BLOCK 4 1. Is it necessary to make children critical viewers of Television? Defend? It is necessary to make children critical viewers of television. This will enable them to analyse the construction of isolated images and to think critically about the composition of the picture. This will increase their ability to learn things and enable them to understand that they should not believe all that they see. 2. Can we use television to develop media literacy? In what ways? Television develops new literacies while enforcing traditional literacy. It develops visual literacy which is essential forsurvival in the technological world. It is a powerful media for supplying informatio n. It can very effectively educate people. Programmes can take the place of class-room teaching. 3. How can we interpret the internal contents of a programme? We can interpret the internal contents of a programme by analysing the story well. We should have the ability to recall and recognise what happened and why. This also requires knowledge of the type of literature, codes and conventions of TV programmes. 4. Give an example to compare and contrast media representations with reality. Med ia rep rese ntati ons must be contras ted with real ity. The best exampl e is the Vietnam War. The histor ies and documentaries said something that was totally different from the official American media version. 5. The process of reading television has several elements. Pick them out. The elements of reading television comprise interpretation of the internal elements of the programme, interpretation of the internal construction , grasping the external forces and factors that shape the programme etc. comparin g and contrasting media representation with reality and understanding the impact caused by television also are important factors. We should check and verify before we believe something to be true. 6. Interview with a film artist Questions 1. What were the circumstances that drew you to the field of acting? 2. Which was your first film? What was your role? 3. How did you feel when you acted for the first time? 4. In how many films have you acted so far? 5. What role do you like most? 6. Living and acting are different. How do you manage both at the same time? 7. What type of role do you like best to play – comic, tragic, serious or villainous? 8. Can you say a few words about your family? 9. Which film are you acting in at present? 10. What are your plans and dreams about the future? 7. Mention the three phases of film making. The making of a film consists of the following three phases. The writing of the scenario is the first phase. Scenario is the basic structure of the film. It describes in words what we see on the screen through image and sound. If it is weak, the film will flop. The second phase is selecting the appropriate location based on the scenario or building a set. It may also involve getting the suitable actors and shooting the entire scene. The third phase is editing. It means including the necessary parts in the proper order cutting out unnecessary parts. 8. Editing is a very important stage in film making. Do you agree? Editing is as much important as scenario and direction. The editor has to see the film repeatedly and decide what to include and what to exclude. He has to put that in the logical order without losing its dramatic and artistic value. 9. Find out the reasons for Chaplin’s depression at the beginning. Several months after his marriage with Mildred, Chaplin could complete only a three reel comedy “Sunnyside”. After the marriag e, it seemed he had no inspiration or idea. He seemed to have lost creative faculties. So there was depression at the beginning. 10. The circumstances under which Chaplin came to know about the talent of Jackie Coogan. In order to escape from the depression, Charlie Chaplin thought a change was necessary. He went to Orpheum. There he saw an eccentric dancer. The dancer had brought his son also. The boy was to take a bow along with his father. Afterbowing the boy took a few steps and then ran off. The crowd went into an uproar. The child was asked to come and perform again. The second performance was even better and the audience enjoyed every bit of it. Whatever the boy did was appreciated because of his engaging personality. This is hoe Chaplin came to know about the talent of the boy. 11. Why did he think that the boy would be the ideal actor of his movie? The boy’s performan ce was forgotten for a while by Chaplin. It was when he heard that Jackie Coogan was signed up by Roscole Arbuckle that the memory of the boy struck Chaplin. He went on to enumerate the possibilities, the gags and the stories he could do with Jackie Coogan. Charlie Chaplin hear d that Jackie Coogan had been signed up by Roscole Arbuckle for a film. The news struck him like a fork lightning. Imagine that Chaplin wrote his diary that night. What would be his feelings? I had the shock of my life, when I heard from someone about the newspaper report that Jackie Coogan was signed up by Roscole Arbuckle. I was immediately reminded of the boy’s performance at the Orpheum. If only I had signed him up, I could have used him for so many gags and stories.
