After one semester, I still believe what I think at the beginning of the semester. The Media is as most a tool, the people who control them is the important thing we need to care about. However, I do learn a lot. As a Libra like me, I always am very sensitive about the balance in my daily life. For example, balance of how much protein I have for lunch, balance of how much words and image in my PowerPoint, and also the balance in the Media.
At the beginning of the semester, we saw the movie “ Life and Debt”. Some people’s opinions are the film is a little bored, it does not show any suffering of the local but only the explanation of the issue. However, I like the face that it keeps the tone of film upbeat. With the music of Bob Marley, the film shows the optimistic spirit of Jamaicans. I guess this defines what a filmmaker should do, which is balancing the between the drama and a documentary, the cheesy stuff and the informative stuff, or making people emotional for compassion or making people realize what happened around them. The difference make the huge changes the film, and make audience feel different.
Then it leads us to another balance, which is between the provocative and the ethical stuff we put in Media. We have to admit that people are attracted to horrible, amazing, provocative or extreme stuff. No matter how bad Taylor Swift’s live is, people will sing her catchy song tune here and there. No matter how great a film can be, someday we gonna forget it. When we discuss about the pain of others, we do find that showing pain to audience is necessary, because we need to show the truth on News, but sometimes people do cross the line. For example, the presentation of abortion in front of SU this semester, the main reason that presentation causes a theme is because of its image displayed. Those images are bloody and horrifying that make most of people uncomfortable. They try to hard on attract our attention and make a point.
Finally, there is always a reason for being provocative, which is commerce. The newspaper need the sell, the TV shows need the viewing, and movies need box office. The balance between art and commerce has been main struggle for everyone in the industry, somehow it feels like the audience and critics are always on the opposite side. It is a challenge for us to make a film that is artistic but at the same time entertaining the audience. For example, the movie of “Yes man”, to me it is a amazing entertaining movie which bring up a lot issues, and accomplish the goal they want us to know that the pain in the other place, and “we need someone who will take action” like a heroic character “whatever” man usually in America Animation. Obviously, those heroes are too busy on saving the world from …I don’t even know what to say. However, I bet most of audience will be more joyful to go to the “whatever” man’s movie with a popcorn rather than “yes man”. It is a sick fact.