Media Blog Reflection

                So now, as my last act in media concerning blogs, I reflect on the various experiences with blog posts. So, with a lack of introductory skill, I’m just going to jump into it.

            First, for paragraph one, I’ll talk about my relationship with Media this semester specifically. As mentioned in my first Media Blog post, I consume a lot of media, mainly Youtube Videos. Even as typing this up, I’m watching a YouTube video that pits Godzilla and Gamera in a battle. So my media was mainly entertainment purposes. Now, after the media blogs, my media tendencies have changes. Entertainment is still a main portion of the media I consume, but news and other blogs and articles are included as well. As a result I have become even more aware of the world around me, further widening the bubble of social media I had previously lived in. However, with more media being consumed, I’ve found myself to be even more reliant on my phone and laptop, spending a couple hours a day surfing the digital waves of the interwebs. So, overall, my relationship with media has changed in this blog activity, both forcing me to learn more about the world and forcing me to check my phone screen every minute.

I’d just like to point out that the phone is upside down.           

For PARAGRAPH THE SECOND I think I’ll discuss what the media blogs themselves did for me. So, I had never analyzed forms of media before specifically looking for these techniques. Previously, I had only pointed out obvious things, like “that isn’t logical” or “You can do that if you get this.” Teaching us about advertising expanded my view on media, and how it worked. This positively made me learn about how the world worked, and what beliefs advertisers exploited to sell their product. However, it also affected my slightly negatively. I have become critical of almost every single bit of media I see. When I see an Ad I ask myself “What are they trying to sell on a psychological level.” When I see a TV show, I say “what makes this show so good?” I have sort of lost the innocent carefree view on media, seeing that it is just there for my consumption. Unfortunately, now I have the habit of thinking about everything I see. Well, it could be good or bad, depends on your opinion.

(Stop rambling)

(Hey, it’s you again)

            Por El Parrafo Tercero, I’ll talk about what I learned about media. So the aforementioned habit of thinking of everything you see is Media Literacy. This can be seen as a good skill because, with analyzing media, you can understand what kind of person this advertiser is selling to, or what kind of person would watch this TV show. Analyzing and seeing if the product matches up with what you, the consumer wants creates a better media-consuming experience. This is so that you don’t waste your money on something you don’t need, as save it for something like college or a new X-box. Another thing I learned about media through analyzing advertisements specifically is that advertisers no longer sell the product itself, they sell the ideas that come with the product. For example, paper plates advertisers sell the plates for their usefulness at people’s gatherings. Movies also go along with this somewhat, selling the themes and ideas presented in the movie instead of the actual movie itself. (Wait, I just thought of Terminator, never mind) SO media is now focused on targeting consumers and appealing to them not by the media itself, but with the themes it comes with.

Time to wrap the last homework I’ll do this month UP. So, overall, I enjoyed Media Blogs, I might even continue just for fun. I liked that it forced me to educate myself about media, and it also allowed me to express some of my creativity. (Heh heh, you lack dopamine)(Excuse me?) I also enjoyed it a lot because I was able to read the blog posts done by my friends about media. I liked commenting because it allowed an exchange of ideas and thoughts between people, furthering any interesting discussion.

So, as a last thing to say,

Thank You Mr. Starace for the blessing of Media Blogs and the curse of work on Tuesday nights.

Signing Out, Tristan Lam

(And Anakin Sywalker)

(Darn You! Ruined a cool ending)

Tai Chi

Hello Again. You thought I wouldn’t do another one did you Mr. Starace? Well, here it is.

 If you haven’t done Tai Chi before, you know what it is right?

WRONG

For a moment, I would like to support my ethos in the topic of Tai Chi. I am ranked number 1 in Open Chen Tai Chi Wushu in the state of California. I have participated in Wushu tournaments such as the martial arts tournament held by Cal Berkley as well as the Golden State International Wushu Championships. Don’t believe me? I can bring in six gold medals and four gold trophies to prove it. So I think I know something about Tai Chi. Bragging out. (Mic Drop)

Back to topic. I’ve talked about golf in media, now I’ll talk about Tai Chi, or martial arts in general.

Have you seen this movie?

Or heard of these two men?

 

Anything else?

If you answered no, glue your face to the screen and read every pixel.

If you answered yes, continue reading and be entertained.

Most western people have their limited knowledge about Martial Arts. Sure, it’s a fighting style, but it has kind of been whitewashed for the western community. Notice that these two amazing martial artists have been paired with american or europen people in their various movies. Example: Chuck Norris. Also notice that there are a lot more fight scenes, a lot more action, and maybe some basic themes. In a “regular “Chinese action movie, there are a lot of fight scenes, but not the kind you would think of. They aren’t enemy vs. enemy, it is most of the time a respectful battle between masters or students, no rage or hatred is used to amplify power, it is just a display of respect between two people.  But in the whitewashed versions, its just action to fulfill our need for violence. This, if you guys remember, is Mr. Tagg’s problem with today’s movies, only action, not any good themes.

Tai Chi especially suffers in the violence-wanting western world of media. Tai Chi’s philosophy is one more of peace and internal power. This suffers because open displays of power are discouraged because of Tai Chi’s incredible strength. Tai Chi, especially Chen Tai Chi, are some of the most powerful fighting styles invented, with surprisingly brutal techniques to snap bones. The peaceful image around Tai Chi was to sometimes disguise it as a mere exercise.

That's a hard pose to hit. The right leg is at about an 85 degree angle, and you have to hold it.

So what does this say for Tai Chi in Media? Well, it is completely misrepresented in Western media showing it as a slow, easy exercise for old people. try holing a horse stance (basically a wide squat) for an hour with a bowl of water on your head and a candle under your butt. Its tough. That stereotyped Tai Chi into the calm, slow exercise that people see it as today. The truth is that going slow just makes it harder.

Its not only the West, Chinese films themselves have even altered the image of Tai Chi. However, they do hit more closely on the fighting and power aspect, making it seem more like a Kung Fu style rather than Tai Chi.

So this wans't really a post about the effects of media, i just wanted to say some stuff about Tai Chi, just to put it out there. I also wanted to be remembered as doing more than was needed. 

I would just like to say that i had a fun time doing Media Blogs, and ill miss the opportunity to share my ideas this way. Thank You Mr. Starace.

Tech Ads, its a Short Story

So, im just going to do a short one  because I ran out of ideas, and ive been told my blogs are too long.

If you guys didn’t know, there’s a group of Youtubers on a certain site who do tech-related videos. They also have a fairly snazzy name which is Team Crispy. The team members consist of Marques Brownlee, Lew Hilsenteger, Austin Evans, Jonathan Morrison, and Judner Aura. Of these people, I subscribe and am addicted to two: Marques Brownlee and Lew Hilsenteger, otherwise known as MKBHD and Unbox Therapy. So, im just going to go into the two.

MKBHD- this guy is famed for making high-class technology videos. He definitely appeals to high class people. Some devices he reviews are various Samsung smartphones with glass and metal build and the highest quality screen and camera. The dang thing goes over a thousand dollars. This shows the advertising approach high-quality companies like Samsung use to sell their devices, they focus on how high class it makes you feel. This obviously appeals to the need for prominence because you want to feel high class and stuff.

Unbox Therapy- Lew takes a different approach. Unlike MKBHD, Lew focuses on the entertainment aspect rather than the informative aspect. He cracks a lot of jokes, acts funny, and unboxes cool stuff. He’s more of a normal-person’s man, in comparison to MKBHD’s high class. Thus the products he features on his channel are more for the common people. He’s done stuff like a $4 smartphone, a Bluetooth headphone hat, and, most recently, a crank-to-charge Iphone case. Because these products reflect the common people, they reflect what is advertised to the common people. interestingly enough, tech is advertised to the common people mainly for utility, hitting the logos center. This makes the most sense because “utility over looks.”

So this short discussion hit some points about how tech is advertised to different classes. To the high class, it acts like a luxury item while, the average joe, it is seen for its utility.

A Golfer: Its Tough to Be One

Raise your hand if you have played or tried to play golf anytime in your life. Go on, raise your hand, and wave it around, wiggle your fingers, make a shadow puppet bunny, the point is many of you have probably tried at least once. As a result, there is that mutated blob of a rabbit on your wall. Now, raise your hand if you play golf now. Anyone? No-one? Okay, well, it’s probably just me. So here is where I slide into my question: why is golf so unpopular with the youth compared to other sports, like basketball?

Well APPEAR THE THESIS to make my OCPD (correct term, not OCD, research it) satisfied. Don’t worry, it’ll include media Mr. Starace.

So the reason is media influencing our perception of sports as a young person, especially sports like golf. Media also degrades golf as a sport through advertising the hipster image. (Patience will tell you my friend.)

FIRST there is media influencing the image of sports. Here is the image you see when you think of golf.

 

Here is what golf actually looks like.

 

Haha, silly Geico. No, it’s more like this.

 

See that face, that’s the face of an athlete. So, why do you get the image of the old cigar-smoking grandpa when golf comes up? Because MEDIA.

Most media presented to the average person related to golf almost always includes the old man. This reality assumption made that only old men play golf is absolutely false. But why do some people buy it? They probably relate to golf’s subtitle, or that famous line in that golf movie with Shia Laebouf. “Golf is a game played by gentlemen” the word “Gentlemen” has that connotative meaning of an old, high class man.

No, not that one.

Yeah, that’s the one. Monocle and everything. This assumption has remained in our minds for so long, you can probably no longer get rid of it. So this assumption ingrained in our minds is used by companies using golf.

The hipster ideology now sold to the younger population markets the “cool” sports. You probably know it is the basketball that reigns supreme in America. Other places, it is soccer (or futbol) that is the popular thing. These sports advertise the ideal peak physical condition of what we have learned to see as an “athlete”. Golf is seen as left to the aging people who can’t play the strenuous sports anymore. Truth is, golf is just as strenuous and demanding as soccer or basketball. (sorry, baloncesto y futbol)

The movie “Seven days in Utopia” is a great example of this.

(*God, another movie, Tristan watches way too many movies*)

Well deal with it! I don’t need glasses yet, so I’m still okay staring at a screen for two hours. Here’s the trailer.

Summary: guy breaks down, snaps chipping wedge, runs to isolated town, learns golf from a wise old man, comes back, POSSIBLY wins PGA Texas tour.

Media like this is kind of rare, outlining the difficulty of golf. Its not all physical, but you do have to walk a lot with a 50 Lb weight on your back for almost a mile up and down hills. And you keep your elbows tucked in. always keep your elbows tucked in. Don’t look like a chicken. Oh, there's also injuries. damages lower spine, torn arm muscles, wrists. hand cramps, blisters. There's also getting hit by a golf ball. Whatever you do, don't get hit by a golf ball. Its like the rain god had kidney stones. The difficult part shown in movies like “Seven days in Utopia” is the mental aspect. Golf is rated as one of the most strenuous and taking mental sports because your are slowly wearing yourself down as well as having to focus every second. And if you make a bad shot, you have to forget about it. “(Easier said than done)

CONCLUSION TIME BECAUSE I'M STARTING TO RAMBLE.

To sum it up, gold is misrepresented in media as a lazy sport meant for old people. The reality is it is much more difficult, one of the most difficult sports out there. Golfers never get the recognition they deserve going through pretty much hell keeping that elbow tucked in. Don’t look like a chicken. 

Gunpla Ad Analysis + Internal Civil War

So, many of you guys have seen me geek out over one of my passions in this world: Gunpla. In case you didn’t know (which you probably don’t) Gunpla is short for “Gundam Plamo”. Gundam are giant fighting robots from the anime cartoon series “Mobile Suit Gundam”. Plamo is an abbreviation for “Plastic Model”, which of course Gunpla are. What makes them different from typical plastic models is that they are articulate and extremely complicated and fun to build. Even a small set can have 300-400 pieces of plastic.

(Hey! this is a critical thinking media blog post, stop talking about Gunpla and give them the ad analysis!)

(Oh, right, I got It. Wait, who are you?)

(I’m that voice inside your head telling you to get to work! Show the Ad!)

(Cool, I’ve got my own personal assistant. What else can you do?)

(I’ll fry your brain synapses with Dymethyltriptamine until it makes you hallucinate so badly you’ll think you’re a fish donkey chewing zebra tar on a carousel in perpetual motion!)

(Ummm…)

(The AD!!)

(Right, uh, Here it is.)

(Man I love Gundam Barbatos!! 1/144 scale, beautiful piston-operated frame, modular armor components, ----)

(Get to the explanation! You’re wasting Mr. Starace’s time!)

(But--)

(Don’t make me fire up the chemicals donkey boy)

(Fine…)

So it might be hard to find many advertising techniques at first, but, as my dad always says, nitpicking will get you anywhere. So, I’m nitpicking!

OBSERVATION NUMBER ONE: LIGHTING AND SCENERY

First thing that strikes you is the lighting of the AD. The advertisers use the technique of “Gestalt, Subliminal Persuasion” by using that dark, rugged lighting. The entire image is actually “ruggedized” from the surroundings, such as the sparking wires and the rusting terrace, and the explosion-like background during the posing. The appeal to the ruggedness is also appeal to the need to achieve. Ruggedness being associated with toughness gives the resilience to achieve.

OBSERVATION NUMBER TWO: SCALE?

Im not really sure that there is a technique name in this one. But, they do alter the scale of the robot a little bit. First of all, they make it look huge. First by panning the camera angle from the bottom up, making it look like you’re looking up at a giant. Another thing. (Nitpicking detail!)(Shut Up!)(Sorry) is that, you may not notice it, but the legs are massive in scale compared to a normal human body. It kind of creates the illusion of the Gundam being massive. Showing the hugeness of the Gunpla appeals to the need to dominate again, as you are manning this giant fighting robot. It also appeals to the need for prominence, as you would be respected and admired with a massive robot mech.

OBSERVATION NUMBER THREE: WEAPONRY

Not sure if there is a technique in this one either. But it just shows Barbatos posing with a wide range of weapons from katanas to a sniper cannon. That wide range of weapons mirrors Barbatos’ wide range of abilities in the anime. This could appeal to the need to dominate, because this Gundam has the ability to do anything, giving you the tools to do anything.

(Whew, that’s done, I think I’ll go sleep now)

(NO, wrap up the conversation first!)

(But I’m tirrred)

(Don’t make me spark your dendrites to make you hurt)

*BZZZT*

(OWW! OKAY! THAT REALLY STINGS)

(Heh, you like it, dontcha)

*BZZZT*

(OWW! FINE, YOU FINISH IT)

(Okay, if you say so. Well folks, that’s the end of………….DEEZ NU---)

*CRRK*

(NO! I do NOT show that side of me!)

(Hey, how did you--)

(ITS OVER ANAKIN, I HAVE THE HIGH GROUND!)

(What? My name isn’t even---)

*CRRKCRRK*

(Hah, brain freeze from a blueberry smoothie. Let’s see you talk frozen.)

            Whew, sorry about that. Well, to wrap this up. Main points, advertising in Gunpla included a lot of using a need to dominate or achieve. Even if it just is a plastic model, it still appeals as a medium of which you can achieve things. A lot of people have been hooked by this appeal to dominate, even me. Ive spent, what $600 now on these models because they were no longer models, they were how I achieved things.

(Stupid kid, you could use that money for college)

(Well you should go up your Axon Hillock)

(*Gasp* You did not)

*BZZZT*

(OW! Why you---)

*CRRK*

(OWW, Oh its on)

*BZZZT*

*CRRK*

*BZZZT*

*CRRK*

*BZZZT*

*CRRK*
*CRRK*

*BZZZT*

X-Men, Teenage Appeal

So I just watched a cool movie, it’s called “X-Men, Apocalypse”. Yes, this will be a post regarding superheroes, a rip-off of Ethan Lee’s posts (Shout out). In case you haven’t seen it, here’s the trailer so you get an idea.

            So you get the idea, all powerful god person wants to destroy the world, school kid learns he can shoot lasers out of his eyes, person gets their consciousness invaded by a bluish-green guy. It’s a typical day in the X-Men universe. Blah blah blah, same story. There! Move your eyes about 157 pixels to the left, and there’s our discussion. The same story.

            (By the way, if you haven’t noticed yet, I watch a lot of movies. Like you could fill the Titanic at the bottom of the sea with the movies I watch and it would sink straight through earth’s crust into the mantle where even magma couldn’t melt the Titanic because of the sheer mass of movies. Huh, weird analogy. Point is I watch a bunch of movies.)

            So if you haven’t noticed the equation of superhero movies, here it is. Take a beat-up forgotten actor, make him a superhero, pit him against an unbeatable opponent, have him learn some lesson about life, shoot an energy beam into the sky (preferably blue) and have him beat the unbeatable opponent, then kiss the lover and walk into the sunset. Most, if not all superhero movies utilize this formula. The question I ask is simple: why? Why is using a very predictable and repeatable formula effective in creating one of the most popular movie genres?

            First question I ask is: who is this kind of movie marketed to? Simple answer is teenagers like us.

(So ha Mr. Starace, I was able to connect X-Men to Merchants of Cool somehow)

            So (I do like to use “so” to start sentences) first piece of evidence to support the notion, first is using teen rebellion as a product to sell. Many superhero movies include a teenager or young adult of some form or shape, and that figure is often the one pitted against the unbeatable opponent, thus eventually beating the opponent. Teenagers then can transfer themselves into the position of the hero and feel like they can accomplish anything to defeat the unbeatable villain (aka the parents). Selling this idea of conquering the unconquerable appeals to the teenage population, and thus giving a reason to watch those movies.

            Another line of evidence is the use of the Mook and Midriff archetypes presented in Merchants of Cool. For example:

                                                                          

 Mook

   

Midriff

The man in the first picture, (Quicksilver) is a young man, yet still lives in his mother’s basement with videogames. He is also immature most of the time, and cracks a lot of jokes, typical mook. The woman in the second picture, (Psylocke) is a young woman, most likely straight out of the school for gifted children, yet she is shown dressed in scandalous clothes while dominating the battlefield with a really cool laser blade coming out of her arm. The appearance of these two archetypes show the attempt to appeal to the young population, in order to satisfy what the viewers want.

So here’s the reason why the formula for movies work so well. The producers use the same methods over and over again to appeal to the viewers completely unrelated to the story. Once they hit the perfect balance of violence, idiocy, and sexuality, the actual storyline no longer matters, as long as the views appeal to the viewer. So, in a form of laziness, the producers decide to use the same plot over and over again because they already hit what appeals to the viewers.

Adam Savage

Well today, I’m going to idolize about my role model. No-one Chinese, as much as I like Donnie Yen’s fighting style. No sports athlete, Hunther Mayhen has dropped from the ranks. Not even a movie star, even though I do love Harrison Ford with a passion. You may have heard of him, you may not have. It’s Adam Savage.

In case you don’t know him, here’s a picture.

Adam Savage is a famous industrial designer. He’s most well known for his show called “Mythbusters” which he co-hosted with Jamie Hyneman. He previously worked at Industrial Light and Magic, which produced various props and costumes for movies. One of savage’s best known works is the Thermal Detonator from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Remember this?

Because He's Holding A Thermal Detonator!!

Adam Savage Product.

The reason he is my idol among many is that he is one of the pioneers of a new culture only recently developed: the Maker community. Makers are people who do not simply buy the stuff they need or want, they make it themselves. They have only developed recently because they rely on new technology and machinery to create things. Those things can range from a light-up dragon puppet to a steam punk R2-D2. Savage was a pioneer of the Maker ideology, making him a hero in the Maker community, of which is quickly spreading across the world. Every year, they hold a faire in San Francisco showcasing a lot of Maker productions. Savage always goes to this faire to answer questions while at the top of the world’s largest mousetrap (Rube Golberg Machine). Unfortunately, I couldn’t go this year because of this small thing called a term paper.

                Adam Savage is a celebrity, but not like most celebrities. Your average celebrity is used to market a lot of things, as we have recently learned in class to appeal to a need to achieve, to become like the celebrity by buying the product. However, marketers are unable to market using Savage because it is impossible. By marketing to the Maker community you are marketing to people who learn to make things themselves. The entire ideology is centered around using what you have to achieve, not buying something to achieve. Because of this, it is impossible to market a need to achieve to Makers using celebrities because it goes against the ideology. This is why Savage and other famous makers are not seen in fancy 3d printer commercials or the latest laser cutter.

                So, to sum things up, I look up to Adam Savage because he is the one of the pioneers of an entire culture, and he has not been touched or altered by marketing campaigns, making him a unique kind of celebrity retaining his own morales.