In McLuhan's book, The Medium is The Massage, he states, "Television demands participation and involvement in depth of the whole being. It will not work as a background. It engages you. Perhaps this is why so many people feel that their identity has been threatened" (125).
McLuhan believes that we all interact with television; that watching TV is an interaction between the television and the viewer.
My project is a short film titled "Uncovered Hidden Messages" that shows the interaction with TV. Specifically, the difference in interaction when we are children versus when we are intellectual adults.
The idea behind the project is based off of a discussion we had in class in response to McLuhan's concept. It deals with how children view and understand cartoons versus how adults view and understand cartoons. Adults are able to notice the hidden sexual innuendos in children's shows and movies that were previously missed… hence "Uncovered Hidden Messages."
Even though my project showcases sexual innuendos specifically in video footage.. there is a surprising and disturbing amount of sexual subliminal messages within photos directed toward children. For example, many Disney movie posters have phallic symbols or images referencing the sexual body as a whole.
When researching for this project, I kept wondering WHY producers chose to include sexual innuendos and have characters making reference to sexual acts in children's shows/movies. Are they trying to subconsciously pervert the minds of children? If so, why? What is the point? On the other hand, I question if viewers or anyone in general is actively seeking to identify sexual imagery in photos like the ones above, and it is just coincidence that the side of Minnie's body looks like a penis. I would like to believe that producers of children's shows and movies are not consciously putting sexual content in their production, but who knows. Regardless, now that we are adults and understand sexuality... we view the content of these cartoons and Disney movies in an entirely different way than when we were innocent and naive children.
I liked how you juxtaposed the children and adults. I found that when I re-watch disney movies (yes, it happens, no regrets), I catch the adult references I missed when I was younger. Your reflection on youth versus adulthood is intriguing.
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