Spain is a more liberal country than the US; also it’s way smaller so the comparisons are a little bit limited. However Spanish cinema I feel, based on the movies I watched in one of my classes, deals more with problems that the society faces. American movies are about action, romantic comedies or games converted into movies. But in Spain for example they have “Te doy mis Ojos,” by Iciar Bollain. This movie deals with domestic violence, and tries to teach the public about this ongoing issue. Amenabar’s ‘Tesis” focuses on audiovisual violence and touches on the topic of violence in TV, movies, graphic images on the news, etc and how an immense amount of people watch this horrendous films just for fun. Personally I didn’t really like this movie because I don’t really like scary or very suspenseful movies, but the theme it focuses on it’s very serious. There is a demand for this type of movies, and that’s a type of media. And on top of that with the problem of piracy it makes it even easier to access from anywhere. In my opinion this actually really exists.
After Franco and after the censorship was lifted there has been an influx not only in movies but also in any kind of product to expose the realities of Spain, good or bad. The excess of pornography, nude images on regular magazines, prostitutes everywhere, TV shows with no censorship and a very liberal government makes it easier for Spaniards to see and accept these ideas.
There’s a big difference on what is shown in Spanish TV and American TV. There is more freedom as in they can show more graphic images, they can play with sexuality and be more open to political jokes and any topic as of that matter. We have more regulations in the US of what the public can watch or even find in billboards, etc. Big interesting differences…
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Paramount Pictures
This was a very interesting lecture I must say. I didn’t know Viacom was so big and getting even bigger, now with Paramount Pictures adding on to their team DreamWorks, at least in Spain. It’s very interesting to see the little monopoly that Viacom has, an American company who branches out worldwide and has so much success everywhere they go. American TV, movies, entertainment overall practically rules worldwide, influencing national media in every other country they show their product. For example in Spain Spanish Cinema is not as attractive and popular as is American cinema, so for a Spanish film to be successful it has to come from a very big name like Amenabar or Almodovar.
Something I found very interesting from the presentation was how much piracy exists in Spain. I honestly did not know it was that big, and successful. For some reason I forgot that in the US piracy is actually more controlled since they keep shutting down downloading sites all the time. Even Syracuse University has a very strict policy about downloading illegal files. If you’re caught you actually have to go to court and you get in a lot of trouble. My freshman year I actually met a girl who got in big trouble because everyone kept downloading from her computer, and she got caught, and she had to pay a lot of money to get this situation solved. However, piracy is everywhere and mainly in the Internet because it’s harder to control and to patrol.
Also it was interesting to learn about how the film industry works. They spend a lot of money to gamble in movies that no one really knows if it will succeed or not. Spanish cinema for example has a little extra help from the government. They subsidize a small portion of the film, trying to help and promote Spanish cinema, and I think that is good.
The EMA, which was the European Music Awards for MTV just happened to be in Spain like a week ago and it was very successful. They had different events throughout the week for free for everyone and that is something they don’t really do back at home. I think it’s a positive advantage Europe has over American channels. Sometimes they spend more time in marketing so they can get to the international business faster and fully, which means they kind of forget about the people back in the US, just a thought because we don’t get that many free events.
Something I found very interesting from the presentation was how much piracy exists in Spain. I honestly did not know it was that big, and successful. For some reason I forgot that in the US piracy is actually more controlled since they keep shutting down downloading sites all the time. Even Syracuse University has a very strict policy about downloading illegal files. If you’re caught you actually have to go to court and you get in a lot of trouble. My freshman year I actually met a girl who got in big trouble because everyone kept downloading from her computer, and she got caught, and she had to pay a lot of money to get this situation solved. However, piracy is everywhere and mainly in the Internet because it’s harder to control and to patrol.
Also it was interesting to learn about how the film industry works. They spend a lot of money to gamble in movies that no one really knows if it will succeed or not. Spanish cinema for example has a little extra help from the government. They subsidize a small portion of the film, trying to help and promote Spanish cinema, and I think that is good.
The EMA, which was the European Music Awards for MTV just happened to be in Spain like a week ago and it was very successful. They had different events throughout the week for free for everyone and that is something they don’t really do back at home. I think it’s a positive advantage Europe has over American channels. Sometimes they spend more time in marketing so they can get to the international business faster and fully, which means they kind of forget about the people back in the US, just a thought because we don’t get that many free events.
A trip to Africa...
This weekend I had the amazing opportunity to go to Morocco for four days and experience a completely different culture from its “original” or closer roots. It was amazing, it’s such a different culture shock that the one I experienced coming to Spain. Obviously the countries cannot be really compared because they’re so different, don’t have the same economic situation or religion but it’s a very tight connection to Spain, since the Muslims ruled for a very long period of time.
I was able to meet with some activists who are trying to promote education among the poor children, and some Moroccan college students and talk about life in Morocco, differences, stereotypes, etc. However it was very interesting to see that each one of them always touched on American media and how it has such an impact on Moroccans, as well as Americans themselves and the opinions of people worldwide.
We spoke about how media always speak negatively about the Muslim culture, and how we relate it to violence and terrorism, when is not really like that. One of the anecdotes of one of the activist was that once he had the opportunity to go to the US and visit CNN, and what he saw left him speechless. He said there are three different buildings: CNN Domestic, CNN International and CNN Latin America, and all three gave the same piece of news very differently. This plays on the idea that we trust the news but we don’t really see the real side of what goes on. We kind of have to make it our own interest to visit different news sites and see how there are different perspectives based on where we are. I don’t really like this because a lot of us based what we know on what we see or hear from our parents, and if all the news are scams and corrupted, whom can we really trust?
It’s also was very interesting to see how Moroccans look up to America media for their daily entertaining doses. They listen to American music; watch American shows and their favorites are the American movies. How ironic, isn’t it, that they know American media doesn’t portray the best image towards Muslim, but still they don’t have hard feelings towards it because they know everything is manipulated.
I was able to meet with some activists who are trying to promote education among the poor children, and some Moroccan college students and talk about life in Morocco, differences, stereotypes, etc. However it was very interesting to see that each one of them always touched on American media and how it has such an impact on Moroccans, as well as Americans themselves and the opinions of people worldwide.
We spoke about how media always speak negatively about the Muslim culture, and how we relate it to violence and terrorism, when is not really like that. One of the anecdotes of one of the activist was that once he had the opportunity to go to the US and visit CNN, and what he saw left him speechless. He said there are three different buildings: CNN Domestic, CNN International and CNN Latin America, and all three gave the same piece of news very differently. This plays on the idea that we trust the news but we don’t really see the real side of what goes on. We kind of have to make it our own interest to visit different news sites and see how there are different perspectives based on where we are. I don’t really like this because a lot of us based what we know on what we see or hear from our parents, and if all the news are scams and corrupted, whom can we really trust?
It’s also was very interesting to see how Moroccans look up to America media for their daily entertaining doses. They listen to American music; watch American shows and their favorites are the American movies. How ironic, isn’t it, that they know American media doesn’t portray the best image towards Muslim, but still they don’t have hard feelings towards it because they know everything is manipulated.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Publicity and a little bit more
I loveeeee the publicity in the metro! It is one of the places that you visit the most on a daily basis and so you have to pay attention to all the billboards, etc. But what I find interesting and very cool is the type of publicity these billboards show, which is actual educational stuff. That is something I really like about Madrid, that for us being new to this city we can find so many cool places, events or exhibitions that we can go to just by learning about them on the metro. There is this actual exhibition that I just found out about, in one of the Metro stations that was recently closed down. I think it was made just for this purpose, to make it kind of like a museum. I haven’t been there yet but I’m planning to go because I like how simple things can be transformed into something so beautiful. For example, the Retiro stop. This whole wall is filled with a very funny, caricature painting. I think that’s pretty cool. Overall all these publicities are kind of in your face so you don’t have a choice than to read them at one point or the other (great strategy).
Something I was noticing recently in Spanish TV is that even though they transmit a lot of the American TV shows, the original ones are pretty good. I watched Pasapalabras couple of times already and I really like it. I think it’s good that they test you a little bit about different periods of time. The viewer can actually learn and the show can target young and older people. However, there is this other show that is completely the opposite, Salvame Deluxe. I feel like this show is so long and they’re always fighting, cursing or yelling. It’s like a madhouse. And maybe I don’t understand it because is focusing on Spanish celebrities but still is kind of really opinionated and feisty all the time.
Something I was noticing recently in Spanish TV is that even though they transmit a lot of the American TV shows, the original ones are pretty good. I watched Pasapalabras couple of times already and I really like it. I think it’s good that they test you a little bit about different periods of time. The viewer can actually learn and the show can target young and older people. However, there is this other show that is completely the opposite, Salvame Deluxe. I feel like this show is so long and they’re always fighting, cursing or yelling. It’s like a madhouse. And maybe I don’t understand it because is focusing on Spanish celebrities but still is kind of really opinionated and feisty all the time.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Talk about Gooood Morning Madrid
I was watching the morning news last Wednesday and the Presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, was addressing some issues from the parade of El Dia del Pilar in one of the main channels (I don’t remember which one). This however turned into a very heated conversation and somewhat uncomfortable for the viewer.
I don’t think it’s very common for me to see an anchor, not attacking but harshly confronting such an important figure before. The anchor woman, who looked pretty young, kept asking Esperanza questions that she didn’t feel like answering. There was one point when the anchor told Esperanza, Usted no es la que decide lo que le preguntamos, somos nosotros los que hacemos las preguntas. I found this extremely shoking that someone has the liberty to talk like that to such an important political figure on national TV. I guess this plays on with Spain being very open and opinionated. In my opinion though, I found this behavior a little rude from the anchor towards Esperanza. I understand she was being a little stubborn and she kept saying “I’m not going to comment on that,” however you’re in National TV and I thought that there were some boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, but maybe that is just me and my non political view.
Media just has a whole different meaning here, and it’s interesting every time I see this type of confrontations. Like everyone is so big in respect towards your elders but that is not what it seemed like in this show. There is also a lot of “interesting” programming after 2 am. All these different channels have a variety of call and guess this very easy word that no one seems to ever get. Or tarots reading or stuff like that.
I don’t think it’s very common for me to see an anchor, not attacking but harshly confronting such an important figure before. The anchor woman, who looked pretty young, kept asking Esperanza questions that she didn’t feel like answering. There was one point when the anchor told Esperanza, Usted no es la que decide lo que le preguntamos, somos nosotros los que hacemos las preguntas. I found this extremely shoking that someone has the liberty to talk like that to such an important political figure on national TV. I guess this plays on with Spain being very open and opinionated. In my opinion though, I found this behavior a little rude from the anchor towards Esperanza. I understand she was being a little stubborn and she kept saying “I’m not going to comment on that,” however you’re in National TV and I thought that there were some boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, but maybe that is just me and my non political view.
Media just has a whole different meaning here, and it’s interesting every time I see this type of confrontations. Like everyone is so big in respect towards your elders but that is not what it seemed like in this show. There is also a lot of “interesting” programming after 2 am. All these different channels have a variety of call and guess this very easy word that no one seems to ever get. Or tarots reading or stuff like that.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Creativity is great! (Something I don´t have)
One of the things I really like about Spain is the fact that they use very cool images and designs everywhere! I don’t know if their ideas are influenced by other cultures or they’re original, but regardless I think they’re very nice. I have a great example of this: this weekend I was in Barcelona, and we went inside Burger King. OMG it was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a nice BK. It had a beautiful wall with a huge blow-out picture of La Pedrera de Gaudi y el Palacio Nacional de Barcelona. I like to see things like this because not only does it make the place so much prettier, but it gives you historical references about the town. The layout of the restaurant was also very creatively done, and I just fell in love with it. And honestly we don’t have things like that in New York City. Burger King is just a fast food, very simple restaurant. I don’t really like fast food, and don’t really go too much to BK, but things like this make me want to go and eat there. The same thing goes along with other American food places, like Starbucks. Starbucks is always very chic but here they have more of a variety of gourmet food. It is very interesting to me to see the differences, and how the culture is imposed in the restaurant, not the other way around. You don’t find beer in a regular BK or McDonalds, that would be crazy in the US (They just opened the first Whopper bar in Miami this year, but is not common).
This doesn’t have to do with media, however this is I think one of the biggest difference I found between Barcelona and Madrid; and that was the cleanliness that Madrid has. Barcelona wasn’t like super dirty but there were garbage on the floor all over the place, it was noisier, and the people don’t dress up as much as they do in Madrid. It’s a more laid back vibe. I actually found it very interesting because when we saw the garbage we were like omg this is soooo dirty, and the funny thing is NY is dirtier. However, since we’re so used to living in Madrid already, seeing different things is kind of like a shock for us, and I really appreciate the cleanliness. That’s something I got used to very well and fast (I wonder what’s going to happen when we go back home…) lol
This doesn’t have to do with media, however this is I think one of the biggest difference I found between Barcelona and Madrid; and that was the cleanliness that Madrid has. Barcelona wasn’t like super dirty but there were garbage on the floor all over the place, it was noisier, and the people don’t dress up as much as they do in Madrid. It’s a more laid back vibe. I actually found it very interesting because when we saw the garbage we were like omg this is soooo dirty, and the funny thing is NY is dirtier. However, since we’re so used to living in Madrid already, seeing different things is kind of like a shock for us, and I really appreciate the cleanliness. That’s something I got used to very well and fast (I wonder what’s going to happen when we go back home…) lol
Monday, October 4, 2010
Strike # 1
Last Wednesday was one of the very few strikes I’ve experienced in another country, and it was pretty interesting. I’m used to more violent, but less unified as a whole type of idea for a strike. Let me explain myself. First of all even though everyone said the strike was going to cause a huge inconvenience for everyone, it actually didn’t even affect me whatsoever. The Metro was working fine, and even faster than on a regular basis. I know I can’t speak for everybody because the Metro going to some cities outside Madrid was cancelled, but overall it was working fine. What struck me the most of the strike was that a lot of people actually went along with it. A lot of places were closed and manifestations all around Spain and even some parts of Europe were made. Also I didn’t think people were actually going to make some type of uproar at the airport, and very little was made; however, I thought the airport was always intact to these type of things.
The news coverage was in my opinion what was expected in any major event. The news about the strike was in every channel at all times. They actually covered the strike since the time it started until it finished, maybe some channels more than others but overall I think it was a good amount of information. However, the strike didn’t have such an effective outcome like they would have wanted to. My host father told me it was just all fuzz and nothing was going to change.
The news coverage was in my opinion what was expected in any major event. The news about the strike was in every channel at all times. They actually covered the strike since the time it started until it finished, maybe some channels more than others but overall I think it was a good amount of information. However, the strike didn’t have such an effective outcome like they would have wanted to. My host father told me it was just all fuzz and nothing was going to change.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Serrano!
I always thought Madrid was so big, but it’s not. The map makes everything seem farther than what it really is, which is ok but deceiving. Anyways it always amazes me to see how everyone is for the most part united and following the same rhythm when it comes to activities or events.
Yesterday I went to the opening of Serrano and it was like a huge party. It was fun but there were so many people that you could hardly walk. Couple of weeks ago Fashion Week was happening there too, and I don’t really remember where it is but every time the Real Madrid wins people go to this plaza and celebrate. I feel like the whole city is always partying all the time, so different from New York City.
The opening of Serrano was really interesting though. It was sponsored by many different brands, and even though Serrano is like the “Fifth Ave of New York City,” it was very people-friendly as in like what it offers during these events to everyone. My señora came home with free goody bags, and also she was saying how they were giving her champagne, etc. I don’t think we see this a lot in New York. Also it’s nice to see that the organizers incorporate activities for the children as well. They have a little something for everybody.
One of the things that stroke me the most was seeing that they were selling beer in actual stores. I always find that really funny because is kind of like an “Oh my gosh! They’re selling beer,” but at the same time I don’t get too surprise because this city has a huge consumption of it. It’s like drinking water for Spaniards.
I love the creativity of these events. They had this campaign for Coca-Cola, like be a super star for a day, which consisted of taking your picture in front of like a red carpet banner or cardboard. It was pretty cool. Also they had another one, like be in the cover of Vogue magazine. I think these are fun, little ideas that we all enjoy :)
Yesterday I went to the opening of Serrano and it was like a huge party. It was fun but there were so many people that you could hardly walk. Couple of weeks ago Fashion Week was happening there too, and I don’t really remember where it is but every time the Real Madrid wins people go to this plaza and celebrate. I feel like the whole city is always partying all the time, so different from New York City.
The opening of Serrano was really interesting though. It was sponsored by many different brands, and even though Serrano is like the “Fifth Ave of New York City,” it was very people-friendly as in like what it offers during these events to everyone. My señora came home with free goody bags, and also she was saying how they were giving her champagne, etc. I don’t think we see this a lot in New York. Also it’s nice to see that the organizers incorporate activities for the children as well. They have a little something for everybody.
One of the things that stroke me the most was seeing that they were selling beer in actual stores. I always find that really funny because is kind of like an “Oh my gosh! They’re selling beer,” but at the same time I don’t get too surprise because this city has a huge consumption of it. It’s like drinking water for Spaniards.
I love the creativity of these events. They had this campaign for Coca-Cola, like be a super star for a day, which consisted of taking your picture in front of like a red carpet banner or cardboard. It was pretty cool. Also they had another one, like be in the cover of Vogue magazine. I think these are fun, little ideas that we all enjoy :)
Monday, September 20, 2010
TV!!!
I usually don´t watch a lot of TV but since I´ve being in Spain the amount of tv I watch has definitely increased. Usually it has become a habit because while we are at dinner the tv is usually on channel 1. We watch the news, and a lot of those times the news is followed by a movie. My host family is very big on movies and I usually watch them too. It´s interesting to see that all the movies they play are for the most part not Spanish movies, which i thought would be the opposite for one reason or the other.
There´s this show we were watching the other day based on The Golden Girls or something like that my senora was telling me about, which i actually found pretty funny. I think this happens a lot everywhere not only from America to Spain but viceversa, and worldwide. Producers try to immitate shows from other places because they think it´s going to be a big hit and sometimes it is, sometimes it is not. For example I know some of the Latin award shows that they transmit in the US ( I don´t know if you´re familiar with Univision: It´s like the main Hispanic channel)are sometimes copied from the MTV Music Awards, etc. And sometimes it makes me a little upset because since I´m bilingual and I´m into both cultures, I feel like they don´t have creativity of their own to come up with something great. And I´m like I already saw this escenary or this act in some American Award Show.
Going back to Spanish TV, I feel like everytime i turn the tv on there´s nothing interesting to watch except for sports, news or very random shows. I actually want to watch a Spanish series but i always end up going for the American channels. I spent hours yesterday watching Disney channel because nothing else interested me. The other nigth i was watching Fear Factor, which I loved because I never see this show in the US. I think it´s discontinued or something. But i gladly appreciated the fact that I could watch it here. I also have a very bad habit of changing the language of the movies and the American shows to English :( I feel like I appreciate them more in English because translating stuff can change the meaning a little bit. Maybe I´m turning the TV on in very bad times but what can I do. Maybe another reason why I change the languages, which actually just came to my head, is because subconciously they make me feel more like at home. It´s a way to feel closer to my other world...
There´s this show we were watching the other day based on The Golden Girls or something like that my senora was telling me about, which i actually found pretty funny. I think this happens a lot everywhere not only from America to Spain but viceversa, and worldwide. Producers try to immitate shows from other places because they think it´s going to be a big hit and sometimes it is, sometimes it is not. For example I know some of the Latin award shows that they transmit in the US ( I don´t know if you´re familiar with Univision: It´s like the main Hispanic channel)are sometimes copied from the MTV Music Awards, etc. And sometimes it makes me a little upset because since I´m bilingual and I´m into both cultures, I feel like they don´t have creativity of their own to come up with something great. And I´m like I already saw this escenary or this act in some American Award Show.
Going back to Spanish TV, I feel like everytime i turn the tv on there´s nothing interesting to watch except for sports, news or very random shows. I actually want to watch a Spanish series but i always end up going for the American channels. I spent hours yesterday watching Disney channel because nothing else interested me. The other nigth i was watching Fear Factor, which I loved because I never see this show in the US. I think it´s discontinued or something. But i gladly appreciated the fact that I could watch it here. I also have a very bad habit of changing the language of the movies and the American shows to English :( I feel like I appreciate them more in English because translating stuff can change the meaning a little bit. Maybe I´m turning the TV on in very bad times but what can I do. Maybe another reason why I change the languages, which actually just came to my head, is because subconciously they make me feel more like at home. It´s a way to feel closer to my other world...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Madrid Madrid Madrid!!!
I live in New York City but I come from a Hispanic background so I'm pretty informed (or so I would like to think) about my heritage. However sadly, I'm mostly aware of the entertainment side of the Latin and Spanish world. I know one of the main "attractions" for Spaniards is the bullfight, however, I didn't know the amount of pride Spaniards take in this "art" until I got here.
I don't want to offend or sound ignorant about the bullfights, however, I'm entitled to my opinion and I don't like them whatsoever. I think that might be one of the biggest cultural differences that we have. I feel bad for these poor bulls that in my opinion shouldn't be raised for fights. I'm not the biggest animal lover but I think it's so cruel to see how they kill this animal after a match. And what surprises me the most is that the majority of people are okay with this. They love it, and I don't understand why. I mean back in time, the Romans used to fight very gruesomely too as a sport inside a forum, but we're not in the Roman time. I'm sorry but I'm just very surprised to see how many people enjoy this art.
I had a talk with my host parents about bullfights, and they were telling me that I should pay attention to the art of it, not the killing of it. But coming from NYC where we don't have this kind of sport, and there's a billboard or a commercial for PETA everywhere you look, it seems impossible for me to even appreciate it. Yes I'm going to go to see a bullfight, but is not like I really want to go. My host father was actually showing me one today on TV and they watch it like if it's baseball, but I just can't sit there and do that to myself.
It is also very surprising to me to see how the media shows everything on TV, magazines or in newspapers. Spanish TV is very open and liberal, and I guess in a way it's good because we see the "real' stuff, but sometimes it's a little harsh. The newspapers we see in class each have a very open opinion about what they like and what they don't. Who they favor and who they dislike. It's very interesting to see that they don't thrive for neutrality.
Spain is a very interesting country that I will explore, and give my opinions through this blog for the next couple of weeks so I hope we all enjoy this journey.
I don't want to offend or sound ignorant about the bullfights, however, I'm entitled to my opinion and I don't like them whatsoever. I think that might be one of the biggest cultural differences that we have. I feel bad for these poor bulls that in my opinion shouldn't be raised for fights. I'm not the biggest animal lover but I think it's so cruel to see how they kill this animal after a match. And what surprises me the most is that the majority of people are okay with this. They love it, and I don't understand why. I mean back in time, the Romans used to fight very gruesomely too as a sport inside a forum, but we're not in the Roman time. I'm sorry but I'm just very surprised to see how many people enjoy this art.
I had a talk with my host parents about bullfights, and they were telling me that I should pay attention to the art of it, not the killing of it. But coming from NYC where we don't have this kind of sport, and there's a billboard or a commercial for PETA everywhere you look, it seems impossible for me to even appreciate it. Yes I'm going to go to see a bullfight, but is not like I really want to go. My host father was actually showing me one today on TV and they watch it like if it's baseball, but I just can't sit there and do that to myself.
It is also very surprising to me to see how the media shows everything on TV, magazines or in newspapers. Spanish TV is very open and liberal, and I guess in a way it's good because we see the "real' stuff, but sometimes it's a little harsh. The newspapers we see in class each have a very open opinion about what they like and what they don't. Who they favor and who they dislike. It's very interesting to see that they don't thrive for neutrality.
Spain is a very interesting country that I will explore, and give my opinions through this blog for the next couple of weeks so I hope we all enjoy this journey.
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