Leadership Academy: Communication Media Abstracts
JEFFREY BARTELL (Jon Krasner), 2007
THE VISUAL ART OF FILM: AN ANALYSIS OF AN ANIMATED PROJECT
Animated film is an expressive visual forum in which to convey a powerful message or tell a story. This project was completed to show how it is possible for successful creators of animated film to borrow the techniques and concepts of traditional live action filmmaking in order to strengthen their pieces. Through the process of co-creating a short animated film entitled The Front Runner, as well as dissecting the important elements of several classic films with the aid of film literature, it was possible to come to conclusions about what can make an animated piece more visually appealing to its audience. With the use of such cinematic techniques including dramatic lighting and interesting camera movements, we were able to make The Front Runner a much more exciting film. It is possible for this animated film as well as the accompanying research of film history to be a guide for other animated filmmakers to follow.
PATRICK BROWN (Rob Carr), 2004
THE EFFECTS OF INSTANT MESSAGING ON YOUNG PEOPLE
The purpose of this research was to examine the effect that computer instant messaging has on young people, specifically those aged 12- 21. The rapid ascension of instant messaging in the world of telecommunications and its growing importance to the world in the 21st century makes it a serious topic for concern, one that’s effects are far-reaching. This rise is particularly prevalent among young people. Adolescents these days are discovering instant messaging as early as elementary school, yet this discovery’s merits are still unclear. Through use of focus groups and interviews of young people aged 12-21 as well as non-experimental research consisting of journal and newspaper articles, this research will show the impact of instant messaging and its returns on the younger generation. This generation has grown up with instant messaging and become accustomed to a world in which people across the planet can communicate with one another with the click of a mouse. Furthermore, this research will explore the impact of instant messaging in schools and the workplace and determine if it is a valuable research tool or merely another distraction for procrastinators looking to pass the time. By answering these questions this research will greatly enhance our understanding of how people communicate via instant messaging and also show the many benefits and drawbacks to this relatively new communication tool.
LISA CLARK (Charles Wellens), 2004
THE WORLDS THEY LIVE IN: A STUDY OF REALITY CONSTRUCTION IN MALES AND FEMALES
The social constructionist theory believes that our personalities and realities are created through our communicative interactions with others. Truth is found in language, and the context a language is in defines the meaning of a conversation. In looking closely at the everyday interactions we have and the aspects that are often taken for granted, we can determine how the cultures of Males and Females begin to construct their realities. The purpose of this study was to look closely at the way Male and Female high school seniors go about making their decisions for life after graduation. By using the method of circular questioning and appreciative inquiry based on the theories of Dr. John Chetro-Szivos and Patrice Gray (2002), four gender-specific groups (2 male groups, and 2 female groups) were able to share stories about their goals and hopes for the future, and the factors that helped them realize the first steps toward the rest of their lives. A directed conversation revealed dramatic differences in the way males and females construct their realities and what factors in life they find important. By looking at the differences in male and female reality construction we can make connections between the “worlds they live in” and the choices they make.
KELSEY DOHERTY (Jeff Warmouth), 2004
WEBSITE AND CARTOON DESIGN, PROCESS, AND IMPLEMENTATION
This research project is to create a cartoon-themed website called “The Thinking Impaired”, and an online cartoon series to be showcased on it. The cartoons will focus on eight young boys and the fun and humorous adventures they have. The website, while being the primary home of the cartoon will also have other features, based in the cartoon’s universe that will serve to strengthen any fan-base that forms from the cartoons themselves. The research part of the project is spent looking into the few websites online that also feature and focus a cartoon series as well as have a successful fan-base. I will research the website’s history, what the site’s offer, how the designed their site, and how they advertise their product (the cartoon). I would take this data and organize the various successes and failures of each site and apply them to my own venture. I will design my own functional cartoon website and create a journal of the entire process. Similar research would then be undertaken with the production of the cartoon itself. The data would be reviewed, applied to my own knowledge of animation and movie production, and finalized as the finished cartoons. It is my hope that by the end of this project I will have a working website, at least three finished cartoons, and - if all goes right - a fan base of some sort.
KELLY HOBDEN (Gunther Hoos), 2007
PERIOD VIDEO PROJECT
The purpose of this project is to research, write and produce a 20-25 page screenplay. The screenplay itself is a work of fiction about a New England family torn apart by greed during the turn of the 20th century. The movie will be a plot driven mystery/thriller intended on being original and entertaining. To obtain the look and feel of 1900 America, extensive preproduction will be conducted including: location scouting, casting, props and wardrobe. By researching American heritage, a sense of authenticity will hopefully be achieved. As an independent project, the production will be privately funded and all shooting will be conducted locally within the New England region. This project will serve as an example to students of the process involved in making a short movie.
ADAM HOWE (Rob Carr), 2004
CONNECTION BETWEEN MUSIC AND MINDSET
This research prospectus will examine the connection between the musical genre coined ‘emo’ and those people who listen to it. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not this type of music influences its listeners to think in a similar manner. The snowball method will be used to collect data from individuals between the ages of 15 and 25 years. Using a series of surveys, interviews and questionnaires, the values and ethics of listeners and non-listeners of emo will be assessed and compared. This study will focus on the emo and punk cliques while skimming the surfaces of other styles of music as well. This study will attempt to determine if (1) the music one listens to relates to certain ethics and values adopted by the listener; (2) those values which the listener possesses are generally the same as other listeners of similar music; and (3) the values which these listeners have are drastically different from those of listeners of different styles of music.
JUSTIN KEENA (John chetro-Szivos), 2005
IN FRONT OF THE LENS
In order to grasp a more informed understanding of people’s reactions to the known presence of a camera, this study was conceived to analyze, through actual photographs, surveys, and interviews, what the reactions are and why people react in such extreme ways. Why do some people focus their attention on the camera and others seem to cower away from it? Few inanimate objects in this world can cause such a sudden change in human behavior, so what is it about the camera, a time-stopping machine meant to fit in the palm of your hand, that gives it such power? Why do some people fear it and others relish in its presence? Some answers may be found in studies of Communication Apprehension and applied to this particular situation, however a more comprehensive decipherment is seen in the actual photographs and words from the people in them.
KRISTEN KENDRICK (Peter Laytin), 2005
HOW THE MANIPULATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS HAS CHANGED OVER TIME
The manipulation of photography is something that has escaped many minds. I will be showing how the manipulation has changed over the past twenty years. As we have traveled along in our lives manipulation has become more hidden and no longer obvious to even the naked eye. Extensive research has been done in the library on photography manipulation, as well as in the ethics behind the manipulation process. I have looked through many reels of microfilm on Life and Time Magazines to have plenty of images to work with. Manipulation has grown so much in just twenty years that it is scary. Nowadays people cannot even tell if a photograph has been manipulated or if that is what the photograph is.
CAROLYN KOSINSKI (Jon Krasner), 2004
THE PROGRESSION OF ANIMATION THROUGHOUT THE YEARS
The process involved in the creation of animation has greatly developed in the 20th Century allowing animation to go from flat, twodimensional pieces to almost life-like representations. Animation is a very popular medium in today’s culture, however it evolved through many stages to become as interesting and entertaining as it is today. Employing specific examples, the processes of early black and white animation that was produced on assembly lines, the use of rotoscoping, Technicolor animations, the use of live action, and finally computer animation, both 2D and 3D, will be described. Instead of having to redraw every frame as they did in the past, computers allow animators to manipulate the object in every frame without having to redraw it, saving time and making movements cleaner. With 3D animation there are less boundaries of what can be created leading to the most imaginative and remarkable creations that can sometimes almost seem life-like.
DANIELLE LACASSE (Zak Lee), 2007
THE LOTTERY
The ideas and themes presented in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” struck me so profoundly that I decided that I wanted to share it in a more comprehensive manner with a larger audience. In order to accomplish this I chose to adapt the story into a feature length screenplay. The first step in this process was to breakdown the story into its most basic elements and themes, derived from the words and actions of the characters. The next step was to create the world of the lottery, by embellishing and building on the scant details of the story. Then an outline for an expanded story, that still preserved the most important themes and messages of the story, need to be created. Finally this outline became the full story. Through breaking down this the very complex details of the story I found several themes that I wished to carry though in my own interpretation of the work such as humans’ blind adherence to tradition, gender social structures, and the human ability to ignore even the most horrific of actions until it directly affects them adversely. Many of these themes are still relevant in today’s world and people should be reminded of them.
The ideas and themes presented in Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery,” struck me so profoundly that I decided that I wanted to share it in a more comprehensive manner with a larger audience. In order to accomplish this I chose to adapt the story into a feature length screenplay. The first step in this process was to breakdown the story into its most basic elements and themes, derived from the words and actions of the characters. The next step was to create the world of the lottery, by embellishing and building on the scant details of the story. Then an outline for an expanded story, that still preserved the most important themes and messages of the story, need to be created. Finally this outline became the full story. Through breaking down this the very complex details of the story I found several themes that I wished to carry though in my own interpretation of the work such as humans’ blind adherence to tradition, gender social structures, and the human ability to ignore even the most horrific of actions until it directly affects them adversely. Many of these themes are still relevant in today’s world and people should be reminded of them.
BRANDY LEBLANC (John Chetro-Szivos), 2005
SELF-HELP BROCHURE FOR MEN, "TIPS ON TAKING TO WOMEN": LAYOUT DESIGN, PROCESS, AND IMPLIMENTATION
This project involves the creation of a self-help brochure for men that gives them tips on talking to women, based on the works of Deborah Tannen. For example, Tannen suggests that men in conversation are very direct as opposed to women who are very indirect. She also believes that for men, talk is a negotiation, while for women, talk is for confirmation and support. Not only is this project going to present men with an opportunity to improve their relationships with women, but it will also detail the process of brochure and layout design. The brochure is being created using QuarkXPress and will include a title and an introduction designed to grab readers' attention, as well as giving them detailed examples and tips on how to improve their interpersonal relationships with women. The intent is to encourage men to want to improve their speaking skills with women. After that the rest of the brochure is filled with eye opening hints for men. With help from Deborah Tannen hopefully some men will learn that women value relationships over almost anything. For men, independence is a virtue, but for women, they need to maintain intimacy and avoid isolation. If men knew this than they would understand why their significant other does some of the things that she does. By doing this research project I am trying to emphasize the philosophy of the power of a brochure. By making the actual brochure eye catching hopefully many people will be interested enough to read it and utilize the knowledge that they gained.
JOSEPH LEMANSKI (Charles Wellens), 2004
THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA ON THE 21ST CENTURY STUDENT
In a society oversaturated and inundated with electronic stimulation, where the push of button on the remote control, or a left click on the mouse can get you the answer to almost any question that you have, it’s no wonder that student attention spans are declining and motivation seems to have found a new low. Students of the Nintendo generation are constantly faced with electronic distractions that children of previous generations did not have to contend with. Through extensive research, I hope to show that the power, allure, and simplicity of three major electronic media areas -- t.v., internet, video games-- are causing students to plug-in and tune out in alarming numbers. More precisely, the paper will examine the detrimental effects that the electronic media can have on student motivation and production.
NATHAN MCGARIGAL (Zach Lee), 2009
BAD KIDS, THE MOVIE
Bad Kids is a short film shot on 16mm film. Backstage during the intermission of a highschool play, sinister intentions and grand drama play out behind the curtain as a rogue faculty member, the play director, and his students are caught up in a web of sabotage. My role was as the Director of Photography, Colorist, and a multitude of other small jobs.
ASHLEY MEDERIOS (John Chetro-Szivos), 2005
FRATERNITY MEDIA FOLLOWS CLOSE TRENDS CREATING A PERCEIVED REALITY FOR THE VIEWER
The popular media portrays fraternities in a negative light. This has been the case for decades. This study was conducted to begin to look at a mirroring effect. Are the movies and reality shows accurately portraying fraternity chaos? Or are fraternities running wild because they've "learned" how a fraternity is expected to act? These questions are what sparked my interest on the topic. I began to fear that the second assumption was the more correct one. This study analyzes the media content and its impact on impressions of real-life fraternities. Using Hall's Cultivation and McComb's Agenda Setting Theories, this thesis is an analysis of major popular fraternity movies from each of the past three decades. Common themes, conflict resolution, and endings were all factors in the content analysis. It is important to recognize how the media affects our sense of reality and our acceptance or rejection of certain groups or behaviors. A reality on the topic of fraternities is assumed by the viewer because similar situations and themes are presented in each of the movies over decades, and they are handled in a similar fashion. What one generation was led to believe, so is the next, including those individuals rushing fraternities.
COLBY PETERSON (Jeffrey Warmouth), 2005
24-HOUR CABLE NEWS: INFORMATION OR ENTERTAINMENT?
Twenty-four hour cable news is a modern phenomenon, fit for the age of information and on-demand knowledge, often having a following of rabid devotees and spawning perennial audiences in times of disaster, intrigue, or imagination. Cable news gained new heights after September 11th with the "news binge", a contemporary term defined as a period where a person plans their schedule around watching news continuously, hoping to learn the newest developments as they unfold. My study has worked to scrutinize the three dominant cable news networks, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel to ascertain whether or not their intention is to inform or entertain. Since all three are primarily advertising-supported and run on cable as opposed to broadcast, they do not fall under any governmental or regulatory jurisdiction, making them virtually unaccountable. In an attempt to look past personal and reputational bias, the three networks were recorded simultaneously midday at a relatively benign news period post election period to see where priorities lie. Topical analysis of the one-hour broadcasts has shown some overlap, but considerable differences ranging from news ticker contents to anchor and correspondent delivery style. The expression and conclusions of these differences has moved into an abstract and artistic work of video art, "reconsuming" and subsequently regurgitating the broadcasts into a single piece. The piece speaks lets the networks speak for themselves by emphasizing the subtle and overt techniques the networks use, and their true biases are exposed.
PATRICK PHO (John Chetro-Szivos), 2006
SPEECH COMMUNITIES: THE RECOGNITION, DEVELOPMENT, AND ACCEPTANCE INTO COLLEGE CULTURE
College students have always been categorized as a unique culture. The structure and environment of higher education places young adults in an environment unlike anything they have experienced before nor will they experience after. As a unique culture college students share languages, symbols, and behaviors that perpetuate through the years. It is clear that college students form a special community--a speech community. The speech community model defines the student community through the ways students communicate with each other. There is an apparent culture that perpetuates the entity of the college community beyond the influence of any one student that goes through the system. It is this idea that makes college communities so distinctive. This piece will examine the concept of speech communities and how specific communication theories apply to new college students and their acclimation and eventual acceptance into the inner culture of college students. Research questions to answer include: What role does communication play in the cultural development of first year students? What is a speech community and how does this college community resemble a speech community? How do members join such a community? In what ways do freshmen use communication to join an established community? Subjects will be interviewed using an appreciative inquiry method with circular questioning. The effective use of these methods on college campuses makes these techniques a logical match in use of interviewing subjects like new college students. The method involves the formation of a “conversational space” where stories and experiences are shared amongst groups of people.
STEPHANIE RENAUD (Jon Krasner), 2005
ROMARE BEARDEN: TENSION AND COLLAGE
Romare Bearden was an artist who used his talents to show both the positive and the negative sides of African American life that was not seen by a vast majority of the world. The art created by Romare Bearden resulted from the racial tensions he saw in America and the artistic tensions he felt in his own life and career. These tensions influenced him to respond to the negative representations of his people and his culture in the form of collage. The media was only showing the African American as either victims or people to hate and be feared. Bearden wanted to show that despite what was being shown to America, there were both positive and negative aspects in their lives. This paper was created in order to show the ways that both the struggles and successes of the African American people were shown in the same piece of art, creating tension. This tension is a major reason why Bearden was so successful as an artist, who represented a misunderstood culture and helped many to understand the tensions that they faced everyday. Looking at a series of Bearden’s collages and some basic research, this paper will talk about the many tensions that are present in his art. These include the racial and cultural themes that he was using to show both the positive and the negative, the sometimes chaotic structure of his art that created artistic tensions and the mix of many different artistic methods and materials.
AMIE ROEMER (Helen Obermeyer-Simmons), 2007
VISUAL IDENTITY FOR BUSINESS
This presentation explores the creation of a visual identity in a business environment. The goal of this project was to design a complete graphic identity for an online gift-basket business, including a logo, stationary, illustration and website. The process began with the initial brainstorming, an opportunity for unstructured thinking and idea generation. Following this was a definition of the basic needs of the business. This included a logo, website and stationary, as well as a “look” to tailor the graphics to abstract concepts like “creative” “expert” “sophisticated” and “feminine.” Once these needs were established, initial design sketches were created. Through many revisions, final pieces were produced and readied for final client approval. This summer plans to start the online gift-basket business will be underway using the pieces created during this project.
ADONIRAM SIDES (Jeffrey Warmouth), 2004
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT: AN INSTALLED METAPHOR FOR AMERICAN TELEVISION’S CULTURE OF SELF-CANNIBALISM
There can be little doubt that the supply and demand model of economics is a driving force behind consumer trends and little doubt that the mass media, particularly television, are beholden to this truism. After study and research of the progress of the television media in recent years and witnessing the trend of homogeny in primetime broadcasts I decided to fuse the consumer-media relationship in an installation work. Using both interactive art and fine art techniques I planned and designed a representational work of current trends: a man in a parody of Rodin’s “The Thinker” with head slightly raised to observe a monitor. The monitor and man are literally fused in a Shodo type of composition: an open but fluid circle where the base of the sitting man becomes the form of a wave that raises to support the monitor. The monitor is directly connected to a camera that is then mounted discretely within the installation space. The implication is clear: consumers engage to witness real life as it occurs around us. The objective is to inspire viewers (of the installation) to think upon their own lives and how this process abridges participation in social contact especially when the purpose of these actions is to witness social contact.
EMILY TORRES (Jeffrey Warmouth), 2005
VIDEO: CULTURAL CHANGES WITHIN THE FINNISH COMMUNITY, FITCHBURG, MA
This video takes a brief look at Finnish culture in Fitchburg, Massachusetts from the past to the present in an effort to find and illustrate the types of cultural changes that have occurred throughout the years. The city of Fitchburg has been home to the Finnish community ever since immigrants first began arriving in the 1800s. These Finns were an essential part of the history and development of the town. The video explains how the community has changed and also how it continues to protect and preserve the Finnish culture today. There are two questions this research has answered: Are 3rd and 4th generation Finns still as active and involved in Finnish culture, and what is Finnish culture like today? Finnish community members express their feelings about these subjects through interviews. Individuals who have been highly involved in this community were targeted to address the changes they have noticed over the years. Responses indicate that Finnish culture has changed dramatically. Activities which continue today do so because of 3rd and 4th generation Finns who are still in town, but that number is rather small. Most of the Finnish presence which had once filled the main street has disappeared. In recent years, Finnish cultural groups have formed in order to preserve and bring together people who remain in Fitchburg’s Finnish community. Today, these groups have united to form the Finnish Center at Saima Park.
KATHERINE WALSH (John Chetro-Szivos), 2004
THE IMPACT OF TELEVISION ON CONTEMPORARY LIFE
Television has invaded our lives and our society. It is very rare to walk into a home that does not have at least one television. The alternative to reading a newspaper or listening to the radio, television was our connection to the world. It still is, however, now it has become the Frankenstein of society. The television was created with good intentions, though now it seems we have lost control of its powers. Our babysitter, our constant source of entertainment, our source of comfort and relaxation and our perception of truth and reality–television. Now new inventions such as home media servers, will create an even greater dependence on television, disturbance in society and the possible extinction of television advertising. By examining theorists such as Marshall McLuhen and Neil Postman, this study suggests that television poses more effects on society than just the messages themselves and explores what those effects are. If we, as a society, are made conscious of the effects television has on our society, we will then be able to begin to take control back and stop “Frankenstein” dead in his tracks and return “him” to his to his original position, an educator and a liaison between us and the rest of the world. We may also then discuss new ways to advertise and promote businesses i.e. interactive advertising and public relations.
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