On mztv.com, there is a section that defines television by numerous quotes; I found this to be a very interesting approach, considering that a good portion of the quotes were actually derisive toward the television industry, the concept of television itself, or other aspects. For example, there are a few quotes that heavily favor literature over the television as demonstrated by quotes by people such as Groucho Marx and Andrew Ross. The monumental shift brought by the television and its subsequent impact is also cleverly referred to by these quotes; Tennessee Williams laments how the focus on television has shrunken the cultural support and growth of writers such as himself.
The New York World's Fair's theme of "Building the World of Tomorrow" really puts things in perspective for me and how I take for granted the advanced technology that seems to blend into the background in my life.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Radio Days
I have to say, otr.com is a very impressive archive of classic radio broadcasts. The coverage of the important news events are essential documents to understanding the context and atmosphere of the times when they occurred, as we move forward and are farther removed from these turning points in history.
It's not hard to understand how radio could provide the endless hours of entertainment, similar to how television does today (and with the depth of the internet, the ability to hear or see endless hours of past radio and television broadcasts is a pleasure that I exploit all the time).
I am listening to the first episode of Captain Midnight and am loving the voice actors portraying the characters. The vibrant performances help paint a picture of what is going on in the scene. Of course, the dialogue is very important in setting the scene, with Captain Midnight pointing out the wounds of another character ad the character describing how he got them in clear language. You can see how the absence of visuals makes the dialogue that much more important.
Speaking of entertainment through the radio, the next evolutionary step to me is the podcast. I listen to radio broadcasts in podcast form all the time due to my long commute to UT everyday and while I'm delivering pizzas on the job. I implore anyone interested in radio comedy to check out a duo by the names of Scharpling & Wurster; Jon Wurster (drummer of the band Superchunk) calls into Tom Scharpling's radio show (The Best Show on WFMU) as a wide range of absurd characters. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out: http://www.scharplingandwurster.com/index.php?cat=7
It's not hard to understand how radio could provide the endless hours of entertainment, similar to how television does today (and with the depth of the internet, the ability to hear or see endless hours of past radio and television broadcasts is a pleasure that I exploit all the time).
I am listening to the first episode of Captain Midnight and am loving the voice actors portraying the characters. The vibrant performances help paint a picture of what is going on in the scene. Of course, the dialogue is very important in setting the scene, with Captain Midnight pointing out the wounds of another character ad the character describing how he got them in clear language. You can see how the absence of visuals makes the dialogue that much more important.
Speaking of entertainment through the radio, the next evolutionary step to me is the podcast. I listen to radio broadcasts in podcast form all the time due to my long commute to UT everyday and while I'm delivering pizzas on the job. I implore anyone interested in radio comedy to check out a duo by the names of Scharpling & Wurster; Jon Wurster (drummer of the band Superchunk) calls into Tom Scharpling's radio show (The Best Show on WFMU) as a wide range of absurd characters. Here's a link if you'd like to check it out: http://www.scharplingandwurster.com/index.php?cat=7
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
A Clockwork Orange
Coincidentally, a few days after I decide to rent A Clockwork Orange from my local library, we discuss the movie in class(maybe I subconsciously decided to watch it again after looking at the syllabus). The bit in which Alex DeLarge recites "Singin' in the Rain" as he commits acts of extreme violence is inverting the main purpose of the song itself; it's ironic to sing this song, which is almost the epitome of cheeriness, within the context of breaking inside a home and committing heinous acts of violence. It resembles the ending of another Stanley Kubrick film, Full Metal Jacket, where soldiers in Vietnam chant the "Mickey Mouse" song in unison against the backdrop of a war torn country.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
2/9/2010
I really enjoyed yesterday's class, especially the clips from Singin' in the Rain which I found hilarious. I've never watched this movie before but I saw it in my local library while looking for a copy of Madame Butterfly for the Opera project, so I'll be sure to rent it sometime in the future. I ended up renting Madame Butterfly and a movie that's tangentially related to Singin' in the Rain, A Clockwork Orange(which has a scene that completely recontextualizes the title song in one of its scenes which I won't spoil in this blog post.) I decided to read more into Singin' in the Rain after yesterday's class and an interesting tidbit I learned about that famous scene where Grace Kelly is literally singing in the rain was that the scene that looked absolutely seamless on first viewing actually took two to three days to achieve.
The growth of silent films from simple camera shots such as Nosferatu to the sense of pandemonium created in the film The Battleship Potemkin was a shining example of how important editing and camera movement can be in creating a captivating narrative. The frequent cuts in The Passion of Joan of Arc was very effective in adding to the heavy drama of Joan's demise by focusing on her as she was being executed and circumnavigating around her direct environment for the reactions from the crowd.
The growth of silent films from simple camera shots such as Nosferatu to the sense of pandemonium created in the film The Battleship Potemkin was a shining example of how important editing and camera movement can be in creating a captivating narrative. The frequent cuts in The Passion of Joan of Arc was very effective in adding to the heavy drama of Joan's demise by focusing on her as she was being executed and circumnavigating around her direct environment for the reactions from the crowd.
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