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Table of Contents
- What is Scanning Television?
- Is Scanning Television Second Edition entirely new material?
- What is included in the kit?
- How do I order it?
- What rights are included?
- Are there closed captions or English subtitles?
- What is your returns policy?
- Will the DVD play in my region?
-
Who selected the videos and wrote the guide?
- What are the titles of the 51 videos and what are they about?
- What is media literacy?
- How can I contact other media educators?
- Are these videos subject to copyright?
- Do the proceeds from sales support media education?
What is Scanning Television?
51 Short Videos for Media Literacy Studies
Scanning Television, Second Edition emerges from a long standing collaboration
between educators, media producers and broadcasters which began in 1996.
The Scanning Television project was initiated in 1996 by the Jesuit Communication
project and is produced by Face to Face Media. A group of twenty media
educators from Canada and the US participated in the screening and selection
of the video excerpts for this edition, ensuring another classroom-friendly
collection.
The teacher's guide introduces each video excerpt with a brief description
and some background information on the issues. Questions, activities,
and discussion and research topics are loosely grouped into Before Viewing,
Foci for Viewing and After Viewing sections. The front sections of the
guide provide a concise overview and definition of media literacy, and
a broad assortment of media resources, websites and media literacy contacts
around the world.
The media educators who created Scanning Television also helped to write
the media literacy curricula that are used in Canadian schools. They divide
the 51 short videos in Scanning Television into five thematic groups designed
to help students explore the impact which the media has on their lives
and the world around them.
-
Seeing Ourselves: Media and Representation Questions the mediaÕs roles and responsibilities in affecting social change. Do the media influence the shaping of society, and if so, how?
-
Selling Images and Values examines the issue of persuasion in the media. How is advertising created? What is ethical? What is censored? How does media advertising influence how we see one another?
-
Our Constructed Worlds: Media Environments looks at how the media create their own special worlds as part of the marketing of products and services. This is part of their magic and their power. These media constructions often become unexamined parts of our everyday world.
-
The Global Citizen . We are all citizens of the global village. How do we learn about the world through the media? How does the media cover history in the making? How does media coverage influence politics? How do citizens make their voices heard?
-
New and Converging Technologies. These videos examine the impact of digital technologies and the internet, how they influence society, and how they affect the way we see ourselves and the world around us.
For teachers just
getting started in media studies Mass Media and Popular Culture by Barry
Duncan, published by Harcourt Canada and distributed in the US by the
Center for Media Literacy uses the same five thematic categories to
explore media literacy.
Is
Scanning Television Second Edition entirely new material?
Yes, entirely.
The new edition contains 51 videos and four copies of the 96 page teaching
guide, all new.
What
is included in the kit?
Note: DVDs will play in all zones. VHS also available in European (PAL)
format by request.
How
do I order Scanning Television?
International Orders
International price is $249 USD plus S&H Overseas shipments are by
airmail. S&H $25 for DVD kits, $40 for VHS kits. Payable in USD or
EURO and most major currencies Cheque or money order please.
Face to Face Media
1818 Grant Street
Vancouver BC Canada V5L 2Y8
email: marcuse@smartt.com
Tel 604 251 0770
Fax 604 251 9149
www.facetofacemedia.ca
US Orders
US Price is $249 USD plus $18 S&H.
Purchase orders are accepted.
Face to Face Media
1818 Grant Street
Vancouver BC Canada V5L 2Y8
email: marcuse@smartt.com
Tel 604 251 0770
Fax 604 251 9149
www.facetofacemedia.ca
GPN / Center for Media
Literacy
1800 N. 33rd Street
Lincoln, NE 68583 USA
1-800-228-4630
www.gpn.unl.edu/
Canadian Orders
Please consult our Canadian Distributor
For Canadian pricing and shipping information
Harcourt Canada
www.harcourtcanada.com/
What rights are
included?
These videos are cleared for classroom use. Audiovisual, public performance,
circulation within a single school district and building closed-circuit
use are rights granted.
Are
there closed captions or English subtitles?
Both DVD and VHS versions include closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
A decoder is required. The DVDs also include English subtitles which can
be toggled on or off.
What
is your returns policy?
If you are not completely satisfied, return the kit within 30 days for
a complete refund. Your only cost will be the return postage.
Will
the DVD play in my region?
Yes, the DVDs will play in all regions.
Who
selected the videos and wrote the guide?
The teaching guide was written by media educators Neil Andersen, and Kathleen
Tyner and John J. Pungente SJ. The videos were selected and tested with
assistance from twenty additional teachers with elementary, secondary
and university experience. The project was conceived and directed by John
J. Pungente and produced by Gary Marcuse.
The project was made possible by support from CHUM Television and Citytv Vancouver with additional support from foundations and producers. For a complete list of the writers and reviewers please see the credit list at the end of the videos or in the teaching guide.
What
are the titles and subjects of the 51 videos? Media
Television, the Spaghetti Hoax and the Awful Truth
This all new edition includes 25 new videos from MediaTelevision: The
Art and Science of Persuasion, plus 26 additional videos including episodes
of Michael MooreÕs The Awful Truth, a look at the Electronic Press Kit
for The Matrix, a much music video on youth suicide, visits to controversial
broadcasters al-Jazeera and Radio Havana, the famous 1956 BBC April FoolÕs
hoax The Spaghetti Story, the worldÕs first films by the Lumiere Brothers,
and outrageous clips from 1940s teen advice films Are You Popular? and
Dating DoÕs and DonÕts.
Complete list by category of titles, lengths and descriptions of the 51 individual videos
(Please see the teaching guide for sources, copyright, and lesson plans )
Seeing Ourselves: Media and Representation
01On Television
7:32 min.
MediaTelevisionÕs 10th anniversary program examines the predictions made
by media experts to see which came true and which took a left turn.
02 MADtv 8:03
min.
If comedy is the mirror of society, what does the sketch comedy in MADtv
say about us?
03 The Lumière
BrothersÕ First Films 4:06 min.
The history of cinema began on March 19, 1895 when the Lumière
brothers asked the workers at their factory to appear in the worldÕs first
film, Sortie dÕusine.
04 Are You Popular?
5:25 min.
A 1947classroom film offers teenagers advice ranging from sober to absurd
about how to be popular.
05 Dating DoÕs
and DonÕts 5:34 min.
The way that social mores have changed can be seen in this 1949 classroom
film about what to do, and not do, on a date.
06 The Commercial
Closet 6:02 min.
The Commercial Closet website charts the evolving worldwide portrayal
of gays and lesbians in mainstream advertising.
07 Canadian Elections
and the Media 10:56 min.
Strategists, campaign managers and media analysts talk about the power
of political messages and how they affect us not only as voters but as
viewers as well.
08 Women Are Not
Little Men 8:53 min.
The outrageous text of a 1950s industrial manual inspires a satire about
women in the workplace that blends new drama with old footage.
09 The Chase 0:36 min
The ability to run comes in handy, if you want to escape from girls.
10 WhatÕs Your Thing? 1:07min.
While nobody can be good at everything, this PSA tells boys that everybody
is good at something.
11 We Are Girls
0:52 min.
This PSA encourages girls to stay true to themselves.
12 PSAs Against
Racism 6:15 min.
Each year students across Canada create short PSAs about racism for a
national contest. These are ten of the winners. I Have a Dream, IÕm Back,
Morphing Faces, Claymation, News Story, Stop Racism, Pop-a-long, Wall
of Racism, They Always Listen, Dans le noir
13 The African-American
Wallet Exchange 7:26 min.
Host Michael Moore wonders how police officers could mistake wallets for
guns in the shooting deaths of African-Americans, and he starts a simple
campaign to save lives.
14 Is Suicide Too
Much for MuchMusic ? 19:50 min.
Singer Bobby GaylorÕs music video addressing youth suicide generates a
dialogue between experts, youth and the artist about what is helpful,
effective, safe and appropriate to show on television.
Selling Images and Values
15 MADD Dolls PSA
2:47 min.
This PSA appears to be an ad for toy dolls, until it turns into a drama
about drunk driving.
16 Ground Zero
Ads: Blast from Past 9:37 min.
A small ad agency with a flare for some deeply nutty and compelling advertising.
17 Date Rape Ad
Campaign 4:00 min.
This print campaign for TorontoÕs Rape Crisis Centre sprang from a belief
that a controversial campaign grabs more attention than a straight-up
approach.
18 Meet King Joe
4:46 min.
A 1949 cartoon character learns that he and his fellow workers are the
worldÕs most privileged consumers.
19 Religion in
Advertising 8:54 min.
A look at some bizarre and controversial ads that employ religious imagery
in marketing campaigns.
20 Culture Jammers
5:58 min.
MediaTelevisionÕs 10th anniversary program examines social activism in
the Information Age.
21 Culture Jam:
Hijacking Commercial Culture 15:34 min.
Culture jammers attack commercial ads with spray paint, felt pens and
sarcasm. Is this civil disobedience in the name of self-defence, or is
this vandalism?
22 Rehab 1:07
min.
A plea to teens to take action and provide support when friends use drugs.
23 Brain 0:37
min.
A bundle of wires short circuits and catches fire when exposed to the
ravages of drugs.
24 Chosen 10:31
min.
This BMW advertisement doubles as a short Internet film. Director Ang
Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ) creates a gem about innocence in
the midst of a car chase.
Our Constructed Worlds: Media Environments
25 The Spaghetti
Story 2:33 min.
In 1957 the very proper BBC informed viewers that spaghetti grew on trees.
26 House Hippo
1:06 min.
The North American House Hippo nests in closets, lives on peanut butter
and toast, and is a metaphor for inactive children.
27 Smart as You
1:06 min.
A talking TV explains that kids are smarter than the television.
28 Advertisers
Make Use of History 0:37 min.
Alcatel, a French telecommunications company, creates a controversial
ad using footage from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Õs 1963 I Have A Dream
speech.
29 POP! Goes the
Product 6:05 min.
Companies buy access to teen audiences by paying pop artists to promote
their products in video and print campaigns, on stage, and on tour.
30 Urban Monkey
4:14 min.
This city-loving Internet filmmaker has created an online alter-ego called
Urban Monkey. His character, an homage to the 1970s, is hip, happening,
and just a little bit hopeless.
31 Hollywood Electronic
Press Kits
The Matrix: Action Scenes 7:08 min.
32 The Matrix: On the Set 5:50 min.
Television stations can combine making of footage such as this with voice-over
interviews or narration. This excerpt focuses on the use of the green
screen for special effects.
33 The Matrix:
Interviews 4:19 min.
Keanu Reeves and Carrie Anne Moss discuss their characters, Laurence Fishburne
talks about the science fiction genre and producer Joel Silver refers
to the martial arts sequence.
34 Rev. Billy Project
6:20 min.
The self-described Minister of the Church of Stop Shopping uses performance
art to question consumer habits and corporate advertising.
35 The Voice Box
Choir 8:31 min.
Host Michael Moore visits the offices of a tobacco company at Christmas,
accompanied by a quartet of throat cancer sufferers who sing Christmas
carols through their electronic voice boxes.
36 Channel One
Network 5:38 min.
Channel OneÕs in-class broadcasts provide news and advertising to a captive
audience of eight million American students.
The Global Citizen
37 Branding
5:48 min.
Branding and media expert Jack Myers discusses the financial clout of
the youth audience, the changing shape of advertising and the emergence
of branding as the ultimate marketing exercise.
38 Radical Transmission
Syndicate: News Unlimited 5:52 min.
The Radical Transmission SyndicateÕs independent reports provide opinions
rarely explored on mainstream media, including stories critical of logging,
nuclear industries, and the domination of cities by cars.
39 The Kennedy
- Nixon Debate 3:01 min.
In the first-ever televised American presidential debate, Nixon did not
shave or wear makeupÑKennedy had a great tan. The rest as they say, is
history.
40 The Zapruder
Film of the Kennedy Assassination 3:12 min.
A silent 8mm amateur movie of the Kennedy visit to Dallas became one of
the best-known films of the 20th century when Abraham Zapruder filmed
the assassination of the President.
41 Coverage of
Media Coverage on 9/11 8:44 min.
When the World Trade Center attacks began, MediaTelevision observed the
newsmakers as they scrambled to cover the still-unfolding events.
42 Media, War and
Censorship 6:47 min.
When governments request restraint in war reporting, should media outlets
be critical or compliant? What happens to reporting when the media are
also targets?
43 Al-Jazeera Television
5:04 min.
Widely misunderstood in the west, Qatar-based al-Jazeera is a highly respected
news network with more than 35 million viewers.
44 Radio Havana
7:00 min.
Radio Havana struggles to get its message to its listeners despite being
underfunded, understaffed and challenged by sophisticated anti-Castro
broadcasters.
New and Converging Technologies
45 The Internet
5:40 min.
MediaTelevisionÕs 10th anniversary program asks whether the Internet is
a great leveler, bringing democracy back to the free world, or if it is
an efficient way for corporations to target potential consumers?
46 TheOneRing.net
5:43 min.
Can fans participate in a media phenomenon on an equal footing with official
sites?
47 Sacred Noise:
Audio Landscaping 5:05 min.
This New York company collects sounds from temple bells to bird songs
and weaves them into the soundtracks of major ads.
48 Forensic Technology
Inc. 5:13 min.
When hi-tech forensic science is combined with instant networking, high-powered
crime fighting is the result.
49 Marketing Digital
Television 8:45 min.
Viewers with satellite dishes or digital converters can sample over 200
channels, but broadcasters are struggling to attract audiences and advertisers.
50 Back of the
Mike 5:02 min.
Manufacturing illusions of rain, thunder, fire and galloping horses, the
artists behind the mike created fantasy worlds for radio dramas and westerns.
This 1939 film reveals some of their secrets.
51 Track Stars
7:30 min.
Two wild and crazy Foley artists demonstrate the creation of sound effects
for a cops and robbers sequence. Filmed in 1979, many of the same techniques
are still in use today
Both the video excerpts and the activities are intended to help your students learn to watch carefully and think critically, and thus improve their media literacy. Ontario is the first jurisdiction in North America to mandate media education, and it defines media literacy as follows:
Media literacy is concerned with the process of understanding and using
the mass media. It is also concerned with helping students develop an
informed and critical understanding of the nature of the mass media, the
techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. More specifically,
it is education that aims to increase students' understanding and enjoyment
of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized,
and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students
with the ability to create media products. (Ontario Ministry of Education,
Media Literacy Resource Guide, 1989, page 7)
Key concepts
Ontario's provincial standards document links outcomes to the following eight key concepts, which provide a theoretical base for all media literacy and give teachers a common language and frame work for discussion.
- All media messages are constructions . This is arguably the most important concept. The media do not simply reflect external reality. Rather, they pre-sent carefully crafted constructions that reflect many decisions and are the result of many determining factors. Media literacy works towards deconstructing these constructions (i.e., to taking them apart to show how they are made).
- The media construct versions of reality . The media are responsible for the majority of the observations and experiences from which we build up our personal understandings of the world and how it works. Much of our view of reality is based on media messages that have been preconstructed, and have attitudes, interpretations, and conclusions already built in. Thus the media, to a great extent, give us our sense of reality.
- Audiences negotiate meaning in media messages . If the media provide us with much of the material upon which we build our picture of reality, each of us finds or "negotiates" meaning according to individual factors: personal needs and anxieties, the pleasures or troubles of the day, racial and sexual attitudes, family and cultural background, moral standpoint, and so forth.
- Media messages contain commercial implications . Media literacy aims to encourage awareness of how the media are influenced by commercial considerations, and how they impinge on content, technique, and distribution. Most media production is a business, and so must make a profit. Questions of ownership and control are central: a relatively small number of individuals control what we watch, read, and hear in the media.
- Media messages contain ideological and value messages . All media products are advertising in some sense, proclaiming values and ways of life. The mainstream media tend to convey, explicitly or implicitly, ideological messages about the nature of the good life and the virtue of consumerism, the role of women, the acceptance of authority, and unquestioning patriotism.
- Media messages contain social and political implications . The media have great influence in politics and in forming social change. Television can greatly influence the election of a national leader on the basis of image. The media involve us in concerns such as civil rights issues, famines in Africa, and the AIDS epidemic. They give us an intimate sense of national issues and global concerns, so that we have become McLuhan's Global Village.
How
can I contact other media educators?
Up to date links with media literacy organizations are maintained at the
University of Oregon where you will also find the home page of the Jesuit
Communication Project and reviews and information about Scanning Television.
http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/mlr/home/index.html
Are
these videos subject to copyright?
Yes, the copyright for most videos in Scanning Television are held by
the original producers. In most cases, therefore we cannot extend the
right to broadcast these videos or use them for other purposes, such as
stock shots. Some archives, notably the Prelinger Archives, do offer access
to non-copyrighted materials.
Some trademarks are also copyright protected. MediaTelevision and MuchMusic are registered trademarks owned by CHUM Ltd. All rights reserved. Scanning Television is designed for the critical study and review of the media in an educational setting. Materials in this kit may not be copied or used for other purposes without permission. The video collection is copyright 2003 Face to Face Media. Print materials are copyright 2003 Harcourt Canada.
Do
the proceeds from sales support media education?
Yes, thanks for asking. The majority of the net proceeds from this project
are directed to the non-profit Jesuit Communication Project based in Toronto,
Canada for use in media literacy education. For more information on the
activities of the JCP please see http://interact.uoregon.edu/MediaLit/JCP/