#Spectacle definition movie#

As spectacle continually becomes a larger component of our culture, movies are beginning to become less of a story and more of a visual and auditory focus.

#Spectacle definition movie#

One of the easiest examples of media spectacle to portray is that in the movie business. They can also range from such events as sports or the death of someone important, for example Princess Diana. He also states that megaspectacles are defined both quantatively and qualitatively. It could consist of a commodity spectacle like Coca Cola or political extravaganzas that define certain periods, such as our current War of Terror. A Megaspectacle according to Kellner is when “certain spectacles become defining events of their era.” This can range from many different things. As a result, the media reinforces hegemony and creates what they want the public to view.Īnother issue discussed by Kellner is the idea of megaspectacle. By having such huge ordeals take place, the public is consumed by these images and consistent influence by the media. These media spectacles are showing us what the dominant values, fears, and goals of the age are. What this is essentially doing is constructing and revealing contemporary hegemony. They are even seen in the political arena with such events as the Bill Clinton sex scandal and the Gulf War hearings. Media spectacles are becoming actual guidelines for life, civic values, experience, and ultimately “reality.” These media spectacles encourage consumption and passivity through national myths. The interesting thing about media spectacle is the amount of influence it can have. Media culture not only takes up expanding moments of contemporary experience, but also provides ever more material for fantasy, dreaming, modeling thought and behavior, and constructing identities.” Social and political conflicts are increasingly played out on the screens of media culture, which display spectacles like sensational murder cases, terrorist bombings, celebrity and political sex scandals, and the explosive violence of everyday life. Kellner states that “Political and social life is also shaped more and more by media spectacle. It discusses how more and more components of our lives are being crafted by media spectacle. The article “Media Culture and the Triumph of the Spectacle” written by Douglas Kellner does a spectacular (pun intended) job at analyzing the idea of media spectacle and some of the ways it affects us as viewers. Almost every facet of our lives is surrounded by some sort of spectacle that is trying to catch our attention. Media spectacle has become a huge aspect of our lives.