Reading material

Why has MGM gone bankrupt?

NEW YORK (AFP) – Legendary Hollywood film studio MGM declared bankruptcy, with reorganization plans approved by billionaire investor Carl Icahn under an agreement with Spyglass Entertainment.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court seeking approval of a "pre-packaged" plan approved by its creditors after rejecting a takeover offer from Lionsgate and its biggest shareholder, Icahn.

The plan allows the company's secured lenders to exchange more than four billion dollars in outstanding debt for most of the equity in MGM upon its emergence from bankruptcy protection, the company said in a statement.

The main difference between the plan submitted Wednesday and another approved by its major creditors on Friday is linked to Spyglass, which recently released the Clint Eastwood-directed film "Invictus" and is preparing to release "The Tourist" with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.

An MGM spokeswoman told AFP that in exchange for Icahn's support of the bankruptcy reorganization plan, Spyglass's existing catalog would not part of the deal, but future films would be included.

According to media reports, Icahn thought the previous plan overvalued the Spyglass catalog.

The size of Spyglass's stake in the reorganized MGM was not disclosed in the statement. Initially, Spyglass would have taken about five percent of the shares.

In addition, Spyglass founding bosses Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum would not head the board of the new MGM. Instead, they would serve as co-chief executives of MGM Holdings Inc. and as co-chairmen and co-CEOS of the primary operating subsidiary of MGM Holdings Inc.

Icahn said in a separate statement that he will be able to name a board member.

MGM said it hopes the modified plan will be confirmed by the court within about 30 days.

"For many months, we have been working with our lenders to explore the strategic options available to MGM to improve MGM's financial position and maximize the company's value," co-CEO Steve Cooper said.

"By sharply reducing MGM's debt load and providing access to new capital, the proposed plan of reorganization achieves these goals... We now look forward to quickly emerging from Chapter 11."

Famous for its trademark roaring lion logo, MGM has the Bond franchise as well as the "Pink Panther" and "Rocky" series.

The studio, with a 4,000-strong back catalog that also includes "The Wizard of Oz" and "Singin' in the Rain," has been struggling in recent years, and its owners put it up for sale a year ago.

Several candidates emerged, including US-Canadian studio Lionsgate, as well as America's Liberty Media, Australian-born US media tycoon Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and India's Reliance Entertainment.

Uk film council

The UK Film Council is the Government-backed lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad.

Objective

To help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce and film culture.

Principle Actions

• To nurture a diverse range of UK film talent;
• To integrate equality and diversity commitments into all UK Film Council activities and monitor their impact;
• To provide practical tools and information to encourage our partners and the industry more generally to promote diversity;
• To support initiatives designed to give people from minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities and women equal opportunities to get into and succeed in the UK film industry.

Our Diversity Unit provides grant-in-aid funding for programmes that support our diversity objectives. It does not fund film productions.

Objective

To help build a more diverse and inclusive workforce and film culture.

Principle Actions

• To nurture a diverse range of UK film talent;
• To integrate equality and diversity commitments into all UK Film Council activities and monitor their impact;
• To provide practical tools and information to encourage our partners and the industry more generally to promote diversity;
• To support initiatives designed to give people from minority ethnic groups, people with disabilities and women equal opportunities to get into and succeed in the UK film industry.

Our Diversity Unit provides grant-in-aid funding for programmes that support our diversity objectives. It does not fund film productions.

• The core UK film industry now contributes approximately £4.3 billion per year to the UK economy – up by 50% since 2000, when the UK Film Council was created;
• In 2009 UK films took 7% of the global box office and 17% of the UK box office; Independent UK films took an 8.2% share of the UK box office, the highest figure of the last decade;
• UK film grossed $2 billion at the worldwide box office last year;
• UK box-office takings are at record-breaking levels, worth £944 million in the UK in 2009, up 62% from 2000;
• The overall territory box office gross for the UK and the Republic of Ireland exceeded £1 billion for the first time in 2009;
• UK Film Council investments in British films have been hugely successful – for every £1 we have invested, £5 has been generated at the box office;
• Over 173.5 million people went to the cinema in the UK in 2009 – up 31 million from 2000, the highest since 2002 and the second highest since 1971;
• The UK has more digital cinemas than any other European country – 365 and counting;
• Overall UK audiences had a far greater choice of films in 2009 – 503 films were released, 31% more than a decade ago;
• The UK film industry directly provides jobs for almost 44,000 people, with extended employment impact of 95,000 jobs;
• The film industry earns over £1.3 billion in export income from film rights and film production services;
• In 2009 alone, British films and talent scooped 36 awards.
  

The history of Sundance Institute

In 1981, Robert Redford gathered a group of his friends and colleagues in the mountains of Utah to create an environment designed to foster independence, discovery, and new voices in American film. That spring, ten emerging filmmakers were invited to the first Sundance Institute Filmmakers/Directors Lab where they worked with leading writers and directors to develop their original independent film projects. In the remote natural setting and removed from the pressures of the marketplace, each emerging artist was encouraged to take creative risks and to craft a film true to their own, unique vision. In 1984, the Institute's activities expanded to include development programs for theatre when the Utah Playwrights Conference became the Sundance Playwrights Lab.

Since those first Labs, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for thousands of independent film, theatre, and music artists. The programs of Sundance Institute include the annual Sundance Film Festival, held in and around Park City, Utah, each January. Widely considered the premier platform for American and international independent film, the Festival has introduced audiences to some of the most original stories of the last three decades including Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Splendor, An Inconvenient Truth, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Cove.

Through year-round support and a series of Labs and Fellowships for screenwriters, directors, and producers, the Institute's Feature Film Program has supported more than 500 feature films, including Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's HOWL, Cherien Dabis' Amreeka, Cary Joji Fukunaga's Sin Nombre, Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know, and Walter Salles's Central Station. Documentaries ranging from Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Trouble the Water to Laura Poitras' The Oath to Ross Kaufman and Zana Briski's Born into Brothels are among the 500 films that have been supported by the Documentary Film Program, which offers grants from the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund along with a series of Labs in editing and storytelling.

With a series of Labs and retreats that provide a creative environment in which to develop new work with dramaturgs and full casts, the Theatre Program has supported the development of more than 200 plays, including Taylor Mac's The Lily's Revenge, Tracey Scott Wilson's The Good Negro, Stew and Heidi Rodewald's Passing Strange, and Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening. The Native American and Indigenous Program hosts screenings, panels, events, and workshops throughout the year designed to foster community and the exchange of ideas among Native American and Indigenous filmmakers. Connecting filmmakers with musicians, the Film Music Program's Composers Lab allows accomplished musicians to explore composing for film while introducing filmmakers to the importance of music in film. The Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers. Our work in the arena of Short Films recognizes the importance of this groundbreaking form in the world of cinema and has long been established as a place to discover talented directors.

Sundance Institute also continues to support film and theatre artists beyond their participation in our Artist Programs through a commitment to building audiences for their work. In order to create a record of cultural history, the Sundance Institute Archives preserves the organization's history and documents the creative processes of the artists we support. The Sundance Institute Collection at UCLA provides a ground-breaking educational archive devoted to the collection and preservation of independent cinema. The Alumni Initiative cultivates connections with our alumni to foster a continued relationship between the Institute and the artists who have developed or shown work through the Institute's programs. The Art House Project is a collaboration with art house cinemas in cities around the country to create specialized screening programs of Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival-supported films for local audiences and our Community Programs are a series of Utah-based activities that offer many free and open to the public events for more than 25,000 Utah residents each year.

Dissertation Proposal

Research for dissertation

Books I am currently reading

Task 5 The First Things First Manifesto

TASK 4

Essay Proposal

I have decided to base my essay on the Lecture of Reality, Hyper Reality and Virtual Reality.
Essay title- Hyper Reality
Main issues to raise in argument-

• what is hyperreality? Jean Baudrillard's theory
• use of simulation and simulacrum
• explain the precession of simulacrum
• Issues of hyperreality in modern society

Visual material used-

• diagram of Plato's cave
• visual examples of disney's illustration, in and out of reality
• The stereo typical image of jesus (anglo-saxon, halo etc)
• Matrix

Theoretical approaches/ Methodology used to reference and back up stated argument-

Hyperreality

Simulation and Simulacrum

Philosophical 'Reality"
Specific theorists/ writers to refer to-

Jean Baudrillard

Plato

Books/ articles/ resources used-

Simulacrum and Simulation

Symbolic Exchange and death

America

the illusion of the end (maybe, if i have room and time)

Dictionary

Task 2 On popular music

Theodor Adorno a Marxist ideologist claims that music can be split into two spheres. The first is Popular music which is highly standardised for a particular market. This includes song structure, lyrics, content, musicians, instruments ect. The industry has learnt that by conforming to this developed standardized structure will sell music in large quantities. As a result music gets recycled and loosely altered to be sold again as fresh and new, to this already interested audience/market. Therefor this music is no longer challenging and there is no real listening required as the listener has already heard it before and so can predict the same for the next. This form of Pseudo-individualisation where by the listener thinks they have a free choice however because of the standardization of the song this means the listening has already been done for them. Even some 'artists' who consider their music to be alternative actually also follow this standard. As their appeal of 'alternative' is made with the intention to appeal to that target audience/market.
Adorno explains that people respond to popular music rhythmically, obeying the beat and emotionally identifying with the lyrics and image personally. i.e stereotypically indie, rap, club etc The audiences associate themselves with the music as a package including singer, image, lifestyle etc. With the success of the music the listener gains a scene of belonging and escapism. Record lables have learnt exploit this sense and need audiences have to belong to these particular types of music, also the effectiveness of peer pressure.

The second sphere, serious music (classical), Adorno considered to have more value as it is more creative and unique and doesn't conform to the model of popular music.

Speaking of gimmicks made to seem like a fresh new style/talent. I immediately thought of Lady GaGa. she has developed a large fan base (which i'll admit i'm apart of) who like her music for it's 'originality' and dance beat. However it has become very clear all her material is standardised to a structure conforming to appeal to this mass market. Guess what, shes number 1 in the charts again, this week with 'Telephone feat Beyonce'. I have found that the name GaGa is not as original as i had once thought, taken from the rock band Queen's song 'Radio Ga Ga'.

This is Lady Ga Ga's Pokerface.



A more obvious example would be the Pussycatdolls, same as Girls Allowed, the Sugarbabes, much earlier with the spicegirls and before then Diana Ross and the Supremes.

Globalisatio, Suistainability and the Media

Some definitions
Hegemony is the power over the whole comunity
Globalization is the extension of free market
Socialist, communist utopia, globalization unite the world through technology, socially politically etc ONE COMMON CULTURE
Capitalist removal of restrictions
Globalization refers to 'westernisation' the term is becoming more popular.
Cultural globalization world wide corporations, McDonalds, Coca- cola, footballetc
Sociologist Goerge Ritzer coined the term 'McDonaldization'to describe the wide ranging sociocultural processes as Mc Donalds is dominating

Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy

Marshall McLuhan predicted (before the invention of internet, 1964) that with new technology we have extended out central nervous system in a global embrace. i.e radio extenuates our ear (sound) and TV our eye (sight) and sound. This enables a 'global village'
The internet has actually enabled this to happen. (we were able to view 9/11 as it happened, if we were at a computer/TV)

JiHad vs McWorld
Centripetal forces- bring the world together in uniform global society. The book inclueds ideologies of religious nationalism and globalization, local capitalism.
The new cold war, two countries forced to clash.
Religious Nationalism

Some problems with globalization
Sovereighty
challenges to the idea of the nation- state
Accountability
City identity
Cultural imperialism
transnational forces and organization
who controls them???
Well at the moment certain countries over power others (America)

Manfred B. Steger, Globalization: A very short introduction, page 70

What if the 'global village' is run with a certain set of values then it would not be so much an integrated community as an assimilated one.
Argue new form of IMPERIALISM through IDEAS.

Popular media such as newspapers, TV programs etc. often acts in collaboration with military interests.
Media conglomerates operate as OLIGOPOLIES.(An American model)
one company can own a lot of media ad so inflict their views on the unaware readers.e.g the same american company owns Warner Brothers, HBO, CNN, Cartoon network, Sports illustrated. and lots more.

News corporations divide world into 'territories' of descending 'market importance'
1. North America
2 Western Europe, Japan and Astralia.
3. Developing countries, India, Brazil, China
4. Rest of the world
As the media channels into flow out into smaller places, the quality decresses
Local cultures are destroyed with new forms of cultural dependency
US media power can be thought of as a new form of Imperialism

Local cultures destroyed in this process and new forms of cultural dependency shaped, mirroring old school colonialism.
Side effects
other countries inspire to be like the white western model. Hence why sales of skin whitening creams have gone up.

Chomsky and Herman (1998) the mass media is a giant proper gander to trick people into the 'american way'.
Filter stop us getting an accurate representation of the world.
Ownership
Rupert Murdock is an Australian business man who own lot of media in England such as 'News of the wold, the sun, the sunday times, fox tv, sky and lots of other.'
Funding
Adverts have pride of place in newspaper/magazines not the news informing stories, like you would think.
Sourcing (News reporters are not every where so they are placed on sites where news is expected to happen i.e 10 Downing street)
Flak, Negative response to news stories GCC buying off scientists to control media output. ( I'm shocked the scientists allowed this to happen)
Anti Ideologies
Used to repress difference
quell opposition
A domination of ideas and total domination ideas in the world. Incressing profit with no consideration for the world and other people.
People are realizing this control the media has.

Still, despite scientific fact of Global Warming an American Senitor says its a hoaxes. Also Nigel Lawson says it's a propagandist term.

Sustainability
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future.

BIOX Biofule plant,Canada
Marketed with the impression that it is a green fule for cars with no pollution and renewable efficiency. A very positive product with safe environmental practice in mind.
However what the company don't say... Plant built on a designated green space!!! Harmful gases and chemicals are stored near too poor residents homes. Lots of noise pollution. Actually the plant courses many negative social and enviromental effects, the opposite to what is being preached.


GREEN WASHING this term is used to describe how the media ideologies to make the big companies seem more environmental.
I.e using green imagery/ grass/ plants and natural vegetation on boxes.
useing 'eco friendly' terminology
Mc Donald's sign painted green


Eco boost cars
Kimberly Clark tissue paper and nappies
Globalization capitalist can never be sustainable!!

Reality, Virtuality, Hyperreality

Key Precursors
Jean Baudrillard (1929-2007) he was a philosopher, social theorist and photographer who is associated with the movement of 'structuralism' and 'post structrisum'
Karl Marx a philosopher and critical who studied how society and culture is ran. 'Critique of political economy' Thought through the capitalist implication on society, the use and value.
Exchange-Value, products became commodities, we are expected to believe commodities are of high and low montary value
Labour theory of value

Fredinand Saussure, a swiss linguist, came up with the theory of sign. Also the theory of Linguistic value.

Guy Debord therist and film maker image bond culture 'Society of the spectacle'

Marshall was a literary Scholar and educator

Georges Bataile looked at ideas of ritual and sacrifice in society
and thought or art as a way of which to demonstrate society.

Marchel Mauss developed the theorey of 'gift'

Jean Baudrilard

Simulacra and Simulation context, Vietnam war, situationism, raise of consumerism and mass media,, Colonialism end, Cold war, Watergate Scandal, Rise of terrorism.

Jorges Luis Borges

Plato (that cave image) Bastardisation of reality

Pure Simulacrum, the appearance of simulation which has no profound reality.

Interesting, that disney 'Disneyification' actually has no originality it is all copies. i.g snow white, cartoon developed from German folk tale by meny illustrators. The castle from the cartoon is then replicated again in disneyland france, america.

Baudrillad foucaults panoptic model does not offer best solution

Matrix- post modernism, example of virtual reality in the real world.

Bladerunner, (i still have not seen it!) apparently is a classic example of post- modernistic film making- hyper reality

History becoming simulacrum- Written books, simulated sketches and remastered video.

Psychoanalysis: the architecture of the self

Today's lecture took me back to my A levels (The science of mind and behavior by Richard Gross), it just goes to show you that psychology comes into everything, even graphic design.
Anyway these are some of the notes from the lecture...
Psychoanalysis, theories of what we think relating to how we act/behave.
According to Freud, the human subject only comes into being through repressio. Selfhood is ths fractured precariously between conscious and unconscious.
We are all brought up to show and behave in a particular way.
Structure
Conscious 'EGO' this is what we show others
Unconscious 'SUPEREGO' moral and social lies beneath surface, our conscience that keeps us doing what we think is good and represses the ID
ID is our desires (Sex, pain, death)





Trauma, the example shown is of the simpsons episode Hurricane Flanders, The character Ned has an incident that results in him losing his SUPEREGO control and his ID uncontrollably takes over.

Psychoanalysis and media
To fulfill desires in controlled environment. computer games desire to kill/hurt
Acording to Fred the desire to hurt stems from secondary death drive

Winnicott 1951 OBJECT RELATIONS we invest emotional energy in inanimate object. This behavior starts as a child a blanket 'transitional object' is associated with safety and security. Therefore with you are with it you feel content.

Object relations are used in advertising, replacing one object for another based on desires.

PSYCHOANALYSIS IN VISUAL CULTURE
The gaze, theories and idea based on the power of looking

Laura Mulvey 'Visual Pleasures and Narrative Cinema' ( 1975)
In western film, men drive the plot and own 'the gaze'
The female cast are often directed by a male

Freud: SCOPOPHYLIA (the pleasure of looking at bodies as objects)
suture lookinf through eyes of actor with out guilt

Peep show, suture/point of view gaze

Understanding Media Ideology

Media Ideology is a system of ideas and beliefs by philosophers such as Marxist on media subjects.
Ideas are presented in false, masked ways, false conscientiousness. Presented to give us a masked view, Propaganda!
In the UK critical definition of ideology.
Citch- throw away culture.
Ideology- system of ideas false that covers up bad things in the world.
Capitalism- opposite to socialism and Communism.
System where products are boughtand sold.
first system to use money
encourages competitiveness
proletariat working class produces commodities to be sold
Marxism political manifesto, communism, everyone is equal, utopian values, society determined by human behavior. Without corruption (i.e what happened in Russia)I think in theory communism works better then capitalism. I would like to visit Cuba to see for myself.

Marx's concept of base/ superstructure
BASE forces of production- materials tools, workers, production line. relations employer, class, master, slave
SUPERSTRUCTURE social institutions- legal political cultural. can strenghen the base.

Capitalist system drive to constantly grow
superstructure the state

Pyramid diagram
Rulers- The goverment, politicians, kings- working on behalf of the privileged, rich
Church- mask over class divisions
agentsof the stae- army
The Bourgeoisie- business owners "fat cats"
The Proletariat- Workforce 'plebs'

Ideology- Berger- "ways of seeing (1972)
The media is patriarchal- Men are thinkers, Women appear

Althusser (1970) Economic Base
superstructure- political
ideology w buy into it, ot offers false solutions
Interpellation, sex drives

Ideological state apparatus- the media creates a false consciousness the individual is produced by nature, the subject by culture (Fishe, 1992)

Media
Newspapers- coded forms of language. News discourse, media semiotics (J, Bingnall)
The Sun joined labour during the miners strike when labour was high in popularity, now it's in favour of conservative.
The Times born from a social area of privilege, Ties font- symbolic of brtishness
Star- spoken language less iconography, abbreviation, start to instruct
(personally i read 'the observer', because i think it is written in a less 'controlling' way)

1978 what we are is interchangeable real distinction between people are by what we own false assumption of what we are by what we buy. Garbage of new york (buying into city culture and associations) I have to admit I'm guilty of doing this, buying expensive/designer hand bag because it pretty and i know the associations and assumptions people will have of it.

Actually it's marketing and graphic design that 'tricks' us into commodity and commodity fetishism instead of forming direct relations.

MASS CULTURE
Frankfurit school- critical theory, Institute of social research.
Invented approach to society- critical theory
Adorno, Horkheimer, Marcuse, Lowenthal.
Applys Marxist ideology to 20th Century
culture idustrey, identical to each other
buissness driven
"mass culture numbs the mind?"
de politicizes the lower class?
examples Xfactor/ Bigbrother (is pretty much the same every year because it is controlled, what happens, whos picked to go in etc)
The lower class audition and go on to these programs, these 'characters' are then relocatable to the 'targeted' audience, other lower class viewers. So therefore the viewers feel they can inspire to be these people portrayed on TV.

Authentic culture
European (America will never have authentic culture because they killed all the native Americans and so lost their only culture)
Autonomous
Example Dvorak New world symphony Authentic, once applied to advert, it loses its authenticity and becomes mass culture.

Pop music is standardized, pre digest, easy to consume.
Two effects
courses us to alter our behaviour
emotional adjustment.Pastiche

Sao Palo has band advertising

These are just the views of philosophers, maybe right or wrong but i think it good to question these control systems in society so we can prevent and act when people are being exploited etc.

Panopticism TASK 1

I suppose an example of panopticism would be...
To try and prevent people for steeling, sometimes CCTVS with large TV monitors are installed to instantly record as you enter a high street shop. As you can see yourself on screen this makes you feel very aware that you are being watched and wonder where else they'll be watching you. As a child, with out this understanding I just saw the monitor as a bit of fun and an excuse to pull a funny face into the camera. However seeing the monitor/CCTV now, i think does make me feel quite self conscious. I would never steel, but the CCTV almost makes you feel that you are being accused of intending to steel from the shop. I think if your desperate enough to steel your going to do it, with or with knowing the risk of being watched and caught.

Panopticism (Contemporary society and surveillance)

According to philosopher Michel Foucault, panopticism is an induced self regulatory state of consciousness that is created by a hierarchical institute onto the mass public. This state is used to make people aware of thought that they might be being watched and so feel that they have to conform or face punishment.
Some principles of panopticon...
Michel Foucault, a panopticism theorist developed the concept of 'Disciplinary Society'. His books include 'Madness and Civilisation' 'Discipline and Punish'

1791 the panopticism uses the building Madness and civilisation
Great confinement HOUSES OF CORRECTION. These were labour houses thought to contain and therefore 'control' unfortunate people such as criminals, beggars, homeless, unemployed etc. These houses were built with the positive impression that they would help 'correct' these people. Actually, in reality the building was more like a prison, with the purpose to hide away the 'unwanted'. Prisoners had no moral fiber and as result the prisoners abused each other and the building 'project' coursed more unnecessary hardship then the positive, correction that was originally intended.

Forms of correction POWER HIERACHY
In the past discipline was a physical and public act. such as stocks, hanging, humiliation and even public execution. Now discipline and control is more mental with 'mind games' as mental control is more effective. School is a good example, in the past the cane was used to control, the child associates bad behavior with a painful consequence. Now schools have a rewards scheme, so the child associates good behavior with something nice.

Panopticon BIRTH OF ASYLUM
designed by Jeremy Bentham

prisoners are isolated and constantly monitored, although guards are unseen so eventually the prisoner controls themselves and learns to subconsciously regulate themselves. This is down to the fear of the consequence of being found out and caught.

To be successful we self regulate, not just prisoners. Docile bodies, submissive, ready to learn.
Gyms because government wants us to be healthy, work longer, be more productive.

Panoptican is a model that uses training through fear.
Faucalt and Power- Panoptically subvert power.
Where there is power there is also resistance!

Modern day panopticism power and surveillance through 'training of the mind'.

Examples open plan office- the boss can watch all workers 'the office' comedy series.
Bars and clubs power of customers
google maps panoptic surveilance.
The un viewed student records give tutors power over students
cctv moniters on mass scale
speed cameras
George Orwell's BIG BROTHER
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