Popular music and politics often collide. The government plays a large role in the censoring of much popular music, yet political candidates still use popular music to connect with audiences. Sometimes, the artists themselves use their fame to promote a political agenda. The 2008 presidential campaign will provide examples of the sticky political situations that can occur when politics meets popular culture.
Republican candidate John McCain was sued after the 2008 election after his campaign used the Jackson Browne song “Running on Empty” in an ad criticizing Barack Obama’s energy policy. Browne claimed that the song was used without his permission, and was therefore a copyright infringement.
Here, the McCain campaign was using a popular song strategically, presumably as a source of mockery, as the title of the song and topic of the ad suggest. Using such a widely known song would also help connect McCain to fans of Browne through association. Browne’s protests lay in the fact that he did not support McCain as a candidate and did not want his song, or his “property,” to be used to McCain’s advantage.
In another example on the same ticket, the writer of the Martina McBride song “Independence Day,” Gretchen Peters, was unhappy with the use of her song to bring Sarah Palin onstage at a rally after her debate with Joe Biden.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/10/independence-da.htm
"The fact that the McCain/Palin campaign is using a song about an abused woman as a rallying cry for their vice presidential candidate, a woman who would ban abortion even in cases of rape and incest, is beyond irony," Peters said. "They are co-opting the song, completely overlooking the context and message, and using it to promote a candidate who would set women's rights back decades.”
This case was not a copyright infringement, since Peters did receive royalties from the use of her song. As a form of protest toward the McCain/Palin campaign, however, she began donating royalties for the song to Planned Parenthood – in Palin’s name.
This situation, therefore, represents both the strategic use of a popular song in a campaign as well as a celebrity using her fame to speak out against a candidate.
These two situations within the McCain/Palin campaign are reflective of when Ronald Reagan used Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” for his campaign. In this case, as in the ones mentioned above, the artist felt that his song had been misinterpreted and was unhappy with the association of his name with a particular political candidate.
The issues that the candidates had with popular music in their campaigns were not limited to the Republicans. A Ludacris song entitled “’Politics’ (Obama is Here),” which contained offensive lyrics, caused some trouble for Barack Obama’s campaign. In this case, it wasn’t a song that the candidate had used for his campaign, but rather a tribute by a celebrity that supported Obama. At a time when critics were questioning some of Obama’s past relationships, the fact that Obama had stated his respect for Ludacris’s talent before the song was released caused Sean Hannity to insinuate that Obama was a black radical.
This is an example of a celebrity using his music to express political allegiance and exploiting his fame “to endorse political positions and candidates.” This song also happens to support a liberal and progressive candidate, as the textbook says is typical among messages when popular music meets politics. However, the song also uses misogynistic and racist language, which reflects poorly on the candidate, Barack Obama.
The association that Hannity made, Ludacris’s song reflecting Obama’s radicalism, is an example of this poor reflection. Obama did not have anything to do with the song’s creation and his campaign was quick to denounce the song. However, speculation about the controversial song continued and may have hurt his campaign.
Politics and popular music often meet, sometimes due to a candidate trying to appeal to voters, and sometimes due to a celebrity musician using his or her fame to influence public opinion. This can be helpful or harmful, and often, the people involved can get themselves into some difficult situations when someone feels that a line has been crossed.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's Not a "Chick Flick"
In the book “America On Film,” femininity and masculinity are studied in the context of Hollywood filmmaking. Throughout history, Hollywood has tended to uphold traditional patriarchal society. However, this is not a thing of the past. Men and women still fulfill largely stereotypical roles both as characters in film and as consumers.
The following clip from FunnyorDie.com features three of the male stars of the film “He’s Just Not That Into You” (Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long). This short video features the three men making fun of the “chick-flick” genre by acting out clichés commonly associated with them. The premise of the video is to convince guys that it is okay to see their movie (which would be seen as fitting the “chick-flick” genre) by providing evidence that it is “just a movie,” not a “chick flick.”
This clip brings up many points about gender when it comes to film audiences. First of all, the video assumes that the only reason guy will be going to see this movie is because their girlfriends will drag them to it. The reason that men do not plan to see this movie on their own or are reluctant to go is because of its “chick flick” status. “Chick Flicks” create stories that supposedly attract female audiences. Though this video tries to downplay the film’s “chick flick” status by pointing out clichés that were not used, “He’s Just Not That Into You” still fits the textbook’s definition of a “chick flick” (the plot is “centered on a lead female character’s romantic trials and tribulations”).
Since the female demographic had already been hit, part of the purpose of this video was to attract the male demographic as well, through sarcasm and humor. The male actors were trying to convince a male audience that they wouldn’t be jeopardizing their masculinity by seeing this movie. The fact that these three funny, sufficiently masculine actors weren’t ashamed to suggest that it was a good film made the pitch more credible to men than if three of the female stars had made the same argument.
This clip also walks a fine line between homosocial and homosexual relationships between men. In their short skits, the men played versions of typical “chick flick” characters. However, they portrayed all of these characters as male (though many were particularly effeminate males). However, the understanding that the scenes were parodies of “chick flicks” made this behavior acceptable. The humor comes from the fact that the men were – in acting like women – effeminate, which is viewed as abnormal or inconsistent with traditional masculinity.
This video was rated 88% “funny” on a scale of “Die – Funny.” The fact that many people saw this as funny suggests that they probably understood that the men were masculine and heterosexual and that is why their effeminate and homosocial/homosexual behavior was humorous. It also suggests that people agreed with this list of “chick flick” clichés, and recognized them from past experiences with the genre.
To end this post, it can also be noted that many of these “chick flick” clichés are also present in television dramas. They actually make use of them quite liberally. For example, these scenes from the 2003-2007 show, “The OC” using the character Seth Cohen:
Seth falls backwards into view onto a bed (there is no pillow involved, but close enough).
Seth runs through the airport to catch Anna before she moves away.
Seth tells Summer the reasons he has had a crush on her since elementary school.
Seth announces his relationship with Summer at school in front of many of their classmates.
These clichés are used time after time in various contexts throughout seasons of the show. This shows that these clichés appear not only in “chick flicks,” but on television as well. However, the audience of “The OC” was probably mostly female, so this does remain consistent with the types of narratives intended for and popular with female audiences.
The following clip from FunnyorDie.com features three of the male stars of the film “He’s Just Not That Into You” (Bradley Cooper, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long). This short video features the three men making fun of the “chick-flick” genre by acting out clichés commonly associated with them. The premise of the video is to convince guys that it is okay to see their movie (which would be seen as fitting the “chick-flick” genre) by providing evidence that it is “just a movie,” not a “chick flick.”
This clip brings up many points about gender when it comes to film audiences. First of all, the video assumes that the only reason guy will be going to see this movie is because their girlfriends will drag them to it. The reason that men do not plan to see this movie on their own or are reluctant to go is because of its “chick flick” status. “Chick Flicks” create stories that supposedly attract female audiences. Though this video tries to downplay the film’s “chick flick” status by pointing out clichés that were not used, “He’s Just Not That Into You” still fits the textbook’s definition of a “chick flick” (the plot is “centered on a lead female character’s romantic trials and tribulations”).
Since the female demographic had already been hit, part of the purpose of this video was to attract the male demographic as well, through sarcasm and humor. The male actors were trying to convince a male audience that they wouldn’t be jeopardizing their masculinity by seeing this movie. The fact that these three funny, sufficiently masculine actors weren’t ashamed to suggest that it was a good film made the pitch more credible to men than if three of the female stars had made the same argument.
This clip also walks a fine line between homosocial and homosexual relationships between men. In their short skits, the men played versions of typical “chick flick” characters. However, they portrayed all of these characters as male (though many were particularly effeminate males). However, the understanding that the scenes were parodies of “chick flicks” made this behavior acceptable. The humor comes from the fact that the men were – in acting like women – effeminate, which is viewed as abnormal or inconsistent with traditional masculinity.
This video was rated 88% “funny” on a scale of “Die – Funny.” The fact that many people saw this as funny suggests that they probably understood that the men were masculine and heterosexual and that is why their effeminate and homosocial/homosexual behavior was humorous. It also suggests that people agreed with this list of “chick flick” clichés, and recognized them from past experiences with the genre.
To end this post, it can also be noted that many of these “chick flick” clichés are also present in television dramas. They actually make use of them quite liberally. For example, these scenes from the 2003-2007 show, “The OC” using the character Seth Cohen:
Seth falls backwards into view onto a bed (there is no pillow involved, but close enough).
Seth runs through the airport to catch Anna before she moves away.
Seth tells Summer the reasons he has had a crush on her since elementary school.
Seth announces his relationship with Summer at school in front of many of their classmates.
These clichés are used time after time in various contexts throughout seasons of the show. This shows that these clichés appear not only in “chick flicks,” but on television as well. However, the audience of “The OC” was probably mostly female, so this does remain consistent with the types of narratives intended for and popular with female audiences.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Stereotypes in American Film
Stereotypes have been around since the beginning of the film industry. Though they may have become less obvious in most instances, they are still present today. The stereotypes that people seem to notice the most are of ethnic groups other than whites, especially if the stereotypes are particularly negative. As part of our country's struggle for civil rights, negative racial stereotypes are frowned upon and appear much less often in today's media.
However, today there are also many stereotypes of Americans that are considered "white." These stereotypes sometimes go unnoticed because "the average moviegoer thinks about issues of race only when seeing a movie about a racial or ethnic minority group." (Benshoff & Griffin, 2009). Among these are Italian Americans (who appear as restaurant owners or mobsters), southern Americans (who appear dull and idiotic, and speak with a slow drawl), and one that hits close to home, Scandinavian Americans.
Scandinavian American Stereotypes in Film
"Fargo" (1996) is probably the most well-known film that uses Scandinavian American stereotypes. The film portrays the characters as small-town folk with a thick, unique accent. The characters are also portrayed as having stereotypical "Minnesota nice" attitudes and at times seem dim-witted or naive.
A less known film, "Drop Dead Gorgeous," (1999) is about a local teen beauty pageant in Mt Rose, Minnesota. Though it is a much different type of movie than "Fargo," the characters are portrayed the same way. However, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" also seems to suggest that the characters are "white trash". They live in trailer parks and they like to hunt and farm.
The stereotypes in these movies are rooted in truth, as all stereotypes are. However, they have created some misconstrued ideas of how Scandinavian Americans talk, act, and live (for example, lutefisk served in the cafeteria every Wednesday in "Drop Dead Gorgeous." I am more than 50% Norwegian and have never been served lutefisk in my life).
"New in Town," a new film starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, is about a city girl from Miami who is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota to oversee restructuring of a manufacturing plant. This film also employs the thick accent, and the characters are blue collar workers whose favorite activities include ice fishing.
This shows that the stereotypical Scandinavian American continues to serve as a comical character in film.
However, today there are also many stereotypes of Americans that are considered "white." These stereotypes sometimes go unnoticed because "the average moviegoer thinks about issues of race only when seeing a movie about a racial or ethnic minority group." (Benshoff & Griffin, 2009). Among these are Italian Americans (who appear as restaurant owners or mobsters), southern Americans (who appear dull and idiotic, and speak with a slow drawl), and one that hits close to home, Scandinavian Americans.
Scandinavian American Stereotypes in Film
"Fargo" (1996) is probably the most well-known film that uses Scandinavian American stereotypes. The film portrays the characters as small-town folk with a thick, unique accent. The characters are also portrayed as having stereotypical "Minnesota nice" attitudes and at times seem dim-witted or naive.
A less known film, "Drop Dead Gorgeous," (1999) is about a local teen beauty pageant in Mt Rose, Minnesota. Though it is a much different type of movie than "Fargo," the characters are portrayed the same way. However, "Drop Dead Gorgeous" also seems to suggest that the characters are "white trash". They live in trailer parks and they like to hunt and farm.
The stereotypes in these movies are rooted in truth, as all stereotypes are. However, they have created some misconstrued ideas of how Scandinavian Americans talk, act, and live (for example, lutefisk served in the cafeteria every Wednesday in "Drop Dead Gorgeous." I am more than 50% Norwegian and have never been served lutefisk in my life).
"New in Town," a new film starring Renee Zellweger and Harry Connick, is about a city girl from Miami who is sent to New Ulm, Minnesota to oversee restructuring of a manufacturing plant. This film also employs the thick accent, and the characters are blue collar workers whose favorite activities include ice fishing.
This shows that the stereotypical Scandinavian American continues to serve as a comical character in film.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Aspects of Form in "Wanted"
"Wanted" was one of the most successful films of 2008, and is centered around three characters played by well-known actors: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman. A summary for the film on www.imdb.com says:
"A young man finds out his long lost father is an assassin. When his father is murdered, the son is recruited into his father's old organization and trained by a man named Sloan to follow in his dad's footsteps.
The anxious, clumsy and abused office clerk Wesley Allan Gibson has a hell and boring routine life: his obese boss humiliates him all the time and his girlfriend betrays him with his colleague and best friend during working period. When he meets the sexy Fox, Wesley is informed that his father was a professional killer that belonged to an ancient organization called Fraternity and killed by the skilled and powerful Cross, a hit-man that has betrayed the Fraternity. Wesley learns that his anxiety actually is a manifestation of his latent abilities and he joins the society under the command of Sloan. Trained by Fox, he changes his personality and attitude, being prepared to face the dangerous Cross and find a hidden secret. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"
In this blog, I will discuss the use of editing and sound editing in the film and trailer.
Editing
In the trailer, editing was used to attract audiences (most likely fans of action films) by making it look like it is fast-moving, includes sexual content, and chronicles the rise and ultimate triumph of the underdog. The trailer uses short clips, many showing action and/or violence, making it seem like a movie with a lot of that content. This is pretty accurate to the film, although there are some slower-moving scenes as well.
The trailer also shows a close-up scene of Wesley and Fox kissing, making it seem like a romance buds between the two. However, this is not true in the film, but sexual content is a desired aspect of most action movies.
Third, the trailer uses editing to display that the film chronicles the rise of an underdog. Wesley is depicted as weak or incompetent throughout most of the trailer - until the end where he is shown confidently leaping through a window, wielding a gun in each hand. Also, Sloan's voiceover where he is telling Wesley that he needs to make a choice, be a "sheep" or join the fraternity, the trailer shows what Wesley's life looks like in each situation and makes it clear which is the better choice.
Sound Editing
In this scene from "Wanted," sound editing is used to clarify what action is happening, and who the "bad guy" really is.
During the car chase, the sounds of the tires squealing, engine running, and bullets shattering the window are all enhanced to make it clear what is happening. If those sounds were dulled or hard to hear, it would be more difficult for the viewer to pick up on some of it, since there is a lot going on.
Also, the man in the limousine smoking a cigar could be just about anyone, but the Italian music that he is listening to makes it clear to the viewer that he is supposed to be a member of the Mafia. The viewer probably doesn't even realize that they pick up on this, it is basically subliminal.
"A young man finds out his long lost father is an assassin. When his father is murdered, the son is recruited into his father's old organization and trained by a man named Sloan to follow in his dad's footsteps.
The anxious, clumsy and abused office clerk Wesley Allan Gibson has a hell and boring routine life: his obese boss humiliates him all the time and his girlfriend betrays him with his colleague and best friend during working period. When he meets the sexy Fox, Wesley is informed that his father was a professional killer that belonged to an ancient organization called Fraternity and killed by the skilled and powerful Cross, a hit-man that has betrayed the Fraternity. Wesley learns that his anxiety actually is a manifestation of his latent abilities and he joins the society under the command of Sloan. Trained by Fox, he changes his personality and attitude, being prepared to face the dangerous Cross and find a hidden secret. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil"
In this blog, I will discuss the use of editing and sound editing in the film and trailer.
Editing
In the trailer, editing was used to attract audiences (most likely fans of action films) by making it look like it is fast-moving, includes sexual content, and chronicles the rise and ultimate triumph of the underdog. The trailer uses short clips, many showing action and/or violence, making it seem like a movie with a lot of that content. This is pretty accurate to the film, although there are some slower-moving scenes as well.
The trailer also shows a close-up scene of Wesley and Fox kissing, making it seem like a romance buds between the two. However, this is not true in the film, but sexual content is a desired aspect of most action movies.
Third, the trailer uses editing to display that the film chronicles the rise of an underdog. Wesley is depicted as weak or incompetent throughout most of the trailer - until the end where he is shown confidently leaping through a window, wielding a gun in each hand. Also, Sloan's voiceover where he is telling Wesley that he needs to make a choice, be a "sheep" or join the fraternity, the trailer shows what Wesley's life looks like in each situation and makes it clear which is the better choice.
Sound Editing
In this scene from "Wanted," sound editing is used to clarify what action is happening, and who the "bad guy" really is.
During the car chase, the sounds of the tires squealing, engine running, and bullets shattering the window are all enhanced to make it clear what is happening. If those sounds were dulled or hard to hear, it would be more difficult for the viewer to pick up on some of it, since there is a lot going on.
Also, the man in the limousine smoking a cigar could be just about anyone, but the Italian music that he is listening to makes it clear to the viewer that he is supposed to be a member of the Mafia. The viewer probably doesn't even realize that they pick up on this, it is basically subliminal.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Femininity and Ensemble Casts on Television
The concepts from this class can be applied to so many texts in everyday media consumption, it’s almost hard to keep track. This entry will use three concepts discussed in “Media, Gender and Identity” by David Gauntlett: traditional femininity, modern femininity, and ensemble casts. These will be illustrated using examples from the “reality” television show (if you can truly call it that), “The Girls Next Door,” and from the drama “The OC.”
The first two concepts, traditional and post-modern femininity, will be discussed using this clip from the first episode of “The Girls Next Door.” This clip introduces the three girls individually and discusses the lifestyle that they have chosen at the Playboy Mansion.
First of all, this video brings up some interesting aspects regarding femininity. The outward appearance of the three girls is sort of a feminine ideal: blonde, thin (yet curvy), tan, and beautiful. Also, the fact that they don’t seem to work and depend on a man financially is a more traditional way for women to live.
However, the fact that even their everyday life is laden with nudity and sexuality is not traditionally considered feminine. However, it could be argued that modern femininity includes sexual freedom a la “Cosmopolitan.” Also, while Holly seems to be the most traditionally feminine “girlfriend” and is very focused on her relationship with Hugh Hefner, both Bridget and Kendra have personality traits that are not traditionally feminine. It would seem that Bridget (at one time in her life, anyway) was very career-driven. She earned a Master’s degree in communications. Kendra, on the other hand, is very athletic and even described in the video as a “tom-boy.”
What is interesting about these women is that despite the fact that they seem to be perfectly capable and intelligent, they choose a lifestyle which most people would consider degrading to women. While Hefner dates all three of them, it seems, on the show, that they can only date him. Since they even live in his house, it gives the impression that he has ownership over them.
However, recent tabloid magazines have reported that two of the “girlfriends” are dating or engaged to other men and will be leaving the Playboy Mansion. Perhaps the impression that Hefner treated these women as property is incorrect, and it is simply a different lifestyle than most are used to. As we discussed in class, feminism is about women having the right to choose, and this is simply the lifestyle that Hefner’s girlfriends chose.
***
When we discussed the third concept, ensemble casts, in class, the first image that popped into my head was the front cover of the first season DVD box set, shown here:
The number of male and female characters shown on the front is nearly equal (five men and four women), and they all fulfill pretty traditional gender roles. The cast members shown consist of two typical teenage girls, three typical teenage boys, and two married couples. The only character that is arguably not the “norm” is Kirsten Cohen. She is the main breadwinner for the Cohen family, and is a terrible cook. However, the main focal point of her role on the show is that of the “mother.”
The young people on season one of “The OC” are a good example of an ensemble cast because they provide an array of stereotypical characters. There is the jock, the nerd, the rough-around-the-edges kid, the ditzy girl, and the socialite. That isn’t to say that the characters are one-dimensional, but people who are familiar with the show would easily be able to pick out which characters I am referring to by the descriptions above.
The first two concepts, traditional and post-modern femininity, will be discussed using this clip from the first episode of “The Girls Next Door.” This clip introduces the three girls individually and discusses the lifestyle that they have chosen at the Playboy Mansion.
First of all, this video brings up some interesting aspects regarding femininity. The outward appearance of the three girls is sort of a feminine ideal: blonde, thin (yet curvy), tan, and beautiful. Also, the fact that they don’t seem to work and depend on a man financially is a more traditional way for women to live.
However, the fact that even their everyday life is laden with nudity and sexuality is not traditionally considered feminine. However, it could be argued that modern femininity includes sexual freedom a la “Cosmopolitan.” Also, while Holly seems to be the most traditionally feminine “girlfriend” and is very focused on her relationship with Hugh Hefner, both Bridget and Kendra have personality traits that are not traditionally feminine. It would seem that Bridget (at one time in her life, anyway) was very career-driven. She earned a Master’s degree in communications. Kendra, on the other hand, is very athletic and even described in the video as a “tom-boy.”
What is interesting about these women is that despite the fact that they seem to be perfectly capable and intelligent, they choose a lifestyle which most people would consider degrading to women. While Hefner dates all three of them, it seems, on the show, that they can only date him. Since they even live in his house, it gives the impression that he has ownership over them.
However, recent tabloid magazines have reported that two of the “girlfriends” are dating or engaged to other men and will be leaving the Playboy Mansion. Perhaps the impression that Hefner treated these women as property is incorrect, and it is simply a different lifestyle than most are used to. As we discussed in class, feminism is about women having the right to choose, and this is simply the lifestyle that Hefner’s girlfriends chose.
When we discussed the third concept, ensemble casts, in class, the first image that popped into my head was the front cover of the first season DVD box set, shown here:
The number of male and female characters shown on the front is nearly equal (five men and four women), and they all fulfill pretty traditional gender roles. The cast members shown consist of two typical teenage girls, three typical teenage boys, and two married couples. The only character that is arguably not the “norm” is Kirsten Cohen. She is the main breadwinner for the Cohen family, and is a terrible cook. However, the main focal point of her role on the show is that of the “mother.”
The young people on season one of “The OC” are a good example of an ensemble cast because they provide an array of stereotypical characters. There is the jock, the nerd, the rough-around-the-edges kid, the ditzy girl, and the socialite. That isn’t to say that the characters are one-dimensional, but people who are familiar with the show would easily be able to pick out which characters I am referring to by the descriptions above.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)