I just received today the newest issue of Sports Illustrated. On the cover is Brett Favre, quarterback of the NFL's Green Bay Packers who the magazine just awarded their "Sportsman of the Year." (article) As we have been discussing stars and celebrities in class, I decided to take a closer look at the star personality of Favre.
Favre is categorized as a star, rather than a celebrity, because he has a special talent for playing the game of football. His star image has grown and evolved over his years of playing football. Football is what our text calls the "primary circulation" of his star image. Favre gained exposure simply by playing the game. His "secondary circulation" are the interviews, photo shoots, autograph sessions, advertisements, etc., that increase his star image even more.
Favre's star image has been controlled and monitored by his agent and the league over his years of playing football, just like we talked about how the Beatles had a carefully constructed image. The NFL and other professional sports leagues are so much about business nowadays that it is important to positively promote themselves. The textbook talks about "bankability" and how the media industry sees stars as financial commodities. When he entered the league, Favre was marketed as a fresh, young quarterback and the future of the NFL. The league has been successful as he has contributed in selling countless tickets and jerseys over his 17 year career.
Today, Favre can be seen in a commercial for Wrangler Jeans where he is playing backyard football and getting a little dirty. Obviously, Wrangler chose him for a reason as did his agent accept the offer to sponsor the product. This is part of the mythos we talked about. Because of what Favre represents, a blue collar, hard working, all American type of guy, he is a perfect fit for Wrangler's ideals that represent the same thing. Also, Favre fits because of his status in the league as a veteran. The commercial gives the feeling of a nostalgic Sunday afternoon of touch football, which he could not have done as a rookie.
So Favre has a carefully constructed star image that has been defined by his talent, controlled by the media, monitored by his agent and has constantly changed over time and will continue to change as he retires from the game of football and moves into the entertainment culture.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Stars and Celebrities in athletics
I'm not one for the star and celebrity gossip. However, I could probably tell you something unique or interesting about any college basketball player, coach or team because I follow it that closely. Obviously, basketball is my number one passion and I am on the path to a career in broadcasting so it is kind of my job to know names, facts and stats. But while reading the chapter on stars and celebrities, I had to ask myself why I am so obsessed with athletics and famous athletes.
I have gone to the NCAA Final Four for the last four years. I go to all the events like the three-point and dunk contests, all-star games, coaches convention and the works. Even just walking around the cities, I have run into big-time college basketball coaches. My first Final Four in San Antonio, I was a sophomore in high school. I was so excited seeing all these famous players and coaches around me at these events. I got autographs and took pictures like crazy. The players especially, I thought they were gods. I was awstruck.
Now after having been to four Final Fours, I have gotten more used to seeing famous players and coaches and better understand that they are regular people just like me. I am less into the autographs and pictures when I see players, but rather engage in a conversation with them like I would with any other human being. I know I will value a conversation much more than I would a piece of paper with a signature. I also know they have a lot going on during the weekend and I always tell them thanks for taking the time to meet me. Plus last year I realized that althought I met a Division I player and I am a Division III player, we were both freshmen and I was actually older than him. This helped me put things into perspective.
Anyway, relating all this back to the chapter, I agree that the media creates sports figures as an ideological system of entertainment, and it does a darn good job of it, at least to me. The media has hooked me on college basketball and has taken my money the last four years. All the tv and newspaper and internet exposure createds financial gain for media companies and universities. People pay for season tickets just to watch two teams try and put a ball into a circular ring more times than the other. It's quite silly when you think about it. Yet I am completely absorbed in this game. This just goes to show how much power and influence the media can have on people.
I have gone to the NCAA Final Four for the last four years. I go to all the events like the three-point and dunk contests, all-star games, coaches convention and the works. Even just walking around the cities, I have run into big-time college basketball coaches. My first Final Four in San Antonio, I was a sophomore in high school. I was so excited seeing all these famous players and coaches around me at these events. I got autographs and took pictures like crazy. The players especially, I thought they were gods. I was awstruck.
Now after having been to four Final Fours, I have gotten more used to seeing famous players and coaches and better understand that they are regular people just like me. I am less into the autographs and pictures when I see players, but rather engage in a conversation with them like I would with any other human being. I know I will value a conversation much more than I would a piece of paper with a signature. I also know they have a lot going on during the weekend and I always tell them thanks for taking the time to meet me. Plus last year I realized that althought I met a Division I player and I am a Division III player, we were both freshmen and I was actually older than him. This helped me put things into perspective.
Anyway, relating all this back to the chapter, I agree that the media creates sports figures as an ideological system of entertainment, and it does a darn good job of it, at least to me. The media has hooked me on college basketball and has taken my money the last four years. All the tv and newspaper and internet exposure createds financial gain for media companies and universities. People pay for season tickets just to watch two teams try and put a ball into a circular ring more times than the other. It's quite silly when you think about it. Yet I am completely absorbed in this game. This just goes to show how much power and influence the media can have on people.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Masculinity in media
Something that really caught my attention in class the other day was when I heard the possibility that with science, one day there would be no need for men on this planet because women could reproduce for themselves. That was a scary thought.
Watching a basketball game on television last night, I decided to pay closer attention to the commercials than I normally do. Products that were advertised were pickup trucks, fast food, credit cards and beer. Obviously, the media knows that on a sports channel, the majority of the audience is male and they design their ads sell to them. In the commercials, men were usually portrayed in ways that showed as if they were in control of a situation.
Next I looked through the ads in a Sports Illustrated magazine. I found those to sell HD TVs, iPods, tool sets, watches, SUVs and cologne. The same principles from tv ads applied to the magazine ads. These usually pictured a well-known athlete with the product, also looking as if he were powerful, rugged and in control. Or, for example, in the cologne ad the athlete was made to look sexy lying in the woods with his shirt unbuttoned and a woman leaning on him. I don't know about other men, but when I occasionally put on cologne I don't end up like this.
So adding a male athlete to endorse a product certainly sells to other men reading the magazine. How about the ad at the very end of the magazine that showed racecar driver Danica Patrick, who is a woman, looking tough to sell an antifreeze product? This one is interesting to me because, although I don't follow racing, I know that most men either love her or hate her for succeeding as a woman in a male sport. So I'm not sure if most men see this ad and want to go buy the product or refuse to buy anything from this company now because Patrick is a sponsor.
Paying attention to commericals and ads can give you some good sources of masculinity. If you look beyond what is on the surface and break it down, you can always find a subtle clue. Advertisers spend a lot of time on their ads and everything the choose to put in it has been carefully thought out. So look a little closer next time you are watching tv or reading a magazine.
Watching a basketball game on television last night, I decided to pay closer attention to the commercials than I normally do. Products that were advertised were pickup trucks, fast food, credit cards and beer. Obviously, the media knows that on a sports channel, the majority of the audience is male and they design their ads sell to them. In the commercials, men were usually portrayed in ways that showed as if they were in control of a situation.
Next I looked through the ads in a Sports Illustrated magazine. I found those to sell HD TVs, iPods, tool sets, watches, SUVs and cologne. The same principles from tv ads applied to the magazine ads. These usually pictured a well-known athlete with the product, also looking as if he were powerful, rugged and in control. Or, for example, in the cologne ad the athlete was made to look sexy lying in the woods with his shirt unbuttoned and a woman leaning on him. I don't know about other men, but when I occasionally put on cologne I don't end up like this.
So adding a male athlete to endorse a product certainly sells to other men reading the magazine. How about the ad at the very end of the magazine that showed racecar driver Danica Patrick, who is a woman, looking tough to sell an antifreeze product? This one is interesting to me because, although I don't follow racing, I know that most men either love her or hate her for succeeding as a woman in a male sport. So I'm not sure if most men see this ad and want to go buy the product or refuse to buy anything from this company now because Patrick is a sponsor.
Paying attention to commericals and ads can give you some good sources of masculinity. If you look beyond what is on the surface and break it down, you can always find a subtle clue. Advertisers spend a lot of time on their ads and everything the choose to put in it has been carefully thought out. So look a little closer next time you are watching tv or reading a magazine.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Jay-Z's new album fits structural patterns
Jay-Z, president of Def Jam Recordings, announced his retirement from rapping four years ago. However, he ended it last winter when he came out with his Kingdom Come cd. He has just ended his retirement a second time.
Jay-Z was inspired by the new movie American Gangster, out in theatres now, which he saw in an early screening over the summer. The movie stars Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in 1970's Harlem in the midst of a heroin investigation. This caught the attention of Jay-Z, who grew up in Brooklyn, and reminded him of his young adult life on the streets. So Jay-Z went to work creating his cd also titlted American Gangster. It was released Tuesday after the movie's first weekend in theatres.
What intrigued me the most about Jay-Z's new record though, was something that he did differently than his past albums. He put together the 13-song album as a story arc of what his life might have been like if he had not taken the path as rapper. In a USA Today article, he stated that American Gangster is meant to be listened to as a single work.
"It's a concept album, not a collection of singles, and I want it heard in the way I intended it. A painter doesn't sell a section of a painting. He sells a whole body of work."
Jay-Z's past albums have been collections of hit singles, for the most part. American Gangster is different. The account follows structural patterns that we have studied in class the past week. It has a beginning, where Jay-Z's character is in a stable situation, but then comes a disruption where he makes some bad decisions involving illegal acts. He goes through a series of events in which he learns from, and there is a definite resolution, which is up for interpretation on whether the character grows from his mistakes or falls back into the trap where he started.
So the record fits character patterns as well as narrative structures. It has a clear beginning, middle and end. Jay-Z has taken some steps to prevent fans from listening to the album out of order. He chose not to release the cd to sites that let users to download and purchase songs one by one. There are two bonus songs that have been released but are not part of the story arc.
I think it is a very cool idea that Jay-Z decided to design his cd as a narrative. It is something new and fresh and just another example of how narrative structures are used in society, especially in the entertainment business. I was also interested in what Andrew Keen had to say Thursday night about the music industry and how the internet has affected it and will continue to shape it. I have not yet heard American Gangster but am extremely excited and looking forward to doing so very soon.
Jay-Z was inspired by the new movie American Gangster, out in theatres now, which he saw in an early screening over the summer. The movie stars Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in 1970's Harlem in the midst of a heroin investigation. This caught the attention of Jay-Z, who grew up in Brooklyn, and reminded him of his young adult life on the streets. So Jay-Z went to work creating his cd also titlted American Gangster. It was released Tuesday after the movie's first weekend in theatres.
What intrigued me the most about Jay-Z's new record though, was something that he did differently than his past albums. He put together the 13-song album as a story arc of what his life might have been like if he had not taken the path as rapper. In a USA Today article, he stated that American Gangster is meant to be listened to as a single work.
"It's a concept album, not a collection of singles, and I want it heard in the way I intended it. A painter doesn't sell a section of a painting. He sells a whole body of work."
Jay-Z's past albums have been collections of hit singles, for the most part. American Gangster is different. The account follows structural patterns that we have studied in class the past week. It has a beginning, where Jay-Z's character is in a stable situation, but then comes a disruption where he makes some bad decisions involving illegal acts. He goes through a series of events in which he learns from, and there is a definite resolution, which is up for interpretation on whether the character grows from his mistakes or falls back into the trap where he started.
So the record fits character patterns as well as narrative structures. It has a clear beginning, middle and end. Jay-Z has taken some steps to prevent fans from listening to the album out of order. He chose not to release the cd to sites that let users to download and purchase songs one by one. There are two bonus songs that have been released but are not part of the story arc.
I think it is a very cool idea that Jay-Z decided to design his cd as a narrative. It is something new and fresh and just another example of how narrative structures are used in society, especially in the entertainment business. I was also interested in what Andrew Keen had to say Thursday night about the music industry and how the internet has affected it and will continue to shape it. I have not yet heard American Gangster but am extremely excited and looking forward to doing so very soon.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Narrative analysis of Dan in Real Life
Last Friday night I went with my family to see the new movie Dan in Real Life, starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook. After reading chapter 16 and discussing narrative structure in class, I decided to take a closer look at the movie and analyze it according to the lessons in the textbook.
Dan (Carell) is the main character who is an advice columnist and a single parent of three daughters. He lost his wife four years ago and is doing a fine job of raising a family alone. This is the stable situation of the narrative. It sets up the story for what is to come next.
Dan takes his daughters on a trip to the family cabin for a weekend with their relatives. Dan ends up meeting an attractice woman named Marie (Binoche) at a bookstore and gets her phone number after spending an afternoon together. This is the first woman that Dan has had such strong feelings for since his wife passed away. He is feeling pretty good on his way home. Back at the cabin, Dan's brother Mitch (Cook) is excited for Dan to meet his new girlfriend that he is crazy about. Enter Marie and our disruption of the stable situation.
Now the narrative has its plot line. This disruption has the viewers making predictions about what happens next and how the film will end, which is just what the director wants to keep the audience involved. Understably, this conflict makes for some awkward and humerous scenes between Dan, Marie and Mitch. I don't want to give away the end of the movie, but there are other minor conflicts and a few smaller plot lines going on before the eventual resolution (stable situation 2).
Dan also goes under a character growth pattern that is outlined in the textbook and parallels the narrative structure. We see Dan as somewhat of a flawed character in the beginning, even though he is in a stable situation. Then his character experiences a problem, which is the same as the disruption. Next, Dan undergoes a series of tests a growth, which in the end makes him a better character during his stable situation 2.
Overall I thought this was a good movie. It followed narrative and character structures in a logical way that kept me as an audience member interested in the story. I really started to feel for Dan's character by the end. I would classify it as a romantic comedy. Carell and Cook excelled in their roles showing versatility beyond just comedy.
Dan (Carell) is the main character who is an advice columnist and a single parent of three daughters. He lost his wife four years ago and is doing a fine job of raising a family alone. This is the stable situation of the narrative. It sets up the story for what is to come next.
Dan takes his daughters on a trip to the family cabin for a weekend with their relatives. Dan ends up meeting an attractice woman named Marie (Binoche) at a bookstore and gets her phone number after spending an afternoon together. This is the first woman that Dan has had such strong feelings for since his wife passed away. He is feeling pretty good on his way home. Back at the cabin, Dan's brother Mitch (Cook) is excited for Dan to meet his new girlfriend that he is crazy about. Enter Marie and our disruption of the stable situation.
Now the narrative has its plot line. This disruption has the viewers making predictions about what happens next and how the film will end, which is just what the director wants to keep the audience involved. Understably, this conflict makes for some awkward and humerous scenes between Dan, Marie and Mitch. I don't want to give away the end of the movie, but there are other minor conflicts and a few smaller plot lines going on before the eventual resolution (stable situation 2).
Dan also goes under a character growth pattern that is outlined in the textbook and parallels the narrative structure. We see Dan as somewhat of a flawed character in the beginning, even though he is in a stable situation. Then his character experiences a problem, which is the same as the disruption. Next, Dan undergoes a series of tests a growth, which in the end makes him a better character during his stable situation 2.
Overall I thought this was a good movie. It followed narrative and character structures in a logical way that kept me as an audience member interested in the story. I really started to feel for Dan's character by the end. I would classify it as a romantic comedy. Carell and Cook excelled in their roles showing versatility beyond just comedy.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Breaking down American Beauty
"Look closer" is the tagline of the movie American Beauty. This phrase fits the movie very well. When you look closer at each character in the film, you discover something they are hiding or another side of them. For example, when Angela is around others she acts like she is better than everyone because of her looks. She makes fun of others and bosses people around, even her own friend Jane. However, in the end we find out the reason she acts this way is because she is insecure. She feels the need to put others down to feel better about herself.
Ricky is another character who we find has a deeper side to him. Angela and Jane see him as a creep at first because of the way he acts, mainly saying strange things and videotaping Jane from a distance. But Jane sees something interesting in him when she says, "He's so confident." She eventually gets to know Ricky very well and they start dating. She discovers he is very emotional and has a very demanding military father. Jane is also drawn to Ricky because she is also seen as somewhat of an outcast.
By the end of the film we see a new side of all the main characters. The deconstruction of these ideologies is a major theme of the movie. Each character of has their own system of ideas that goes through a transformation when they learn something about theirselves by the end. What is the American Dream? This is what Lester and his family ask themselves. They have a nice house in a nice neighborhood and the parents have nice jobs; their lives are fairly normal. This is exactly the problem. Lester, Carolyn and Jane all feel like they are stuck in a normal, average life that isn't going anywhere, up or down. They all have different ways of coping. Lester starts working out to impress Angela, Carolyn has an affair, Jane has a relationship with Ricky. In the end they all realize that their life is fine the way it is. This is examplified by the plastic bag that Ricky videotaped. It is a simple object floating in the wind. It is a metaphor for the way the family lives material lives. But it is empty, and Ricky thinks this is beautiful. This suggests that their lives are beautiful without the material things in them. All they need is each other.
Ricky is another character who we find has a deeper side to him. Angela and Jane see him as a creep at first because of the way he acts, mainly saying strange things and videotaping Jane from a distance. But Jane sees something interesting in him when she says, "He's so confident." She eventually gets to know Ricky very well and they start dating. She discovers he is very emotional and has a very demanding military father. Jane is also drawn to Ricky because she is also seen as somewhat of an outcast.
By the end of the film we see a new side of all the main characters. The deconstruction of these ideologies is a major theme of the movie. Each character of has their own system of ideas that goes through a transformation when they learn something about theirselves by the end. What is the American Dream? This is what Lester and his family ask themselves. They have a nice house in a nice neighborhood and the parents have nice jobs; their lives are fairly normal. This is exactly the problem. Lester, Carolyn and Jane all feel like they are stuck in a normal, average life that isn't going anywhere, up or down. They all have different ways of coping. Lester starts working out to impress Angela, Carolyn has an affair, Jane has a relationship with Ricky. In the end they all realize that their life is fine the way it is. This is examplified by the plastic bag that Ricky videotaped. It is a simple object floating in the wind. It is a metaphor for the way the family lives material lives. But it is empty, and Ricky thinks this is beautiful. This suggests that their lives are beautiful without the material things in them. All they need is each other.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Culture jamming and advertising
Looking for an idea this week, I decided to further explore culture jamming after we talked about Zach's blog on Wednesday and because the idea intrigued me in terms of how meanings are changed in texts. I eventually entered a website that was all about culture jamming. The site's opening statement explains that, "Most people still function under this rationalist model: 'Change will come if enough people understand the problem rationally and intellectually.'"
The site then argues that rationality and itellect are no longer adequate tools by themselves and that it is a struggle to understand meanings of texts. The site has a very negative opinion of the media calling it "poisonous, symbolic system," and focuses mainly on the advertising aspect of the media. Something that really made sense to me was it's view of how advertising has evolved. The site states how, in the beginning, the simple goal of advertising was to inform people about the product. However, it evolved into what it is today. The focus of advertising today is portraying the people who use the product and not the product itself. Advertising has become so much more that what is on the surface.
I agree that advertising is now a very complex way of sending a message. If one digs deep enough into the text, they will likely find numerous ideologies presented. Adveritsers do this on purpose. They spend a lot of time and money into developing an ad until they feel it demonstrates what they want it to. There are subtle things that are directed to get consumers to buy their product. But I feel like advertisers are selling themselves or a lifestyle more than they are selling a product. That's how advertisers approach it, I think. I am not a professional advertiser or makereter, but these are the ideas if have come to understand through many of the communication classes I have taken thus far.
Back to culture jamming...The site describes this as the introduction of radical ideas. We defined it as taking pleasurable texts and reworking them to send a new message. The site is dedicated to taking some popular ads and messages in today's corporate world and reworking them to have new meanings that are often comical but also catch your attention and make you think about what is really behind the ad.
The site then argues that rationality and itellect are no longer adequate tools by themselves and that it is a struggle to understand meanings of texts. The site has a very negative opinion of the media calling it "poisonous, symbolic system," and focuses mainly on the advertising aspect of the media. Something that really made sense to me was it's view of how advertising has evolved. The site states how, in the beginning, the simple goal of advertising was to inform people about the product. However, it evolved into what it is today. The focus of advertising today is portraying the people who use the product and not the product itself. Advertising has become so much more that what is on the surface.
I agree that advertising is now a very complex way of sending a message. If one digs deep enough into the text, they will likely find numerous ideologies presented. Adveritsers do this on purpose. They spend a lot of time and money into developing an ad until they feel it demonstrates what they want it to. There are subtle things that are directed to get consumers to buy their product. But I feel like advertisers are selling themselves or a lifestyle more than they are selling a product. That's how advertisers approach it, I think. I am not a professional advertiser or makereter, but these are the ideas if have come to understand through many of the communication classes I have taken thus far.
Back to culture jamming...The site describes this as the introduction of radical ideas. We defined it as taking pleasurable texts and reworking them to send a new message. The site is dedicated to taking some popular ads and messages in today's corporate world and reworking them to have new meanings that are often comical but also catch your attention and make you think about what is really behind the ad.
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