Welcome To The Page Of Navid Tharani. 

Historically Filmmaking has been maybe the most inaccessible art forms, compared to painting, where you only need a paint brush and canvas or writing where you only require a pen and paper. Filmmaking has always required this enormous infrastructure behind it. And now due to modern technology I like to think that it is just about accessible to everyone.  

For me, I see Filmmaking as an art. 

Even in from a very young age I found myself engulfed within the world Film and loving stories. Stories are at the heart of any good film, and can be the decider to whether the film receives a sequel or fails completely.  My first encounter with the media process was due to the heavy influence of my brother, by creating short films and videos for entertainment.  


As I developed throughout the years, I began reading more about the art of filmmaking. And one of the texts that really stuck with me was called 'The Writers journey' by Christoper Vogler. Who is extremely renowned in the field of writing screenplays. He breaks down critically acclaimed blockbuster such as Star wars, Lion King  and Lord of the rings. Into the different stages of the journey, and mapping them chronologically to show the sequence a character must undergo to develop and thrive. Also, character arcs are explored in order to show the real meanings behind why they are used in the industry or for storytelling purposes.  This helps the storyteller by making them understand rather than just aimlessly adding random characters.  

I have created multiple videos for YouTube and also made a couple of short films. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_vjpnlGm2k



Summer Task 3 - Representation 

The Mass media play a significant role in modern society, by using its wide field of influence to manipulating people’s attitude and opinions; In order to create a certain type of message. Today I will be discussing how the use of groups within gender, age, disability, regional identity, ethnicity, sexuality, class/status can portray one viewpoint of the perfect ‘human’. 

Stereotypes have been used within the film industry since the dawn of filmmaking, and by using this technique can make a certain group of society feels superior. In terms of gender, the use of the word ‘Hero’  is derived from greek origin which means ‘a person or main character of a literary work who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his or her own personal concerns for some greater good.’ This can be perceived to have a dual negative effect. Firstly, it shows that all ‘Heroes’ are brave, strong and warriors which are all words associated with being masculine. This then excludes all men who don’t fall into that category making them not feel like men and also making them think they can’t be a ‘hero’. Secondly, the word itself  (ἥρως, hḗrōs) which means A hero (masculine). This creates another problem because of the constant use of the word, making women feel like they cannot fit into the bracket of what it takes to be a hero; Which can be degrading. This is especially prominent in Superhero movies. Which 99% of the time stars a male lead. However, this will soon be changing with ‘Wonder Woman’ on the horizon. 

The use of hyper-sexualisation within the media platforms in the last couple of years has increased exponentially. This is extremely evident in the sudden boom of social media, which encourages people of a younger age to become aware of sexuality. This creates the ideology that who are younger are considered more attractive, especially when flaunting their sexuality. Therefore, creating a demand for younger models and actresses. Furthermore, actresses who reach a certain age won’t be as sought out after. Suggesting that woman of a higher age would not be considered as attractive anymore. 

Linking back to my original point about the viewpoint of the perfect ‘human’ protagonists these days often strike a similar resemblance to each other. Meaning that they are usually white heterosexual males, that are shown to be superior. A good example would be Captain America; whose very name suggests that he is a symbol of what America should be. I often use Superhero references because often these very movies are shown to a younger audience, and ideas about who embodies what it takes to be an American can be ingrained into their brain, creating a further bias toward a certain group or someone from a different region. 

Finally, the mass media has used this platform to represent a certain group within society in ways that better fit their ideologies. The lack of variety of characters can convey that they believe that especially in heroes that they should act and look a certain way in order to fit into society. In conclusion, representation in the industry is extremely negative for people who don’t fit into that certain demographic.   

Research Task:



  1. When talking about the media, what do we mean by the ‘Big Six’?


Media consolidation: THE ILLUSION OF CHOICE. Media has never been more consolidated.
6 media giants now control a staggering 90% of what we read, watch and listen to.


THESE SIX COMPANIES ARE:
2.
 
3.


GE - Universal  - Warcraft (film) - June 3, 2016
  • Budget - 160 million USD  /  Box Office Gross Profit  - 430 million USD           
  • Cast -




NBCUniversal (a joint venture with General Electric from 2011 to 2013), NBC and Telemundo, Universal Pictures, Focus Features, 26 television stations in the United States and cable networks USA Network, Bravo, CNBC,The Weather Channel, MSNBC, Syfy, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Esquire Network, E!, Cloo, Chiller, Universal HD and the Comcast SportsNet regional system. Comcast also owns the Philadelphia Flyers through a separate subsidiary.
$69 billion
Holdings include: ABC Television Network, cable networks ESPN, the Disney Channel, A&E and Lifetime, approximately 30 radio stations, music, video game, and book publishing companies, production companiesTouchstone, Marvel Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, the cellular service Disney Mobile, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media, and theme parks in several countries. Also has a longstanding partnership with Hearst Corporation, which owns additional TV stations, newspapers, magazines, and stakes in several Disney television ventures.
$48.8 billion
Holdings include: the Fox Broadcasting Company; cable networks Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, FX, FXX, FX Movie Channel, and the regionalFox Sports Networks; print publications including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post; the magazines Barron's and SmartMoney; book publisher HarperCollins; film production companies 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Blue Sky Studios. As of July 2013, News Corporation was split into two separate companies, with publishing assets and Australian media assets going to News Corp, and broadcasting and media assets going to 21st Century Fox.[5]
$40.5 billion ($8.6 billion News Corp and $31.9 billion 21st Century Fox)
Formerly the largest media conglomerate in the world, with holdings including: CNN, the CW (a joint venture with CBS), HBO, Cinemax, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, HLN, NBA TV, TBS, TNT, truTV, Turner Classic Movies,Warner Bros. Pictures, Castle Rock, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and New Line Cinema.
$22.8 billion
$13.7 billion
Holdings include: CBS Television Network and the CW (a joint venture with Time Warner), cable networks CBS Sports Network, Showtime, Pop; 30 television stations; CBS Radio, Inc., which has 130 stations; CBS Television Studios; book publisher Simon & Schuster.
$13.8 billion
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_cross-ownership_in_the_United_States


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