Media Analysis - Essential Factors of the Film - Essay Example

Media Analysis Contents Introduction 3 Media Identity Analysis 3 Conclusion 6 References 8 Introduction In media studies, media analysis can be defined as the act of studying or examining the media, specifically the role of media in the society. This technique majorly comprise of media’s role, its evolution stages, impact on target audience, reliability in relation to reporting news, changing trends, etc. In such analysis media identity represents the essential components which have been highlighted throughout the media piece. These identities take up different forms while they are implemented in a media piece such as in films. However for media analysis it is essential to identify such identities and analyze its importance in the media piece. In films, media identity is usually represented in the form of language, gaze, picturesque, gender representation, etc. However the trend of such identity usage changes from film to another. This study would be focused towards one film and all the essential factors of the film which has created an impact on the society will be highlighted. Media Identity Analysis Media Identity represents the essential components of a media piece which increases its importance in front of the viewers. There are different ways to illustrate such identities in a film or any other media piece. The film which has been selected for media analysis is a famous movie based on the life of a dog Hachiko, who had devoted his entire life waiting for his master. Critical analysis would be conducted on this film so as to determine the features which attracted viewers and created a positive impact on society. On the other hand those elements would also be identified which could have been improved or better utilized in order to grab more attention of audience or to convey the message in appropriate manner. Hachi, a dog’s tale, is a drama film that was launched in the year 2009. This film is a remake of a Japanese film based on the story of a faithful dog. The plot for the film is magnificent as it does not introduce the characters in the beginning but focus is on a classroom where students are revealing stories related to their personal heroes. Hachi has been introduced in the film by Ronnie who is grandson of Professor Parker Wilson. It can be stated that the kind of plot which was selected by the director as the starting scene was able to create a halo effect amongst audience. This is because they were eager to know more about the role model who was supposedly a dog which is often unnoticed by many people (Altheide and Schneider, 2012). However the other factor which was exceptionally unique was the use of language and overall presentation of the scene. In this small film which had duration of about 1 hours and 33 seconds, a relationship between pet dog and his master has been beautifully portrayed by the director. The second scene in the movie is of Japan where Hachi is given his name and is being dispatched to United States by a Japanese person (Hachiko, 1.51s). There has been usage of soft Japanese music in the background of the movie which sets the entire mood of the film. In this movie there is less usage of dialogues and more focus is on emotions which helped to develop a strong bond between a human being and dog. Loyalty of an animal has been portrayed appropriately in the movie in the form of silent motion pictures and more emphasis was given on the expressions being enacted by Professor Wilson as well as Hachi. At times it is difficult to transform a real life incident into a movie but director Lasse Hallstrom has been able to successfully deliver the results. The use of proper sound effects and lighting has supported the entire scenario in terms of delivering the required message to viewers. It is known to every individual that dogs are loyal and their loyalty is so strong towards their master that they usually follow all orders given by his or her master. However Hachi was an unusual dog as he waited for his dead master till nine years before he breathed out his last. This exceptional story has been revitalized through incorporation of various scenes that denoted the changing weather conditions but it hardly brought any changes in Hachi’s wait at Shibuya Station (Stocchhetti and Kukkonen, 2011). Hachi never preferred doing basic acts of a dog such as fetching and catching but was more inclined towards understanding human actions and fulfilling all needs of his master. It is difficult to transform emotions of a dog on the screen but director considers it to be the most important subject of the film. The media identity which is basically utilized throughout the movie is changing lighting and sound effects as per the emotions which was needed to be highlighted in the particular scene (Berger, 2011). Death is uncertain but the long wait of Hachi in the movie based on real life story states that even after death of closed ones there can be an everlasting wait with the hope for them to return back. However at certain instances in the movie such as Hachi waiting for his master at Shibuya Station being unknown of the fact that Professor Wilson had a cerebral hemorrhage and will not return back, is emotional aspect for certain viewers but others feel that it is unnatural and unreal (Hachiko, 57.2 s). As per analysis of the media piece, in order to give a real feel to the movie the director has tried to portray the scenes from Hachi’s eyes. This is done so that it appears like a dog’s story being told from his perspective. Hence whether it is being locked in the store room by his master or waiting at a particular time on the station, each of the scenes are shown as if being viewed from eyes of Hachi. In a film there are many things which can be added that has no relation with real time incidents so as to make the movie more attractive but it is equally important to make reaction of viewers worthy enough to be analyzed well (Clark, 2012). To certain extent it can be stated that this movie is appealing to those individuals who are animal lovers and holds no such importance for those viewers who do not prefer to watch silent films. The movie has two important aspects, the first one is loyalty of a dog towards his master and the second is a strong relationship between human being and an animal. It is often witnessed that pet dogs are treated with utmost care and is expected that they would be forever loyal towards one’s master and family. The degree of loyalty has been explained well in the movie along with focus on the strong attachment between Professor and Hachi. However the movie becomes slow in the latter half due to which viewer’s attention towards the movie seems to get lost. This has greatly affected the media piece as its simplicity was overlooked by many viewers. The use of language has proved to be another important media identity in the film. Since Hachiko was a remake of a Japanese movie so it was essential to maintain simplicity of words which would help in conveying required message to the society (Hauser and Luginbuhl, 2012). There were less of dialogues in the media piece simply because originality of the story can be maintained through portraying emotions rather than incorporating words which would denote such emotions. This proved to be advantageous at times in some cases but at times it was difficult for viewers to understand the critical aspect behind the scene. Though the dog’s emotions in the movie was pleasing and carried the actual message of the movie but the acting of Professor in classroom and even at home was unpleasing and unconvincing. There could have been a better message delivered through the movie by not portraying dog as a human but by showing utmost care for the dog after death of his master. The film however showed Hachi roaming around in streets after death of Professor which carried a wrong message to the viewers. Loss and grief are two such emotions which are not given much importance by individuals in daily lives. This was the major point of focus in the film but due to the slow motion of the movie it is difficult in terms of creating a long lasting impact on the society. Conclusion According to analysis of the selected media piece, Hachiko is a motivational story for all animal lovers. It can be stated that this movie conveys a strong social message but it can be misinterpreted to a great extent as there is less of dialogues in the movie. This in turn has increased the difficulty level for the audience to appropriately understand the hidden message behind this dog’s tale. However this remake of a Japanese film could have been better by bringing forth more aspects of loyalty other than the long wait of Hachi. The plot for the film has been well framed by the director and the entire story is well presented through all the scenes. This film covey the social message that loyalty of a dog is incomparable and there can be a strong bond established between humans and animals which is beyond everything in the world. References Berger, A. A., 2011. Media Analysis Techniques. USA: SAGE Publications. Hauser, S., and Luginbuhl, M., 2012. Contrastive Media Analysis: Approaches to Linguistic and Cultural Aspects of Mass Media Communication. Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing. Clark, R. E., 2012. Learning from Media: Arguments, Analysis, and Evidence. USA: IAP. Stocchhetti, M., and Kukkonen, K., 2011. Critical Media Analysis: An Introduction for Media Professionals. UK: Peter Lang. Altheide, D.L., and Schneider, C.J., 2012. Qualitative Media Analysis. USA: SAGE Publications. Read More