Conjunction Junction

The television program “Lost” is one which creates suspense through great writing and clever editing. This show, which tells the stories of several people who are stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash, uses many editing strategies to tell their stories and show that relationships between characters.

In the second season of “Lost” the creators had the difficult task of introducing several new characters of the audience. Aside from that challenge, there was also the issue of how the two groups, those originally part of the story and those not, would meet each other. In order to keep the audience engaged, the directors cut from one story line to the other often.

However, there came a time when the characters must meet, and create one central storyline. This occurred at the end of the sixth episode of the second season. Two characters from the first group, Shannon and Said, began running into the jungle, searching for another castaway who had been captured by the dangerous “others.” It is dark in the jungle, and it is pouring rain. This disorients the audience, and the characters, leaving them unsure as to their exact location.

As they are running into the jungle, the camera cuts to the second group, who are cutting through the jungle in an attempt to reach the beach and escape the others. When the bushes begin to move, the camera flashes on the faces of the characters, showing their fear and anxiety as they stand, ready to defend themselves.

The camera then flashes back to Shannon and Said, running through the jungle. When the audience can see only Shannon and Said’s backs, there is a gunshot. After a pause, Shannon turns around, revealing her injury. As Said catches her, the camera focuses on his face, showing his grief. However, Said looks up and over the shoulder of Shannon. The camera than pans across and shows the other characters, who were walking to the beach. Ana Lucia stands with her gun still pointed where Shannon once stood. In a series of close-ups the audience and the characters are able to realize the terrible mistake that had been made in their first meeting.

Though the use of close up shots and a disorienting setting, the creators of Lost are able to show the relationships between the characters, as well as create suspense to draw in the audience.

Conjunction Junction

The television program “Lost” is one which creates suspense through great writing and clever editing. This show, which tells the stories of several people who are stranded on an island after surviving a plane crash, uses many editing strategies to tell their stories and show that relationships between characters.

In the second season of “Lost” the creators had the difficult task of introducing several new characters of the audience. Aside from that challenge, there was also the issue of how the two groups, those originally part of the story and those not, would meet each other. In order to keep the audience engaged, the directors cut from one story line to the other often.

However, there came a time when the characters must meet, and create one central storyline. This occurred at the end of the sixth episode of the second season. Two characters from the first group, Shannon and Said, began running into the jungle, searching for another castaway who had been captured by the dangerous “others.” It is dark in the jungle, and it is pouring rain. This disorients the audience, and the characters, leaving them unsure as to their exact location.

As they are running into the jungle, the camera cuts to the second group, who are cutting through the jungle in an attempt to reach the beach and escape the others. When the bushes begin to move, the camera flashes on the faces of the characters, showing their fear and anxiety as they stand, ready to defend themselves.

The camera then flashes back to Shannon and Said, running through the jungle. When the audience can see only Shannon and Said’s backs, there is a gunshot. After a pause, Shannon turns around, revealing her injury. As Said catches her, the camera focuses on his face, showing his grief. However, Said looks up and over the shoulder of Shannon. The camera than pans across and shows the other characters, who were walking to the beach. Ana Lucia stands with her gun still pointed where Shannon once stood. In a series of close-ups the audience and the characters are able to realize the terrible mistake that had been made in their first meeting.

Though the use of close up shots and a disorienting setting, the creators of Lost are able to show the relationships between the characters, as well as create suspense to draw in the audience.

Conjunction Junction

Lost

The television program Lost is one that creates suspense through a combination of excellent writing and clever editing. The second season of Lost began with the task of familiarizing the audience with several new characters. Once the audience was caught up with the story of those on the other side of the island, there was also the challenge of telling both stories in a way that could keep the audience interested and engaged.

Aside from keeping up with both story lines, the characters needed to meet and create one new line of storytelling from the two. The scene in which the two sets of people met was one filled with suspense. As one set of characters travels through the jungle, trying to avoid contact with the dangerous "others," Shannon and Said push into the jungle in search of Walt, a character who had been captured.

The editors show the relationship and relative closeness of the two groups of people by cutting from one group to the other in rapid fashion. However, by using close-ups on the faces of the characters, and making use of rain as a cover, the audience does not become familier with the surroundings. As one group is waiting, ready to defend themselves from the others, another is running into the jungle. As the camers flashes on the first group, the bushes move, and a person begins to emerge. Fearing for their lives, the first group shoots the figure coming out of the trees.

The camera then flashes back to Shannon and Said. When Shannon turns to face Said, it is the first time the audience sees that she has been wounded. Said turns his attention to Shannon, but realized that she is dead. The camera focuses on Said's face, and shows him looking up and away.

We are then able to follow Said's gaze, and see the first group of people, those traveling through the jungle to the other side of the island. The camera then focuses on Ana Lucia, who is holding a gun pointed at the spot where Shannon was standing. At that moment, the audience, as well as the characters, realize the terrible mistake which has occured.

By using editing, the creators of Lost are able to keep the audience in suspence, revealing information when they chose, and leaving the audience in the dark when they chose.

Gray's Anatomy

Gray's Anatomy

The scene I chose to analyze was the closing scene of the final episode of the second season of Gray's Anatomy. This program is a drama involving doctors and interns in a hospital. The final scene is one in which Meredith, the main character, is confronted by her current and former lover.

The scene comes to a close with Meredith walking down the stairs and standing between both men. The camera flashes back and forth between Meredith and the men. It involves many close ups on the faces of the characters. Both men say Meredith's name, and she looks at both of them as they do so. They also slow the pace of the scene by flashing back and forth between the three characters. The director also emphasizes the relationships between the characters by showing Meredith in the foreground of a scene, and one of her lovers looking at her in the background.

This scene effectively sets up the conflict between Meredith and the two men. The viewer understands that both are interested in her, because they are looking at her and speaking her name. The director also portrays Meredith's indecision by closing the scene with Meredith looking straight ahead, and not at any one of the men. This is effective because, as the season finale, leaving the audience without a decision will bring viewers back at the start of the next season. Through the use of close ups on the characters, and showing Meredith's indecision, the director of Gray's Anatomy effectively closes the season finale with a scene that will bring viewers back in the fall.

Kids These Days

To the School Board of St. Paul Public Schools:

More than ever before, we live in a society which is connected through technology. Adults are seeing huge changes in the ways their workplaces communicate and organize. Young people, however, are even faster to join the latest wave of technology. Media studies are a necessary part of their secondary education, both to help students critically analyze information and to ensure their engagement in the classroom.

Currently, there are several high schools which offer some media course as an elective. However, no school has written a media studies curriculum or requires students to take a course. This is unfortunate because critical consumption of media is essential to helping young people to analyze information they are receiving. Media studies is easily integrated with a Language Arts curriculum. However, our school district should not confine media studies only to the English classroom. Teachers across disciplines could use technology and media to enhance student engagement and enrich content.

Young people today are consuming media at a rapid pace. Televisions, computers, ipods and cell phones are just a few examples of the many ways students connect with the world. Not only are they spending many hours a day in connection with media, they are also using multiple forms at once. It is not common for a student to watch television, chat on-line and do research for school, all at the same time. With students managing so many stimuli at once, it’s no wonder they find school boring. By using media in the classroom, teachers can engage students and bring them into whatever content area being taught.

Further, adults need to realize that media has a large influence on the thoughts and opinions of young people. Rather than attempt to close adolescents off from media, educators should teach them to be conscious consumers. When media representations are unquestioned, they can have a negative affect, such as stereotyping. However, if young people learned to think critically about what is being portrayed and for what reason, the negative affects of media could be tempered.
Thus, it is my opinion that the St. Paul school board should not only keep the media studies program currently in schools across the district, it should expand it. Instead of giving in to a "back to basics" mentality, this school district should look ahead and see the importance of media studies.

My first post

This is my first post!