After researching my topic and struggling to go anywhere in my introduction I have chosen to change my topic. This may be a little unwise so close to the deadline but I think that I can produce something better. The topic that I have chosen instead is to look at the Disney Princesses in the different eras of the Walt Disney Corporation. As the years have progressed the central Princesses have become stronger characters and this is clearly defined in each of the different eras of Disney (Disney, Eisner and Iger).
Debate Topic: “Cinema Is Dead” February 28, 2011
As part of the ‘New Perspectives for New Contexts’ unit we are having to take part in a number of different debates in order to get us to start arguing points and having relevant evidence on which to back them up. The debate that I have chosen to prepare for is “Cinema Is Dead” and I will be arguing the point that cinema is in fact, dead. This is the vague notes, quotes and links that I have found in order to support the argument.
“Cinema is dead, says Greenaway” BBC News (Entertainment: Film) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1835469.stm
“In the early 1950s and 1960s the whole family would go to the cinema every week of the year. Now you’re hard-pressed to find someone who goes once a year.”
“Is cinema dead?” The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2007/aug/20/comparedtothefirsthalf
“I believe firstly that the cinema is too rich. It is obese. It has reached its limits, its maximum. With the first movement of widening which it will outline, the cinema will burst! Under the blow of a congestion, this greased pig will tear into a thousand pieces. I announce the destruction of the cinema, the first apocalyptic sign of disjunction, of rupture, of this corpulent and bloated organization which calls itself film.” - Isidore Isou
“Is cinema dead?” Louis Cypher http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Cinema-Dead?&id=4043210
“So what does all this mean? Less movies, for sure, though the ones that do get made will likely have to be better quality. The mid budget films and the indies will disappear almost completely, leaving only the micro budget features struggling to survive. Eventually, all movies will be streamed online to your set-top box, like Netflix, iTunes, or some yet to be developed technology. It is highly likely that to support this model of entertainment delivery, advertising will need to occur before, during and after the programming. Cinema will have died, and have become reborn as television – thus limiting our choices to “sponsor approved” programming.”
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4043210
Identifying a Topic February 17, 2011
Today I spoke with Amanda to get a firmer grip on the essay project that we are working on. I understood the main frame around it but I just was not sure how to go about picking my subject. I wanted to be writing about something that was interesting and of interest to me, but I did not want to be writing about something that was quite plain and simple. I came prepared with the idea that I wanted to do something around animation as this is something that has always interested me (despite my impatience with Maya), I thought about writing something topical on Pixar or a case study on children’s TV.
Amanda suggested the idea of gender roles within Pixar films in correlation to in Disney films, particularly in Toy Story. She gave the example that in the first film when Andy plays with Bo Peep he makes her out to be the typical damsel in distress character, however, when she ‘comes to life’ she is quite the contrary and knows how to stand up for herself. While this is a subject area that interests me, such as the roles of women within the media, how they are portrayed, what is expected of them and the feminist theories, I did think that this could be a viable option for my essay but I did not feel overly enthusiastic about it. It was interesting but it was something that I would choose and I wanted something that would somewhat challenge myself but would be interesting to write about.
I then mentioned that I had also thought of writing about children’s television but was not 100% sure what exactly I wanted to tackle. After a bit of thought I remembered that I had been reading about a new programme called Rastamouse, about a Jamaican mouse that fights crime, and read some parents reactions about it and how they thought it could influence their children. Amanda also then suggested Gigglebiz, which I have heard of but have never seen, as it is along the same lines that it tackle different cultural stereotypes.
I think that exploring the cultural stereotypes and how they affect children would be quite interesting as I have always had an interest into psychology and child psychology was one of my alternative options for a degree. I have read a lot about child psychology in the past and it would be nice to further that research in order to learn more to discuss within the essay. It also means that I get to spend days watching bizarre children’s tv.
