The Three-Act Structure behind The Office

A characteristic of TV sitcoms is the modified three-act structure. This structure is composed of setup, confrontation and resolution. The setup establishes the characters and location in a “character-based casualty” so that the sitcom is portraying their everyday lives. The confrontation presents a conflict that the protagonist must work to resolve which usually leads to character-growth. The third act is the climax, where the characters must confront growing tensions and resolve the conflict. This structure characterizes classical medium and “controls disclosure” of information.

An example of how the three act structure functions in the sitcom genre is when a character sets a goal, but is met with obstacles pertaining to his life and eventually comes across a solution, enabling him to attain that goal.

The Office is a television sitcom that follows the daily lives of office workers at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the seventh season premier of The Office (Nepotism), a new office assistant, Luke is introduced in the first act. His attitude and poor work ethic cause tension and everyone expresses their dislike towards him, but it is revealed that Luke is Michael’s nephew. The conflict of whether or not to get rid of Luke essentially makes up act two. This conflict is finally resolved when Luke continues to behave poorly and finally comes a climax. During a meeting, Michael spanks him in front of the entire office and he runs away crying to the satisfaction of all of the workers. This episode was extremely hilarious and accurately represented the three-act structure characteristic of the sitcom genre.

The shots & angles of how to steal a million

My favorite movie of all time is How to Steal a Million, starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole.

My Scene: How to Steal a Million

The scene begins with a Close up, high angle shot on Nicole Bonnet (Hepburn) that suggests that power is held over her. She does not know beforehand of the arrival of her intruder, which builds suspense from the audience. The dark background calls attention to Bonnet and establishes a connection, relating her point of view to the interests of the audience.

Another Close up, high angle shot is shown when the camera is angled downward at the painting that Dermott (O’Toole) is collecting a sample from. This shot depicts the symbolic meaning that this single painting is the general overview of the entire film, the item of interest that is under analysis for validity.

The last high angle shot in the scene is at the accidental firing of the gun by Bonnet. By her backing away up the stairs, Bonnet’s fear is highlighted by the camera angle.

There is a shift in the middle of the scene from a high, close up angle to a medium, low angle shot when Bonnet is located at the top of the stairwell and looked to. This conveys her rightful claim over the house and defines her position as powerful and advantageous, holding influence over Simon Dermott (O’Toole). This upper hand is held throughout most of the movie.

Upon her arrival at the foot of the stairs, Bonnet is now amidst a low, eye level shot that carries on throughout most of the scene. This shot establishes the relationship between Dermott (O’Toole) and Bonnet (Hepburn) through the action caused by the accidental shooting. The focus is on the interaction between the characters.

A Trail of Stars

An aspect in the studio system of production that I find particularly interesting is the role of stars and their association with other stars of the same studio. Majoring in advertising, I am particularly interested in this aspect because this ‘suggestion’ exemplifies advertising in Classic Hollywood. Stars are essentially ‘selling’ other stars in the same studio.

This aspect affected the films that studios made because stars become more associated with genres and studios. For example, Humphrey Bogart became characterized by his fedora and trench coat and known for his work in the detective genre.

An example of this is when Major studios, especially the “Big five” such as Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), use one star to promote other stars. This was shown in the clip Dear Mr. Gable that we viewed in class. Judy Garland is a fan of Clark Gable and sings of how she came to love him.  Because of this, fans of Garland become interested in the actor Clark Gable as well, building star power, a vital part of the studio system of production.

Those were the days

When comparing Modern Family to All in the Family, the differences are quite striking but still based on the common similarities. Modern Family is a contemporary family based TV sitcom that depicts three different family situations and the issues that they face in their own ways.  All in the Family is a sitcom that shows the life of one family, the Bunkers, and an issue that is mocked to illustrate an issue at the time. However, because of audience interpretation and bias, both sitcoms are presented in a satirical and comedic way.

All in the Family was a mockery of the stereotypes present in a society. In contrast, Modern Family reveals how socially acceptable these stereotypes have become. For example, the issue of homosexuality is especially frowned about and viewed in a negative way in All in the Family, while in Modern Family, one of the families being shown is a homosexual couple that reveals how commonly acceptable homosexuality has become.

Archie Bunker, the main character of All in the Family is comparable to the modern Jay Pritchett. They are both satirical characters that have trouble showing emotions and convey stereotypical thoughts. The sitcoms are also similar in that the families portrayed have the same family functions and engage in family bonding. The Bunkers begin with a song they sing together and Modern Family ends with a large family gathering.

Another Issue that is brushed up on is the issue of gender roles. In All in the Family, Edith Bunker is viewed as a woman incapable of intellectual capacity of any kind. For example, she is fascinated by the thought of what happens after a snapshot is taken. In Modern Family, women have taken a more dominant role, guiding the course of a relationship and managing the family. For example, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett is capable of making her husband act according to her whims. When insulting her heritage, Gloria makes Jay beat meat and yell, claiming it as a Colombian tradition.

Both sitcoms introduce social realism and controversy in particular societal situations while still maintaining the image of a domestic family. Both sitcoms explored the issue of homosexuality and gender roles but in different contexts. The difference is that in Modern Family, the issue of raising a child in a homosexual relation arises. In All in the Family, homosexuality is not looked into in depth. Additionally, while All in the Family deals with racism, Modern Family does not. Instead, it explores interracial marriages like the marriage between Jay and Gloria. While older sitcoms show particular issues, newer sitcoms commonly expand on older issues and represent newer issues.

The episode of Modern Family I thought was particularly interesting: Modern Family

How the Masked Avenger Came to Be

I think technological change had a profound impact on the radio industry because of the potential of various uses that radio could be used for created by making the vision of radio into a reality. I believe that technology was the basic foundation for the formation of the radio industry and gave birth to broadcasting.

The first radio transmitter was developed in 1896. What had been merely a vision was now a reality. The invention of the vacuum tube allowed continuous transmission and reception of sound, voice and music, further advancing the radio industry. This created potential for broadcasting: news, education and advertising all made use of this new development. Technological developments also included microphones, amplifiers, tuners and more powerful transmitters. With technology, David Sarnoff’s idea of a “Radio music box” was transformed the vision to make radio a household utility into a reality. With these technological changes, the radio industry has developed into the form of communication that it is today.

Technological changes affected the evolution of the U.S. radio system in the 1920s was exemplified in the Golden Age of Radio, the time period when radio had reached a peak in popularity. Not only did the radio have a huge impact on consumer culture, but also an increase in awareness of national issues was only shown because of the ubiquitous state of the Radio music box found in every household. Woody Allen’s Radio Days accurately portrays this effect. Radio stars such as the Masked Avenger became part of the family. The small plastic device was transformed into an extravagant, luxurious, wooden piece of furniture known and loved by all.

Obsession with perfection

The concept of media effects helps me understand that the way women are portrayed in the media is an issue and shows the effect that this misrepresentation has on individuals because of the response that occurs as a result of exposure to this degrading image.

By definition, Media effects are the changes in cognition, attitudes, emotions, opinions and behaviors that result from exposure to mass media. However, to me, media effects are the models, airbrushed and distorted, that graze the covers of popular magazines. Media effects are rape, abuse, and violence. Media effects are anorexia nervosa and related eating disorders.

Priming is a media effect theory that conveys the idea that the media triggers thoughts. This unveils a passive issue and one is more likely to receive, interpret and judge based on knowledge. In accordance with the issue of women’s roles in media, priming is used to trigger the thought that happiness can only be obtained through perfection.

Women have become a target for media effects. In the film, Killing Us Softly, Jean Kilbourne evokes a strong reaction from her audience when she puts a light on the often-overlooked issue of female stereotypes. According to Kilbourne, women have been shown an unattainable standard of perfection through the influence of the mass media and are willing to take strong measures to obtain the look of what they believe is perfection. The media has produced the perfect woman, an easy, yielding, needy, domesticated, nonresistant, beautiful object. Because she brings this issue to our attention, we are now able to judge the situation based on knowledge. 

Ads such as the Dolce and Gabbana “Rape” Ad have become commonly accepted and obviously show male dominance over women.

A further example of the effect of media is the case of Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that reflects an obsessive fear of gaining weight due to a distorted self image. Mass media has been particularly influential on the need for women to be thin. Statistics show that most anorexics are young women. Only 10% of all anorexics are men. The deteriorating image of women are symbolic of the influence that mass media can have.

Hegemony: America's #1 Bandage Brand

Hegemony is the overall process of one socially dominant group that holds power and influence over others. Today, ideological influence is essential in order to gain favor with the public and maintain power. In Hegemony, ideas are indirectly placed within one’s head through mass media and unknowingly become socially acceptable.

In terms of application, the brand Band-Aid helps me to understand the ideological influence of hegemony through the idea of a product that is supported by advertising, spread through mass media and socially accepted. 

Is there another way to describe the adhesive tape that is a Band-Aid? Band-Aids have gained acceptance and consent from willing people. They have become part of our culture. Band-Aids show the extent to which hegemony can go undetected. We don’t realize this until we try to come up with an alternative name for a Band-Aid. It is interesting to explore the many outcomes of hegemony in society and rethink the ideas that have influenced us.

See modern day propaganda firsthand: http://www.bandaid.com