Media
Suggestions: try to get media from all three categories along with any
off-line media you are reviewing. Many of them may require some form of
registration. Most of these publications are honest when they say they
aren't going to sell your info so go ahead and register so that you can
get into the site.
If you are reading papers or watching news offline, try to find a link
to the story so we can follow it up. Also, if you check on one source
for the story, try to go back to the same source later in the cycle--remember
the journlist/commentator as well. Not all of these sites will have coverage,
but they might have some stories related to it.
Finally, I have given a few indications of ideological leanings in so far as I am able to distinguish them. You may not find them correct, but I think they are relatively accurate. It may be interesting for you to try to look at a variety of ideological positions as well as a variety of media forms.
Let me know if you find a really good source that others might find interesting so that I can add it for other students.
On Media Concentration and consolidation:
Center for Public Integrity (find who owns what in your media market)
Established Media
Newspapers/Magazines:
New
York Times (more left)
Washington
Post (more center)
Washington Times
(right)
LA Times
(more left)
The Guardian
(UK--center left)
Independent
(UK--Leftish)
International
Herald Tribune
Economist
(UK--center right)
Newsweek
(owned by Washington Post, infotainment, left/right mix.)
US
News and World Report (more right)
Time (left/right
mix, infotainment)
TV/Radio
NBC
CBS
ABC
FOX
CNN
MSBC
NPR
AirAmerica (left)
CNN
international
BBC World
al Jazzera (Arabic network, not pro US)
Web
Slate
(somewhat center-left)
Salon
(central; requires subscription but usually an advertiser offers a free
daily pass if you watch their ad.)
Wires
Google news
AP
wire via Yahoo
Rueters
Wire via Yahoo
Agence
France Presse wire via Yahoo
Alternative/Political Media
Web based Print pubs
Democracy Now!
(also available on your radio at 89.3 WPFP at certain times of the day)
In These Times
(left)
National
Review (paleo-con)
Nation ( Left)
New Republic (Left/Right
mix)
Mother Jones (progressive)
The
American Prospect (left)
Sojourners (progressive,
christian)
Washington Blade
(local, Gay)
Weekly Standard
(neocon)
Z
Magazine (Left/Progressive)
Web Publications
Alternet (progressive)
CounterPunch
(foaming left)
IndyMedia (open
source, usually fairly polarized depending on the poster)
Freezerbox
FrontPage (foaming
Right)
openDemocracy.org
(Public
Sphere)
Popmatters.com
Truthout
Headline sites (with some original content)
CNSnews
service (right)
Tom Paine.com
Buzzflash (Left)
Fark.com
Drudge Report (Right)
Common Dreams
(progressive)
NewsMax (right)
townhall.com (right)
WorldNet Daily
(right)
OTHER
Global
Media Journal
blogs
Ace
of Spades HQ
Altercation
(j)
atrios
AndrewSullivan
(j)
Daily Kos (l)
kausfiles
InstaPundit
(l)
little
green footballs
Liberal Oasis
MetaFilter
MyDD
On the Third Hand
OxBlog
Plastic
Samizdata
scoobie davis
online
Talking Points
Memo
VodkaPundit
Winds of Change
Winning
Arguments
Wonkette.com
Yuppies of Zion
Media/politics watch sites--very good for getting some critical views
Campaign Desk (CJR)
Cursor
Daily Howler
(Leftish)
Fact Check.org
Fairness and Accuracy In
Reporting (FAIR)
Romanesko
Media For Democracy
MediaMatters
AIM (Accuracy in
Reporting, right)
Fun sites
More to come here
Addison
Gallery of American Art
African-American
Art on the Internet
The American West
Amon Carter Museum
Archives of American Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Butler Institute of American Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Detroit Institute of Arts
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Henry Fracis du Pont Winterhur Museum
Los Angeles Country Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum of American Folk Art
Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Modern Art
Museum of the City of New York
National Gallery of Art
National Portrait Gallery
Native American Indian
Art
New York State Historical Association
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Phillips Collection
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Terra Museum of American Art
Virginia
Scott Steele Gallery
Wadsworth Atheneum
Whitney Museum of American Art
William Rockhill Nelson Gallery
of Art
Yale University Art Gallery
Many people feel intimidated when they enter an art gallery. They believe that geniuses have created the works of art and that only certain people can understand the deep mysteries of the art. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We will be dispelling many of those myths during this course.
“Reading”
a piece of art is similar to reading a film or a piece of literature.
Viewers “crack the code” simply by understanding the vocabulary
and following a few simple guidelines for viewing art.
- Look deeply
at the painting. Think about what you are experiencing. Does the
picture evoke any sensations of temperature, space, light, sound, smell,
taste, speed, etc.? Does it call forth any associations, memories or
thoughts for you personally?
- Think about
the visual elements that the artist used to create that experience.
How does he or she use color? What kind of light is created in the painting?
How does the artist achieve it? How would you describe the space of
the picture? Is there a particular area of focus? How does the way the
artist uses materials contribute to your experience of the picture?
For example, how does the artist apply the paint—large, loose
brushstrokes or small tight ones?
- Consider what the picture is about. What is the subject matter? Do you sense a particular attitude or perspective on the subject matter? Is there something underlying the subject matter that you could say that the painting is about? How does the picture participate in the particular social/historical/cultural milieu in which it was created?
Watching a film is similar to reading a novel. A novel introduces us to a different reality, complete with new settings, unfamiliar characters and unique messages. As we read the novel, we look for clues to help us understand this new reality. We may find symbols that emphasize the theme of the novel, techniques such as foreshadowing and flashback that give us a sense of time, and descriptions and actions that help us understand the characters. Each of these literary devices and the words the author chooses to use establish the tone of the novel.
Films use many of
the same techniques, but they do it all with visuals. The novel creates
an imaginary world through a selected set of words, and film creates that
world through carefully crafted sets of images. Below is a list of some
issues to think about while you watch a film. By asking and answering
these questions as you watch a film, you will begin to recognize what
kind of visual impact the director trying to achieve. These activities
also will help you learn to analyze the techniques used by the director.
- Genre/Audience: Within what genre does this film fall (drama, comedy, romance, suspense, class, foreign, children’s, etc.)
- Plot/Theme: What is the basic premise of the film? What drives the action? What is the overall theme of the film? Are certain images repeated or exaggerated to help convey the theme? Look for mythical elements in the film (heroes, villains, damsels in distress). Does the film follow any so-called universal story patterns?
- Structure: How is the film structured in terms of time and space? Does it follow a logical sequence or is there manipulation? Remember that inherent in the medium of film is an artificial construction of time and space. Investigate how the film uses both of these elements to reinforce its theme or themes.
- Characterization: Are we being introduced to a new group of people, or perhaps to people whom we know a little bit about already? How does the film create these personalities? What visual techniques are employed to make the characters seem real?
- Camera: Watch what the director has chosen for us to focus on—he or she is directing your eye. Look at the speed of various shots and the angles and points of view from which the action is seen. Also notice when the director uses establishing shots, long shots, close-ups and extreme close-ups.
- Sound: Is music used? If so, how does it contribute to the mood, the theme, the character development? Listen carefully to the other sounds in the film. How does the director use various sounds to reinforce the plot, theme and characters in the film?
- Context: Is there a larger context for the film? Is it based on a book or an historical event? If so, how does it differ from the original source?
(Adapted from a Jennifer Gauthier handout)
Understanding Film Terms
Theme: What the film is about
Story: All the events that are presented to the viewer or that the viewer infers.
Plot: The arrangement of the events in a certain order
Point of View: Position from which the action is viewed
Mise-en-scene: Everything in the scene that exists independently of camera position, movement and editing.
Sets/setting
Acting style
Costumes
LightingShot: Single image the viewer sees on the screen before the film cuts to a different image.
Tone
Film speed
PerspectiveFrame: Border of the moving image
Moving frame/reframing
Crane shots
Tilting
Pan
Tracking/dolly
Hand-heldEditing: Linking of two different pieces of film
Pace or rhythm
SequenceContinuity/Invisible editing Linking of two different pieces of film
Establishing shots
Shot/reverse-shot or shot-counter shotSound
Post-dubbed
Direct
Types of Essays about Film
- Movie Review: Mostly plot summary and where it stands in relation to other films. It is written to convince people of the film’s worth—or lack of worth.
- Theoretical Essay: The relationship of the film to the larger political, ideological issues, to explain complex structures of cinema.
- Critical Essay: Between the review and theoretical essay the critical essay reminds readers of key themes, but concentrates on a specific feature of the film.
(adapted from A Short Guide to Writing about Film by Timothy Corrigan)
In truth, everyone has to work hard to comprehend theory—whether it is literary theory, music theory, art theory or visual culture theory. Sometimes theory is difficult because of the way it is written. Sometimes it is difficult because the writer is attempting to convey complex ideas, assuming a level of understanding the reader may not have.
To help you get the
most out of your readings, Peter Barry suggests an intensive reading technique
he calls “SQ3R.” This technique breaks down the difficult
reading into five stages that are assigned the letters SQRRR, or SQ3R.
- S: Survey the entire article. That is, skim it fairly rapidly so that you just get a sense of the scope of the argument. Concentrate on opening and closing paragraphs and on the opening sentences in paragraphs.
- Q: Write down your questions.
- R1: Read the whole essay. Highlight or underline key points. If you don’t own the book, jot down notes
- R2: Recall what you have just read. With the book closed, jot down some summary points. Also jot down the difficulties you still have with the text.
- R3: Review after some time has elapsed since the reading. Without opening the book or referring to your notes, review what you learned and remind yourself of your questions.
(Adapted from Peter Barry’s Beginning Theory)
