Assignment 6: Harry Potter XVI???

Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Website Address: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/

Release Date: November 21, 2008 (USA)

I chose this movie because when the first Harry Potter movie came out I was in sixth grade. It was something that everyone was into at that time so I jumped on the bandwagon. Since I saw the first movie, I have been a Harry Potter fan all the way; this means that I have gone and seen all five movies since the first one's release.

The website that previews the sixth Harry Potter movie features a complete casting and pictures of everyone next to the role that they play. It also features a forum in which people can comment on the preview of the movie and what they are to expect. This film might not be like others because there has already been a book entitled Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

The website also includes facts about the film such as its running time and details about where it was filmed. At the bottom of the page, the website features a section that says, "Other Recommendations for Films". This is basically a section that describes and shows other films that the viewer might be interested in which are related to the film the viewer is currently looking at. Included in this section were the other five Harry Potter films such as The Sorcerer's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, and The Order of the Phoenix.
Something that I thought was particularly interesting on the website was that frequently asked questions were shown and you could click on them for the answers. These were questions that I actually had myself so it was quite helpful. If you had a question regarding the movie and it was not under the F.A.Q., you could ask it and the website would do its best to answer it by posting it on the forum for other viewers to see.

Information that I learned from the website are such things as the cast and what other movies they are in. Also, the website appears to be frequently updated so if anything were to come about regarding the new Harry Potter film, it would be posted for all to see.

At the bottom of the website, there are links to movie trailers, ring tones, and games relating to the new movie. These are all features that may be promoted by the film itself to bring in revenue.

The purpose of this website overall was definitely to inform the audience of the main facts relating the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The website absolutely encouraged a continuation of the seven movie sequel because of the pictures of all of the other five movies featured towards the bottom of the page.

Assignment 5: Are Those Real?

We shouldn't necessarily be worried about life on other planets, global worming, or weapons of mass destruction, but what we should be worried about at times is the mass media. The media puts on a show for everyone to see in which different people play different characters and act out different roles. Do you honestly think that the woman in Home and Garden Magazine is actually a perfect prim and proper housewife with a perfect home and a perfect yard? Do you believe that the woman standing at the bar in Cosmopolitan magazine really goes out in that skimpy outfit looking perfect like she appears on the page in front of you? If you think these pictures portray real life, you are heavily mistaken. The media creates a sort of idealism in which effort is put towards the sales of certain products and services. The pictures that we look at and think about are supposed to do just that: make us think.

Often times pictures in magazines and publications are altered to appear idealistic to the publisher or designer of the image. This is done to maximize the effect the image is supposed to have on its audience. Take a look at this image of Kim Kardashian, a Hollywood celebrity, posing for the cover of Complex Magazine. Complex Magazine describes itself as, "The Men's Guide To Consumer Culture." Having said this, what does a half naked woman with only her bra, underwear, and five inch heals on doing on the cover of this magazine? Promotion is the key to this issue. Kim Kardashian is a new up and coming celebrity and she has been featured on new hit television shows on MTV and VH1 including "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" at 10:00pm. This specific image I believe has been digitally enhanced to give Kim a more toned core and smoother all over appearance. Who can have skin that looks that perfect and thighs that are completely free of cellulose? Not to mention the glow that is radiating from her is almost like she is staring at lights which specifically were made to highlight certain parts of her body. This is a completely acceptable use of alterations because they were not drastic that I know of and they are harmless. It is not like they made Kim look emaciated promoting anorexia because Kim Kardashian is anything but skin and bones. She is a curvy woman who is proud of what she was given and she is not afraid to show that.

Magazines have the final say in an alteration of a photo because they own the photo. In today's world, a lot of things are not what they seem and it takes a deeper look to uncover the truth but a deeper look we will take. What is natural? Most everything has been enhanced only for the sake of a company's benefit or the benefit of the person in the photo. If a publication enhances something and creates an offensive image, that should be forbidden. Also forbidden enhancements should include something that is enhanced which promotes unethical behavior.

Assignment 4: Print vs. Online Sources

Anywhere you go, anything you look at, you are constantly surrounded my media. Since we can't escape it, we might as well embrace it. Pretty much everyday right before I get on the bus to head over to campus, I pick up some sort of light reading which highlights current events or stories that have happened in Buffalo or on the University's campuses. My choice is obviously the Spectrum Newspaper because it is the only circulated newspaper around campus. From this source of media, I can retrieve information regarding events, sports, and the latest happenings around Buffalo. Many people rely on this media source for their touch into the outside world. Newspapers and media in general allow us to feel included and up-to-date on current events without having to attend every function and participate in everyday research.

The Spectrum is a student run, student written newspaper which circulates 10,000 copies every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday that the University at Buffalo is in session. In examining the print version and the online version, basically only one similarity arises. Many of the same stories are shown both in the print newspaper and in the online version. Although many of the stories have been shortened online, they are still the same basic stories when you compare them.

Besides the stories being the same, a plethora of differences is displayed between the sources. In the print newspaper, whole stories are printed whereas online, they have been shortened and lack detail. Sometimes in print newspapers in order to get the reader to keep reading, the editors start a new story before finishing a previous one and write: continued on page 5 or whatever page the story continues on. In the online version of the Spectrum, it appears that where those stories were cut off and continued later in the print newspaper, the continuations are left out online. Normally I would say that this is due to fees of newspaper reading. In my hometown Corning, The Corning Leader, a local newspaper has an online source. It only allows you to read a few sentences of every article online because in order to read it fully they want you to buy the newspaper or subscribe daily to it.

Online in the Spectrum Newspaper, there are directories and search engines for anything Spectrum related. There also is easily accessible contact information if you would like to advertise or post your resume.

Although the print version of the Spectrum seems more dense in its content, the online version has many great attributes like searching for past news articles. Both media sources are great ways to catch up on local news and get yourself up to date on events and happenings around the campus and Buffalo, NY.

I thought this was a funny advertisement for a newspaper. It shows that to some people, reading the paper with their cup of coffee in the morning is the most important part of their day.

As far as advertising goes, the print source had great advertising whereas the online Spectrum had none. Some ads in the printed newspaper were full pages, and were very informative. They seemed to be placed very carefully taking into consideration how someone, most likely students and faculty at UB, would read the newspaper. One thing I did notice was that most of the ads were towards the outside of the paper which makes sense because a person reads from left to right, having to go over the ads in order to get to the story and then back over more ads on the next page.

Works Cited

Staff, (2008, Feb 4). The Spectrum

Staff, (2008, Feb 4). The Spectrum. Retrieved February 5, 2008, Web site: http://spectrum.buffalo.edu/