Final Review of Blog

This is not a post, rather a wrap up of what this blog was, and is, all about. Media surrounds in  our day to day lives. Based on the variety of my posts it seems nobody can escape it except for the remote villages in the Amazon. Maybe we should not try and escape it though. Maybe it is inevitable and we should just learn to accept it. I believe that we should learn to accept the continual waves of media. Yet we should be conscious of what we, and others, are looking at. We should know and understand what the media is trying to get across. Is it trying to trick us? Or is it attempting to drive home an important message? Media isn't bad, it is inevitable. We may as well accept it. If we do accept it though, we musty regulate it and understand it.

This blog has been an eye opener for me. I did not honestly realize how much media effects our daily lives and how much of it we consume in a single day. I thought maybe video games were free from it. I was wrong based on one of my earlier posts. There is also a lot more product placement in movies and shows than I had previously noticed. 

The project itself was a school assignment and it was actually one of the more enjoyable ones. It was fun blogging a couple times a week and seeing how many people looked at my blog. It was a fun as well as informative experience and I hope that everyone who has read my blog has come out a little more informed on media and how it affects us. 

American Idiot

Don't wanna be an American idiot. The first line of the song American Idiot by Green Day and the first line of my last blog.

This is one of my favorite songs and it is really good. It gets you up beat and ready to go. It is very fast paced and has a great rhythm. It is a song that is meant to say, I do not want to blindly follow America. America is great and all, but it can make some mistakes and I do not want to follow it through those mistakes and stereotypes. It is saying that I am my own person.

That is what media wants us to think we are. Just another person that is like everyone else. We are not. If we are to prevent ourselves from being consumed by media was must realize that each and everyone of us is different and attempting to be like other people is just stupid. Media uses our insecurities against us and in order to fight the on coming waves of media we must realize that there is no point in being insecure. We should not be ashamed of who we are and we should quit trying to be like other people. That is what this song wants us to do. 

What Happened To Family?

This post will be about the t.v. channel ABC Family. Although it might be more accurate to leave out the family part. Yes once in a while they have a day where they show old Disney movies or during Christmas they show some family oriented movies, but in most of the time its stuff like this...

These pictures do not seem very family friendly. The word liar appears multiple times, some are in provocative positions, and almost all are wearing revealing clothing.It does not look like families should be watching this show.

Looking at any of these photos, I really do not think families with kids 12 and under should be watching this channel.

Fast 6

This is a commercial for the movie Fast 6. I do not even need to see the commercial to know that I am going to go see the movie but the commercial does make me more excited to see it.

Between the music, cars, and girls, any guy will want to see this. This trailer is pretty much geared towards guys. There are hot girls dancing on cars, there are tanks, there is up-beat music, and there lots of guns. Granted not all guys like these things but most guys do. Even a lot of girls like this kind of thing.

What is this kind of thing though. This is a move trailer that pretty much supports the stereotype that girls should be wearing as little clothing as possible and dancing on cars. If  girls are doing anything at all that is important they must be hot and wearing revealing clothing. I do believe many people try and look past these stereotypes, but they are continually pushed on  us so it is very difficult.

By the way, about two hours before posting this I saw the movie and it was awesome. The trailer depicts everything the movie has, but the movie has much more. It was outstanding and yes there were a lot of hot girls dancing on cars, but there were also girls that had character development and it did not matter how they looked or what they were doing. Their characters had depth and that is important just as much as looking good. 

The Big M

Its the double yellow arches. The big M. Its McDonalds. Everyone has seen it. When you are driving or walking down the street you will recognize it. Why though?

It is because everyone knows or has been told about it. Even if you have not ever eaten it, you still know about it because it has either been told to you by a friend, been in a commercial, or in the news. A friend may have had it and wanted you to try it or they may have been in the news for some new health scandal. 

To be honest I just ate some about 2 hours before posting this. Some people believe McDonalds is the reason for obesity and other health problems and that may be true, but by buying and consuming it they are consenting to it. It famous for being McDonalds.

Standing in the Hall of Fame

This blog is about the commercial for the MLB fan cave. I saw it while watching the World Series and it now seems like a good commercial to analyze.

This commercial wants you to enter in a contest to join the MLB fan cave. It uses the background song in order to make you feel great and inspired. If you join the fan cave than what this song is saying will happen to you. At least that is what they want you to think.

I am sure its pretty cool to be in the fan cave. I am a huge fan of baseball and i used to play it as well. The fan cave does not seem all that appealing to me though. I would rather be sitting right up with everyone else while watching a game and not be somewhere special. The fans are 50 percent of a baseball game. Although with the song it does seem pretty cool. That is the goal of the commercial.

The iconic symbol of Coca-Cola

We all have scene it. Its the symbol for Coca-Cola.

These words have lasted through generations. Ever since Coca-Cola was invented these red letters have been recognized across the world. It is has come to dominate the soft drink scene along with Pepsi, but Coca-Cola is more popular.

All of these symbols can be easily recognized and all of them will be recognized for a very long time. Why are they so recognizable though? It is because the brand has gained so much popularity that even if you do not drink soda you will still recognize it. It has become a symbol for hard work and what people want after a long day of sweat and toil. It has become a symbol for fun in the sun and a time to party. It has become its own way of life almost. It represents a  life in which you work hard during the day and party during the night. It's Coca-Cola.

Comedy Week

From May 19-25 YouTube is having its first ever Comedy Week. All types of comedy will be there as well as all the stars. Stars that were made on YouTube as well as professional actors and comedians. This should prove to be a very funny and enjoyable week.

The stars presented in this video are not the only ones that will be featured. Many more will be there and it will all be live on YouTube.

This is going to be very interesting because something like this has never really happened. Comedy is one of the main exports of YouTube and new funny videos are uploaded everyday. This will be very popular just because people go on YouTube everyday.

Anyone who has internet will have access to these videos. It is really hard to describe what is going to happen. Tons of funny people are getting together and anybody can watch for free. I think it will prove to be successful.

The Next Big Thing

This a commercial for a Samsung Galaxy. It is pretty funny and i enjoy it a lot. Although it is a little long, but it had to be long or the joke would not have been good.

This commercials target audience includes people who know who these actors are and who are going to buy a smartphone. The advertising techniques used are wit and humor and testimonial because of Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, and Lebron James. Basically the advertisers want you to feel like you are part of something bigger you buy this phone.

Another interesting part about this commercial is when they mention crowd sourcing. Crowd sourcing is when the company asks other people what they want to see in the commercial. This is done all the time and sometimes people do not even realize it. That is why it is interesting that the commercial mentions it.

Little Lion Man

Today's post will be about one of my favorite songs. It is called Little Lion Man and it is by Mumford and Sons.

This song has a folk feel to it mixed with some country. The banjo sound is quite evident and sounds really cool. It has a nice beet and is a pretty fast paced song.

The song itself is about a guy who messed up with a girl and does not have the courage to fix it. He admits that he did something wrong and what he did is irreparable. It evokes emotions of being forgotten, sorrow, grief, and regret. It is a fun song to listen to and has a good message.

The people themselves do not really get you to listen to the music which is quite nice. Instead of a bunch of scantily clad girls or shirtless guys, the band relies on their music to be good not how they look. Basically they want the music to speak for itself instead of a bunch of attractive people speaking for it. I like the group and firmly believe that if you have not checked them out already, please do so.

Obama Reaches Out to the Gamers

Apparently the video game players of the U.S. make up enough of a majority to get the attention of candidates in a presidential election. President Obama put a bill bored ad in a Need for Speed game so that those who are racing in game will see it and vote for him. At least that is the idea.

This is political version of product placement. Instead of putting in say a coca-cola add, those who back President Obama decided to use funds to get the support of video gamers. I guess this could work considering many people play video games and now that I think about it, if a candidate were to put an add in a more popular game he or she would probably get even more votes. 

This funniest part about this is the fact that this just shows how much more people are getting into technology and things such as video games. If President Obama believes he will get votes by putting an ad in a video game then that must mean tons of people play them. 

Frosted Flakes are Great

If you have not heard of Frosted Flakes you have not lived in America. Frosted Flakes is one of those cereals that most kids like. They want it when they see it in the store and will beg their parents for more. At least that's what I used to to do.

One of the reasons kids like this cereal so much is not because of its actual taste, which is actually a strong reason, but because of the really cool tiger telling you that they are great. Tony the Tiger gets many kids attention because he is a tiger and kids seem to just adore tigers and because he is really "cool." All of the commercials show him playing around with kids. This makes kids want the cereal.

The other reason kids like this cereal so much is because of what I mentioned before, the taste. All the sugar that is on those flakes makes kids want to just keep eating. Kids cant get enough of sugar and Frosted Flakes is a breakfast full of it. The interesting part though, is how much the brand advocates going out and playing sports. I think this is mostly to get parents to buy so they can tell themselves that even though they are giving their kid sugar their kid will go out and play sports so its okay.

Volkswagen's has a very funny commercial

Volkswagen is a car company and in this commercial their goal is to show that the dad is passing on really bad baseball skills but at least the dad will pass down something good such as the Volkswagen he owns.

This commercial makes me laugh because i have quite a lot of baseball experience and i know how to properly throw a baseball. The way the dad is throwing it is just awful. It is funny to see the kid so attentive to his dad teaching him how to throw a baseball really badly.

This commercial seems to do its job well because now whenever I play baseball i think of this commercial and a Volkswagen. It also connects to me more personally because I love baseball and they are portraying a father and son playing baseball. Although I don't knows if I would call it baseball. All that counts is that the dad is trying which is good.

What is also interesting about this commercial is the fact that, like most "homely" style commercials, there is a white family living in a nice, quiet, residential area. There are trees everywhere and it just looks like a nice peaceful place to be.

Boston Bombing Inacuracy

This post is about the sad inaccuracy of of some of the reports about the Boston bombing. This picture shows just how far the inaccuracy went. The New York Post is a newspaper for one of the largest cities in the United States and they put the wrong people as suspects on their front page.

They were so interested in getting the top headline out first that they gave us wrong information. This clearly shows that some people are not interested in giving us the proper facts. They are more interested in getting better reviews then other companies. Well sadly this did not work out for them to much. Now very few people hold a high opinion of them.

The saddest part about this is that these two people could have been seriously injured or even killed.

We as a country should step back and take a look at how media is affecting us and how the faster we want media to be at our fingertips the more likely it will be inaccurate and just plain guess work. It is also up to the editors of newspapers and television stations to make sure their information is accurate and will not cause harm to any individual.

Game of Thrones, April 24, 2013

The background theme for my blog is Game of Thrones and so I thought as my first post I will analyze a trailer for the show.

This trailer, like any other, is meant to get you to watch the show it is advertising for. It wants to get you interested and pull you in so that you look up what it is all about and continue watching. The most important part of any trailer is to appeal to as many audiences as possible or at least a few large target audiences. I think this trailer does a pretty good job of that.

This trailer evokes feelings of bravery, fear, lust, love, and power. When evoking the sense of bravery it makes people want to watch because they want to see a hero fearlessly face any challenge and rise to the occasion. Fear provides the sense of intrigue and mystery that make people continue to watch because they want to find out what is coming next. The idea of lust gets people to watch something because people have desires such as lust that can be filled through watching the show. Love is a powerful force that will get many people to watch because they want to experience love and see what it can be like. Power also causes people to stop and watch because power, like lust, is a desire that some people wish to fulfill in such ways as watching a television show such as this.

All of these feelings are some of the basic wants and needs of most people. This trailer gets people to watch the show because it allows for all these feelings to be evoked. It gives someone the sense of being there and actually experiencing what the character is. People like to watch things that they can connect to or that gives them a sense of actually being there. The more emotion the characters show, the more people will connect to it. If people connect to it then they will watch it.

I believe this is the main goal of trailers; to get people to watch the television show or movie by giving them a sense of what they will be feeling and relating to if they do watch it.

Personally I believe this is a great television show and you should check it out some time if you have not already. This trailer does a good job of portraying what the show is all about. Watch and you will like it.