The film is essentially about the struggles of not only Mexicans in America and how it is not as easy as many people believe it is but also about the struggles between the corrupt Mexican government and the people of Mexico who no longer wish to be ruled as they currently are. It follows the campaign of EZLN and has fairly good coverage of the events that occur between the two before mentioned sides. The documentary also follows the movement to unite all the people of Mexico against the government.
Main Points of "Viva Mexico"
Protests are not always peaceful. They can turn from just a regular display of protest, into an all out war between two factions in no time. The riot scenes between the Police and citizens were almost two difficult to watch at some points because of the brutality.
Moving to America to live a better lifestyle is not always the solution. The film shows just how cruel some people are to their kind and how they are faced with tough choices and situations every day.
Sometimes a revolution is the only solution. The documentary leads you to the conclusion that the Mexican government is so corrupt and power hungry that its people will be hard pressed to win their arguments unless they bring upon change themselves.
Reaction: The film was slow at points but overall it was an enjoyable look into their culture and essentially war they are fighting. Before I watched this film I had NO idea that this bad of a conflict was going on, so it was informative to gleam some insight into what is going on in Mexico. I also enjoyed how many of the sections of the film must not have been easy to capture and have some obvious risks associated with them. It earned the cameramen and people along with him or her some respect in my opinion to risk his life like they did to get the inside look on what is going on in Mexico. Overall a good film worth seeing.
The Office, possibly one of the most socially awkward shows currently airing, yet most entertaining. The episode that I watched which I will be discussing was aired on 10/13/2011, but I watched a repeat of the episode a few weeks later. Here is a short promo clip for the episode "Garden Party". Also, here is a link if you are interested in watching any of the current seasons episodes. (http://www.hulu.com/the-office)
Genre:
To quote the wonderful Wikipedia, The Office is a "mockumentary" because it literally mocks every single aspect of our culture that it can grasp. It is also under the genre of a basic sitcom, because it is very much a situation comedy. You can also not forget the fact that it is a domestic comedy because unlike most sitcoms which forgo the development of characters, character development plays a important role in The Office. In a domestic comedy much of the focus of the program is put on how each character interacts with each other, essentially how well they play in the sand box, and in The Office there is a never ending stream of encounters which range from awkward, zany, and crude, to loving, learning, and caring.
Storyline:
The Office's episodes supply its viewers with an interesting and extremely ironic, humorous look into the company, Dunder Mifflin. The episode which I watched was titled "Garden Party", and the storyline was essentially that Andy Bernard, the branch manager at Dunder Mifflin, decided to throw a garden party to hopefully impress his boss, Robert California, and to show that he is a competent individual who can successfully run the company. The episode also tracks each characters own perspective of what is going on, and gives insight into their own perspectives.
Characters:
In The Office there is really no main character, but rather a host of individuals who all have leading roles. Granted their are some characters who are given more screen time, the general idea is that they are a group and the episodes track every characters life's. I will go deeper in depth about each character when I discuss the stereotypes presented in The Office.
Plot:
The episode starts off with the usual humor that all of them do when it is revealed that the new billboard just put up has been vandalized and is now extremely inappropriate. Next, Andy calls the crew into the conference room and shares his idea of throwing a garden party which is immediately met with criticism. The episode continues on with the usual antics between Jim and Dwight in which Jim creates a fake book titled "Throwing a garden party", and Dwight follows its silly suggestions to the tee. Later on when they all arrive at the party, everyone realizes Andy was just trying to impress his overbearing, snobby parents. Andy eventually snaps at his father when his attempt to perform a duet goes foul and his father brings his brother in to replace him. This episode is littered with the antics that Dwight performs from the book, and the extreme awkwardness that The Office is best known for. The episode concludes with the gang from The Office comforting Andy, and basically being there for him after his fallout with his father.
Advertisements:
I received the usual assortment of ad's and commercials ranging from the new "Scarface on Blue-Ray" to the "Tide, Talking Stain". Along with those I also saw the same old pharmaceutical commercials ranging from Mucinex to Advil, and the classic car commercials for the Ford Fusion. I also can't forget the Hyundai comeback commercials. There where also some ad's for the networks prime time programming which include Community, Parks and Recreation, and so on. The commercials for the networks prime time programming was very effective, because having watched both the above mentioned shows, I know that they intentionally used the very best snippets of humor from the episodes to attract viewers into watching that particular show.
In depth analysis:
The Office is projected to a very wind range of viewers. They have an individual who caters to every demographic. They have Blacks, Indians, Irish, Americans and also have characteristics that are from every cultural corner. They constructed the show so that no matter what, there will be a character that you will connect with, and most likely, cause you to continue watching the show. I believe that what really attracts most people to The Office is that they attack every issue out there with no social filter, and this relates to real situations that can be touchy, but are made humorous through various methods. Another unique aspect about The Office, is that it is filmed with basically one camera, has no special effects, and has no laugh reel like many sitcoms. It is also not unlike a documentary because of the one on one interviews that you share with the characters throughout the series. What really makes The Office unique is that it has no seal of approval it seems, and goes to the extreme in everything. What makes it unique for me, is that it tells a new story every day, and is so spontaneous you never know what situation might arise next time. Here is a perfect example of how random The Office episodes can be, and also how hip the show is to new trends. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEqMfi-A5Q0&feature=related)
Stereotypes/demographics present:
Let me just start off by saying that The Office attacks stereotypes with no remorse. The characters are the best example of how to show that The Office lives off of stereotypes.
Jim- your average white male prankster, who enjoys a good laugh, does not always take work as serious as he should, and is self interested.
Dwight- the nerd who has a knowledge of everything, has a habit for missing social ques, and does not care about how others view him.
Kelly- the talkative office flirt, who never knows when to stop talking
Kevin- the overweight one, who can always be seen near food, has the biggest heart, yet can be a bit of a pervert.
Andy- the super self conscious manager who tries his best but lacks that knack of being a leader.
Merideth- the trashy, crude, middle aged women, who says what is on her mind.
Robert California- all you can say about Mr. California is that he holds a power over the people that is unnerving.
Oscar- the informed homosexual who dresses fashionably.
Stanley- the ever tired, black character who hates his job and the people he works with.
Angela- the uptight christian who tends to gossip about other peoples wrongs.
The list of characters goes on and on but I'm sure you can see that each individual deals with a specific stereotype in today's world. The following link is to a Youtube video which shows some of the various stereotypes and issues with racism that are presented in The Office. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhXcgHVUJ3o)
The demographics of the audience really is varying. For example, I know many young teens and kids that enjoy The Office, and I also know tons of adults that watch The Office. It is also hard to make an assessment on the demographics just based off of the commercials, because they could really be targeted at any age range. An interesting observation that I want to share is that there are many references to current cultural events littered throughout the episode. For example, behind Dwight, there is a big Homer Simpson doll, and Andy's parents mention that they are going to go see Moneyball a movie that was just released. They also show the video of Josh Groban, Andy's brother playing the guitar with his father on Youtube. It then makes sense to me that many of the people who enjoy The Simpsons, and spend time on Youtube, might also be the demographic that watches The Office.
It is funny to think sometimes how people from different countries might view The Office. I feel like some people might view it as funny, some as offensive, and some would just not understand it. The Office is very up to date on the social norms, and new trends. For example how they make use of the "That's what she said joke". People from another country would most likely not understand the humor behind the joke, heck most people from the United States don't! If a viewer was to just paint a picture of the U.S. culture from The Office it would be quite an interesting one that had a strong sense of irony in our culture and a even stronger social awkwardness that permeates many situations.
Strengths/weaknesses:
The show has an immense entertainment value, and yet at the same time provides a great look into America as a society, and how people respond to varying situations. I think that it really does reflect our culture even if it is somewhat outlandish at times. Some would argue that as a weakness, that the situations presented are too contrived and made up, but I am of the opinion that awkward situations occur all the time its just that most people are better at getting out of them then the characters in The Office. What really makes The Office for me is that it has a celebrity factor at times, but most importantly it has that "hard to watch" awkwardness that I absolutely love. The only thing that I don't like about The Office is that they keep the show to half an hour long! The one thing that makes The Office most memorable to me though, is its theme song, I literally hear it everywhere I go. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OycneWxM5Y)
Reviews:
I came to an interesting conclusion when it came to the reviews that I found surrounding The Office. First off, most of the "professional" reviews where poor for The Office, but then I noticed that they where poor for almost all of the shows currently out. This so called TV critic (http://www.thetvcritic.org/the-office/) hardly gives any show above a 70%! I also then noticed that most of the public's reviews of The Office where much brighter, like in this link where almost all the people who reviewed it on Yahoo! gave it five stars. (http://tv.yahoo.com/office/show/36001/reviews;_ylt=Al9.Os6pNfsDynzo11y.I.JnXdMF?start=10&count=5&sort=4) When it comes to The Office I think I have to agree with the fans and not with the professional critics because I believe there is a lot more to The Office then they recognize.
In regards to me:
I watch this show regularly, it is one of the four shows that I make an effort to stay in touch with. Almost all my friends watch it and I do have a few family members who also are interested in it. I am a fan on Facebook, I think, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good laugh.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, I believe that The Office is a really great example of how TV today can be a cultural mirror that reflects what we do, how we act, and what we say. I learned a ton more about The Office from this assignment, especially concerning the stereotypes and racism that are present in the program. I payed attention to the stereotypes before but never to the degree that I have now accomplished. It was really surprising to me that The Office is able to cover so many different aspects at once, and that the producers are able to keep up with our ever changing culture so quickly and are so hip to what is "new". Lastly, I would just like to say that in the end, it is all good to enjoy some quality entertainment that is provided by a show like The Office, but, it is important to keep in mind that racism and social stereotypes are not usually joking matters like in The Office, and it is a subject that it best treated carefully.
Just do it. Is there anyone who is not familiar with Nike's iconic phrase? The Nike ads are everywhere. Not only are they on billboards, but on almost every teams uniforms and gear. What I wanted to find out was how their ad campaign works so well, and how they always able to produce such inspirational ad's. The first time I saw the below commercial I could not stop from repeating the song (All These Things That I've Done, by The Killers), over and over, and over. It was by far the best ad they had produced in my opinion, and was pure genius. Not only is it different from a ton of the ads out there, it also has an emotional appeal unlike any other. Everyone struggles in life, and we all hope to someday conquer the forces that oppose us, and this is what the message from this ad implies.
This commercial has it all. It has the struggles of a cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, it has the pain of falling on your face and yet at the same time has the joy of triumphing over forces that no human could ever hope to. After watching this commercial its hard to not want to run out and push your body to the limit in what ever sport you do.
The first advertising technique that Nike uses, and uses profusely, is emotional branding. By the end of a majority of their ad's you gain a emotional attachment, and thus an attachment to their shoes. I believe that by far that emotional attachment and bond that a company can create with their product, is the most powerful of the methods. When Nike created they were very intuitive in deciding to include people of all sexes, races, and backgrounds. This is how they maximized the amount of people who would pay attention to the ad, and lets face it people care about themselves, so when they see someone who represents them, they are more likely to take an interest. The target audience for Nike is impressively diverse when it comes to age and physical activities. They have ad's that are directed towards almost every sport and physical exertion desired. If you are a soccer lover then you can be sure there will be an commercial out there for you.
The second technique that they take full advantage of including a myth in their commercial. Now for those who are unfamiliar with this use of myth, it relates to when a company tells a story in their spot that people can relate to. In this next ad they tell a story of hardship, and pain, and the struggles of athletes, and then they conclude the story with their victory's, their hurrah's.
This ad is just a powerful as the first. The thing that really gets me excited about this one, is that they touch on the underdog story. Everyone, and I mean everyone loves to root for an underdog. Seeing someone who overcomes so much, and is victorious over every enemy, always get you excited.
One other advertising technique that I want to touch on is their use of two seemingly opposite methods. They use both the famous person approach by including shots of Michal Jordan, and Steve Prefontane, but also use a plain folks approach. The plain folks approach comes with their hints that anyone can achieve what these people can. I have also noticed that inserted in a variety of their other commercials are people who are not famous, and are just regular people who then gain athletic superiority by wearing Nike's.
Nike is great at using all the current forms of technology and taking full advantage of them. For example, they noticed that there is a large trend in running currently going on, and so they created Nike+ which is a great way of keeping track of the miles you run. ( http://nikerunning.nike.com/nikeos/p/nikeplus/en_US/plus/#//dashboard/) They pride themselves in providing their customers with the newest innovations that will outfit them with the best gear possible. They are now working with Apple to incorporate the Ipod with their new features in running gear and the like. When it comes to advertising they are always on the forefront by dispersing their product as far and wide as possible and using techniques like the association principle to help their campaigns. Nike is great as well when it comes to reflecting current trends like I mentioned above. If they see that a new hi top basketball shoe is trending then you can be sure that that trend will be reflected not only in the products they produce, but also in how their ads evolve around those trends. This kind of work is very important because it helps provide the public with what they want and not just some junk that is not going to sell or go to waste.
Another important note is that Nike breaks stereotypes. In a world where everything and everyone is labeled, a commercial where those stereotypes are broken can catch peoples attention. This next add has almost more snippets of women athletes than men, This really increases the chances that they will reach the female audience who are quickly becoming a larger percentage of their customers. Another stereotype and common misconception that they break is that most people do not have the time or live in the right place to run. In almost all their running commercials they have people who are just sitting in work and then they throw on some Nike's and take off into the streets. The whole idea of "being free" is really stressed in their ads. It is also important to know that Nike tries not to offend anyone, or at least that is what it seems like. From the ads that I looked at I could not really obtain an angle that one might take offense from. Once again they also use a plain folks approach by having seemingly regular people do neat stunts and tricks.
This commercial is a perfect example of why I like the Nike commercials. You may have noticed that throughout all their ad's the only kind of direct advertising is the Nike symbol at the end, and the gear throughout. I believe that people respond better to this kind of advertising where the focus is on what the product can do for you instead of repeatedly screaming HEAD ON APPLY DIRECTLY TO THE HEAD a thousand freaking times which can create a disdain surrounding the product.
The strengths in Nike ads are that they are memorable and that they tend to be profound and very catchy to the eye. They also make use of the various methods of advertising very well. The thing that helps them the most in my opinion though is the how wide a range of an audience they are able to command. What makes the ads memorable is how they have both well known athletes, and ordinary people do extraordinary things. Weakness wise, they tend to focus too much on a particular sport or team in their commercials which can cause people who are not interested in that area to become uninterested.
In conclusion I am a believer that Nike ads are sublime, and among my favorite commercials, but you eventually have to look at the fact that Nike is just a company that is trying to sell their products, and that is their only concern, they don't really care if you become the next LeBron James or not. After researching for this blog I learned a few new things about Nike but the most interesting fact that I learned was that Nike is now trying to target the Native American population. They learned that most Indians have a taller and a wider foot then most people and so the "Air Native" is a shoe that accommodates those unique dimensions. It was amazing to me that Nike is even trying to target so small a niche! (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298063,00.html) Also, and interesting that most people overlook is that Nike puts on many benefits and fundraisers to help important causes. Ones like the Nike women's marathon which was put on to help benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Many people only look at some of the negative aspects of Nike, like how they take advantage of cheap labor, but it is important to remember that every coin has two sides, and so do company's.( http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/community_programs/features/luol_deng.html ), (http://www.teamintraining.org/firsttimehere/sportprograms/destinations/nikewm/;jsessionid=02B8C0CE3F70F060B36C9B6E862447E1.msprod-server1?utm_source=DirectMail&utm_medium=mail&utm_content=nikewm&utm_campaign=11TNTFall) are websites for two of their fundraisers.
Some people say that a commercial could never make you change your lifestyle but I have to diverge from that belief when it comes to some of the Nike commercials. Say that after you watch a Nike ad you go buy a pair of running shoes, and then that decision leads to you running, maybe to eventually lose weight, or what ever it is you are running for. Then you can say that the commercial was what may have started that whole chain of events. I am personally very interested to see how long Nike's reign of the footwear industry can last, and if the public will always support them as they do now.
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man.
Sooner or later the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
-Vince Lombardi
