Assignment: My Festival Prospectus

As I stated earlier, I’ll be doing research on the Silent Scream Festival which will be happening at the Roxy 14 Theatre in downtown Santa Rosa on March 4-6. I’ve made contact with some very accommodating people who are willing to arrange interviews and possible volunteer positions that will allow me and a partner to … Continue reading Assignment: My Festival Prospectus

As I stated earlier, I’ll be doing research on the Silent Scream Festival which will be happening at the Roxy 14 Theatre in downtown Santa Rosa on March 4-6. I’ve made contact with some very accommodating people who are willing to arrange interviews and possiblScreenshot from the Silver Scream Fest websitee volunteer positions that will allow me and a partner to actually be part of the crew. My next step is to get together the interview questions and find the appropriate individuals to interview. I would like to interview someone who knows in depth the history of the festival, and can tell me how the event actually morphed into one. From the website, I see that the festival originated from a magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland, which was established in 1958 “as a way to celebrate genre films and unite fans around the world.” This magazine was established by editor Forrest J. Ackerman and publisher James Warren. The aim for this magazine was to “celebrate the classic films of Universal’s golden horror age.” I want to find out what brought this festival out of Hollywood and into Sonoma. I know that the Roxy has its own Cult Film Series  that occurs every Thursday, and so it seems to be a perfect place to host this kind 54f70385a4ca50cae750b669846d0e53of gathering. Seems there’s already an audience in place. The aim of this festival is to “find the next generation of storytellers,” according to their mission statement. This festival aims to blend genres and invite storytellers and artists from all over to submit short and feature films, graphic novels, comic books and animation, and awards prizes and screening to the winners. Some questions I’d like to answer:
  1. What types of people attend this sort of specialized film festival?
  2. How many people typically attend?
  3. How do they gather? Do they stick to their own groups, or do they openly socialize with others outside of their groups?
  4. How do the attendees dress? Do people dress up in costume? If so, why? What exactly are they celebrating?
  5. What is the general mood of the festival? How does this mood influence how people act and react to stimulus?
  6. What is the festival’s background? How did it start? What factors caused it to migrate to Sonoma County?
  7. What exactly fuels the festival and keeps people coming back year after year?
  8. What kind of groups offer financial support to the festival and make it possible in the first place?
  9. What is the festival’s future? What challenges/obstacles might prevent future festivals from occurring?
  10. How does this festival contribute to cultural norms, if at all?
I’m excited about attending the festival itself. I’m hoping to capture some of it on video and possibly interview some of the attendees. I’d like to ask them what the appeal is, and what they like best about the festival. I’m also hoping to meet some of the special guests who are slated to appear: David Naughton, Rob Prior, Bela Lugosi, Jr, and the original Freddy, Robert Englund. It would be a dream come true to interview one of these special guests! We will see what the festival brings. I’m hoping to build a website that’s a tribute not only to this film festival, but also to cult film festivals all over. I’m hoping my research will yield rich results and help connect our little town with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Week 3: Ethnography and WordPress

We went to the movies the other night at the theatre where the Silver Scream Festival will be held. There were ads everywhere for it. I’m excited to attend. I had emailed their info team earlier and have been invited to volunteer for the event, so this will be a fun thing to be a … Continue reading Week 3: Ethnography and WordPress

We went to the movies the other night at the theatre where the Silver Scream Festival will be held. There were ads everywhere for it. I’m excited to attend. I had emailed their info team earlier and have been invited to volunteer for the event, so this will be a fun thing to be a part of. I’m curious about what kind of crowd the event will attract. I haven’t yet been able to do much research on the event other than checking out their website, but it seems like it has been going on for a while. It seems to be based in Los Angeles, so I’m not sure how long the event has been going on up here at the Roxy. I was also told they would be able to set up interviews with a few people, so that will also be fun. I need to get some questions together. A few famous guest speakers including the original Freddy, Robert Englund, will be making an appearance. I hope we get to meet them! The ethnography assignment was fun. I enjoy people watching, and this was a good excuse to really observe people engaged in a particular activity.  I found interesting parallels in this assignment and the readings we did recently, particularly the Mardi Gras experiment where it was observed that people did not really engage with those outside of their groups. Of course, there was the usual polite discourse, but not much more than that. People tend to keep to themselves and avoid interactions when they’re at the gym. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone. There are those who are more friendly than others and will go out of their way to exchange pleasantries with those in their immediate environment. I feel like our group is very busy with other things at the moment, as interactions between blogs is pretty much not there … yet.  I would like to comment more on everyone’s assignment, but have been stretched for time. Hopefully this weekend I’ll be able to sit down and do that. I did get around to fixing up my blog a bit more to reflect my own personality. It took a while to pick out a theme that wasn’t too busy, inappropriate or downright unwieldy to handle. I’m hoping this theme makes it easy to navigate through my entries. All in all, the course has made me more aware of groups of people and gatherings around town. There are quite a few festivals going on this spring, and I’m looking forward to attending a few of them.  

Ethnography Assignment #1: Larkfield Anytime Fitness

I chose the Anytime Fitness center in the Larkfield shopping center for my ethnography assignment.  Larkfield-Wikiup is a quiet, rural-ish, unincorporated town located about five miles north of Santa Rosa, CA. It boasts a population of approximately 9,000 people,  consisting of mostly white, middle-class households (79.3% to be exact, according to the US Census Bureau.) … Continue reading Ethnography Assignment #1: Larkfield Anytime Fitness

I chose the Anytime Fitness center in the Larkfield shopping center for my ethnography assignment.  Larkfield-Wikiup is a quiet, rural-ish, unincorporated town located about five miles north of Santa Rosa, CA. It boasts a population of approximately 9,000 people,  consisting of mostly white, middle-class households (79.3% to be exact, according to the US Census Bureau.) The average income for those living in the area is $74,076 per year, and the average home is worth $414,500. This particular Anytime Fitness is a small, privately-owned franchise that collects monthly dues of approximately $50 per member.  The facility itself is small and limited, consisting of exercise equipment, weight machines, a free weight area, and a dance studio as well as a staff office and restrooms. There are no pool facilities. The entire gym nestles neatly into a one-room corner lot in a shopping mall that includes a local supermarket and a community bank. It’s a cozy place, one where you might think everyone should know each other on a first-name basis considering how small the town is. Initial observations tell me differently.  At nine’o clock in the morning, the place is not crowded. There are maybe ten people here working out, along with a couple of staffers lounging around in the office. Roughly half of these are female. 90 percent of the occupants are white. Occupants appear to occupy a wide range of age groups and fitness levels. They seem to be working out solitary and separate from their neighbors.  There seems to be a protective space around each person, for everyone is at least one machine away from the next person, or occupying a private area away from others. Most people are wearing earbuds, which seems to further discourage conversation from others.  The treadmills and striders are more popular with older people, women and those less in shape. The back of the gym, where the weight machines and free weights are, is occupied by young men, who are often wearing grip gloves, sweat bands and earbuds. Most people are wearing appropriate exercise gear.  One person immediately stands out from the others. He is a painfully skinny man who working by himself with free weights in front of a mirror. I notice his appearance is striking and awkward.  He’s wearing a bright orange zipper sweatshirt with a black tee shirt underneath, white baggy shorts that come down to his knee with bright red biker pants underneath, gray socks and brown leather shoes that don’t seem to belong in a gym.  He has a brown beanie that is askew on his head, half-revealing a shaven head although he has well-groomed, hipster-style sideburns. He’s wearing aviator style sunglasses. He reminds me of Hunter Thompson as portrayed by Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  He appears oblivious of everything around him and focuses on his stretching. Nobody else seems to notice me standing by the cubby area with my notebook except for an older, heavyset man wearing a headband who is laboring away on a strider.  He is alert and looks around at everyone, including me, as if he is wondering if anyone is watching him.  I head over to the treadmill so that I can continue my observations without making it obvious.  I notice an abandoned plastic Starbucks coffee cup in the cupholder of the center treadmill and avoid it.  Looking around, I see more of these abandoned beverages, mostly in the form of plastic water bottles.  They are especially prevalent around the cubby area where people store their belongings. More members enter and exit.  The office area how has several staffers milling around, many holding paper cups containing coffee.  This area is where the most interaction takes place.  An elderly woman walks in pulling a rolling overstuffed backpack behind her. She looks like she is dressed for a day of shopping. She’s wearing a long brown overcoat, jeans, a fancy red turtleneck, a white scarf, brown high-tops and a white wide-brimmed hat.  She takes off her overcoat and heads over to the exercise machines. I turn my attention back to the Hunter Thompson look-alike.  He is now sitting at a table vigorously shaking a Venti Starbucks cup before drinking from it. He also has a gallon of Arrowhead water, which he leaves on the table as he disappears into the restroom area. A few minutes later, he reappears, sans white shorts.  The red biker pants reveal everything as he heads back towards the mirror and sits cross-legged in what appears to be a meditation pose. A young man interrupts his reverie by asking him a question, pointing to a machine behind him. He nods and re-settles back into his pose.  An older lady with a stylish blunt haircut strides happily on a machine.  Walking past her, I see her level is set on 16, and that she has been working out for more than 30 minutes now.  The clock inches towards ten o’clock and I make my way to the cubby area to collect my items and discreetly write down my thoughts.  The office area is now abuzz with several staff members ranging from a youthful, pretty blonde, a tall, heavily-bearded young guy, and an older, stern-looking brunette woman.  I leave the building.

Questions:

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this method of observation? How have you experienced these strengths and weaknesses in regard to this particular setting?

This particular gym is rather small and private, and there are not many places to sit and observe.  I think I would not be able to do this unobtrusively and would need to blend in by working out alongside the members so that their behavior will not be influenced by a feeling they are being watched.

What strengths and weaknesses do you possess for conducting this kind of research in this type of setting?

I’m already a member of the gym, so my presence is familiar and habitual. So, I am not standing out in particular as an outsider and my presence is not out of the ordinary. I think most members would not realize I was observing them.  My deafness gives me an excuse to use my eyes could provide an excuse for being overly observant.  It also makes me an expert in reading body language. However, my inability to hear also excludes me from listening in to conversations, so I am limited to interpreting motives based on gestures and facial/body expressions.

What ethical problems, if any, do you sense in doing this kind of research in this kind of setting?

Perhaps judgement and personal bias might come into play as I observe others in a setting where observation might be very uncomfortable to those who are sensitive to their body image. Many would probably not enjoy being described in detail on a public website like this, even anonymously.

How would you compare the quality of the data you gathered with that in any earlier observation you have done? Specify the points on which you base your comparison.

I frequent this gym three or four times a week, and I don’t usually observe others as closely as I did for this session.  I find that I isolate and insulate myself much as other solitary members do and focus on my own workout, although I do (discreetly) people-watch often.

If you were to do this exercise again, how would you improve your approach?

I am not sure I could hang out in a gym without being a participant as it would probably attract attention and make people feel self-conscious while they’re working out.  My sedentary behavior might turn off others who are working out and make me stand out to staff members who might see me as loitering.  I do notice that myself when I’m working out and wonder what a person who is not working out might be doing in a place like this. So my method to blend in and participate in exercise seems to be the best way to observe.

300 Best Festivals for 2016

Saw this in my Facebook feed today, thought I’d post here for reference. Looks like this is an international compilation, which makes for interesting study. Thoughts, anyone? 300 Best Festivals for 2016

Saw this in my Facebook feed today, thought I’d post here for reference. Looks like this is an international compilation, which makes for interesting study. Thoughts, anyone? hero_astral_harvest_phi_vernon_third_eye_arts 300 Best Festivals for 2016

Week 1: Festivals, Hillbillies and WordPress

So here I begin my journey exploring general and local culture through festivals. I’ve checked out a few local events that seemed interesting to me: the San Francisco Tea Festival, the Fisherman’s Festival in Bodega Bay, California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, Chowder Day, and the multitude of wine, beer, film and music festivals. But one festival … Continue reading Week 1: Festivals, Hillbillies and WordPress

So here I begin my journey exploring general and local culture through festivals. I’ve checked out a few local events that seemed interesting to me: the San Francisco Tea Festival, the Fisherman’s Festival in Bodega Bay, California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, Chowder Day, and the multitude of wine, beer, film and music festivals. But one festival recently caught my attention while I was browsing the local digital newspaper: the Silver Scream Festival, which will take place March 4-6 at the Roxy Theatre in downtown Santa Rosa, CA.

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I’ve always loved movies, especially cult movies, and it takes a certain kind of person to love horror and sci-fi flicks. So I thought it would be an interesting challenge to research the background of this festival and even be a part of it. I immediately applied for a volunteer position by emailing the info email address, and got back a quick response from their team stating their willingness to help out with research, interviews, and volunteer opportunities. Exciting! I’m looking forward to being a part of this gathering!

A little about the beginnings of the festival: (quoting from their mission statement): In 1958, editor Forrest J Ackerman and publisher James Warren set out to make a single magazine, called Famous Monsters of Filmland, that would celebrate the classic films of Universal’s golden horror age. The festival invites submissions in the form of feature films, short films, screenplays, animation, and graphic novel scripts and concept art.  It features screenings, awards, prizes, parties and … more, the website claims. I’ve never been to a festival like this, so it will be interesting to see what types of people attend and how they interact.

More on this later as my research develops …

I finished the first three chapters of Rodger Lyle Brown’s Ghost Dancing on the Cracker Circuit and felt it was an easy read. The author mixes personal account with academic insight, h51Mc6+JPUzL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_istorical facts and cultural mythology that makes for a thoroughly engrossing storytelling experience (except for the last part in Chapter Three, where he goes on for pages about the McCoy and Hatfield feud – something I felt he could easily leave out.) The one thing I noted is how he states many of the festivals he attended were in their dying throes, and often set up as a community’s reaction to a changing economic and political landscape, where technological “advances” act more to make their way of living obsolete rather than enhanced. Of the three chapters, I enjoyed the one on “Hillbilly Days”. where he explained how the hillbilly stereotype came into being. I found this interesting because I did not realize it was based on a mythical stereotype constructed mostly by mainstream media and misunderstanding — just like our Native Americans were contorted into heathenish “Indians” by the advent of the Hollywood Western. More on this later.

Still getting  used to the WordPress format. I feel I spent much more time trying to figure it out than I should have, instead of focusing on the reading and homework. But I think I’ve figured it out for the most part, and will continue to modify this site with time.

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