Reflection

I remember going into this seminar not knowing what communications was, just knowing that movies and TV fell into that category, which is why I chose it, as I said on my first assignment. I learned so much more than that. I learned how people communicate with one another and how fanfiction has become very popular and can be treated as an art, depending on how that fanfiction is written. I never knew how much of an pact fandoms have made, but their impact is large, so I learned they have to be taken seriously. Moving forward, I know that I will look at advertisements in a different way, and whenever I watch particular YouTube videos, I'll look at them in a different way, too, knowing that they are also a form of advertisement.

PR Vote

The PR team I would vote for is the PR team for the Boston subway. The reason for that is because they mentioned the specific problems the subway had this winter and how they would go about solving them. They also sounded very confident, which is important for a PR team. The main problem they talked about was that the subway basically stopped working. What I loved was that they said that the MBTA should issue a formal apology, as that would show that they recognized the unfortunate problem that occurred and that they would take full responsibility for the damage that the problem had done, something that I, as someone who rides the subway, would appreciate.

Journalism Assignment

The Hollywood Reporter (original source): http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/james-camerons-james-horner-tribute-804563

E! Online: http://www.eonline.com/news/669752/james-cameron-remembers-how-composer-james-horner-made-him-cry-he-cracked-the-heart-and-soul-of-titanic

Recently, James Horner, the composer responsible for the scores of films like Titanic and Avatar, passed away in a plane crash. The director of those films, James Cameron, reflected on his experience with working with him, which was originally published on The Hollywood Reporter. Cameron described hearing Horner’s score on Battle Beyond the Stars, a film that both of them worked on, as “the best thing about the film.” Therefore, he wanted to work with Horner on Aliens, but things did not go as planned, since Horner spent less than two days on the score and Cameron had to be involved in editing the score because of that. However, Cameron and Horner worked with each other again on Titanic, initially trying to pretend that the falling out never happened. Unlike Aliens, Horner fully committed to composing the score for Titanic, and once Cameron heard it, he cried. Cameron continued by explaining the hard work Horner put in the score for Avatar, where he did “an awful lot of experimentation.” Cameron ends by saying that he was happy with their interaction when he saw him for the last time, where there was a live orchestra playing the score of Titanic in sync with the movie. When E! Online repackaged this story, they did not paint the entire picture. While they talked about Horner’s contribution for Titanic, they brushed over Avatar and made no mention of the falling out the two had after Aliens, making their relationship seem completely friendly the whole time they knew each other.

Fandom Assignment

Since 2009, I've been a Little Monster, which probably is not a surprise. I'm still part of the Lady Gaga fandom, but I was never one of those fans who made fanfiction based off her or anything like that. I was just a very big fan, but it was the most crazy when I was in middle school, because the main thing that I always talked about was her. When my friends came over to my house, I mostly just showed them her videos and songs during the whole hangout. I think my obsession peaked when I was trying to convince a bunch of people to watch her video because Justin Bieber was about to pass her as having the most viewed video of all time. Looking back on it, I can't believe I went that crazy. Lady Gaga is a normal human being, just like all of us. She just happens to be famous, and for good reason.

Modern Family Review

When I watch a television show, I feel that one of the most important elements is relatability, as it gives me a feeling that someone else is experiencing the same thing that I am, and that’s why I watch Modern Family once in a while. I felt that I could relate to this episode in particular, since it was all shown through Claire’s computer screen. I usually communicate with my family and friends through the internet, so it was great to see that displayed. The most important plot point for me was Claire’s worrying over Haley, when she thinks she got married and eloped with her boyfriend because of that, except she was in the house sleeping the whole time. That core plotline was something that I could connect to because not only do I have the same sleeping schedule as Haley (possibly even worse), but I also could relate to Haley’s viewpoint on her mother, since my parents can often have the same attitude as Claire and not understand me, which gets annoying, but I suppose that happens with every family. As that was being displayed in Modern Family, not only was I laughing at it, but I was thinking, “I’m really not the only person who experiences this,” and that, in my opinion, was the reason why I loved the episode so much.

Communication Assignment #3

In John Green's pitch to advertisers, he explains how advertising is changing, but many people do not realize it. Before, advertisements did not feel personal, being merely a distraction for people. However, the advertisements on YouTube do not just distract people. They engage people and make people feel connected to what the ads are saying. Therefore, he demonstrates that the future of advertising is shown on YouTube, where viewers can personally relate to what the videos they are watching are talking about, instead of just being a mere diversion for them.

This GIF illustrates Prince William and Princess Kate with their beloved son, Prince George, who casually throws away a toy as his parents nervously smile. The word "peasant" is typed out clearly at the bottom of the GIF, demonstrating the general social perception of the royal family, humorously interpellating a snobby attitude of the family, as they are in a much higher social class than most people. People interpret this incident as a young toddler born into a rich family tossing away a perfectly safe toy to play with, while many other young kids would be lucky to receive a toy half as good.

Prince William, Princess Kate, and Prince George

Communication Assignment #1

I am taking this seminar because I feel like the content covered in these sessions is the most related to what I like to do in my free time, as I like to watch movies and TV when I have nothing else to do, and I try to watch them as much as I can, even though I do not have a lot of time to do so at the moment. For movies in particular, not only do I enjoy watching them, but I like to analyze them. However, I don’t know how to develop this interest into a career, and as of right now, I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up, and I have been trying to figure that out for a long time. People ask me all the time, “what do you want to be when you grow up,” but I always respond with a simple “I don’t know.” I do not want to have an undecided major for much longer, especially since I will hopefully be attending college sometime in the near future. I actually did not know that there was a communications major until I signed up for the Summer Challenge program, and I was surprised that it was at least somewhat related to what I like to do, so it was actually my first choice when I was choosing which classes I wanted to take. When these two weeks come to a close, what I hope to get out of this is a general idea of what communications is like, if it is something that I would be interested in continuing studying, and learn something new, as I did today with Burke’s definition of man. Plus, through these seminars, I hope do discover a little bit more about myself and my interests.

Aww! Lady Gaga hugs Taylor before leaving for London 💞💞💞💞💞💞

Previously unseen pictures of Gaga.

OMG Gaga you are damn sexy, this dress simply gorgeous 😍😍😍

June 9th, 2015: Leaving her hotel in London, England

@ladygaga: Me trying to talk to my manager. #HesKindaBusy 😍👑

@ladygaga: So happy for Tim, Jimmy and everyone at @AppleMusic + Beats1. I’m excited to be a part of it.  

June 9th, 2015: Leaving a Bikram yoga studio in London, England

Love you babe