Final Thoughts

CMN 201

5/7/20

Topic: Last Thoughts

Note: I will be in our class live chat room during our scheduled class for questions/comments/issues

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Zoom Virtual Office Hour 

Tuesdays 1:45-2:45 or by appointment

https://zoom.us/j/7028190433

Meeting ID: 702-819-0433

Final Exam: Wed, May 13, 6:00PM – Thursday, May 14, 6:00PM

Final Project Due

·      All outstanding assignments due by Thursday, May 16, 6:00 PM

Class Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6glDfaR7E5k

Horror Film: Spooky Sounds (Chap 7) and Colours of Fear (Chap 8)

Nightmares – Skim Filmography

Spooky Sounds and Colours of Fear: Importance of sound and color in horror film

Nightmares has great filmography

Get Out

--- Black person trapped/controlled  in a White person’s mind (world)

---Blind man wants Chris (says colorblind)

---Alternate ending

---What is it like to be Black in the United States? (constant obvious and subtle racism, so “happy” ending undermined)

5/6/20 Class

CMN 201

4/21/20

Topic: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Note: I will be in our class live chat room during our scheduled class for questions/comments/issues

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Zoom Virtual Office Hour 

Tuesdays 1:45-2:45 or by appointment

https://zoom.us/j/7028190433

Meeting ID: 702-819-0433

(One class behind because of extended Spring Break)

Final Exam: Wed, May 13, 6:00PM – Thursday, May 14, 6:00PM

Final Project Due

·      All outstanding assignments due by Thursday, May 16, 6:00 PM

Class Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l6asGX21lU

Horror Film: Spooky Sounds (Chap 7) and Colours of Fear (Chap 8)

Nightmares – Skim Filmography

Blair Witch Project: How quickly the group falls apart (monster within)

28 Days Later  (lessons for today?)

--- Hatred/violence contagious

--- One option: apocalypse 

---Don’t rely on media/government (abuses of power)

---Continuation of society (horses: black and white)

---Everyone capable of rage

---Importance of community/others (Hell vs.Hello)

---Quarantine effective

Get Out

---Horror and comedy (Jordan Peele)

--- Lack of African -American representation in horror film

--- Commentary on 2010’s (racism: American monster)

--- Micro-aggressions (ignorant/awkward liberal elite) mask macro-aggressions

--- Modern slavery

--- Pun of title Get Out

--- Beginning (out of element/white suburbia)

--- Photographer Chris  can see, Collector dad is collecting “treasures”  

--- Foreshadowing (cut with white shaving cream, Rose selecting sweets, black mold in basement)

--- Prey (deer/stuffed lions/African Americans)

--- Perfect human/eugenics (physicality and Intellect)

--- Paralyzed by fear – child Chris watches TV

---Irony (Chris puts cotton in ears)

---Symbolism(sunken place = marginalization)

---Poetic justice: dies alone on street

---Message: minorities perceive the truth but are told they are wrong in their perceptions

Watch Get Out (2017) (See Amazon link in previous post)

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Attendance Question: (please submit vis email with name and class)

What am I excited about?

4/29/20 Class

CMN 201

4/29/20

Topic: The Blair Witch Project and 28 Days Later

Note: I will be in our class live chat room during our scheduled class for questions/comments/issues

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Zoom Virtual Office Hour 

Tuesdays 1:45-2:45 or by appointment

https://zoom.us/j/7028190433

Meeting ID: 702-819-0433

Class Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84uUE0mtI1I

The Blair Witch Project

--- Started found footage movement (meta: movie about a movie)

---Method acting for faux documentary

---Similar to slasher films: isolate characters and eliminate by dehumanizing force

---Shaky camera creates physical audience discomfort

--- Independent movie/shoe string budget ($60,000 / 250 million (+) 

---1990’s: birth of Internet 

---Genius marketing : (www.BlairWitch.com : newsreel footage and interviews – 3 rural filmmakers shooting film on urban legend.  Curse of Blair Witch Documentary on Sci Fi Channel (1999). Internet Movie Database listed actors as deceased.

--- Fear of unknown

--- Wilderness vs civilization

---What is reality? Movie techniques  try to mimic reality, characters are unsure of what is reality, technology records but also distorts reality (technological uncanny)

---Misunderstandings/solitude brought by technology – filtered film reality is only thing Heather has left 

--- subtle/ambiguous/suggestive

--- Does victim empower monster by seeking it out?

---Sanity/insanity

28 Days Later

---Projected Fears thought film would achieve a cultural status that it hasn’t

--- Updated Zombie tale?

---British

--- Rage virus

---Destruction of current society (Apocalyptic 2000’s)

---Critique of media/government/consumerism

---importance of community (Hello)

---Creation of new family/society

Watch 28 Days Later (2002) (See Amazon link in previous post)

Nightmares: Chap 8 & 9 ( Postmodern Horror I & II)

Horror Film: (Digital Horrors)

Projected Fears: Conclusion

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Attendance Question: (please submit vis email with name and class)

What mistake did I discuss that I made?

4/22/20 Class

CMN 201

4/21/20

Topic: Halloween (1978/1980’s) and The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Note: I will be in our class live chat room during our scheduled class for questions/comments/issues

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Zoom Virtual Office Hour 

Tuesdays 1:45-2:45 or by appointment

https://zoom.us/j/7028190433

Meeting ID: 702-819-0433

--- Movie links in previous post

--- 28 Days Later (2000’s)

---Final Project

Projected Fears: Chap 5 (Exorcist and Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Chap 6 (Halloween)

Horror Film: Chap 3 (1974-present)

Nightmares: Chap 7 (Shrinking Man) Chap 15 (Carpenter)

The Exorcist – collapse of religion

Nominated for numerous academy awards

Class Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyY_BO_yONM

Halloween

---Continued collapse of family 

--- Halloween director John Carpenter (USC grad)influenced by Psycho (looking/gazing, iconic soundtrack, Dr. Sam Loomis, Janet Leigh/Jamie Lee Curtis)

---Released independently/regionally, first in Kansas City ($320,000 budget, over $55 million in sales: one of highest grossing films of all times)

---Panagilde (Steadycam). murderer’s view

--- Slasher films (President Reagan: conservative era)

---Punish sexual promiscuity, smoking marijuana, etc. (appearance vs. reality – what is under mask)

---Critique of suburbia

---Knife as  phallic image (sexual frustration/repression)

--- Final girl

---Teens

---Absent parents

---Serial killers (boogyman)

---Supernatural possibilities

---Trivia: William Shatner mask

Watch The Blair Witch Project, 1999 (See Amazon link in previous post)

Nightmares: Chap 8 & 9 ( Postmodern Horror I & II)

Horror Film: (Digital Horrors)

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Attendance Question: (please submit vis email with name and class)

What movie did I almost assign instead of Halloween?