Hello Class-
Welcome to our Media Theory and Criticism winter 2011 class blog. This is a place we will post our thoughts, media we find and questions for the quarter.
Your first question to ponder and respond.
What media image comes to mind when you think of the word POWER. What was the first media experience (tv, film, print) you had that communicated POWER.
I look forward to your thoughts.
When I think of the word POWER, two images/thoughts came to mind right away. The first was a huge business executive. Wealthy, attractive, motivated, charismatic, etc. The second thing that popped into my head was Neo from The Matrix. That's the kind of power I strive for. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy earliest and most memorable media experience of POWER was when watching Disney's Aladdin. Jafar's "power" had me captivated, and I wasn't really sure what it all meant. I just remember Aladdin saying that he'd never bow to Jafar, at which point I told my ma, "It's ok, mom. I'd bow to you."
When I think of power, I immediately think of an authority figure, such as a CEO, police officer, etc. For the most part, CEO's are well off in the financial department and is responsible for making choices for the company he/she is CEO of. A police officer's job is to hold people accountable for abiding the law and has the ability to punish those that break them. Therefore, they're job permits them to have quite a bit of power.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I think the first media experience I had that I might have connected to power was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
it is interesting to read what others think of as power immediately, because when i think of it I think of Magic powers such as that of the Genie in Aladdin or the Magic Carpet. To me it was always something i desired more then anything when i was younger! i wanted to be magic. And those magical abilities are what gave those characters power over the rest of the world! over every other average human. I wanted to be the Genie so much that i even created an imaginary little game i would play where my character (aptly named Genie) would save the world along with my band of less powerful but still very strong followers! call me crazy or whatever, I had fun!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Genie in Aladdin was, I believe, my first really glimpse of this power that i adored so greatly. I always knew that is was impossible to ever have "magic" but it never stopped me from dreaming! ha!
When I think of power in movies for some of the first movies I have seen I would say Space Jam was the first one I grew up too. When I was a child I watched that movie religiously. The power the aliens took from players was their soul to play basketball in which they used it against the Looney Toons. The movie shows power through different sides. Even though you are small, weak, or unathletic you should still give it everything you got towards the game.
ReplyDeleteFor Power you can always say a superhero movie or an old inspiring flick but I like how you guys talk about Aladdin. Not gonna lie wasn't my first thought of power but I would have to agree.
The images that pop in my head when I try to vizualize the word power brings me the sight of negative and positive images. I never saw power as always a good thing. It's a responsibility that can either help or destroy. Power to me can never be black and white; it's a complete grey area. In terms of how someone chooses to use it. I often associate military with power or even companies because of how our society works today.
ReplyDeleteThe earliest image I was exposed to in terms of power I think was Batman. In the early cartoon shows on WB, they had a Batman animated series. I saw him flying around and always having a utility built, cape, and the symbol. It just made me in awe in terms of seeing someone jumping off buildings and driving a fast car. To me it was the most powerful imagery and message in my youth.
The first image that comes to my mind when I think of the word POWER is a person with a significant height/strength advantage that makes them stand out amongst all others. They are usually viewed in different forms of media from a low camera angle to make them seem even more powerful or they are seen standing at an altar, podium, or head of a room to give them the most attention and the focus on them. I think of Presidents/political figures, school teachers, priests/Pope and other people who have a big impact and influence on the people around them.
ReplyDeleteThe first form of media from my early childhood that I can remember having an influence on me was from the movie, Fantasia. It was the opening sequence where Mickey Mouse was the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" and he was sent down to retrieve water from the well. He looked at the Sorcerer and saw how much power and control he had with his magical powers. The audience could tell that he desired to have such power for himself. When the Sorcerer got tired and removed his hat, it glowed, which signified how important and “powerful” the hat was. Mickey decided to steal the hat and use it for his own magic. He brought brooms to life and made them work to help carry the pails of water. Mickey overused his “power” and ended up using his “power” for bad. The brooms got out of hand and water flooded the entire basement. This film showed both the strength that is behind power as well as what horrible things can come from people abusing their power and using it to their advantage.
When I think of the word POWER and images that relate to media, I immediately think of Hollywood and all of the actors who are a part of it. Nowadays actors and actresses are powerful if they have a great body and are beautiful. Stereotypical yes, but that is what excudes power in Hollywood, and in turn creates media. These people are more likely to get powerful roles which in turn creates powerful movies that I would like to see. The Fighter and The Black Swan, being two movies that I just saw that spoke to me through their message. If such high profile names had not been in either of these movies, I may not have been as convinced to see them. While I think that this is unfortunate, these are the images that I associate with power.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think back to my childhood, the images that I most associate with POWER came out of Disney movies. In most cases for me, the character of power in all of these movies was evil. The characters in the story would be too afraid to make a wrong move in front of the evil character, so most would just stay out of the way. But, just when we thought the evil was going to win, some character in the story would step up and do the right thing. Standing up to the evil character was hard, but everyone who was watching the movie, knew it is what had to be done.
While these are two completely different scenarios, I realize how innocent things are in the eyes of children. Media and power in our world today emphasized so highly that it consumes most of us. Sometimes life would just be easier if we could all just go back to being kids.
The first image that comes to mind when I think of POWER is a person who has high authority over other people. For example a CEO for a large company, in my mind would have power. I believe a person with power has many characteristics, such as: being wealthy, attractive, hardworking, charming, etc. I also see someone as a hero figure, such as a firefighter to have a lot of POWER, because they seem to be so brave.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think back to my first media experience with power, I can’t help, but to agree with most of the class and say Disney Movies had a large impact. The movie that really sticks out in my mind is Beauty and the Beast. I found that the beast had the most power in the beginning of the movie, not because he was attractive but because he could control Bell and was scary. I feel like by the end of the movie Bell had taken control of most of the power, by making the Beast change, because he learned how to love. I feel like in many Disney movies there is an exchange of power, the villain seems to have power in the beginning and by the end of the movie our hero has taken control of it.
Great post. Really I am surprised about this post.Thank You very much. celebrity interviews
ReplyDelete