Category: Uncategorized
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YouTube Channels, Content Creation, and the Rise of Reaction Videos
YouTube has revolutionized content creation, giving rise to diverse formats, including the immensely popular reaction video genre. Popular channels like Blind Wave and SSSniperWolf exemplify how reaction videos have evolved into a significant mode of engagement, blending commentary, personality, and viewer interface. Blind Wave, known for its group reactions to TV shows, movies, and trailers,…
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Representations of Queerness; We Are Who We Are (2020)
Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are (2020) is a captivating exploration of queerness, identity, and adolescence. The series defies traditional television conventions, merging cinematic artistry, nonlinear storytelling, and global themes to create an immersive, introspective experience. At its heart, it tells the story of two teenagers, Fraser and Caitlin, who find solace in each…
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Post-Cinematic Affect and Sensation in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry’s ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004) exemplifies the concept of post-cinematic affect, where sensory and emotional experiences transcend traditional cinematic boundaries. This notion, explored by Shaviro (2010), emphasizes how contemporary films engage audiences through embodied, affective responses rather than linear narratives coherence. The film tells the story of Joel and Clementine, whose…
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The Legacy of Prison Break: Netflix and Binge Culture
The rise of internet-distributed TV, led by platforms like Netflix, has revolutionized how audiences consume television content, with binge-viewing becoming a defining feature of modern entertainment. A prime example of this shift is the resurgence of Prison Break (2005-2017), a series that found renewed life and expanded popularity in the streaming era. Initially broadcasted on…
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The Role of Computers in Distributing and Exhibiting Netflix’s Damsel
Written by Liah Twumasi Danquah | 33772944 The concept of “new media” can be characterised by the “use of a computer for distribution and exhibition rather than production” (Manovich, 2001, pp51). Netflix’s 2024 film Damsel is one of the most popular English films on the platform and is a perfect example of this since it…
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Music Video, Digital Aesthetic, and Representation: Analyzing Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’
Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines (2013) is one of the most polarizing music videos of the digital age, reflecting broader issues surrounding representation in the music video industry. Directed by Diane Martel, the video became infamous for its provocative imagery, objectification of women, and controversial lyrics, sparking debates about race, gender, and sexuality in popular culture…
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Is YouTube Slowly Killing Creativity?
YouTube is the leading video-sharing platform that wields immense cultural and social influence and cultivated lots of successful content creators. Creators here are commercialising and professionalising native social media users that generate original content. Their work can be promoted and monetised on online platforms like YouTube (Cunningham and Craig, 2019, p. 70). However, beneath the…
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Post-cinematic Affect in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
Written by Liah Twumasi Danquah | 33772944 Post cinematic affect can be understood as the shift in emotional engagement and sensory experience influenced by digital technologies and contemporary media. As Steven Shaviro argues, “filmmaking has changed” through “computer and network based, digitally generated new media” changing the way audiences experience affect (2010,pp.7). Unlike traditional cinema,…
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The Evolution of Music Videos through “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel to social media
Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ (1986) is a landmark music video that exemplifies the evolution of the art form, bridging the early MTV era and today’s digital platforms. Directed by Stephen R. Johnson and featuring at the time groundbreaking stop-motion animation by Aardman Animations, the music video redefined visual storytelling in music. It won nine MTV Video…
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How ASAP Rocky’s Taylor Swif Music Video Embodies the Second Aesthetic
Written by Liah Twumasi Danquah | 33772944 ASAP Rocky’s “Taylor Swif” music video is a striking example of the “second aesthetic”, a concept describing creative styles emerging from shifts in technology, platforms and media convergence (Vernallis, 2013, pp207). This is an aesthetic built on different types of digital media, where creative work breaks out from…
Digital Audiovisual Media Class Blog 