POP into the Beginnings of POPULAR Music

Pop music had been originally been simplified from the term "popular music," which considers the music form to be typically very well-liked by audiences due to its catchy, repetitive sound, resulting in its own popularity. The genre emerged in the 1950’s but had not been dominated by the American and British music industries until the mid-1960’s. The first modern credit card was introduced in 1950 which may have allowed this genre to emerge do to the affordability of instruments that artists in pop music commonly used. The first Playboy Magazine in 1953 could have likely consisted of few photographs of pop singers, wildly increasing their popularity. In 1954, American segregation was ruled illegal which provided more equality within the country and diversity the music it consisted of. Although Elvis was typically considered a rock singer, he had elements in his music that had similarities to pop music in his time, and it was shared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956. Pop was not considered a distinct genre itself until the 1960's, what inexpensive, portable transistor radios were introduced. This resulted in a large teenage audience who could listen to pop whenever and where ever they desired, which increased the genres popularity significantly. 

Two main innovations in technology were beneficial in the recording techniques and methods of distributing music to help pop emerge as a genre. Microphones were greatly improved in the 1940’s, resulting in more intimate sounding vocals. Also, color TV was introduced not long before this type of music, and was considered as regular as black and white television in 1951. When music was played in audio and colored video, it became more intriguing to its audience. Thus, more likable and popular!

Requirements to fit the genre consisted of upbeat, repetitive, and rhythmic sounding songs. This made it generally catchy to most audiences and age groups.Vocals and backing vocals are generally always used to verbalize lyrics, and instruments consisted of the drums, bass, electric guitar, synth, and other strings. Female singers in the beginning typically wore short skirts and tight clothing which was considered part of the "pin-up" look. For both genders, it was popular to wear leather jackets, plaid, stripes, and jeans. Artists often mixed clashing prints in their clothing, and had "free hair", meaning gel was becoming out-of-style and au naturale was the way to go. Album artwork and music video imagery consisted of lots of vivid colors showing vintage cars, streets and cities, stages, and close-ups of the singers' faces themselves. 

Typically, pop artists write about love, lust, relationships, and persevering through life’s general hardships and struggles. By the early 1980's, pop music was greatly promoted by channels such as MTV, who were dedicated to music on television. These channels favored certain artists such as Madonna and Michael Jackson for their powerful visual appeal that was thought to be very intense. Artists typically see the world in a positive light, and their lifestyle seemed to be just as upbeat, happy, bubbly, energetic, romantic, full of life, and self-expressive - similarly to a lot of their songs.
It is suggested that pop music has become to "popular" because it had been formed and originated by often borrowing elements from other styles. This included urban, dance, Latin, country, and especially rock. However, the vocal harmonies of pop were influenced by gospel and soul music, and its first instrumentation was used in the same way as jazz. The orchestration was encouraged by classical music and dance music, and pops rhythmic elements came from hip-hop. Recently, even rap has even became accepted as part of the pop genre.

Madonna is an important artist for this genre because she helped to express sexuality within pop music, which has become a large theme of the genre since then. Michael Jackson is also influential to pop music because not only was he a singer; he was also a songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor who had greatly contributed to the pop genre. This resulted in his title, "the King of Pop". As a conclusion, pop has become one of the most favorite types of music within the media and is a very well-liked genre even in our society today. 

 

Mini Review #5: Viral Videos

I think it's so cool that a single video can become so popular in a matter of weeks, days, or even hours. Viral videos are a big part of media today and have really made an impact on what gets shared over the internet. In my opinion, viral videos influenced such an advancement in technology, as it is an alternative way to show things to many other people at one time. Videos can be used to expose information or stories in an audible and visual way, unlike how radio announcements can only be repeated so many times, and the News is more of a report. Therefor, videos (particularly on YouTube) can be very beneficial to a viewer because they are often less than five minutes, show an aspect of humor, and watchers are now able to comment their opinions on what they see. (Which, they can watch and share as many times as they like). Speaking of "sharing", please enjoy this video of a small child playing with a light saber.

Mini Review 4: Kardashian Craziness

Keeping Up With the Kardashians is a great portrayal of what reality TV is really like. Fictional, scripted, but realistic and entertaining! Even though the typical family in our society wouldn't do half of what the Kardashians think is normal, it is still fun to watch simply for that very reason. The events that occur in the show such as eating a placenta are so outside-the-box, which is what makes the show so fun and interesting. The ideas that are portrayed in Keeping Up With the Kardashians are unlike any other show. The trends that have started because  of their fame such as "the Kylie Jenner lip challenge," (which I don't support,) shows how big of an influence celebrities can have on their fans. Over all, I think that their is nothing wrong with scripted reality TV as long as it isn't intentionally negatively influential, and is solemnly just for entertainment.

Mini Review #3: Unrealism in Reality TV

Before taking Media Studies, I was told that so many things that happen on reality TV are fake, but I never believed anyone who said that. After thinking about it and discussing it in this course, I have realized so many unrealistic aspects of so many reality TV shows that I never really picked up on before. For example, in the show survivor, I feel like some people are a lot more laid back then they would be in real life, where as some people are extremely untrustworthy and try to show no weaknesses, which is clearly not the case. Most people are probably going to do whatever it takes to win $1,000,000. It's unlikely that in every season, something extremely unfortunate happens in almost every episode such as someone breaking a leg or just giving up and going home. At the same time, I think that these 'tragic' events in these types of shows need to happen in order for it to stay entertaining and not repetitive. In the show Four Weddings, 4 brides compete to see who has the best wedding, which is chosen by judges, and once the winner in that show is selected, the three other competitors are told to say something nice about her. My sisters' ex boyfriends' Aunt was in that show and refused to say something nice because of how mad she was in real life. The show tries to make it seem like all ends well in the end and all the competitors will stay friends, but I have learned that in real life, that's not always the case in reality television.

Mini Review #2: World War G

This short film effectively combines horror and comedy. In fact, it reminds me of Scary Movie because that is a parody of other films, similarly to how we are imitating John G as a joke. I feel like the reason it’s so funny to us because we know him and his... Ahem... Great looks and charming personality, which is so clearly exposed in the apocalypse. World War G has great editing and sound effects, and one of my favorite parts is when actors Thomas and Brandon turn their heads toward the camera when they have just been infected by Johngivitus, and it makes a creature-like sound. Overall, World War G is a very entertaining movie and I could watch it over and over again.

Mini Review #1: Acting in the Woods

While watching Cabin in the Woods, EMS30 discussed common patterns in certain movie genres, such as horror. They often have up to five characters, the promiscuous blonde often dies first, and fictional creatures such as zombies are somehow incorporated as the antagonist or villain. In summary, this film includes majority of very typical aspects of horror films. Nonetheless, I think it is a great movie because of the “typical” structure and ties in lots of horror-clichés. In my opinion, the only reason someone may find these clichés to be annoying is because they are watching movies with actors with generally really terrible acting skills, such as the Grudge. The cast of Cabin in the Woods portrays exceptionable acting skills because they react REALISTICALLY to sudden events in the plot, and this can be proven in comparing the following videos.

Shrek Genre-Bending

Shrek is an animated film that greatly exemplifies genre-bending, as it exceeds outside the usual boundaries of its genre and breaks the familiar codes, conventions, and creeds. It brings in elements of several genres and shatters pre-conceived notions of several types. Shrek is considered an adventure/comedy movie, however, attributes of other genres, such as romance, are also included. The first example of how Shrek is a genre-bender is that in these fairy-tale-like films, the antagonist and protagonist are distinct and easily recognized and divided at first glance. During the beginning of films similar to this, the viewer can often easily point out who is the “bad guy.” This is different, because in the movie Shrek, he himself is portrayed as the “bad guy,” as he tries to scare everything in his path and villagers are afraid of him. It isn’t until about 1/6 into the film that viewers realize that he does in fact have good intentions, and we gradually see more sides of his personality throughout the film has he is shown to be more and more adventurous, comedic, and even romantic - instead of hostile and frightening (which slightly also brought in a horror aspect). Shrek is also unique in its genre because it includes well-known characters from other films and stories, and ties them all together in a very random scenario. This affects the other films that were brought in because it is likely to change the audiences’ perspective on the other characters’ personalities. We may know what these characters act like from completely separate stories we have heard in the past, but our opinion on them may change when we watch Shrek. Characters such as Pinocchio are portrayed differently in this movie than in their original movie, which impact how we remember them from that point on. The comedic aspects of the film are different because it uses lots of noticeable examples of dramatic, situation, and verbal irony. Inanimate objects talk, and animals wear clothes. This may be commonly used in a children’s movies and books, however, Shrek also directs comedic lines for adult viewers too. When Puss n’ Boots attacks Shrek in the woods, Donkey suggests to give him the “Bob Barker” treatment, which refers to neutering the cat, (which is an implication that young audiences wouldn’t understand). Jokes are disguised and implicit, rather than being direct and blunt like most movies that tie-in comedy. Shrek can also be seen as a genre-bender by looking at the romantic aspects of it. In typical romance movies, both the man and woman are commonly portrayed as attractive, flawless characters. In Shrek, they are not. As the fairy god mother says, no (popular) romance story has had an Ogre as the guy who gets the girl. Not to mention the fact that Fiona is a princess, and she also just happens to be an ogre at sunset. This greatly strays away from typical princess stories because the concept of this spell is so outside of the box and unique, which differs it from other fairy tales. It shows exceeding flaws and blemishes in each of the characters' personalities and physicality, The greatest proof of Shrek being a genre-bender is that the characters are portrayed as imperfect, but they still manage to live happily ever after.

Shrek & Donkey Verbal Irony Video

'Blank Space' - Music Video Write-Up

Taylor Swifts' song, Blank Space, consists of many non-literal metaphors, analogies, and phrases of speech. I chose this visual idea for this particular song because I had many ideas to ensure that my video would fit both lyrically and musically by connecting the figures of speech to a realistic scenario. The entire video is essentially based of off her lyrics, "love's a game. Wanna play?" So, I literally made a game, titled it Love, and the characters played it. When she says, "I could show you incredible things," her bottle of perfume is shown because Swifts' latest fragrance is literally titled Incredible Things. The video also shows a "list of ex-lovers", and the male character's name, Dylan, is written in the blank space. When Taylor Swift sings, "I get drunk on jealousy," she does not truly get drunk on jealousy. What she means is that jealousy is theoretically intoxicating her, perhaps taking over her whole body and effecting her actions and choices, as alcohol would. This is my personal favorite part of the video, as the girl character, Claudia, acts out actually having a drink called Jealousy. Due to these relations between the conjectures and the actions shown, this is an effective music video to sell this song.

Back to December - Music Video Analysis

An important part of analyzing a music video is understanding its construction of reality. From many people’s perspective, this is a realistic view of the world depending on the circumstances of a relationship. This song is exemplifies the feelings someone may have following a break-up that they regret intentionally ending. Therefore, it is supposed to be realistic, as it tells a story that the listeners and viewers may have a connection to. Reality would be portrayed in this way for the artist and the song because it is based off of a real event in the songwriters’ life, and emotes feelings that many others have experienced or are currently experiencing. The unique (and only unrealistic) part of the video is when it snows indoors. Majority of the video, she is just sitting around her house, her bedroom, her kitchen, her bathtub, clearly doing nothing more than being genuinely depressed about the situation, which is what many people would do in that same position. Over all, I would agree that the video fits the song’s meaning, along with the artists fan base/ the pop culture of today.

Next, there are codes & conventions. I would not say that the video displays many mentionable stereotypes or symbols of the genre, but I would agree that the song does. Taylor Swifts lyrics, "I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile..." may somewhat imply that it is important for men to have those things. Although a lot of our society would agree, it isn't. Also, Swift says, "How you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry." These lyrics, in some perspectives, could represent the steriotype of women being weak and/or fragile. Again: although a lot of our society would agree, they aren't. Other than these two quotations, Taylor Swift actually does an effective job of going against stereotyping. A stereotipical thing for someone do to is always label the man as 'the bad guy' in all relationships. In this case, Taylor Swift is admitting to her faults and confessing her regret, stating that the man did everything right and she was the one who had taken advantage of him.

Other important factors to consider includes creeds and values. As she grieves around her house, in deep thought and rependant, it is evident that the biggest emotion this song expresses is regret. This can also be seen through her lyrics, "It turns out, freedom ain't nothing but missing you wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine. I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right. I go back to December all the time." These lyrics prove that if she could restart, she would. And she would do it better - which is what regret is, isn't it? She regrets treating her significant other poorly, because he treated her how you should typically treat someone else when you are truly in love. This can most effectively be seen through her lyrics, "you gave me roses, and I left them there to die," and, "you gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye." This is where she confesses what lifestyle choices she did wrong. She explains this apology as swallowing her pride, as pride is important to her. Now, not only has she disappointed her boyfriend, she has also disappointed herself as she forgot about morals she had. Through her mistakes, she realizes how important the following values are to have within a relationship: love, commitment, effection, respect, and recognition when someone treats you well.

Commercial-wise, I think this is an effective way to sell the song because the video is different, and it is honest. Many people would disagree, but it is actually fairly rare for an artist to act-out such genuine emotions on camera that show a real connection to the song and the remorse that is emoted. The video effectively establishes the realism of the lyrics and music. It doesnt intend to emphasize the fact that Taylor Swift is famous in any way. It shows her as a normal person with real-life feelings. I would say that the target audience includes adolescents and young adults, which would mostly appeal to the ones who are dealing with heartbreak. Most break-ups usually happen in this age-group in people's lives, and a lot of the time, music is their go-to. Because of how genuine the lyrics, music, and video are, this music video definitely fits the song.

Overall, I think this is a good music video. It portrays a realistic construct of reality, expresses essential values in a relationship, and emotes real-life feelings that viewers may have a connection to. The video fits the song, and has been filmed in a way that tells a heartbreaking story. It causes the audience to be emotionally effected, which establishes the song and music video as art.

Watch Taylor Swift- Back to December
https://youtu.be/QUwxKWT6m7U or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUwxKWT6m7U

Reality TV, Music Videos & Internet Memes (Winnebago Man)

WINNEBAGO MAN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

              Ultimately, we should care about the people behind our favorite YouTube videos. If they represent a character that who things that hurt himself or make a fool out of himself, even if it is accidental, I think that it is okay (within reason) for the viewer to see the humor in it. This is true especially for those who post the video on their own behalf. If they can look at themselves and enjoy what they are watching and confidently decide to publicize it, we are more-so laughing with them - not at them! Jack's story has not changed my opinion, overall. I don't always think we, as a culture, are only interested in the humiliation of others, but sometimes we definitely laugh when the situation is a non-laughing matter. No one should ever humiliate an unwilling victim, weather it is or is not media-involved.

              During the tape, Jack acts angry and frustrated, but his ruthless language is what makes it funny. Weather it is the light he would like to be seen in or not, I think he should have had a right to comment on whether or not he wanted the footage to be released in the first place. I am glad he ends up relatively happy with the overall situation and refers to the Found Footage Festival audience as "his people". I believe what he says, but I feel he often changes his mind on the circumstances of the video depending on the benefits he gets from it.

              I am surprised that so many people wished for Winnebago Man to still be very angry, because I would think that some people would find it rather enlightening and interesting to view him in a new perspective. This proves that we just see some of our celebrities as crazy and perhaps self-absorbed, and consistent in whatever emotion they are often shown with. Sometimes we do not always remember that they are still human and experience various feelings every day, just like the rest of us.

              In my opinion, Jacks opinion changed because he has realized that there are cons and pros to come from every experience, including the video and documentary.

              A quotation from one of the fans is, "The Internet is like a modern day freak show. Except you don't have to pay a nickel to see it." This is a good analogy because it is a positive point of view to recognize and appreciate what you see on the Internet, and it costs next to nothing. However, the Internet has a lot more to offer than just a "modern day freak show," and I feel that many of us take it for granted.

              I think that the lives and stories of Internet celebrities are probably as interesting, if not more interesting than traditional celebrities. This is for a few reasons. First of all, Internet celebrities have ways of communicating with their fans. Many of us use social media such as Facebook and Twitter, where celebrities can almost always keep us updated. I also feel that Internet celebrities have more of a variety of reasons they became famous. The celebrity could have posted a funny video, or meaningful blog, or have a well-known Facebook page, whereas more traditional celebrities are commonly known for either singing or acting. Lastly, internet celebrities, in my opinion, have more information online that fans or non-fans can retrieve from the internet. Although not all of what the reader sees could be true, it definitely excites some of us who read things we are not expecting. Some of the things Internet celebrities expose can be very surprising, and that is what keeps us interested.

              Overall, I see us at a low point in modern popular culture. Sometimes it is disappointing to see how many views a ridiculous video gets, how many 'likes' that a terrible meme gets, and how popular some reality TV shows get when they are thought to be terrible by so many people. The good thing about modern popular culture is that there are many subcultures within it, and it wouldn't be fair to globalize by saying, "Everyone thinks that Greatest Freak-Out video is funny," or, "Wow, why does everyone hate the Kardashians?!" Everyone has their own opinions, but I feel that many of us would agree that we would be seen in a 'higher point' in our modern popular culture if more of what we watched consisted of positivity, humiliating humor, and realism.

Thinking About the Media

 

              I believe that media is very important in my life. This is because different forms of media provide us with entertainment and an infinite amount of information, and is a huge part of daily life for many people, (myself included.) I feel that media has a tremendous effect on today’s society, and the benefits of media definitely outweighs the negative effects.

              A few types of media that I feel are most important includes TV, music, and Internet. TV is one of the first few forms of media, but never gets old. The television may help provide shows for all ages and for all interests, and is, in my opinion, a very beneficial way to educate visual learners such as myself. Music is an amazing form of media because it is something that has existed for almost as long as humans have. Music is important to me because it can help me by impacting my feelings and emotions a certain way. Different types of music have been proven to impact people's brains and attitudes, and even behaviors. Lastly, Internet is an important part of media because it includes so many other media forms ex. TV, film, music, games, comics, and the list goes on. Internet helps entertain me, educate me, and just overall has such an amazing impact. Internet provides us with more information than a single person could come close to comprehending, and I think that is pretty extraordinary.

              I do not have a strong opinion on our modern popular culture. It has pros and cons, just like every other part of media. I understand that commercial products are often aimed at the tastes of general masses of people, and I think that's fine. The only 'con' would be the negative bias that these commercials may come with. I like that some of the new technology is helping us communicate in better ways, but I still think that in-person communication often works most effectively because gestures, facial expression, and tone play a huge part in communication, and I feel that the media cannot emote these factors the same way. I mostly use media for entertainment and to communicate through social networks, but I also use it for information because it is very helpful when I am researching for assignments.

 

Mean Girls Movie Clip!

              I feel that teenagers are definitely not portrayed honestly in the media. They commonly show girls as either really smart, or really dumb, or “blonde” as some would say. Boys are often shown to be either a nerd or some kind of a rebel, theirs usually no in-between in the movies. What I notice the most is that in the movies and TV shows with a teen audience, or even a child audience like Lizzie McGuire, there are always people who are divided in specific social groups based on their personalities. This is true and false. In mean girls, for example, the friendships and social norms are unrealistic. Besides the fact that they only wear their hair in a ponytail once a week and on Wednesdays they wear pink, they are only aloud to talk to a limited amount of people within their group of peers. These are unrealistic “rules” that most people don’t follow in real life. Of course we all have some preferences of how we dress and what is trending in fashion, and there are certain people we talk to more than others. A similarity, though, is that teen drama in the movies is very sneaky, just like in reality. Some teens lie, cheat, etcetera, and some are usually pretty chill and do their own thing. (At least, that’s what it seems like). However, everyone has different interests. Then there’s those movies like The Breakfast Club that only ever ALWAYS has a happy ending. In real life, the girl doesn’t always just get the boy she wants, and vice versa. And no matter what, some people will always be alone. Some people will always have enemies. Of course, this isn’t always a bad thing, but its real life. And in real life, at the end of the day, not everyone is going to be your best friend, and you don’t always get what you want.