Slackers, slashers and sticklers : Hollywood films and audience reception /

This thesis examines the processes through which identity is acquired and the processes that Hollywood :films employ to facilitate audience identification in order to determine the extent to which individuality is possible within postmodem society. Opposing views of identity formation are considered: on the one hand, that of the Frankfurt School which envisions the mass audience controlled by the culture industry and on the other, that of John Fiske which places control in the hands of the individual. The thesis takes a mediating approach, conceding that while the mass media do provide and influence identity formation, individuals can and do decode a variety of meanings from the material made available to them in accordance with the text's use-value in relation to the individual's circumstances. The analysis conducted in this thesis operates on the assumption that audiences acquire identity components in exchange for paying to see a particular film. Reality Bites (Ben Stiller 1994) and Scream (Wes Craven 1996) are analyzed as examples of mainstream 1990s films whose material circumstances encourage audience identification and whose popularity suggest that audiences did indeed identify with them. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson 2001) is considered for its art film sensibilities and is examined in order to determine to what extent this film can be considered a counter example. The analysis consists of a combination of textual analysis and reception study in an attempt to avoid the problems associated with each approach when employed alone. My interpretation of the filmmakers' and marketers' messages will be compared with online reviews posted by film viewers to determine how audiences received and made use of the material available to them. Viewer-posted reviews, both unsolicited and unrestricted, as found online, will be consulted and will represent a segment of the popular audience for the three films to be analyzed.

The Midnight express phenomenon : a historical materialist approach to the reception of the film Midnight express /

This thesis examines the Midnight Express phenomenon focusing on the film's reception by audiences in Europe, North America, and Turkey between 1978-2003. Using and enhancing the "historical materialist approach" to film reception developed by Janet Staiger, the thesis considers the historical determinants of the film's nationally and culturally differential readings in different periods and of the transformations in those readings. The thesis argues that while Midnight Express was most likely read in the late 1970s as an attempt to reaffirm American social identity by projecting Turks as an instance of the negative Other, there has been an important shift in the reception of the film in the West during the 1990s due to the changes in the discursive contexts in which the film has been circulating. One does not observe any specific reference to Turkish prisons as a part of the issue of human rights violations in Turkey in the initial reception of the film by European and American critics, whereas these issues appear to be important constituents of a particular reception of the film in the West in the present. The thesis explains this shift by pointing to the constitution of a particular discourse on human rights violations in Turkey after 1980, and especially throughout the 1990s, which has become a part of the discursive repertoires of the Western audience. Therefore, the thesis argues that today, Midnight Express functions as a more legitimate political statement about Turkey in the eyes of some Western audiences than it had been in the 1970s. On the other hand, parallel to the increasing desire of Turkey to connect itself to the West, particularly to become a member of the European Union, one observes an immense increase in the belief in and defense against the negative effects of Midnight Express on Turkey's international representation since the 1990s. The historical and current discourses that audiences, both in Turkey and abroad, bring into play suggest that these audiences engage with Midnight Express by assuming or denying not only the subject positions constructed by the film text but also certain history-specific extra-filmic subject positions produced by other social and discursive formations.

Fade to black : picturing mortality in contemporary popular film /

This thesis attempts to understand representations of death in contemporary popular film within a framework that posits mortality as a category of particular social and political importance for the way we understand both individual subjectivity and social responsibility in the postmodern cultural moment. It addresses concerns over the social organizing categories of time and space, and performs a sustained consideration of predominant themes related to the popular representation of death, such as contingency, existential.meaning, and temporal finitude. Death consciousness and social consciousness are shown to be not just intertwined, but also vitally dependent on one another, and the analyses undertaken are ultimately aimed at making these intersections explicit in order • l to think through their potential implications for challenging consumer capitalist hegemony and envisioning the possibility of progressive social change through the lens of our mortality.

Anaerobic performance in ice hockey : the effect of skate blade radius of hollow

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of skate blade radius of hollow (ROH) on anaerobic performance, specifically during the acceleration and stopping phases of an on-ice skating test. Fifteen, male Junior B hockey players (mean age 19 y ± 1.46) were recruited to participate. On-icc testing required each participant to complete an on-ice anaerobic performance test [Reed Repeat Skate (RRS)) on three separate days. During each on-ice test, the participant's skate blades were sharpened to one of three, randomly assigned, ROH values (0.63 cm, 1.27 cm, 1.90 cm). Performance times were recorded during each RRS and used to calculate anaerobic variables [anaerobic power (W), anaerobic capacity (W), and fatigue index (s, %)). Each RRS was video recorded for the purpose of motion analysis. Video footage was imported into Peak Motus™ to measure kinematic variables of the acceleration and stopping phases. The specific variables calculated from the acceleration phase were: average velocity over 6 m (m/s), average stride length (m), and mean stride rate (strides/s). The specific variables calculated from the stopping phase were: velocity at initiation of stopping (rn/s), stopping distance (m), stopping time (s). A repeated measures ANOV A was used to assess differences in mean performance and kinematic variables across the three selected hollows. Further analysis was conducted to assess differences in trial by trial performance and kinematic variables for all hollows. The primary findings of the study suggested that skate blade ROH can have a significant effect on kinematic variables, namely stride length and stride rate during the acceleration phase and stopping distance and stopping time during the stopping phase of an on-ice anaerobic performance test. During the acceleration phase, no significant difdifferences were found in SR and SL across the three selected hollows. Mean SR on the 1.27 cm hollow was significantly slower than both the 0.63 cm and 1.90 cm hollows and SL was significantly longer when skating on the 1.27 cm hollow in comparison to the 1.90 cm hollow. During the stopping phase, stopping distance on the 0.63 cm hollow (4.12 m ± 0.14) was significantly shorter than both the 1.27 cm hollow (4.43 m ± 0.08) (p < 0.05) and the 1.90 cm ho])ow (4.35 m ± 0.12) (p < 0.05). Mean ST was also significantly shorter when stopping on the 0.63 cm hollow then both the 1.27 cm and 1.90 cm hollows. Trial by trial results clearly illustrated the affect of fatigue on kinematic variables; AV, SR, IV decreased from trial 1 to 6. There was no significant effect on anaerobic performance variables during the RRS. Altering the skate blade ROH has a significant and practical affect on accelerating and stopping performance will be discussed in this paper.

The new blockbuster film sequel : changing cultural and economic conditions within the film industry

Film sequels are a pervasive part of film consumption practices and have become an important part of the decision making process for Hollywood studios and producers. This thesis indicates that sequels are not homogenous groups of films, as they are often considered, but offer a variety of story construction and utilize a variety of production methods. Three types of blockbuster sequel sets are identified and discussed in this thesis. The Traditional Blockbuster Sequel Set, as exemplified by Back to the Future (1985, 1989, 1990) films, is the most conventional type of sequel set and capitalizes on the winning formula of the first film in the franchise. The MultiMedia Sequel Set, such as The Matrix (1999,2003) trilogy, allows the user/viewer to experience and consume the story as well as the world of the film through many different media. The Lord a/ the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003) set of films is an illustration of The Saga Sequel Set where plot lines are continuous over the entire franchise thus allowing the viewer to see the entire set as a unified work. The thesis also demonstrates how the blockbuster sequel sets, such as the Pirates a/ the Caribbean (2003, 2006, 2007) franchise, restructure the production process of the Hollywood film industry.

Andrew Bloomfield collection, 2006-2012

Andrew Bloomfield, and his twin sister Victoria, were born on May 6, 1968 in Auckland, New Zealand. The following year, the family moved to Guelph, Ontario. It became apparent from the time Andrew was 14 months old that he differed considerably from his twin sister, and he was subsequently diagnosed with autism when he was four years old. As a result, he lived away from his family for much of his early life in order to participate in programs for autistic people. Andrew found this very difficult, but also made some significant progress. He became able to relate to and care for his dog, and was able to express his thoughts with Augmentative and Alternative Communication, especially using Supported Typing. His twin sister Victoria was an important person in his life, and her untimely death in a car accident in 1996 devastated him. However, his network of friends and family have provided immense support and helped him build a fulfilling and meaningful life. In 2004 Andrew founded a group of other adult communicators who "type to talk" which he named "Bridges-Over-Barriers". They meet monthly in Guelph and contributed to the 2010 volume with accompanying documentary film on DVD. He lives in his own home in Guelph, guaranteed by a housing trust, and has written several books, including an autobiography, Bridges over Barriers in My Life with Autism.

Canadian Niagara Power Company fonds, 1901, 1925, no date.

The Canadian Niagara Power Company was created in 1892, in large part due to the efforts of William Birch Rankine, a businessman who pioneered the development of hydropower on both the Canadian and American shores of the Niagara River. Numerous delays and problems postponed the construction and operation of the company's powerhouse, which was formally opened on January 2, 1905. Upon opening, the powerhouse boasted the largest generators of their kind in the world, with a capacity of 10,000 electrical horsepower each. The company was acquired by FortisOntario in 2002. In 2009, the company’s water rights expired and the Canadian Niagara Powerhouse building, also known as the Rankine Generating Station, was turned over to the Niagara Parks Commission.

Teaching Adolescents to Think and Act Responsibly Through Narrative Film-making: A Qualitative Study

The current qualitative study examined an adapted version of the psychoeducational program, Teaching Adolescents to Think and Act Responsibly: The EQUIP Approach (DiBiase, Gibbs, Potter, & Blount, 2012). The adapted version, referred to as the EQUIP – Narrative Filmmaking Program, was implemented as a means of character education. The purpose of this study was three-fold: 1) to examine how the EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program influenced student’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours; 2) to explore the students’ and the teacher’s perception of their experience with the program; and 3) to assess whether or not the integrated EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program addressed the goals of Ontario’s character education initiative. Purposive sampling was used to select one typical Grade 9 Exploring Technologies class, consisting of 15 boys from a Catholic board of education in the southern Ontario region. The EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program required students to create moral narrative films that first portrayed a set of self-centered cognitive distortions, with follow-up portrayals of behavioural modifications. Before, during, and after intervention questionnaires were administered to the students and teacher. The student questionnaires invited responses to a set of cognitive distortion vignettes. In addition, data was collected through student and teacher interviews, and researcher observation protocol reports. Initially the data was coded according to an a priori set of themes that were further analyzed according to emotion and values coding methods. The results indicated that while each student was unique in his thoughts, feelings, and behavioural responses to the cognitive distortion vignettes after completing the EQUIP program, the overall trends showed students had a more positive attitude, with a decreased proclivity for antisocial behaviour and self-serving cognitive distortion portrayed in the vignettes. Overall, the teacher and students’ learning experiences were mainly positive and the program met the learning expectations of Ontario’s character education initiative. Based on these results of the present study, it is recommended that the EQUIP – Narrative Film-making Program be further evaluated through quantitative research and longitudinal study.