Casey's Lifetime

With the powerful influence media has been developing over the past few years, a dangerous and challenging trial is always in the spotlight, constantly being broadcasted like the Aurora Shooting by James Holmes over the summer. Such cases are never truly gone for they always find a way to slowly climb back to the spotlight for the aftermath and the collateral damage is too great to possibly forget or ignore forever. An example of such a case occurred in 2008, when young Casey Anthony was accused of suffocating her two-year-old daughter Caylee. Anthony endured years of trials and appeals until she was eventually acquitted of murder in the summer of 2010. Yet, the case still attracted national attention throughout the years and now it has come full circle for Lifetime channel, popular for creating movies about national trials and scandals, announced that its new tv movie, "Prosecuting Casey Anthony", will be released in January 2013. The movie will based off on Anthony's prosecutor, Jeff Ashton's book, Imperfect Justice, which will showcase Rob Lowe portraying Ashton with Anthony's character having a minor role.

 

I felt that this article was important because it proved that the past never truly stays in the past for people are always constantly trying to recreate it. It goes on to demonstrate that the mistakes of people may be infamously broadcasted throughout the world and such a feat comes with a price because at least one person never truly forgets about them. It is also quite sad that those mistakes will be revisited and analyzed by complete strangers throughout the country, forming their own biased opinions when not all the facts are known.

 

The article also caught my eye because I have known that Lifetime absolutely loves creating small TV movies that immediately attract people. The channel is especially known to produce movies that are based on real-life events such as scandals or chilling trials followed closely by the media. This is not absolutely wrong, I do not think, because Lifetime still has to make money one way or another; however, I do think it is somewhat disrespectable to all the people that were unfortunately involved in the case. After all, I am sure they had eagerly awaited for the day when all this chaos finally end, yet with this new approaching movie, all their nightmares will resurface.

 

As a filmmaker, this article impacts me because it shows me that not all movies need to be fictional and drawn from the imagination. Movies can be inspired from anywhere which is really helpful when one has appeared to lose his/her muse, but by simply looking around, a movie can be produced. It seems that the world itself is a movie, or a long continuing story that is yet to be told and so if looked from this perspective, then it is all right to make a movie out of a person's life no matter who he/she is or what she/he has done.

 

As a student, this article impacts me because I remember going on Yahoo! and coming across countless of articles all about Casey Anthony's trial and her life. At that time, such a case came as a surprise to me because I had never heard of something like that, or at least not been alive during such a national event. Though years have passed and now it appears that more cases like this are surfacing; the James Holmes case, the Michael Jackson case [May He Rest In Peace], and the Amanda Knox trial.

 

As a consumer, this piece of news impacts me because I will probably watch the TV movie although I will make sure not to believe half of it. Most movies are guilty of dramatizing or creating certain plots or characters in a "biographical movie" to simply attract a greater audience. Yet, I think this is very wrong because it is bad enough that a person's life and mistakes will be broadcast against their will, but to have it change for the name of "amusement" for the audience is cruel. Many people that will tune in to watch the Lifetime movie will undoubtedly believe everything about it and form their own inaccurate opinions and judgments which is not fair since the whole truth was not revealed.

 

After reading this article, I had a lot of questions concerning Casey Anthony and her family. What was their response once they heard that a movie was being about the trial that forever changed all their lives? Will the movies make it harder for them to move on, or will they actually appreciate the making of the movie so that precious Caylee will never be forgotten?

San Francisco Chronicle: Lifetime Movie- "Prosecuting Casey Anthony"

Remember the LADIES

In today’s world, women have the pleasure in basking in more freedom and opportunities, but in spite of this, there are still many that forget the glory of simple women and what they are capable of when their husband hold powerful in the world. Yet, it appears that the film industry has noticed this and gripped this idea with both fists for it is now delivering films with strong and secure female characters. The film industry has managed to showcase the power and influence of women, especially the women that stand behind the curtains, encouraging their husbands through thick and thin.

 

Such films that demonstrate the silent strength of women include “Hyde Park on Hudson”, in which Eleanor Roosevelt stays by the side of her husband, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he begins a dangerous relationship with his cousin; the classic film, “Hitchcock”, showcasing the director’s spouse, Alma Reville, a professional film editor, who demonstrates her influence as she bravely advised the famous director about casting, scripts, and editing.  In fact, “Hitchcock” director Sacha Gervasi, stated:

"There were four hands that constituted the Hitchcock touch, and two of them were Alma's…. She played such an important role in his process, and, more importantly, the great master trusted her opinion. Hitchcock did not generally tell a writer, 'I really liked your script.' He'd say, 'Alma enjoyed the pages.'"

 

Another film that shows the true power of women and their undying loyalty and support to their successful husbands is in “Lincoln”, with Mary Todd, the quiet wife of the famous 16^th president. After the Lincoln’s son 11-year-old son died in 1862, it is implied that Mary chose to carry the grief and burden of the pain not only for herself, but also for her husband so that the famous president would not have to endure so much suffering.

Sally Field, the actress portraying Mary Todd, said of the brave woman: “Mary Todd felt everything so thoroughly, so deeply, and he [President Lincoln] didn't have to…Lincoln unburdened himself to her, told her his dreams and had terrible nightmares and depression. She would feel it for him…She experienced all the emotions that he would not allow himself to feel because he kept himself so contained."

 

I felt this article was very important because it finally gave women the credit they deserve after so many years and films. Often times in history, the role of women are forgotten because many people only tend to focus on the achievements of men, but these people do not realize that if it were not were the women in the background, then these men would not have succeeded so. Yet, this comes as no surprise because men are very powerful in the world and so everyone pays all their attention to them and so they forget the quieter yet more secured voices of the women behind the men, encouraging them. After all everyone needs that quiet but wise voice to make the right decision in most cases in life and powerful men are no different; they need their partners to hold on to them and light the way before they venture out into another adventure.

 

This article caught my eye because it actually gave me hope about the future of films, considering I had recently read and done an article about the lack of depth and content movies were producing nowadays. Yet, with this article, the acknowledgement made me realize that there is still some hope that films are improving because now they seem to want to focus on the underdogs of the society and families which in my opinion, is deep and worth viewing.

 

As a student, this caught my eye because now I will pay more attention to the secondary characters mentioned in my history class. Usually main points and big names are always pressured to be learned which fine, yet by doing so, the lesser known individuals are forgotten and pushed into the shadows which is not fair. Now, by reading this article, I will pay extra attention to the more quiet characters in history and not just the most common or influential ones, because as the article stated: the minor characters are the ones that together, are slowly pushing the wheel of history forward.

 

As a future filmmaker, this article impacts me because now I am interested in showcasing the lesser known historical figures or the quieter people in the world. Since now I am aiming toward creating documentaries rather than films, this article gave me many chances and ideas with what I can focus on so that I can better educate my audience. I will now choose to demonstrate many unknown people in the world such as Elizabeth Blackwell (first woman doctor in the USA) so her accomplishments can be properly recognized and praised because there are many people like her that have paved the way for others.   

 

As a consumer, this article affected me because it now motivates me even more to watch these kinds of films. I have always been a history nerd (I LOVE IT!!) and so films like “Lincoln” “Troy”, “Saving Private Ryan”, and “Gone with the Wind”, have always captivated my attention and now this will only be intensified. I will be more encouraged to go out to the movie theaters and view movies like these to not only learn more about history, but also focus on the minor characters that truly make a difference.

 

After reading this article, I wondered whether people actually thought about the lesser known characters in films because they must have had a purpose, no matter how small. I would also like to know if people will look at prominent figures in a different light; will people realize that there is more to that successful person? That there is a quieter and maybe smarter and wiser person standing behind them?    

Link: Ladies 

DVR Kills

It is no secret that many of us do not like commercials and would rather just skip over them as we try to watch our favorite programs. Yet now due to the new technology that is DVR recording, one can simply skip over the commercials and focus on the program.

            This may seem like a very good outcome for those that love television and value their time too much to decide to waste it in watching commercials; however, this is hurting advertising companies because it means that less and less people are viewing their commercials.

            Advertising companies put in a great effort in designing captivating commercials to encourage consumers to indulge in a certain product, but if the majority of the targeted audience is skipping over such commercials in order to focus on a specific program, then that evidently hurts all advertising companies as well the companies producing the product.

            Another problem caused by DVR technology that was also mentioned in the article was the fact that networks still work hard in creating a specific lineup of intriguing commercials that they believe the audience will enjoy according to the kind of program they are watching. Yet, with DVR technology allowing consumers to skip through commercials, all the hard work of designing such a lineup is simply forgotten and not properly credited.  

            However a solution to this problem is quite interesting because not all people that record their programs actually skip through the commercials for several reasons. Many people simply forget they are watching a recorded program and so they accidently watch all the commercials; some people, in spite of having the option to avoid the commercials, choose to watch them because some immediately capture their eye.

            Networks are also battling this problem by adding more but shorter commercials and airing them strategically so that that the viewers that are fast-forwarding eventually find themselves rewinding to avoid the skipping any parts of their programs so they simply decide to watch a couple of commercials right before their program resumes.

            I felt this article was important because it raises the problems that advertising agencies have to endure due to the advancing technology. It proves that although technology is beneficial most of the time since it helps the media expand and share news quicker, it can also be a curse for those that do not have control over it. The article was also important because it shows the irony in which some companies face with technology; with the rising media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, companies cannot deny the fact that their products are being advertised quicker and reaching a much larger audience than previously predicted, yet this also means that they lose other audiences such as their consumers from TV.

            This article caught my eye because I could relate to it; since I usually have a lot of homework, I do not have the time to watch a full program during the week and so I simply record it and watch it over the weekend. Since I am “part of the problem” because I too am guilty of skipping through commercials, I know I could relate to the article in a better way.

            As a student, this article impacts me in the way that I have learned something new about DVR and advertising companies. Although I was aware that advertisers are losing the money and attention of their audiences, I thought they would not mind as much because the Internet is now playing a huge role and so the consumers lost through the DVR would be made up with the those that are constantly are social networks. Yet, this is obviously not the case and I think that advertisers do not want to lose any of their audiences for two main reasons; first off, TV audiences and Internet consumers are two completely different people and advertising companies are aware of this and so they know that losing one group does not necessarily mean that the group will be made up with the audiences from the Internet. I also believe that the advertisers do not want to lose any money and so they are willing to try anything to somehow encourage and keep their audiences.

            As a future filmmaker this impacts me because it lets me know of the disadvantages that I can possibly face as technology is developing. For example, I do not really see the purpose of 3-D movies and so I probably will not use such technology for any of my movies but that could really hurt me. I will have to accept the fact that some people do enjoy 3-D and that I could potentially lose a lot of fans and audience members by opting out of the technology but that would have to a consequence I would be willing to fight.

            As a consumer, this affects me because I am contributing to the panic advertisers are facing since I skip past all the commercials in a recorded program. Although some commercials do make me stop because they are entertaining, such situations are very few, and advertisers are aware of this. Yet, this can also serve as a challenge for advertisers because now they are force to create new commercials are better and straight to the point because that is the only way that people will actually pay attention to them, so this could actually be a blessing in disguise.

            After reading the article, I was several questions, especially for the advertisers. What are they going to do to keep their audiences from skipping their commercials? Are they still determined to dedicate their time and effort in improving the situation with the DVR and TV, or will they eventually realize that the problem will only become worse? They could always pull away from TV commercials, and instead, invest their time in developing their advertisements in other venues such as the Internet.        

 DVR Causes Problems for Commercials