BU Summer Challenge Mass Communication

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Penultimate Day of Summer Challenge

I had a great experience in Mass Communications. The course was engaging and throughout-provoking. This class exceeded my expectations because I was exposed to new topics that I did not know previously. I loved learning about human interaction and how important images are in our lives. By listening to my peers during the class discussions, I was able to understand communications from a different point of view. My favorite activity was the PR project because it allowed us to be creative while experiencing what it was like to have a job in public relations. Because of this class, I am definitely considering majoring in Communications when I am a college student. 

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PR Presentations

I believe that the Sony group did the best in the PR presentations. They had great ideas on how to solve the company’s issues. I really liked how they mentioned that during their press announcement, they would not deny the issue. They also announced that they would monitor the system to make sure that they would not get hacked again. Their best idea was incorporating the LGBTQ/ AIDS community into their next movie. This really shows how this company’s plan appealed to the audience. They did a great job researching the issues and developing a strategy to solve it.

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/cruise-ship-crash_n_7621960.html?utm_hp_ref=crime

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/06/19/upstate-new-york-cruise-ship-crashes-in-st-lawrence-seaway-injuring-17

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cruise-ship-hits-wall-river-lock-upstate-york-31880578 (This one is the original)

The Huffington Post exaggerates the cruise ship crash at Upstate New York Seaway Lock. The Huffington Post uses a lot of hyperbole to capture the readers’ attention. For example, the title of the Huffington Post article is called “Cruise Ship crashes Into the Wall, Smashes Hole in Bow, Traps Hundreds of Passengers on Board,” whereas the title of ABC News was “22 Hurt When Cruise Ship Crashes At Upstate New York Seaway Lock.” When comparing these two titles, the title of the Huffington Post makes the accident seem more serious than it was. The diction that is used in ABC News is factual, whereas the Huffington Post article appeals to the readers’ emotions. The Huffington Post article also focused more on the investigation following the accident as opposed to focusing more on the facts from the accident. The aggregated article uses techniques that appeal to the audiences emotions so that more people will be intrigued by the article. The Huffington Post article is more exciting to read and really captures the audiences’ attention when they quote witnesses from the accident. 

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This video depicts the love triangle between Daisy, Tom and Gatsby. When Daisy was young, she fell in love with Gatsby. Later he was sent to war, but she promised she would wait for him. However, Daisy was vulnerable and needed a man in her life, so she married a wealthy man named Tom. Gatsby bought a house across the bay from Daisy, so that he could always be near her. He threw parties hoping she would show up one day. One summer day, they reunited and fell in love all over again. Unlike the book and the movie, this video is told from Daisy’s point of view. Not only are fans able to relate to another character in the book, but they can also understand the emotions that are not explored in the text. This allows us to figure out who the character is and get a deeper understanding of Daisy psychologically. The video illustrates the emotional stress Daisy feels throughout the book. She is trapped between two different worlds, one with Gatsby and the other with Tom. This video is also an example of refocus because it takes Daisy, who is a secondary character and puts her at the forefront of the video. The video re explores and captures all of Daisy’s emotional moments from the book. Daisy is a vulnerable woman who constantly needs a man in her life. However, when she has a man she gets hurt. Even though Daisy suffers with a man, she is not willing to be alone.

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F1: The Future Will Be Televised

We’re talking about TV today, aka the only thing that matters my favorite topic in the world. I have some things to tell you about TV – background on the American system and some details about what’s going on in the industry now – but I’m mostly excited to hear from you about your television experiences. We’re going to be talking about what you watch, how you find it, why you watch it, and what the value of television is for you.

We’ll close out the class by screening an episode of Modern Family from the most recent season, called “Connection Lost.” It has a very unique visual and storytelling conceit, as you’ll quickly realize. 

Your assignment is to write a 200-300 word review of the episode on your Tumblr. The review should focus on an element of the episode that you feel was particularly successful or unsuccessful, based on what you value about TV. Be sure to tag it as this post is tagged.

(Over on the Further Reading tab, I’ve linked to the most recent diversity statistics from the film and television industry. It’s important stuff.)

OH! And the final presentation prompt has been posted! 

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I believe that a successful and captivating show is one that I can relate to. The unique format of this episode captured what it is like for people of all ages to live in a technology oriented society. This episode was a humorous commentary on how we use technology to communicate when we are sitting in the same room. The most entertaining scene is when the grandfather does not know how to work FaceTime. This is a very accurate depiction of how it is difficult for the older generation to live and communicate in our society. "Connection Lost” depicts how the younger generation constantly needs to update social media to show all their friends what they are doing. It is because of this that our society lacks privacy. This episode told the story by displaying a computer screen, which showed all the different activities one can do on the computer. The format of the computer screen allowed us to feel like we are in the show and the ones controlling the computer. It made the show more interesting, humorous and less dull. Since our society is addicted to technology, the format kept us on the edge of our feet wanting to know what would happen next. Through the unique format, “Connection Lost” accurately depicts how our society relies heavily on social media to communicate. 

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Thursday: The Movie

Today we’re talking movies. Or films. Or cinema, if you’re a purist. (I am not a purist.) 

We’re going to run down the 6 most important moments in film history. Then we’re going to discuss where the industry is at today. Next, we’ll consider theories of how film makes meaning or is an artistic medium. Finally, we’ll look at how films are constructed, conventions of film, and set you on your ways to completing today’s assignment.

ASSIGNMENT: Storyboard a 12 shot maximum filmed narrative in your groups of 2-3 people. This doesn’t have to be gorgeous art. Make sure your story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Be sure you’re using film conventions and techniques to tell your story. If you can, take photos of your storyboards and upload them to your tumblr, tagging your group members in the post by class time Friday. We’ll talk about them then.

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The Mugger

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“Announcing Wednesday, First of This Seminar”

We’re talking advertising today, and apart from some historical context and some background information on the way that advertisers actually work today, we’re going to be doing some exploring of some ad campaigns, both past and present. Bring whatever technology you need to explore sites like AdAge and Vintage Ad Browser.

We’ll round out class with a discussion of advertising ethics alongside the present and future of advertising. These posts will be our guide. 

Meet John Green, New York Times Bestselling author several times over and avid YouTuber. This is his pitch to advertisers from YouTube’s 10th anniversary event, held this winter in New York City. Listen to how he conceptualizes the potential of YouTube for advertisers, with keywords like “communities” and “engagement.” How does this connect with the motives and business models of advertising that we discussed in class today? What are the challenges that advertisers face in targeting youth demographics with this kind of YouTube advertising? Respond to the video in less than 300 words. Remember to tag the post like this one.

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John Green argues that an advertisement is only effective when the viewers are engaged and feel a connection to the product being sold. Even though John Green thinks that advertisements are effective in the distraction business, he is not in the business for that reason. Instead, he calls it a community business. John does not care about how many people watch his work, but he believes that it is more important for people to love what he makes. It is that love and passion about a particular subject that creates an engaged community. He believes that advertisers are so focused on getting the audience to view their work that “they risk losing relevance with an entire generation of viewers that looks to the video not only for distraction but also of engagement and connection.”

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Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince George

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This is a GIF of Prince George throwing his stuffed animal on the ground. It portrays how they are an elite and upper class family that constantly provides Prince George with luxury toys. He is a privileged child, growing up in an environment where he is use to getting everything he wants. The caption “#Peasant!” communicates to the audience that he threw the toy on the ground because it was not “good” enough for him. It is not an expensive toy that he is use to receiving. The message of this GIF is communicated through Prince George’s actions as well as the caption. The caption is a joke because it calls Prince George a peasant when in reality he is a member of the upper class. It is funny because the meaning of the caption does not correspond to the way he is acting in this GIF.

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Assignment #1

I want to know what it is like to be a communications major. I chose this class because I was eager to learn about the way humans interact with one another. I wanted to explore a new field of study that I could potentially major in when I am a college student. Judging by the first day, this is a fun, interactive and engaging class. I liked reading Burke’s essay and I hope that we will read more of his essays in the next two weeks. I also hope to learn more about how human interaction has changed over time. I look forward to studying film, movies, TV, and more about PR.