FIELD TRIP TO MUSEUM OF TV & RADIO

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH from 6-8pm
The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52nd Street, NY, NY 10019
(212) 621-6600

The tour starts promptly at 6.30pm.

JOURNAL SIX: Television

DUE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18TH

After reading the article (Notes on the Construction of Reality in TV News Programmes), view and analyze a television news story (current or past). The segment you select can be broadcast on a Top 5 network, cable or Internet. Be sure to include the broadcast information (date, title, network).

• Who created the story? Why?
• What is the main message of the story?
• Who is the target audience?
• Who is paying for the story (ads, etc.)?
• What is left out of the story?

JOURNAL FIVE: Film

DUE TUESDAY, OCT. 16TH

Movie trailers are one of the key ways to market films, film ideology and culture, but it is no easy task to make a great trailer. Trailers need to be exciting without giving away too much. Select any film trailer and react to its aesthetic and ideological construction.

1) What techniques does the trailer use to get you hooked? (eg. camera angles, music, voice over, etc.)
2) Does the trailer give away too much of the story?
3) What “ideology” or worldview does the trailer sell? (eg. Does the film give stereotypical views of the world, relationships, etc.? If so, what are the "types" used? Is the film conservative or progressive, etc.?)

ESSAY TWO: The informal evaluation essay

Essay two (3 pages) is due in class on Tuesday, October 23rd.
Bring two hard copies to class: Give one to me. Swap the second with a classmate.

Select a single work of mass media art. Analyze and critique the work selected, reflecting on its construction (medium and sender), purpose (message) and intended audience (receiver). Be sure to judge (your stance) the work too! (Is it good? Why, or why not? Does it achieve its goal? How? Is it biased? Is it generally understood? Etc.)

Analyze and react to the work selected.

1. Describe the work and why it is important (social, artistic, etc.).

• Give a brief summary.
• Talk about why we should care.

2. Analyze the work. Apply the SMCR model.

• Who created the work?
• What medium (channel) is used? Why?
• What is the purpose of the work? Does it achieve this?
• Who is the intended audience? How is the work generally received?

3. Discuss techniques used in the work.

• Evaluate how the work is constructed: lighting, story, sound, etc.
• Evaluate the ideology or “worldview” presented in the work.

4. Take a stand! Is the work amazing, or is it sh*t?

• Convince us why this is the best or worst work.
• Critique your opponents – tell us why they are wrong about the work?

This is a critical reaction/critical opinion essay. You should use at least two sources, but this is not a research essay. The bulk of the writing should be YOUR reaction to the work of media art you have selected, not what others think about it. Follow the steps above (adding an introduction and conclusion), and you’ve got an essay outline! (P.S. You still need to say what your sources are, but because this is an informal essay, you do not need to use APA style or include a bibliography.)