To Hollywoodize: according to the Oxford dictionary this is
to “adapt (a story or series of events) so
as to conform to the supposed norms of a typical Hollywood film, especially in
respect of being unrealistically glamorous, exciting, or simplistic” (Oxford
Dictionary, 2013). While this is aimed at the film industry, this kind of
exaggerated hype is also used in programs such as Today Tonight, which use a
combination of sensationalism and reductionalism to engage their audience.
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| http://www.troll.me/2012/01/31/sheltered-suburban-kid/internet-ad-didnt-deliver-free-ipad-call-today-tonight/ |
As a private organisation Today Tonight uses sensationalism,
which is a build-up of a story to increase audience (Vettehen, Nujiten &
Beenties, p. 283), to act on human emotion. Today Tonight also engages in
reductionalism to compose un-newsworthy stories, which appear interesting and
appealing. This is in my opinion the foundation of Hollywoodisation.
Non-western films use this structure of idealism to create a
sense of desire from the audience. This is typical in Bollywood films, which
perhaps are even more so exaggerated than Hollywood. When I was travelling
through India we saw a film in Delhi, I have to say this is an experience I
will never forget. The film itself was filled with a cast of what must have
been models, who were all seemingly millionaires, which was all tied together
with a love story. However what made such a bizarre experience was that the
audience would dance and sing and clap throughout the movie. It felt a lot more
like a concert than a movie.
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| http://ncrafts.wordpress.com/unit-g322-key-concepts-section-b-film-industry/ |
With a 60% growth in exports of Bollywood films in recent
years, the Indian Film industry is making “progress in all four aspects of
globalization, (i. e., goods/services, capital, technology and people)”
(Pillania, 2008, p. 115). This leads me to ask the question, is Hollywood being
conformed by Bollywood?
Pillania, RK 2008, 'The Globalization of Indian Hindi
Movie Industry', Management (18544223), 3, 2, pp. 115-123, Business Source
Complete, EBSCOhost
Vettehen, P, Nuijten, K, & Beentjes, J 2005, 'News
in an Age of Competition: The Case of Sensationalism in Dutch Television News,
1995–2001', Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 49, 3, pp. 282-295,
Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost
Great start, straight into the concept's definition and you used a nice source. Thanks for that. I was a bit surprised that you didn't do the same when talking about Today Tonight. You've raised a good point there by showing us how pervasive the Hollywoodisation phenomenon is as it reaches beyond theatres and into TV programs. Great point. Thanks for that. The picture was a bit distracting, perhaps due to its size (not to mention the colours...). Your use of the Today Tonight example to substantiate your opinion on the evils of Hollywoodisation was good, and it allowed for a smooth transition into a discussion on Bollywood that I found quite interesting. Thanks for sharing that cultural experience with us! It was quite a surprise and it lead to your concluding open question in a very nice way. The picture with the comparison between Hollywood and Bollywood's figures was very interesting and supported your argumentation. I only regret that you didn't really delve into the subject of Bollywoodisation and ended your post at the very point where I felt the discussion was about to start. Maybe you did so deliberately so as to challenge the reader, but if that's the case it would have been nice to put a few hyperlinks to send us readers on the right path to investigate this further.
ReplyDeleteThis being said, I did like your post, thanks a lot for some of these new ideas and I'll be sure to look into that further :)