Media Meditation #3 - Sam In Wonderland

Being a fan of Tim Burton, I decided to see Alice In Wonderland in theaters this past Saturday. From beginning to end, the movie was packed with digital perfection and of course an interesting and fun story. Overall, the movie was a good watch and I would rate it an eight out of ten.
Alice In Wonderland included many of the toolsets, which led to its success. Beginning with the music in the movie, one of the most powerful parts of the movie was its soundtrack.

GIVE IT A LISTEN!


As you can hear from this clip, the music is really mysterious and almost intriguing. This uses the Limbic brain, making the viewer feel emotions of fear, hesitation, and maybe even sadness. This is a good production technique used by Tim Burton from the seven principles.

Other production techniques are vital in making the movie more of an experience rather than just a movie. The colors and scenery in the movie are almost breathtaking. Though I didn't see the movie in 3D, I felt like the scenery almost popped out of the screen anyways. Like in the picture, many of the scenes included intricate details to create a fairytale forest that many couldn't even imagine. This adds to the film's overall mysterious feeling and creates a cinematic eye catcher.

Working with the shifts in media culture, Alice is really a perfect example of an epistemological shift. The story started out as a book, a story for children to work their imaginations. Now it is featured in nine different films, both cartoons and films featuring actors and actresses. Our culture brought the story from just word to images.

In order to draw an audience to this creative film, the creators also used many persuasive techniques. It all begins with nostalgia and warm fuzzies, because this is a movie that many people have seen in the past as a Disney cartoon. It brings back memories of the past with the lovable and crazy characters.

When looking back at the trailer, one can expect different things from the movie. They begin with humor and hyperbole. When Johnny Depp's character claims that the only way to survive is by being mad as a hatter, not only does it show that the movie may be funny, but it also exaggerates how crazy the fictional location can be.

Lastly, it uses beautiful people, though in a different way. Many of the actors and actresses are famous celebrities who many people look up to. Tim Burton, of course, put his spin on it and dressed them in crazy make up and costumes.

For the most part, I would encourage anyone to see this movie because even if the story isn't for you, the digital effects and Johnny Depp can appeal to just about anyone. If you don't take my word for it, however, you can look into these reviews by the Washington Post.