The Cafe: May 2012

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Group 5

The following link is a Doritos commercial that aired for the 2011 Super Bowl. The commercial begins with a man shutting a glass door with a bag of Doritos in his hand telling his girlfriend to check out something he is about to do. He proceeds to grab a chip out of the bag and entice a pug dog that is outside to come running full steam towards the closed glass door. Music in the backround is something of a fast paced opera as the dog closes in on the door in slow motion. The girlfriend tells the man to not hurt her dog. The dog reaches the door and the shot shifts from slow motion to full speed as the little pug busts down the door on top of the man, Doritos logo flashes up after. The final shot is the dog chowing down on Doritos as the man is pleading for it not to eat his Doritos from underneath the glass door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpjaOUjUPUc&feature=relmfu

-Why is the dog a smaller breed and not a larger breed?

-What is the purpose the producers are portraying when they show the whole door being knocked down?

-Do you think the man being crushed by a dog represents men not having power?
-Do you think the woman is trying to act overpowering towards the man in the commercial?
-Doritos have always been known to incorporate comedy into their commercials. Why do you think that is?

-This commercial was aired during the Super Bowl. How have commercials changed to target their specific audiences?
-What effect if any does the slow motion shots of the dog and the music have on the overall commercial?

Group 6

Epic Meal Time is a YouTube Channel that is catered to the "Man's World" style cooking. A group of men combine gross amounts and combinations of food and then attempt to eat it all in one sitting.
Please skip ahead to minute 1:15.

What techniques does Epic Meal Time use to gain it's target audience of primarily males?

How does their language reinforce that the show is watched by a certain audience?

How does the comedy make the food appealing?

Why does the combination of food appeal to the audience?

Is an appetite gained or lost from watching the show?

http://www.youtube.com/user/EpicMealTime?feature=watch

How Do I Participate?

As a Blog Group member:

- Keep an eye out for interesting articles, blogs, Facebook conversations, Twitter updates, websites, YouTube videos and their comments, etc. as you go throughout your day. Almost anything can serve as the basis for a worthwhile analytical discussion on this blog!

- Review the assignment list of analytic post ideas before you meet with your group.

As an Individual Commenter:

- Review the week's blog post.

- Use the analytical toolkit techniques to put together your response.

- Review your response to ensure you are responding analytically and not from personal opinion (agree, disagree) or value judgments (like, dislike).

- Review the comments of others.

- Post your comment in conversation with the ongoing dialogue.

- Note: Consider the rhetoric of your own posts and comments. How might misspellings and sloppy punctuation affect the way people perceive your thoughts and ideas?

***When in doubt, go back to the Blog Project prompt for guidance.

What is the Blog Project?

It's a student-run online project where students serve as blog leaders and the blog audience. It allows each student group to initiate a conversation about a food topic or online source.

Through this blog, you will combine the analytical techniques you are learning in class with the online public writing many of you are already actively engaged in on Facebook, Twitter, forums, blog posts, etc.

As you progress week-to-week in analyzing the arguments of public authors (and reading the analytical responses of your peers), you will become a stronger writer and be able to deconstruct sources using evidence and complex reasoning.

The goal here is to become a more careful, thoughtful observer and to be more confident in making interpretations about what you see. Remember: interpretation is the goal. Hold back on passing judgment or sharing personal opinion.