This week we had a guest speaker, Anne Buchmann, to talk about authenticity in film tourism, specifically relating to Lord of the Rings tours in New Zealand. This was a really interesting class, especially hearing from someone who has spent so much time researching in the one country, and also someone who is quite young and new(ish) to the research/academic scene.
I liked the fact that Anne identified that film tourists to New Zealand wanted to experience both the 'real' NZ and also the more 'fantastical' Middle-Earth... They expected to see both in the one place. It was also interesting to learn that most people going on the tours had only seen the movies one or two times, if that, and less had read Tolkien's book. Therefore, none of the film tourists saw themselves as film fanatics, even though they have come from far and wide to witness something they've seen in a film. I wonder if there is ever a point where someone believes that they're now a film fanatic...?
Anne also noted that they anticipated an authentic and sincere experience, which is interesting, the notion of someone wanting an 'authentic' experience of an 'imaginary' world. Sorta seems like the two might cancel each other out... It was also interesting hearing what the tour groups considered authentic, from being influenced by the 'making of' videos from the LOTR dvds, and other clips on New Zealand. They enjoyed meeting people that were extras in the films, especially if they were in their 'authentic' costumes, which mostly were just made out of fabric and plastic, so really, weren't real at all.
It was a great insight into the minds of tourists in a tour group, and raised some interesting points about authenticity and people's perceptions and expectations.
This is the second last reflective journal entry that I have to write! The last one is just a summary and final reflections on the subject, then I can hand it in and cross off one more assignment from the to do list! Exciting times!
xox
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The One You Knew
I'm leaving but don't worry
I'll be back again
You're always right here
And you're grieving but don't hurry to your pack of friends
I'll stay
It's clear
The one you knew from your love
I grew into complete and whole
And the way I justify
It's my way to control love everlasting
I see your sweater rests upon your bed
Reminds me of home
It can't be any better than it is in my head
I'm blinded by roam
The one you knew from your love
I grew into complete and whole
And the way I justify
It's my way to control
There's only one way I know how to do this
Stay here and help me live through this and I'll always be
The one you knew from your love
I grew into complete and whole
And the way I justify
It's my way to control love everlasting.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Outback and Westerns
Today's seminar was taken by a different lecturer - Warwick Frost. He's a really interesting lecturer and I found myself concentrating nearly the whole seminar!
Anyway, we spoke firstly about the Australian Outback and it's use and portrayal in films. The main theme was the fact that there is really no definition for what the Outback actually is. As Warwick said, it's a very subjective concept, and can probably be interpreted in many ways. I'm really glad that we talked about the fact that the Outback is not the same as 'The Bush'... because I sometimes get annoyed when people think they are the same thing. Mostly because they are total opposites in environmental terms. Maybe the only thing similar they have in common is the distance from urban areas.
I also thought it was amazing that so many films set in the outback had such a similar premise: a visitor to the outback (though generally not just a tourist, and usually someone foreign than Australian) comes in search of something/someone etc, had adventures/gets into some danger in the Outback, and then leaves a different person/transformed from their bad habits. This type of film must be popular if so many have used basically the same structure to the movie.
The idea of the Outback being an experience that could be 'life changing' is another concept that seems a little bit silly at first, but the more you think about it, the more potential it has to conjure those feelings in people. Through many of the films that are set in the Outback, it seems as though there is almost a guarantee that you will have a life changing experience if you travel out there. In his book on his Australian travels, Bill Bryson talks about Uluru, and how connected he felt with the rock when he finally saw it with his own eyes. The feeling that he describes isn't quite as extreme as 'life changing', but it still shows a certain gain from being there.
I think, maybe instead of being life changing, the Outback might fit more into the category of 'the sublime', just from what I've read in Alain De Botton's The Art of Travel. It sorta seems as if the vast, empty, but oddly beautiful landscape would fit well within the category of the sublime, though I don't know enough about the concept to be sure.
In regards to Western films: they're not really the type of films that I'm attracted to or would enjoy too much. I also think that it's interesting that many of the westerns have very similar recurring themes... Sometimes I wonder if fans ever get sick of the same types of scenes or scenery shown. Although I guess when you think of romantic comedies or dramas, they tend to also have recurring themes, or structures, and have a few main locations that they are set in, and I continuously enjoy watching them.
Anyway, that'll do for now... Pretty sure I only have 2 more posts to do for this subject. At the moment, it's heads down, bums up trying to get the assignments done in good time. I really don't want to be stressing right up until the last minute, although at the moment I seem to be going at a good pace to have plenty of time for fixing last minute details and everything. I already know the result of one subject this semester, which is 77 overall, one I'm fairly happy with. Hopefully I can do just as well in the rest of them... Fingers crossed!
xox
Anyway, we spoke firstly about the Australian Outback and it's use and portrayal in films. The main theme was the fact that there is really no definition for what the Outback actually is. As Warwick said, it's a very subjective concept, and can probably be interpreted in many ways. I'm really glad that we talked about the fact that the Outback is not the same as 'The Bush'... because I sometimes get annoyed when people think they are the same thing. Mostly because they are total opposites in environmental terms. Maybe the only thing similar they have in common is the distance from urban areas.
I also thought it was amazing that so many films set in the outback had such a similar premise: a visitor to the outback (though generally not just a tourist, and usually someone foreign than Australian) comes in search of something/someone etc, had adventures/gets into some danger in the Outback, and then leaves a different person/transformed from their bad habits. This type of film must be popular if so many have used basically the same structure to the movie.
The idea of the Outback being an experience that could be 'life changing' is another concept that seems a little bit silly at first, but the more you think about it, the more potential it has to conjure those feelings in people. Through many of the films that are set in the Outback, it seems as though there is almost a guarantee that you will have a life changing experience if you travel out there. In his book on his Australian travels, Bill Bryson talks about Uluru, and how connected he felt with the rock when he finally saw it with his own eyes. The feeling that he describes isn't quite as extreme as 'life changing', but it still shows a certain gain from being there.
I think, maybe instead of being life changing, the Outback might fit more into the category of 'the sublime', just from what I've read in Alain De Botton's The Art of Travel. It sorta seems as if the vast, empty, but oddly beautiful landscape would fit well within the category of the sublime, though I don't know enough about the concept to be sure.
In regards to Western films: they're not really the type of films that I'm attracted to or would enjoy too much. I also think that it's interesting that many of the westerns have very similar recurring themes... Sometimes I wonder if fans ever get sick of the same types of scenes or scenery shown. Although I guess when you think of romantic comedies or dramas, they tend to also have recurring themes, or structures, and have a few main locations that they are set in, and I continuously enjoy watching them.
Anyway, that'll do for now... Pretty sure I only have 2 more posts to do for this subject. At the moment, it's heads down, bums up trying to get the assignments done in good time. I really don't want to be stressing right up until the last minute, although at the moment I seem to be going at a good pace to have plenty of time for fixing last minute details and everything. I already know the result of one subject this semester, which is 77 overall, one I'm fairly happy with. Hopefully I can do just as well in the rest of them... Fingers crossed!
xox
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Travel Writing.
This week I finally bought the text book for this subject, so now can include things from the book in these posts, which I was meant to do for all of them... Oh well. I also had about one minute of excitement when I found out that the bookshop had a massive sale and that text books were going out for around $4.50... Alas, the one I needed was at it's original (ridiculous) price of $66.95. I should probably make sure I delete this part of the post before I send it to the lecturer, though, since it's her book we had to buy and she probably was involved in the price setting! Anyway...
Onto today's topic: Travel Writing. Was a pretty interesting topic, I thought. What was most surprising is that books like travel guides, and blogs by travelers aren't said to be forms of travel writing. I wonder who exactly came up with that rule, and whether it is widely accepted. If it is by Fussel, as on the seminar notes, then the date is nearly 30 years old! I have a feeling a lot has changed in that time, that could possibly change the meaning of 'travel book' to encompass more styles. Personally, I love looking through books like the Lonely Planet guides, especially for the vivid, beautiful photos and pictures they always display. One of my favourite books at home is my copy of The Travel Book, by Lonely Planet, which has sort of like a biography for every country in the world. Just reading through the quick snippets of information and a glancing at the few stunning pictures, and I'm ready to go there. But I guess even though it's they're books of writing about travel, they aren't classified as types of travel writing, because they haven't really got a distinctive narrative: there is no voice to the pieces. Though I think that just because they aren't classed exactly as travel books, does not mean that they can't influence people to go to the places they are about.
I think I'm much more partial to the travel writing of today, rather than that of the Victorian age, where all information was conveyed through scientific facts and blatant observations. Although, back then I suppose that a lot of the world was still 'undiscovered' and needed to be cataloged in that way in order for other, non-scientific people to be able to venture out and create their own perspectives on the new places. But, now that the whole world has been 'discovered' so to speak, it's much more appropriate to write about travel through thoughts, ideas, recommendations, or personal perspectives... At least, they're more enjoyable and interesting to read for non-scientific people.
I can also see a vague distinction between travelers who write and travel writers, where travel writers are probably more likely to write to a wider audience, and include reflections on specific places, and perhaps highlight areas that were of particular importance or relevance to them. If I was someone who was writing while traveling, I think the entries would probably read more like a diary, with accounts of what I'd done that day etc, mostly intended for myself upon return and to remember the trip by. Other than maybe family and friends, no one else would ever read what I'd written.
Lastly, I think Bill Bryson is a very talented writer, from the 2 books I've read of his. It seems that he knows how to connect with his audience through the writing, and I think that is very necessary if the end result is to convince people to visit the same places. If not, then people have read an interesting and humorous book about a foreign (or not so well-known) land that might just get them thinking.
Anyway, that'll do again. I can't publish this post til I've written about the previous seminar, cause I skipped one... So hopefully it shouldn't be too long. I'd better get my act together! Hermit-ville starts now!
xox
Onto today's topic: Travel Writing. Was a pretty interesting topic, I thought. What was most surprising is that books like travel guides, and blogs by travelers aren't said to be forms of travel writing. I wonder who exactly came up with that rule, and whether it is widely accepted. If it is by Fussel, as on the seminar notes, then the date is nearly 30 years old! I have a feeling a lot has changed in that time, that could possibly change the meaning of 'travel book' to encompass more styles. Personally, I love looking through books like the Lonely Planet guides, especially for the vivid, beautiful photos and pictures they always display. One of my favourite books at home is my copy of The Travel Book, by Lonely Planet, which has sort of like a biography for every country in the world. Just reading through the quick snippets of information and a glancing at the few stunning pictures, and I'm ready to go there. But I guess even though it's they're books of writing about travel, they aren't classified as types of travel writing, because they haven't really got a distinctive narrative: there is no voice to the pieces. Though I think that just because they aren't classed exactly as travel books, does not mean that they can't influence people to go to the places they are about.
I think I'm much more partial to the travel writing of today, rather than that of the Victorian age, where all information was conveyed through scientific facts and blatant observations. Although, back then I suppose that a lot of the world was still 'undiscovered' and needed to be cataloged in that way in order for other, non-scientific people to be able to venture out and create their own perspectives on the new places. But, now that the whole world has been 'discovered' so to speak, it's much more appropriate to write about travel through thoughts, ideas, recommendations, or personal perspectives... At least, they're more enjoyable and interesting to read for non-scientific people.
I can also see a vague distinction between travelers who write and travel writers, where travel writers are probably more likely to write to a wider audience, and include reflections on specific places, and perhaps highlight areas that were of particular importance or relevance to them. If I was someone who was writing while traveling, I think the entries would probably read more like a diary, with accounts of what I'd done that day etc, mostly intended for myself upon return and to remember the trip by. Other than maybe family and friends, no one else would ever read what I'd written.
Lastly, I think Bill Bryson is a very talented writer, from the 2 books I've read of his. It seems that he knows how to connect with his audience through the writing, and I think that is very necessary if the end result is to convince people to visit the same places. If not, then people have read an interesting and humorous book about a foreign (or not so well-known) land that might just get them thinking.
Anyway, that'll do again. I can't publish this post til I've written about the previous seminar, cause I skipped one... So hopefully it shouldn't be too long. I'd better get my act together! Hermit-ville starts now!
xox
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Australia (The Movie) and TV Travel
This week's seminar was on the movie Australia, and it's use in promoting the country, as well as the many different types of travel shows that are on television nowadays.
The first thing that struck me about this topic, was the fact that up until the movie 'Australia', the country's marketing bodies decided that it was too complex to promote tourism through films, even though a number of great movies were made in Australia that would have had the potential to entice tourists here. Crocodile Dundee and the Mad Max films were pretty big successes overseas, and could probably have been major draw cards to the country had a tourism campaign for Australia been attached to their release.
Maybe Tourism Australia and the previous marketing bodies before that organisation had just decided they weren't going to pursue tourism campaigns through films, but when a blockbuster movie came along with superstar lead actors and director, and with the actual name of the country as the film's title, the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Especially, I imagine, with all the publicity that the country would get as a result of the film: international eyes on the country and its stars, the country's name repeated multiple times in every interview to describe the film itself, and the fact that most of the stars, director and crew were Australian, and the landmark locations where filming took place.
I felt quite proud when I heard that Tourism Australia is known to be quite innovative in the destination advertising they employ. For all the criticism they get for some of their advertisements and campaigns, at least they are trying new ideas and working out which ones do and don't work. I also think that the way the newest advertisements were done was better than expected. I like the fact that, instead of using clips from the film or the major stars, the ads were based on only one theme of the movie, one that many international markets (and probably many national markets as well) wouldn't have heard of before. Everyone knows to come to Australia to see the kangaroos, koalas, Uluru, the bridge and Opera House, but the concept of the 'walkabout' is probably far less known, and the ability to 'arrive' as one thing and 'depart' as something completely different, might be appealing to many people. I think the use of visual emotional rhetoric is very clever... and if none of these appeal to people to watch the ads, then the fact that they were written and produced by Baz Luhrmann will most likely push them to press play/keep watching the television.
I think the amount of travel shows on TV (whether commercial, combined, incidental or accidental) is amazing. Just watching free-to-air TV on a Sunday afternoon and there are at least 4 different travel shows on, with even more during the weeknights. Then there's pay-TV! The notion is obviously a popular one. People like watching attractive hosts visiting beautiful places, eating delicious food, meeting the quirky locals, and partaking in the great activities that are available wherever they happen to be. I don't think I ever realised just how many different shows there actually are! And they must have the ability to generate sales or at least awareness for the places that they promote, because all of the shows are still airing, and destination are still asking them to come and feature their area on television.
It might be a hard thing to measure, though. Obviously if people call the numbers that are always displayed on the screen at the time of the hard sell (how to get there, where to stay, how much, etc), then that's an easy measure. But how many people would watch the shows, and then forget about the destination until they decide to go on a holiday, and one from the program is on the top of their mind, but they don't book through the same method as was outlined during the show. It seems that they might be more about creating awareness and eliciting curiosity than gaining actual sales straight away.
I also like the idea of movie maps and guide books specifically developed to show people where certain filming takes place or is inspired from. It seems a shame that the Australian version of a movie map developed by Denise Corrigan wasn't the great success it could have been. I think people would be very interested in that sort of thing in Australia. I think it would also be quite popular if the major guide book publishers put out their own version of movie maps, or movie guide books, rather than just leaving the specific movie fans to create their own (even though some of these have been very successful). Maybe an organisation like the Lonely Planet could collaborate with people already very knowledgable about film locations, such as the person behind the 'Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations' website. The creator calls the site a Film Locations Travel Guide, so having the information in both website and actual book form might prove popular and get awareness about these amazing places out into the world.
*On closer inspection, it seems the man behind the website has already produced his own book that does just what I've suggested*.
Finally catching up with these silly journal entries! At least there's a few more I can cross off the list... Not long to go now!!
Back to work.
xox
The first thing that struck me about this topic, was the fact that up until the movie 'Australia', the country's marketing bodies decided that it was too complex to promote tourism through films, even though a number of great movies were made in Australia that would have had the potential to entice tourists here. Crocodile Dundee and the Mad Max films were pretty big successes overseas, and could probably have been major draw cards to the country had a tourism campaign for Australia been attached to their release.
Maybe Tourism Australia and the previous marketing bodies before that organisation had just decided they weren't going to pursue tourism campaigns through films, but when a blockbuster movie came along with superstar lead actors and director, and with the actual name of the country as the film's title, the opportunity was just too good to pass up. Especially, I imagine, with all the publicity that the country would get as a result of the film: international eyes on the country and its stars, the country's name repeated multiple times in every interview to describe the film itself, and the fact that most of the stars, director and crew were Australian, and the landmark locations where filming took place.
I felt quite proud when I heard that Tourism Australia is known to be quite innovative in the destination advertising they employ. For all the criticism they get for some of their advertisements and campaigns, at least they are trying new ideas and working out which ones do and don't work. I also think that the way the newest advertisements were done was better than expected. I like the fact that, instead of using clips from the film or the major stars, the ads were based on only one theme of the movie, one that many international markets (and probably many national markets as well) wouldn't have heard of before. Everyone knows to come to Australia to see the kangaroos, koalas, Uluru, the bridge and Opera House, but the concept of the 'walkabout' is probably far less known, and the ability to 'arrive' as one thing and 'depart' as something completely different, might be appealing to many people. I think the use of visual emotional rhetoric is very clever... and if none of these appeal to people to watch the ads, then the fact that they were written and produced by Baz Luhrmann will most likely push them to press play/keep watching the television.
I think the amount of travel shows on TV (whether commercial, combined, incidental or accidental) is amazing. Just watching free-to-air TV on a Sunday afternoon and there are at least 4 different travel shows on, with even more during the weeknights. Then there's pay-TV! The notion is obviously a popular one. People like watching attractive hosts visiting beautiful places, eating delicious food, meeting the quirky locals, and partaking in the great activities that are available wherever they happen to be. I don't think I ever realised just how many different shows there actually are! And they must have the ability to generate sales or at least awareness for the places that they promote, because all of the shows are still airing, and destination are still asking them to come and feature their area on television.
It might be a hard thing to measure, though. Obviously if people call the numbers that are always displayed on the screen at the time of the hard sell (how to get there, where to stay, how much, etc), then that's an easy measure. But how many people would watch the shows, and then forget about the destination until they decide to go on a holiday, and one from the program is on the top of their mind, but they don't book through the same method as was outlined during the show. It seems that they might be more about creating awareness and eliciting curiosity than gaining actual sales straight away.
I also like the idea of movie maps and guide books specifically developed to show people where certain filming takes place or is inspired from. It seems a shame that the Australian version of a movie map developed by Denise Corrigan wasn't the great success it could have been. I think people would be very interested in that sort of thing in Australia. I think it would also be quite popular if the major guide book publishers put out their own version of movie maps, or movie guide books, rather than just leaving the specific movie fans to create their own (even though some of these have been very successful). Maybe an organisation like the Lonely Planet could collaborate with people already very knowledgable about film locations, such as the person behind the 'Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations' website. The creator calls the site a Film Locations Travel Guide, so having the information in both website and actual book form might prove popular and get awareness about these amazing places out into the world.
*On closer inspection, it seems the man behind the website has already produced his own book that does just what I've suggested*.
Finally catching up with these silly journal entries! At least there's a few more I can cross off the list... Not long to go now!!
Back to work.
xox
Monday, September 21, 2009
Film Studio Theme Parks & Runaway Productions
This week's seminar was on film studio theme parks, and the frontstage/backstage components of the parks.
Theme parks always used to be so exciting and wondrous when I was young; they seemed to be places where dreams came true, and where you could be anything you wanted. Of course, back then, I had no idea of everything that was behind the building and running of theme parks. Nowadays, I like to think that I'm at least a little bit smarter (!), and so can understand all the different elements of a theme park, such as staff dressed up as characters, and the whole 'staged authenticity' of creating a dream world, while keeping the tourists in the main areas, and not letting them see what goes on behind the curtains. Somehow, I sort of wish I still wasn't able to comprehend all that operational side, because it definitely takes away from the magic of the place. Although, maybe once you're there, it's much easier to get swept up in the excitement and forget that people have directed your every move.
The concept of front stage and back stage elements at a film studio theme park becomes very complex and almost confusing to someone who's never thought about it before... There are so many different types of encounters, especially when considering the nine classifications by Pearce, that I wonder if even the staff of the parks understand the complexity of it all, and can identify which area they are working in at all times.
I also find it tricky to come to terms with the concept that film studio theme parks are built as a way to show outsiders what goes on inside the walls of the studios, but the majority of the attractions within the park aren't real at all. It's the whole idea of the theme park being a real-life representation of something that was fantasy in the first place. I wonder if maybe sometimes, it's better to leave things like that to the imaginations of people, rather than try to tell or show them how it would be in real life, if the fantasy world exists.
I also think that theme parks must have a close tie with the film studios that run them. I think it's amazing that a number of films were written and created to support rides and attractions that already existed at Disneyland.
Secondly, I think the concept of runaway film locations is a tricky one. On the one hand, it makes sense to film something in a different location to where the story is set if the actual location cannot support what the film needs, either financially, or logistically. But then again if there is no real reason to film in an alternate location then I think it's a little unfair to the original destination, especially if the film could result in tourist dollars for the location. It might just be me, but sometimes I feel a bit cheated when I find out that a movie that I think has been filmed in one place, is actually in another, especially if I felt some sort of connection with the scenery I saw. At the same time, though, I know that films are very rarely authentic, especially those that are more the blockbuster type than the historical type.
Another thought I had about this issue, is if there is any tourism as a result of the film, where would they visit... the actual location that the movie was filmed, or the destination that was named/portrayed in the film? I'm not sure which I'd choose... It would probably depend on whether I was more attracted to the storyline, or the scenery shown throughout.
I think I'll post this now, because it's been hanging around for ages, but I'm pretty sure that I'm meant to be reading the text book too, and talking about things from there, which I haven't bought yet :S So I'll do that maybe next week and then I can complete these next two posts properly!
Peace.
Theme parks always used to be so exciting and wondrous when I was young; they seemed to be places where dreams came true, and where you could be anything you wanted. Of course, back then, I had no idea of everything that was behind the building and running of theme parks. Nowadays, I like to think that I'm at least a little bit smarter (!), and so can understand all the different elements of a theme park, such as staff dressed up as characters, and the whole 'staged authenticity' of creating a dream world, while keeping the tourists in the main areas, and not letting them see what goes on behind the curtains. Somehow, I sort of wish I still wasn't able to comprehend all that operational side, because it definitely takes away from the magic of the place. Although, maybe once you're there, it's much easier to get swept up in the excitement and forget that people have directed your every move.
The concept of front stage and back stage elements at a film studio theme park becomes very complex and almost confusing to someone who's never thought about it before... There are so many different types of encounters, especially when considering the nine classifications by Pearce, that I wonder if even the staff of the parks understand the complexity of it all, and can identify which area they are working in at all times.
I also find it tricky to come to terms with the concept that film studio theme parks are built as a way to show outsiders what goes on inside the walls of the studios, but the majority of the attractions within the park aren't real at all. It's the whole idea of the theme park being a real-life representation of something that was fantasy in the first place. I wonder if maybe sometimes, it's better to leave things like that to the imaginations of people, rather than try to tell or show them how it would be in real life, if the fantasy world exists.
I also think that theme parks must have a close tie with the film studios that run them. I think it's amazing that a number of films were written and created to support rides and attractions that already existed at Disneyland.
Secondly, I think the concept of runaway film locations is a tricky one. On the one hand, it makes sense to film something in a different location to where the story is set if the actual location cannot support what the film needs, either financially, or logistically. But then again if there is no real reason to film in an alternate location then I think it's a little unfair to the original destination, especially if the film could result in tourist dollars for the location. It might just be me, but sometimes I feel a bit cheated when I find out that a movie that I think has been filmed in one place, is actually in another, especially if I felt some sort of connection with the scenery I saw. At the same time, though, I know that films are very rarely authentic, especially those that are more the blockbuster type than the historical type.
Another thought I had about this issue, is if there is any tourism as a result of the film, where would they visit... the actual location that the movie was filmed, or the destination that was named/portrayed in the film? I'm not sure which I'd choose... It would probably depend on whether I was more attracted to the storyline, or the scenery shown throughout.
I think I'll post this now, because it's been hanging around for ages, but I'm pretty sure that I'm meant to be reading the text book too, and talking about things from there, which I haven't bought yet :S So I'll do that maybe next week and then I can complete these next two posts properly!
Peace.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Asian Film-Induced Tourism: Hallyu - The Korean Wave
This week's topic was Asian film-induced tourism, focusing on The Korean Wave, and a little on Bollywood and Indian film and tourism.
This seminar was a bit of an eye-opener, as I guess I'm fairly ignorant in noticing that other countries and cultures have their own popular cultures. Sometimes I think that because Australia is so heavily influenced by American culture, media, films, TV shows, news, information etc, that all the other countries are as well. Which really shows my lack of thinking, I think. Of course Asia is going to have a different culture, different media, and different celebrities to idolise.
I actually really like the name of the Korean Wave to describe the pop culture that is so popular in Asia, although the original name from the Chinese media of cold wave seems more negative as opposed to a positive and accepted pop culture. I also really enjoyed watching the episode of 'Winter Sonata', especially since I'm the type of person who is easily sucked into a new storyline, and can see why the series was so popular throughout Asia. I think it's also interesting to be able to watch a TV show that displays another culture acting out their day-to-day activities, since Australian free-to-air TV pretty much only shows the one culture over all of the hundreds of television series that are aired every year.
I'm just visiting the official site of Korea tourism now, and one of the links under Sights, Activities & Events, takes you 'filming location tours' which gives you the option to look at either drama sets or movie sets, both of which have over 20 different sets to choose from that show comprehensive information about the films and shows, stills from filming and matched locations. I don't think many other official tourism destination websites would base information so heavily around the popular culture TV series and films that are produced within the country.
I think for the tourism website to be able to post photos from the films and series', then they would have to have a good reciprocal with the TV and film studios, since sometimes they may want to keep filming locations secret to keep the mystery of the program. In Australia, the USA or the UK, it might be more difficult to negotiate with the studios to display such extensive information about the shows on external websites, especially if the websites give away plot details or have the potential to 'spoil' the show or film for future watchers, which the Korean site does.
Anyway, that'll do for this week. We don't have a seminar next week, so I probably wont write here, though I think I have to for the actual assessment piece. I think we're also about half way through the semester, which is scary... I have so much more work to do in a short amount of time. Better get my act together. Until next time.
Xoxox
This seminar was a bit of an eye-opener, as I guess I'm fairly ignorant in noticing that other countries and cultures have their own popular cultures. Sometimes I think that because Australia is so heavily influenced by American culture, media, films, TV shows, news, information etc, that all the other countries are as well. Which really shows my lack of thinking, I think. Of course Asia is going to have a different culture, different media, and different celebrities to idolise.
I actually really like the name of the Korean Wave to describe the pop culture that is so popular in Asia, although the original name from the Chinese media of cold wave seems more negative as opposed to a positive and accepted pop culture. I also really enjoyed watching the episode of 'Winter Sonata', especially since I'm the type of person who is easily sucked into a new storyline, and can see why the series was so popular throughout Asia. I think it's also interesting to be able to watch a TV show that displays another culture acting out their day-to-day activities, since Australian free-to-air TV pretty much only shows the one culture over all of the hundreds of television series that are aired every year.
I'm just visiting the official site of Korea tourism now, and one of the links under Sights, Activities & Events, takes you 'filming location tours' which gives you the option to look at either drama sets or movie sets, both of which have over 20 different sets to choose from that show comprehensive information about the films and shows, stills from filming and matched locations. I don't think many other official tourism destination websites would base information so heavily around the popular culture TV series and films that are produced within the country.
I think for the tourism website to be able to post photos from the films and series', then they would have to have a good reciprocal with the TV and film studios, since sometimes they may want to keep filming locations secret to keep the mystery of the program. In Australia, the USA or the UK, it might be more difficult to negotiate with the studios to display such extensive information about the shows on external websites, especially if the websites give away plot details or have the potential to 'spoil' the show or film for future watchers, which the Korean site does.
Anyway, that'll do for this week. We don't have a seminar next week, so I probably wont write here, though I think I have to for the actual assessment piece. I think we're also about half way through the semester, which is scary... I have so much more work to do in a short amount of time. Better get my act together. Until next time.
Xoxox
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