What I See: Newfound Appreciation for Cinematic Art

Recently I watched the “Baptism and Murder” scene for The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola, analyzing more so of the camera shots and angles with the recent knowledge I gained in Media 150.  The scene, in which Michael Corleone is present with sister Connie at his new nephew/godson’s baptism.  In between the shots of the baptism there are shots of men that are close to Michael Corleone and the his family business that are carrying out the orders given by Michael, the assassinations of the heads of families who have done the Corleone family wrong.  In the background of all events, cathedral music plays while the voice of a priest is heard as he administers the baptism.  The back and forth shots of a scene that is holy and family oriented and those that display the brutal murdering of other human beings causes an added sense drama and chaos.  Showing a naive baby and then men being shot to death adds to the shock of the murders committed by the Corleone hit men.  Anticipation is built up for the murders also as the scenes slowly build up to them between the baptism and the display of the hit men preparing for their jobs.  The way this part of the movie was shot is very important to the overall theme of the movie and the battle in which Michael Corleone finds himself once placed as head of his family business, the struggle between family and business.  The cold, stern close up of Michael during the baptism shows us that he is indeed physically at the baptism, but mentally with his hit men assassinating rival family heads who jeopardize his business.

The Importance of Converging Media in Everyday Life

As a media student in the 21st century, the convergence of many forms of media is relevant and apparent in my daily life.  Three out of the four classes that I am taking this semester revolve around different aspects of media.  In my Media in the Digital Age class, the topic of convergence itself is the foundation for the class as we study film, camerawork and other forms of technology.  In my music class, we learn about the fundamentals of music and how it relates to culture and society.  This is particularly important to me because music is one form of media I find most interesting.  In my Basic Reporting class, our main focus is creating news stories that are about and affect Hunter Students. We use the internet to upload our news stories so they may be viewed online. Also, some stories are published in the Hunter newspaper.  Speaking of news, different sources the media uses to deliver news to the public greatly affects my daily life.  For local news I can pick up a newspaper or turn on the five o’clock news, however I am originally from California and all of my family still lives there, so news in the bay area is important to me as well. This is where the internet becomes a very resourceful tool.  From San Francisco politics to sports, all the news I need is a click away on cyberspace. Different types of media are important in a leisurely aspect of my everyday life as well.  Some of my greatest interests lie within the realm of media such as music, film, and television. From academics to current events to hobbies, media is an inevitable force in my everyday living.