Matching Items (14)
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- All Subjects: Film
- Creators: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- Creators: Scott, Jason
- Status: Published
Description
My study centers on the novel Katakiuchi Kidan Jiraiya Monogatari (1806-1807) by Kanwatei Onitake (1760-1818). Jiraiya Monogatari was the first literary reading book to be adapted for the kabuki stage. It was also the prototype on which Mizugaki Egao, Kawatake Mokuami, Makino Shouzou; and others based their bound picture books, kabuki, and films. The tale is composed of two revenge incidents, both of which have the same structural framework and are didactic in tone. In my study, I analyze the two revenge incidents by examining their narrative structures. Each incident has the same three-act structure: setup, confrontation, and resolution. The setup of each revenge incident introduces the main characters and their relationships and establishes the dramatic vehicle, which is an unexpected incident that sets the revenge in motion. The confrontation contains myriad non-linear inserts, plot twists, and reversals of fortune, all of which have the effect of a narrative delay. This prolongation of the outcome of a simple revenge plot allows readers the necessary space in which they can form their own judgments regarding good and evil and consider karmic cause and effect. The resolution, including the climax as well as the ending of the revenge, demonstrates the didactic notion of punishing evil and karmic effect. The two revenge incidents embody two rules, kanzen chouaku and inga, which together highlight the didacticism of Jiraiya monogatari.
ContributorsZhang, Jin (Author) / Creamer, John (Thesis advisor) / West, Stephen (Committee member) / Chambers, Anthony (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
My name is Adriana Becerra and I am a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. In hoping to combine my two passions of journalism and film, for my Honors Undergraduate Thesis project I created my own film review website. My website is a complete review of the films that were nominated for the 2015 Oscars in the following categories: Best Picture, Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, Foreign Language, and Short Film Live Action. In all, I watched and reviewed a total of twenty-eight films based on acting, lighting, music, cinematography, costume/makeup/set design, writing, and visual effects. Over the course of nine months, I have watched, reviewed, and talked extensively about each film that I have reviewed. Though tedious at times, I thoroughly enjoyed completing my Undergraduate Thesis Project. I hope to continue critically looking at films, and possibly even incorporating film in my journalistic career.
ContributorsBecerra, Adriana Justina (Author) / Dodge, Nancie (Thesis director) / Russell, Dennis (Committee member) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
While studying in Japan, I became fascinated by the variety shows my roommates would watch. These shows featured a flexible format with comedians and other entertainers participating in a wide variety of activities. For my senior creative project, I decided to determine what features were essential to Japanese variety shows, and to then use these features to create my own program.
In order to determine the essential features of Japanese variety television, I watched a total of 22 episodes of three popular Japanese variety shows: Gaki no tsukai ya arahende (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで! Usually abbreviated as ガキの使い), London Hearts (ロンドンハーツ), and Utaban (うたばん). I chose these three shows because of their differing styles, popular comedic hosts, and impressive longevity, with a combined 58 years of runtime. Through my research, I was able to assemble the analyses of basic and technical features found in the next section of this document in addition to several pages of my own notes used to design my original program.
My own program, American Joke (アメリカンジョーク), is meant to be filmed in America featuring an entirely Japanese cast. The main idea of the show is to capitalize on the comedic potential of cultural differences by having Japanese comedians interact with American people and traditions.
In order to showcase the show, I filmed a short “sizzle reel” video featuring Japanese exchange students as the cast. Segments filmed included our “comedians” learning the high jump from ASU track athletes, bringing Japanese fermented soybeans to campus for American students to taste, and participating in an American-themed quiz show.
In order to determine the essential features of Japanese variety television, I watched a total of 22 episodes of three popular Japanese variety shows: Gaki no tsukai ya arahende (ダウンタウンのガキの使いやあらへんで! Usually abbreviated as ガキの使い), London Hearts (ロンドンハーツ), and Utaban (うたばん). I chose these three shows because of their differing styles, popular comedic hosts, and impressive longevity, with a combined 58 years of runtime. Through my research, I was able to assemble the analyses of basic and technical features found in the next section of this document in addition to several pages of my own notes used to design my original program.
My own program, American Joke (アメリカンジョーク), is meant to be filmed in America featuring an entirely Japanese cast. The main idea of the show is to capitalize on the comedic potential of cultural differences by having Japanese comedians interact with American people and traditions.
In order to showcase the show, I filmed a short “sizzle reel” video featuring Japanese exchange students as the cast. Segments filmed included our “comedians” learning the high jump from ASU track athletes, bringing Japanese fermented soybeans to campus for American students to taste, and participating in an American-themed quiz show.
ContributorsAmkraut, Elliott R. (Author) / Chambers, Anthony (Thesis director) / Wilson, Bradley (Committee member) / Maday, Gregory (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Economics (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
“The Long Alchemy of Becoming: Aqua es Vida” is a short, artistic film depicting the history of the Universe shown through the microcosm of the Mexican town, Cuatro Ciénegas, in the state of Coahuila. The film takes the viewer from the start of the universe to what scientists believe will be its end, via a poem written by Dr. James Elser. “The Long Alchemy of Becoming: Aqua es Vida” starts with the Big Bang, through the formation of matter, stars, planets, including Earth. From there, the viewer witnesses how life evolved illustrated via scenes in the ciénegas (‘marsh’ in Spanish) found in Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila, Mexico. The film explores how life expanded out from water, producing plants and animals, including humans. Then, modern life in Cuatro Ciénegas is shown, including the modern agricultural practices that are threatening to destroy the ciénegas that sustain long histories of microbial evolution. The film concludes with the end mankind and the eventual destruction of Earth by the dying sun. Cuatro Ciénegas is a biologically and ecologically significant location, because its pools and marshes are home to many endemic species, including stromatolites, which are very rare, bio-chemical living structures. This film is part of a National Science Foundation grant, and reflects the extensive scientific research efforts in and around Cuatro Ciénegas and its unique pools.
ContributorsDavis, Samantha Kristen (Author) / Elser, James (Thesis director) / Lloyd, Samantha (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
"The Process and Analysis of Film Reviewing" is a two-part project that discovers what goes into the film reviewing process and what produces a good film review. A film review website entitled "Reel Reviews" (reelfilmreviews.com) was created, which features original content such as film reviews, trailers and information about special features and events relevant to the film industry. The paper portion of the project takes an analytical look at the current state of the film reviewing world and addresses the changes in technology that have an impact on how film reviewing is done.
ContributorsRepasi, Bianca Joyce (Author) / Baker, Aaron (Thesis director) / Dodge, Nancie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This thesis aims to analyze and explain the resurgence of the superhero genre, particularly in recent cinema, directly following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It will also deconstruct the current American political landscape and define how popular culture has historically reflected real-world issues. The study draws heavily on the political ideology of neoliberalism and Henry Jenkins' media theory of convergence culture. I ultimately argue in the course of the analysis that viewers of these superhero films, regardless of their interest in comic books, cathartically release their fears and post-9/11 anxiety through cinematic escapism. It will also relay the evolution of the superhero in the last seventy years as a way to show the effects current events have on popular culture and history, using Captain America and Iron Man as examples of shifting American values.
ContributorsWalker, Lindsay Anne (Author) / Facinelli, Diane (Thesis director) / Himberg, Julia (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
The documentary genre offers something other than a simple form of entertainment. Instead, it is a visual form of research that informs its audience. It is a form of communication through visual and audio elements. This article is about why the use of documentaries is beneficial in storytelling that is driven by an historical event (the Olympic Games). My documentary is about my personal story to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In my documentary, I attempted to tell the my experience and journey of how I got to the pinnacle of my career. One of the most important elements that I aim to capture is the illustration that the journey of an Olympic athlete is never a single stream. It is supported by many people. I wanted to expose the assumptions made in other documentaries or highlight reels about athletes. Often times, athletes only get media attention once they have reached the successful point in their careers. The goal and vision for my personal story was to show that there is much more density within the lives of athletes. I will take a look at philosopher Habermas' theories and see how they apply to the construction of documentary films, and also how his theories were used directly in my personal production. Also, I will attempt to breakdown the techniques of documentary filming and explain the benefits behind them. Since documentary filming has a distinct stylistic manner, I will explain why I chose the different types of shots and methodology I employed.
ContributorsSimonovic, Katarina Sasa (Author) / Baker, Aaron (Thesis director) / Craft, John (Committee member) / Fortunato, Joseph (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
"Drama Drama" is an original story idea that I hope to one day develop into a full-length screenplay. For my honors creative project, I wanted to conduct the planning process of writing a full-length screenplay and start to work through the fundamental story problems, character motivations and the story itself. Loosely based off experiences in my own high school theatre troupe, "Drama Drama" tells the story of Josh Simpson, a diehard Thespian, whose only goal is to graduate and go to a New York acting conservatory. Josh counts on nabbing the lead in the school's spring play, using it to spruce up his resume and seal his admittance, however he loses out to Spencer, a first-year actor and otherwise dumb jock. Inspired by campy off-Broadway musical "Ruthless!," Josh accepts a role as stage manager and tries to get to Spencer to drop out. Sabotage doesn't come so easy, however, and in trying to ruin the show, he's forced to confront his future, his friendships and the kind of person he wants to be.
ContributorsMlnarik, Carson Joseph (Author) / Bernstein, Gregory (Thesis director) / Scott, Jason (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In the Film and Media industries, it seems like it is completely male dominated both on and off the screen. With movements like Me Too and See Her it is important now, more than ever to make a change in the film industry. These movements have been great sparks to create changes in the field which lead to having more representation of women both on and off the screen and in film, tv and media. In my personal experience, when you are a woman on a film set it feels like you can get incredibly overshadowed or if you try to stand up for an idea you could be called bossy. A female mindset on a set, in major positions, seems like it can only be a good thing. Whether that is true or not there have been so few experiences and records of how an all-female set is ran. There is lot of fear that goes into running a set. Many women feel like they cannot handle the environment of a film set because of a certain stigma and stereotype of women in powerful positions. Women, while not always true, can be more understanding when difficult circumstances arise. The gender bias for larger film crews is almost 75 % male, this is a statistic that needs to change soon. It is important to teach the new generation that women in powerful creative roles in film is a normal occurrence and the only way we can get there is being more conscious about who is on our sets.
ContributorsSmith, Mallory Keller (Author) / Scott, Jason (Thesis director) / Lunde, Julia (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
Description
My creative project was the (aptly named) "Sketch Show," short series of sketches presented in order without greater context or structure. I challenged myself to push the limits of my creativity and be involved in every aspect of the production. I wrote, directed, shot, edited, acted, scored, and color graded 3 sketches. I chose sketch comedy as my genre of focus because it is one that I have loved my whole life, and wanted to try my hand at. My research process was expansive, as I studied many of the great sketch shows and tried to learn what makes them successful. I next wrote many sketches, and they were almost uniformly terrible. My rewrite and selection phase was very difficult as I struggled to identify which of my sketches were working best, and I still question the decisions I made. Regardless, the shooting process began and I continued to push myself through cinematography and especially acting, something I have the least experience in by far. I had acted in theatre in high school, but I quickly learned this was completely different and struggled to give myself the performance I had in my head. Finally in the edit, where I am most comfortable, I pushed myself one step further to score the project, something I had never done before. "Sketch Show" may not have turned out to be the project I intended, but it taught me more about writing and myself than any project ever has.
ContributorsRagatz, Caleb (Author) / Scott, Jason (Thesis director) / Maday, Gregory (Committee member) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12