Blog Post #2
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In class we learn about Harold's Innis’ concepts of time and space biased media. We look to explore this in the film we watched in class Pontypool, a sort of zombie apocalypse film that explores the spread of infection through language and communication. In the Pontypool movie Innis concept of space biased media is what I notice to be present. Innis' concept in Pontypool explores vectors of infection of the English language as an example of space bias and the power and limitations of language in creating and shaping human experiences during these intense situations. Pontypool also gives a great example of a media form space bias being used. As the movie takes place in a radio station many interactions with the outside world are from the receiving and sending of information. This media form is able to extend the transmission of information, leading to the spread of the infection to become more rapid because they are able to extend their communication across the whole town.
The Pontypool movie is the confined setting which allows for a focus on the dialog and language used in the film. The film forces us and the characters in the film to look into verbal communication and how their words take on new meaning, as the movie progresses words become more significant and this allows for the dialogue to intensify and each exchange between characters words become more meaningful. The media forms used in the movie only amplifies communication and thus the spreading of the infection, if we remove these, the communication stream would be confined.
Hi Sebastien,
ReplyDeleteGreat connection about the medium affecting the transmission of the virus! If the radio station hadn’t been broadcasting and saying infected words to anyone to hear, the virus would not have transmitted to so many people so quickly. From the morning when the radio station began broadcasting to the end of the movie, probably only a few hours passed in the story world! That basically highlights how much of an impact radio as a medium had on the transmission of the virus because it essentially made the whole town of pontypool zombies as a result!