The imitation Game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The imitation Game - Essay Example He has no knowledge about which of them is a machine and which is the person. The aim of the interrogator is to correctly identify the machine and the person. Meanwhile, the machine will try to cause the interrogator into wrongly identifying it as the person; and the person will try to help the interrogator identify correctly.According to Turing, in fifty years’ time, it will be possible to program computers so that the average interrogator will not have more than 70 percent chances of correctly identifying after five minutes of questioning. However, despite the long time that has passed, the Turing test has not yet been completed by anyone.There are two main objections raised against Turing test. Firstly, whether we will actually have computers with so much intelligence, that they have a less than 70 percent chance of correct identification. Secondly, even if the average interrogator had a less than 70 percent chance of correct identification, can we conclude that the machine has demonstrated a certain level of thought, intelligence or mentality?Although the Turing test seems highly impractical to achieve, it serves to remain as a benchmark for Artificial Intelligence researchers and developers. However, there are other competitions which are considered to be more challenging and practical to achieve.The interrogator is allowed to communicate with both the machine and computer and puts up questions to them. The interrogator is in a separate room from the machine and the computer.

Library System Essay Example for Free

Library System Essay Technology has already become one of the essentials of a person’s daily living. Without it, life would be much more complicated for people will still always have to do things manually. It has already helped billions of people here on the planet. It simply makes life much easier. It makes tasks easier and faster to accomplish. Furthermore, technology has already been a part of our daily lives. It is everywhere; from the simplest things like mobile phones to the biggest machineries. It is already given to people and it’s up to you to maximize its use to the fullest. Technology is needed everywhere; grocery stores, malls, offices and especially in schools. Not only should the students learn how to use technology, computers to be exact. It also has to be learned by the instructors to keep up with this fast-growing computer age. In line with this, they also need it to ease their tasks from calculating grades to simple library systems. Handling a library could be a very complicated task as you need to keep an updated list of the books being used, borrowed and returned. Also, a librarian’s task is to organize these books so that it would be easier to find. Most libraries still stick to the manual system from long ago. This makes their job more complicated and more time consuming. A library system is important to a library to make the job for looking, arranging, borrowing and returning of books simpler with just a couple of clicks. Books would be much easier to find and borrowing and returning of books would be updated easily. With everything systemized and automatic, it will lessen the job of the librarian. 1. 1Background of the Study San Roque Catholic School is parochial catholic school located beside San Roque de Alabang Parish, Mendiola, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. It was established in 1981 by parish priest, Monsignor Tomas T. Gonzales. Its first batch was made up of one hundred forty one students which were divided into three sections. It was in 1982 when its three-storey building was begun to be built, due to the increase of the population of the students in the following year. Their first principal was Miss Lydia Santos. For 31 years, San Roque Catholic School has been providing affordable, high quality education to its students aiming to cultivate spirituality, evangelize and spread Christianity. In the present, San Roque Catholic School has a population of about nine hundred to one thousand two hundred students and approximately 20-25 faculty members. It already has two campuses: The main which is the original building and the annex that serves as the building for the elementary students which is in Ilaya, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The school library is located at the 3rd floor of St. Roch building. It was built by joining two rooms together. Half of the library contains the librarian’s desk, books, and tables. The other side is where magazines, newspapers, computer units, and the latest books are. The number of books hasn’t grown that much for the past years. It has approximately 1000-1500 books. An average of 10-20 classes visits the library every day. Almost half of the class borrows books. Although they already have an existing library system, the librarian still finds it inefficient to manage the books for the students. On our system, we have our current features; Login system with History log, for security on the administrators and assistants. The system has simple processes like add, edit archive a book to database, and Filtered book search results. Has a book preview pane, gives the librarian the image of the front page of the book. Have Corporate GUI design that is neat and user friendly. Everyday alert, gives the librarian each updates on everyday processes and transactions. Daily, Weekly Monthly Reports and has an penalty which is very convenient. 1. 2 Statement of the Problem After gathering information, the proponents found the following problems: General Problem The school manual library system is time consuming and is sometimes inaccurate. This doubles the job at hand. The proponents also found out that the penalty of the due books is sometimes miscalculated by the manual system, which can hinder the library’s implementation of rules against overdue books. It usually takes long for the librarian to accommodate many borrowers at a time because of the system’s process. Specific Problem 1. The system cannot view the content of each book when borrowing. 2. The system process is not easy. 3. The system lacks of security. 4. The system cannot confirm the identity of the book that is being borrowed. 5. The system’s process of updating information is time-consuming. 6. The system’s catalogue process is manually maintained. 1. 3 Objectives of the Study This study was made in order to achieve the following points: 1. 3. 1 General Objectives To develop an efficient and user-friendly library system for San Roque Catholic School that will ease the process of the system. 1. 3. 2 Specific Objectives 1. To create a system that will preview the content of each book; 2. To build a system that has an easy to use-all in-one interface; 3. To make a multiple user-account system. 4. A system that will preview the cover of each book. 5. System that will be able to update the information on each book. 6. To develop a system that is cataloguing ready. 1. 4 Significance of the Study The system is being fulfilled in order to benefit the following: †¢ School Administrator The system will ease the inventory of the library system. Determining the number of available copies and the number of copies needed for each book won’t take much time. †¢ School Librarian The system will avoid long lines when students borrow books at the same time thus, it will make the job much easier and more time constraint. It won’t be a hassle tracking down penalty fees anymore. †¢ Students The system will make it easier to browse books without checking every shelf for its availability. †¢ Future Proponents The system will serve as guide for future use and also a practice for aspiring programmers. 1. 5 Scope and Limitations The scope of this study: The Study is conducted at San Roque Catholic School. Therefore, we’ve managed to produce a few scopes on the system. †¢ The User Interface We will be focusing more on making the system more user-friendly. †¢ Borrowing System. The system allows viewing of borrowers and books for the librarian. The system is able to retrieve the books borrowed date and return date. †¢ Catalogues The catalogues are printable whether it is single or multiple. †¢ Preview of Book Cover The book cover is able to be previewed using the library system without needing to search for the book in the shelves of the library. †¢ Overdue penalties The system is able to track down the number of days the book is overdue and as well as the total penalty to be paid by the borrower. The limitations of this study: The system that we’ve created has few limitations, issues like lack of time, Error Fixings and Maintenance. †¢ Weekly Reports This feature has been implemented but it is not yet accurate. †¢ Library Cards This feature cannot be implemented in our system due to technical difficulties. Methodology The researchers decided to use the prototyping paradigm. Prototype systems development methodology in which a prototype is built, tested, and then reworked as necessary until an acceptable prototype is finally achieved from which the complete system or product can now be developed. This paradigm is very helpful to the group because the system can be adjusted frequently even the small details to make the system effective to the library. System Development Life Cycle Planning Phase In this Phase, is to plan and achieve the client’s perspective on their said features, think all possible problems that may appear while building the system and how to create that system in efficient way and not time consuming. Analysis Phase Phase that focus on all errors or problems can be acquired, how to resolve it and meet all the expectations of the clients. Design Phase In this Phase, To create a system that is very easy to use, have a well organized codes, have a user friendly GUI and meets all requirements needed to impress the clients. Implementation Phase Where the system is finished, all data are converted, resolve all possible errors during on designing and until its ready to install on their computer. Its smooth and efficiency makes the system great on quick processes. Maintenance Phase This phase checks and maintains the system for unspecified or unexpected errors that have been occurred after using it. The system can also be updated, giving it a better performance on each task.

The Marketing Of Movies Film Studies Essay

The Marketing Of Movies Film Studies Essay In 1910s, the era commonly known as the birth of movie marketing, the big focus was on the movie stars. As motion picture audiences grew, so too did the importance of the actors. It was producer Carl Laemmle who originated the publicity stunt, an orchestrated media event where something dangerous or spectacular related to the movie is performed in order to draw further attention to its opening. After asking Florence Lawrence, a famous movie star, to join his IMP production company, he announced to the press that Lawrence had died in the car accident. After news of her death had created a sufficient stir, he placed a full-page advertisement in papers to deny the story. That was one of the first deliberate marketing strategies in the industry and it changed the movie marketing system dramatically. (Block and Wilson, 2010:19). As the stars of movies became more and more identifiable, the publics curiosity about them grew to be insatiable. This then started an era of using movie stars to promote movies and ultimately, it opened a whole new field of movie marketing. From 1920s, film distributors had started to employ marketing teams to create and produce publicity materials like press books, which were intended to encourage cinema managers in the exploitation of the film product. Film historians tend to look at early press books in order to study the history of movie marketing itself. Each press book would carry information about the film and its production, such as the plot synopses, the cast, background information and all the details of the availability of posters or other promotional aids such as lobby cards or standees life-size cardboard cut-outs of characters from the film (Moat, 2003-2010) to be put in cinema foyers. Press books were also used to promote ideas like recipes, competitions, quizzes and tie-ins with the local shops, as well as suggested text for local newspapers. The peak of the press books popularity lasted from the 1920s until the beginning of 1950s, when film distributors started to have more money to spend on promotiona l strategies, and film going was at its height. By the mid 1950s, theatre attendance had dropped to only 50 percent of what it had been in 1946. (Lees and Berkovitz, 1981) To make things worse, the U.S Department of Justice had launched an antitrust suit against the Big Five film companies Paramount, RKO, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros. and MGM. After eight years of negotiations, these studios and three minor studios of that time Columbia, Universal, and United Artists agreed to what became known as the Paramount Consent Descree. (Pomerance, 2005:12) From now on, studios could no longer marshal under their own vertical structures the entire movie-making process, from acquisition of script material through pre-production, filming, editing, marketing, distributing, and exhibiting and therefore could no longer predict in advance what the profit range would be for the films they systematically produced. As the audience were less likely to visit the theatre, films had to have a more profound contact through the plot or use of vi sual effects. As a result, exhibition practises were modified in many ways after 1950 to lure the audience back: widescreen processes like CinemaScope and Cinerama, advance reservation road show bookings for major features, more intensive use of cinematic colour, the use of more exotic locations and lushly scored, quasi-symphonic or jazzy music. (Pomerance, 2005) However, what makes a hit? is the big question that has been on the minds of everyone involved in the movie business since its early days. (Lees, 1981:142) The uncertainty engendered by this shaky state of affairs causes, quite naturally, a parallel state of anxiety about decision making. There are no guidelines to consult that will indicate anything other than approximate probability. Film marketing has therefore two definitions. One is giving the public what they want. The other is making the public want what you have got. In the eyes of many movie marketers, this amounts to a very clear distinction between bad and good. (E.Squire, 2006:67) The problem is that there is usually no sure way to tell what the public wants. In late 1960s, film makers had started to use marketing research as a method of predicting the audience acceptance. Its goals were clear: determine a statistical picture of the kinds of people who go to movies, find out if certain projects will meet with public favour and learn how to market films that have already been made. (Marich, 2009:29) However, producers could watch the results of market research, trade paper reports of grosses, but the numbers for one film could never predict how the next one would do. In the 1970s, for example, there were three kinds of films one did not make: science fiction, sports and Vietnam. The films in those subject categories had all bombed, so it was assumed the public was turned off by the subject matter. (Stringer, 2003) Vietnam was depressing, science fiction was for buffs, and who wanted to see movies about boxing when they could see real sports at home, for free? Star Wars (Lucas, 1977), Coming Home (Ashby, 1978) and Rocky (Avildsen, 1976) buried these arguments forever, although the same thinking persists. For example, the presence of stars in the cast was said to be insurance that a film would be successful, but in Star Wars, for example, there were no famous names. Interestingly, the American film industry changed more between 1969 and 1980 than at any other period in its history, except perhaps for the introduction of sound. During that time, profits for the most successful motion pictures rose from the hundreds of thousands to the hundreds of millions of dollars. (Curran, 1998) The sixties were also highly marked by the rise of television. Although still too expensive, it opened a new window for film marketers. The film that is often credited with changing how movies are distributed and marketed was Jaws (Spielberg,1975), the first film to open at a thousand theatres and to use network television to support it. Made by Universal Pictures, the studio liked the complete film so much that it began a TV advertising campaign that cost an unprecedented $700,000 (Block, 2010:506) The film opened on 490 screens, setting the standard for subsequent wide openings for Hollywood films. Universal was looking to ramp up the marketing for Jaws to levels never seen before. Three nights before the film was scheduled to open nationwide, the studio saturated the networks during peak prime time hours with a barrage of thirty-second trailers. When it opened on June 20, Jaws become a national sensation. After the Jaws experience in 1975, multi-disciplined marketing departments were created, which included specific divisions for publicity, creating advertising, media buying, and promotion. (Cook, 2000). The follo wing chart depicts Jaws franchise films all-release worldwide box office revenues versus their production costs. (Block, 2010:507) Equivalent 2005 $s Against the rule of films one should not make in 1970s, George Lucas began developing his concept of a mythical science-fiction action adventure film named The Star Wars, set in the distant future and featuring a cast of characters. Universal and United Artists passed on it, but 20th Century Foxs Alan Ladd Jr. offered Lucas $10.000 to develop the screenplay. (Bakker, 2008:101) The head of Foxs advertising department, David Weitzner, began working on the film in February of 1977 and hired the successful advertising agency of Smolen, Smith and Connoly, which had previously created campaigns for such movies as Carrie (De Palma,1976) and The Omen (Donner, 1976). Donald Smolen began his task by examining the initial marketing research that had been conducted. The reports from the early screenings were not very encouraging said Smolen. We were told not to spend too much money, because the research showed it was just another science-fiction movie. (French, 1997:32) They certainly were not too excited about it, with the exception of Ashley Boone, the vice president of distribution at Fox, who kept touting the film, saying it is going to be a hit. When Fox screened the film for Smolen and his partners, they were not impressed. At this point, there were so much missing from the film it was not fair to judge it, although we did. However, my job was to make sure the f ilm was sold. In that regard it did not make any difference what the research showed or what anybody thought about the film. We were just trying to sell the film in the best possible way. (French,1997:32) To pump up pre-release interest, Lucas inventively tapped science fiction conventions, released a comic book and a novelization. The film opened to long lines at 10.00 am on May 25,1977 in a mere 43 locations across the United States. (Lucasfilm Ltd, 2004) No one knew it was going to be a big hit remembers David Prowse, actor playing Lord Vader. Nowadays, we take for granted that a big blockbuster will go out with thousands of prints and open in May. But back then the summer special effects blockbuster did not exist. (Prowse,2010) Although there were certainly fewer movie theatres in operation during the 1970s compared with today, a wide release of a mainstream, non-specialised film at that time typically meant a few hundreds engagements. Lippincott, former Lucasfilm Ltd. Vice President for Advertising admits that if the film was redone today, on the basis of the way movies are released with a couple of thousands prints, it probably would have been unsuccessful. Theatres did not want the movie. We were lucky to get forty theatres to open it (Gross, 1999:55) What is more, until the mid 1970s, movies were poor cousins of television when it came to merchandising. Sound tracks and books had always brought income to producers and studios, but the manufacturers who bought licenses to make other kinds of products such as toys or t-shirts figured that regular weekly exposure on television was the key to selling their goods. In comparison, movies seemed to be quick, one-shot affairs, not around long enough to sustain a product in the marketplace. (Curran, 1998) All that changed with Star Wars. The phenomenal success of most of the scores of Star Wars items showed that all sorts of products could ride on the coattails of a hit film. It also showed that through shrewd merchandising, a studio could make millions of dollars above and beyond income from movie theatres. The studios tend to define merchandising as any instance of an outside company using a film title or an image from a film on a product or as part of an advertising campaign. (Smith, 20 02:34) The latter case is called a tie-in, and as its name suggests, it is a partnership of two different companies in a unified advertising strategy. George Lucas agreed to reduce his salary as a film maker, reportedly $100.000, in exchange for Fox agreeing to let him have the films merchandising rights and other, lesser non-cash considerations. At the time Star Wars hit theatres, it had just ten licensees, but that mushroomed when the science fiction movie exploded in the box office. According to The Licensing Letter, the original merchandisers were Kenner for toys, games and crafts, Factors and Image Factory for t-shirts and posters, Ben Cooper for childrens costumes, Twentieth Century Records for soundtracks, Ballantine for paperbacks, Marvel for comics, Don Post Studios for various masks, Ken Films for edited home movies, and George Fenmore Associates for souvenir programs. (Marich, 2009:144) Star Wars was the real birth of the modern movie licensing business and it caught a lot of people by surprise. Six months after the release of Star Wars the much anticipated range of toys still was not ready. Puzzles, jigsaws and other items that could be produced with relatively short lead times begin to dominate toy shops across America, but Kenner had simply not had enough time to create its product. It became apparent to everyone at the company that they were going to miss the all-important Christmas toy purchasing period. Worried that by the time its products were available, the Star Wars obsession of Americas children would be over, the company devised the Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. (Lucasfilm Ltd, 2004) This was a large envelope available in toy stores. It included a certificate which the recipient would have to post to Kenner, remembering to include his or her name and address. The recipients would then, as soon as the toys were produced and before they were av ailable in shops, receive the first four of Kenners Star Wars action figures: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Chewbacca. Kenner, which is now owned by Hasbro, still to this day has a Star Wars license for different merchandise. To compare, in 1997, by adding just four-and-a-half minutes of new footage to the original film, at a cost of $10m, roughly the cost of the entire original movie, George Lucas has managed to recycle Star Wars back to the top of the box office and make it the most successful picture of all time in the US. When it opened on May 25, 1977, Star Wars took $2.6 million in six days from a timid 32-screen release. On January 31, 1997, the re-release exceeded all expectations with $35.9m from 2,104 screens. (Duncan, 1997: 16) When George Lucas decided to digitally revamp the Star Wars trilogy for re-issue, Lucasfilm and 20th century Fox were left with a marketing conundrum. How do you build awareness for a film that is possibly the best known picture ever made? We went into re-release without a marketing template explains Gordon Radley, president of Lucasfilm. (Lucasfilm Ltd, 2004) Star Wars is more than a cultural phenomenon, it has such an impact on the hearts and minds of cinema-goers and no trilogy has ever been re-released on such a large scale. Lucas himself had strict guidelines for the worldwide re-release: it was to emphasise the in-theatre experience- the big screen as the best possible way to see Star Wars as well as stressing the unique chance to see all three films in a relatively short scape of time. Less than a year before the Star Wars relaunch, the new trio was titled The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition and given the tag line Join the Celebration! Back on The Big Screen! (Lucasfilm Ltd , 2004). Although the average American has seen the film many times, US posters used the phrase See It For The First Time. (Duncan, 1997:16) Working with Lucasfilm, Fox marketers have approached Star Wars in terms of raising the consciousness of an existing, long-lasting brand name. The important thing was that we were not bringing a new film out says Jim Gianopulos, president of 20th Century Fox International. We didnt have to raise awareness. In 1996, before the release, Star Wars merchandising held the number two sales spot. (Smith, 2002:35) Star Wars action figures were the biggest selling toy after Barbie and has made more than $3 billion since the release of the film in 1977 twice the amount the franchise itself has earned. The unprecedented $2 billion tie-in with PepsiCo that was struck in May 1996, became the cornerstone to promoting Star Wars as a brand name again. (Duncan, 1997:16) During the latter part of the decade, intoxicated by the success of Jaws and Star Wars, Hollywood developed a blockbuster complex. The following table depicts franchise films originating in the 1970s. (Block and Wilson, 2010:533) Equivalent 2005 $s in Millions of $s Rank Franchise Number of Films in Franchise All-Release Worldwide Box Office 1 Star Wars 6 $6,872.9 2 Jaws 4 $2,238.9 3 Rocky 6 $2,060.6 4 Superman 5 $1,797.0 5 The Godfather 5 $1,139.2 The event movies, franchise films, and instant blockbusters that drove the box office of the 1980s became more expensive, more high-tech, and more international in the 1990s, although the profits became even harder to realise. By the early 1990s, sophisticated marketing techniques such as advertising testing, the use of the internet and product placement in films, became firmly rooted in the business. As production and marketing costs soared, more and more movies opened with huge grosses only to fade after the first weekend, replaced by another movie the following weekend. Nobody could predict that in a summer packed with big-budget mainstream studio fare like Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Lucas, 1999) and Wild Wild West (Sonnenfeld, 1999), Artisan studio would score the most stunning coup in recent times by propelling Blair Witch Project, a grainy, low-tech documentary, to $250 million at the box office worldwide. (Marich,2009:96) Interestingly, the writers of the film spent less than $100,000 to make and present it in documentary style. As a result, with sequels, videos and licensed merchandise, it became the most profitable low-budget films in cinema history, as depicted in the following table. (Block, 2010:520) Top 5 Blockbuster Movies Lowest Production Cost versus Highest Revenue All-Release Domestic Box Office, 1960-2009 Equivalent 2005 $s in Millions of $s Rank Film Initial Release Domestic Box Office Production Cost 1 The Blair Witch Project 1999 $177.3 $.04 2 Easy Rider 1969 $191.7 $1.9 3 American Graffiti 1973 $402.0 $3.30 4 Psycho 1960 $209.9 $5.3 5 My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2002 $266.4 $5.4 Thanks to a revolutionary use of the internet and word-of-mouth, the movie stood out amongst the onslaught of $200 million movies with corporate tie-in partners and $50 million advertising budgets. Bound by a small marketing budget, the internet proved to be the one outlet where the money spent paid off in spades. The Web completely levels the playing field; you cant out-spend somebody on the Web the Artisans studio marketing head, John Hegeman said. Its against the grain of every other media; you create a message and give it time to breathe. If the environment is interesting, you can hold onto the fan base longer, as opposed to a 30-second ad thats here and gone. For us, it was the most important and impactful delivery mechanism (Hegeman, cited in Stanley, 1999) Co-director of the movie, Eduardo Sanchez, created the Blair Witch Project website to outline the story of the Blair Witch and lure potential investors- before the screenplay had even been written. He also planted a false information that the murders shown on-screen were real, not staged by film makers. Of course the events depicted in the movies were not real, but the controversy they caused helped boost interest and ticket sales. Rather than posting a typical promotional movie site with Shockwave presentations, cute screen savers, a few trailers, and an opening date, Sanchez created a Web site that is an extension of the movie rather than just an online advertisement. In addition, just before the general release of the film, The Science-Fiction Channel aired a mockumentary, Curse of the Blair Witch (Sanchez, 1999b), which, supposedly, investigated the legend behind the movie. The program contains actual interviews of relatives and friends of the three main characters. (Sanchez, 1999b) Since the whole legend was fictional, including the myth of the missing students, the program can be treated as another marketing mechanism for the film. Despite this, it gives more background information on the legend that is hinted at in the film. Then, at the Cannes Film Festival, the producers distribute flyers containing information about the cast. The missing posters of the actors of the film were also put up. These marketing strategies and also the authentic feel of the movie made many viewers believe that the whole documentary was real, even though the film was listed in the fiction category. This decade also saw industry consolidation accelerate. By the end of the 1990s, bigger companies dominated the entertainment industry and companies such as News Corporation (20th Century-Fox and Fox Broadcasting), Time Warner (Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema), and Viacom (Paramount, Blockbuster Video, and CBS) were changing the dynamics of ownership. (Bakker, 2008:122) Studios were no longer part of companies focused primarily on movies and TV shows. These companies ushered in an era of more intense research, which was conducted at a higher cost. Everything was tested, from story concepts to TV commercials. These companies were also able to raise vast pools of funds from investors both in United States and around the world. Movies were still shown on film, but there were signs that the end of the celluloid era was upon us as movies entered the electronic age. Digital technology was used first to store information, then to edit movies and TV shows, and later as a tool in special effects, leading ultimately to the beginning of digital cinema, which would transform production, distribution, and exhibition. At the same time the internet gave easy access to an abundance of information and fast communication. When in 1993 only 1.3 million people used the Internet, by the year 2000, over 300 million people had access. (Bordwell, 2003:274) Soon after, the DVD was introduced as a digital consumer entertainment format and seemed likely to replace videotape. However, mainly due to evolving technology, the U.S film industry faced many new difficulties as a new century dawned. Film piracy exploded, thanks to digital copying and internet access. Also box-office revenues swelled due to increased ticket prices as supposed to larger audiences. In real terms, theatres were earning less from tickets sales that they had in the 1980s. (Stringer, 2003) In the meantime, the costs of film making and marketing were rising faster than the income. Nonetheless, theatrical motion pictures remained central ingredients in the media mix. Films spawned television series, video games, comic books and other merchandise material. The press tracked top-grossing films as if they were a sports team. The industry might have been riddled with economic problems, but film was securely at the centre of Americas and the worlds popular culture. Bibliography draft: Bakker, George (2008) Entertainment Industrialised. The Emergence of the International Film Industry, 1890-1940, University Press, Cambridge. Bassom, David (1999) Star Maker, StarBust, May 1999, pp. 40-45. Bhuvaneshwari (2005) Star Wars: A Star Brand, IBSCDC, May 2005, pp. 1-8. Block, Alex Ben and Lucy Autrey Wilson (2010) Blockbusting, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York. Cook, David (2000) History of the American Cinema. 9 Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979, MacMillan, New York. Curran, David (1998) Guide to American Cinema 1965-1995, Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport. Dale, Martin (1997) The Movie Game. The Film Business in Britain, Europe and America, Cassell, London. Duncan, Celia (1997) Marketing Focus: Star Wars Trilogy, Screen International, March 1997, p. 16. Endicott, Robert (2000) Studios Soar to New Box-Office Nirvana Advertising Age, July 2000, p. 10 E.Squire, Jason (2006) The Movie Business Book, McGraw-Hill Education, England. French, Lawrence (1997) Selling the Force, Cinefantastique, February 1997, pp. 32-37. Hayward, Susan (1996) Key concepts in Cinema Studies, Routledge, New York. Izod, John (1988) Hollywood and the box office, 1985-1986, MacMillan Press, Hampshire. Kempster, Grant (2005) Star Wars, Film Review, August 2005, pp. 12-16. Lehu, Jean-Marc (2007) Branded Entertainment: Product placement and brand strategy in the entertainment business, Kogan Page, London. Lees, David and Stan Berkowitz (1981) The Movie Business, Random House, New York. Marich, Robert (2009) Marketing to Moviegoers: A Handbook of Strategies and Tactics, second edition, Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale. Pham,Andrew and Neil Watson (1993) The Film Marketing Handbook, BAS Printers Limited, Hampshire. Pomerance, Murray (2005) American Cinema of the 1950s. Themes and Variations, Oxford International Publishers Ltd, Oxford. Prowse, David, actor playing Lord Vader in Star Wars trilogy. Face-to-face interview (notes), 20 September, 2009, Glasgow. Smith, Jim (2002) The Star Wars Story- Part One, StarBust, May 2002a, pp. 34-41. Smith, Jim (2002) The Star Wars Story- Part Two, StarBust, June 2002b, pp. 26-33. Smith, Jim (2002) The Star Wars Story- Part Three, StarBust, July 2002c, pp. 28-34. Stringer, Julian (2003) Movie Blockbuster, Routledge, New York. Wasko, Janet (2003) How Hollywood Works, SAGE Publications, London. Miller, Neil The Ultimate Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Photo Gallery, http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/the-ultimate-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-photo-HYPERLINK http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/the-ultimate-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-photo-gallery.phpgallery.php (accessed 22.02.2010) Royal Albert Hall Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix http://www.royalalberthall.com/about/history-and-archives/timeline-detail.aspx?search=20030626 (accessed 18.02.2010) Granville, Williams Bestriding the World http://www.mediachannel.org/ownership/granville.shtml (accessed 22.03.2010) Entertainment Marketing Letter Product Placement On The Rise In Broadcast Network Primetime Shows, http://www.epmcom.com/products/entertainment/eml (accessed 10.03.2010) Koster, Olinka Harry Potter and the not-so-wizard Coca-Cola wheeze http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-79086/Harry-Potter-wizard-Coca-Cola-wheeze.html (accessed 23.03.2010) Moat, Janet Selling the Movies, http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tours/marketing/marketingtour1.html (accessed 24.10.2009) Grover, Ronald Twilight, the Movie: This Seasons Harry Potter? http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2008/tc20081114_235548.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_companies (accessed 22.03.2010) MPAA Marketing budget 2007, http://www.mpaa.org/researchStatistics.asp (accessed 10.01.2010) Box Office Mojo Proud American, http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=proudamerican.htm (accessed 21.01.2010) Thilk, Chris Harry Potter series http://www.moviemarketingmadness.com/blog/2004/06/03/7005/ (accessed 5.09.2009) Filmprofit, Producers Marketing Package http://www.filmprofit.com/samples/ProdMarkSample.pdf (accessed 01.01.2010) Stanley, Tim, High-Tech Throwback marketing of Blair Witch Project, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BDW/is_36_40/ai_56023086/ (accessed 10.11.2009) Star Wars:Bonus Material, prod: Lucasfilm Ltd., USA, 2004. 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Ministers Black Veil Essays: Masks and Intimacy -- Ministers Black V

The Minister's Black Veil - Masks and Intimacy  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      The Minister's Black Veil begins with a young pastor, Mr. Hooper, arriving at church with an ugly black veil covering his face. The people are all dismayed, and wonder why he is wearing a black veil. They are further dismayed and confused, when he refuses to take it off--ever. There is only one person who is not horrified by his black veil--his wife-to-be, Elizabeth. She comes to him and says, "there is nothing terrible in this piece of crape, except that it hides a face which I am always glad to look upon. Come, good sir, let the sun shine from behind the cloud. First lay aside your black veil: then tell me why you put it on." (Heath 2143) Mr. Hooper smiles and replies, "There is an hour to come when all of us shall cast aside our veils. Take it not amiss, beloved friend, if I wear this piece of crape till then." (Heath 2143) Elizabeth, again, entreats him to remove the veil, but he replies, "this veil is a type and a symbol, and I am bound to wear it ever, both in light and darkness, in solitude and before the gaze of multitudes, and as with strangers, so with my familiar friends. No mortal eye will see it withdrawn. This dismal shade must separate me from the world: even you, Elizabeth, can never come behind it!" Elizabeth asks him what shall the people think of his veil? Won't it start a scandal? Mr. Hooper then replies, "If I hide my face for sorrow, there is cause enough, and if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?" (Heath 2143) Elizabeth begins to feel terror at the sight of the veil. She turns to leave the room, and Mr. Hooper cries, "Have patience with me, Elizabeth! Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on e... ... understanding, and healing. Mr. Hooper's veil ostracized him from the mercy, understanding and love, from his congregation. BIBLIOGRAPHY Kaul, A. N., (Ed.). (1966). "HAWTHORNE: A Collection of Critical Essays." Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Levin, Harry., (Ed.). (1961) "The Scarlet Letter and Other Tales of the Puritans." Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Morris, Lloyd., "THE REBELLIOUS PURITAN: Portrait of Mr. Hawthorne." Port Washington: Kennikat Press. "The Heath Anthology of American Literature" (2nd ed.). Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company. Van Doren, Mark., (Ed.). (1951). "The Best of Hawthorne." New York: The Ronald Press Company. Waggoner, Hyatt H., "HAWTHORNE: A Critical Study." Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. "World History and Cultures: In Christian Perspective." Pensacola: A Beka Book.   

Sigmund Freud and Phobias

Are phobias caused by sexual needs, or Is there something else that causes people to have phobias? Sigmund Freud was born May 6, 1 856, in Beriberi, Moravia (now the Czech Republic). Freud grew up a very confused child. His father married a woman 20 years younger than himself. His father had sons that were as old as his new bride. Freud thought his half-brothers were more compatible as a mate with his mother. Freud himself questioned If his new little sister was produced from his father or half- brother.HIS childhood confusion led him to Investigate his own thoughts and the Houghton of other people. (Gay, P.. 1988) Freud used psychoanalysis in patients, which allowed them to openly speak about their memories in a relaxed environment. Fraud's psychoanalyst approach is still used today. Summers (2006) states, â€Å"Freud found that as the patient grew closer to the traumatic material, repression increased, and the analyst's intervention was required. As each resistance was overcome, a new zone was reached In which the patient could associate freely. UT as that process approached painful material, the resistance intensified, and the analyst was needed to break through the new airier. † (p. 328) But Freud was not satisfied with just analyzing people's thoughts. He wanted to know what motivated the repression of feelings. Freud thought the three psychic structures: the [d, the ego, and the superego, could be used to describe the conflicting forces of personality. The old begins at birth and continues until the child Is 1 year old. The old Is entirely unconscious, and has no regard for rules of society.The ego Is the second stage of psychic structures. The child is beginning to see that needs cannot be met immediately. The third stage of psychic structure development is the superego. This stage takes over in early childhood as the child begins to learn the rules of society. The child also begins to be more like his or her parent. (Rather, 2008) Freud was very controversial In his time. He believed children's basic feelings were related to sexual feelings. He defined five stages of psychosocial development as oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.The stages of psychosocial development translate into adulthood as well. If needs are not met, or overestimated during any of the stages, the child will have issues as an adult. Rather, 2008) The first stage of psychosocial development is the oral stage. This begins at birth. Freud argued that breastfeeding satisfied sexual need in an infant as well as nourished the child. By weaning the child early, he or she may have an oral fixation infant is able to begin to control bowel movements. Freud believed anal fixations translated into adulthood by being overly self-controlling or careless.The third stage is the phallic stage, which begins around the third year of life. During this stage children may have strong sexual attachments too parent. The latency stage begins after a child has had sexual attachment too parent for several years. During this stage the sexual feelings remain unconscious. The fifth and final stage is the genital stage, which takes over at puberty. It is at this time that young adults begin to find mates that resemble their father or mother. (Rather, 2008) Freud also thought that phobias originated from sexual urges.Freud used the case of â€Å"Little Hans,† a boy who was afraid of horses to explain how phobias are related to sexual urges. Little Hans was five years old, his father wrote to Freud to help explain why Hans was afraid of horses. Freud theorized that Hans had an Oedipus complex and was in love with his mother, and was a sexual rival of his father. Freud believed phobias do no occur when sexual development is normal. Fraud's explanation does not take into account that the young boy had witnessed a terrible accident between a bus and a horse weeks earlier.Freud suggested to Hans' parents to allow Hans to openly speak his feelings, which they did. When Hans' parents talked to him, they found out he was Jealous of his new baby sister getting more attention than he. Years later when Freud spoke with Hans, Hans could not member his phobia of horses. Although most mental health experts have now discarded Fraud's theory of phobias originating from sexual development, Freud did advance the study of mental illness by having patients openly discuss their phobias. Margarita, 2009) People unable to cope well with stress may develop an anxiety disorder. Margarita (2009) defines anxiety disorder as â€Å"an extreme and chronic reaction to an irrational fear, affecting a person's mood, thoughts, behavior, and activities. † (p. 19) The six types of anxiety disorder include social phobias, specific phobias, panic crosier, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Panic disorder symptoms include a sudden attack of terror including pounding heart, sweating, weakness, fai ntness, or dizziness.Obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms consist of becoming obsessed with a certain fear, and creating strange rituals to overcome the fear. Post-traumatic stress disorder affects people who have suffered through a traumatic event. Many veterans suffer from this disorder. General anxiety disorder is marked by a constant worry for no reason. (Margarita, 2009) According to Margarita (2009) â€Å"Phobias are irrational and persistent fears that can be triggered by all manner of sources, including objects, situations, people, or activities. † (p. 8) The two general types of phobias are social and specific phobias.Social phobias are triggered by everyday social situations. Specific phobias include fears about heights, spiders, water, snakes, or elevators. About 15 million Americans experience social phobias, and 19 million suffer from specific phobias. Phobias may come from a frightening experience in childhood, chemical imbalances of the brain, r fears learned from ancestors. (Margarita, 2009) Many people may experience nervousness from different social situations, such as People with social phobias are crippled by their fear of social situations to the point that it interferes with their daily lives. Margarita, 2009) There are two types of social phobias: circumscribed social phobia and generalized social phobia. Margarita (2009) defines circumscribed social phobia as, â€Å"the fear of a specific situation. † (p. 22) Examples of circumscribed social phobia includes being uncomfortable eating in a restaurant or being unable to use public staterooms. People suffering from circumscribed social phobia are usually able to lead relatively normal lives. They simply avoid the situation that makes them uneasy. Individuals that have generalized social phobia are much more likely to have difficulty with life.Margarita (2009) states, â€Å"Generalized social phobia involves fear of all social situations, such as parties, school dances, or similar events. † (p. 23) Specific phobias are an intense, irrational fear of something specific, such as flying, elevators, or insects. Specific phobias usually do not dominate a person's life. There are four types of specific phobias, including: fear of insects and animals, fear of natural environments, fear of blood or injury and fear of dangerous situations. A 2001 poll revealed 51 percent of people with phobias are afraid of snakes.Other top ranking phobias include public speaking, heights, being in a small space, and spiders and insects. (Margarita, 2009) Of all the specific phobia suffers, 9 out of 10 are women. Parents may partially be to blame because they are more protective of daughters rather than sons. Boys are taught to be independent, whereas daughters are cautioned to stay close to home. Phobias often start in childhood and are carried into adult life. Another theory is that women are the more vulnerable sex, and are more likely to be the victim of sexual assau lt. Margarita, 2009) The physical reactions to phobias are numerous: Breathing increases to take in more oxygen; the heart beats faster; blood pressure rises; stomach vessels constrict to force blood elsewhere; arms and legs receive extra blood for energy; and perspiration increases to regulate body temperature. This reaction of the body prepares it to fight the stress or run away from it. This is known as the â€Å"flight or fight† action. (Margarita, 2009) What causes phobias? Phobias can be a result of trauma in early life. Scientists are also studying brain function in regards to phobias.The amygdaloidal are located in the center of the brain. Amygdaloidal control emotions. Scientists continue to research the amygdaloidal to see if they malfunction, causing the body to overreact to fears. Neurotransmitters enable messages to circulate through the brain, and scientists wonder if an imbalance of neurotransmitters could cause phobias. (Margarita, 2009) Phobias affect people in more ways than Just the anxiety felt. People suffering from phobias spend an average of $700 more per year on healthcare than other patients. People with phobias take 60 percent more sick days than other employees.People with phobias are not as likely to advance in their careers because the affect the phobia has on their Job performance. People with phobias earn on average 10 percent less, and have a 10 percent chance of not graduating college. Not only is employment and schooling disturbed, family life is as well. Sixteen percent of social phobia patients abuse alcohol, three times as many as the regular population. Recent of phobia suffers have attempted suicide at one point in their lives. This is the same rate as people suffering with depression. Margarita, 2009) Treatment options for phobias include psychiatric therapy or Joining a support group. Some people overcome phobias by learning how to relax. The first step to overcoming fears is to realize they are irrational. It ma y also help to think about things that are not fearful. Some psychologists recommend yoga or exercise to reduce anxiety. They also urge patients not to isolate themselves but rather keep in close contact with family and friends and discuss their fears with them. Others who suffer from phobias turn to cognitive-behavioral therapy.Cognitive-behavioral therapy gradually exposes the person to their fear. Cognitive-behavioral therapy was first used by New York psychotherapist Albert Ellis in 1953. Cognitive-behavioral therapy May take eight to twenty treatments, with homework assignments assigned between visits. During treatment patients are gradually exposed to their phobias and they work through the anxiety that is felt. The anxiety is greatly reduced and patients learn skills to work through any anxiety. Other suffering from phobias may cake antidepressants.These drugs help regulate the flow of neurotransmitters. Antidepressants have high success rates, but medication alone won't cure phobias. People affected by phobias may be treated by a professional for months or years before getting over their fears. (Margarita, 2009) Do most experts today feel the same as Freud that phobias originate from sexual dysfunction? Most experts agree that trauma or change in life environments are the causes of most phobias. Although some phobias are quite debilitating, treatment options do exist for people willing to work through their phobia.

Farmer Boldwood throughout the novel Essay

This illustrates that he is completely obsessed; he worships the ground she walks on. The news of Troy’s death has once again disturbed Boldwood’s equilibrium, and new hope burns within him. In chapter forty-nine, following the complete ruining of his crops due to his neglectful behaviour, Boldwood appoints Oak to look after his farm. â€Å"A great hope had latterly germinated in Boldwood, whose unreasoning devotion to Bathsheba could only be characterized as a fond madness which neither time nor circumstance, evil nor good report, could weaken or destroy. † In this sentence the Author describes Boldwood’s obsession with Bathsheba, and proves to us that although Boldwood’s hopes could be temporarily subdued, his true feelings were always there. It seems as if his feelings for Bathsheba will last his entire life. Boldwood’s hopes are encouraged when, after talking to Liddy he finds that Bathsheba mentioned remarrying in six years, giving him something to cling onto. Throughout the novel Boldwood thinks constantly about the best possible outcome of a situation. Liddy saying that Bathsheba once mentioned remarrying slowly evolves in his head into him believing that Bathsheba will marry him in six years. He always tries his best to keep himself hopeful. His waking hours once again become devoted to thinking about Bathsheba. In chapter fifty-one Bathsheba goes on a ride with Boldwood in his cart to Weatherbury after finding herself unable to refuse because Oak, her usual driver, was too busy and Boldwood her only alternative. After awkwardly chatting about mutual interests, Boldwood, unable to resist, bluntly asks â€Å"Mrs. Troy, you will marry again some day? † She is taken aback and a long pause ensues before she says she has not seriously thought of such a subject. Boldwood continues to press her, and is clutching for reassurance when he says, â€Å"You never liked me†. Bathsheba then talks about seriously regretting her treatment of him, and Boldwood is desperate and shameless enough to say to her â€Å"Bathsheba, suppose you had real complete proof that you are what, in fact, you are-a widow-would you repair the old wrong to me by marrying me? † These are the words of a truly desperate man; he does not care at all if Bathsheba loves or even likes him, but just wants her to marry him. His current mental state is worse than ever before. He keeps pressuring her about marrying him in six years’ time and when it seems as if she might decline, he prays on her ill treatment of him in the past, a desperate and dishonourable act. â€Å"But do give it, remember the past and be kind† Bathsheba eventually ends up being telling Boldwood she will tell him of her decision at Christmas. This act of Bathsheba’s subdues Boldwood, and as before in this situation he leaves her alone until the promised time because those simple words of hers are enough to comfort him into believing that she will eventually marry him. It is as if his life itself is centred around Bathsheba, but I think Bathsheba only promised to consider his proposal because she feared for his sanity. In chapter fifty-two Boldwood holds a grand Christmas party, something that is, evidently from the Author’s words, extremely out of character. But Boldwood has sunk so fast towards insanity that his â€Å"character† itself has changed dramatically. Boldwood is very expectant of Bathsheba’s answer, and deliriously happy in the build-up to the party. Bathsheba fears the party and having to give Boldwood an answer, and deliberately wears mourning clothes to it. Boldwood’s cheerful disposition will not be dampened, even when Oak tries to make him more realistic about the situation, to stop him getting his hopes up. But, as has been consistent throughout the novel, Boldwood’s moods and feelings are completely uninfluenced by anyone’s words but Bathsheba’s. Because of Boldwood’s cheerful mood, he increases Oak’s salary, this is mainly due to his knowledge of Oak’s interest in Bathsheba and seems to me like a consolation prize, because through the mental haze that obscures his judgement, he truly believes Bathsheba is his. It is in chapter fifty-three that Boldwood is finally pushed over the edge. After being verbally beaten into submission, Bathsheba gives her word to marry Boldwood in six years if Troy does not return. Still, this is not quite enough for Boldwood and he requests that she wear a ring he bought for her. The demonic force that appears to be gripping Boldwood as he almost forces the ring onto her finger is too much for Bathsheba, and she begins to cry. Soon after this, Troy arrives at the house and tries to take Bathsheba away and it is at that moment that Boldwood simply erupts – he shoots troy with one of the guns on his gun rack. The old Boldwood is now completely gone – replaced by a hysterical madman. â€Å"When Bathsheba had cried out in her husband’s grasp, Boldwood’s face of gnashing despair had changed. The veins had swollen, and a frenzied look had gleamed in his eye. † Able to take no more, Boldwood readies himself to commit suicide with the same gun, but is prevented by Samway. In chapter fifty-five the true extent of Boldwood’s obsession with Bathsheba is revealed. He had bought a large number of gifts for he labelled â€Å"Bathsheba Boldwood† and dated six years in advance. His very soul was completely consumed with the idea of marrying her. Boldwood is sentenced to life imprisonment. This novel describes the degeneration of a quiet, reserved and proud man into a crazed, violent and obsessive maniac. Throughout Boldwood’s life a certain equilibrium was preserved, and Bathsheba’s arrival and sending of the valentine disturbed it. He truly was â€Å"in extremity at once†. His mental state became more and more unstable until he finally exploded and shot Sergeant Troy. I believe this was the end of Boldwood’s equilibrium, and he would remain mentally ill and preoccupied with the woman he would never have.