Week 9: Bollywood meets Hollywood

In 2004, Christina Klein wrote that the Hollywood and Asian film industries were becoming "closely integrated" therefore "leading to the denationalisation of individual films and film industries on both sides of the Pacific". I believe that Klein's views are valid as this past decade has produced a number of successful films combining Hollywood and Asian styles of cinema. 

For example, in Slumdog Millionaire a teenager who grew up in the slums goes on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". After he wins the money he is arrested under the suspicion that he cheated, which then takes us on the journey on how he knows the answers to the questions and his quest to find the love of his life. Slumdog Millionaire integrated Western culture by using the well known television show "Who wants to be a Millionaire" with the Asian setting of the Indian slums. The cast of Slumdog Millionaire were all of an Asian descent however the lead actor Dev Patel had already left his mark on Western television by having a role in the well known British series "Skins". Overall the film won 114 awards including 8 Oscars showing how it appealed to an international audience. 

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/. 

Another example of Bollywood and Hollywood infusion would be the 2004 remake of the classic Jane Austen novel "Pride and Prejudice". This novel has been adapted for the screen several times however this particular remake was set in India and had a strong Bollywood influence. with the tagline of the film being "Bollywood meets Hollywood, and its a perfect match". Director Gurinda Chadha, who has directed other films such as "Bend it like Beckham" which also integrated Western and Asian film industries, used major Bollywood stars in the film such as Aishwarya Rai and Naveen Andrews from "Lost", with very few "Western" actors. But because the story was so familiar to the Western Culture it was incredibly successful regardless of whether the actors were well known or not. 

Source: en.wikipedia.org 

So what could explain this integration of cultures on film? Critics of Globalisation use the Cultural Imperialism Model, which states that America has a desire for dominance and to "homogenise the worlds film culture" (Klein, 2004). Or simply, the fascination with other cultures and the need to project it to a wider audience.  Either way, Klein's observation on the integration of Asian and Western film industries has sustained a decade later,  and these industries will continue to integrate in the future. 

References: 

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - IMDb. 2013. Author Unknown. Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1010048/. 

Klein, C, 2004. Martial Arts and the Globalization of US and Asian Film Industries. Comparative American Studies, Vol. 2, 360-384. 

Week 8: The Rise of Celebrity through Social Media

Although the question may ask "how have celebrities changed in response to the rise of social media?" I think the more pressing question is who can be classed as a celebrity in the first place? How has social media created a new batch of celebrities and changed the definition of celebrity?

Due to  globalisation and the popularity of social networking sites, it is easy for everyday individuals to simply post something online which can then catapult them into stardom. Marshall defines a Celebrity as "a particularly powerful and persuasive trope for contemporary culture" (2013). These days you don't necessarily need to have talent to become a celebrity (Sorry Kardashian Family) but it is more a case of how people can become famous as a result of the rise of social media and how they can utilise these sites to further their fame. For example, the YouTube sensation Jenna Marbles was sharing a three bedroom house in Massachusetts whilst working four jobs to pay the rent each month. After her first video called "Drunk Make Up Tutorial" went viral she she now lives in 1 million dollar house in California, her YouTube videos get at least five million hits each time and has more Instagram followers then Oprah. Social Media has the power to create celebrities and change lives.

Jenna Marbles found fame through YouTube
Source: twitter.com

For the Celebrities who were already famous before the social media rise utilise these online platforms to further promote their brand. That brand being themselves. Marshall describes this as a "specular economy" (2010) as the celebrity culture continues to expand to more platforms then ever. A celebrity making the most of the powers of social media would be the ever controversial Miley Cyrus. After that VMA's performance and her recent, drastic transformation, Miley has blown up the online world gaining more popularity then ever. Due to her antics on and offline her latest single "Wrecking Ball" has broken the Vevo record for fastest views in six days, which reached over a hundred million views. Her strong online presence on a range of sites has boosted her stardom and her record sales. proving the power of social media 

Miley Cyrus' Twitter Feed after "Wrecking Ball" broke the Vevo record
Source: https://twitter.com/MileyCyrus

Thanks to social media and the power of globalisation  it is now possible for anyone to become a celebrity anywhere. Its not HOW have celebrities changed, but the definition of celebrity has changed, and how the famous are using these platforms to gain a further audience. 

References:

Marshall, P. David, 2010. The Specular Economy. Springer Science Business Media, , pp 498-502.

Marshall, P. David, 2013. Persona Studies:Mapping the Proliferation of the public self. Sage Publications,  pp 2-18.

Week 7: Participatory Media & Tinder

I've never really been into "gaming". Sure, I hopped onto the Candy Crush bandwagon back when it was popular but that's the extent to my gaming expertise. But why did I get into Candy Crush in the first place? Because the app was connected to my Facebook account, and allowed me to get competitive and interact  with my Facebook friends to see what level we were all on. 

This concept of participation has been described by Raessens (2005) as a way to "characterise not only the specificity of computer games but also the media culture that has formed around them". And this "media culture" and need for interactivity and participation can be seen everywhere from mobile phones and apps, to social media and the blogosphere.

A recent example of a non gaming participatory media culture that is taking the world by storm would be the app Tinder. Launched last year and with an estimated 500,000 users, Tinder connects your Facebook page to the app, then allows you to search for users near by. With Tinder you have the ability to reject or like people due to their photos which are synced from their Facebook accounts, then when two are "mutually matched" can interact with one another. This app has taken online dating and interactivity to the next level. With the ability to connect to others Facebook pages and interact with those who have an interest with you and you with them. The success of Tinder has already lead to weddings and according to the creator Sean Rad  there are quite a few celebrities that use the app too. Although I don't participate in the app I can't avoid the numerous stories that are floating around on the internet about it and the revolution that is Tinder. 

Although computer gaming is a popular medium for interaction and connectivity, there are thousands of other platforms for like minded individuals to connect and participate with one another. 

 Tinder: the app that helps you meet people for sex | Life and style | The Guardian . 2013. Available at:http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2013/aug/16/tinder-app-meet-people-sex-celebrities.

Tinder: 5 Reasons The Dating App Works For Women. 2013.Available at:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/03/tinder-women-reasons-it-works_n_3541428.html. 

Raessens, J 2005, ‘Computer games as participatory media culture’, Handbook of computer game studies 2005, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, pp. 373-388

So addictive...
Source: www.heyzap.com 

Tinder App
Source: www.ryot.org -