THE PBS PARADIGM

As I have begun to consider a career in the film industry, I have found myself drawn to the fascinating  paradigm of the programming that gets done on Public Access/Public Broadcasting Service Channels in the United States. I have always been amazed at shows like Arthur, for example, which have been able to both appeal to a young audience with messages like this....

And this....

As well as appeal to the adult audience who sits with their kids to watch the show with things like this...

Which is a reference to Citizen Kane and it's titular sled Rosebud, something that no kid would understand but an adult watching would be able to peg down as a reference to pop culture, and this... 

Which is a reference to to the Charlie Brown Christmas special, something that has become quite a fixture in the popular culture zeitgeist, and something that most older viewers would be easily able to identify with, and this.....

In which this character is talking about something that has become a fixture in our generation: blogging. 

Additionally, this show has referenced adult-topics and pop culture references, including, but not limited to, "South Park,Jeopardy!, The Sopranos, Beavis and Butt-head, the Indiana Jones adventures, the James Bond series of films, The Adventures of Tintin, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, The Jerry Springer Show, Oprah, Law & Order, Charlie Rose, Antiques Roadshow, Mystery!, The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Macbeth, and That '70s Show" (Arthur [TV Series], Wikipedia, 8/31/14). Some specific examples of these moments in episodes are....

1. Desert Island Dish: One of the characters holds up a cage containing a swallow and then holds up a coconut saying that the swallow had the coconut in mouth. This is a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. 

2. Buster Baxer and the Letter from the Sea: One of the characters writes a message to what he believes is an Atlantean civilization and one of the questions that he poses to them is, do octopus really have gardens? This is a reference to The Beatles 

3. Meet Binky: In this episode one of the characters finds out that a band that another character likes is composed of holograms because the members of the band are not attractive enough to be seen onstage. This is a reference to the Milli Vanilli scandal from the early nineties.  

All of these pop culture references would be only likely to be picked up on by the audience of older viewers.

Ultimately, this kind of clever and subtle reference makes this kind of program both interesting and compelling to a multi-generational audience. One of the reasons that I would love to end up as a program director for PBS is because of the level of sophistication and skill that it requires to create content for both adults and children simultaneously. 

Cosmos...A Space Adventure *cue trumpets*

After taking the class critical thinking and mass media by professor Ben Crane, I learned the scientific method is the only real way to prove the existence of any theory. But I also learned that the show cosmos sheds light on all of these things I learned in class. In 1980 a television series called Cosmos: A personal Voyage was released on PBS. This show written, and narrated by professor and scientist Carl Sagan created a milestone for any scientific documentary. This year they decided to bring back a new version of the show called Cosmos: A Space-time Odyssey. This series was developed to bring back the foundation of science to network television at the height of other scientific- based television series and films. This show is executive produced by Seth MacFarlane, whose brilliant financial investment helped develop this show into something extraordinary. Not only does the show contain amazing content, its graphics and locations are incredible. This is a show I recommend for everybody, especially for people who love the truth.

The original Carl Sagan above discussing multiple dimension theories.

The new cosmos which is way cooler looking. All in all, a very good show that will appeal to the intrigue, intellect and insight of everyone.

These Amazing Shadows

These Amazing Shadows is an inspiring PBS documentary about the select distinguished films that have made it to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. It uses interviews from film critics, scholars actors, directors, producers and anyone else related to film to discuss important ideas about the role of film in American culture.

The National Film Registry is a collection of 550 American films deemed, by the Library of Congress, to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” Films like E.T., Cabaret, Casablanca, Cool Hand Luke, Fantasia, MASH or Vertigo have found a spot on this list of extraordinary films. These films, along with hundreds of other documentaries, blockbusters, or amateur home movies, have either documented, changed, defined, or challenged America in some way or another.

These Amazing Shadows talks to those close to those who decide each year which film will be included in the 25 picked. They provide insight into the thought-making process and the actual significance in their mind, made the films in particularly relevant to American society.

Film is discussed as a window into past generations. It highlights the alarming amount of lost/damaged film negatives destroyed since the silent era of films. Well over half of all movies produced before color, were lost over the years due to widespread industry neglect and shortsightedness, according to the documentary.

This is one of those movies that can really motivate young filmmakers, like ourselves. Whenever someone says that making movies is silly, I wish I could sit them down and tell them to watch a documentary like this, so they can see just how culturally and historically important the films we make today will be viewed as in the future.

Go to PBS's website to watch clips from the film.