I've said a lot about this on the twitters. Even more in comments while sharing this article across the social media, Facebook, Google Plus. This post started on Reddit and was only going to be a short paragraph or two. It has grown a bit to become... something. Media?
I ingest tons of media daily, but the bulk of it doesn't make me any more knowledgeable than when I started. A few well-placed articles, videos and books along the way bring me back to Reality Land. It is a place where I can think and grow, to feed myself in these letters and sounds and pictures. Each one of these letters, sounds and pictures are increasingly important as some have discovered.
Give yourself some space to figure out what is important among that which you've taken in. If you watch an Adam Sandler movie, you've just wasted an hour and a half. Fluff this!, you say, I'm going to emotionally binge-watch my favorite television series! You can at least bring yourself to write a decent paragraph to give the Sandler 'film' a negative review and that television series a positive review. At the very least, if you are partaking with anyone, let them know your thoughts. Maybe they'll be inspired to do what you did not.
If you are more serious, analyze the media as you go along. Plot lines, symbols, logical thought progression, production values. These are some things you can think about as you read and view media more closely. Are you going to believe Congress when they tell anyone else to 'shove it?' Would you believe them more if they told you to shove it? An example: Do you believe when Marvel and DC Comics tell you that their movies increase readership? If you said yes, you're wrong. Sales have generally been in a downward trend for much of the Big Screen Super-Hero explosion. What media wants you to believe and what really is out there in Reality Land are two different things.
I want to believe that media can do good, to right the ship. I want to believe in them for that, but I just can't do it. There may be some in the media complex that wish they could do something. I wish them nothing but best of luck. Will they succeed? No, they'll become burnt out after a while and quit, devoting their time something completely opposite and/or parallel to the media machines. Probably something, in any scenario, that would be easy to sell back.
In producing your own media, you may want to start into your media experience using an easy path, namely public domain materials. I'm using this method with The Televisual Experience. Public domain books are widely available; for review, analysis and maybe even a sequel. Public domain audio works are also available for similar purposes. Maybe you're a music producer looking for that sample that brings your track together? I see no harm in the usage of public domain materials, so long as the ultimate goal is your own media production. People keep telling you that you've got millions of cool ideas. Take one of them, put the ideas to paper; script it, build it, mold it-- there's your money-maker.
Magnificent.
I created this.
Doesn't that feel like a million bucks?
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2 comments:
The Media is usually good but what do you think about the 2 choices we have for President when we vote next, not much of a choice. Marvel and DC movies are good and I haven't been buying the comic books because they cost too much but I like Graphic Novels when I can afford them.
It is a poor choice for President. I believe all the candidates who ran proved themselves too silly to be THE candidate for President of the United States. I have inserted myself in as an Independent RepubliCAN candidate for the presidency. I have gained several votes of support. I hope I can earn yours in November.
The price of comic books is something I haven't been following much, since I rarely buy new anymore. Perhaps it is the price of a new book or collection that is sending people away. However, the statistics do not lie: Sales are down, down, down. Early on, the publishers and editors did seem somewhat panicked by this downturn. Then they linked the success of the super-hero movies to sales, claiming huge increases. (Marvel is owned by Disney, DC by Warner Brothers. They might link movie sales and comic sales, but that is certainly putting one group of sales over the other. The movies will outweigh the comics. My fear is that at that day, they may say: 'We don't need the comics anymore.') Hogwash. They may produce new books in conjunction with the movie and other swags: Is that new collector's cup from Taco Bell going to earn them the money? It might if they push you to consume tacos AND media hard enough. TACOS and MEDIA, linked!
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