Media Reflection #3

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        The last two movies I watched were Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Mean Girls. I rewatched these two movies with my friends a few weeks ago, and I think they say a lot about my movie-watching habits. The Harry Potter series was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The movie Mean Girls was produced primarily by Paramount Pictures. Both of these companies are part of Hollywood's "Big Five" studios. Warner Bros, established in 1923, has produced many iconic films of various genres. From classics to modern blockbusters, Warner Bros' impact on the film industry is extensive. Paramount Pictures, established in 1912, is known for their expertise in streaming, advertising, global markets, and consumer products. Their studios claim to “create content for all audiences, across every genre and format.” Through looking at these recent films I have watched, various tendencies in my media viewing can be identified.  

These two movies, both being produced by very dominant organizations in today’s film industry, show that I tend to interact with media that is created by larger companies as opposed to that of more independent creators. In general, I am not a very big movie watcher, so it makes sense that the movies I have seen are from very big, well-known producers. Additionally, I tend to rewatch movies I have already seen, which further narrows my horizons. My inclination to watch movies from larger companies likely stems from the almost guaranteed quality and professionalism in these films. These movies usually have large budgets and high production value, which increases my appeal as well as their impact. Furthermore, movies from these dominant companies will likely have a very well-developed plot and be produced with the audience's interests in mind. However, I do not think I have been entirely aware of this habit of mine. I do not only choose movies from these large productions on purpose. It is more so that these movies tend to be most popular or “trendy,” and advertised significantly. Social media also plays a big part in what movies I watch. When I see recommendations or lots of talk about a movie online, I become more inclined to watch the movie.  

This class has already started changing my outlook on the media I consu
me, so I am sure that in the future I will be more conscious of who makes the content I watch. The class has exposed me to many different concepts in film that I may have briefly witnessed in the past, but now I know about them in detail. Learning about aspects of cinematography, mise-en-scene, and editing has shown me why exactly filmmakers do the things they do. Now, when I watch movies, these features of films are more significant in my mind, and I am given more insight into the choices filmmakers make. Also, in the future, I would like to watch a few independently produced films, to see the difference between these and the bigger companies’ films that I am more familiar with.  

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