Film and Media Studies Commons^™

Encoding, Decoding, And The End Of Game Of Thrones, Kaitlin Jock

Capstone Showcase

Stuart Hall, a cultural theorist who helped develop what we understand as modern media theory, defined reception theory as a sort of reader response implying that all media texts are encoded and decoded with messages. A producer of a media text encodes a message which is meant to be decoded by the consumer. They might accept the message, negotiate their own reading, or completely reject it. After spending a decade as the biggest show in the world, Game of Thrones came to a close in 2019 and after months of anticipation leading up to a final season completely fell out …

Race Book, Robert Dejesus

Theses and Dissertations

Race Book is a satiric animated short film about how social media influenced people during the 2020 presidential election.

Hear For You: Engaging With Vocal Authority And Vulnerability Through Podcasting, Rowen Light-Wills

Scripps Senior Theses

Through applications of literary and film theory, cultural analysis, and historical context this thesis project will deconstruct the text of the physical and metaphorical gendered voice. The podcast medium allows for exploration of the physical voice in a spontaneous format, which makes it the ideal platform for hosting conversations between college-aged students that examine cultural conceptions of the voice. Focusing primarily on the feminized[1] voice as a site of cultural tension, participants can tell the story of their voices, talking about experiences that have shaped their auditory self-perception. The work of this project is to demonstrate that the medium …

A Look Inside The University Of Akron Dance Team, Kristen Dauber

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Video is one of the most media-rich forms of content. When the elements of production come together, it can shed light on issues, provide information about a cause, and bring about an opportunity to connect with the world. One of the most informational forms of video is a documentary film. Documentaries that are focused on the stories and experiences of people bring a sense of reality to matters that may otherwise seem distant and irrelevant. Having a visual to relate to can help bridge the gap between a disconnected viewer and the issue at hand, and create awareness, empathy, and …

"A Performing Artist's Journey...Begins" (Senior Showcase), Jennifer Boswell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As a Theatre major, my sponsor and I decided that my Honors Research Project would be a one-person, twenty-minute performance. Originally, this showcase was going to be a live theatre event. Due to coronavirus and social distancing, I had to adjust and adapt as I transformed my piece into a virtual performance.

In choosing the content that would be performed, I carefully selected pieces that represented my journey as a performing artist the past four years. I wanted to showcase my growth and range as a performer. I chose one monologue from each of the six MainStage Theatre productions I …

Brothers, Sing On: The Story Of Nuance, Kyle Reynolds

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

For this project, I have elected to create a documentary detailing the chronological history of the University of Akron’s all-male contemporary pop a Cappella group, Nuance. The Documentary is titled: “Brothers, Sing On: the Story of Nuance” as a reference to the song “Brothers, Sing On!” by Edvard Grieg, and was named such because of the theme of brotherhood I have showcased in the documentary. I have been a member of Nuance since the Spring Semester of 2018 and have served as the president of the group since Spring Semester 2019. Nuance was founded in 2004, making it one of …

What Goes Into Successful Diversity And Inclusion Initiatives In Entertainment? Lessons From Advocates Of Creative Talent, Lindsey Sands

Theses and Dissertations

Entertainment offers a powerful medium in reducing bias and prejudice. Therefore, its critical role in shaping bias through on-screen representation needs to be explored through people who work directly with writers, directors, and actors. This qualitative study aimed to determine the impact of diversity and inclusion approaches by interviewing 14 advocates of creative talent in the entertainment industry. The study explored the types of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives prevalent in entertainment, the correlation between bias and prejudice reduction, and the perceived impact of these initiatives in improving environments. The study found that six themes emerged: access to relationships, highlighting …

I Spit On Your Agony!, Deann M. Sanval

Theses and Dissertations

Essay : "I spit on your agony!" -- Script 1 : You only live once -- Script 2 : I love your hate -- Script 3 : New money -- Script 4 : Love at first site.

The Reel Truth: The Importance Of Historical Accuracy In Film, Kyle A. Jenkins

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The first goal of this project is to build a case that historical accuracy in film is an especially important criteria when teaching using film, and that educators and their students should be able to discuss any historical inaccuracies in a way that does not diminish enjoyment of the film. Aside from students, there should also be an expectation from the general populous that when a film claims to be historically accurate its inaccuracies should not be harmful to the overall conversation. Secondly, this project will attempt to build criteria for critiquing and analyzing a film based on balanced criteria …

Adachigahara Project: A 3d Iterative Series, James Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This project tested an aesthetic use of 3D space to create alienation and immersion. It expanded upon it through iteration into other methods of cinematic alienation. To do this the project produced three short films each used the aesthetic of stereoscopic space. Two of the films were tested in conjunction with other methods of alienation while one served as a baseline. The project was able to render the spatial method of alienation and immersion, and found that other methods of alienation had an effect on it. While the project was able to test the use of 3D space to alienate …

Two's Accompany: Understanding Acceptance Through Animation, Brian Phinn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Animation as a medium has broad appeal based on its ability to convey stories in universal ways. This art form bridges cultural barriers that allow relationships to form through shared interests. Music also shares similar traits. Based on the global understanding of music and its history of use in film, the conclusion is the acceptance of different musical tastes can parallel acceptance of differing ideologies. When clashing ideological beliefs cause societal conflict, it is essential to remember that friendships cultivate through commonalities. The purpose of this study is to create an animated short film that presents the story of two …

Ouroboros: The Evolution From Industrialized Mass Production To Auteurism In American Animation, Heather Knott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The evolution of animation in the United States and its resulting classification varies significantly from its global counterparts. Through a convergence of complex cultural, regulatory, and entrepreneurial influences, the medium's experimental artistic principals have remained firmly rooted in the mass-production style studio pipeline codified by Hollywood. Through the advent of academically centered animation education, the development of the internet, self-distribution, and the growing affordability of industry level hardware and software, the industry has expanded beyond the traditional narrow scope. This re-globalization of entertainment in the United States encourages an auteur approach to animated filmmaking that is challenging the strict association …

Afrofuturism In Animation: Self Identity Of African Americans In Cinematic Storytelling, Dana Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

My work addresses the importance of self-identity within the Black culture of the United States of America through the depiction of an African American boy who must look into himself to overcome a difficult bullying situation. Animation as a medium is an ideal tool for interrogating the Western perspective of identity through cinematic storytelling. Using established animation methods, I created a visual narrative to portray the impact self-identity has on an individual's actions in certain social conditions. The film expands the medium of animation to subvert the narrative expectations of bullying and presents the idea of identity as a nonconforming …

Alexander: A Dive Into Identity, Inspiration, And Release Of The Creative Self, Alyssa Garoogian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Alexander is a story of overcoming the fear of personal artistic expression. Alexander is the son of an affluent family who was found to have musical talent at a young age. Alex grows to enjoy music, but rote exercises alone begin to disillusion the promising musician. Regardless, Alexander dutifully practices piano exercises daily, bored by the lack of creative stimulation but afraid to openly admit it. After an accidental music note sparks his imagination, Alexander escapes into fantasy: a colorful visualization of the original music he creates. Within this fantasy, a warm, supportive community leads Alexander to his most significant …

Framing Crime And Social Problems: How Students Perceive The Legality Of Digital Piracy, Jordan Henson

Online Theses and Dissertations

The current information age has seen a shift from analog product manufacturing to the production of intellectual property (e.g., software and digital media); property that is stolen at alarming rates. Much of the research concerning the modern phenomenon of digital piracy, as defined by Al-Rafee and Cronan (2006, p. 237) as “the illegal copying/downloading of copyrighted software and media files,” has stemmed from various fields, including business, ethics, marketing, and information systems. What is lacking in the literature is a notably criminal justice lens in which to view a controversial topic that is growing in popularity among the media and …

Hear Me Roar, Abigail R. Seethoff

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Hear Me Roar, a compilation of personal essays interspersed with short forms, grapples with the nuances of compliance versus autonomy in the context of the male gaze, beauty standards, and pop culture. The collection also explores what it means to treasure something—another person, an object—and how to express and deepen that affection.

Fellowship Of The Misery, Malachi James Moore

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Charles Marques Jr. has only known himself as a football player. Living in a modern society that embraces a culture of masculine toxicity has subconsciously driven him into an unyielding pursuit for love, both in himself and others. Charles' relentless effort to prove his worth on and off the field, however, is compromised once he arrives to college and suffers from his first injury. It is in this time of dejection and isolation that Charles discovers the damaging effect of not knowing who you are as a person, and is finally forced to find a voice on his own.

แนวคิดการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรมในการสร้างสรรค์ละครชาตรีร่วมสมัย : กรณีศึกษาการกำกับการแสดงเรื่อง พายุพิโรธ, ชาคร ชะม้าย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้ศึกษาการกำกับการแสดงละครชาตรีร่วมสมัยเรื่องพายุพิโรธผ่านแนวคิดการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรม ผู้วิจัยในฐานะผู้กำกับการแสดง ศึกษาการสร้างสรรค์จากบทละครเรื่องพายุพิโรธ แปลจาก The Tempest ของ วิลเลียม เชกสเปียร์ (William Shakespeare) และละครชาตรี เพื่อค้นหาแก่นความคิดหลัก(Theme) และวิธีการนำเสนอ(Style) ที่สามารถสื่อสารหลัก(Message) จากบทละครควบคู่กับอัตลักษณ์ละครชาตรี เพื่อแสดงให้เห็นว่าการแสดงจากต่างวัฒนธรรมสามารถนำมาสร้างสรรค์ร่วมกันได้ ผู้วิจัยศึกษาแนวคิดการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรมและการกำกับการแสดงละครชาตรีร่วมสมัยเพื่อสร้างแนวทางกำกับ ก่อนนำเข้าสู่กระบวนการสร้างและจัดแสดง ผลการศึกษาผู้วิจัยพบว่ากระบวนการกำกับการแสดงด้วยแนวคิดการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรมหลักสำคัญคือ การกำหนดแก่นความคิดหลักของผู้กำกับการแสดงที่มีความเป็นสากล(Universality) เพื่อผสานอัตลักษณ์การแสดงจากทั้งสองวัฒนธรรม ทั้งในแง่ความคิดและรูปแบบที่จะส่งผลต่อทุกองค์ประกอบการแสดง ในทุกกระบวนการสร้างสรรค์จะต้องตระหนักถึงการแลกเปลี่ยนระหว่างวัฒนธรรม(Cultural exchange) บนพื้นฐานความเคารพอย่างจริงใจต่ออัตลักษณ์และรากเหง้าวัฒนธรรม(Cultural Source) ส่งผลให้การพิจารณาบริบทสังคมและประเด็นร่วมสมัยของการแสดงนั้น ก็เพื่อมองหาศักยภาพในการสร้างสรรค์ร่วมกันของทั้งสองการแสดง เพื่อให้เกิดนิเวศการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรม(Intercultural performative ecology) ที่ผลักดันการปะทะสังสรรค์ร่วมกันอย่างเป็นธรรมชาติ ผู้วิจัยได้ข้อสรุปว่าการกำกับการแสดงละครชาตรีร่วมสมัยเรื่องพายุพิโรธ เริ่มต้นจากวัตถุดิบการแสดง ทั้งบทละครพายุพิโรธและละครชาตรีว่าสร้างแรงบันดาลใจอย่างไรแก่ผู้กำกับในฐานะศิลปิน ซึ่งไม่มีหลักการตายตัว ข้อถกเถียงในประเด็นการรักษาสมดุลระหว่างการอนุรักษ์หรือพัฒนาจึงไม่ควรจะต้องแบ่งแยกประเภทเพราะขึ้นอยู่กับเป้าหมายของศิลปิน แนวคิดการแสดงข้ามวัฒนธรรมจึงเป็นการสร้างการแสดงในกระแส โลกาภิวัตน์ที่ส่งผลให้ศิลปินทั่วทุกพื้นที่สามารถเชื่อมต่อและแลกเปลี่ยนการแสดงจากต่างวัฒนธรรม เพื่อนำมาสร้างสรรค์บนบริบทการแสดงร่วมสมัยที่เปิดโอกาสให้นำเอาอัตลักษณ์การแสดงจากทุกพื้นที่วัฒนธรรมมาใช้สร้างสรรค์ ซึ่งเป็นปรากฏการณ์การแสดงที่ยังคงดำเนินต่อไป

Representations Of Africa In Us Media: A Semiotic Analysis Of Ebola: The Doctor’S Story And Body Team 12, Olubusola Akinpelu

Masters Theses

The Western media has often been criticized for biased coverage of happenings in and around Africa. The 2014 Ebola outbreak created a lot of media attention for West Africa, and by extension, the entire continent. This study examined to what extent postcolonial discourses were infused in two films from the HBO Trilogy: Ebola: The Doctor’s Story (2015) and Body Team 12 (2015). To analyze these texts, I took a semiotic approach by identifying, describing and interpreting the signs in both films, to discuss the postcolonial discourses in three broad themes. Ebola: The Doctor’s Story (2015) was analyzed in the …

Best Leadership Practices Of Female Film Directors, Sara Carraway

Theses and Dissertations

Female film directors are highly underrepresented within the U.S. film industry, especially within narrative film (S.L. Smith, Pieper, & Choueiti, 2013). In 2019, only 12% of directors in the top 100 grossing films were female (Lauzen, 2020). There are several obstacles female directors face in their careers. Financing is more difficult to obtain for female directors due to stereotypes of women as risky investments (P. Smith et al., 2013). Closely tied to financing, gendered networks and homophily can prevent women from making relationships with gatekeepers and accessing the same opportunities as men (Jones & Pringle, 2015; Wing-Fai et al., 2015). …

"Don't Look At Her, She's Mad": Mama And Frankenstein Reveal Modern-Day Preoccupations, Caitlin Gamble

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Viewing the film Mama (2013) through the lens of a certain Gothic text, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, reveals similar fears of the feminine alongside the focus of the nature of the in-between. These commonalities between the texts reveal an emerging trend in modern monster-horror films—the narrative-driven analysis of the role of the other and multiculturalism in the social consciousness. In this paper, I examine how Mama as an Imperial Gothic film builds on the tradition of indigenous stories, like La Llorona, and the Gothic. By referencing and combining these histories in the genre markers, it uses motherhood and the other to …

Boutique Branding: Televisually Signifying The Feminine Business-Owner, Payton Blakney

Masters Theses

While women-owned businesses continue to grow, increasing 58 percent from 2007 to 2018 (Guidant Financial, 2019),producing on-brand communication content remains a challenge. Adding to the challenge, this branded communication must combat the societal narrative that women are less capable of running a business than men and utilize the complex mode of televisual storytelling. The purpose of this creative thesis was to incorporate the work of woman television producers and writers from the comedy-drama genre with semiotics theory to create five webisodes of branded entertainment that married the contradictory sign systems of woman and business owner. By analyzing and implementing the …

Get Out (2017), Us (2019), And Jordan Peele's New Black Body Horror, Brady Simenson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis provides an analysis of Jordan Peele’s films, Get Out (2017) and Us (2019). The thesis contextualizes Get Out and Us as part of a protracted cultural conversation regarding monstrous images of the cinematic black body that began with Hollywood’s early monster films and continued into the culturally subversive era of blaxploitation horror films. While blaxploitation cinema reclaimed images of the racial Other that had been represented in the early creature feature subgenre, no such notable movement has subverted the more recent body horror subgenre. Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us shift this subgenre toward racially inverted body horror. …

Storyteller As A Cultural Leader, Brielle Yuke Li

Theses and Dissertations

Storyteller as cultural leader -- The answer : pilot "Ice cream addiction" -- Ten years later -- The last train to Death Valley.

Minority Representations In Crime Drama: An Examination Of Roles, Identity, And Power, Megan E. Chatelain

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The storytelling ability of television can be observed in any genre. Crime drama offers a unique perspective because victims and offenders change every episode increasing stereotypes with each new character. In other words, the more victims and criminals observed by the audience, the more likely the show creates the perception of a mean world. Based on previous literature, three questions emerged which this study focused on by asking the extent of Criminal Minds’ ability to portray crime accurately compared to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and the Behavioral Analysis Unit’s (BAU-4) report on serial murderers and …

Barrier-Breaking Women In Indian Cinema, Paulina Sobczak

Communication Student Works

During the last 100 years, Indian Cinema has played a major role in the influence of certain attitudes toward women in Indian society. Early on, women were portrayed as evil temptresses, sex symbols, and/or damsels in distress. These roles went against equality and were far more challenging for the women in Indian films. In 1954, a group of about 13,000 women petitioned the prime minister that these character types were unacceptable. They believed these films were having a negative effect on society, especially for the generations to come. This short documentary showcases the journey of the women who began this …

Repairing A Nation: A Visual Exploration Into The American Debate On Reparations, Desi Jeseve Lapoole

Senior Independent Study Theses

The debate on reparations for slavery in the United States of America has persisted for generations, capturing the attention and imagination of America in waves before falling out of public consciousness over the decades. Throughout its longevity, the debate on reparations has had many arguments in support of and opposition towards the idea and has inspired many different proposals which seek to solve many different problems. Today, reparations have found new mainstream attention, thanks in part Ta-Nehisi Coates’ article, “The Case for Reparations,” published in The Atlantic, and to two new reparations bills in Congress. My research explores the …

You Think You Do, But You Don’T: An Investigation Of Fandom And Nostalgic Media Through An Analysis Of World Of Warcraft Classic, David Andrew Schulz

Senior Independent Study Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the fan culture of the video game, World of Warcraft, to analyze the motivations, reactions, and reasons of play, to examine World of Warcraft: Classic as a form of nostalgic media, and to study its fandom through an ethnographic lens. This study utilized a fusion of the following methodologies: cyberethnography, ethnography, and visual ethnography. The author recorded gameplay footage of World of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft Classic. After this, an ethnography was conducted at the 2019 Blizzcon convention, in which observation shots and interviews took place. This footage was edited …

#Kancelkulture: An Analysis Of Cancel Culture And Social Media Activism Through The Lens Of Minority College Students, Korri E. Palmer

Senior Independent Study Theses

I am investigating how minority students of color find cancel culture (boycotting a brand or celebrity) to be a beneficial or harmful form of social media activism. I situate social media as a networked public and discuss how consumer activism meets social media activism, specifically on Twitter, to create cancel culture. My study includes results from a combination of a focus group and individual interviews that discuss topics of social media use, participation in cancel culture and activism involvement. This study provides a definition of cancel culture through the perspectives of generation Z social media users and discusses the duality …

Internalizing Data Collection: Personal Analytics As An Investigation Of The Self, Neal R. Swisher

Theses and Dissertations

Personal analytics, aka self-tracking, is the practice of using a digital device to track aspects of behavior, such as exercise habits, heart rate, sleep patterns, location, diet, and a host of other data points. This dissertation is an exploration of “self” in self-tracking, informed by theories of subjectivity, autonomy, power and knowledge. As a technological intervention, self-tracking devices change how we experience our own body and behavior. They also serve as methods to digitize human behavior. This data is combined with other data and processed using computational methods. Self-tracking devices are both personal and bureaucratic. They are devices used for …