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Are We Better Off As Consumers In The Age Of Streaming ~ Blog Ten

Although it is nostalgic for me to think back on renting out Barbie movies at Blockbuster as an overall business video rentals have turned obsolete. Even renting videos off your TV has quickly become something of the past. As stated, I can still vividly remember going into a Blockbuster to rent out DVDs, sometimes the same one over and over, yet with new streaming platforms this type of business doesn't need to exist. Steaming has changed a lot about how we consume TV shows and movies, there are hundreds of streaming platforms out there and subscribing to one of them gives you access to hundreds of different content. Why continue renting content when you can, in a sense, own it, having the content as long as you want as long as your subscription. Furthermore, we see with TV rentals such as Rogers On Demand, that this type of paying to watch doesn't work anymore. It's not that renting services had anything wrong with their business standpoint, but in my opinion, times have changed and the need for such a service isn't needed. Steaming, although it can be costly for some, has skyrocketed throughout the past 10 years. Streaming and being watched anywhere and has anything one would want to watch, leaving it to dominate the market. It's almost competitive nature makes it drive out video renting and even cable networking. In my experience, when my family had subscribed to a streaming service we subsequently changed our cable plan, practically got rid of any DVD players within our house and overall never rented movies again. A statement often made now is “the only need for cable is to watch the news”, yet even then, the news can be consumed through many different platforms. Although it is melancholy to think about when we were younger, eagerly buying new rentals, because of the constant development of streaming it would be hard to say I exactly miss this age of media consumption. It’s safe to say that yes, we as consumers are better off as consumers in the age of streaming. It is a faster and easier way of consuming new and old media from anywhere.  

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What Makes A Great Summer Movie? ~ Blog Nine

As spring turns into summer we can only wait for newfound free time to enjoy new and old movies. Personally, summer movies come when one is bumming around looking for something to do. An example of this is, when you're young and have almost nothing to preoccupy your time with besides watching TV, you might beg your parents to drive you to the movie theater or even open up Netflix to find something, anything to watch. A good summer movie doesn't have to be any genre in particular, into comedy does help, the genre may fluctuate. Taking into consideration a movie like “Little Miss Sunshine '' (2006), the movie itself did come out in July and, in my opinion, is a perfect example of a summer movie. Although the movie has some darker undertones lying within the family. Overall comedic feel as well as the setting of a summer road trip with a very real feeling of family leaves the movie feeling comforting and easy to watch again. Another example of a comforting reachable movie would be “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009), and “The Moonrise Kingdom” (2012). These types of movies tend to have a comforting feel and are often described as “comfort movies”. These comfort movies are a great example of what a summer movie could be to some. If one is looking for something to watch, why not watch something you already feel content and happy watching. Furthermore, a summer movie may also just be a new movie that came out this summer. These types of movies usually consist of action, comedy, and maybe even thriller or horror. Trailers and commercials continually draw attention to these movies and with little else to do one may go watch them. I believe that these types of summer movies tend to be a hit or miss, especially with audiences. Maybe watching it in theaters would lead to a great summer experience with friends and even if you rewatch it you feel this way, but the movie itself could be pretty mediocre. Having this good connection to new summer releases leads us to believe that the movie is better than it is. Overall, I believe that what makes a summer movie a summer movie, is having a comedy/lighthearted aspect, whilst still having relatable characters and a summer atmosphere.

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Are Award Shows Relevant Anymore? ~ Blog Eight

Current day award shows are usually a hit or miss, many don't watch them but catch the relevant parts on social media, or judge the outfits after the show. Yet are they still relevant? Celebrities can be the backbone of their career. Having an award to your name means everything, not only giving you better job opportunities but now giving you a whole new chance to succeed. If an actor gets an Oscar then they must be good, right? Even having an academy nominee can leave your career better than it was, many taglines for movie and TV show traits start with such “by Oscar-nominated director…”. Yet to viewers Award shows can come off as events and are even awkward to watch. While celebrities want to see if their careers will come out of the event bigger than they came in with, hosts try to make a comedic show leaving the viewing experience to become uncomfortable to watch at times. Furthermore, there are many award shows, sometimes happening within weeks of each other leading many to be bled into one and leaving viewers thinking “wait didn't that award show happen like three weeks ago?”. With all these awards shows almost none of them can be seen anywhere but on cable a dying network. In my opinion, those who care about these types of events are on the younger side, this means many of them don't have or don't use cable networks. Without award shows being able to stream then fewer and fewer people will want to go out of their way to watch them. This is the main reason why many other live events have added platforms so they maintain revenue. As well, although younger generations do want to see their favourite celebrities win awards, we now have a great understanding of just how rigged these award shows are. With voting systems that are intertwined with Hollywood elitists, it is hard to “fix” this corruption. Although it is hard to say how much the votes are rigged it is easier for this generation of viewers to turn to social media and question the academy's ways. Additionally, I don't believe there is a way to permanently improve award shows, as generations change as well as communication, people will continue to lose interest. If and when award shows change to being life streamed they may encounter more people viewing them yet even then many will catch the important and relevant parts on social media.

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Consistent Netflix Cancellations ~ Blog Seven

Netflix cancelling creatively acclaimed “The Babysitters Club '' is no surprise to me. Although not watching the show myself it is common to find this happens often, especially on Netflix. “Shows like Everything Sucks!”, “Daredevil, Jessica Jones”, “The Punisher”, “One Day At A Time”, “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”, “I Am Not Okay with This”, including much more. Many of which had mass views, not just from dedicated fans of cult followers. So why does Netflix continue to cancel these shows yet keep shows that many criticize running? In my opinion, it is because a show like ‘Riverdale’ is easy to play around with, in one season let alone an episode you can see horror, comedy, drama and romance, it's “binge-worthy” with crazy events happening watch episode with a setting like a high school you can continually have more and more content. We see this happen with cable too, shows like ‘Lost’, ‘The Vampire Diaries’, and ‘Pretty Little Liars’ can continue for many seasons. The worry of the show “getting bad” doesn't matter, with a younger audience that might not know or care about this factor will always be watching as long as the attractive actors get into serious drama. As Well as this it is easier to keep a show running that you know people will watch rather than test the waters with a new one. A show like ‘Everything Sucks!’ or ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ would have a similar younger audience as a show like ‘Riverdale’. ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ has a horror element to it along with high school coming of age, while ‘Everything Sucks!’ has discovered who you are, drama, and comedy. But why continue a show that has less viewership, even when it could gain more. Yet, other shows on the list had big viewer bases as well, ‘Daredevil’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘The Punisher’, and ‘Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’ all had big viewership and almost three sessions to prove of that yet still got cancelled. Fans of these shows have repeatedly stated how disappointed they are the shows were cancelled, many stating how these shows had good writing and representation compared to other shows Netflix puts off and continues to run. Overall it is hard to pinpoint exactly why cancellations happen to critically acclaimed shows. Yes, cancelling shows because of viewer count is understandable from a business standpoint.  Yet, for viewers continuing a show that “has gone off the rails since season two” isn't pleasant to see.

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Deep Dark Secrets of Nine Inch Nails ~ Blog Six

When asked to listen to and analyze an episode of The Edge Ongoing History Of Music Podcast I was instinctively drawn to the May 25th entry Deep Dark Secrets of Nine Inch Nails. My reasoning behind this is the recent surfacing of their song Closer 1994 on social media. Knowing little about the band I was drawn to the statement of their secret history. To begin, I understood their grunge and dark aesthetic. Between the band's name and known songs, it is clear what time of music they would make. Yet, I was surprised to hear snippets of their earlier songs. Sounding almost like a “darker” 80s band, or “Angry Loverboy” as the host, Alan Cross, used to describe an early song of the band. Trent Reznor the lead singer of the band always knew the type of sound he wanted in his music, and it took working with many professionals and producers to finally get there. Even in the first drafts of the band's first album the sound was quite there (referring back to what Alan Cross had stated). Hearing this is what first surprised me. As stated the name Nine Inch Nails itself has that gritty feel to it, hearing that not only did the band not achieve this type of sound until they secured a contract but also Trent Reznor himself performed many songs in the past that sounded nothing like what he truly had wanted. Along with this, I was surprised to find out through the podcast that Trent Reznor used mostly computer-generated acoustics within his songs. Although having a technology sound to the song I'm familiar with, it was surprising to learn that Trent Reznor had stated how he didn't try to use real acoustics until he started performing with real summers and guitarists and heard that computer-generated sound wasn't always the same. Unsurprisingly, Trent Reznor was very interested in synthesizers and/or keyboards whilst growing up, most likely leading to this usage of computers within his work. I was overall interested in the controlling contract that TVT had the band in. seeking a new contract the band recorded a song in secret that was then held to be redone without Trent Reznor's voice in it. Hearing many claims of controlling contracts within the music and even film industry it was not surprising to find out how the time spent with TVT was mostly the band wondering if they will make it out alive. The band was prohibited to absolutely anything, could make music the way they wanted to and barely passed by. The last new years of their context were spent in legal battle yet when finally out of the redistricting contract did Nine Inch Nails succeed and go platinum. Finally, a question I obtained from this podcast was, what is currently happening with the band. The band contained popularity within the 1900s and into the 2000s yet is still securing the same fame. I know that the song I had mentioned, Closer, had become popular to use on TikTok, yet, older songs tend to do so on this app. It is common for rock bands from the time to maintain a cult following yet it is not mentioned if the band is still popular and suki fight for their edgy style anymore.

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Cult Classic Movie ~ Blog Five

In my opinion, the “most cult classic movie” that was shown in class would have to be The Matrix. The movie is a well-known and critically acclaimed film that is proven to be timeless within pop culture. However, despite knowing about its popularity I have never seen or been particularly interested in it before. Prior to watching The Matrix in class, the only information I had on it was the iconic “Red pill or Blue pill” scene as well as the slow-motion bullet dodging scene that are constantly referenced in T.V shows and Movies. Yet, getting to experience the dystopian action was a very thrilling and engaging experience, learning that the film is more than some run-of-the-mill action movie was very satisfying and I believe that the content praise that I heard of the movie is justified. The mixture of mystery, action, and sci-fi is well balanced and consistent throughout the plot of the film, leaving every scene to feel as engaging as the last. The addition of body horror and/or more thriller-esque scenes was also captivating as a fan of such movies. Furthermore, referring back to the Movie Conventions Checklist as well as the Cult Classic Films Checklist it is safe to say that The Matrix lies very high in the categories. Not only is the acting, production, and timeless nature of the film astonishing, the originality, especially at its time, will always be refreshing to watch. It was personally exciting to see a movie driven by suspense and mystery as well as the world created within the movie being grounded with its own rules. As a new viewer, you watch and learn about this other world and its rules, creations, and people at the same time as the main character Neo does. I believe that the way one can be drawn and immerse completely into the well-placed plot even to this day is a token to show how well the movie was made. Overall although The Matrix may be overused within the pop culture scene, the movie itself is an iconic yet original movie. In my opinion, the plot, story, and characters are timeless and well-executed leaving the movie to be enjoyed by many to this day. Lastly, the heavily immersive world and characters leave the movie a most classic cult classic that was viewed within our class.

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All-Time Favourite Tv Show ~ Blog Four

I would have to say that one of my favourite TV shows of all-time would be Bob’s Burgers. Although I didn't watch it when it first started airing on Fox in 2011, I can truthfully say that I have watched all the seasons currently out from beginning to end plenty of times. I had always liked the show but it was until 2018 that I watched the show on streaming platforms when I considered it one of my favourite shows. Bob’s Burgers follows the Belcher family, a lower to middle-class restaurant owning family five and their everyday life. As different events and problems occur within the now 12 seasons we see the characters play their parts in each other's lives. A typical season of Bob’s Burgers follows the lives of the Belcher family with timely holiday episodes in between, typically Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Personally, the Thanksgiving episodes are one of my favourites due to the chaos that occurs on Bob’s favourest holiday. The family, although may seem dysfunctional to some, genuinely loves and care for one another and we continuously see this throughout the show. On multiple occasions, we see the aforementioned Bob and his love for his optimistic and energetic wife Linda. While as the sibling love and friendship between the three children, the oldest Tina is an awkward teenage girl, middle child Gene is much like his energetic mother, and youngest Louise the troublemaker who makes schemes and drags her family into it. Unlike many sitcoms, instead of the children being separated from each other and not necessarily getting along, the three Belcher children more often than not interact with one another's plots, and are shown to be very close with one another. The relationship between the characters along with each unique personality has always kept me laughing and relating to the show.  Each character has their own personality and quirks, throughout the show itself we learn many things about them and why the family acts this way. The immense detail put into our main cast has proven to make characters dynamic whilst being relatable. To conclude, I would like to state that in many cases long-running shows, especially cartoons and sitcoms, lose the detail within their characters leaving them one note. Yet, considering Bob’s Burgers is on its 12th season there is much hope that this will not happen. I believe that Bob’s Burgers will continue to be one of my favourite shows if it continues to have the thought and details that continue to be within the show currently.

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Blood Diamonds ~ Blog Three

The movie Blood Diamonds takes place in a1990, civil war-ridden Sierra Leone. Rebels terrorized villages and subsequently made Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) and many others dig for diamonds in the lakes of Sierra Leone. Consequently, Solomon Vandy finds a rare variation of the diamond just before the rebel camp is compromised by legal forces. In jail, this is where our two main characters truly meet Solomon Vandy and Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) are put into the same holding cells thus making Danny Archer aware of the rare diamond. The two become joined to find the diamond again and change their lives forever. For the better part of the runtime, they are joined by an American journalist Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly) who is set on showing Americans where their pretty diamond rings are truly coming from. As a whole, through the action-filled movie, we see the effects that the diamond business has on Sierra Leone and its people. While watching Blood Diamonds I was exposed to what many have to endure when their homeland is used for producing goods. As we see in the film the rebels within Sierra Leone know the money and power that comes with selling the diamonds ds their land provides pushing civil war throughout the area. Big companies never interfered with the actions and the whole process of the diamond collection and therefore distribution was directed by the Sierra Leone rebels and/or people. During the movie, we are shown Jennifer Connelly’s character Maddy Bowen and her unstopping will to show the rest of the world what the diamond business is. With Maddy’s effort, the conclusion of the movie shows the big corporations that sell “blood diamonds” get what was coming to them with immense backlash. I believe that although many would partake in backlash and be unsettled with the true nature of the diamond entreaty the collapse of diamonds would not nearly be possible. I believe that although many diamond brands today do not use “blood diamonds” within their company this, doesn't mean that what is depicted in the movie isn't still currently happening. Whenever there is demand for something especially when it is shown to be scary, the need to buy it cheap will always stay. I am not sure there is any true solution to stopping this social justice issue. Yet, I do hope that if most diamond distributors stop purchasing “blood diamonds” and forcing false scarcity within the marketing of diamonds, the acts of civil war will be practiced.

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My Advertisement Collage ~ Blog Two

Within my next post, you will see a collage of many ads that I have encountered during this week. I was asked to answer how I felt when being faced with these ads if I was overwhelmed and bombarded with these ads on a daily basis. In my opinion, my answer would be not necessarily. Although I like to believe that I have a good understanding of when and why I am being advertised I do not acknowledge advertisements on the daily. This is partly due to me being occupied with my thoughts or tasks, as well as the normalization of advertisements. Furthermore, I believe seeing an advertisement before a video, between social media posts, or on T.V one tends to acknowledge them more. This type of advertisement breaks up our viewing of said media leaving us to notice them and usually causing us to be irritated and annoyed by them. Yet, Advertisements that we see everyday outside of digital media, such as billboards, flyers, posters, advertisements on buses etc, aren't necessarily breaking the rhythm of one's day. As you can see within my collage I have put mostly digital advertisements. Although I have more than likely been exposed to more than just digital ads with my week, the ones I most noticed and took pictures of were ones seen when viewing media online. I believe we have grown desensitized to this type of advertising, not that these advertisements don't necessarily work for us anymore, rather we have grown to expect them as a daily occurrence and understand that they are always there. This being said, I believe that the formerly noted type of adverts are also becoming more of an expected occurrence within our daily lives. Overall, although all previously stated is opinion-based, to say I feel overwhelmed by advertisements invading my daily life would be false. To put it simply, I think that, although in some ways unethical, advertisements of many forms have become a part of our daily lives. To put into consideration that advertisements have been around since the 17th century, it is more than understandable that we get more and more used to them.

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My Media Consumption ~ Blog One

Through one week I was tasked with tracking my media consumption. While tracking my media consumption throughout my week I was not surprised to conclude that music was my most consumed media. I listen to music throughout the day no matter the task; if it is possible for me to have my headphones in I will. With one very long playlist, I am constantly listening to something. During the majority of the tracked week, I was completing school work leading to the constant playing of the previously referred to a playlist. For me, music stands as a source of entertainment, while still being non-distracting, but will drown out the sounds of others working around me. To continue with this trend my second most consumed media was ‘web videos’. With only a six-hour difference watching web videos, in this case, YouTube provides the same source of entertainment and background noise as music. From a young age I have been watching YouTube constantly, I am on it almost 24/7 watching its unlimited source of videos, but mostly just watching whatever my favourite YouTubers uploaded. Furthermore, since both ‘web videos’/YouTube and music are a quick and personalized way of consuming media, even when doing other tasks, I was not surprised to find out that these were my two most consumed media. Ultimately, It is clear that ‘print media’ was the least consumed as a whole. Although I do enjoy reading, It is only in a certain mood where I will pick up a book or find an interesting article to read. Besides the obvious least consumed media, I was most surprised to find out my video game consumption was less than expected. I recognize from weeks prior that the consumption of video games is several hours more than the tracked week. It was a surprise to find out this was one of my least consumed media because I do tend to “waste” a full day playing a video game, especially on weekends. Although,  I believe this was due to the tracked week being filled with school work, chores, shopping, and work that needed to be completed leading to less time to consume said media and instead opting for something like web videos or music.