Propaganda - Ranges

 

In 1918, artist Harry R. Hopps created the propaganda poster “Mad Brute.” This poster depicts Germany as an enraged gorilla stepping foot on an American shore as Europe lays in ruin in the distance. This was used by the San Francisco Army Recruiting District to help enlist men for the army against the "German militarism" threatening American liberty. American Liberty, in this poster, takes the form of a young women being held by the grasp of the “Mad Brute.” This type of poster was used to instill fear in the American public, typically by depicting Germany as a monster to be scared of.

Michael Jordan dunk contest

 

        After viewing the previous posts on the blog I had run across the famous photo capture of Muhammad Ali knocking out Sonny Liston. When seeing that image it speaks out to the viewer and where you can see that Ali was fighting to prove himself as Sonny Liston was favored to win before the fight. After seeing that image I thought of another sports icon, Michael Jordan. Mostly recognized as the best basketball player in NBA history, the image above is a capture of his freak talents. In the 1988 dunk contest, he had done the impossible by dunking from the free-throw line. Still, to this day people attempt this and always come up short, it just goes to show the freak talent Jordan had and how far apart he is separated from all other NBA talents.

Class Climate

 

Class Survey- Riley Coleman

 

scarface movie 1932 vs 1983

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGvbu2UMHeY

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTyqPsxiUb4

In class this week another student showed the final scene of the original Scarface movie from 1932 and while watching it for the first time I was shocked at how similar it was to the 1983 version I have seen multiple times in my life. I had known that the 1983 version was inspired by the 1932 version but the final scene from both movies is almost identical. Both Tony Montana and Tony Camonte are in a shoot-out from a second-floor where they are surrounded and trapped with their sisters (that both Tonys have feelings for beyond sibling love). Both sisters get shot and it leads to both Montana and Camonte getting crazed and retaliating in a gun firing furry to avenge their sister's death. While watching the scene in class I found it interesting knowing what would happen before it would occur in a movie I hadn't seen before.

The Hunger Games 2012 DVD Movie Censorship (Thallisa Joseph)

    

 

    Lionsgate bought The Hunger Games film, which was released on March 23, 2012. The British part of Lionsgate wanted the BBFC 12A rating, but to get the rating the movie was censored. Around that time, in Britain, they announced that they were censoring The Hunger Games for the safety of children so that it does not affect them. The 12A rating was suitable for children ages twelve and up. For children younger than twelve, 12A rated films had to be banned. The Hunger Games was censored because many scenes were hard for children to see, such as the bloody and violent fight scenes. The film producers wanted to make the fight scenes intense and similar to the book, making it more interesting, but since the movie was made for a younger audience, they had to soften up some scenes to be considered a 12A rating. The British Board of Film Classification still censored the revised version of the film because the edited parts did not do much to be a 12A rating. Later, after many edits, The Hunger Games film was fully released in the UK with a 12A rating. 

censorship blog

 

    Alex Hancock

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/china-bans-crypto-marvel-film-shang-chi-effeminate-men-what-ncna1279772

While we were presenting our censorship projects, I remembered someone sharing this movie. It really caught my attention and interested me because this movie just came out in September of this year (2021). It looked really good and action packed. I watched the movie trailer and I thought it was really cool and I honestly would like to watch it. As I was watching it I was thinking to myself, "why is it censored?" Turns out, this film is censored in China because, "Xi and his party want to keep China free of foreign and individualistic influences, with these crackdowns furthering his goal of greater control over all aspects of Chinese economy, culture and education." (nbcnews.com). I am still super surprised how the controlling the country of China still is. It seems as if China is still behind the times due to how they run their government and the power they have over their citizens. Even nbcnews.com stated, "They’re a sign of how increasingly difficult and elusive such government control is in a globalized economy and social media age." I just thought the censorship of this film was really interesting since it is so recent and the Chinese culture sparks my interest.

British Censorship

 British Censorship in Advertising 

by Kaleigh Hoole-Harman

Brief History of British Advertising and Censorship

   The Advertising Association (AA) is a trade association that represents agencies, media and research services, and advertisers in the UK and was established in 1924. Its role/aim is to promote the rights and responsibilities of advertising and its impact on society.  

    After discussions with other industry professionals in 1961, the AA found it important that consumers in non-broadcast media welcomed and trusted advertisements. This led to the formation of the Committee of Advertising Practice, also known as CAP. CAP produced the first version of the British Code of Advertising Practice.  

    Then in 1962 CAP established the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA functions as an independent advertising regulator under the code, as mentioned above. Its purpose was to supervise the work of the self-regulatory system in the interest of the public.  

    In 1988, the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations came out. This allowed the ASA to be backed legally by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). For the first time, because of these regulations, the ASA was able to refer advertisers who refused to co-operate with the self-regulatory system to the OFT where legal action could ensue.  

    Today the ASA still functions in the same manner. 

Example of Modern Day Censorship 

    In 2012 Toyota UK released a commercial, known as "The Real Deal," for their Toyota GT86. This commercial became banned in the UK due to it being seen as an encouragement for dangerous driving. 

 Toyota had told the ASA that it did not, in fact, condone unsafe or irresponsible driving.  As well as how its commercial is impossible to reproduce under real-world conditions. The commercial depicts a dystopian video game of sorts with a clearly digitally produced man. 

    Despite the ban from television, the commercial was still available online on Toyota UK’s YouTube page, but as of today it is no longer there but can clearly still be found on the internet.

 

Censorship project - Danielle Barberio

 Danielle Barberio 

Professor Hammond 

Visual literacy 

25 November 2021

The Tiny Toons episode called “One Beer” aired in 1991, only once. It was quickly banned in 1995 when many parents complained about underage drinking being in a kid's TV show. The legal drinking age was 21 during this time and people believed a kid's show should not be showcasing underage drinking, even if it was meant to show how to drink responsibly and not drink and drive. Parents were able to get this banned after the episode became quite controversial. In this episode, Buster asks Plucky and Hamton what they'd like to drink. They notice a bottle of beer in the fridge, and Buster thinks they should drink it. Hamton says it's not like Buster to do that, but Buster tells them that today they're going to show the viewers the evils of alcohol. They go to the park and Buster opens the beer bottle and dares Plucky and Hamton to drink it. Quickly after they begin drinking they become very drunk and are burping non-stop and scaring girls away with their breath and actions. Still drunk, Buster, Plucky, and Hamton go to a donut shop and Plucky notices a police car with the keys still in the ignition. They decide to steal the car and go for a joyride. They take the police car and go to the top of Death Mountain, where there is a “Danger road out ahead" sign. They crash through the sign and drive off Death Mountain, where the car dives straight to the bottom, and lands in a graveyard, where they die and their souls go to heaven. As the cartoon ends, Buster, Plucky, and Hamton take off their angel costumes and hope that kids get the message that drinking is uncool. The only public response that was made was Fox Kids banning this episode due to Buster peer pressuring Plucky and Hamton into drinking and then convincing them to drive drunk. This results in falling off of a cliff, which leads to their “death”. The ban was successfully carried out and the episode never aired again on television and to this day will never air. The ban is still in effect, however, viewers can watch this episode on streaming platforms such as Youtube. I personally agree and disagree with this ban. I feel as though a kids’ show should not be showcasing underage drinking, however, I also believe that it is smart to show kids the bad effects of alcohol at a young age so they will not drink until they are older. This episode might have been a little too intense for kids at the time and when they fall off of the cliff this could have been terrifying for younger viewers. I think it was smart for parents to get the episode banned, but I also like how you can still watch the episode on Youtube if you please. 

Class Climate Survey Participation - Gia Alonso

 

Thoughts on Censorship

     For about the past month, we have been discussing censorship in various media such as movies, television shows, and even gaming. While every individual has their own opinion on what is excessive or acceptable, it's interesting to think that organizations such as the MPAA have such a strong influence on the general American population - for better or for worse. This realization has me thinking about what life related to visual media would be like if these censors didn't exist. 

    First, I think that families with younger children would be in opposition because I do feel that the MPAA's ability to distinguish a "PG" movie from a "PG-13" movie makes a difference when parents decide what is appropriate and what isn't. Without this guidance, I assume that children would be exposed to violence, sex, language, etc., at a younger age than wanted. Furthermore, given my personal experience,  and the current state of social media, I have already observed how my thirteen year old brother is experiencing a higher level of explicitness than I had at that age. As a result, this begs the question: Is the exposing of explicit content to younger generations inevitable? Would it really matter if things weren't censored? 

    Second, the non-existence of censorship can be observed through the eyes of adults. More often than not, when watching a movie trailer, people are able to decide if that movie seems intriguing or not. If they don't like what they see, they will most likely avoid it when it's released. Without movie ratings or censorship, couldn't people avoid explicit movies based on their reaction to the trailer? How effective or truly appreciated is the censorship system by filmmakers? I would assume that some people would love for the MPAA to lose its influence. 

    Finally, I can see how some people appreciate the censorship system as well as how others despise it. I appreciate the class's in-depth study on this topic because it's something I never really considered until dissecting it. Censorship is a topic that I will continue to think about as I continue my path down media studies. 

Tristan Hilson

Propaganda Poster- Gia Alonso

 

In 2008, M&M decided to create its own "election campaign" in Australia and New Zealand. Each M&M color was given their own propaganda poster for the campaign based on their personalities. Each poster featured its own silly slogan like "Miss Green, working the polls" and "Vote Yellow, the people's candy-date." In addition, they ran small ads on TV to showcase each M&M color. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5uThH2jR0M

The purpose was to promote M&M's by getting people to remember them for their fun advertisements. This was also during the time of the 2008 presidential election, so giving people a good laugh between the real advertisements on tv were the goals. I just thought these were funny and different from ones we viewed in class!

Propaganda Poster- Redieat Abebe

This is a propaganda piece I created last year for one of my classes. It focuses on the social issue of rhino poaching. I chose to focus on this social issue because rhinos are critically endangered. But, why should we save the rhinos? 

Rhinos play a crucial role in their ecosystem. They are grazers and consume large amounts of vegetation, which helps shape the African landscape. This benefits other animals and keeps a healthy balance within the ecosystem. Furthermore, local people depend on the natural resources within the rhino habitat for food, fuel, and income (tourism).

Rhino horns are used in traditional Asian medicine and as a status symbol. The rhino horn is made of keratin, a protein also found in human hair and fingernails. I decided to incorporate this concept into my poster by having a rhino scalping my hair with its horn. This not only makes the connection between the keratin found in rhino horns and human hair but also provokes the viewer to think of what rhinos have to go through. 

I then had the rhino be vocalized by putting a text box that says "I am not your trophy or medicine". I made my hoodie grey to symbolize the position I played as a rhino being poached. If humans were being scalped and killed for their hair to be used as medicine or a trophy, there would be severe outrage. 

My poster provokes pathos within the viewer by forcing them to put themselves in the position of the rhino. Once in that position, the viewer is able to see that my stance on this issue needs to be supported. 

Propaganda- Riley Coleman

This propaganda was recently very relevant to our lives. In March 2020 when covid first hit, we went into a lockdown to slow the spread. This propaganda was made to make people feel sympathy for the frontline workers. They worked so hard during the pandemic. Hospital beds were overflowing and the frontline workers did what they can to protect us all. While we were all at home during lockdown, the frontline workers never stopped working. It was very stressful for them during this time. The women in this propaganda looks fierce and strong with the way her eyes are pointing up while wearing a mask. I believe this propaganda was successful at relaying the message of staying home, slowing the spread, and protecting others.  

Propaganda Assignment- Sofia Williner

 Sofia Williner - University of Tampa - COM232

Propaganda Assignment: Visual Literacy Paper 2

For this assignment, I decided to work with a very well-known propaganda poster made during World War I. This iconic piece was created to perceive the viewers and encourage them to join the US army during a hard time for the country. Millions of copies were printed, flying all around the country between 1917 and 1918. The figure we see in the middle is known as “Uncle Sam”, which is a personification of the federal government of the United States. He was “born” in 1813 naming him after Samuel Wilson. Samuel was known for supporting the U.S army by supplying them with barrels of meat. 

There are many reasons why this poster is still considered one of the best examples of historic propaganda. The persuasive techniques are the right ones to encourage men to join the army. In the first place, we can see how the figure itself has a very intimidating face. This made the viewer feel like he had to do what he was asking for, giving a sense of superiority and leadership. In the second place, the top hat, evil eyes, pointing finger, and colors make the viewer feel part of something. That something was war, they created the idea of how proud the future soldiers should feel if they joined the war and show support for their country. The colors used in the poster are very important as they represent the colors of the US flag, another technique to make the viewer feel part of the movement for their country.

Last but not least, the author of this historic poster was James Montgomery Flagg, born in New York in 1877. He was recognized as a highly known designer, having the peak of his carrier by being the highest paid magazine illustrator in all America. He started his illustrations at the age of 12 and without stopping he ended up created one of the most known posters of all time.

All in all we can conclude saying that this poster marked history in many ways. I believe even though many people might not know the history behind the poster, they have seen it before. The propaganda techniques we're totally thought by, not leaving space for doubts at all. As the message was very clear, this poster changed the recruitment number and encouraged patriotism all around America.

Propaganda Poster - Danielle Barberio

 

He volunteered for Submarine Service 

    In 1944, Jon Whitcomb created a piece of propaganda called “He volunteered for the Submarine Service”. This poster was made towards the end of World War II. It was an obvious attempt to get men to join the submarine service because they were in need of more men. The United States government was the main propagandist and tried using the underlying desire of love to pursue men to join the service. Playing on the desires of men, this poster alludes that if you join the service it will attract women. In the poster, it depicts a man with a young and attractive female and the man has a big smile on his face. The photo has very bright colors and gives off a positive and happy vibe. It promoted the idea that serving was filled with joy and rewards instead of showing all the harsh and negative risks and emotions that serving brings. Propaganda was created to manipulate people by appealing to their unconscious desires. Due to the fact that the United States government was looking for new and fresh recruits, they used this style of art to attract young men to join the submarine service thinking it would be easy work and instant reward. When men join the service they will think their experience will be just like the poster and they will not hesitate to join because they are looking for the effect that the poster brought to them. This poster makes men more interested in joining the service because in their minds they believe they will get a young woman and be just as happy as the man in the poster is. I believe this poster is very accurate because men tend to think about women and how to get them so I think a young man would easily believe this poster. I think the brightness of the poster and the smiles on their faces also make joining the service seem like a very positive experience, which would make people want to join.  

Movie Review: Psycho (1960)

        For this blog entry, I want to briefly talk about my viewing experience of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Firstly, I should mention that I had watched Bates Motel, a television series inspired by Psycho, prior to watching the movie. As a result, seeing that I was familiar with Norman Bates's character, I was genuinely curious to observe how he would be portrayed. 

        As Dr. Hammond mentioned in class, the film focuses on the character of Marion Crane for about the first 45 minutes until her death. While watching, I was surprised that after detailing Marion's love and work life, she was abruptly killed in the classic shower scene. At that moment, I was unsure as to how the movie would proceed since the main character, up until that point, was killed off. As the movie progressed, Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins, became the center of attention and I was instantly reminded of my fascination with Freddie Highmore's (played Norman Bates in Bates Motel) portrayal of the character. From Perkins's facial expressions/looks of uncertainty to stuttering when asked about Marion Crane, many examples of Norman Bate's peculiar attributes can be found within Psycho. Having watched Bates Motel, I had assumed that something shocking would finally be revealed about Norman given his unique mother-son relationship as well as his more-than-a-hobby of taxidermy. 

        Overall, I appreciated what the film had to offer for a variety of reasons. Not only did Psycho remind me of why I liked Bates Motel so much, but it was able to set up a story, go in-depth about the abnormalities and struggles of a character introduced almost halfway into the film, and include a mystery aspect in which a case needed solving. Ultimately, the movie kept my attention all the way through and it is definitely one that I will be recommending to others. 

Tristan Hilson

        

My light

Luna

Although to some she is bad luck 

to me she is comfort 

Someone I can go to for a smile or a cry

she makes me feel whole when I am with her 

and dreary when she's not around

Her graceful strut around a quiet home 

makes me realize I am not alone

her big yellow eyes are like the sun 

they glisten in the light 

and shimmer in the night

she gives me a sense of responsibility 

with her I have the ability 

to grow and learn my way through life

thank you Luna 

you are my light.

George Méliès- Grace Lavery

 

From the assigned movie "Hugo", I noticed that George Méliès' film set was portrayed as a giant glass box and I wondered if that was actually true. This image captured in his Montreuil studio shows that in fact it is true. Due to the lack of advanced light sources during this time natural light was the best option for previous filmmakers. Mélèis' techniques were interesting during this time with his use of a giant glass box and his method of the zoom comprising of moving the set rather than the camera.

What George Méliès is most known for, however, is that he accidentally discovered editing believe it or not. This is a huge deal for the film industry as long shots can be strenuous for actors and the audience. He was one of the first to invent the fade in, fade out, overlapping, and lap dissolve. These techniques are still popular in modern filmmaking today and without Méliès' discovery we may never know if films would have amounted to the technological advancements of today! While his films weren't the best continuity wise it paved the way for filmmakers down the line such as Edwin S Porter to delve in continuity editing. George Méliès was one of the many who made the foundation for modern film. 

Kaleigh Hoole-Harman

 

1979, New York City

    This photograph was taken by American photographer, Bruce Gilden. Through Gilden's work we see a vision of New York Street life. This photo in particular comes from a lost set of photos from Gilden's New York apartment that have now been unearthed and put in a collection with about 74 other photos. There was about two thousand rolls of film from the 70s and 80s. 

    The photo featured above captured my interest because of the women yelling on the phone. When first viewing the photo it made me laugh, I find humor and interest in the idea of people being in their own word. My other thought was how New Yorkers are stereotypically rude or mean. I also though the sort of quiteness of the background was really intriguing, New York is typically loud and busy but there is not too much going on in the background. We can see that the eye is drawn to this women in the foreground and everyone else blends into the background. Looking at Gilden's other work, which I'll include below, this serves as a constant throughout them. 

    Gilden viewed street photography as the ability to feel what is going on the picutre, he said in his book, "You feel the dirt, you feel the sweat, you feel the sleaziness, you feel the tension, you feel.... New York." In my opinion, Gilden is apt at doing this, you get a sense of what these people are feeling and it just feels so raw and real, and speaks even though we don't really know what is going on. 

    Here are a few of the other photos from the collection. 

Riley Coleman

This photograph by Edward Honoker portrays "depression". The photograph was purposely taken in black and white. Black and white can symbolize darkness and sadness. If there was color, the photo could have appeared more happier. The subjects face is not visible. The way it is distorted helps show that with depression, your mind is often in a fog. You do not know what is going on in someones head. His body is in a suit. He appears to be well dressed and put together on the outside, but you do not know what the subject is exactly dealing with in his own head. Also, the way his head is distorted can symbolize how confusing depression can be to people who do not have it. Depression is a real and common mental illness.

Napalm Girl Photograph - Redieat Abebe

    This picture by Nick Ut, a Vietnamese photographer, depicts children running away from their village after a napalm attack. The picture appeared in American newspapers in 1972 and spurred great controversy. It was very shocking to viewers and President Nixon even questioned its authenticity. The photographer went on to defend the authenticity of the picture for years. He states that his picture truly depicts the horror of the Vietnam War. This caused many Americans to question the nation's involvement in the Vietnam War. 

    The composition of the picture reflects Ut's disapproval of the war and his concern for its victims. The focal point of the picture is the naked, little girl—identified as Kim Phuc—who is screaming in horror after having her clothes burned off her body. Her two brothers are running on the left side of the image and her two cousins run holding hands on the right. The terrified expressions of the children contrast dramatically against the stoic and calm demeanor of the troops. Moreover, the smoky background provides some context for what the subjects are running from. This photograph not only shows the suffering of the specific subjects but also captures the tragedy of the whole Vietnam war. 

    After the picture was taken, Ut helped the little girl by rushing her to a hospital. Doctors predicted Phuc would die but the popularity of the photograph raised money for her recovery. She later emigrated to Canada and stayed in contact with Ut, even calling him "Uncle Nick".

Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper - Danielle Barberio

This photo is called Lunchtime atop a Skyscraper. The mystery behind this photo is that no one is 100% sure who took it. Many believe that is was Charles C. Ebbets, but Thomas Kelly and William Leftwhich were also present that day. This photo was taken in 1932 during the Depression. I chose this photo because it shows tranquility of some of the several workers that worked during the construction of the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. It draws attention to the eye immediately because people are casually eating and smoking while being 840 feet above the city. The way they are laughing and hunched over makes the photo even more eye catching. This photograph gives a clear vision of New York and affirms the romantic belief that New York is a place unafraid and will tackle any project. It shows the New Yorkers are down for anything and they tend to go with the flow always. 

Dubai Photograph - Sofia Williner

 

This photo was taken by me, it's from Dubai in 2019. I chose it because I think it shows the unlimited technology and architecture of one of the seventh united Arab emirates. I took it from the Burj khalifa floor 128, and something that amazed me from the city was that is full of cranes, but this picture only shows one. Dubai has more than 1000 skyscrapers, having the tallest building in the world. I like that each building style is completely different and is not something that we are used to seeing. Last but not least, another example of their futuristic technology is one of their latest constructions, "The Museum of the Future". It is shaped like a ring with a gap inside, challenging architecture to another level. 

Hays Code Photography Grace Lavery

 

Thou Shalt Not

"Thou Shalt Not" photographed by A.L Whitney Schafer poses a satirical take on the Hays Code, a major movement in cinematic history that censored the images shown on screen between 1930-60s. This was a very difficult time for filmmakers because they were forced to keep up with the codes as a way to keep their films public. During this time period motion pictures were more suggestive rather than literal. Shaffer shows how these rules are extreme and breaks some of the most important ones in one single image as a way to challenge these rules. This photograph itself was censored and outraged the public. The photographer was threatened fines for even trying to distribute it. Now a days these images aren't too uncommon to see in film as the Hays Code eventually diminished thankfully. 

I personally find this image striking because the more you look the more you see. The powerful stance of a woman who typically would be seen as delicate or frail during this time holds a gun and is smoking a cigarette over a dead body, it is very powerful.

V-J Day Kiss

This photo was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt on August 15, 1945 moments after America was notified of Japan's surrender in WWII. The photo features two strangers, a sailor, who spontaneously kissed a nurse out of pure excitement. Since being taken, the photo has become extremely well known and some people have even tried to recreate it.

World War II

 I chose this photo from World War II when The United States defeated Japan. This photo was taken at the highest point of the island Imo Jima to represent victory. The original photo was taken by Louis Lowery but the iconic photo was the second try with a bigger flag. Half of the people in this photo were killed during the Battle of Iwo Jima. This photo shows movement throughout, the wind blowing left to right, and the flag being put up left to right. The man who is furthest left was pushing the flag the whole time and now has finally let go because he cannot reach it anymore. It further shows the movement of the photo that the flag is continuing to move up. The ground shows how gruesome the battlefield is, having the whole ground covered.