Week3: Politics in media & Note

Politics and media’s relationship

Media is the product of the historical development of modern society, which is gradually produced and developed to meet people’s increasing needs for material and cultural exchanges. Mass media plays an active role in the development of modern society and history, and has brought profound influence on politics, economy, society and culture in the development process of modern society and history, showing its important influence. In the development process of modern social history, mass media plays an important role in political influence, which is manifested in setting political agenda, forming public opinion, changing political relations, influencing public policy, implementing political supervision, shaping political culture and so on.

Politics and film’s relationship

The films are all made in a certain historical context, so there must be some political ideology. So obviously, the political nature of the film exists with the film. However, the political connotation of films varies with different times, historical situations, and social consciousness.

How do politics shape what is being made in media?

Politics and media are one. For a politician, his success depends on the media, and so do his opponents. For non-politicians, there is a greater need for the media to judge the impact of the current situation on their investment, life, family and so on. There is no one in the world who does not need the media. On the other hand, the media itself has a great influence on politics. It needs to expand its fans with the help of news and the influence of the government and the public to expand its influence and achieve the economic and political interests of the media. The well-meaning media and the purely political media differ in their presentation methods.

Game <Grand Theft Auto>

The location of the game is a virtual city called Los Santos, which is actually a reference to Los Angeles, the most prosperous metropolis in the United States, where Hollywood is located. The bad guys in the game are full of satire on the real American society. There are corrupt FBI agents who commit crimes but are treated as heroes, CIA who create terrorist attacks in order to increase their budget, rich people who are just as bad as they can be, and entertainers who are just as bizarre as they are. Of course, in the end, the game gives them their due.

The funniest part was listening to the radio while driving, and there was a talk show with a female politician urging people to vote for her. “I appeal to all of you to vote for me so I don’t have to do anything,” she said, referring to her divorce. It is obviously a satire on Hillary and democratic politicians who only talk about empty ideals and do not work for the welfare of the people.

Movie <Taxi Driver>

“Taxi Driver” takes place in New York after the Vietnam War, an awkward period of confusion in the United States, which has left many ordinary people questioning national politics and the “American spirit.” People could not trust each other, and the social divide became apparent. But in New York, a bustling metropolis, loneliness and emptiness loom over each individual more prominently.

The film reveals a series of social problems in the United States, such as the sad life of the bottom class, the society full of crimes, and the ugly politics. The discrimination against black people clearly shown in the film is also a true reflection of racial discrimination in the American society

Advertising<Politics tamed>

The House of Commons turns into a zoo, and animals screaming in languages that humans do not understand and they can’t communicate with each other… seemingly absurd but full of magical realism, projecting the various forms of British politics, excellent irony and black humor. Reflects people’s dissatisfaction with the British government and the status quo of society.

Product placement in film

Traditionally there have been three main types of product placement; screen placement, script placement, and plot placement.

Screen placement uses a product in the foreground or background of a shot. The product is not mentioned by name but does garner some decent screen time. Director Michael Bay is a master of using screen product placement in his films. He currently holds the record of featuring 55 different brands in Transformers: Age of Extinction, a film already based on a product itself. In this video, you will see 50 seconds of Bud Light products without the product being mentioned. The Beats Pill is an example of script placement.

Script placement literally puts a product in the script, where a character in the film will mention the product by name. Example: Marty McFly orders a Pepsi in the Back to the Future Part II. 

Plot placement makes a product a part of the film. These are products that are always connected to characters, like the many gadgets of James Bond. Aston Martin has been a huge part of the Bond franchise for decades. Even the latest installments feature classic and new Aston Martin cars.

I was impressed by the product placement in Forrest Gump. As the protagonist in the film, Forrest Gump adheres to the concept of echoes the Nike wants to express the theme of, Gump has been running in the film, to everyone, as long as a mention Gump’s running shoes, to react immediately that is a pair of Nike shoes, so that the film let a person produce illusion, it’s really not Nike commercials?

Through Forrest Gump, Nike has achieved value penetration, deeply bound its value concept with cultural works, effectively conveyed to hundreds of millions of audiences around the world who love this film and deeply integrated the product and theme core.

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