This is a book about contemporary American(ized) narratives and the audiences they call into being. It brings together eight very diverse case studies covering and investigating a wide range of media, genres, and modes to ask how contemporary 'texts' encourage 'imagined communities' of readers/viewers that operate as 'public spheres' of social and political deliberation, self-fashioning, and debate. In asking this question, the contributions collected in this volume shift perspectives in a number of ways: They question the boundary between the audiences of (often popular and broadly circulating) narratives on the one side and national public spheres on the other; they thus encourage rereading the transnational mobility of American(ized) narratives not simply as a phenomenon of popular culture but as an indicator of emerging transnational public spheres; and they invite us to look closely at the narrative dynamics with which these texts operate their audiences as public spheres.

Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate online WOM in terms of its practice and the effect it can have on movie consumers. What are the motives moviegoers have in generating eWOM? Where can eWOM on movies be found online, and how does it impact its readers? Design/methodology/approach In order to develop our aim and research questions, the main concepts about WOM in general and WOM in the film industry were reviewed. Furthermore, the method of research was quantitative and was conducted on Business students at the University of Gävle, Sweden. An online survey was put at their disposal by mail as well as social media. Findings With the help of the results of our study, we discovered that our respondents had a positive attitude towards generating online WOM if given the opportunity. We identified the main motives movie consumers have, when it comes to generating eWOM, positive as well as negative. The effect of eWOM on moviegoers was also analyzed and we could conclude that positive eWOM can influence moviegoers to consider a specific movie and negative eWOM can either have no impact on filmgoers or make them disregard the specific movie. Finally, our findings also suggest that social media and review websites are the most used platforms for eWOM on movies. Theoretical & Practical implications This research offers a base for further research as it specifically focuses on consumer behavior towards eWOM, specifically in the film industry. The behavior of the consumers was examined from both the negative and the positive aspects of eWOM to deeper understand the effect it has in the film industry. Furthermore, the willingness to generate eWOM, motives, platforms of generation and effect were also key aspects of our research. Originality/value This research is unique in its kind due to its consideration of differentiating on both negative and positive aspects of eWOM. Previous research tends to focus only on the general phenomena of WOM, which did not give the possibility to understand the different ways it affects the consumers.

In the past thirty years, a growing community has emerged to advocate for the preservation and recognition of home movie collections based on their historical significance. Despite the significant cost of preserving and providing access to these collections and the myriad challenges they pose to archivists and researchers, no substantive research exists that evaluates their actual scholarly use or impact. Through a publication analysis and a survey of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, I sought to determine if there is a difference between whom archivists think should be using home movie collections and who is actually them. Though my findings suggest that home movies have yet to impact the scholarly work of historians, I offer recommendations for future research and professional development that may encourage increased scholarly use as well as increased collaboration between archivists and historians. / text

<p>Abstract</p><p>Headline: Young trouble and teenage love (Fjortisgrubbel och tonårskärlek)</p><p>Number of pages: 37</p><p>Author: Annika Ilmoni</p><p>Tutor: Amelie Hössjer</p><p>Course: Media and communication C</p><p>Period: Autumn 2007</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University</p><p>Purpose/aim: The purpose of the work was to produce a comparing study of two Swedish teenage films from different periods of time, 1970 and 2005. An analysis was to be made of how love between teenagers as well as the heterosexual relationship in general was depicted in each of the films and further investigate the gender construction in both films.</p><p>Material/method: With the intention of narrowing down the complexity and make the evaluation more lucid 5 scenes from each film were used for comparison, these were chosen through the Anglo Saxon dramaturgy. To make the scenes more comparable 4 factors were used for analysis in each scene, these were: clothes, recreational activities, behaviour and environment. Beside the above given factors the heterosexual relationship were analysed and compared in each of the scenes through the theory of dominance in dialogue.</p><p>Main results: The gender construction occurs obliviously in the older film from 1970 while taking place in a more conscious way in the film from 2005. Further on the heterosexual relationship is perpetually depicted in the 70’s film with a submissive girl and predominant boy, the same dominance is easily seen in the more recent film but with a higher rate of equality as the girl is portrayed as the dominant character in almost half of all scenes. A general note for the comparison of the two films is that a consciousness of gender construction does not lead to a direct elimination of these.</p><p>Keywords: Teenage movie, post-modern feminism, gender construction, heterosexual relationship</p>

Pour respecter les droits d’auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal. / Le présent mémoire se propose de démontrer l’impossible concrétisation du « mythe de la disruption numérique d’Hollywood » tel que décrit par Kira Kitsopanidou et, par extension, l’augmentation de la diversité cinématographique en salles due à l’arrivée de la technologie numérique. Ce mythe, qui entretient l’idée de la mort d’Hollywood, a été véhiculé par certains textes (dont plusieurs provenant des médias de masse) qui participent à ce que nous pourrions appeler, à la suite de Foucault, une véritable « formation discursive » concernant les technologies. Ainsi, le premier chapitre fera l’analyse des principaux écarts entre ce discours utopique et la réalité en s’appuyant sur les facteurs socio-économiques qui touchent le processus d’adoption des innovations, particulièrement ceux qui ont trait à la salle de cinéma. Deuxièmement, nous étudierons les réalités qui touchent l’implantation de la technologie numérique dans les salles. Avantageusement, elles expliquent aussi la lenteur de ce processus que le discours a qualifiée de retard. Le troisième chapitre permettra d’illuster les concepts abordés précédemment grâce à l’étude du cas de l’entreprise DigiScreen qui souhaitait augmenter la diversité cinématographique en salles au Québec en proposant aux exploitants de l’équipement numérique à prix réduit. Elle constitue, en quelque sorte, l’incarnation de certains espoirs discursifs. Finalement, nous verrons l’héritage contemporain laissé par les tentatives de numérisation des salles au début du XXIe siècle. / The goal of this thesis is to demonstrate the impossible realization of the "myth of Hollywood digital disruption" as described by Kira Kitsopanidou. This idea put simply suggests the enlargement of film diversity in theaters due to the advent of digital technology. This myth, which perpetuates the idea of Hollywood’s death, was carried by several texts (espacially thoses produced by mass media) and participate in what can be qualified, following Foucault, as a "discursive formation" revolving around technology. The first chapter will analyze the main differences between this utopic discourse and reality based on the socio-economic factors affecting the processes of innovation’s implementation, particulary thoses related to the movie theaters. Secondly, we will consider the realities that affect the implementation of digital technology in movie theaters. Advantagously, these also explain the slowness of this process, a situation that was interpreted by the discourse as a delay. The third chapter will illustrate the concepts discussed in the previous chapters, using as a case study the example of DigiScreen, a company that wanted to increase film diversity in movie theaters by providing theatre owners with digital equipment at discounted prices. DigiScreen in some ways encapsulates the hopes generated by the digital utopia. Finally, we will look at different cases which draw a portrait of the digitization of theatres in the early years of the twenty-first century.

This contribution explores notions of "popular narratology" in reports, memos and strategic research papers of the US military and affiliated institutions. It investigates the military´s analysis of emerging social media practices and corresponding efforts to adapt military organization, strategy, and culture to these new technological and cultural phenomena. Employing notions and techniques of constructing and disseminating a narrative that they borrow from literary theory, media studies, and advertising, these texts negotiate best practices to set political agendas and instigate institutional reforms within the military. Providing a cultural history perspective on these recent developments in military policy, this article emphasizes the military papers´reflections on the textuality of military information in order to reveal their agenda of furthering the military´s interests. It is thus invested in exploring how textual (i.e., "poetic") qualities serve as tools to pursue political goals.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal. / Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de cette thèse ou ce mémoire a été dépouillée, le cas échéant, de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale de la thèse ou du mémoire a été déposée au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

In the past, going to the movies was an event. The grand lit marquee made a statement, ushering you inside. The elaborately decorated lobby transported you to a place in your dreams where riches and opulence abound. The curtained screen marked the start of a true storied spectacle as you sat close to your friends and neighbors dressed in their Sunday best. There was no denying that the cinema was the place to see, be seen and to socialize. In contrast, today’s movie-going can be classified as more of a singular experience. You wait in long, solemn cattle lines to enter a cluttered lobby with loud video games, tacky candy machines and tunnel-like hallways. You sit in plush recliners in a sea of strangers and rush out of the theater before even the lights come up. In response to this cultural shift, my proposed design solution will challenge the isolation of today’s cinema by recreating the procession associated with neighborhood movie-going of the early 1900s. I will reinvent a cinema built in 1937, the Bellevue Theater, and develop a design that is contemporary, incorporating both modern technology and interests of today. The design will explore the spatial connections between one and many, fostering both the individual and group experience associated with the big screen – the cinema procession of the past.

Cult media is often an area of media studies that is difficult to define. Cult media branches through numerous time periods, genres, and fandom patterns. Cult trends are also constantly evolving over time, changing from word-of-mouth and point-of-sale advertising to social networks and Internet culture. But have the rudimentary basics of how media cults develop and spread their message changed along with the progressing marketing presentation? This dissertation explores the definition of media cults, their history, and marketing styles over time, ultimately exploring the tools utilized to market cult media and examine how these tools are now synthetically applied to many media products in hopes of garnering a passionate cult audience.

How can movie production companies speak to their potential audience thru movie trailers? Which means do they use and what is the public reception? How does a viewer interpret a movie trailer? What can we learn about viewers from movie trailers? This thesis is offering all the answers to questions mentioned above in two different parts - in the first part the concepts of movie trailers are introduced and explained, the second part analyses the outcomes of a research which studies the affects of movie trailers on potential audience. Collected data through quantitative methods of two uniform groups on the topic of movie trailers were studied by focus groups. This thesis focuses on understanding the approach of viewers on movie trailers and is trying to clarify when the movie trailers can act as a decision maker in order to change the approach and behavior of the audience. Thesis aims to offer a broader overview to the relationship between movie trailers and viewers and propose a guide how to read audiovisual works critically. The intention is to uncover that the scheme between text and context is characterized by complex processes of mediation and interpretation on the level of production, propagation and reception. The outcomes of the study can help to understand how viewers as consumers interpret...