Handout for Feb 3, 2010

JMC 101 Intro to Mass Media Short Paper Assignment #1: Media Franchises The goal of this assignment is to have you think critically about the significance of commercial logic to the production of contemporary media. Your assignment is to consider specific examples of media texts (such as movies, television shows, music recordings, games, and publications) in terms of some of the commercial strategies that media companies follow in creating them. For this paper, please choose one of the following media franchises: -Batman (including movies and video games; note -- if you are choosing Batman, please only consider recent examples, and avoid repeating material covered in lecture) -Harry Potter(including books and movies) -Pirates of the Caribbean(including theme park attractions and movies) -Twilight (including books, movies, and soundtrack recordings) -Star Wars (highly recommended: focus on the recent Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network and related toys, games, etc.) You are strongly encouraged to choose one of the above topics, but you may write on another topic, subject to your TA's approval. Please address the following questions in your paper: What company or companies produce this franchise? How do its producers use synergyand why is it effective? How is intertextualitysignificant to its commercial success? (Note: refer to Meehan re intertextuality.) There is no minimum number of sources required for this paper, but you should cite sources when appropriate, especially if you are including numerical data (e.g., how much money something earned) or if you are quoting directly. Do your best to find strong sources. Articles in newspapers and magazines are often better sources than encyclopedias and blogs. The paper must be a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 700 words. This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade. Your paper must be written in well-crafted sentences and paragraphs. You must spell correctly and use standard grammar, syntax, and word usage. Your paper should be organized logically as a series of points, all of which are supported by evidence. These points should cohere around a single central idea: your thesis, or argument. Your paper should have a title, something more descriptive than "Intro to Mass Media Paper." Sources must be cited properly as you will discuss in class. Badly written papers will get bad grades even if the ideas contained in them are good. Please see the document posted to D2L called "How to Format a Paper for this Class" and be sure to follow all of the the instructions in this document. Papers containing plagiarism will be given an F and the appropriate disciplinary measures will be taken with your dean. Unless your instructor indicates otherwise, no paper will be accepted via email. Late papers will be penalized one point out of ten per weekday. Checklist: before handing in your paper you should make sure you can answer ?yes? to all of the following questions: Does my paper have a title? Does my paper have a central idea, which is clear and specific? Does my paper meet the length requirement? Does my paper focus on one of the media franchises above? Does my paper cite sources correctly where appropriate, as instructed in section? Does my paper discuss its topic in specific detail, using examples to support my points? Does my paper identify specific instances of synergy and intertextuality (using those terms as you read in our course readings and heard/discussed in lectures and discussions in section)? Is my paper focused on the significance of a media franchise as a commercial product? (As opposed to its aesthetic or social significance.) Are my pages numbered and stapled together? Have I followed all of the instructions in "How to Format a Paper for this Class"? Have I proofread my paper carefully to make sure that my writing is clear and polished? The grade given to average work on all assignments is a C. B or A indicates impressive achievement above the average. A indicates exceptional work. Grades C and below indicate inadequacies in any or all of the grading criteria. notes on style: -Italicize titles of newspapers, magazines, books, movies, television shows, games, albums: The New York Times, Sports Illustrated,The Da Vinci Code, Spider-Man 3, Laguna Beach, World of Warcraft, Thriller. -Put titles of episodes of television shows and titles of songs in quotation marks, e.g., "Billy Jean." When referring to a television show, refer to episodes by their original air date, e.g.: ?In the series premiere of Laguna Beach, ?A Black & White Affair? (originally aired September 28, 2004), we are introduced to the show?s main characters.? You have the option of putting episode titles and dates in footnotes instead. -When first mentioning a movie, put its original release date in parentheses, e.g., ?In Spider-Man 3 (2007), Tobey Maguire and Kristin Dunst return to play Peter and Mary Jane.?