Our PSA is finally finished! We chose to do a PSA on legalizing marijuana. We began by each doing some research to get an idea of the direction we wanted to go in. We then decided to film a smoking scene with our information running across the page. Nate and Zach filmed the scene and today we put together the full PSA. Meg, Zach and I worked for a while deciding which part of the footage to use, which facts to put in, and finally chose a song to play in the background.
I believe our PSA gets the point across in a clear and efficient manner. The information is all relevant and easy to understand. I also believe both the music and the background scene are very good and will keep the audience entertained without distracting from the information. I think PSA’s should be used and made far more often. I think this form of communication about issues could be incredibly effective.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
#12
PART ONE: AD ANALYSIS
I chose to focus on an advertisement for Pepsi-Cola. When I was deciding on my ad I saw a few that were far more offensive to me and I decided to focus on this ad because I ACTUALLY LIKED IT! I was shocked how much I liked this ad, and even as someone who is aware of green washing and the tricks of the media I found myself liking Pepsi more simply because of the ad.
The commercial begins by showing us Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am in similar attire in side-to-side frames. So from the very beginning we see the technique of testimonial, from not only one, but incredibly popular artists. We then see the Pepsi Refresh symbol (which looks like a recycling symbol) flash before we head into a commercial full of common advertising techniques.
The commercial is full of positive images reminding us of simple and amazing times. We see nostalgia with the images from thirty years ago, followed by images of today. In many ways all the images are very American, or what we would like to think of as American, both the heroic soldiers and the revolutionizing protestors.
Along with all these images of celebrities and those far from normal we also see many who resemble the “plain folk.” So many cultures are represented in this commercial it would be hard for most to not identify with some aspect. The commercial ends with a voice saying, “Every generation refreshes the world.” I think this final line is incredibly important to look at.
While it appears that many people of my generation do not care about social or environmental issues it is clear that on some level we do. Even for those who are not making an effort to fight for change a commercial like this gives any viewer a warm fuzzy feeling about the “change” their generation is making.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJFu3QcKW8&feature=related
PART TWO: ACTIVIST WEBSITES
I chose to look at a website called Project Censored: The news that didn’t make the news. This website has many news stories that were not shown in the news or specifically covered up. I absolutely loved the site. It was set up like a typical news site, such as CNN or the NYTimes but with important stories about incredibly important issues. It is unbelievably hard to believe all these things are going on without more protest.
There is a newsletter for those who sign up, and the people from the website have released books. Project censored has been active for 34 years, so it seems that it should be better known. They spread information through their website, Media Freedom Foundations daily news feed, and their facebook fan page (which I became a fan of). I’m not sure how but it seems that the site could do more to be noticed.
I chose to focus on an advertisement for Pepsi-Cola. When I was deciding on my ad I saw a few that were far more offensive to me and I decided to focus on this ad because I ACTUALLY LIKED IT! I was shocked how much I liked this ad, and even as someone who is aware of green washing and the tricks of the media I found myself liking Pepsi more simply because of the ad.
The commercial begins by showing us Bob Dylan and Will.I.Am in similar attire in side-to-side frames. So from the very beginning we see the technique of testimonial, from not only one, but incredibly popular artists. We then see the Pepsi Refresh symbol (which looks like a recycling symbol) flash before we head into a commercial full of common advertising techniques.
The commercial is full of positive images reminding us of simple and amazing times. We see nostalgia with the images from thirty years ago, followed by images of today. In many ways all the images are very American, or what we would like to think of as American, both the heroic soldiers and the revolutionizing protestors.
Along with all these images of celebrities and those far from normal we also see many who resemble the “plain folk.” So many cultures are represented in this commercial it would be hard for most to not identify with some aspect. The commercial ends with a voice saying, “Every generation refreshes the world.” I think this final line is incredibly important to look at.
While it appears that many people of my generation do not care about social or environmental issues it is clear that on some level we do. Even for those who are not making an effort to fight for change a commercial like this gives any viewer a warm fuzzy feeling about the “change” their generation is making.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJFu3QcKW8&feature=related
PART TWO: ACTIVIST WEBSITES
I chose to look at a website called Project Censored: The news that didn’t make the news. This website has many news stories that were not shown in the news or specifically covered up. I absolutely loved the site. It was set up like a typical news site, such as CNN or the NYTimes but with important stories about incredibly important issues. It is unbelievably hard to believe all these things are going on without more protest.
There is a newsletter for those who sign up, and the people from the website have released books. Project censored has been active for 34 years, so it seems that it should be better known. They spread information through their website, Media Freedom Foundations daily news feed, and their facebook fan page (which I became a fan of). I’m not sure how but it seems that the site could do more to be noticed.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
#11
Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Chapter 12
Democracy is defined as “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation.” I feel this definition is precisely my idea of democracy, and while it may appear that we have this in the U.S. we actually do not.
Yes, the people have the power to vote but there is so much control and influence over our thoughts that I wonder if it is really us voting anymore? The chapter opens with the quote “The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”
This chapter discusses the idea of propaganda and from reading the definition it is clear that propaganda is a significant and invasive part of our everyday lives. If we are constantly bombarded with information specifically designed to alter our views and opinions how can we even distinguish which views are our own and which have been affected by propaganda.
The more troubling question is why is all this propaganda necessary? We must be skeptical of the fact that billions of dollars are spent on PR. If a corporation was to act in the interests of its consumers there would be no need to invest in such large amounts of PR. It scares me to consider what is actually going on behind the disguise designed by the PR professionals.
Immediately after defining propaganda the author discusses education. He writes that the purpose of education is to “encourage critical enquiry and to open minds to arguments for and against any particular conclusion, rather than close them to the possibility of any conclusion but one.” I believe education is the ONLY way to reach the true democracy we all dream of, a government in which all voices are heard and respected equally.
Observation Experiment:
For my observation experiment I went down to the waterfront and lay in the grass. I could feel the sun shining on my legs, breeze blowing through my hair and could hear laughter literally everywhere. I observed numerous children, pets, and parents’ enjoying the beautiful weather and the abundance of energy was everywhere.
Although it was not a quite space I found myself incredibly relaxed. As I lay in the sun I found myself dozing off numerous times simply smelling the grass and listening to the happiness around me. I ended up staying there for about an hour an a half, reluctant to head back to reality.
I watched a half hour of golf this morning. The commercials were long, and boring. I sat in my living room silently staring at the box in front of me. I could hear our fridge humming, a bum pushing bottles down the street and some people outside complaining. As I sat there I thought about my time down by the waterfront. Here in front of the television there is no true happiness. There is no laughter or interactions, there is no cool breeze through my hair and the warmth is coming from our obnoxiously loud space heater.
For me watching television is incredibly boring. My thoughts almost disappeared as I stared forward. When I was outside I had so much on my mind but here I literally can think of nothing else. I feel that people get stuck inside in front of the television. We forget how amazing it is to be outside and enjoying real life.
Democracy is defined as “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation.” I feel this definition is precisely my idea of democracy, and while it may appear that we have this in the U.S. we actually do not.
Yes, the people have the power to vote but there is so much control and influence over our thoughts that I wonder if it is really us voting anymore? The chapter opens with the quote “The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy.”
This chapter discusses the idea of propaganda and from reading the definition it is clear that propaganda is a significant and invasive part of our everyday lives. If we are constantly bombarded with information specifically designed to alter our views and opinions how can we even distinguish which views are our own and which have been affected by propaganda.
The more troubling question is why is all this propaganda necessary? We must be skeptical of the fact that billions of dollars are spent on PR. If a corporation was to act in the interests of its consumers there would be no need to invest in such large amounts of PR. It scares me to consider what is actually going on behind the disguise designed by the PR professionals.
Immediately after defining propaganda the author discusses education. He writes that the purpose of education is to “encourage critical enquiry and to open minds to arguments for and against any particular conclusion, rather than close them to the possibility of any conclusion but one.” I believe education is the ONLY way to reach the true democracy we all dream of, a government in which all voices are heard and respected equally.
Observation Experiment:
For my observation experiment I went down to the waterfront and lay in the grass. I could feel the sun shining on my legs, breeze blowing through my hair and could hear laughter literally everywhere. I observed numerous children, pets, and parents’ enjoying the beautiful weather and the abundance of energy was everywhere.
Although it was not a quite space I found myself incredibly relaxed. As I lay in the sun I found myself dozing off numerous times simply smelling the grass and listening to the happiness around me. I ended up staying there for about an hour an a half, reluctant to head back to reality.
I watched a half hour of golf this morning. The commercials were long, and boring. I sat in my living room silently staring at the box in front of me. I could hear our fridge humming, a bum pushing bottles down the street and some people outside complaining. As I sat there I thought about my time down by the waterfront. Here in front of the television there is no true happiness. There is no laughter or interactions, there is no cool breeze through my hair and the warmth is coming from our obnoxiously loud space heater.
For me watching television is incredibly boring. My thoughts almost disappeared as I stared forward. When I was outside I had so much on my mind but here I literally can think of nothing else. I feel that people get stuck inside in front of the television. We forget how amazing it is to be outside and enjoying real life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
