Mass Communication Day 8 - Sitcoms and Horror Films

Today we watched episodes of two different types of sitcoms: "Cheers", which is shot with multiple cameras, and  "Parks and Recreation", which is shot with a single camera. "Cheers" is the classic example of a sitcom  with distinct static characters filmed in the the same settings using three cameras. "Parks and Recreation" is a mockumentary type sitcom and includes interviews and the characters travel outside normal settings. Because it is shot with one camera the sets need to be a little more elaborate, which are more expensive.

We also watched clips from horror films around  the world to see what different cultures found scary. First we looked at a couple of American films. In the remake of "Psycho" Hitchcock used shots of a knife thrusting forward, the victim screaming, and blood getting all over the shower to give the illusion that the character was actually being stabbed. In the Australian film clips we watched, the scary aspect was nature since Australians are fearful of the Outback. In Japanese films like "Dark Water" ghosts are out to kill the characters, unlike in American films where ghosts come back because of unfinished business.

Mass Communication Day 7 - More Film!

Today we saw how films evolved throughout the years with progressions in filming and acting techniques . In the 1910s and 1920s films were in black and white and had no sound, though different background music was played in each theater. Stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton relied on exaggerated acting an physical stunts to keep viewers coming back. Cameras were also very heavy and there weren't any real directors, just cameramen, so films were usually just shot using long and medium shots. Films soon went to color to keep up with television and sound was able to be put on reels. Later  on actors and directors were trained in schools to expand on the art form.  The movie "French Connection" showed the first car chase, which hooks and excites whoever is watching with all different types of shots and handheld cameras.

Around a year and a half ago I visited the Museum of Moving Image in NYC on a school field trip. One of the displays had all types of old cameras.

Mass Communication Day 6 - Film Continued

Watching clips from movies including, "The Witness", "Enchanted, "Citizen Kane", and "The Conversation", I learned about how certain angles and different lighting can cause the viewer to feel a certain way. High key lighting and shots that show characters from the waist up are very Classic and are used in comedies. In horror movies and drams, low key lighting with high contrast and the use of dark colors are used. I thought the use of the tracking shot and the "Mis-en-scene" props in "Shawn of the Dead" was a really effective and fun way of establishing the life of a character.

We also got to use actual film equipment  to create a set in the class room. Being a theatre kid, naturally I volunteered to be the actor. It's weird having a bunch of technology so close to you. I'm used to bright spotlights, but not ones that are almost in your face.

Mass Communication Day 5 - Film

Last Friday we started looking at film and took a tour of two different filming sets on campus. The first was versatile, where all different things are filmed from games shows to soap operas. The next one was a news set equipped with TelePrompTers and a green screen for the weather segments. Green screens can actually be any color, but most people don't usually wear bright green so that's why they're green. Each set had three cameras in different places for the purpose of taking different types of shots.

My assignment for the weekend was to shoot something at least three different ways. I took pictures of a bench with a squirrel on it, and the inside of a church.

This is a close up of  a bench.

This is a wide shot. Wide shots are used to establish settings and make the view familiar.

 

This is a medium/wide shot. Medium shots of people show from the waist up.

This is a close up of a squirrel. Close up shots show detail and emotion.

Wide Shots:

Medium shots:

Close ups:

Mass Communication Day 4 - Advertising and Public Relations

Advertisements can be annoying or quite entertaining, but no matter how they make you feel, you remember them. By using techniques that appeal to the emotions, Ads not only sell products, but ideas. By watching different body wash commercials, I learned that even though those products seemed to be marketed towards men, they were actually marketed towards women as well since a larger percentage of women buy soap than men.

I also learned what Public Relations actually is - "The practice of managing communication between an organization and it's publics." I was sad to learn that most of the time it is a publicist that writes a celebrity's tweets, not the actually celebrity themselves, not that it really matters to me anyway since I don't have a twitter.

My homework for tonight was to create a personal logo. I chose to add flowers in the background simply because I like them; I also wear them in my hair very often. The bright colors are eye-catching and fun, and cursive is just classy.

Mass Communication Day 3 - Documentaries

Documentaries were the subject of today's class. It was interesting to see how they have evolved from the beginning with films like "Nanook of the North" which was in black in white and had title cards to explain what was going since there was no sound besides back round music, to Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" which had voice narration and an incredible quality of footage. When I learned of a type of documentary,Direct Cinema, I realized that even though documentaries present facts, they can also be biased. The different techniques used by filmmakers, such as what music, narration, and genre are effective tools to get a message, or a story, across to viewers.

Mass Comm Day 2 - Journalism

           Today we learned about Journalism. I am more of a creative writer so it was difficult for me to write a story with out lots of adjectives and descriptions. It surprised me when I found out that when writing a news story that one should always use "said" and not things like "exclaimed" or "sighed." What was even harder about the assignment was that we had to work in groups to write a news article. It can be hard to make the writing styles of three different people  work in a cohesive way. A good thing about working with others is that writer's block never occurs because at least one person in the group will have an idea.

A Process, Not a Problem

High schoolers from across the country, and even the globe have come to Boston University for Summer Challenge, a two-week pre-college program; however, it is not the college courses that have been challenging them, but a simple internet connection problem.

Ever since the Summer Challenge students arrived on the BU campus this past Sunday, they have been heading in masses to the Mugar Memorial Library. At first the students did not know how to fix the connection problems, but their Program Assistants soon guided them to the library. They surrounded the Information Services and Technology desk, hoping to regain access to the Internet not only for their academic pursuits, but also for social networking sites so that they could maintain frequent contact with their family and friends while away from home. 

Although most students were satisfied with their Internet connection once following their visit to the IT desk, as a team of Mass Communication students, we decided to further investigate the issue.  We approached John Scali, a year-round IT consultant, to fully understand how this inconvenience came about.  After all, each student had set up a BU login and password prior to his or her arrival and had been informed that doing so would allow them Internet access.

“It’s a procedure,” Scali said, explaining that the need to come to the IT center was not so much an issue, but a necessity for each incoming student. He said, “Just because you have a username does not mean that you have wireless access.”  

Once a student’s username is verified, wireless access is granted and connection should be simple from there.  It was then apparent that what students believed to be a pressing concern was in fact mere protocol, so we decided to inquire about the larger technological problems at BU. 

“Theft is very common.  International students in particular often leave their laptops, forgetting that they aren’t at home, to buy a cup of coffee, and come back to find that it’s gone.”

With many of the Summer Challenge students away from home for their first time, Scali’s words are a valuable reminder to closely monitor all electronics and other valuable possessions. Not having Internet connection can be an inconvenience for most students, but a stolen computer means lost data and high expenses.  Working Monday through Friday, Scali endeavors to solve numerous tech-related problems, large and small so that each student can rely on Internet and electronic devices while at BU.   

Written by Emily Carroll, Camden Villaire, and Debbie Estrada

           

Mass Communication - Day 1

I am taking what looks like is going to be a very interesting two-week class on Mass Communication at Boston University. Today I realized today was that even the subtlest things can have a big impact on a person's perception of something like showing more individual shots on a TV show  opening rather than group shots. I also saw how a lack of words can be just as power as words themselves, which reminded me of this video. - 

My first blog assignment was to create a wordless argument using five pictures.

I chose pictures I took on different vacations that all have a cool reflections in them.
Here's the link. http://cvillaire.blogspot.com/2012/06/reflections.html
The pictures were taken at Walden Pond in Massachusetts, The Palace of Versailles in France, at a Chateau in the Loire Valley of France, and at the 9/11 memorial in NYC.

Reflections