Nigeria's President Returns, A News Analysis

This is a news report from CNN about Nigeria's missing president returning after three months. Much like the commercials that precede this breakdown, a news story can be taken apart using the media mash up method!

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SCENE #1: ZOOMING SHOT, STILL PICTURE OF A CAR AND AN AMBULANCE.

No background music.

Christian Purefoy: In the early hours of Wednesday morning, an ambulance brings Nigeria's president home. Umaru Yar'Adua has not been seen...

SCENE #2: ESTABLISHING SHOT, UMARU YAR'ADUA SPEAKING BEFORE AN AUDIENCE.

The president's indecipherable words can be heard behind the reporter's voice.

Christian Purefoy: ...in public since he was rushed to a Saudi Arabian hospital...

SCENE #3: GROUP SHOT, MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE SITTING DOWN.

More indecipherable words from the president.

Christian Purefoy: ...because of a heart condition three months ago.

SCENE #4: ESTABLISHING SHOT, UMARU YAR'ADUA SPEAKING BEFORE AN AUDIENCE

Murmurs from the audience and the president can be heard.

Christian Purefoy: No public comment has been made on his health and it remains a...

SCENE #5: CLOSE UP SHOT, NIGERIAN HOLDING NEWSPAPER OUTSIDE AMONGST A CROWD OF OTHERS. THE PAPER HAS THE HEADLINE "CABINET MEETING POSTPONED" AND A LARGE PICTURE OF UMARU YAR'ADUA.

Murmurs from the Nigerian crowd.

Christian Purefoy: ...closely guarded secret, much to the frustration of Nigerians.

SCENE #6: CLOSE UP SHOT, NIGERIAN CITIZEN SPEAKING TO THE CAMERA.

Murmurs of the crowd can be heard.

Nigerian Citizen: No body will be happy to miss his father because he is the father of the nation and for three months he's...I mean we cannot say that this is wha...this is where he is. But the good thing is that he is back.

SCENE #7: CLOSE UP SHOT, ANOTHER NIGERIAN CITIZEN SPEAKING TO THE CAMERA.

Nigerian Citizen: They don't need to deceive Nigerians. Understand, he's our president, he's number one citizen in our country. Let them know how he is.

SCENE #8: GROUP SHOT, NIGERIAN PROTEST ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S ABSENCE. MASSIVE SIGN THAT SAYS, "UMARU WHERE ARE YOU?" WITH A MASSIVE PICTURE OF THE PRESIDENT.

Citizen voices can be heard in the background.

Christian Purefoy: During President Yar'Adua's absence...

SCENE #9: ESTABLISHING SHOT, A MASSIVE GATHERING OF NIGERIAN PROTESTORS

Sounds of protest can be heard behind Purefoy's voice.

Christian Purefoy: ...the country has been faced...

SCENE #10: GROUP SHOT, GROUP OF SOLDIERS WALKING

Sounds of protest cont.

Christian Purefoy: ...with the military imposing a curfew...

SCENE #11: GROUP SHOT, SAME SHOT FROM BEHIND

Sounds of protest cont.

Christian Purefoy: ...across the north to control religious violence...,

SCENE #12: CLOSE UP SHOT OF A NIGERIAN WITH AN ASSAULT RIFLE

Sounds of protest and chanting.

Christian Purefoy: ...militants ending a ceasefire...

SCENE #13: PANNING SHOT, A BOAT FULL OF ARMED NIGERIANS RIDING DOWN THE NIGERIAN DELTA.

Chanting cont.

Christian Purefoy: ...in the oil rich Niger delta...

SCENE #14: CLOSE UP SHOT, PICTURE OF UMARU YAR'ADUA

Sounds of protest again.

Christian Purefoy: ...and a constitutional crisis...

SCENE #15: GROUP SHOT, PROTESTORS HOLDING THE SIGN WITH THE AFOREMENTIOEND PICTURED ON IT, SAYING "UMARU, WHERE ARE YOU?"

Further sounds of protest.

Christian Purefoy: ...provoked by the president's absence.

-End of first minute.-

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This report immediately addressed the 5 w's that Hilliard talks about. Most of these become evident in the first few seconds and scenes.

Secondly, the lead combined both soft and hard elements. It presented a dramatic scenario to grab reader while offering some of the 5 w's in the process.

Also, the scripting and lines are definitely more oriented towards vocalization rather than being written down. The utilization of images and video makes the words easier to absorb, regardless of how they are presented, changing the dynamic from writing to be read to writing to be heard.

A God's Journey with Musical Fury - Media Meditation #1

Never before have I been exposed to such a masterful blend of story telling and instrumental passion.

Dethklok is a melodic death metal band that is fairly unique and/or extraordinary in its current condition. The band fulfills two roles. The first is the role of a real band that composes and records albums as well as performs concerts. The second role is using that same composed and produced music as the soundtrack to the television series Metalocalypse, a show that band vocalist, guitarist, bassist, and pianist Brendon Smalls helped create. He doesn't stop there, he also voice acts three of the five band members in the show, the band's manager, and other side characters.

One of their songs truly amazed me. The show is hilarious, but this analysis will focus on the music.

Dethklok's song Murmaider II: The Water God is the epitome of story telling mastery combined with the perfect musical genre.

My Triune Brain was impacted greatly in the limbic department. This is music, and this music triggered my limbic brain to extremes. My neocortex was kept just as busy deciphering the lyrics. The genre, death metal, is the top genre for reptilian brain attention. The pulsing beats, aggressive vocals, and furious riffs keep me focused and ready to react.

The Eight Shifts in the media can be applied in many ways to this song. The epistemological shift of the words to the image can be seen in how this song is portrayed. It sacrifices complete coherence of words to create a most powerful image through the use of music.

In an economic scope, this song was produced a sequel to the band's popular song, Murmaider. The corporation that owns the band may have changed the creators' original intentions to appeal to the awaiting audiences.

The aesthetic shift is major here! Brendon Smalls is convergence in flesh. He contributes every aspect of the band and show, fulfilling many roles. The show as a medium has expanded from television to the internet, and the song is available in so many locations.

There are seven principles of media by which this song should be considered.

Those who listen to this song will get different individual meanings. The genre is off putting for most people, so that alone will make people hate it. However, the storytelling potency is so great that perhaps one can overlook their distaste for the genre and embrace this song for its glory. Metal heads will enjoy this song for it is a fantastic song. It meshes impressive instrumentals with melodic vocals, taking the listener on a journey.

The reality being constructed by the song are easily overlooked. This song takes the listener on an epic path of ascension, using powerful language and glorious portrayals to enhance the experience. This song, however, is made partially for use by another source - the television show. Consider, this song's creation may have been out of a necessity, not desire to create.

The emotional transfer in this song is MASSIVE. The vocals express the words somewhat clearly, and these words ride well with the musical rhythms. This essentially mixes powerful sounds with powerful words, creating a potent song. The events in the story inspire certain emotions. It uses the word 'you', putting the listener in a special place. This 'you' is given a great amount of power and glory throughout the song, and this gives the listener feelings of power and glory.

Persuasive techniques are a staple of any medium. In this song there are several that can be applied.

Strength is a major technique being applied. The lyrics contain powerful language: "The beasts of the sea will collect and submit, pray for your forgiveness and live as your permit." "Your minions stretch for leagues for a bloody coral throne." "I get by just fine. Check. I've known much worse life. Check. I've conquered dark times. Check. They should fear my mind. Check."

Plain Folks is evident for the song addresses the listener as part of the song's story. It puts the ordinary person into the place of the hero which the story follows.

Flattery is applied in a similar way as Plain Folks. The person listening is given the place of the hero, flattering him or her to new heights and enjoyment/engagement.

Fear is utilized in the context of the story. By the time this comes up you are already swept up into the story. You're told that you will "never stop swimming, you'll always be tracked." It makes an enemy known, creating fear.

This song is a masterful work of poetry, story telling, and music. The story was about the right type of journey. If this song were composed to be country or R&B, it would lose a lot of its quality. Sometimes mediums can converge and create garbage, but in this case a beauty was born. This song forgoes any genre boundaries I set in place for myself. It not only refreshed my appreciation for story telling, but also for the raw passion of hard music.

The Persuasive Viking

As GoDaddy did in the past post, it is time for Snickers to be judged by the scripting mash up. This commercial may seem mindless and aggressive, but beneath that soft exterior are the in depth workings of persuasive techniques and marketing tools. With some consideration, one may find a surprising level of thought and effort put into hooking a viewer.

Also, this commercial is a commercial marketing against itself. It is pushing dark chocolate, inevitably battling the standard snickers bar in a duel for consumer glory. Granted, all the money will go to Snickers regardless, but they risk an internal see-sawing of product dominance by advertising purely from a DARK perspective. Consider: Does the 'self competitive' nature of this commercial influence the angle of persuasion taken by advertisers? (In this case, aggression and mindless humor are two strong themes to keep in mind.)
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SCENE #1: ESTABLISHING SHOT - OUTSIDE A GAS STATION. VIKING IS FILLING UP CAR WITH GAS, ANOTHER MAN STANDS AT THE PASSENGER DOOR. PILGRIM WALKS TOWARDS THEM WITH A PLASTIC BAG.

Viking grunting melodically.

Pilgrim's footsteps.

Passing cars and wind.

Pilgrim: Hey guys, they were out of Snickers.

SCENE #2: CLOSE UP SHOT - VIKING'S FACE, SOON BEGINS TO TWITCH AND SNARL IN ANGER. HE THEN GRABS A GARBAGE CAN.

Passing cars and wind cont.

Viking: Nooooooooooooo...

SCENE #3: FULL SHOT - VIKING AND PILGRIM. VIKING HURLS THE GARBAGE CAN AT A CAR ACROSS THE GAS STATION. GARBAGE SPILLS ONTO THE PAVEMENT.

Passing cars and wind cont.

Garbage can thumps into car.

Viking: ...ooooooooooo!

Pilgrim: But, uhm...

SCENE #4: CLOSE UP SHOT - PILGRIM, HE GRABS A DARK CHOCOLATE SNICKERS BAR FROM THE BAG AND HOLDS IT UP.

Passing cars and wind cont.

Pilgrim: ...I got these Snickers dark bars with dark chocolate instead.

SCENE #5: FULL SHOT - VIKING, PILGRIM, AND CARS. VIKING GRABS ANOTHER GARBAGE CAN AS HE YELLS, QUICKLY HURLING IT AT THE SAME CAR. GARBAGE LITTERS THE PAVEMENT.

Passing cars and wind cont.

Garbage can thumps into car.

Viking: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

SCENE #6: FULL SHOT - VIKING, PILGRIM, AND CARS. THE VIKING THEN EXCITEDLY GRABS THE DARK CHOCOLATE SNICKERS BAR, UNWRAPS IT ANXIOUSLY, AND TAKES A BITE. THE PILGRIM STANDS THERE PASSIVELY.

Snickers' wrapper crinkling.

Passing cars and wind cont.

SCENE #7: PITCH SCREEN, LARGE, ALL CAPITALIZED 'FEAST' WITH AN INTERIOR VIEW OF A SNICKER'S BAR AS A BACKDROP. 'SNICKERS DARK' LOGO AND WEBSITE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN.

Viking grumbles heartily, presumably with a mouth full of Snickers.

GoDaddy Mashing: Oooh Weee!

Today we utilized a one column mash up method in order to tussle with the scripting of a banned Super Bowl commercial from GoDaddy.

This method deviates from the two column method where audio and video elements are separated to their own sections. In the single column method both elements are combined into one easy and readable format geared towards the world of web 2.0.
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SCENE #1: ESTABLISHING SHOT - OUTSIDE LOLA'S MANSION - DANICA, LOLA, AND A FANCY CAR.
Cheesy keyboard music.
Danica: Meet Lola.
Lola: Mmmm Hmmm.

SCENE #2: SLOW ZOOM SHOT - LOLA'S FOOTBALL PORTRAIT.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Football crowd cheering.
Danica: The day he retired from football...

SCENE #3: GROUP SHOT - DANICA WITH LOLA'S PORTRAIT.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: ...Lola started chasing his biggest dream.

SCENE #4: SLOW ZOOM SHOT - INSIDE LOLA'S MANSION WITH LOLA, DANICA, AND WOMEN.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: A business of his own. Lola's first step? He built his website...
Lola: Mmmm Hmmm.

SCENE #5: CLOSE UP SHOT - LOLA WITH WOMAN IN BACKGROUND.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: ...with GoDaddy.com.

SCENE #6: GROUP SHOT - LOLA'S OFFICE WITH LOLA SITTING IN CHAIR AND DANICA WALKING TOWARDS CAMERA.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: And with GoDaddy's easy to use e-commerce tools, Lola...

SCENE #7: CLOSE UP SHOT - LOLA'S MONITOR WITH 'LOLA'S LINGERIE' WEBSITE.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: ...was soon selling his own line to the world.

SCENE #8: CLOSE UP - LOLA.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Lola: Oooh weee!

SCENE #9: GROUP SHOT - LOLA'S MANSION AND POOL WITH DANICA, LOLA, AND GUESTS.
Cheesy keyboard music cont.
Danica: Lola dreams big.
Lola: Uh huh
Danica: And whose to argue?

SCENE #10: SCREEN TO GODADDY END CREDIT WITH GO DADDY LOGO.
Chorus singing 'GoDaddy.'
Danica: See more now at GoDaddy.com.
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It unfortunately is not surprising that this commercial is banned. The ad reflects not only GoDaddy but also the NFL. GoDaddy's commercials have always been a little strange and unique...



...but Lola was apparently too over the top?

Obamanalysis: State of the Union Address

President Obama gave his first State of the Union on January 27th, 2010. He established a great deal of confidence and optimism, getting the crowd excited on more than one occasion. For our Electronic Media Writing class, whose blog can be found here, we were tasked to analyze the first twenty minutes of the address using certain media tool sets.

My triune brain had a few reactions to speech. Because it was on YouTube, I was able to see Obama as he was talking. My neocortex was engaged most of the time - listening to what Obama was saying. My limbic brain was swayed by the patriotic colors. If Obama went off on a particularly lengthy speech and I started to lose interest, the recurring clapping of the appreciative and supportive crowd triggered a reptilian response and got me back on track.

Because this video is available on YouTube (see embedded video above), there are several trends that can be observed:

Political and Personal Shift: Because this is on YouTube, people can comment on it. There is an official White House channel with all sorts of great quality videos of important government events. All of these, including the SOTU address, can be commented on by viewers. This is a type of participation and response that is new with our advancing technology. In the sense of a political shift, the government really can not get any special abilities to regulate what kind of responses show up on their videos. This could cause an easily accessible view point that may not of been so easily exposed before YouTube comment walls existed.

Aesthetic Shift: Convergence is all around us. Families no longer sit around the fire place listening to the knob radio. No! They sit in their chairs and watch our president talk on their computer monitors, getting both the images and words. This lets the reader really grasp what Obama is expressing by gaining the ability to read his face and everyone else's face.

There are eight media principles that were also examined. Some ideas of note:

Reality Construction: Obama fires off thought after thought so fluidly that it may give him more credit than he deserves. In actuality he is reading a planned speech. There are camera shot choices that are made to focus in on certain things that will give more of a positive response to the person viewing from recorded footage. See 'Ownership' below.

Individual Meanings: Some people support Obama, some don't. This divide is evident when watching this address. Some people will think he is full of crap and a failure, others will be inspired by his words and gain hope for the future.

Emotional Transfer: Obama allows time for clapping and cheering while he smiles and shows off that beautiful face of his. These pauses in the speech let people focus on the clapping, and people then associate that with something to be happy about and something to celebrate.

Ownership: The government controls everything about this video. Everything they do i most likely geared towards a portrayal that gives the government a good image. There are American flags on Obama and Biden's suits because someone probably said that would be a good public image move.

Persuasive techniques are a staple in the effective media production. Let's look at what technique's Obama utilized:

Strength: He had a few moments where he talked of the American perseverance and how the worst is behind us. We have a bright future and through unity and pride we will prevail!

Group Dynamics: We the people, my fellow Americans, etc. Gathering a unified strength by appealing to a common perspective (the supportive American in this case)

Nostalgia: 'back in the day' or 'when we fought this war' language, making the viewer look back to America's histories and how far we've come...what we've been through.

Warm Fuzzies: Children write to him asking about the failing economy.

Testimonal: This is all from the horse's mouth.

Symbols: The American flag is on Obama and Biden's suits, giving them a patriotic aura. Also, the three of them have each color of the American flag on their chests: Red, white and blue. Coincidence? Probably not.

Defensive Nationalism: We must come together as a nation and overcome these odds that are against us.

Plain Folks: Strong focus on the middle class working man, not the rich and exclusive.

Humor: He mad a few jokes throughout, and let the laughter emanate in the room.



Was there a thesis? What was Obama saying in this speech? He spoke in a positive way, showing confidence in the face of the obstacles. Essentially, his thesis was: America has been through tough times and persevered in the past, and today, in the face of these obstacles, the nation shall see a bright future. Plans are already underway that focus on taking steps in the right direction.

Facts Obama Used:

1. Recent action has essentially halved American unemployment.
2. 1- 10 are struggling to find work.
3. The sky is darkest just before the dawn.
4. We will come together as a nation and persevere.
5. 1.5 million jobs will be created in the coming year.

Now these techniques are a great analytical tool for judging effectiveness. Did Obama do a good job? Yes. He is such a charming speaker, his voice soothes even the most furious heart. It is greatly important that we are now able to see him, rather than just hear him. You can see his expressions and judge his passion to your heart's content. This may be a bad thing, but it can also be a great thing - allowing you some potential to find support for a man who honestly seems to be trying.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

~ Barack Obama, February 5th, 2008.