident.
This show allows us to think of the conventions of “reality” television shows. Are they only to be viewed as “reality” tv or should we label other shows, very similar to others within the same genre, as reality tv? This show in particular strays away from the narrative conventions of typical food competition shows. It’s not longer about the food and the competition, its more so now about who can “knock down and knock out” their fellow contestants at all cost. Like crabs in a barrel, only the best of the best will prevail. Sad to say but we can consider how this show is unconventional in this way.
Media represents narrative, argumentation and image structured cinematography within a single text. The synthesis is the connection and function of all these three components of a text combined. The synthesis allows us to look at all the components as a whole. We can look at the film in terms of what the story is, what rhetorical nature of the film based on conventions and the intratextuality and intertexuality of the film. The narrative of the film is a story of a man seeking repentance for accidentally taking the lives of seven people. He does so by donating his organs to seven strangers.
The argumentative aspect of this film is whether or not this extraordinary story can be seen in “reality”. Of course there are quite a number of organ donors who “give life” to people who they may not even know. However, is this particular story as real as it is on a movie theatre screen as it is in reality. The story, the characters, setting, diegetic conventions and film editing and experimentation influenced how the audience “reads” the film as a single text. A casual viewer may never really pay much attention to these critical aspects to formulate interpretations of what system of signifiers and signifieds at work. The film 7 Pounds and the visual metaphors, signifiers and rhetorical conventions allow the audience to look beyond just what appears on the screen. We are given free rein to analyze all aspects of the movie. Its more than just the story of a man seeking forgiveness for what he did, more over, it is a film about the same man realizing how each moment of his life is worth more than just living. But, could we also argue that this theme is very typical for the majority of Will Smith movies? I must agree that there is the recurring theme that most Will Smith films have, but are all of them conventional or even be considered “realism”. Image-constructed cinematography plays a critical role in how images evoke emotion and influence our own perspectives.
Word count: 342
Post #15- 7 pounds (Figure)
Posted on: June 10, 2011
In the film 7 Pounds, Ben Thomas, played by actor Will Smith is a IRS tax collector. He visits Emily Posa played by Rosario Dawson, unexpectedly. In this particular scene shows Emily stopping her dog from eating meat. But, don’t all dogs eat meat? A dog’s that’s a vegetarian…? You must be joking. The denotation of a dog that is vegetarian has a number of connotations, mostly negative. We would believe that all dogs are meat eaters, however a vegan dog strays away from convention. We question whether or not this could actually be true, which goes back to what we believe is credible.
How could this even be possible? Well, in the movie, Emily’s dog has the same heart condition as she does. She is a vegetarian therefore her dog is a vegetarian. The denotation of dogs (pets) being “like” their owners has been supported by society and the scientific community. In psychology, dogs have been said to look like their owners. In this case however, Emily and her dog are like because of their heart condition. Most people may say that this could be true because most animal have very similar health issues. The connotations that could be associated with this scene are that, “it’s just a dog, why can’t he eat commercialized dog food?”, “If I eat healthy, my dog should be able to sustain a health diet as well”. What I am a getting at is that we, the audience formulate our own connotations both the negatives and the positives. It is very easy for us to slip into our own interpretations of what this scene is trying to represent. Another denotation that I observed in this scene was the idea that Ben just shows up to Emily’s house uninvited, similarly to how IRS collectors call the homes of debtors persistently.
Word count: 305
Post #13- 7 pounds (Narrative)
Posted on: June 10, 2011
The Film 7 Pounds by Gabriele Muccino starts off with the story of Ben Thomas played by Will Smith, who causes a car accident while texting and driving. The accident kills six individuals and his fiance. He tries to redeem himself for what he did by saving the lives of seven people. He will determine who gets his organs based on whether or not they were worthy of receiving them. He donates his organs to six strangers and his brother. However in the end he commits suicide by placing his pet box jellyfish in a bath tub filled with water. His friend Dan ensures that hios vital organs are delivered to their rightful new “owners”. This film follows the conventional cinematic film style, it has characters, a plot, specific setting and narrative. The genre, however of this particular film is not very “cut and dry”. The film is just seen as a drama of some sorts. Its story line and plot appears to be that of a drama.
The trailer begins in first person narration, with Ben (Will Smith) being the voice over. This allows the audience to relate to the narrative at a personal level. We, as viewers, are able to placed ourselves in “his shoes”. However, as the plot is being told in the trailer, the narration shifts from first person to third person. Other characters in the film tell the story through their own narration. This aspect of the narrative is very much conventional.
If we look at the film itself and the narrative that the film has, we notice that there are multiple interpretations and signifiers (along with their signified) the audience have formulated. With relation to the interpretations, one may think that this film is just another “saving the world” drama at the expense of the main character. Others may argue that this film as a mystery film; the audience may not know what the main character is up to, what will he do next, what his motives could be. One thing that I took note of was that the film had a similar idea of Shakepeare’s Merchant of Venice (man who pays his debt by giving a pound of his flesh).
Word Count:363
This line from the text, “The photographic and filmic codes
are relatively arbitrary and employ a level or realism that simulate perceptual
cues in the physical world (Nichols 1981, 35;cf. Messaris 1982 and 1994)”
on page 165, explains quite a number of things relating to how we
“read” visuals and what interpretations we make. Films consist of
both visual and aural, perceived by ear, codes. The camera, music and motion
assist the audience in reading films. The camera seemingly becomes our eyes, a
way of seeing the film as if we were there. As it relates to the advancement of
technology, 3D films have given audiences the ability to be “a part”
of the scenery and the story. By doing so we can formulate interpretations of
what is occurring through the eyes of the camera. Film images seems to not
require much decoding, we interpret what we see based upon what the character
or scene is depicting. Since we have internalized these codes at a very young
age, we become conscious of their existence as we watch a film or analyze a
photograph. A shot from a film can mean so much more than it just being a shot.
Consider this clip from the Pixar animated film, Wall-E. The clip is about MO, the Microbe
Obliterator; as his name suggests, his job is to clean foreign contaminated
substances that objects may carry on the ships observation deck.
This version of the clip, at first glance, has minimal verbal
language that is very unfamiliar to the audience. It is, for the most part, a
silent but subtle film about MO being involved in Wall-E’s adventure. While
watching, we formulate some interpretation of what is taking place, similarly
to what this person did with this clip.
Now, this version was revised based upon a person’s
“reading” of the particular scene. They offered an interpretation of
what MO does for a “living” and what is happening in that particular
space in time. Initially, the first clip opens up a way for us to analyze and
formulate our own interpretation. The second clip is merely a representation of
what someone else thought the message was from that clip.
Word Count: 360
shawn20009 
The example of the ad that you used was pretty funny because this game has recently become one of my favorite games of all time. Aside from the technology used to make this gaming system so advanced and interactive, most people would not pay much attention to the advertising conventions being utilized in the commercial; we are more considered about the fact that Michael Jackson, famous iconic symbol is on the cover and is the person in the game itself. Honestly I agree with you that there is not a particular age group that they are attracting because The Experience can be enjoyed by all people. I like the last line of you post because it appears to be what is already happening.