Anca's+Media+Log

**Pleasantville Movie Review**

A fight over the remote zaps two twin siblings from the 1990s into ‘//Pleasantville//’, a cheerful ‘50s television show where everything is exceedingly…pleasant.

David Wagnor (Tobey Macquire) is a shy suburban teen and devoted fan of the show ‘Pleasantville’ who lives with his divorced mother (Jane Kaczmarek) and ultra-hip twin sister Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). Both David and Jennifer make plans to watch television that night. Jennifer has a date with the hottest boy in school to watch a MTV concert while David wants to watch a //Pleasantville// marathon that he has been preparing for long in advance. They struggle and fight for the remote and eventually break it. A few seconds later, a strange repairman (Don Knotts) rings the doorbell and gives them a new, potent high-tech remote. With a click of a button, the remote zaps the siblings inside //Pleasantville//. To their astonishment, they replace two actors on the show to become Bud and Mary Sue with sitcom parents, George Parker (William H. Macy) and Betty (Joan Allen). Bud and Mary Sue take up residence in a black and white pleasant town here sex does not exist and the temperature varies from 72 to 72 degrees. The twins set off ripples in this bland town with their individuality, exciting to some and offensive to others. Bud and Mary wind up introducing art and passion into //Pleasantville// in ways that make colour bloom on townspeople.

The differences between the 1950s and 1990s are displayed when colour seeps into the black and white setting as some Pleasantvillers ditch their dreary existences to explore new emotions, self-discovery and indulge in new-found creativity. The 1950s culture seemed emotionless and boring compared to the 1990s. Contrast between the 50s and 90s is mostly apparent in fashion, slang words, food and music, behaviour and morals. This imaginatively artistic film makes use of colour to take us from change of values. When change took place however, some townspeople reacted with violence to destroy what they did not understand.

//Pleasantville// is a film that exerts extraordinary technical demands and it keeps the viewer engaged through technology. Much of the interest in this movie is eagerly examining every scene for new traces of colour. The use of colour, effects and music establishes a gentle metaphor and theme of sexuality, personal freedom and racism. The music used on this film went perfectly with the time period and plot. Gary Ross made a great directing debut with a savage, silly endearing and extremely creative movie and the actors did a great job portraying their characters. I would rate this movie 5 out of 5 and recommend it to anybody over thirteen years old. //Pleasantville// is a must-see movie! It’s witty, entertaining and its dazzling visuals will have views hooked!

**National Film Board of Canada**  == = =

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is a federal cultural agency within the portfolio of the Canadian Heritage Department. Initially known as the National Film Commission, it was created by an act of Parliament in 1939.

Since 1939, the NFB has reflected the major creative and technological developments in cinema over the years. NFB films are illustrations that fulfill a film maker’s desire to transmit words and images in meaningful and passionate ways. The creation of the NFB is the central event in the history of Canadian cinema. The history of the NFM and the history of Canada run parallel in all its richness and diversity.The NFB pioneered developments in social documentary, animation, drama and direct cinema. Its documentaries have influenced major social issues and film makers all over the world. It is a continuing initiator of new technology and an international leader through innovative digital consent and news distribution platforms. With over 13, 000 productions, 5000 of which have won awards including 12 Oscars and 90 Genies, the NFM continues to be one of the best film producers and distributors of the world.

A major review of the NFB’s mandate took place in 2002. The Board of Trustees approved the 2002-2006 Strategic Plan,. The new plan emphasised the rebuilding the NFB brand and rekindling the NFB’s connection with Canadians, while recommitting the NFB to producing and distributing distinctive, culturally diverse, challenging and relevant audio-visual works. Also, the revision empathized digital production and distribution, as well as the mentoring of young film makers and a renewed commitment to community indolent and expanded partnerships with commercial producers.

In the NFB’s current mandate, //“The overarching objective of the National Film Board is to produce and distribute audio-visual works which provoke discussion and debate on subjects of interest to Canadian audiences and foreign markets; which explore the creative potential of the audio-visual media; and which achieve recognition by Canadians and others for excellence, relevance and innovation.”// It has defined a list of primary and secondary goals to fulfill, as well as a set of related activities that can be performed to meet those goals.

Newer technologies have definitely changed the way the NFB functions. The launch of the online Screening Room offers web users everything to ability to stream and NFB movie for free. The Screening Room is now also available on iPhones, BlackBerrys, and Androids. In 2010, the NFB added HD and 3D to the online movies.

We can tell the NFB’s target audience through its current mandate. The NFB is trying to be more easily accessible. We have entered the Digital Age and the NFB is utilizing new technologies to connect with Canadians in every region of the country in new and exciting ways. It’s trying to reach younger Canadians.

=**Kids + Money** = = = ==

Some kids worry about their nail polish, some kids worry about prom and some worry about not having any food to eat; all of these kids live in the superficial city of Los Angeles. It amazed me how different the kids are from one another. Their values and wants are very distinct. Some kids value food on their table while others value their brand new Tiffany necklace. It’s incredible and kind of scary at the same time. Why do some kids do that? It could be because of the thousands of forms of advertisement we come across every day; it could be because of popular media or celebrities; or it could be because of the way parents’ raised their kids. I believe it’s a combination of all of these. Advertisements have a huge impact on what people, especially teenagers, do with their money. As a teenager, I feel used by companies. They know what we want and present it to us in a way that makes it so irresistible that we feel as if we must have it. Companies start influencing kids at such a young age so we can get in the habit of spending money and giving into the latest trends. Sure, it’s benefitting for them and for the economy but it’s terrible for teenagers because instead of valuing family or friends, they value money. Advertisements also lower teenager’s self-esteem. They make teens feel that they’re not “cool” or not “pretty” if they don’t have a particular product. Furthermore, using celebrities to promote products has a tremendous impact on buyers. It creates pressure for kids to buy celebrity-endorsed brands even if they cannot afford it. I don’t believe that companies can self-regulate themselves without government intervention. I think that some companies, especially brand new companies, are just getting more and more greedy and won’t risk losing money by not advertising to teenagers. I think they money habits and values of teens has become a huge and dangerous problem over the years. It causes stress and tension in our lives and most of us cannot even establish the difference between what we really need and what we want. Most teens don’t even spend their own money; they spend money their parents made. This shows that the majority of teenagers don’t value or appreciate money as much as we should. I do stronglybelieve that how our parents raise us is what separates the kids that spend a hundred dollars a week on manicures and kids that work to help pay the mortgage. I predict that money habits will just keep on getting worse and when it’s time for me to have kids of my own; I will make sure they know the value of a dollar and spend their money responsibly. = = **Photographs**

//Instagram//

//Above are two collages of a selection of my Instagram photos. // Instagram is a fast, beautiful, and free way to share your photos with friends and family. I can snap a picture, choose a filter to transform it, post it to Instagram, share it to Facebook or Twitter, or email it to friends. It’s so easy! I’ve never been so into photography before. I feel like a professional photographer with Instagram! This app is going to be the next Twitter or Facebook! It is growing at an unbelievable fast rate. Instagram was only available to iPhones until about a week ago, when it expanded to Androids too! I predict it was expand to BlackBerrys, and eventually, the web. As a matter of fact, there is already a website, Statigram, where you can view Instagram photos and some interesting statistics. My Facebook timeline is filled with Instagram photos and there are more people joining every day! It’s so cool! //Here is a collage I made on Statigram of the majority of my Instagram pictures.// //**The Burger’s Priest **// <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">I took this photo (and then edited it with Instagram) right after I saw this huge line outside this tiny burger shop. My mom took me out to eat here because she heard about the huge lines that form outside the shop from some of her friends. We waited for about fifteen minutes and there must have been around fifty people in front of us. Then, about ten minutes after we lined up, there were fifty people behind us. The line was all the way down the street! When we finally got inside, I took a look at their menu, which was not very complex. (I found my picture of it on the internet below). The store was very simplify decorated and could not have been more than 500 feet large. It was a classic American cheeseburger joint- nothing complicated. Their burgers were made on a flat top griddle and they were not very fancy. It was delicious, but nothing too complex. I think this burger joint will be very very cool. It`s already very popular downtown and on Lawrence.

=<span style="color: #800000; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; text-align: left;">**//Fedora Hat//** =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is the fedora hat I bought in Washington! I also took this photo with my phone and edited it on Instagram. The fedora had been a female fashion in the 18th century, but then became a male fashion in the 19th century. It was popular for its stylishness and its ability to protect your head from the weather. In the late 1950s, however, the fedora began to lose its popularity. The hate has made impacts on American culture such as the Indiana Jones franchise and Michael Jackson. The fedora is now making a comeback. Fashion trends from the 1900s are becoming popular again and I believe the fedora hat is amongst those trends.

=//<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Adele`s 21 //=

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">This is a picture I made from three screen shots I took of my iPhone. These three songs are Adele`s most popular songs lately, all from her album 21. This album explores themes of anger, heartbreak, revenge, self-examination, and forgiveness. Adele channeled her heartbreak into her music, composing songs that examined her failed relationship. Critically praised for its production, vintage authenticity and Adele’s vocals, the album 21 defied commercial expectations and became a sleeper hit in 2011. 21 topped the charts in more than 20 countries, appeared in to 2012 Guinness World Records book, and is it UK’s bestselling album of the 21st century. Adele is the longest female solo artist to stay place first on the UK Albums Chart. The album set records in many countries and Rolling in the Deep, Someone Like You and Set Fire to the Rain became worldwide number-one hits. 21 is the bestselling musical release of 2011, with over 20 million copies sold. It’s interesting how different it is from the usual sexual, electronic music nowadays. The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year in 2012. This album defined what was “cool” in 2011 and continues in 2012. Thinking back, I must have listened to at least one song from the album every day. As it gained more popularity, friends (that usually only listen to the kind of music the people from Jersey Shore listen to) picked up a copy of her album too, and then sang along with Adele in the hallways. In conclusion, 21 was very very cool.

=//**<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Everything... Natural **//=

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Natural products and food will be very cool this upcoming year. The world is getting back to basics, even if it’s more expensive.

= = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">Adversting =

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<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Any medium can be used for advertising. Commercial advertising can include billboards, flyers, radio, cinema, TV ads, web banners, shopping carts, web popups, bus stop benches, magazines, newspapers, buses, banners attached to airplanes, taxicab doors, subway platforms, trains, bathroom walls, stickers, YouTube ads, back of event tickets and receipts… The list just goes on and on! The TV commercial is generally considered the most effective advertising format. The Super Bowl is known as the most prominent advertising event on television with the average cost of $3.5 million (as of 2012) for a thirty second commercial. Online advertising is becoming more and more popular and celebrity branding, which is a type of advertising that uses celebrity power, fame and money to gain recognition of products, is becoming more successful. Increasingly, these mediums overtaking “traditional” media such as television, radio, and newspaper because of a shift toward consumer’s usage of the Internet. This more technology-based advertising has the ability to reach larger audiences for less money. Technological advances have made it possible for the ads to reach any audience, at any given time or location. Advertising on the Internet has become a phenomenon. These ads generate awareness quickly. Online advertising with a focus on social networking sites has shown a lot of promise as advertisers are able to take advantage of the demographic information the user this provided to a specific social networking site, such as Facebook. Adverting has come to a new era and it’s all online! = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Oscars   = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">One thing that stood out at the Oscars was Angelina Jolie’s right leg. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Angelina quickly became a trending topic on Twitter, with users tweeting about her thin thigh and the awkward and over-enthusiastic pose. One Twitter user jokes, “Fun fact: Angelina Jolie only shaved her right leg tonight.” It wasn’t long before someone made a parody Twitter account called ‘Angie’s Right Leg’ with tweets like ‘You have to admit I’m one hell of a leg!’ So far the account has 47,107 followers. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Jolie continued to pose up a storm when she took the stage to present the award for the Best Adapted Screenplay. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">With the crowd whistling and cheering, Jolie giggled. The screenwriters for The Descendants won and mocked her as the accepted the award, drawing laughs from the audience.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The next day I watched E!’s Fashion Police. Joan Rivers has plenty to say about Jolie’s leg, like “Angelina Jolie looked like a fool the way she posed”.

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