Sunday, August 11, 2013

Terminology and Concepts: Keeping Up with the Kardashians ~ Assignment 1-4-6



Keeping Up with the Kardashians
The show Keeping Up with the Kardashians resulted to become a hit for E! Channel. It went further to be rated as the favorite and highly rated series on Sunday nights especially for individuals around the age of 18-34 years. The fifth season was on average watched by 3.11 million viewers, the fourth season’s premiere recorded a 3.2 million viewership and the second episode was on top with 3.2 million of the premiere with 4.1 million views.  It is surprising therefore that popular culture can move millions and that it is very real. This is because; this show surrounds a famous family and mainly demonstrates the family’s lifestyle. In essence therefore, most viewers while they watch this show are mainly looking for a new trend. The Kardashian sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe have taken advantage of the viewership by establishing strong careers and influence in the fashion industry, launching several clothing collection and fragrances in addition to co-owning the fashion boutique D-A-S-H.
The viewership of the Kardashian’s family show progresses to expound that popular culture is a trend and behavior that the society will keep adopting and apply it in their personal lives. It is funny that the biggest fans to this show have changed their lifestyle completely. They want to dress, walk, behave and completely conduct the lives that the celebrities they in the screen adopt. Minutes after an episode is brought on the screen, individuals take the discussion to Twitter and Facebook analyzing what they liked and disliked. In the end, they apply all this to their life. The show impacts their brain in that; they analyze life events with what they saw on television. Keeping up with the Kardashians is shaping the culture of mainly the youth. Some younger citizens dream of conducting the life by the Kardashian family once they acquire their own homes; it’s all about popular culture.

References
Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Petracca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2009). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Concept of Formulas: Keeping Up with the Kardashians ~ Assignment 1-4-5



Keeping Up with the Kardashians
            Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a 21st century American reality series that has aired since 14th October 2007. It focuses professional and personal lives of the Kardashian family that is extremely rich consisting of Robert Kardashian and Kristen Mary, the parents and their four children Kim, Kourtney, Rob and Khole. The family is dynamic and it tends to fall under the Invention formula as its characters are moreover involved in drama and profound engagement. In this film, many elements are found to change from one aspect to another, for instance in regards to relationships (Petracca, 2009, p. 11).  
            This reality show is attractive and has some sort of issues which enables it to stand out. There is a sense of fascination with most characters especially the children namely Kim and Kristen Kardashian. It is a family show that plays into the role of successful, entrepreneurship, beautiful and entertaining (Browne, 2005, p. 61). The exposure portrayed in the film has a big influence on audiences old and young which gives to the attractiveness of reality TV. The convention theory in this context is evident in the structure of the family. The family is one unit where parents and children play their roles accordingly.
            I have indeed gained a lot of insights from applying these theories to my popular culture. I have actually identified interesting elements within the Kardashian family that reflect to the world today. I understand better the nuclear family setup and family fortunes which act as the shield. In addition to my learning, I’ve learned and acquired a lot of information to my popular culture topic as I am able to critically evaluate all elements as well as the invention structures that define a setup in the most appropriate way.

References
Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: The University of
Wisconsin

Petracca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2009). Common culture: Reading and writing about American           
popular culture. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
           

Friday, July 26, 2013

Journal Article Analysis: Cinematic Carcerality: Prison Metaphors in Film ~ Assignment 1-3-2



Cinematic Carcerality: Prison Metaphors in Film
            Metaphors are sometimes to see. First you must know what a metaphor is. Per the website dictionary.com, a metaphor is when you use a word or phrase to compare two objects that are not alike. For example the phrase “you’re turning a mole hill into a mountain”. In no way are they comparable but you understand the point of the statement which means that you are making something small into something big. Metaphors are used in everyday life, especially books and cinema. I will be discussing the prison metaphor in this paper.
The article I analyzed is titled Cinematic Carcerality: Prison Metaphors in Film by Jan Alber. In this article, Alber discusses the use of prison metaphors in film and the various ways they can be used to create an unwritten statement.  In society as a whole, we have grown to relate to film in many ways and metaphors create an even deeper connection to the story being told. The article discusses the analysis of Monika Fludernik and Charles Forceville and their interpretations of metaphors used in film. Fludernik states that there are two types of prison metaphors which is that prison is used as a tenor (Prison is X) and proper metaphors where prison is the vehicle (X is prison).  Secondly, she reviews Forceville’s analyzis of pictorial metaphors. Throughout the article several examples are given to discuss how metaphors can be used to portray a thought or specific feeling. One example given was in John Fowle’s 1969 novel The French Lieutenant's Women, where Charles Smithson thinks of his engagement as a “prison sentence”.  The film depicts a prisoner walking free and then is jerked down by chains into his cell. This metaphor was indicating that even in a free world, we are still restrained (Alber).
     Next, Alber discusses Forceville’s views into how pictures instead of words are used as metaphors in film. One example given was when the uniform of one prisoner blends in with the guards and the government officials. This pictorial metaphor is implying that guards and government officials are “imprisoned” by their work just like the prisoner. Next, one of my favorite prison metaphors is in the film, Lost Highway where David Lynch shows moths dying in a ceiling light during their quest to fly into the light.  This metaphor is used to show the degree of desperation of main character who is obsessed with his lover so much that he is close to self- destruction. When his lover tells him that she will not be able to see him, the film quickly shows a close up of his face and then moves to the moth scene. At that moment you can feel how her statement of not being with him had completely killed him inside. This example is a called a juxtaposition of disparate elements, meaning elements without obvious similarities. Alban lists the following ways that metaphors can be integrated into films:
·         Juxtaposition of disparate elements
·         Through interplay between the auditory and visual level
·         Matching Shots
·         Distortions
·         Focusing on the same entity in two different scenes
·         Context
·         Superimposition of two distinct images
           
            Popular movies, such as The Shawshank Redemption uses several metaphors to represent the prison as a womb and a tomb.  In the beginning, you see Andy Dufrensne enter the prison and darkness overcomes him which symbolizes that the prison has “swallowed” him. During the movie, Andy also makes the statement “Get busy living or get busy dying” in which he is relating to the feeling of hopelessness. By this, he means that if you don’t stay busy in prison, you will become “institutionalized” (Alber).  Another metaphor used within the movie is when you see the word “MOTHER” inscribed in the wall above the poster of Rita Hayworth in Andy’s cell. This is suggesting that Rita is looked at as a mother figure by Andy. These are all important metaphors to keep the viewer connected to the film. 
       Overall, I agree with the author’s main points and this article is definitely important in many ways. Reading this article gave me a whole new insight to the importance of screenwriting and how hidden metaphors are created. I learned a new perspective on the topic of prison metaphors and how important they are and convey significant connotations throughout. I have already seen The Shawshank Redemption, but I plan on watching some of the other movies listed within the article so I can see the metaphors that have been described. This article is important because it explains the reason behind metaphors and how to recognize them in film. Metaphors help us to understand a concept or thought in a new way or from a different viewpoint.                                                              
References
Alber, Jan. (April 2011). "Cinematic Carcerality: Prison Metaphors in Film." Journal of Popular
Dictionay.com. (2013). Metaphor. Retrieved July 26, 2013, from

Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity: Keeping up with the Kardashians ~ Assignment 1-4-4

Keeping up with the Kardashians: Heroes and the Cult of the Celebrity


            The type of theories that seem to apply with regard to the famous television show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, consist the aspect of being viewed by a range of people throughout the world and the aspect that celebrity care immensely on the attention that other people are giving them. Another significant theory concerning this topic of study is that it matters a lot to celebrities with what other famous people feel with regard to what they do (Petracca & Sorapure, 2009, p.67). These are the key theories that seem to apply to popular culture associated with ‘keeping up with the Kardashians’ show.
            These theories have effectively elaborated on the nature of the selected show and explained why it has turned out to be part of the most exercised pop culture. With the fact that many people have regarded the Kardashians as icons upon watching the show, and it is through these theories that one would understand why they are considered that way. One of the viewpoints that is generated is that the Kardashians are mainly business minded persons and it is through such different business ventures that the family has become very successful. Therefore, these theories have been effective in analyzing nature of Kardashians lifestyle and elaborating on reasons why such family members have received both positive and negative responses from the audience.
            A significant insight that can be gained by applying these theories is that the Kardashians have become famous for nothing; in that they have done nothing constructive to attain the current celebrity iconic value. It is clear that one can become famous for wrong reasons, just as what is seen in the ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’; a situation whereby the Kardashians have managed to continue being in the limelight in spite of the negative publicity they have encountered especially when it comes to doing anything for money.  
    
References
Browne, R. B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader (pp. 61-89). Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin.
Petracca, M. & Sorapure, M. (2009). Common culture: Reading and writing about American popular culture (pp. 34-75). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.