Film and Media Studies Commons^™

How Not To Get Away With Murder: Turning Reality Into Fiction, Brittin Williams

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Performign Arts- Film

The Levels Of Storytelling, Sean Henderson

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Performing Arts- Film

The Art Of A Life Well Spent: An Exploration Of Death In A Creative Context, Abigail Manning

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Performing Arts- Film

What Goes Unnoticed, Jessica Schlagenhaft

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Performing Arts- Film

Alvin York: Life Of A Peacemaker, Katherine Larson

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Creative and Artistic

Chilean Cinema In The 21st Century World (Review), James L. Richie Iv

Vernacular: New Connections in Language, Literature, & Culture

No abstract provided.

Menetekel: Ishmael's Black Whale And The Semiotics Of Doom, Todd Tyner Cronkhite

English Language and Literature ETDs

This study employs the narrator of Moby Dick, Ishmael, as a focal critic to interpret several potential examples of ominous writing on the wall, or menetekel. It concludes that the message of such writing, owing primarily to its irrevocably deictic relationship with the surface it is written on, is fundamentally apocalyptic in nature, regardless of its explicit content. The physical walls of the “kingdom” are incorporated into the grammar of the menetekel as object, so that its elemental message, “I was here,” becomes not only an admission of criminal trespass, but also a direct threat to the current order and …

Doubt, Joshua Rodriguez, Ben Scholle

2023 Student Academic Showcase

"Doubt" follows a depressed and isolated young man who must contend with the physical manifestation of his depression and self doubt. Through this narrative, our protagonist learns truths about the human condition, and the lies that we all tell ourselves to keep us more expanding as human beings. The story follows and details how depression and trauma can flare up at inopportune times and places, and how we must accept ourselves and those around us for our/their flaws in order to grow as people. Strength is looking our failures and insecurities in the eyes and moving forward regardless., despite the …

Shifting The Paradigm With Wednesday Addams: Why Nuanced, Intersectional Portrayals Of Autistic People Matter, Camille Bassett

Student Research Symposium

For decades, Autistic people have been portrayed in the media through dehumanizing stereotypes such as the robot, the superhuman savant, and the empty shell. Through these stereotypes, Autistic people are construed as non-human, above-human, and sub-human but never as human beings with complexity, authenticity, and dignity. In addition to being stereotypical, depictions of Autistic people have historically featured white and male characters, a longstanding pattern that erases Autistic women and people of color, among others. In 2022, however, Netflix’s spinoff series of The Addams Family, Wednesday, brought to the screen one of the very first autistic-coded women of color—its titular …

Desire In Bridgerton: Defining The Female Gaze, Hailey C. Coles

Honors College Theses

Feminist literature is rife with multiple, sometimes conflicting, sometimes partial, definitions of the female gaze. A definitive understanding of the female gaze incorporates the literature but includes other modes of thought and analysis appropriate for a number of different media. Bridgerton articulates this understanding as it privileges female sexuality not just through dialogue, but through its focus on multiple characters’ bodily awareness. Non-verbal elements like blocking, the physical articulation of bodies, changes in camera angles and foci that privilege subtle and nuanced movements, and even the pervasive use of music all contribute to the form and characterization of the female …

Remembering The Future: Wild Time And The Cosmic Imagination, Arabella Thaïs

Journal of Conscious Evolution

Entropy – the Second Law of Thermodynamics – is generally held to prove “time’s arrow”: that time is linear and unidirectional, and that the universe is following this trajectory. This paper presents a preliminary exposition into a new, integral ontology of time in which time is hyper-dimensional, non-linear and flows in both directions. This is supported through trans-disciplinary praxis at the intersection of aesthetics, cosmology, quantum mechanics, and chaos theory. The metaphysical implications of reverse causality are investigated, and confer a teleological universe that is coherent with the paradigm of an intelligent, self-realising cosmos in which beauty is a fundamental …

Documentary Review: The Janes (2022), Katelyn M. Campbell

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Tár, Sherry Coman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Tár (2022), directed by Todd Field.

Kung Fu Panda - A Good Story Well Done, James E. Bruner

Classical Conversations

Storytelling is incredibly important in the everyday lives of humans. Over the course of history, the methods of storytelling have advanced much in the same way society has advanced. However, the constant components of a good story and classic literature have never changed: enticing plots, courageous heroes, and narrative beauty. One of the most popular, modern methods for storytelling for both young and old alike is the animated motion picture. The Kung Fu Panda movies are a series of animated children’s movies created by Dreamworks Animation studios that have witnessed great success in box offices worldwide. However, the journey of …

The Screen And Generation Z: How Media-Streaming Services Affect Curation And Environment Of Film And Television, Collin Graham

Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on Generation Z’s relationship to media-streaming services, using both analysis of academic texts and independent research consisting of a survey and a series of interviews with Generation Z as the intended audience. The analysis of academic texts focuses on the differences in viewing behaviors/consumption between streamed film/television and non-streamed film/television more generally, as well as how these behaviors factor into Generation Z’s perception of film/television and media-streaming services more specifically. The results of the survey and interviews show Generation Z’s awareness of the pressures streaming services put on viewers to watch content in an isolated and individualized …

"Real Women Have Bodies": A Study In Adaptation, Madison Ephlin

Honors Projects

The art of adaptation is a difficult process, and is often hard to please general audiences that have a connection to the source material. As a student who studies both English Literature and Film Production, the question asked through this study is what does it take to write a “successful” adaptation? What qualifies as “successful”? How does an adaptation balance the themes, characterization, and plot of a piece of literature with the continuous momentum and visual complexity that the medium of film requires, all in 120 pages or less? This study engages with these questions by actively practicing adaptation, adapting …

Pathos, Spring 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Stephanie Gresham

Why Industry Professionals Should Care About Fandom, Abigail Minzer

Student Publications

A fandom is a community of people who share a common interest and interact with each other on the basis of that common interest. When a fandom comes together on the basis of a creative work, it allows a mutually beneficial relationship to form in which the fandom will eagerly consume existing content, allowing new content to be produced for their consumption. Thus, professionals in industries such as publishing, theater, and television and film should be aware of the integral role fandoms play in the consumption of their content and how to nurture fandoms through the means discussed in this …

Song Of The South: The Silence Of A Song, Magdalena E. Fernald

Student Publications

A persuasive essay explaining the history of the film Song of the South and the Uncle Remus stories that its based on, and why the film deserves to be re-released with educational materials.

Space Preacher And The Horror Of Isis (A Film), Joanna Wirtz

Doctor of Ministry

There is a profound misunderstanding among religious “nones” in America about Christianity and what it means to follow Christ, which is caused in part by misrepresentation in various media. If solved, it would mean higher interest in and better representation of authentic Christian perspectives in the public square. I have researched where “nones” and these misunderstandings have come from, Christian perspectives on creativity, and Christians who felt called to create media content for secular audiences. As a preacher, writer, and actor, I feel called to share God’s truth through telling stories. Stories transform how people see the world. I chose …

Gender And Sexuality In Desperate Housewives, Berkley Smith

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

The Migrant Communities Of South Sioux City, Graciela Deanda

Honors Thesis

The Migrant Communities of South Sioux City is a photographic series that showcases the individual stories, intimate spaces, older generation insights and hopes for their future lives. Stories are a great way to connect with, inspire, and influence humans. Personal storytelling—the kind that reveals who we are and what we care about— are the most potent and effective ways to connect with the world around us. This project seeks out the stories of migrant workers living in the same region but from different countries. In this series, I ask questions to hear everyone’s stories and allows others to hear and …

“Yellow Fever” + Pornhub Statistics: A Sociological Sickness, Patricia Plachno

Audre Lorde Prize

This essay was written to explore the complexities behind "Yellow Fever," or the fetishization of Asian women. In further understanding the origins of "Yellow Fever", shining a light on historical stereotypes and microaggressions assist in problematizing this phenomenon. Pornhub's yearly statistics provide a tangible outline of the sheer volume of participants in racial fetishization.

The Hidden Figures Of Cognitive Dissonance, Jennifer Berkebile

Senior Honors Theses

In utilizing cognitive dissonance theory (CDT) as postulated by Festinger (1957), this research sought to identify how European American (EA) superiors Paul Stafford and Vivian Mitchell were influenced by EA coworkers while interacting with African American (AA) subordinates Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan, respectively, within the film Hidden Figures. Based upon a thorough review of the literature on CDT and its relationships with racism and sexism, this research examined specific scenes in which the pair interacted individually and around coworkers before determining the impact of external interpersonal relationships upon the central biracial relationships. Conclusions demonstrated the key principle of …

And The Oscar Goes To... Tiktok, Dawson Bley

Senior Honors Theses

Companies have been forced to take note of the emerging social media app, TikTok, which has attracted more than a billion users to its platform and invited businesses into an uncharted market ready to be exploited. By seeking to understand and employ the unique features which have led to TikTok’s far-reaching success, many companies can similarly improve their position. In particular, traditional movie companies, which have recently suffered blows at the box office due to factors such as competition with online streaming, could benefit from an analysis of this tech to restore lost engagement and revenue. Specifically, how can the …

A New Atticus Is Afoot: The Portrayal Of Lawyers In Popular Culture, Anna Thrush

Senior Theses

This project analyzes the stereotypical image of lawyers in popular culture, focusing on either overly demonic or unrealistically heroic. Both stereotypes that are common portrayals of attorneys in popular culture are unrealistic and deny society a true comprehension of the profession. Popular culture has molded the image of lawyers to the characteristics that sell, rather than focusing on a realistic portrayal. Therefore, popular culture creates a falsely dramatized image of attorneys to generate revenue, putting the reputation and future of the profession as risk. These stereotypes are exemplified in this project through a close literary analysis of lawyer characters from …

Momim, Christopher Halligan

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Alex, an intersex 19 year old, decides that the only way he can be a complete man is to have penis resection surgery, but when the only job available to him is job on the river, he must face his extreme aquaphobia and fear of the feminine and learn to follow the true flow of his nature.

Maniobres De Resistència Personal, Antoni Pizà

Publications and Research

Quan jo tenia nous anys, els meus pares em van enviar a estudiar a la capital. Havia de quedar en règim d'internat de dilluns a divendres, dia que mon pare venia del poble a recollir-me, normalment cap a les cinc del capvespre, si fa no fa.

The Evolution Of Computer Generated Images And Special Effects Design In The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Samantha Renee Pearson

Whittier Scholars Program

Based on Michael Crichton’s unpublished novel, The Andromeda Strain, the awe-inspiring Jurassic Park trilogy (1993-2001) emerged from Steven Spielburg’s determination to make extinct characters come to life again. Early on in their careers, Crichton and Spielburg met at Universal Studios while working on Duel (1971) with ambitions to direct a film that would completely immerse their audience into a dinosaur-encompassing world. About five years later, Spielberg attempted to form a digital rendering for his film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), but later concluded that “‘The technology wasn’t there yet'” (Mottram 20).

Fast-forward to 1990, Spielburg was fixated on …

Lutter Contre L’Effacement Et Pour La Reconstitution De Traces : « Penser Entre Les Disciplines », Lara Mroué

Regards

Living outside Lebanon, Lebanese artists like Rabih Mroué and Lina Majdalanie have contributed in many ways to the evolution and reconstruction of the cultural and artistic scene in Lebanon, as well as to its history. They took part in the shaping of Civil War memory. This article will analyze the way in which these artists put on stage absence, disappearance, and the erasure of traces, while transforming contemporary artistic practice in Lebanon. Rethinking creation as a field of resistance and change, the artist on stage becomes, with Majdalanie and Mroué, an actor, a dancer, and a visual artist.

Résumé

Vivant …