Reflection Essay - My Journey Through Media Studies

    I remember not too long ago, sitting back and watching my favorite Star Wars movie read “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...,” and wondering “How?”. How was this created and how did this extraordinary piece of media make its way from paper to television? I wondered how my connection to stories through media came to be and became fascinated in understanding the media language that is film. As I decided to embark on my own journey about learning this language, there was a lot that I did not know, and realized there was a lot I needed to know in order to become fluent. The questions I had about my favorite films and videos, became answers in the form of technical language through production. Before this spot, though, I thought film was a less stressful way of getting a message across to an audience, and boy was I wrong! Shots of movies would pass through the screen and into my brain without even a thought of the hard work and long processes that were used to create them. It wasn’t until I started writing, producing, directing, and cooperating with peers to make a film that I fully started to understand the complex nature and need for attention to detail that came in making a film. My journey from an ignorant nerd to an understanding and educated filmmaker has been one up and down many mountains, but I am glad to say that I have reached my goal of the summit.

    Starting my journey through film and media brought me to my first obstacle: the mountain of representation. Representation in film and media is the way that concepts are presented and broadcast. These concepts are regularly connected through patterns that share similarity to create a certain feeling in the audience. These patterns, known as tropes, cover stories from teenage drama to frightening horror. Representation in the media can present itself as a certain stereotype. For example, the film Don’t Look Up (2021) presents a story that revolves around the modern-day challenges faced by the United States. Using comedic stereotypes, the movie does an amazing job representing positions like the president and positions in the media. Representation in film has changed throughout the years though. Being a concept fully connected to the public perspective, it only makes sense for certain tropes and stereotypes to change as the world does. This can be seen in films like Fantasia (1940) and Hidden Figures (2017). Both represent African Americans in very different manners. Fantasia, although having minor spoken language, represents African Americans in a derogatory and offensive manor while Hidden Figures represents African Americans as powerful and important ‘figures’ in our society.

    As I’ve ended my journey up the mountain of representation, I now ski down the long slope of language. Having a close connection to the concept of representation, language in film and media is how the story meets the audience. What is shown on the screen and how it is shown is a defining principle of media language. This is all made possible through technical elements. For example, if a director wants to show a greater level of power within a character, they might use a low angle when filming the shot; an element that shows the character in a ‘higher’ sense. If the director wants to highlight an important object to the story, they might include an insert shot of the object, which allows the audience to see the object in its full nature without many distractions. Other forms of media language include dialogue, lighting, and other forms of mise-en-scene. These combinations of media language allow film to explore topics that would be unimaginable to a world where film did not exist.

    Moving on from language brings me to a whole new place: the alluring land of audience. Using representation and media language, the audience is who the film is targeted at. Every aspect of a film is hand-crafted to provoke emotion within the audience. The conventions of the genres of film, which are tropes noticed in the film genres, are different aspects of mise-en-scene which provide a vague description of film to an audience. For example, thriller films produce a feeling of mystery and accomplishment, having the audience leave with the question “What will happen next?”. Different types of media also have different audiences. The way that a YouTube video is produced will be different than that of a radio podcast. A good film leaves a lasting impression on its audience, and with a good audience reaction comes a good legacy.

    To close off my vacation through film and media, I stop at the icy continent of industry. In film and media, industry involves the line of production that makes the creation of films possible. From Disney to DC, the film industry is what captivates the audience and allows for a wonderfully produced film. The other ways in which media flows through the film industry is through social platforms. While scrolling through Facebook, you might notice a clip of your favorite movie as either an advertisement or a film clip. This is an example of a film’s production through the film industry. This is where industry, representation, language and audience all meet. You as an audience member have just been targeted by a media franchise producing a film using technical elements as media language to create a sense of emotion and using certain media tropes and conventions as representation to hook you in. You are now interested in the film being shown and the production agency has potentially made money. This flow of media production allows the economic aspect of film and media to thrive.

    As I sit in my chair writing this reflection, I realize that I have been affected by these aspects of media production first handed. The journey I have taken on the AICE Media Studies course has transformed my knowledge for the better as a meaning maker. Creating meaning in my perspective is simply telling a story. My teacher, from day one, always said that film and media is a way to tell a story in a creative and individualistic way, and I think those wise words really do define this industry. I will continue my path of being a media consumer in the future and will also continue my journey of knowledge of media production. Although my journey through Media Studies is almost over, a new and everlasting one is just beginning, and I am more than ready to sit back and enjoy the ride.