Hollywood is becoming Asianized

Nearly ten years ago Christina Klein noted that "we are seeing a partial erosion of the boundaries that once separated Hollywood from local Asian film industries, and a consequent intertwining of industries on both sides of the Pacific." At present, the same can be said in relation to the integration of both film industries. In the past few years alone we have seen a number of successful films be released that incorporate both Hollywood and Asian styles. 

After the United States, China has the second biggest movie market. So naturally Hollywood's increase in casting more Asian actors is none too surprising. To bring in more revenue American blockbuster films are even being set in China. Some big studios are going one step further and are actually shooting different versions of their movies for Chinese audiences.

"The Wolverine" recently clawed its way to the box office, starring Australia's own, Hugh Jackman, and Japanese newcomer Tao Okamoto. Tao plays "Mariko Yashida", who is Logan's love interest in the film. Rila Fukushima, also a Japanese actress co-stars in the film as "Yukio", she is a mutant and embodies total badassness. To give you a little idea of how amazing Rila is in the movie, I will include a short video below. Seriously, watch it now! I'll wait til you're done.

Yukio in "The Wolverine"

I bet you want to watch the entire movie now. Stay with me a little longer though! Klein (2004, p.360) notes that "Hollywood today is fascinated with martial arts to an extent unseen since the heyday of Bruce Lee in the early 1970's." This is still very much the case today. For instance the bug budget franchise "G.I. Joe" released "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" earlier this year, and the trailer for it featured a ridiculous cliff-side martial arts battle showcasing the unbelievable skills of world-class martial artists Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park and Elodie Yung. That scene alone had me jumping out of my seat in excitement. "Martial arts fight scenes have become a ubiquitous feature in action films across the genre map" Klein (2004, p.361), which is a result of the "latest phase of globalisation."

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

How I felt about G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Reference:

Klein, Christina 2004, 'Martial arts and globalization of US and Asian film industries', Comparative America Studies, vol.2, pp. 360-384.

The Wolverine - Yukio Featurette 2013, YouTube Video, Retrieved 22 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r6KnVt15mE>

G.I. Joe: Retaliation - Official Clip - "Cliffside Battle" 2013, YouTube Video, Retrieved 22 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoIhOF6vcQY>

Who are you online?

Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Tumblr. Blogger. These are only a few examples of the many social media platforms where you can create an online profile documenting your life. I rarely post on my Facebook page, mainly because I have a lot of family on there and I'd rather them not know of my drunken escapades and use of explicit language. Marshall (2010, p.499) uses the term "specular economy" to describe how "collectively we are becoming more conscious of how we present ourselves and how others perceive us".

With social media becoming such a huge part of everyday life now, people are definitely more eager to share information on the internet than in person. Is the person we present ourselves to be on the internet who we really are? Yes and no. In the ever-growing world of social media, perception is everything. We all have an ideal version of our self, and due to social media, we can present our ideal selves rather than our real selves on outlets such as Facebook. We are able to entirely create our own online identity by using these social media tools, basically we can choose exactly what we want others to see. Personally, I don't worry too much about unflattering photo's like many other people I know, however I am quite cautious of everything I type and like to steer clear of this by rarely posting anything online. 

My sister and I being ourselves - Jokers (*shh.. listen to the people judging my hair and face*)

Granted you can truly "be yourself" on social media platforms, it is quite easy to say things that you would not normally say and portray yourself as someone you're not. Looking back on my Facebook timeline I can definitely confirm that my 17-year-old-Facebook self is not an accurate portrayal of who I really am. I cringe at how often I butchered the English language with slang terms. It is easy to forget that the image we portray of ourselves online is what everyone else gets to see; not just our friends and family, but even potential employers. Maintaining a respected online presence has now become more crucial than ever. 

It is no secret that everyone's life looks a lot better on social media; we all fabricate and manipulate what we post online to some degree. I mean, no one wants to look like they lead a normal average life now do they?! :/

Classic Sunset Photo BUT From Los Angeles ;) Life Instantly Cooler..

References:

Marshall, P.D 2010, "The Specular Economy", Society, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 498-502

The Last Of Us - Gender Equality

WARNING: May contain spoilers.

Working at an electronics retailer, I am very familiar with all of the latest games that have hit shelves over the past few years. It is not unknown that the portrayal of women in video games is controversial. Often the damsel in distress, female characters are more often than not dependent on male protagonists. However with video games slowly progressing over the years, more prominent strong female characters have been introduced into the gaming world.

One game in particular that deserves a notable mention is "The Last of Us". The women in this game are all incredible, brave, determined and strong characters - they are leaders, warriors and survivors. The game closely follows the journey of Joel, a survivor of a pandemic that has destroyed civilization and Ellie, a young orphan who has grown up in the post-apocalyptic world that is believed to be the cure to the infection that has devastated the world. Although you still play as a protective male for a hefty chunk of the game, in my opinion, it really did take a massive step in the right direction when it comes to the portrayal of women in video games.

PS3 game: The Last of Us

Generally we perceive males as being strong and dominating, whereas women are more likely to be associated as vulnerable and weak. With reference to preferred reading, the reader would accept that in the "The Last of Us", Joel is shown as the only capable person to protect Ellie and lead her to safety, even though he doesn't even know her. Hall (1973, p.60) states that negotiated readings operate "with exceptions to the rule". In relation to the "The Last of Us", a negotiated reader would acknowledge Joel to take on majority of the physical and dangerous scenarios throughout the game, but would also take notice of Ellie's imperative influence when it comes to their survival. Lastly there is the oppositional reading, which Hall (1973, p.61) expresses as decoding the message in a "globally contrary way". Looking back to "The Last of Us" again, the reader would reject the fact that Joel is depicted as the only suitable option to take on all of the overly physical tasks throughout the game, and instead believe that the female character, Ellie, could do everything on her own and provide her own protection.

With this tipped to be "Game Of The Year", it paves the way for more strong female characters to be introduced into the video gaming world, and I for one am extremely excited.

References:

Hall, S. 1973, Encoding and Decoding in the Television Disclosure. Birmingham [England: Centre for Cultural Studies], University of Birmingham, 1973. 507-17 (available: http://visualstudios.buffalo.edu/coursenotes/art250/250A/_assets/_readings/encoding_decoding_hall.pdf)

The Last Of Us, photograph, Viewed 9 September 2013, <http://www.i-am-geek.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/TheLastOfUsTitle.jpg>

Note to self: Don't blog about work..

Given the popularity of Social Media the majority of people employed nowadays have already established their own social presence online. Richards and Kosmala (2013) express that "blogging platforms have become forums for employees to either individually or collectively vent frustrations". We are able to broadcast our every thought, feeling or desire on a public forum, however unfortunately most of the time people don't think things through before they go and announce it to the world and end up later regretting their spiels, whether it be about school, politics, friends, family or in this case work. 

My workplace embraces an employee's right to a private life, and takes no position on their decision to start or maintain a personal media presence. However, as a company they must also ensure that their reputation and confidentiality are protected at all times. The company I work for actually has a "Social Media Policy" which states that they hold "very strict views about employees speaking on behalf of the company, in whatever form that may be" and that "Marketing and Community teams" are the only authorised people to represent the company in any form of media. There are official guidelines that each employee must follow if they choose to state online that they work for said company. As we are therefore considered active representatives of the company brand, if we breach any of the points listed in the policy or if we post material that the company determines detrimental to its business, we as an employee are subject to the disciplinary policy held by the company including termination of employment. Also if an employee makes a defamatory statement that is publicised online they may also be held legally liable for any damages caused as a result of his/her actions.

Personally I could write a book on the crap I have had to deal with in my working life, but I know better than to put it out into the world with the slight chance that either my prior or current employers would find out and take some sort of action. One bad publicized comment has the ability to damage any company's reputation. So next time you come home from work in a rage and take to your computer, stop and think of the consequences your five minute rant will ensue, because not only could you affect your job security but it could also destroy an entire company's reputation.

How I feel about work

References:

Richards, J., and Kosmala, K., 2013 "In the end, you can only slag people off for so long" : employee cynicism through work blogging', New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 68 - 77.

Blogging For Jobs, photograph, Viewed 2 September 2013, <http://blogging4jobs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/transparent.png>

Homer Simpson Nuclear Engineer, photograph, Viewed 2 September 2013, <http://emmajamesondotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/homer-simpson-nuclear-emgineer-creative-commons.jpg>