Media Meditation #04: The Ultimate Challenge: Book vs. Film

Book cover: jccc.libguides.com

Last month I read the book In The Time Of The Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. It was a good book. The Liberian recommended it to me. I would have never chose this book to read, but I'm glad that I read it. It's about 4 sisters who lived in the Dominican Republic in the time of the dictatorship of Trujillo. 3 of the sisters were revolutionaries and died. The story is told by all sisters. This makes it so interesting to read. There a four different point of views that are talking about the same situation.

Film cover: ceulluloidfilmreview.com

“The film industry gets many of it's story ideas from books, which results in enormous movie rights revenues for the book industry and its authors. Michael Crichton's Jurassic Parc and Ian McEwens's Atonement, for instance, became highly successful motion pictures.” (p. 328, MEDIA & CULTURE) And also In The Time Of The Butterflies. Last week I saw the movie based on the book. Again, I would have never watched this film, if I haven't read the book. I was kind of disappointed of the movie. There is only one main character instead of four. Some facts are changed, that are quiet important for the story.

Often people are disappointed of a movie if they have read the book before. But that is understandable, because the directors aren't able to put every impression, that the books give, into a 90 minute film. Everybody has his or her own image of the main characters and the setting. It's difficult to compete with the power of fantasy and imagination.

There is a big discussion about the Harry Potter series. Whether or not the films are good enough to represent the fantastic work of J.K. Rowling.

FIVE MINUTE ORAL PRESENTATION: Spread Your Glamour In The World

THESIS:

• Translates style and trends for real American women

• Content spreads form beauty, fashion and health to politics, Hollywood and relationships
  

• They're often optimistic, always inclusive and can always separate the Dos from the Don'ts

• Their readers live for fashion, live for beauty and most of all, live for Glamour

  
  

FIVE FACTS:

• 79 % of Glamour readers say that friending a crush on Facebook is okay

• Many Hollywood stars wear a pixie cut again

• Eating a variety of vegetables may decrease your risk of lung cancer

• Drink up two 8-oz. Glasses of water before meals helped dieters shed more pounds

• iPhone owners have more sex than Blackberry or Android owners

Pixie haircut: 67pics.com

TRIUNE BRAIN:

• First pages only ads: Limbic Brain

• Some not beauty-related articles: Neocortex

8 TRENDS:

• Many poll-results and comments by readers: Personal Shift, from mass to participatory

• There is an iPhone-app available: Aesthetic Shift, from discrete to convergence

7 PRINCIPLES:

• High-quality pictures: Production Techniques

• Attracts young, female readers: Value Messages

• By reading the articles and looking at the “girl next door pictures”, you feel connected and understood: Emotional Transfer

Hot boy: aaronandandy.com

29 PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES:

• Hey, it's okay – page: Flattery

• “Clothes for cool girls ( that would be you): Flattery

• “Enjoy 2 great magazines for one low prize: Just $19.97”: Bribery

• “Everyone's a Readhead Now”: Bandwagon

• Using famous women, such as Taylor Swift, on the front cover, who are talking about private things and “women stuff”: Testimonial

• Telling stories about the girl/boy next door: Plain Folks

• Using pictures of pretty girls and hot boys: Beautiful People

• “Eating a variety of vegetables may decrease your risk of lung cancer”: Maybe

• Presenting the former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice: Strong Leadership

• “58 % of readers polled on glamour.com have been in a friendship with benefits relationship”: Scientific Evidence

Media Meditation #03: Do you remember a time when books were made out of paper?

Last week I started a new book “The Book Of Tomorrow” by Cecelia Ahem. So far it's about a girl who lost her dad and moved to the countryside to her aunt and uncle's house. She is very unhappy and bored. One day a traveling library came into town and there she found a strange book that she had to have. It was locked and neither author nor title was known. A few days later a nun helped her to open the mysterious book, it was empty. So she decided to start a diary, but as she began, the entry of tomorrow was already written down.

Book cover: popular.com.sg

I didn't finish it yet, but it won't take me long. It has so much tension and keeps me reading. Last night I sat in front of the burning stove and read for a while. It was so cozy and I couldn't stop reading. I can't imagine how to read with a Nook or a Kindle. It's great to listen to the sound of turning over the pages and I carry a book with me almost everywhere I go. I would feel weird to sit on a bench in a park with my iPod reading an e-book. I like the picture of myself holding a “real” book. It makes the impression that I'm educated and not addicted to technology. In our book “ MEDIA AND CULTURE” on page 329, it says that I can store 200 books at a time on a kindle. Who need that many books at a time? I only read one book at a time and I'm frustrated when there are more books I want to read, but can't do it, because I'm already reading a book. Nook uses a different way to allure us. Barnes and Nobles offers reading one hour for free in their stores (Persuasive Techniques, Bribery).

Another thing I love about real books, are the bookstores. I can't stand the online bookstores. I need the smell of books and I want to touch them, turn over pages and read a little bit in them. In Germany there is one big bookstore chain called Mayersche. It is comparable to Borders or Barnes and Nobles. I could spend hours in those stores. But I like the small independent bookstores, too. I just love to be around books.

MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION: First College Experience At All

1.) After studying 21st century media for eight weeks in this class, what have you learned? Please be specific.

I've learned about the backgrounds of television, newspapers, radio, music- and movie industry. I can use the power tools in daily life and think more deeply about what I see on TV and hear on the radio.

2.) What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?

There are some hidden aspects and hints in every commercial on television, radio, newspaper and magazine. I knew that before, but now I can identify them specifically and now how to deal with them.


3.) What's one thing you would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

I would/ could learn more for the quizzes and class. I could spend more time with homework and the things we learned in class.


4.) What's one thing you would like me to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

You did a great job! I have to write something, so maybe if we have the time in class, you could talk more about our class blog comments and our personal blog entries.


5.) Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our course blog, your personal blog, our in-class quizzes, our films, and our book(s) as learning tools.

Power tools: Now I can identify the tricks which are used by companies to persuasive us to buy their products.

Our course blog: I don't have to write down what we have to do for next class. If I forget something I just can look it up on the blog. Additionally I can read about other's personal stories with the topics and get to know them better. Furthermore I can test and improve my knwoledge by reading the comments by the other class members.

Our personal blogs: I think this is a good way of testing the knowledge of us. I like to share moments, ideas and things with other people. The freedom with choice of topics is great. The only difficulty for me is, that I would prefer to write in German, because when I write in English I can't express myself in a way I want to present my thoughts.

Our in-class quizzes: I like them, because only by repetion our brain can remember and internalize the things we've learned. It pressures us to study the power tools and to use them.

Our films: I liked the film " The Vision Of Students Today". It was kind of scary how college could be. I'm glad that not every university must be this way. I sent the link to some of my friends and family members.

Our book: Sometimes it's kind of "boring" to read every single detail about one topic. But in the end everything fits together and I have the feeling that I know more than before and can use this knowledge outside of the classroom, too.

Camp Champ Radio Spot: Not Another Cinderella Story!

St: Welcome!

L: Bienvenue!

Sa: Willkommen!

M: Benvenuto!

St: Once upon a time, at Champlain College, freshman frolicked on our sprawling Aiken lawn. Whether you know it or not, this is the place where dreams come true.

L: Champlain College is right out of a fairy tale, with a picturesque campus located in the heart of Burlington’s residential neighborhood.

Sa: Your escorts to and from each class can be cheerful squirrels and chirping birds!

M: Multiply the 7 dwarves by 3 and you have the average class size for Champlain College!

St: Champlain offers you an intimate community where we appreciate you for the prince or princess that you are. Let’s hear from one of our prospective students, Cinderella.

L: I just couldn’t wait to take part in the Equestrian club and Muggle Quidditch! It’s much more fun to ride a broom then to clean with one! And the possibility of living in one of Champlain’s renovated Victorian era mansion would be just like living in Prince Charming’s castle!

Sa: But life on campus never gets boring! There is lots of adventure waiting for you at Church Street and the waterfront, both a short stroll from campus!

M: You don’t have to be a prince or princess to attend Champlain College! We can help you go from rags to riches or pumpkin to carriage with our BYOBiz program or study abroad opportunities!

St: 96.7 % of Champlain alum enjoyed this broadcast!

L: So come find your happily ever after at Champlain College!

ADEAMUS - LET US DARE!

Media Meditation #02: “Pass the driver's license test” or “Another app for my Ipod”

Stupid drivers around the world:

I'm from Germany and have a German driver's license. Now I have to get a Vermont driver's license to drive in the USA legally. So I started to look for practice tests on the Internet... nothing. I asked my organization... nothing, they asked the DMV... nothing. Nowhere were practice tests for me.

(My German driver's license)

Then I finally found something. A few weeks ago I bought my first Ipod Touch and downloaded some apps. By chance I found an application from the DMV with test-questions. This app cost me about 2 or 3 dollars. The aesthetic shift, from discrete to convergence, is accomplished. This shows us again how powerful and important technology has become. I think it's an impudence that I have to have an Ipod or an Iphone to practice for a test. That means that this information isn't accessible to everybody and this is the opposite of what the Internet and technology wanted to build. But unfortunately “Even as the Internet matures and becomes more accessible, wealthy users are still able to buy higher levels of privacy, specialty access, and capability than other users” (MEDIA & CULTURE, p. 66). Richer and more educated people have more opportunities than less educated and not so wealthy people. It has always been like that and it won't change ever; until everyone has the same chance of education and equality.

Media Meditation #01: Raise your voice at The Grind

(Image courtesy of their facebookpage)

Yesterday I went to “The Grind” at Champlain College. It's an open-mic-night. Everybody can sign up and sing, perform, play an instrument or read something. It was fantastic! I love live-music and there were some very good musicians. First I didn't want to stay, but after the first song I changed my mind. I stayed until the end at 11:30pm. I think I will attend every week, if I have the time. I like my hostfamily a lot, but it's nice to see people my age,too. I don't have so much contact to younger people, because I have to work a lot in the evening and night. On Wednesdays I mostly have my day off, so I can use “The Grind” to know more people and build some relationships to the American youth. That was one of the driving forces why I wanted to become an Au Pair and go to an American College. The American youth is not a lot different from the German one, but I think there are some differences. American teenagers listen to the same music than Germans do and through music, people can connect. You don't have to speak the same language to enjoy a concert or a song together. The limbic brain takes over and let you feel the music and the atmosphere. Live-music lifts me up to a different level. I enjoy it so much that everything around me becomes unimportant for this moment. It's fabulous!

Furthermore it's a wonderful way to get to know new people. People like you and me, the boy/girl next door (plain folks, persuasive technique). That's one of the things I like about “The Grind”, I saw some students from my class and met new people, who could be interesting to get to know. It's so important to stay in contact with people in reality. Almost everyone has a Facebook-account, sometimes it's getting too easy to stay in touch. Those nights are necessary to build a place were students can meet. People can come together and share some wonderful time in a nice atmosphere. Additional it's not only a place for listeners, musicians can improve their appearance on stage and practice themselves as artists. This could be an important trial run, if they want to apply for a recording contract at a music label such as Sony BMG and Universal. Those major music labels have an “enormous influence over what types of music gain worldwide distribution and popular acceptance.” (MEDIA & CULTURE, p. 96) Unfortunately as a musicians you are depended on a recording contract at a big label, if you want to have a good start. Some artists gain popularity through small labels or even without a contract (Colbie Caillat at MySpace). But it won't be easy to compete with high-end products of big music companies, which have huge budgets to market their artists. The musicians at “The Grind” are free of ownership, they perform their own music and covers. But nobody stands behind them and controls what they play.