Author Lathrell Soriano

Audio Content Analysis

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Sylvia’s Blood

Creation

The story of Sylvia’s Blood is actually an adaption based from a short story written by Philip K. Dick in 1954 called “Upon the Dull Earth”. It originally appeared in a science anthology magazine called “Beyond Fantasy Fiction”. It was found by the writers of “The Truth”, an anthology podcast series. They updated it, and changed a few things, so they titled it Sylvia’s Blood. The story was a speculative fiction which means that there’s something in the story that wouldn’t happen in the real world.

Craft

The podcast was able to successfully scare or frighten its audience when we listened to it. The sound effects used created a lot of tension between us the listeners and the story itself. You never really know what to expect and what will happen next. The voices were well projected and acted which brought forth the intensity and the thrill for the podcast.

Commodity

The episode “Sylvia’s Blood” actually ranked 4th in the rankings for the best episode of “The Truth” series. Every listener or audience are free to donate any amount that they think the podcast is worth for. With that said, considering that it ranked 4th, “Sylvia’s Blood” is really liked by the audience, and it is just possible that a lot of listeners donated for the cause of the cause of the project.

Personal thoughts

In all honesty, I am not actually a fond of anything horror, thriller, or suspense. I find them really boring and nonsensical. This was no different, but I am not saying that it was a bad listen. Overall, it was good since majority of the class liked it, and as I looked at its technical aspects it was well-polished and somehow became worth my time at the very least.

Kwento ng Mahiwagang Burnay

Creation

The “Kwento ng Mahiwagang Burnay” is a talk show in Love Radio hosted by Nicole Hyala and Chris Tsuper. A true-to-life story confession from a listener is narrated by Nicole Hyala which will be the subject of the talk show for the day. It intends to give advice and opinions about the different life stories of the listeners, which are mainly teens and adults. They teach and inspire the listeners on how they will overcome each problem that they have.

Craft

Nicole Hyala is really effective in narrating the story of the sender. The emotions are really felt and heart touching. Setting it up with a mellow and melancholic mood, it emphasizes how sad and relatable from the audience the story is. After the narration, the tandem of Chris Tsuper and Nicole Hyala stands out. They supplement each other well and you can clearly hear the chemistry from the both of them.

Commodity

The talk show “Kwento ng Mahiwagang Burnay” is actually one of the most listened shows of Love Radio, but the number of listeners doesn’t actually translate to the number of money they earn. With that said, the show actually earns money from the ads and with their number of listeners, it is safe to assume that those listeners can also listen to those ads which is a win-win situation for both of them.

Personal thoughts

Nowadays, what do you think is the best way to gather a lot of audience? Of course, it is to give them something they can relate to. Now, the show clearly imposes that. By making their own listeners send them their stories, it is a surefire way to attract other people to listen to the show as well because for sure they have problems or have known issues of the same sort.

Imitation of Life by R.E.M.

Creation

The song “Imitation of Life” was written and produced by R.E.M.. The song is actually very deep, with a lot of underlying messages beneath its lyrics. The title itself suggests that the song is a simulation of what “life” has become in the real world. It is a narration about the society, and the people in our society who only desire to become rich and famous. The song teaches us not to be materialistic or fame whores for it does not give us happiness and feel contented.

Craft

The song was really catchy and easy to sing-along with. The beat, the tune, the melody, and the lyrics was able to catch my attention. It somehow literally simulated what is life now. Using different allusions to suggest the different realities about being materialistic and wanting fame. Overall, it was really effective in relaying its message to its listeners.

Commodity

After the release of the song, it peaked at #83 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #22 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Internationally, it reached #6 in the UK Singles Charts. It was also very successful in Italy, Poland, and Spain where it reached top three in the said countries. It is freely accessible at spotify and in youtube where it earns money for the views.

Personal thoughts

At first listen, one may think that the song is a very happy and lively song, but as you listen to it and read its lyrics you will understand the message of the song which actually talks about depression. Overall, I liked the song, its tune, message and its technical aspects. I wish that more bands or artists will make this kinds of song that will awaken our society of the reality.

The Truman Show or The True Man Show?

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“The Truman Show” centers on a man named “Truman”, played by Jim Carrey, who slowly realizes that everything in his life is fabricated. He is 24/7 being watched by 5000 cameras, and his family, friends, and even his wife are actors that play different roles to manipulate him. A director named Christof, played by Ed Harris, manipulates everything in the show up to the point that even Truman’s actions can be controlled. His name, Truman, is actually ironic since in the world he was living in he’s the only “True Man”. Meaning to say, he is the only guy in that show who is true and does not play in role or follow any script. As the movie goes on, Truman eventually comes up with 2 choices, whether to accept the fake world he is living in, or go out there and find the truth beneath everything.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie a lot. It gave me a lot of realizations on what reality actually is. As said by Adam Smith, “A movie with wit as well as ideas, it’s an all out attack on the media’s need to control, package and present real life” which is true since what we see on the media is not actually happening on real life. Believe it or not, what we see on media is ideal and perfect world we want to live in. This is why we should not always trust what we see in our screens.

Speaking of media, here are the key concepts of media literacy and their reflection in the film “The Truman Show”:

Media messages are constructed.

Just like the media, the life of Truman is constructed and controlled by a certain man named Christof, who is the director of show. He manipulated everything from the show for the audiences or the fans of “The Truman Show” to like the character of Truman more. The more they watched the show, the more they believed that what happening in the show is aligned with the real world or in other words the reality.

Media construct reality.

The media is the one that dictates our reality. It dictates what’s important in the society and what’s not. As seen in the film, the only black character we can see there is the driver who ends up to be a ferry captain as well, but the twist is he doesn’t even know how to drive nor how to sail. There was also the job of Truman which is an office clerk which is depicted as the “best kind of work” and any other kind of work is inferior to it.

Media messages are produced for particular purpose.

Aside from the production team of the show and the director manipulating the show to be more entertaining and gain more audiences, the show was actually super commercialized. With all the product placements, the scenes written and directed so that the product can be a part of the story, and even the casual lines of Meryl pertaining to a certain product, the show was also effective in advertising although it may or may not be obvious for some.

People construct their own meanings from media messages.

Different people with different perspectives can construct different meanings from the media. As for us, in the film “The Truman Show”, we know that everything is scripted, and made for the sole of purpose of entertainment, but that is not that case for the audience and fans of the show in the film itself because from their perspective, everything they see on the television as the “Life of Truman” is real, and for that reason they are are confined in the illusion that everything there is true.

Form and content are closely related in media messages.

Giving out the same message, different forms of media create different impacts to the audience which is why there is a certain form of media corresponding to the message we want to convey. As for “The Truman Show” it is just right for them to use a 24/7 live broadcasted television as its form of media since it will give the impression of how real the life of Truman is since they can see how his life is going on 24/7. It gives detailed, and face slapped events in the life of Truman. The audience is not anymore going to visualize what’s happening for they are already given the visuals for it.

Image result for the truman show in case i don't see you

Stranger Than Fiction? I guess not

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According to the movie, what is writer’s block?

A writer’s block is the condition where writers are unable to think of how to begin or make some progress out of their writing. In the movie, Karen Eiffel found a hard time in ending her book or perhaps ending the like of Harold Crick, the protagonist in her book.

What can you say about Will Ferrell’s acting in this movie?

It was not the typical funny and silly Will Ferrell I knew about. It showed his flexibility as an actor and portrayed the role of Harold Crick carefully and have relayed the message of the movie to me nicely. I say that he really impressed me even though this kind of character is not the typical Will Ferrell that we always see.

What would you do if you were in the protagonist’s shoes?

I know for myself that my curiosity will kill me as well so I would probably also do my best in looking for the “author” of my life and ask her questions as to why she is doing this with her story or simply my life. I am not only just a character in her story anymore, but I am already a human who has my own life and own way of thinking so why would I let somebody else dictate how I will live my life? It’s not her story anymore, it’s mine.

This movie is rated PG-13. What is/are the things that make the movie PG-13?

The movie showed hints of immorality and a lot of vulgar language which is obviously not suitable for young audiences. It was also tackling about how to kill someone and suicide which clearly shows that it is not safe for children to see nor hear anything regarding the matter.

Why do you think Professor Jules Hilbert agree that the story should end in a tragedy for it to be a masterpiece? Do you agree with him?

I believe that since Karen Eiffel, in the movie, was known for writing heartfelt tragic stories, Professor Hilbert knowing that, must have thought that it is ending the story in a tragedy will make it a masterpiece just like the other stories written by Karen Eiffel. Professor Hilbert, himself, is also a writer, so he must have thought that it would be more realistic if the story would end with the death of Harold Crick. Personally, I believe that there are a lot more other ways to end the story without killing Harold Crick. Just like what happened in the movie, Harold Crick became a hero by saving a child from death which in return made Harold risk his life but was saved by his wristwatch which was something that made him the Harold Crick of Karen Eiffel. Now, the watch is already broken and inside of him, he may now be Harold Crick without anyone holding him back or controlling him.

#Pakyo

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One day, I woke up thinking of something to do, something that may entertain me, ’cause I was really bored and I got nothing to do, then poof a new friend of mine, Godwin, recommended me to watch the “24_hours_mag_jowa_challenge_with_pam_swing.mp4”. I think this may be because of his adoration of the two shipped persons namely Pam and Kyo. This may also be because that video is his favorite one and he is most entertained by and watches it whenever he doesn’t have anything to do and is bored.

The video was really nice I felt so much “kilig” even though them being a couple is just a challenge since they’re being shipped so much. The two youtubers were the best when it comes to entertaining us, making us laugh, cringe, and be so “kilig” for them because I think they are really compatible with each other with regards to their personality. I also gave a huge thumbs up for the couple, Kyo and Pam, for doing such a challenge just for their fans to be entertained. It must have been funny and enjoyable for them to do this challenge as shown in the video due to their craziness and “kalogness” of each other. Honestly, I wish for them to be together in real life because they really suit each other very well.

I was shook to learn that Godwin was interested with those kind of videos and interested with those youtubers as well. I discovered the kind of videos that he must be watching in his free time whenever there is a sunny or rainy weather which suggests us, teens, to watch videos on youtube which are the the typical Filipino vlogger’s videos which are amusing and enjoyable to the viewers. I also discovered that Godwin is a #pakyo shipper and is a fan of Kyo and Pam.

Anchorman, what a handsome movie!

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The 1970s was such a turbulent time. Back then, women, African American, Native Americans, gays and lesbians, and other marginalized people were fighting for equality and fair treatment amongst people. As said in the movie, it was a time when only men were allowed to read the news. At the very start, the dominance of male workers was clearly evident. With only the names of Ron Burgundy and his team composed of Brick Tamland, Brian Fantana, and Champ Kind ringing the bells inside the Channel 4 News. But, all of this started to change when a lady named Veronica Corningstone came to attack the peace and unity of the men. This started the display of how the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy showed the societal issues which are then and until now evident in our world.

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Ron Burgundy was such a narcissist. He was overly confident and so full of himself that his ego was so out of this world. Him and his team was a group of men full of misogynists. They despise women to do anything that will make them look inferior to the public since they are so full of themselves that they are the best and no one can compete against them especially women.

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It clearly portrayed the issue of Sexism in workplaces wherein in the movie women were given unfair treatment, chances, and opportunities to showcase their talents, and skills, but this didn’t stop Ms. Corningstone to work very hard and rise up to the ranks. She was given an unfair assignment of tasks like when she was her given her first assignment which is to cover a cat show despite the fact that she can cover just the same tasks with the men.

The movie also showed what feminism really is and how it works in which Veronica had to work hard in order to get what she wants which is to be an “anchor”. It made us realize that we all must strive for what we want to achieve just like how others will strive hard and not use our gender to rise up to the ranks since nowadays women are favored when they use their feminine side to attract and make their bosses favor them.

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Overall, it was a really great eye-opener of a movie. It gave me (personally) lessons about the issues and how to handle them. Although, they brought those issues up as a joke for the purpose of putting the weight off or making it lighter, it still sent a great message to us teenagers and be aware of the issues, but yes, there still some jokes which are quite offensive to some people.

I would really suggest this movie for others to watch not just of the lessons, but also because it really entertained me and gave me a good laugh which is priceless (i think). If I were to rate the movie, I would give it a solid 4.5 out of 5. It truly is a handsome movie!

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