What are You Looking At?
Oh, those were the days.
Remember high school? Oh, high school. A world without subject-by-numbers, p-sets, all-nighters, or worries. There wasn't much of anything to do, period. The most exciting thing that could happen to you in high school was probably go to a keg party-er, did I say keg? You know I meant cake, and going to the big premiere of "Spider-man." Friday night at the movies with your buds was a sure-fire way to pass two or three hours of your endless free time. What else did you have to do? Fill out the MIT application?
Most teenagers, myself included, probably look at movies as entertainment, rather than as art, and most directors will confirm this. The movie industry has capitalized on this "entertainment" view of movies.
More than ever, the movies industry is dominated by blockbusters and, to many's dismay, sequels to previous blockbusters. According to the website of the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), from 1999 to 2002, the average theatrical cost of an MPAA film rose over 80%. Over this 3-year period, a whopping 25 out of the top 50 highest grossing movies in the American film history were produced, all of which made over 200 million dollars. Among these blockbusters were "Spider-man," "Finding Nemo," and "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace."
We all know why "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" exploded at the box office. But why did the other two gross over $340 million each? Because they were thought-provoking? Hardly. "Spider-man" has the tired old theme of damsel-in-distress-as-hero-saves-the-day. "Finding Nemo" finds a rebellious fish wandering off into an adventure as his parent desperately searches for him (can you say underwater Home Alone?). What makes these movies such great sellers is their entertainment value. The high use of Computer Generated Images (CGI) allowed for effects never before seen in cinematic history (c'mon, when have you ever seen such a realistic-looking talking fish as the ones in "Finding Nemo"?).
This is the dilemma of the blockbuster movies like "Finding Nemo" and "Spider-man." While they were said to have paved the way for the CGI movement in the film industry, creating unbelievably realistic cartoon characters and environments, their entertainment value is just that-the incredible graphics. These movies catch consumers' eyes by featuring something new and flashy. While the plot is the side dish to these movies, a terrible plot could still be a hit with great graphics and the right marketing techniques.
Elie Wiesel was a Nobel Prize winning writer, teacher, and activist known for his many writings including his memoir, Night. He was born on September 30, 1928 in Sighet, Romania and grew up
As a tragic hero, Victor’s tragedies begin with his overly obsessive thirst for knowledge. Throughout his life, Victor has always been looking for new things to learn in the areas of science and philosophy. He goes so far with his knowledge that he ends up creating a living creature. Victor has extremely high expectations for his creation but is highly disappointed with the outcome. He says, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” (Shelley 35). Frankenstein neglects the creature because of his horrifying looks, which spark the beginning of numerous conflicts and tragedies. At this point, the creature becomes a monster because of Victor’s neglect and irresponsibility. The monster is forced to learn to survive on his own, without anyone or anything to guide him along the way. Plus, the monster’s ugly looks cause society to turn against him, ad...
...is work as a writer, teacher, philosopher, and advocate of peace (Schuman). Wiesel later founded the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity with his wife Marion Wiesel (“Elie Wiesel”).
The speech itself highlights women's subordinate status in ancient Greek society, especially in the public eye." When Medea points out that women, especially "foreign" women, "require some knowledge of magic and other covert arts to exert influence over their husbands in the bedroom," she argues for a kind of alternative power that women can enjoy. A power that remains invisible to men and unknown by society, yet sways each with unquestionable force. Medea also supplies a method for interpreting her own character towards the end of her speech (lines 251-257): we should read her history of exile as a metaphoric exaggeration of all women's alienation; in fact, her whole predicament, past and yet to come, can be read as an allegory of women's suffering and the heights of tragedy it may unleash if left unattended. Under this model of interpretation, Medea portrays the rebellion of women against their "wretchedness." Such a transparent social allegory may seem forced or clichéd in our own contemporary setting, but in Euripides' time it would have been revolutionary, as tragedy generally spoke to the sufferings of a generic (perhaps idealized) individual, rather than a group. It would be a mistake, however, to claim that Medea's speech elaborates a clearly progressive political message, as her concluding remarks appeal to women's natural talent for devious manipulation (line 414). While Euripides' play manifests many revolutionary political sentiments, its social criticisms remain sporadic, forming just a part of some of the many trains of thought he follows.
Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
"Elie Wiesel Interview -- page 3 / 4 -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. 5 Mar. 2011 .
The incredible popularity of the Star Wars universe was surprising to Lucas when he first made it. In fact, every producer he proposed the idea to rejected it, except for one: Twentieth Century Fox. At this time, science fiction (also called sci-fi) was not in any respects a profitable movie idea, but Lucas was determined to make his film. The executives of Twentieth Century Fox had seen Lucas’s previous film, American Graffiti, and vowed to produce Lucas’s next movie. Lucas made a deal with Fox that would end up making Lucas a multi-millionaire. The deal seemed so ridiculous to Fox that they thought they were ripping him off. In 1977, the first film of the second trilogy, Star Wars: A New Hope, was released, smashing box offices across the country and soon becoming the most successful film in North American history.
Euripides created a two-headed character in this classical tragedy. Medea begins her marriage as the ideal loving wife who sacrificed much for her husband's safety. At the peak of the reading, she becomes a murderous villain that demands respect and even some sympathy. By the end, the husband and wife are left devoid of love and purpose as the tragedy closes.
As can be seen in exhibit to solution 2, we have estimated the per-film value of each production company. MCA Universal, Warner Brothers and Walt Disney Co are the only production companies that provide a positive per film value, with values of 9.89, 1.92, 12.56 million respectively. This value is calculated by dividing the net present value of all the movies by the total number of movies. We also calculated the average value of each production company based upon their share of the total number of movies produced. The companies with positive values were MCA Universal, Warner Brothers and Walt Disney Co is also the only production companies that provide a positive per film value, with values of 1.40, 0.37, 1.40 million respectively. These values are based on the average value per film multiplied by the company's average share of the industry.
Bestselling author, Og Mandino, once said, “Obstacles are necessary for success because in selling, as in all careers of importance, victory comes only after many struggles and countless defeats” (“Career Quotes”). In life, not everything will be smooth sailing. Some things are hard to accomplish. People may need to struggle a bit before they finally achieve their goal. An example of this is in careers. A person may not get his most desired job right off the bat. He may have to work for it. One particular job this especially pertains to is the TV and Film industry. Many people starting off in the business find it hard to get their foot in the door. The TV and Film industry is considered hard to break into because getting a job is about knowing people in the business, not everyone has equal chances of getting a job, and people’s expectations are high.
George Lucas is a proclaimed god in the film industry. His experience spans decades and his movies span generations. He is one of the most known celebrities in the world. With a flashy net worth of over $4.2 billion, one wonders how a mere writer could acquire such wealth. To understand this, one must delve deep into Lucas’ past and analyze his first success and his early failures.
*Although Medea is arguably the most intelligent character in Euripides’s piece, shown in her dialogue with Creon, she has become ridiculed, and viewed as barbarous and less desirable following her separation from Jason. She is no longer a wife to a Greek man. She is simply an outsider, and a burden on a prosperous
film can make or break a movie. Marketing a film takes up a great deal of the money that is
Media literacy is how the consumers of the particular piece of media studies or analyzes the message that is behind said media. To put it in simpler terms, it is easy to understand media literacy as the ability to read a book, understanding how to direct a website, or post on social media. It is also when you can recognize a scary
Media is the most powerful sector of an economy. It is a tool to maintain a balanced society which is characterized by well informed people, effective democracy and social justice. In fact, media has unparallel influence on all aspects of human life in modern times.