Sunday, October 24, 2010

5 Minute Oral Presentation: It's A Musical World


(Image found at Google Search)

Thesis
Rolling Stone is a magazine based specifically on the music world now with the movies and actors thrown in to the mix. Created by Jann Wenner and Ralph Gleason in 1967 there was a main goal in mind when it was created. Loving music Jann Wenner wanted to meet his heroes, Bob Dylan, John Lennin and Mick Jagger. Rolling Stone changed printers in the 1970's and went in to a tabloid format. For 30 years the magazine remained oversized, it was in 2008 that Jann Wenner took surveys and decided to go with standard size. The size definitely made Rolling Stone stand out, it made it different then others and noticeable, so noticeable that has profitable single copy sales that have been as high as 189,000. It is a magazine that will always give information the the music lovers out there and has sections for political issues with its own National Affairs section. A magazine that sticks to a certain genre, it has always been a loved magazine that many know about.

Five Facts
Farm Aid, which features Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Johnny Cash and more is a support group for awarding grants. Their show raised $9 million but it didn't help with farm crisis. There were 1.9 million farmers left in America by 1992, which had been 5 million in 1950. Farm Aid then raised $39 million since 1985, the group will award 50 grants a year from $5000-$20,000.


(Images found at blogs.com)



There has been at least 7 imposters of Kid Rock across the United States. One got a field in New Orleans during a Saints game, along with one in New Jersey who gets in to backstage of local rock shows. They will use it to get in to clubs and get free things.




(Image found at Melrosejeweler.com)




Jimmy Jagger, son of Mick Jagger, will usually go to his father for business advice rather then musical advice.






(Image found at topnews.in)








President Obama's launching of clean-energy and investment that is on track is supposedly going to double the nation's renewable-energy generating capacity by 2012.





(Image found at globe-net.com)



The winner of September Automotive X Prize, which includes $5 million, is a contest to design a car that can get 100 miles per gallon, or the energy equivalent was between the E Tracer and The Wave II

(Image found at autgreenmag.com)




(Image found at brightsideofnews.com)



Triun
e Brain
Seeing as how not many would want to eat, mate, fight, or run away from Rolling Stone I would imagine that the magazine would mainly attract the limbic and neocortex parts of the brain. The magazine itself can attract the limbic brain from the simple heading, Rolling Stone is in bright letters and with a very noticeable font.
Being a magazine of some intellect it would attract the neocortex because it is a magazine filled of articles, stories and reviews of artists and bands.

8 Trends
Aesthetic Shift, it will take a band that may only be known a little and expand them out through the magazine pages. Because Rolling Stone is such a well known musical magazine, many would take it's opinions on a musical band and it could make it so that more people will try out and listen to the bands printed.o

Discursive Shift, as many magazines would, they take a side when talking about issues out there. Rolling Stone has taken up a subject of National Affairs and have proven themselves to take a liberal side. In issue 1116 from October 28, 2010 they have an article called, “The Case For Obama” proving themselves to lean towards the liberal side.

7 Principles
Production Techniques have been used in Rolling Stone, from the photoshopped pictures of musicians to the adds following behind each and every article. Production techniques have been used to create unique photo's, to give a new style for what is being sold or said, and to give it an eye catching look.

Ownership, the music industry is a large industry with different companies. Rolling Stone itself is its own company, along the pages of the magazine different companies can be found.

29 Persuasive techniques
Nostalgia is a reoccurring persuasive technique used in the magazines, to look back on the music of a different era. The cover of October 2010 holds Keith Richards with the time, “The Memoirs of Keith Richards.” Which takes the reader back on his life and the music industry when he was part of it all.

Testimonial would also be a good reoccurring technique, different artists will come out to the press with things they want to talk about. Such as if they are older what life would be like, or maybe they go through rehab and clean up to focus on music. There are many forms of testimony used in the articles.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

MIDTERM REFLECTIONS: Joy with a hint of cynicism

Introduction to 21st Century Media 120
Autumn 2010/MidTerm Examination: MID-SEMESTER REFLECTION

After studying the 21st century media for eight weeks in class, what have you learned? Please be specific.
I have learned how to analyze any forms of media and think differently about what is being said and the techniques used to persuade the viewers. Along with that I have learned how to blog, which I didn't take the time to know how to do before. Not to mention I learned how you have to fight and argue with your own blogs to make sure it is all posted correctly. One of the most recent problems I had was trying to have words come out and not symbols in replace of words.

What is the most important thin you have learned about yourself as critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?
I learned how much I like to blog, to be able to communicate in the virtual world. Before I never viewed blogging or Twitter as a positive thing, mainly because of the stupidity that's often posted out there. Learning to to intelligently blog piked my interest and I find that I truly enjoy all the blogging and communicating in a more modern sense.

What's one think you would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?
Personally, I would study my power tools more. The power tools (which had been confusing to me at the time) make more sense the more to go over them. Now that I know them a lot better and understand the uses of them I regret not focusing on them more before.

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?
This is the difficult question for me to answer, because to be hones I haven't had any qualms with the teaching method's used in class, mainly because that's half o f the reason I life the class so much. All the videos shown, the blogs and blog posts have all been great experiences for me there is only one thing that I am not to keen on and that is the Media & Culture book, but even posting about it isn't too bad. I feel nothing should really be changed, I liked how the class eased in to learning how to pick apart videos with the tools and the history of mass media itself. The daily class has a formula that it follows and I personally prefer that, so I know what I'm getting in to. Unfortunately I couldn't answer what the question asked, because I don't think anything should be changed, I like it all.

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.

The power tools: I find that the 3 subjects in the tools are very helpful. They make it easy to pick apart videos and pay attention to what is used in media to draw us in. The power tools and the knowledge you can get from them, (Which I only realized just recently) is that it shows you everything and you WONT fall for the media scams.





The course Blog: The course blog has to be one of the most handy tools a class could have, and for multiple reasons. One, because you can see ahead of time what is going to happen in your next Media and Society class or if you miss a class you can see what went on in class and be able to know what work you need to do for next class. Two, it makes it a very easy way to post homework assignments, and look at others assignments and see if you are on the right track. Finally, you can always go back to use what you need, which is hard to say so I will give an example. Every time we post about the next chapter in Media & Culture, I always forget the five things we need to write on. So I know I can go back to the post that has the five parts and I can get it again instead of losing it and having to see what others did.


The Personal Blog: This idea has to be one of my favorite parts of the class, because we can write about anything that we want and design it how we want. Using the techniques we can blog about what interests us and what we feel about a certain medias as opposed to writing for the teacher and trying to please them with an opinion they would like.





The In-Class Quizzes: At first I didn't like the quizzes so much, mainly because I wasn't pleased with my grades I guess. Now though, I can use the charts better and I like them because it gives me a chance to dissect a video and see how someone is trying to sell ideas or products.







The Films: Maybe I can just get pulled in to easily, but all the films shown hold some interest for me. They all seemed to have to pull in my attention, which is good because we have to watch them, but I like everything that's been shown, whether it's the history of something or a short video or music video I haven't seen any of the films in that class bore me.





Media & Culture Book: Now of course we can't like every aspect of something, so this is the one thing that I do not like, the class book. I have a hard time reading it and being interested at the same time, which is rare because I tend to like most books. The book is rich with facts which I love, but the reading
itself is dry. If I were to say I didn't like something about this class it w
ould be the book, as my roommate would say, "I am not a fan," which I am not when it comes to reading it, even though I know there is a lot in it that is useful information.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Camp Champ Radio Spot: Very Very Sexy Radio Being As Sexy As Ever!



Script: Sarah/Announcer: Are you horribly disfigured? Overwhelmingly beautiful? Painfully ordinary? Then Champlain is the place from you! Come to a school atmosphere that surrounds you with innovative individuals like yourself!

Miranda: Be the popular person you've always wanted to be. At school where students and teachers strive for perfection and attain it. Why would you go to a school where they make a club for you, when you could go to a school where you make a club for them? Champlain, full of wonderous activities and beautiful people.

Taylor: Is your dream to be a professional skier or snowboarder? At Champlain students are offered fantastic deals for passes for various moutains, such as Sugarbush's all mountain all season $100 pass! This amazing deal is exclusive to Champlain students only! So come to Champlain college and let your dreams come true.

John/President Finney: Hey guys, President Finney here! And I'm just here to say you are all very sexy! Not feeling so pretty on the inside? Join our community and you will instantly become beautiful. Come to Champlain and you can become a professional snowboarder! So you want to go to Canada, eh? Come here and I will buy your passport! See I may by the President, but I'm just a normal guy like you. Come to Champlain and all your wildest dreams will come true! Join us, or we'll FIND YOU! Let us Dare!

Media Meditation # 3: Le Sac & Scroobius Have A Message

(Picture of Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip, found at their personal website)

"Things in life ain't always quite what they seem, there's more than one

Given angle to any one given scene. So bare that in mind next time you try

To intervene on any one given angle, on any one given scene."
-Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip

Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip are a hip-hop dui, their music is a combination of electronic beats that have singing, speaking and rapping lyrics in them. Daniel Stephens, otherwise known as Dan Le Sac is in charge of production, programming, keyboards, guitars, and backing vocals. David Peters Meads is Scroobius Pip, who does the main vocals and rapping.

David Meads had been a poet around 2005; he then adopted the pseudonym “Scroobus Pip” based off of Edward Lear's poem, The Scroobious Pip. The two of them came together a year later when Dan Le Sac booked Scroobius Pip to play at a gig he at the time was promoting at the Fez Club (now know as Sakura) in Reading. Dan Le Sac started remixing Scroobius Pip's solo album, the new band didn't garner any commercial success until they wrote the original song, Thou Shalt Always Kill, ths was after the song Angles came about. The two of them them have easily become my favorite artists, and bellow is my favorite song.

The Lyric's are good to have to get the full story, or at least understanding off the bat what they are singing.








Unlike many songs that are coming out now, this is a song that has depth and the lyrics tell's a story. A very serious story that is made to make you open your eyes and think about both sides of everything. The main character of this story is a boy named Mark, who is in college and is working hard to do something with himself. Mark has a little brother named Billy, their father is an alcoholic and their mother died. His brother is often beaten by his alcoholic father and so Mark wants to do well and be able to take care of his brother.

Billy wants to be good for his father and ends up stealing a present for his father and has to go deal with the police officers. That is when a guard named Keith slaps him around a little and then Billy is sent home. Unfortunately this makes Billy think that the world is all violent with no hope and ends up killing himself. Mark comes home and finds his brother is dead and he loses it. That is when he goes to the guard and stabs him.

Paul is another guard who Keith trained and when Keith was attacked and sent to the hospital. Paul see's this guard as a hero where as Mark see's him as a demon and Billy see's him as a representation to the rest of the world.

The reason this music video is so good, the music is catchy with a beat that will stick in your head. What I like is that the song has a story line that you have to follow, at first you wouldn't necessarily follow the words. But when you actually listen to it there is a deep message and dark story that would explain it. It's rare that songs have messages and this is a song with a message that shows you should always look to both sides. This has easily become on of my favorite songs and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.