Just For Laughs Gags Asia is a comedy show based on the popular Canadian version of it. It is an entertainment series that many Singaporean viewers are familiar with, and grew up watching. This is especially so since it is usually aired right before the local news, at 6:30pm which is considered prime time. The extensive broadcast coverage of the series on MobileTV on SBS buses never failed to make me laugh, and it was really embarassing especially when I’m alone on the bus. Hence, when Mediacorp announced that it had entered into an exclusive agreement with Just For Laughs(JFL) to co- produce and distribute JFL gags for the Asian market, many Singaporeans including myself were exceptionally excited and looked forward to the series.
Albeit Asia having a big market suitable for the global television programme export industry, the trends prove otherwise. Exports of such media products to other regions have remained limited despite Asia being the largest regional producer of motion pictures worldwide. Instead, the rising presence of foreign films, primarily from the US, continues to affect local demand for Asian media products in some countries. Even in Singapore, the Asian version of Just For Laughs Gags received numerous bad comments and ratings, such that it was ‘lame’, and simply not funny enough, compared to the American version. As seen, people all over the world are more receptive to American media and somehow view it as more superior to local ones. If you were made to choose between a hollywood film, and a locally-produced film directed by Royston Tan, which will you choose?
Also, as I tried to gather information regarding this (the bad comments), I found that most have been censored or brought down by the administration, and the likely culprit I guess would be MediaCorp? When I typed in ‘Just For Laughs Asia’ on the Google Search Engine, what I got are mostly positive comments on how funny the show is and how they ROFL (Rolled On the Floor Laughing) while watching it. This clearly reflects the hegemonic characteristic of media messages. The media chose only to reflect and reproduce ideas, meanings, and values that uphold the interests of the powerful elite, and silence opposing views. In this case, the media chose to surpress the comments and opinions of the powerless audience, and instead place the series in good light, ensuring that the interests of MediaCorp is kept. So much for freedom of speech.
Also, I’m very sorry that I’m unable to add any videos due to its unavailabilty on Youtube because of MediaCorp’s stance against copyright issues GRRR. So if you guys wanna watch it, you can catch it here. Enjoy!
Amnesty International is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. They are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by membership and public donations. Hence, the media is vital as it plays an important role in holding such a vast organization together. It also serves to inform and bring to the forefront the latest happening, even if it is happening right at the other end of the globe.
An organization like Amnesty International also utilizes the mass media to broadcast their ideals and vision and to socialize receivers. Through print advertisements, campaigns, press releases, and appeals for action, Amnesty International hopes to not only inform receivers about Human Rights issues, but also probe them into action.
The cultural transmission function of the media is best suited for this purpose. Not only does the media inform receivers about events, they can even socialize receivers. For example, by observing what characters do in television dramas, we internalize behabioural norms; by viewing films, we learn about our culture’s history; and by reading newspapers and books, we confront questions of values. Media personalities act as role models for audiences, and Amnesty International wants to ride on this to condition viewers to take Human Rights seriously. Human rights is an issue that most would have preconceived knowledge of, but does not necessarily mean that they would lift a finger to help. This form of learning is also known as prosocial learning; that is, it reinforces social ideals and passes on cultural understandings from one generation to the next.
A sub unit within Amnesty International is formed just for this purpose — the International Secretariat Media unit. The media unit organises events to launch Amnesty International reports, produces material for the media on Amnesty International’s position and concerns relating to key human rights issues, works in partnership with their colleagues in national sections around the world and provides spokespeople for interview on both their work and for comment on other news stories with a human rights angle.
An example of this would be the print advertising campaign launched by Amnesty International New Zealand. This advertisement challenges public apathy towards human rights. The campaign, which won a Silver Press Lion at Cannes International Advertising Festival 2010, shows crowds turning their backs on beating, execution and brutal rebels. The slogan on the advertisements “Ignore us. Ignore human rights”, challenges to take seriously calls to join up with Amnesty and support their cause.
Alike Singapore, in Japan, trains are a way of life, and the psychology of train culture is fascinating to be part of and observe. Having been to Tokyo recently, I witnessed a series of advertisements that Tokyo Metro have been running, and found the advertisements which are written in Japanese and translated in English, quite striking and amusing.
The poster ads are part of a monthly manner campaign, utilizing bold , cartoon like depictions of antisocial behaviors train riders should avoid doing. These posters provide outsiders like us a glimpse into Japanese culture. Everyone knows that the Japanese are the politest people in the world. But did we know that it was considered rude for a woman to put on makeup on the train? Or for someone to make a phone call while riding on the train? Definitely not. This is because Japanese train culture differs greatly from Singapore’s, and in Singapore, all these acts are deemed absolutely acceptable and common.
Apparently, it is considered a violation of public etiquette to answer a phonecall in public places, and considered to be rude. Most Japanese put their phone to ‘manner’ mode (which in our case probably means ‘silent’ mode) in order not to be annoying to others, and to avoid embarrassment on the train.
Also, putting on makeup on the train is considered to be entirely rude. Most older Japanese are disgusted by the sight of it, and find the strong smell and ensuing particulates of beauty products that linger around in an enclosed space unbearable.
However, for people unfamiliar to this form of Japanese ‘Train Culture’, we might find these set of rules telling us how to act slightly unreasonable.
This might be due to our culture being more individualistic compared to the Japanese culture. We believe that we have the right and freedom to act the way we want to, even in public places. There is nothing wrong with applying makeup on the train. Many would comment “If the men find it an eyesore, then don’t look la!”
However, the Japanese culture does not deem this to be the right way and believe that it is right to subordinate personal goals for the good of others.
What are your opinions of Japanese Train culture? Do you agree with it, or do you still prefer Singapore’s?
Funfact: It is interesting that the poster boy(literally) in the first poster shown above is a young dude wearing low gangsta jeans. STEREOTYPE! It would seem that manners are slipping among the Japanese youths, and the artist was probably trying to depict a Shibuya boy, where being rude is part of their identity. The shibuya boys and girls often purposely commit acts deemed to be ‘rude’ such as playing their music out loud and dancing to it.
Credits:
http://tastymiso.com/tokyo-metro-advertisements
http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/daf50/please_do_it_at_home_make_up_on_the_train/
According to Steve Duck’s filtering theory of attraction, we use a series of filters to judge how close to others we want to become. These filters we use to regulate atraction are identified as: Sociological cues, Preinteraction cues, Interaction cues, and Cognitive cues.
The sociological cues are the demographic factors that determine probability of contact. As both Miley and Liam co-starred alongside each other in the movie The Last Song, they maintained close contact for a constant period and saw each other almost everyday – on and off set. In the movie, both act as a couple and shared close proximity, thus increasing the nature and frequency of their interpersonal bonds, allowing their relationship to move on from just mere intitial attraction.
Preinteraction cues are the use of non-verbal impressions to determine whether they wish to interact with other, or in layman terms – first impressions. The spark was instantaneous when Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth first met each other at the casting of the movie The Last Song. According to her interview with Ellen Degeneres, Miley reveals that she was so smitten when she first met him and immediately told the director of the film to cast him as the male lead co-starring alongside her.
“I met him and he opened the door for me and I was like, ‘I have been in LA for three years and I don’t think any guy has actually opened the door for me.’” Miley said. “It wasn’t that he wanted the job. That’s just who he is… I was like, ‘Wow! That is super impressive!’ I actually turned to the director and said, ‘He’s got the job. He’s hot and he opened the door. Excellent.’ “
Nevertheless, interaction cues came into play after they started filming. Although, it started off not so well, as Miley put it “At one point the chemistry was kind of awkward… I liked him a little bit, he liked me a little bit, but it was awkward,” Miley explained. “Then I was like, ‘OK, just fake it. Please, just pretend you like me,’ and he was like, ‘I don’t have to pretend. I really do like you.’ ‘OK, you’re going to be my boyfriend? Cool.’ I was like, ‘Good.’” Onset, Miley and Liam interacted frequently, and gradually they became smooth and comfortable with each other, soon inseperable.
As Liam is Australian and Miley, American; differing attitudes, values and beliefs may arise and Cognitive cues come into play. Despite having great chemistry onset and being deeply attracted to each other, it was not until both parties had met each others families was their relationship considered deeply grounded. After ten months of dating, Liam Hemsworth decided to take things to the next step by bringing Miley down under to meet his parents. Liam commented “It was really cool to show Miley where I’m from and how I grew up, and it’s a completely different world to where she’s from.” By bringing Miley back to where he grew up from and introducing her to his family, Liam was practising disclosure and shared his own beliefs, attitudes and values with Miley, giving her a first-hand experience of his private life.
Miley also allows Liam to interact with her family. Her mother happens to be the producer of The Last Song and had a role to play in picking him out for the role. As reported, Miley is also glad that she was able to disclose herself to him naturally, and not have him judge her according to what the media depicts of her. “He really respects me for who I am because coming from Australia, he really didn’t know me as the celebrity I am here. I got to tell him about myself on my own terms and my own way. He had no preconceived notion of who I was supposed to be.”
Through this process of filtering theory, both Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth did not eliminate each other at each filter, but instead broke through each barrier and proved that their intial attraction to each other was not just child’s play and progressed to develop an intimate relationship.
The 2010 campaign for Gelato Italiano shows a heavily pregnant woman dressed as a nun standing in a church holding a tub of ice cream, with the text, “Immaculately Conceived … ICE CREAM IS OUR RELIGION”.
In another ad from the campaign, two male priests in cassocks and clerical collars are poised for a kiss with ice cream, with the text, “We believe in salivation”.
Although both advertisments involved little words, the religious depiction says all. The language of our knowledge generalizes nuns and priests to be of holy background. Therefore, the depiction of a pregnant nun turns heads as we all know that nuns are supposed to practise celibacy. With the addition of the words “Immaculately conceived.. Ice Cream Is our Religion”. This immediately triggers our knowledge of the Virgin Mary who immaculately conceived baby Jesus. The advertisment was probably trying to bring across the message in a satirical manner that even such a holy person is captivated by Antonio Federici Ice cream, hence it must taste heavenly. Therefore it can be said that this linguistic usage allows viewers to understand the meaning of the advertisment in terms of another, even though it did not explicitly say so.
Same with the two priests who are in close proximity and gazing into each others eyes. It is obvious linkage to homosexuality and both subjects are labelled to be Gay. In this advertisment, it is probably trying to bring across the messsage that even in such a strict Catholic environment which abhors and puts down homosexuality, gays still emerge. And these two gays happen to be consuming Antonio Federici Ice cream which suggests the seemingly ‘danger’ of it and that only the determined and strong-willed are fit of it.
Many have complained to the ASA( Advertising Standards Authority) and requested for a ban to be imposed on the advertisments deemed to be religiously offensive. The advertisments were claimed to add to the general downgrading and attack on religious opinions and religiously committed people, which is a danger to the welfare of the catholic culture.
However in defense, Antonio Federici said the idea of “conception” represented the development of their ice cream. They said their decision to use religious imagery stemmed from their strong feelings towards their product and also from their wish to comment on and question, using satire and gentle humour, the relevance and hypocrisy of religion and the attitudes of the church to social issues. Hence, in using ambiguous language, and insisting on their interpretation of the idea, the Antonio Federici organization hopes to squirm through the loophole of the advertising regulations.
In my opinion, the ban should be placed. Meanings are by no means objective, and uncovering meaning involves making inferences about the communicative intentions of others. I believe that it did occur to the organization that a big spectacle would be made out of this advertisment and that was precisely the motivation behind the advertisment. Not the ad itself, but the free media exposure subsequent to the release of the ad. Some might have never heard of Antonio Federici before, but due to this advertisment, and the subsequent complains, follow ups, it is now imprinted in the minds of many. In any case, Antonio Federici did not take into understanding the sensitivity of the Roman Catholic religion, and the social context of the language used.
Background and summary of advertisement:
Dior Homme, the menswear division of French clothing retailer Christian Dior, is running “Un Rendez Vous”, an online short film directed by Guy Ritchie, starring Jude Law and Slovakian model Michaela Kocianová.
The film begins with Jude Law’s character speaking into the telephone, seeming to threaten the unheard voice on the other end. While doing so, his blonde assistant helps him don a suit before he trudges out to fulfil his mission.
As Jude Law drives through Paris’ nighttime streets, the other half of his phone call plays over the scene, and is revealed to have been delivered by a woman, in tones that are more sexually suggestive than threatening.
The movie climaxes with the pair standing a distance apart, silhouetted against the Eiffel Tower in an empty plaza at sunrise, each determining whether or not the other is their mystery date.
As we learned this week during COM101, schemata are internal representations of objects and sequences of actions, which help us identify and organize incoming information.
The plot of this short movie is brilliantly crafted to make use of human schemata to distort our initial perception of it.
The opening of the film depicts a smartly dressed Jude Law on the phone seemingly threatening the person on the other end of the line. Coupled with the company of a beautiful busty blonde, this depiction evokes a schema from memory, a schema containing information on such events based on the viewer’s experience. This schema helps the viewer draw inferences to fill in information about the scene, as well as ascribe meaning beyond what is described directly in the ad. In this example, as most audiences would have watched the classic James Bond movie, they would immediately link this to instances where James Bond too smartly clad in a tuxedo alongside his attractive counterpart threatens the enemies. Hence, the viewers past experiences from having watched James Bond movies lends a sense of coherence and meaning to a scene that is otherwise incomplete in letting them know what exactly is happening, or is about to happen.
The viewer then uses this schema to analyze what is about to happen next and drafts their own script. In this case, they perceive that Jude Law after hanging up the phone with the “bad guy” is about to set out on a mission to hunt them down and exterminate them. However, the scriptwriter at this point then twists the plot completely by offering us extended information that was not revealed previously. He reveals the true identity of the anonymous character on the other end of the line to be that of a woman, who playfully entices and is seducing him to come look for her.
As this movie is to promote Dior Homme, I think that the hidden message behind this movie is to show viewers that although language, speech and images may be deceptive, what we make of and identify using our schemata may not be entirely reliable and may at times distort our perception of reality, the exclusiveness of Dior Homme is irreplacable and can not be distorted and mistaken for any other.
What is your take on this advertisement? And yes Jude Law so smexy(:
Link to the Opening Ceremony Speech By President Jacques Rogge, President, IOC: http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_news/en_official_speech/en_20100815_opening_ceremony_speech_by_president_jacques_rogge_president_ioc.html
Link to excerpt of speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BUQyjNDdH8
Time: 6:35 to 7:20
Singapore Skyline as an impressive backdrop for the YOG held at Marina Bay Floating Platform.
14 August 2010, a crowd strength of 27, 000 congregated from all around the world gathered at the Marina Bay floating platform for the 2010 inaugural YOG Opening Ceremony held in Singapore for the first time in history.
President of the IOC, Jacques Rogge, standing alongside Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew amongst the strong crowd.
Among the audience stood tall Jacques Rogges, the President of the IOC. After the traditional “Parade of Nations” which involved participating athletes marching into the stadium, country by country, he took the stage to deliver his opening speech.
In his speech, President Jacques adhered closely to the ‘Five Canons of Rhetoric’, and in my view, was able to deliver a stunning and captivating speech that was able to engage the large-scale audience. Following which, I will move on to address how President Jacques was able to deliver such a speech relevant to the YOG according to the model of the ‘Five Canons of Rhetoric’ .
Invention
Keeping in mind that the speech is prepared for an epideictic(ceremonial) occasion, and to cater to a large-scale audience coming from all around the world, Jacques main subject matter in his speech is to acknowlege and promote the success of the games. I ascertain that this is a good move, in analyzing the audience, one would know that the audience composed of: mainly Singaporeans who take pride in being the HOST of such a prestigious event, volunteers who had placed much effort in ORGANIZING the event, and athletes coming from all around the world who are PART of the event; thus by promoting the success of the organizing committee and assuring the athletes of the benefits, he is able to better engage the audiences and allow them to relate to his speech and accept what he has to say.
Style
“You are our future, and we want to help you take that future into your own hands.” There was a tinge of motivational style to his speech to encourage the athletes to perform to the best of their abilities and achieve greater heights during the competitions. He used big words such as ‘indebted’, ‘remarkable’, especially so to cater to emotional appeal of the large crowd, and to showcase the brevity of the YOG. Also, Jacues adopted a vigorous style based on pathos. He was both eloquent and emotional in his speech, yet was able to bring his message across in a clear manner.
Arrangement
Jacques constructed his speech in an orderly and precise manner to suit to the ceremonial occasion and to set a proper framework for the vast audience so that his message could be brought across clearly. He started off his speech by formally introducing the occasion and vision behind the event. He then moved on to give credit to the host country, volunteers, and sponsors for the possibility and success of the YOG. After which he addressed the stars of the YOG, the athletes themselves, and emphasized on fairplay and the true meaning of sportsmanship. He concluded his speech by thanking his audience and wishing them fun, and proceeded to handover the stage to the President of Singapore to open the games officially.
Memory
Jacques kept the creative vision of the YOG(Youth Olympic Games) firmly in mind and was able to bring across the vision ” ..young people around the world have a chance to participate in a global forum that combines sport, education and culture.” to his audience.
Delivery
To get an insight on his delivery, you might want to watch the youtube video timed between 6:35 to 7:20 for an excerpt of President Jacques’ speech. In my view, the delivery of his speech was a disappointment, and poorly administered. His tone was monotonous and unlively, and he did not manage to convey any interest through his voice. This was probably because he had to address the audience in English, which was not his mother tongue (he is Belgian). Also, he did not make any simple gestures to bring across his point which led to it being slightly dull and boring.
Well, I didn’t attend the opening ceremony personally but only watched the video of it. So for those who did, care to share your opinions or thoughts?(:
Brightest Little Firefly In Her Jar 