The Internet is in a constant state of flux, as everyone is out to try to do their best to commercialize the medium, and make it profitable. One of the more interesting attempts that will be unveiled in the near future is a collaborative effort by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series of books, and Sony. Rowling is creating a new website called Pottermore (http://www.pottermore.com). It is expected to be open to the public by the end of the year, as right now it is still in a beta phase. Essentially Pottermore is taking every chapter of every Harry Potter book, and letting you explore the chapter through illustrations and more in-depth details by Rowling. Along with the extra details, as you progress through the story chapters, you also unlock different collectibles that you can store in your online 'trunk'. You eventually earn a wand, and learn spells. The purpose of the collectibles is to use in mini-games that you play on the website with other members of the community. You can interact with other members of Pottermore like any other kind of social site, as you have friends lists, message boards, and games you can play with others. You can share pictures and drawings, and talk about all things Harry Potter.
While the page is still in beta, and therefore not open to the public, here are a couple of basic screenshots from my beta account that give an idea of the layout of the page, and the kind of extra details you can find about the books. (Click for larger versions).
Of course you will also eventually be able to use the site to buy Harry Potter merchandise and for a while will be the exclusive place you will be able to legally get the e-book versions of the Harry Potter books. In all, it is an ambitious endeavor to bring a traditional medium to the internet, and make it something more than just reprinting the pages of the book on a webpage. While it will be sometime before we see what the end result will be, it provides a glimpse to the kinds of things that can be accomplished on the internet in bringing new life to old mediums.
Ken Auletta references to an "earthquake in slow motion" has to do with the changing television landscape. For decades the choice people had on television was NBC, CBS, or ABC. In bigger cities you might also have access to a few local broadcast channels, but any show or even of importance would be televised on one of the Big 3 networks. This model had been largely unchanged until the Fox network decided to take aggressive steps to get on equal footing with the Big 3. Founded in 1986, Fox began a gradual climb into television relevance. After several years of building a steady base of affiliate networks, Fox made its presence felt for good by acquiring rights to broadcast NFL games in 1993. With the firm foothold in 18-49 demographics, the network continued to climb in popularity, and by 2007 became the most viewed of the new Big 4 networks.
The earthquake continued for the original Big 3 networks with the rise of cable companies that were able to produce cheaper shows, and also get paid for the broadcast rights, which was the opposite financial model that the Big 3 networks were using. While the Big 3 pay for rights to broadcast a show, and hope to recoup their investments by selling advertising spots, cable channels get paid by cable carriers, thus ensuring a steady source of income. This allows cable channels to take more risks for programming content, which attracts more diverse viewers. While the Big 4 still routinely draw more viewers due to their wider availability, it takes many more viewers for one of their shows to be considered a 'hit'. This of course leads to the networks not taking chances on new content, opting instead to stick with familiar shows that routinely draw viewers, such as crime procedurals, sitcoms, and reality shows. While this approach may work for the short term, I would imagine that unless there is a major shift in their financial model, the Big 4 will cease to exist in their current format.
As an example of the programming that the Big 4 networks find themselves obliged to carry in an effort to keep their numbers up, here's their Fall 2011 promotional lineup.
Contrast this with HBO's promotional reel (from 6 years ago, as I couldn't find a more current one that was sharable within the blog).
At the website www.darkhorizons.com I found the feature on The Adventures of Tintin to be a good example of an internet website building buzz for an upcoming movie. In the article, one of the writers for the website actually was able to meet with the producers of the movie, Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg. He writes a positive article about his experiences and expectations for the film.
Tintin is based on a 1930's French comic series, so the name already has a built in fanbase, as Tintin is still a hugely popular comic book that sells over 2 million copies a year. This can also have potential negative effects however, as fans of the original comic want to see the movie treat the source material with respect, and not go off in its own "Americanized" version of the comic. The writer of the article, being a fan of the original comic, writes from this perspective, as someone who was worried about the direct the movie would take, along with the motion capture medium chosen. He comes away largely satisfied with what he has seen. The comments on the article express relief from other of the comic's fans that someone who understands the trepidation at a beloved book being made into a movie appears to be getting the proper treatment.
In another interesting note along the 'nothing is ever new' line, Steven Spielberg discovered the comic series after he read reviews comparing his own film Raiders of the Lost Ark (filmed 50 years after the first Tintin strip) movie to the comic. Here is the trailer for the movie, and while I had heard of the movie, I wasn't really sure what it was about. After reading the article and seeing the trailer, I am now certain I will see the movie within the first few days of release.
The video I have chosen to analyze is Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. I believe this song falls into the broad category of Pop music. I guess time flies, because while I consider this to be a modern video it's already 2 years old. The lyrics are interesting, and the video is quite a spectacle. The lyrics taken on their won could be considered just another catchy song about romance, but when taken in with the video, it really can be considered a commentary on the music industry in its current state.
Not sure what it means
But this photo of us
It don't have a price
Ready for those flashing lights
...
I'm your biggest fan
I'll follow you until you love me
The lyrics here could be taken to chasing fame, as she is ready to stop being a member of the crowd, and become the object of people's attention. She's going to be persistent in her attempt to achieve fame, much like paparazzi hound celebrities 24 hours a day.
This message seems to become more clear with the video, which starts with her attempted murder, with the boyfriend representing the music industry. It has used her, and feeling that it got all it needed out of her, they're ready to dispose of her and move on to the next object of affection. However, she retaliates against this and murders her boyfriend, which once again gives her musical freedom.
This reflects some of Lady Gaga's real life experiences with record labels, as her first label deal with Interscope, which primarily wanted her writing songs for other artists, also wanted her to tone down her music and image. Instead she signed with Geffen records, and this then launched her career to new heights.
Of course, artists rebelling against perceived suppression by record labels is not new. The axiom that there is nothing new is shown to be true here, the Madonna video Express Yourself visits many of these same themes, with music being suppressed for the masses, while the owners of the music enjoy their own sophisticated music that they refuse to share.
