Make-up Exam - Wednesday April 6 @ 11:30am in 102 ACE

If you missed more than one exam, you will be writing more than one exam back-to-back.

Essay Writing Questions

Firstly, if you are concerned about page count, the best thing you can do is to write as if your reader doesn't know anything. 

For example, instead of "In an article about synergy "Authors last name" talked about..." really expand on every detail: "In her article on the emergence of media conglomerations in the 1980s, Jennifer Holt, discusses the importance of synergy in both developing and sustaining these nuanced business relationships."  Now, you can dedicate separate paragraphs to explaining what media conglomerations are, how they came to be, and how they affected film and television.  Then you can discuss the concept of "synergy" and how and why it developed, and how it affected film and television.  Then you can provide detailed examples of films, and then you should be able to offer specific examples from films. 

Again, if you are concerned about page count, write out the full title of articles.

Stick entirely to the course material.

A good essay writing strategy is to answer the question in a very concise single sentence. This will act as your thesis.  The questions are pretty broad, so you should be able to write a single sentence, answering the question.  Even if the question is something like: Discuss the development of media conglomerations.  Your single simple sentence should be something like: "Due to the decline of the film industry and Reagan's policies of deregulation throughout the 1980s, media conglomerates were formed, changing the very content and methods films were produced to serve a consumerist agenda."

Now in your paper, you will need to elaborate on each point in your thesis, providing supportive evidence from films, readings, and lectures. 

Try to remember the article authors and titles, at the very least the author's last name, so you can say Holt's article.

Yes, if you don't hit the minimum 4 pages, you will be penalized.  Going above 6 is not as big of deal, but just be sure you are not just providing page fill.  Four, double-spaced, pages is not a lot of writing.

Anyone going to DeVotchka tonight?  See y'all there:

Herman Grey and African American Representation Questions

It has been pointed out to me that Joe mentioned to just focus on Colour Adjustment, but, nevertheless, it would be useful having a solid understanding of both documentaries.

It's too bad we can't discuss Frank's Place, because Grey's article cites it so frequently.  What are some of the most important points in Grey's article?


It's not that you can't discuss Frank's Place, but there just won't be a specific question about it.  If you intend on discussing Grey's article, I think you will inevitably have to discuss Frank's Place because it is so central to his article.  Grey discusses the importance of setting in the predominantly African American programs and hot it can both demonstrate the lower economic class of African Americans on the one hand, while negating the reality of lower class African Americans on the other.  He argues that the Cosby Show was one of the first shows to present an accurate portrayal of an upper middleclass family one reason being the program's use of setting.  The most important aspect of Grey's article is his idea of viewing African Americans through the white suburban middleclass lens.  Namely, a seemingly sympathetic representation of them cannot simply be based on the goals and aspirations of the white middleclass, i.e. the American dream.  African American history in the United States must be accounted for in this representation.

Why did the change in representation of African Americans change?

The civil rights movement coupled with the increased level of media literacy in the general public are two of the most important factors in the shift in representations of African American people in film and television.  It's also important to address the how in the change in representation, as in How did the representation of African Americans in the early 70s change?  Also, the lack of African Americans in prominent positions in the industry played an important, yet damaging factor as well.  A movement towards providing African Americans a legitimate voice in the media saw the upsurge in a more accurate representation.

Don't forget when you are studying, be sure to understand how and why changes occurred and how and why they affected American film and television. 


Please don't hesitate to send me any further questions you may have.  It's crunchy time!  See y'all tomorrow!  Good luck! 

Walker, Sopranos, and The Myth of the Liberal Media Questions

Where can I find the documentary, The Myth of the Liberal Media?

Did you try searching York's library catalogue? Because it's at SMIL.

You can also find the entire documentary here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6ED7BD08E220E9F4


Where does Walker fall into place when discussing media conglomerations' effect on film?


Walker is not a blockbuster, and was produced by independent production companies.  It was, however, distributed by Universal Pictures, which was already part of a media conglomeration in the 80s due to Reagan's policies on deregulation.  Universal Pictures is a production company but distributed this film, which is an example of vertical integration.  Studios got into distribution after the paramount decrees disallowed them from exhibiting their own films.  However, I am sure you are very well aware of Universal Studios, and now Universal pictures is part of the NBC-Comcast conglomeration, which is owned by GE.  This would be a great way to discuss the concept of synergy discussed by Holt in her article.  Walker is a rare insofar as it is critical of media conglomeration.  If you recall, William Walker was sent to the Nicaragua by a railroad corporation to build a canal, but ended up taking over the country, which is more or less historically accurate.  If you discuss Walker you should be able to discuss the Nicaraguan conflict case study.  Walker's ironic use of genres, is a criticism of genre revisionism, which exploit as many genres as possible to appeal to the widest possible audience, an effect of media conglomeration.   Also, in Walker, the ironic use of advertising, consumer goods, and even media itself is an equally ironic criticism of the way films in the 80s had to appeal to a broad range of markets, synergy.  Lastly, you could discuss its blatant allegories of the Vietnam War, which would be a good way to compare the Nicaraguan conflict. 



How do you discuss Sopranos with They Myth of the Liberal Media?

For The Sopranos, you will need to discuss them in relation to pay-per-view television, namely, HBO.  Why wasn't Sopranos, a show that was predicted to be immensely popular regardless of the network, picked up by the big 3 networks?  Why was HBO allowed to air it?  This topic would equally require an understanding of the effects of media conglomeration.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to send them my way.

Study Guide

To get an A, you will need to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the material by correctly citing articles, screenings, lectures, and case studies.  A good way to approach the material is to ask why changes occurred, how it affected film and television, and how these changes were reflected in the screenings.  For example, what was the change in the representation of African Americans, why did this change happen, and how did it affect film and television?  I am going to assume you were at the last lecture if not, JKK is not testing on Frank's Place or the Prince reading from the Film Reader.  To discuss African American representation, you will need to cite Grey's article, and the two documentaries from that week.  Do yourself a huge favour, and screen them in SMIL, and take notes about how and why changes occurred. 
Another, cause and effect arena to consider would be genre revitalization (word?) and hybridity especially with regards to the blockbuster.  Why were genres revisited and reworked?  What are blockbusters?  Why were they necessary?  This topic will largely need evidence from the screenings like Star Wars (definitely a Blockbuster) and Little Big Man (not a blockbuster, but a satirical, highly allegorical genre revisionist film).  A good approach to this topic would maybe be a comparison in the allegorical representation of the Vietnam War or the American Empire between these two films.  Also, this topic will demand an understanding of the conflict in Nicaragua.
Which bring us to media conglomeration.  Why did this occur?  How did media conglomeration affect film and television?  Who and what were the main players and legislation involved in this the formation of media conglomerates?   How was media conglomeration, Nicaraguan and Vietnam conflicts represented in Walker?   Walker is a complex film that pushes the boundaries of many genres, it would be worthwhile to re-screeening it for evidence.  What scenes in particular reflect media (or corporate) conglomeration, or are allegorical of the Vietnam conflict?  How and why does this film (or Star Wars, or Little Big Man) use genres?  To discuss media conglomeration, and blockbusters, you will need to discuss franchise films, and synergy, which are discussed very plainly in the Schatz and Holt articles. 
Lastly, the myth of the liberal media is a product of media conglomeration.  For this, all of the information is taken from the Noah Chomsky documentary.  If you wish to discuss Sopranos, you will need to discuss pay-tv and how and why it came to be.  Sopranos could also be used to discuss genre revisionism.

I know it's a lot of information, so maybe tackle 2 or 3 weeks.

Please let me know if you have any further specific questions and I'll post any  subsequent student questions as well.

Whaddaya Lookin’ At? Re-reading the Gangster Genre Through “The Sopranos”

Summary Nochimson talks about the gangster sub-genre as well as the classical gangster genre. She talks about the differences between the two citing that that The Sopranos sub-genre is a new hybrid version of old gangster films with a melodrama element. The Sopranos shares some of the standard similarities between gangster films such as viewing crime as a legitimate career path, masculinity is strongly associated with power, the genre having a close connection to reality and finally convinces the audience to be emphatic towards the criminal elements of the flicks. She also goes on to describe the differences of The Sopranos and how it is different, stating that The Sopranos incorporates the middle class society of people such as doctors, lawyers, teachers etc, as the cowardly and morally neglectful. She goes on to describe Tony Sopranos’ weakness from examples from the show, which breathes new life into the genre as he visits his therapist for help, compared to the gangster films where the protagonists are seen as strong brutal mobsters. Other elements of the show include family melodrama which is a more in depth look at family conflicts, physicality of mobsters of the show which are conveyed in more detail that include actions such as drinking, eating, kissing and so forth with more meaning than the films. Finally, the use of religion within the show is displayed as a tool of evil and self- destruction of Tony Soprano’s wife, Carmella. The author talks about the strengths and weakness of Tony Soprano as a character and why he appeals to the audience in general and the many ways they can relate to him.

In Deregulation We Trust: The synergy of politics and industry in Reagan-Era Hollywood - Jennifer Holt

This article by Jennifer Holt talks about the stages of how the media corporations, who were once under intense scrutiny under consent decrees, such as the Sherman Act in the late 40’s, gradually transformed into major corporate conglomerates.

Hollywood went through many changes in the 80’s; newer, more improved technological and delivery systems, and also the neo classical approach to economic policies under the Reagan administration changed the Hollywood landscape forever. It also bonded even closer ties between the government and Hollywood.

Hollywood was undergoing major changes in terms of concentrated power in the hands of a few, and large scale expansions, because of more and more corporation being allowed to vertically integrate.

In the 70’s, because of rising costs of production, film making did decline a little, but came back strongly because of the rising number of billion dollar deal mergers and conglomerates.

The ‘birth of the VCR’ also changed the media landscape. VCR ‘dates’ replaced the social ritual of going to cinemas, and 30-35% of film revenues came from these home theatre sales. This also affected the media landscape, and changed its production techniques significantly.

The Paramount Decree was a U.S Supreme Court anti-trust case that decided the fate of movie studios owning their own theatres and holding exclusivity rights on which theatres would show their films. It changed the way Hollywood movies were produced, distributed, and exhibited. The court had the job of enforcing these laws, but under Reagan’s administration mergers were promoted and the essence of the decree was being manipulated by the studios.

The 5 major studios acquired almost 20 percent of the country’s theaters. Competition from cable and home video was eroding the theatrical revenues but the strategy of releasing films in many theatres on the opening week along with a 120 percent increase in the film’s average advertising cost helped overcome it.

And thus, a ‘New Hollywood era had begun, where 11 of Hollywood’s largest distributors had 96% of the box office revenues.