Film and Media Studies Commons^™

Process Journal, Abby Mcqueary

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Dantalion, David R. Leblanc

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I will cover the step by step process of making my thesis film, Dantalion. These steps include writing, directing, production design, makeup, cinematography, editing, and sound. I will primarily focus on the pre-production work done for each one of these departments and how it affected the outcome of the finished film. I will then evaluate the outcome to determine the success of the project.

Scott, Ian. American Politics In Hollywood Film (Book Review), James Castonguay

Communication, Media & The Arts Faculty Publications

Book review by James Castonguay.

Scott, Ian. American Politics in Hollywood Film. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011. ISBN 9780748640249, ISBN 9780748640232 (pbk.)

Terra Nova, An Experiment In Creating Cult Televison For A Mass Audience, Laura Osur

Media Studies - Theses

When it aired in Fall 2011 on Fox, Terra Nova was an experiment in creating a cult television program that appealed to a mass audience. This thesis is a case study of that experiment. I conclude that the show failed because of its attempts to maintain the sophistication, complexity and innovative nature of the cult genre while simultaneously employing an overly simplistic narrative structure that resembles that of mass audience programming. Terra Nova was unique in its transmedia approach to marketing and storytelling, its advanced special effects, and its dystopian speculative fiction premise. Terra Nova's narrative, on the other hand, …

Considerations For Creating A Believable Creature For The Short Film Li Fe, Matthew Prestridge

All Theses

This thesis illuminates the specific methods undertaken to achieve of a realistic computer-animated creature that consumes light and dwells in a cave. The animation short, Li Fe, contains seven such creatures whose anatomy required various production techniques to achieve a believable appearance appealing to viewers in a strong way. In most animations all areas of production need to be optimized for fast rendering as well as easily adaptable to change. The modeling, texturing, shading and lighting methods for Li Fe underwent such optimization to achieve a truly believable creature. The look of the creatures was made possible by relying on …

The Foundational Structures Behind Star Wars., Aaron Nusz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Star Wars franchise is one of the most successful film series of all time. The original three movies, along with the more recent three prequels, serve as the foundation to a vast empire of Star Wars television shows, action figures, comic books, and novels. Millions of people have already been exposed to these films, and millions more will be exposed to it in the future. With such a vast amount of people which continue to view these movies, it is easy to understand the impact Star Wars has had on our culture. But how did creator George Lucas sculpt …

Chicago: A Movie Musical Mockery Of The Media's Razzle Dazzle Image Of Murder., Emily Sulock

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This thesis closely examines the adaptation of Rob Marshall’s 2002 movie musical Chicago, specifically how the music and choreography support the mocking tone against the media and criminal justice system. With a storyline that has lasted almost a century, its themes still relate to our society today as it exposes the corrupt industries that hold an unhealthy amount of power over public opinion. By breaking down musical numbers, “Both Reached for the Gun” and “Razzle Dazzle,” I argue that Marshall’s unique concept connects to a modern generation immune to over-publicized and infamous murder trials.

A Postmodern Sense Of Nostalgia: Demonstrating Through A Textual Analysis Of Twin Peaks How Cult Membership Can Be Inculcated., Nicholas G. Albanese

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

This paper explores a “cult” following in television, by looking at various aspects of the program Twin Peaks. It seeks to answer the questions of how a television show that aired for only two seasons over two decades ago was and still is able to garner such a loyal fandom, and is there some primary factor for developing this cult status? In order to answer these questions, aspects of media studies such as narrative complexity, authorship and the cult status of a show, as well as elements from the show itself, such as postmodernism and manufactured nostalgia must be teased …

Methods For Producing Stereoscopic Imagery, Matias Volonte

All Theses

This paper describes methodologies for creating computer graphics stereoscopic imagery. This thesis details the positive and negative aspects for producing and post-producing stereoscopic imagery using different stereoscopic tools provided by Autodesk Maya and The Foundry Nuke. Also, in order to increase efficiency and decrease production time, Python tools were developed both for Maya and Nuke. Finally, the methodology proposed in this paper is fully functional and can be adopted by any production.

Bottom Line - Show Business: Henry Plitt's Latest Coup Will Revolutionize The Movie Game, Carol Schmuckler

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

State Of The Arts - Third Eye, Carol Schmuckler

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Hidden Rhetoric In Hollywood's Closet: An Analysis Of The Conflict Over Homosexual Content And Representation, Lauren Beam

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Communication And Media Studies Newsletter 2012 Summer, Communications & Media Studies

Communication and Media Studies Newsletter

No abstract provided.

"Someday We'll Find It." An Inside Look At The Music And Cultural Perspectives Of The Muppet Movie, Eric Dancy

The Hilltop Review

Tradition in any culture helps showcase a group of people's identity. Whether it is food, music, politics, college football, family rituals, you name it, people are looking to feel appreciated because they associate with a certain group of people. When people within a group break tradition, name-calling, bullying and even physical harming becomes more common, because they do not "fit the norm." Sadly, these kinds of negative behaviors can cause serious mental and physical damage to those who try to "think outside the box." Interestingly though, the ones who tend to think creatively are ultimately the ones who bring something …

Hype, Hope, And Hit In Movies: A Contribution To The Metatheory Of Bubbles, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Romeo V. Turcan

College of Business Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Truth Begins In Lies': The Paradoxes Of Western Society In House M.D., Jason A. Hagey

Theses and Dissertations

The core of House M.D. is its assertion that current Western civilization lives in a perpetual state of dissonance: we desire to have the rawness of emotion but we can only handle this rawness when we combine it with intellect, even if that intellect lies to us. This is the ontological paradox that the televisual text grapples with. Through the use of archetypal analysis and allegorical interpretation, this thesis reveals that dissonance and its relationship to contemporary Western society. Through House M.D. we realize that there are structures to the paradoxes that we live and there are paradoxes in our …

Nothing To Be Done: The Active Function Of Samuel Beckett's Text, Deleah Vaye Emery Waters Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Fintan O'Toole states: "Plays survive not by being carefully preserved, not by being exhibited from time to time in theatrical museums, but by being tried and tested, taken apart and reassembled" (Game Without End).One of the great misconceptions and critiques of Samuel Beckett is of his presumed unrelenting control over his works. Artists, hoping to creatively collaborate with Beckett as they move his texts to performance, feel limited by his strict enforcement of that which he has written in his texts. Traditional relationships and functions allow directors to interpret an author's text. Not so with Beckett. Beckett demands …

Media Meets Science: The Experience Of A Media Teacher And Science Teacher As They Implement Media Literacy In A Science Classroom, Matthew Jay Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research study looked at my collaboration with a science teacher as we combined a Television Production class with an Advanced Placement Environmental Science class. This cross-curricular case study explored the implementation of the principles of media literacy, defined by the National Association for Media Literacy Education, into the science classroom where media literacy has traditionally been a non-factor. The impact of media and technology on everyone's daily lives is making it necessary for us to become media literate. The use of media literacy tools and strategies in a combined media production class and an AP science class …

Meta-Radicalism: The Alternative Press By And For Activist Librarians, Alycia Sellie

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

The Culturator: Film Noir Meets Bike Culture, Daniel Dean

Art & Design Faculty Research

Part of this weekend’s nuit blanche Northern Spark festival, project Mobile Experiential Cinema invites goers to embark on a rambling, bicycle-mounted, multi-location cinematic experience that blends bike culture with locally-bred film. Created by artists Daniel Dean and Ben Moren, the project launched alongside the inaugural Northern Spark fest last year as an interactive projected film-focused group ride featuring live performance elements and urban exploration embodying all plot twists and theatrical curve balls we’ve come to expect from the mystery genre. We caught up with Mobile Experiential Cinema collaborators Dean and Moren to chat about the project’s creation, its noir influences …