Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Reflecting



Through my research for Frozen- An unconventional fairytale I have learned an awful lot, and not just about the theories but the film itself. Firstly, I've learned that there are hundreds of encoded messages in Frozen but I have only named a few. From what appears to be a children's Disney film has unveiled itself to contain deep, meaningful messages. It's interesting for me especially as the first time I watched the film I didn't really noticed how many layers Frozen has, it was around the 3rd or 4th time I really started to see the deeper messages. 

I've also learned that no matter how old some theories are (Propp) they are still valid to this day. I really value this, especially Propp's Narrative Theory as my research was about how Frozen challenges the typical conventions of a fairytale and Propp provides the basis for my argument. 

My thoughts have definitely been altered through my research. For example I placed myself in the 90% of 'lurkers' (Nielsen 2006) however now I would like to interact with my favourite media products on a higher level. I now believe that any passion felt for a media product is worth become a intermittent contributor to, as you would care about what you contribute. 

Although Jenkins argues that contributors must feel as though what they contribute matters, I believe it actually does matter. Disney would want to encourage people to contribute to the world of Frozen. Years ago, it would have only been the film which people could enjoy, now that they are an "active" audience who can participate in it too. I believe that in the future I will personally consume media in a different way- I would like to be part of it too. I have the tools and products to do so, so I would definitely like to participate in my favourite media texts. 

Tying it together

Frozen while a wildly popular film, has many missed encoded messages by the average audience and that there are in fact so many messages to decode within the film such as the meaning of Elsa's powers, or hidden innuendo jokes (bestiality).

On a cross-platform level, Frozen had definitely spread, and this definitely changed the way media is consumed in contemporary society. The countless amount of parodies made is endless and although I have only picked up on a few there are still so many different ones available. 'Let it go' tended to be the main subject of the parodies as the song was very powerful and catchy. 

The characters in Frozen were very relatable and also convention-breaking. I think that it is remarkable how much Frozen does challenge the typical conventions of a fairytale and the general conventions of a Disney film (homosexual family etc). 

A smaller cross platform take on Frozen is the application of 'Free fall'- a strategy game similar to the popular Candy Crush Saga. This simply emphasises the growth in technology and the different ways in which one can interact with media texts. Who knows what will be next? 

The popularity of Frozen caused all these cross-platform take on the film and the various blogs which were published highlighting the controversial nature of the film. This also shows that although a Disney film and typically targeted at children it caused enjoyment and dismay to the adult worlds, with a few people claiming it was 'brainwashing' the younger generation, and others saying it was 'educating'. I agree that the film is educating the younger generation and the fairytale conventions that it breaks is a healthy refreshment on contemporary film and fairytales.

Bibilography

References

Calimlim, A. (2013). Candy Crush Saga On Ice: Disney Launches Frozen Free Fall Match-3 Game On iOS. Available: http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/11/candy-crush-saga-on-ice-disney-launches-frozen-free-fall-match-3-game-on-ios. Last accessed 23rd May 2014.

Cerasaro, P. (2014). Idina Menzel's 'Let It Go' from FROZEN Cracks iTunes Top 20. Available: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Idina-Menzels-Let-It-Go-from-FROZEN-Cracks-iTunes-Top-20-20140107#.U3eD5q1dUhw.
Last accessed 17th May 2014.

Denham, J. (2014). Disney's Frozen is 'very evil' gay propaganda, says Christian pastor. Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/disneys-frozen-is-very-evil-gay-propaganda-says-christian-pastor-9189043.html. Last accessed 23rd May 2014.

Gray, J (2007). FANDOM- Identies and communities in a mediated world. New York and London: New York University Press. 

Greydanus, S. (2014). So, How Gay IS Disney’s Frozen?. Available: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/steven-greydanus/so-how-gay-is-disneys-frozen. Last accessed 23rd May 2014.

Makuch, E. (2014). 93 million people play Candy Crush Saga daily -- Do you?. Available: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/93-million-people-play-candy-crush-saga-daily-do-you/1100-6417819/. Last accessed 25th May 2014.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century (Part One). Available: http://henryjenkins.org/2006/10/confronting_the_challenges_of.html. Last accessed 24th May 2014.

Makuch, E. (2014). 93 million people play Candy Crush Saga daily -- Do you?. Available: http://www.gamespot.com/articles/93-million-people-play-candy-crush-saga-daily-do-you/1100-6417819/. Last accessed 24th May 2014.

Nielsen, J. (2006). Participation Inequality: Encouraging More Users to Contribute. Available: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality/. Last accessed 24th May 2014.

Procter, J (2004). Stuart Hall. London: Routledge.

Propp, V (1968). Morphology of the Folk Tale. 2nd ed. United States of America: American Folkstore Society and Indiana University. 



Moving Image (accessed online):


Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2013 Disney's Frozen "Let It Go" Sequence Performed by Idina Menzel  [video, online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk [Accessed: 15th May 2014]

 

Workingwith Lemons, 2014. Do You Want To Build a Snowman? - Frozen Cover Little Anna In Real Life [video, online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PGrtdcvlVE [Accessed: 17th May 2014]

 


Swede, 2013. Frozen - Big summer blowout [video, online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_w105aWPNY [Accessed: 20th May 2014]


Sam and Nia, 2014. Good Looking Parents Sing Disney's Frozen (Love Is an Open Door) [video, online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gavEC5aWAzM) [Accessed 21st May 2014]



Stills (accessed online):



Disney, 2013. The characters of Frozen [animated picture, online] New York: Ryan Gilbert. Available from: http://www.broadway.com/buzz/174011/dreams-do-come-true-disney-confirms-broadway-plans-for-hit-movie-frozen. 22nd May 2014

Neilsen, J. 2006  Pyramid of participation inequality [diagram, online] Fremont: Jackob Nielsen. Available from: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality. 22nd May 2014

Disney, 2013. Frozen Free fall on iPhone 5 [cartoon advert, online] Calimlim. Available from: http://appadvice.com/appnn/2013/11/candy-crush-saga-on-ice-disney-launches-frozen-free-fall-match-3-game-on-ios 24th May 2014

Disney, 2013. Jerk Frozen Hans Frozen Fandom Frozen Spoilers [half of an animated meme, online] Kelsey Fitzherbet Available from: http://rebloggy.com/post/jerk-frozen-hans-frozen-fandom-frozen-spoilers/68333669222. 23rd May 2014

Disney, 2013. Elsa [cartoon portrait, online] :Koigolibu Available from: http://mwp4.me/cartoons/elsa-frozen-3514/. 23rd May 2014

Disney, 2013. Anna Frozen [cartoon portrait, online] San Francisco: Detective 881. Available from:
http://the-mystery-case-files.wikia.com/wiki/Anna_(Frozen). 24th May 2014

Disney, 2013. Olaf [cartoon portrait, online] : Natasha Ortiz. Available from: http://dgnews.sduhsd.net/reviews/2014/02/05/heartwarming-movie-frozen. 22nd May 2014


Disney, 2013. Oaken [cartoon image, online] Kettering: Steven Greydanus Available from:  http://www.ncregister.com/blog/steven-greydanus/so-how-gay-is-disneys-frozen. 23rd May 2014.

Neilsen, J. 2006  Pyramid of participation inequality [diagram, online] Fremont: Jackob Nielsen. Available from: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/participation-inequality. 22nd May 2014


Vitala, L. 2013. Yoo-Hoo Big Summer Blowout - Oaken [cartoon meme, online] : Lily Vitala. Available from: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/334321972310770805/ 23rd May 2014