Film and Media Studies Commons^™

Avant-Garde Architectural Influences In Japanese Cinema: The Influences Of Kenzo Tange And Archigram, Aissatou L. Balde, Ehsan Sheikholharam Ma

Symposium of Student Scholars

Kenzo Tange and Metabolists created a blueprint for utopian and organic urban futures in postwar Japan, inspiring the fictional worlds of Japanese cinema and animation, from Akira’s cyber-punk cityscapes to Howl’s Moving Castle’s urban mobility. These futuristic cities have a lot in common with Archigram in their “Walking City” concept. While Metabolists focused on cities that could grow and change like living organisms, Archigram took it further by designing robot-like megastructures that could walk across the planet. Neither group built most of their ideas, but both used imaginative designs to rethink how cities could work in a fast-changing world. These …

The Evolution And Impact Of The Token Black Friend Trope In American Media, Sophie E. Rice, Kurt Milberger

Symposium of Student Scholars

Abstract

This research explores the history of the token Black friend trope in American media and how these misrepresentations continue to influence popular culture and negatively impact Black Americans. Historically, the token Black friend stereotype singles out Black characters to fill gaps in the plot through comedy, intelligence, or self-sacrifice, all while being excluded from the white protagonist’s larger narrative. The prevalence of this trope is apparent through several contemporary and classic examples, which are used to evaluate the effects of the token Black friend trope on American culture. To deconstruct these misrepresentations, this essay supplements these examples with scholarship …

The Seduction Of Journalism In Atlanta: William Randolph Hearst And The Atlanta Georgian, Andrew J. Bramlett

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Atlanta Georgian was founded in 1906, quickly becoming a rival of the already established Atlanta Constitution and Atlanta Journal. Its founding editor, John Temple Graves, was a devoted believer of the New South Movement and a prominent ally of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. In 1912, Hearst purchased the Georgian, expanding his influence into the South. The Georgian was a small piece of his grander plan to become President of the United States, and he quickly turned it into Atlanta’s most discussed newspaper. However, since the first edition of the Georgian was published in 1906, Hearst’s presence …

Visibly Invisible: Reclaiming Atlanta Black Architecture Through Black Expression, Sean M. Spencer

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Architecture has long grappled with questions of self, community, and cultural identity. While the number of Black architects is growing, architecture that genuinely reflects Black identity remains rare. This lack of representation has contributed to a sense of invisibility for Black communities within the built environment—whether by design or neglect. There is an urgent need to define and celebrate Blackness and Black space in ways that reflect the cultural richness of Black communities. As George Will points out, broad labels like African American or African often obscure the unique cultural experiences within Black communities. Historically, the lack of economic and …

Performative Biomechanics : Evolving Buildings Into Inhabitable Organisms, Josh Lopez

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

There has always been a connection between biology and architecture. Michael Pawlyn, in Biomimicry in Architecture, coined “biomechanical designs” to describe structural techniques derived from creatures. This study investigates chitin-based creatures. Crustaceans, insects, and microscopic organisms all have exoskeletons in nature. With a focus on crabs, other crustaceans and bugs, this study examines and evaluates the formal characteristics of chitin-based organisms. The architectural creations of OXMAN, NOX, which was founded by Lars Spuybroek; and Lebbeus Woods are among those that are analyzed and studied due to their inspiration from living things. They follow functional effectiveness in nature, which is why …

Feminist Stories: Then And Now, Brooke Kelly

FUSION

This short essay explores the connections between themes in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's 1892 short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and the 2024 film, Immaculate, specifically focusing on each story's affect on feminism.

The essay was originally written in response to a discussion post where students were asked to pick one American literary text and one piece of contemporary media that addressed the same issues/character types/ plot/ideas, etc. of today.

Tcs 2025: Flyer, Ernesto Silva, Kaelyn Ireland

Transnational Cinema Series

No abstract provided.

History And The Teaching Of Dialect And Slang In Screenwriting, Mitch Olson, Chris C. Palmer

Faculty Articles

This article explores academic and industry perspectives on the use of dialect, slang, and historical language in screenwriting. It offers a chronological overview of major screenwriting manuals’ treatment of dialect and slang (or lack thereof) 1946-2020. It then presents survey data of 53 currently-practicing screenwriters’ views on working with dialect and historical language in scripts, as well as their sense of possible changes in the industry regarding attitudes towards diverse voice representation on the page. It concludes with examples from a teaching sequence that illustrates strategies for writing with dialect, researching it, and ethically considering its usage in scripts. Situating …

Extra-Terrestrial: A Television Pilot Script, Landon Adams

Symposium of Student Scholars

How do you make a home out of a place you don’t feel welcomed? This is the plight of Beatrix Ivy, a passionate fashionista, humanoid-martian who dreams of opening her own fashion business. The only issue: fashion does not exist on Mars. She impulsively decides to ditch her hypercritical mother in pursuit of Planet Earth. Destination? Paris, France. However, a GPS malfunction lands her in the unknown town of Paris, Georgia. Mistaken for a drag queen, Beatrix is met with hostility from the bigoted locals, including local darling SunRay, an equally talented fashion designer. Beatrix eventually finds companionship in a …

Birthday Girl, Makayla Tappin

Master's Projects

The lives of four friends plummet into chaos after a dead friend from college seemingly resurfaces – alive.

Crimes In Different Mediums Of Art, Chloe Milhouse

ENGL 1102 Showcase

There are a few different ways we see crime and art come together as one without even realizing it and there are other topics that showcase crime punishment as well. Crime can be portrayed through music. When certain artists sing about their crime-like behaviors, this can lead to people also doing that same crime because they listened to it in a song. Crime can be derived from art itself, causing people to react emotionally and criminally to something they’ve seen. Lastly it can be represented through film and TV showcasing elements of human behavior for society to see. All of …

Visions Of Inclusivity: A Screenplay Focusing On Women, Sexism And Film During The 1990s, Abigail Hayman

Master's Projects

In the 1990s film scene, Margaux Archambeau leaves for New York City to uncover the truth about her late mother. This research summary, "Visions of Inclusivity," acknowledges and carefully researches women's struggles and triumphs. This essay intends to share information about the film industry and the inappropriate treatment of women so that men and women in the film industry can support one another.

The Farm, Justin Morris

Master's Projects

Synopsis:

’The Farm’ is a psychological thriller series inspired by the recent folk horror revival. We follow a suburban family who begin to lose their trust in each other as they fall further into peril on a strange isolated farm. When Brian, the patriarch, repeatedly puts his family in danger to satisfy his own ego, he forms a rift between him, his wife Madison, and son Charlie that quickly spirals into delusion, blind accusation, and paranoia. Desperate, they seek the help of Elias, the owner of the farm with his own tenuous grip on reality, and his quiet daughter, Emma. …

Adaptation Production Plan For “Cardigan, Betty, And August” From Taylor Swift's Folklore, Carlie Hillhouse

FUSION

This multimodal project creates a production plan for a fictional movie adaptation of Taylor Swift's popular songs "cardigan, betty, and august" from her 8th studio album, folklore. The production plan consists of details and descriptions for each cast member, filming locations, soundtrack, and key scenes to film for the movie.

The project was created in response to an assignment prompt that asked students to analyze how adaptation affects the way stories are told in different genres. Students had to consider audience reception, the portrayal of heroism, how mode affects a story's point-of-view, and how elements like key scenes and …

Adaptation Production Plan For Taylor Swift's "No Body, No Crime", Emma Coley

FUSION

Focused on creating a music video for Taylor Swift’s “No Body, No Crime” song, this detailed production plan encompasses specific plots, settings, characters, and even casting choices. This plan dives into the song’s origins on the Evermore album, presenting a murder mystery narrative involving infidelity, revenge, and a lack of conclusive evidence, raising questions of guilt and justice. The intricate details involving casting are listed and justified based on their suitability for the respective plot, and the chosen locations to film bring forth the mysterious atmosphere that Taylor Swift lyrically created. Overall, the plan demonstrates a thoughtful and comprehensive approach …

Adaptation Production Plan For Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, Aman Bhayani

FUSION

The Adaptation Production Plan is a proposal that explores the idea of taking an existing piece of work and adapting it into a live version of a TV show or film. Particularly, for my adaptation, I chose the novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. This paper provides a summary of novel's key events and the purpose behind selecting the novel. Then, focusing on the adaptation, just like any other TV show, the proposal presents the selection of actors, locations, specific plot points and music in order to film the show and the reasoning behind them.

The project was …

Adaptation Production Plan For Love In The Time Of Serial Killers, Jimena Arias

FUSION

This Production Plan will describe the different details needed to create a movie adaptation of the novel Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson. This plan includes a summary of the plot and an analysis of mode and genre in this novel. Included also are photos and descriptions of the cast, filming locations, key scenes, and a list of songs for the soundtrack of my film, followed by a rationale for all of my choices. The goal of this plan is to create an overview of how to turn the novel into a successful film.

The project …

Tcs 2024: Flyer, Ernesto Silva, Kaelyn Ireland

Transnational Cinema Series

The second annual Transnational Cinema Series highlighted six films directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu: Amores Perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Beautiful (2010), Birdman (2014), and Bardo (2022).

The Realities Of Adulthood: Insecure's Journey Through Chaos To Fulfillment, Aniyah G. Lathan

Emerging Writers

This article discusses the profound impact of the HBO series "Insecure" (2016) on the lives of young black women, particularly those navigating the complexities of their 20s and early 30s. Through the lens of the awkward yet endearing character Issa Dee, the show portrays a vivid narrative of love, friendship, and career struggles.

Big Screen Heroes With Paper Voices: A Superhero Adaptation Research Essay, Zachary Green

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Superheroes may have taken over your phone, tablet, and television screens through the endless adaptations that pelt us from upon high mouse-shaped ears, but their rich history goes back much further than that; they have gripped the public imagination since their creation in comic strips published in newspapers almost one-hundred years ago. But, why exactly has their effect on popular culture, and their subsequent adaptations in various forms of media been so pervasive in the last twenty-five years? What makes these stories and comic book characters, and particularly Marvel comic book characters, so interesting to modern audiences? This essay demonstrates …

Georgia, Lesley Brian Bargo

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The Vietnam War cast a massive shadow, both home and abroad. Relationships, morality, and humanity hang in the balance.

Tcs 2023: Flyer, Ernesto Silva, Kaelyn Ireland

Transnational Cinema Series

The first Transnational Cinema Series hosted by KSU highlight 10 films: La Mission (2009), Ya no estoy aquí (2019), Rope (1948), Compulsion (1959), Psycho (1960), Talk to Her (2002), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), The Skin I Live In (2011), Night of the Living Dead (1968), and Canoa: A Shameful Memory (1978).

The Art Of The Adaptation: An Analysis Of The Phantom Of The Opera, Alaina B. Westee

Emerging Writers

An evaluation of the extent to which Joel Schumacher's Phantom of the Opera (2004) is a good adaptation of both Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical and the original 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux.

Me, Myself, And My Muppets, Sara Jones

Emerging Writers

In this personal narrative, the author explores her relationship and upbringing in relation to Jim Henson’s Muppets. She illustrates her experience at puppet camps, on long Muppet-filled road trips, and the special connection her mother and her share with the Muppets. Find out how the Muppets have shaped the author’s life, morals, and aspirations, as well as how Jim Henson’s creations have influenced and brought joy to past generations and future generations to come.

With The Screenwriter's Pen: An Analysis Of The Representation Of Gifted Children In The Family Film, Sarah Williams

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Family films are something that have been enjoyed for many decades. They often create a fantastic world that will enchant audiences and eventually become beloved stories. A big aspect often seen in these films is a protagonist that possesses some kind of gift. Where does this gift come from? How does it grow? Most importantly, how do the screenwriters who are responsible for bringing these gifted heroes to life go about it?

Using the screenplays of Kubo and the Two Strings, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Encanto, and Coraline, I take a deep dive into the portrayal of …

Women Writers Of Film & Television, Haley Hunt

Symposium of Student Scholars

After spending the summer immersed in archival, literary, and online research, I am proud to report my findings on the history of women in screenwriting. With the help of Anna Weinstein, I have compiled original statistics, overviews, and biographies that will be published with the launch of our website, Women Writers of Film & Television (WWFTV). At its core, this site aims to empower young girls with the knowledge and resources they need to get started in the screenwriting field. However, the site is intentionally layered by reading level; it is accessible to all ages on the surface, while also …

Hide And Shriek: Short Film Script, Kaylin Clarke

Symposium of Student Scholars

This short screenplay is about two monsters at a loss of what to do when a fearless ten-year-old is left behind in their haunted mansion. The story explores the notion of family with a unique blend of childhood wonder and thriller themes. With this creative work, I aim to examine the complicated nature of found family and death through cinematic storytelling.

A Wellbeing@Ksu Journey: Mapw Portfolio, Meghan Cooper

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

A process narrative and samples and complete works from my time in MAPW and as a GRA within the health and well-being departments at KSU. The portfolio showcases my journey as a communicator and professional writer and how it has impacted my current career.

Character Development: To Further The Narrative, Lesley Brian Bargo

Symposium of Student Scholars

Character Development: To Further the Narrative.

Presentation Abstract

March 16^th, 2022

Graduate Student: Lesley Brian Bargo

Research Mentor: Anna Weinstein

Screenplays on war can often become redundant. Not because they aren’t good screenplays, it’s simply because the focus relies too much on the brutality of war and not enough on the characters being forced to endure it. Hamburger Hill (1987) is not one of the run of the mill Vietnam War films that simply walk us through the killing of both sides without giving us the why. While most films can easily pull off the killing and dying, …

Little Women: A Screenplay Analysis, Chloe Ford

Symposium of Student Scholars

Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott, details the lives of the four March sisters - Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The story has been adapted into feature films multiple times, including an adaptation in 1918, 1933, 1949, 1994, and most recently in 2019. The 1994 film was written by Robin Swicord and directed by Gillian Armstrong, and the 2019 film was written by Greta Gerwig and Sarah Polley, and directed by Greta Gerwig. Both films were nominated for multiple Academy Awards. This study will compare and contrast the structure of both films, as well as the characters and …