https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9tKhDO0adIncmxZS2p2OXZYY3M/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9tKhDO0adInVjlZSV9RSTZIalU/edit?usp=sharing
Read these by Tuesday.
I'm interested in your thoughts about global film. How much impact does the West have? What is the reaction from the rest of the world? There are a lot of issues here--globalization, cultural imperialism, pop culture, star system, westernaholism, and much more. Have you seen a lot of foreign films? Why or why not? What is the appeal.
Lots to think about. This is a vague blog prompt--I'm excited to see what you come up with.
I don’t know much about foreign films because I haven’t seen many. The reason for this is, as the article describes, that these films are culturally different in content and I have no desire to watch something in a different language. Even if the film is dubbed in English I would much rather watch a movie produced here than somewhere else. People want to watch things that connect with them. We can see this in the case of the Simpson’s show being formatted to fit the needs of Italy consumers and also in the case of black comedies and how difficult it is to carry this over to another country. I think it interesting to see the ideals and image that is attached to Hollywood. Other countries see this and want to associate themselves with western ideals.
ReplyDeleteI thought the second article about Nollywood was very interesting in showing an example of a different type of movie production system in Nigeria. Even though the method of production and distribution are different the impact of the West is apparent as sales agents look to expand their market here. The impact and influence of the West is just as present as the profits can be expanded.
I think that Hollywood and Western film has an impact on a global level. Hollywood produces films that reflect Western culture, and many of the films made are shown around the world. But this also concerns me. Hollywood can have a huge influence on the way people view American culture, and I sometimes think that it is not accurate. Hollywood productions, I believe, are not an accurate reflection of North American culture. Sometimes they can be, but film can cause people to think they have a clear picture of American culture, but they really only have a tiny glimpse that is based on a movie.
ReplyDeleteThough Hollywood has a huge influence, and other countries view the films that come from North America, producers such as Bollywood and Nollywood like we read about will continue to have more influence as globalization increases. Other producers such as these will rival Hollywood in their dominance. International communication and media allow for films to be spread farther, increasing their influence. These global networks will move forward and increase in profit, diminishing the influence dominated by Hollywood and the West.
I have seen foreign films, but I mostly stick to Western films because they interest me most. But I know many people who do enjoy international film much more than film produced by Hollywood or Western film. These international films only increase the effects of globalization and the ideas and cultures of other countries around the globe.
I think that it’s pretty clear that the US film industry dominates the world with its reach and influence. Talented directors, producers, and actors area natives from countries all over the world, but make movies with US production companies because of their vast resources. They also are attracted to Western-based movies because the US has set the standard for how movies are made, and what the movies aim to accomplish. In connection with the first article, I think that because Western-based movies had the best resources first, they had the opportunity to create and perfect the ideal model to generate revenue and entertain consumers.
ReplyDeleteI think that lately there is a trend where other nations, like India, are now competing for consumers with US or British-made movies. I think it’s totally fine that non-westerners are attracted to western movies, but it comes with the price of a dilution of unique cultures. I’m personally not interested in a lot of foreign films, because I’ve grown accustomed to western media. I think that other nations view US films so much because US production companies have the resources to produce high-quality movies with household names.
Western influence on the rest of the world is so interesting. I have been to many foreign countries where there are markets full of venders selling illegal Hollywood DVD's. Although it does not reflect the culture of the country, these movies are popular. I believe the popularity stems from the high quality film produced from Hollywood. As it mentioned in the reading, China has even accepted it because it promotes "modernism" or a modern lifestyle they want their people to aspire to. If this is true, then the question is if the modernism perceived in Hollywood films is healthy and good for these foreign societies. I do not think the Hollywood culture has a positive impact in these poor, foreign countries. It creates a false sense of what western culture is. This is why Europeans are not as accepting of these films. The europeans know Hollywood films produce a false reality of modernism. With the rise of technology, however, other film industries like Nollywood and Bollywood was continue to grow. They will promote their own culture and attempt to compete on the open market. In these countries the West has less of an influence. Because places like Nigeria and India are producing their own high-quality content, Hollywood struggles more to influence them. I watch quite a lot of foreign films but only because I served a mission in Mexico and lived abroad when I was growing up. These experiences have given me more global exposure to different cultures. These exposures make it easier to accept and/or watch foreign films. But most the films I watch are high-quality, which limits my range of films.
ReplyDeleteCultural differences in the movie and film industry around the world are so drastic. It's interesting that all the different countries thrive in their own way though, and are successful. In the first article, I thought it was interesting how other cultures view Hollywood film. It mentioned that in a study done over Asia and Europe, Asians felt that Western film influence had a positive affect on their culture while Europeans also recognized this same influence, but felt it had a negative affect. This didn't really surprise me that much--I've had the opportunity to visit various European countries, and there is often a "snobby" or "elitest" viewpoint over America.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of global film that I find interesting is the style of it. In America, we often have the typical storyline as discussed in the article of good triumphing over evil, the hero gets the girl, etc, etc. However, I have had a lot of opportunity to watch foreign films throughout my early adulthood and they are extremely different. Foreign films, especially French films are SUPER slow moving, portray every day life, and would fall under what we Americans view as "boring". They often don't have happy endings, but more abrupt, come out of the blue, "that's how life really is" endings, which because of my cultural upbringing, leaves me feeling unsettled. From what I understood from the Nollywood article, African films are often this way too, with small budgets, short filming time frames, and no huge agendas in the plots.
It is definitely noticeable that Hollywood has a distinct influence on global film. I have found it interesting how we were shown in class how blockbuster movies translate well over seas, as they lack a storyline but are visually pleasing, which can transcend different cultures. The United States were really the first ones to develop and mainstream movies as a form of entertainment, and Hollywood was the driving force of this. So just as it is with most things that are first, the Hollywood influence is going to be the example that others look to as they create their own cinematic style. I noticed this as I researched for my country comparison paper. When looking at India, it mentions that Bollywood, “focuses on several elements such as: the epic tales of prominent Hindu figures, Indian folklore and theater, the popularity of musical television,” (Gokulsing and Dissanayake 1998). Now some of these genres are characteristically Indian such as Hindu figures as well as the folklore and theater. My research did point out that India has however, added some of the flair that comes from the influences of Hollywood. In countries like these, Hollywood does have an influence but it seems like countries use Hollywood as a guide but tailor it to the country’s likes or needs. We see this with India as they take some of the visuals that Hollywood has made popular, and add it to music and dancing, and throw in other parts of the Indian culture that makes the genre popular. As the article showed, Nigeria has had to adapt its Nollywood genre as it is difficult to distribute throughout Sub-Saharan Africa but it has still been able to be popular.
ReplyDeleteI think that something that may get overlooked is the effect that other nations may have on Hollywood. I have seen this more from television, but I have noticed that other countries have found success in taking their shows to the United States. Singing shows like American Idol and the Voice have become popular in the US but they started in the UK. The US also brought the British show The Office into American culture and not only was the show popular, but it also influenced several other shows that also have an interview-type style. Several Spanish soap operas have been able to translate into American-English culture and I wouldn’t be surprised if the fascination with South Korean television brought a greater influence into American television. I lack a great deal of familiarity with foreign films to know if they have influenced Hollywood, but I would imagine that if it could happen to television it could happen to the big screen as well. Sometimes the mysterious lands of the orient or jungles of South and Latin America become popular in American pop culture, and it would not be surprising if Hollywood took the same steps that other industries do-in taking foreign influences and giving them the characteristics of the domestic country.
Eric Vincent
I think that Western media, and especially American films, definitely dominate the film industry on a global scale. Based on the readings, I was surprised that other countries don't have a more negative reaction to this. I feel like many countries that are pretty anti-American accept the media that we produce with open arms. When I was abroad this summer I thought it was interesting that basically all of the currently playing movies and advertisements for movies were all American. I saw bus wraps for The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises, but nothing that was original content. I thought it was especially interesting when one of the articles mentioned that China has accepted a lot of American media it because it promotes a modern lifestyle they want their people to aspire to.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a lot of foreign films, and the ones I have seen are mostly British. I don't necessarily think that this is because many are in different languages. If it was simply a language barrier problem then subtitles would fix it easily; for me the biggest problems are cultural barriers--especially in Asian and Latin American films. Although the subtitles can tell me what they are literally saying, there is a lot that I don't understand because I don't understand their social norms, history, or customs.
I enjoy watching foreign films, but they are typically from Europe. During my mission, I had a few investigators who were from Africa and frequently had Nollywood films playing in the background. Obviously I was not allowed to watch this type of film on my mission, but I never had a desire to after seeing a few short clips. While I cannot speak for the quality of the script or plot, the production quality was very terrible. It is for this reason that I believe Hollywood has such a strong global presence despite its smaller number of films.
ReplyDeleteIn the first reading, it said, "The premise of imperialism is that one group, in this case Hollywood, holds power over, and influences, media in other smaller or poorer countries. An alarm is potentially raised when this imperialistic force implies ‘a deliberate attempt to dominate, invade or subvert the “cultural space” of others and suggest(s) a degree of coercion in the relationship." Personally, I do not feel that the Hollywood film industry makes any attempt to use this type of imperialistic force. I believe that the power of Hollywood comes from high production quality, a large advertising budget, and from other cultures desiring exposure to Western media.
I personally watch mostly American films but in recent years after my mission I started to watch films in Spanish and Portuguese. As opposed to Hollywood spreading its American culutre to other countries I was mostly interested in foreign films that I had some understanding of their culture, people and language. I was amazed about how much I disliked one spanish film in particular that I saw before learning to speak the language and then again watching it years later only to find out I actually liked it a lot. For me it was more than just a basic understanding of language but more importantly of culture and way of life of a specific group of people. Unfortunately I watch a lot more American films not because I am uninterested in foreign films but frankly because many lack the budget or high caliber of content readily seen in Hollywood. From everything that I have read nothing is any position to dethrone Hollywood but if local success can be achieved in places like the Nollywood Market in Nigeria than it represents a bit of hope in combating a total American domination in the film business.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read the paragraph about South Africa in the first paper because when I saw that we were studying global film I immediately thought of South Africa. South africa is literally the furthest country from the Western U.S., so I figured they would have their own celebrities and films, but I was completely wrong. At least with the white citizens, American movies and celebrities are all they care about and that's where they learn American fashion and slang (even though they don't quite understand it sometimes). Because of this, I recognized what a powerful force (for good and bad) American film can be. It makes me sad to think about all the immorality in Western films and realize that's the message we're spreading around the world.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I haven't watched more than a handful of foreign films in my lifetime, but I also don't watch too many American films so I can't really answer this question well. I will say though that most foreign films don't appeal to me because a. they aren't relevant, and b. they have a reputation of being inappropriate. These two assumptions on my part are not true for all movies, that's just how I perceive them.
It is clear that American films dominate the industry, some movies even do better overseas than they do in the US. Given the previous discussion we had about negative feelings towards Americans, it is surprising that the US films do so well. I personally think foreigners are just intrigued by American life though and the way hollywood portrays American life. During my time living in Frankfurt, I had many people ask if my high school experience in America was like Mean Girls. We know that most hollywood movies dont realistically portray American life, but they don't. I was also in London a few semesters ago and people would flock by the thousands to see the celebrities at the movie premieres, actors like Taylor Lautner, George Clooney and others. It's fascinating to me how much they love hollywood and it's celebrities.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch any foreign films really. Part of it is that I can't enjoy a movie if I am reading the subtitles the whole time and part of it is that I don't believe foreign films because I don't believe most Hollywood films. If I were to watch any, they would probably be British films.
The approach on Cinema is a very big and wide within its groups, It doesn't only varies in cultural but also in taste. Around the world it is obvious that the leader in box office is mostly Hollywood films. I believe that there are several reasons for these; we have several already mentioned in the question ( cultural imperialism, pop culture, star system, westernaholism) but I also believe it is also because it has a broad sense of subjects, values and themes that not would appeal just to one specific culture but more than anything one individual. Growing up in a different country with it's own set of culture and traditions and to some extent "westernized" I could still appreciate on values which Hollywood movies brought. the emotions that could bring even though to some extent I did not relate to the culture in general. Because Hollywood have found ways to appeal different audiences within the US which is a mix of different people and culture it has found a way to appeal to the world, and we can also contribute the fact that Hollywood is the oldest and most resourceful films industry;
ReplyDeleteNow foreign movies have a more cultural appeal, its usually more in touch with the countries culture were it was filmed, I have been able to enjoy a lot of international films, which the most I've seen is Bollywood movies and what I have noticed is that it's message tend to be the same, the value of love and joy are the most common one to be found. With my own country you would find the same what Dominicans enjoy the most is what you would find in our movies, which is unlike Hollywood movies it varies.
I love foreign films. And honestly I think the first drawl was that I knew it would make me look cooler, having seen foreign films with my parents. But after my first or second foreign film- forced upon me by my dad- I was an addict. The appeal for me is that I not only learn a story, but learn a piece of culture. When I watch foreign films they still have the same general themes, love, heartache, action. But they are doing them in a world so different and yet the same as mine. The craziest thing I have found is that in a lot of foreign films there will still be chunks of English. English phrases always creep in, and they normally make me laugh. But I have never really stopped and though about how crazy it is that we effect all cultures and especially all media.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the articles this idea kept coming back to me- I found it very interesting that he would note this at the beginning of his article.
"Media texts are so polysemic that the Hollywood/American culture could never be replicated outside North America."
I feel like it was almost a pride thing for the author. That he believed our culture was more complicated than others. I'm not sure anyone wants to exactly replicate our culture.
I think its an interesting idea that because of our media culture is reproduced and aspects are copied faster. They have always been copied and mimicked but now with the media world so available people can access it and copy it- quickly. Now that I'm thinking about it this has happened in my own life. I went to India a couple summers ago, and I read Eat, Pray, Love before going. And learned about the prayer beads- so when I went I made sure to get my own prayer beads. However this process was way harder than I had imagined, I finally found them on my last night in India, inside their shopping mall. These prayer beads weren't a symbol of India as I had imagined. But I still got them and wear them here mimicking a part of culture I'm not even sure is a correct image of it.
I think the West has an enormous impact. With globalization and Hollywood, we spread more than just Hollywood culture to the world. We are now spreading opinions and politics. I do think that we are westernizing other countries, for good or bad, through media.
ReplyDeleteSome parts of the world may push back and pretend to despise America for these things, but they also follow the trends in many cases.
I've seen a few foreign films. Some of them are nice, but the ones that I generally like most are those with American style and foreign ideas. Look at the most popular foreign films, Slumdog Millionaire for example. This movie is about foreign ideas and struggles, but even the main part of the movie is about "Who wants to be a millionaire." This is an American show.
I definitely think the west plays a large role in international films. I am not a huge fan of foreign films and have really not watched many but the west does play a role. One film I watched was a Bollywood film and the main girl in it was singing "It's Raining Men" and dancing around her room like you see in many American films. The American lifestyle was broadcast onto this girl. Another reason I think the west plays such a large role in foreign films is because American films are popular internationally. When I was on my study abroad, I traveled to 9 different countries. Every place we went we saw posters for American films in different languages. We even went and saw Robin Hood with German subtitles to get the experience of a movie in a foreign country. Western films are popular in foreign countries and because of that western ideas are broadcast into other foreign films.
ReplyDeleteThe globalization of Hollywood definitely affects how a culture is perceived. It can bring about cultural imperialism, but not that it just imposes a culture on others, but teaches them about it as well. What I saw in France was that they thought there was so many celebrities that we could just walk down the street and see them. Now that can be possible, but not in the ways that they thought. With China, they are accepting these movies etc. They are on the move toward modernity and apparently Hollywood brings it to them.
ReplyDeleteI think that the cultural imperialism isn't really a valid argument. People have the choice on whether to adapt to what they watch. However, I think people are being dumbed down by how much they watch. I do not believe that it is the intent of Hollywood to impose the American culture on others. The people who watch it are choosing this. The real motivation is money. The foreign countries gobble up American TV and movies. Hollywood makes a ton of money from globally distributing their movies.
I think the West has a huge impact on global films. We are presenting on Bollywood and studying it I have learned that even those movies are slowly becoming more westernized. Different countries seem to really like the movies the United States produce and I think that is apparent especially if their film industry is having more themes and commonalities to the U.S. I have not seen a foreign film that I can remember, this s not because I have anything against other cultures, I like learning about other cultures. The biggest reason I don't watch foreign films is because I watch movies to distress and not to think, and alot of foreign films have subtitles and I just don't feel like reading them. Call it lazy, but when I do watch movies I just kind of want to zone.
ReplyDeleteI found the first article very ambiguous in its answer of the question posed at the beginning. It basically said the West has an influence on movies but it doesn't always because cultures decide whether or not to be influenced by it. I haven't done a ton of research on the matter, but I noticed on my mission that a lot of the people I interacted with were influenced by American culture. They knew I was American so they would ask me about New York City and L.A., places I have hardly been. They assumed that was were everyone was from in the U.S., and those that weren't from there were at least just like the people that lived there. So I would assume that Hollywood's portrayal of U.S. life does have a big influence on international viewers.
ReplyDeleteForeign films are exactly that to me...foreign. I struggle to ever want to watch them and often times find that when forced to, it is a painful experience. Of course I dont think this is a good attitude or perspective, but it is what it is. I have noticed though that western culture is having a stronger influence over foreign films these days for sure. Globalization is having an impact, and whether it is a good thing or not is debatable.
ReplyDeleteWe all want something that we can relate to, connect with and carry a conversation about. I think this is where the struggle really enters in. Most American films are able to carry this weight well, and we can choose what experience we want to encounter. This is lacking with foreign films, and even though globalization is having an impact, I still feel there is a long way to go.
I think the West has a very large impact on the rest of the world. With Hollywood and its wide reaches, we often affect other countries and the world with our views and our culture. We are slowly starting to make our way and culture into other movie industries throughout the world. Our pop culture ways can be seen with celebrities throughout the world, much like the Korean men that we discussed in class.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen many foreign films because it does not appeal to me. I watched one with a friend and I did not find it interesting. Also, I run into the issue of why would I watch a foreign film when there are so many Western films that I want to watch. Personally, I would rather watch Western films than foreign films.
I think a large part of the appeal for other people is to learn more about those cultures and learn the differences of the world.
I don't watch many films from other countries, because as the reading describes, I like watching movies with themes and scenes that relate to myself. This is the idea of cultural proximity, that people will choose media that is related to their own experiences that are familiar to them. If I do watch a movie from another country it is only because I have heard from friends or reviewers that it is a great movie and worth watching. Examples of these are Slumdog Millionaire or Life of Pi. I was surprised to learn that Hollywood doesn't make as many movies as Bollywood or Nollywood, but I think in terms of cultural dominance, Hollywood still leads the world. I think Hollywood is America's greatest way to spread Western ideas, and although many countries in the world have a problem with our politics, they will still consume are media.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Riggs
I just watched a french foreign film last night called, "He loves me, he loves me not." A recurring theme to the movie involved the Nat King Cole song, "L.O.V.E." Other than that, though, I didn't notice too much American influence. On the contrary, one thing I love about foreign films is that they often have more interesting and unexpected plots. I feel like Hollywood has become pretty predictable. My roommate made a comment to the effect of, "I feel like foreign films have more artistic cinematography." I don't know if I necessarily agree with that. I'm sure it depends on the country. I feel like part of Hollywood's success in other countries stems from the fact that we shell out a lot of money on movie production, and many foreign markets can't compete with the quality or budget.
ReplyDeleteAs for the articles, I found the first one pretty indecisive. The authors cites the age-old, chicken-or-egg question: Does Hollywood "take the lead on trends" thus telling us how to live, or is it merely "reflecting the culture" and essentially documenting how we really are? I would say that, in most cases, Hollywood is creating a culture, more than it is reflecting it. It takes small parts of our society and exaggerates them, or it captures small segments of our society (such as extremely wealthy or the extremely poor/violent societies), because those of us who don't belong to the extremes are fascinated by them. We are fascinated by the extravagance of highly affluent families, and we are fascinated by the problems faced by societies dominated by drugs, violence and gangs.
What this does is provide a very unrepresentative snapshot of American society to the rest of the world.
Today in my Classical Civilization class we were talking about ancient genres that make stories classic. Comedy, romance, epics and tragedies are some of the most famous genres. Somehow we also got on the topic of how to approach these genres today (in American work). I realized that I could not come up with any contemporary titles that would fall under tragedy. Why??
ReplyDeleteKristin mentioned the French film, 'He loves me, he loves me not', which is one of my personal favorites. I would argue that many more foreign films understand how to address tragedy. Perhaps foreign audiences just understands how to appreciate tragedy. Americans definitely do not.
My professor mentioned his view on this entertainment hole in American media as the effect of the 'American dream'. We don't want to put effort into the tragedy genre because it doesn't leave us happy or uplifted at the end. When faced with tragedy in the media it is usually due to public news. Real stories are full of tragedy.
I have had a hard time transitioning into appreciation for tragedy during my CL CV class because ending a story despaired isn't natural for me as an American. I appreciate them a lot more now and this new interest has lead me to many foreign films due to the lack of American films in this genre.
I definitely agree that Western culture has a large impact on foreign films. I have watched my fair share of them, and the ones I always find the most interesting and intriguing are the ones that have some sort of tie to western culture or ideals. I know this has been referenced before, but one of my favorite movies of all time is Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, it takes place in India and deals with life in that culture, yet this film is a "Bollywood" film, which is a spin off of Hollywood films. And although this film focuses on life in the slums of India, its surrounded by a show that was created in America, Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Hollywood is one of the biggest things America is known for, and like it or not, other countries and cultures are drawn to it because of its success and driving force in the media.
ReplyDeleteI have always loved foreign films ever since I started going to the International Cinema a few years ago. Watching these films helped me realize a few things (1) America doesn't really portray a culture so much as it portrays 'Hollywood' in its films (2) Foreign films that are shown through International Cinema are overly symbolic and have a heavy dose of culture – something that is not characteristic of all foreign films (3) The perception of Hollywood outside of America is probably pretty similar to ours, i.e. big explosions, majestic cinematography, constant musical undertones narrating the plot, etc.
ReplyDeleteAmerica has a large budget for its films, something most foreign competitors cannot match. When I was over in Italy there were not any films (that I can remember) advertised in the theaters or on street signs except for Hollywood films. I find it more interesting that of late we have seen low-budget/independent films grow in popularity which I think may pave the way for a foreign film market in America. I think global communication, from a cinema standpoint, is finally becoming more of a two way communication where other countries are producing very high-end movies (with a bit of western style) and TV shows and Americans are paying attention.
It's was interesting to read in the first article that China is very resistant to Hollywood films. I have seen a lot of Asian films. In many of them there are very Hollywood-like themes. This includes the films that I have seen produced in China. Even if they are resistant to the actual films from Hollywood, they still are incorporating a lot of the same things as are found in those films. It shows that not only do Western films have an influence on culture directly they can also have an influence on other media which affects culture directly.
ReplyDeleteIn many of the Asian films that I have seen the more educated class of people speak in English frequently and dress in very Western clothes. This carries over to the audiences seeing these films. They want to be like the characters they admire in films and will imitate their manner of speaking and dress. This is another example of the influence of Western media.
To me the main appeal of foreign films is that the movies must stand on the merits of the story alone. With films from Hollywood the celebrity of actors, directors and writers adds another element to the movie experience. For instance, I could say I'm going to see a "Tom Cruise movie" and most people would have a good idea about the type of story and level of acting that that movie would have. But with foreign films I don't know the actors, I haven't read the bits and pieces of casting and re-writing news in the years before it comes to theaters, and I haven't seen the teaser trailer, domestic trailer and international trailer. Getting away from Hollywood for me means that I can focus on films as an art form and less of a form of entertainment or escapism.
ReplyDeletefirst article had a lot of great insights on the impact the West has on the rest of the world and gave a nice perspective on what culture really is and how it changes. While Hollywood is a reflection of American culture and values, the influence of these Hollywood ideals depends on the strength of the culture it is being introduced to and to what extent the individuals adhere to their values. The article also discussed how specific countries also exercise direct control over how many outside influences can flow through, like China for example.
ReplyDeleteThe discussion about the power of movies was also striking and shed some positive light on the influence of the West on the other various parts of the world. A movie has the ability to delocalize audiences that are situated locally. Movies assume the role of introducing their audiences to new territories, ideas, and people. This is a role that I think must be fulfilled as one of aspect of creating a better informed public.
When globalization was discussed the question was posed - is it cultural homogenization or a synthesis of new cultures? I would answer the latter. I don't think that because of globalization any certain culture is lost, but rather, people and societies adapt. The article referred to a similar concept as "culture creeping" by Hollywood as it spreads to the cultures of the world. I think culture creeping is an accurate term - instead of entirely morphing cultures, it's letting a healthy dose of influence in. Culture is not static. It's impossible for it to remain the same. So embrace the change & enjoy the talents of other countries!
I've not really seen any foreign films because I don't even have enough time to keep up with the ones I want to see from America.
well of course Hollywood films dominated, millions of dollars and poured into those movies. We do the crazy effects, stunts and all the fancy stuff that a lot of foreign films just can't do for budget reasons. The few foreign films I've seen have been documentaries, so it's difficult to compare the genres. But I just wonder how other countries view us when all they know is Lady Gaga and Transformers and Napolean Dynomite. I mean... we must seem like freaks. But there's no way to really shrink the western gap because Hollywood won't slow down and other countries don't profit enough to sink the money into movies that we do. But as movies are developed in America, I think the best option is for us to widen the spectrum of stories we produce. We do so many remakes and sequels of movies, maybe it's time to take a story from another culture.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched many foreign films, so I am definitely not an expert on it. But, I would assume that the western world used to have a very large influence in the past. What I see now in the world, is that other cultures are coming to the forefront and are starting to assert themselves. I still feel the western culture is dominant, but that other cultures are coming on strong. The Korean Wave is one we have talked about in class. But I feel that these cultures are starting to have an influence in the western world.
ReplyDeleteI think as time continues other cultures will continue to have more influence as the global world becomes more connected. I myself don't watch foreign films just because I don't watch movies that much. So if I do watch a movie it will probably be a U.S. movie.
Media contributes to cultural imperialism. Hollywood is dominating, as far as its cultural influence, in the international foreign film market. The us dominates in money not production. The number one country is Bollywood, India, followed by nigeria, then the us. With this in mind we must consider that people and cultures respond to media and action in different ways. In the us we prefer to view violence and sexuality in our media. People have linked this to follow with human behavior, but it is difficult to find causality in this claim. Cultures are constantly changing. American culture is not clearly defined. Culture is such a loaded term with much enocintricity. Various cultures make assumptions about others based on media and television shows. The article talks about how we take things that we want and we don't take things that we don't want. The differences between international films and Hollywood films are money, resources, plot line, resolutions, etc. we deal with cross culture approproiation. This is where we take things that we like and ignore things that we don't like. To understand international film, you must understand their audience. Western films are interesting because people find things different than their norm. Foreign films teach of tradition and religion. They are informative.
ReplyDeleteI really haven't watched any foreign films but it's pretty clear that just like the United States dominates in just about everything else, our movies and production companies are leading in the world. The article talks about "Culture Creeping" and the effects Hollywood has on movies made in other parts of the world. But I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. It's always nice to see a movie that has been influenced from somewhere outside of the U.S. For example, the movie Slumdog Millionaire is a movie based off of the Bollywood craze that happened a few years ago. To me that movie was in a category of its own, and did a great job of presenting a unique perspective.
ReplyDeleteI get bored with foreign films cause I love the West and Hollywood. I've probably only seen about 10 in my life, but they don't have the storybook like Hollywood films do. I love that the bad guy dies and the good guy gets the girl. I use media for escapism. I'm tired on a Saturday night and my friends and I watch a movie together.
ReplyDeleteOther countries are impacted by Western media. They try to copy our pop culture, globalising the world. For the preservation of their cultures this is terrible. However, for me I don't really care. It doesn't impact my life. Sorry everyone wants to be like 'merica. It's cause we're the bomb. I live up to the American stereotype.