Teen Wolf: Where Will Amazing Happen This Year?

This is a (so far) barely-viral but pretty funny video mocking the NBA's "Where Amazing Happens" commercials. These consist of dramatic, slow-motion black and white footage of one "amazing" play. Pathos-ridden piano music encompasses the soundtrack.

The video takes a stance against the hyperbolic, overblown drama of the original commercials. (For a good example, check out the treatment they gave Tayshaun Prince's famous blocked shot here.) By injecting the absurd "Teen Wolf" clips into the original dramatic form, the videomaker is satirically undercutting the annoying (if not oppressive) presence of the original commercials.

The genre is simply satire. One could even go so far as to argue that the "Where Amazing Happens" commercials have spawned a whole genre of videos by themselves. Some take a more critical approach than my "Teen Wolf" example: There is this one which mocks the controversial officiating that, for many basketball fans and sports columnists, has marred the NBA Playoffs this year. There are dozens of other examples that take the NBA commercials as an example: "Teen Wolf" stands apart, though, for being thoughtfully put together and probably the funniest so far.

The audience consists, primarily, of anyone who has seen one of the many commercials the NBA has put out under the "Where Amazing Happens" slogan. NBA basketball fans are the most obvious group, but non-fans can certainly appreciate the humor if they've seen the commercials. Bloggers consist of an important audience (they fuel the "viral" machine) and indeed I first came across "Teen Wolf" on Deadspin.com, probably the most read and most famous sports blog on the Internet.

Satire has its limits: It's position can only ever be oppositional, and even then it can never mount a very strong opposition seeing how it is inevitably tied to the original source it is mocking. That said, the "Teen Wolf" video succeeds admirably in using sarcasm and humor to take the wind out of the NBA's overblown sails. One hesitates to emphasize anything social or political at stake here, but certainly we can commend the populist uprising against hubristic sports marketing. And it's fun.

Powerthirst - Energy drink commerical

Audience: The video is intended for people who drink energy drinks, which is mostly males in their teens and twenties.

Purpose: The purpose is to satirically mock energy drink commercials and the basis behind energy drinks in general.

Stance: The video's stance is to show how irrational the claims made by energy drink companies are. It mocks the various ingredients they claim will boost your energy when they say: "more electrolytes, turbolytes, powerlites, oralites than your body has room for...you'll be so fast mother nature will be like SLOW DOWN!" The commercial progresses into even more ridiculous claims saying you will have 400 babies that will be able to run abnormally fast! This parallels the progression of energy drinks from their initial simplicity to the insane complex ones of today.

Genre: Satirical commercial


I think that the argument made here is definitely effective. This fake commercial brings awareness to the blatant ridculousness of energy drink claims, which people succumb to by purchasing. It is also hilarious to watch and quite entertaining!

Richard Trumka

Audience: Individuals who are voting in the 2009 election, whom may hold racist beliefs, and will be voting according.

Purpose: This film was made in order to deter voters from voting based on ethnicity during the 2009 presidential election.

Stance: Richard Trumka makes it clear that he is against the idea of race playing a factor in one’s vote for during the election. In order to convey this idea, he uses personal examples of people explaining how race should play a role. In doing so, he alludes to the ignorance behind voting based on race. He argues that Obama is a Christian, an American, and above all a human.

Genre: Persuasive and Factual

Anti-smoking commercial

The creators of this video set up 2 guitar playing cowboys in what looks like downtown New York. The audience around them is first surprised by the characters setting up a campfire in traffic, but is then shocked that the guy sings through a microphone held up to his throat ... presumably because he had throat cancer and lost his voice from smoking. The purpose of this video is clearly to send a message to smokers about the dangers of smoking. Their stance is that smoking is bad for you, and this video's genre was TV videos since it was first a television commercial. The intended audience seems to be all smokers, especially because it was a commercial played on all channels so anyone could have seen it. I think their message is effective just given the shock value of the commercial. Also, they're not saying smoking WILL kill you, but even if it doesn't you could lose a lung. Definitely scary. 

Derrick (Post 2)

Stance: Holywood movies and trailers are a joke.
Purpose: To show how formulaic trailers are in their creation.
Genre: YouTube video
Intended Audience: Really anyone who watches movies, but more specifically those who saw Dark Knight.

I think they are effective in putting their point across. It isn't a very critical issue, but i think it is still a relevant one. Since no one will take a social issue like this seriously, it is best just to make a joke out of it. That's what i think anyway.

D

Jagerbaums!!

For my viral video rhetorical analysis I chose the viral video hit, "My New Haircut."

Stance: I believe this video is attacking young males from the South Jersey shore area. It's showing that they are a mockery by exaggerating their aggression, anger, and cockiness among other traits.

Audience: I definitely believe the primary audience are teenage to young adult males. While many would believe the video is funny because of the characters, I think teenage boys and young men who go to the gym and party relate to the video a lot. Those from the tri-state area would relate to it most.

Genre: The video is a satire about young South Jersey shore males.

Purpose: I feel like this video was made to poke fun at the young males from that area but also to show that the stereotypical east coast "tough" guy isn't really tough. They shouldn't be taken seriously. They are always trying to show their toughness on the outside but they are truly weak. A prime example of this is when the video flashes to the guy struggling to lift weights at the gym. Another example is when he screams, "Ma where's the f**ing protein!?!" It's trying to say acting tough makes you look more of a joke than a real man.

I laugh every time I watch this video because I know of many people from that area who act similarly to the character in the video but also because it helps me put things into perspective for me. Guys who think they are tough by being aggressive, greasing their hair, and popping their collars are the exact opposite and can't be taken seriously.

2nd posting: a way to deal with obesity (from "the onion")

This video is a clip from "The Onion". It is fake news saying that the government reduces the population of obese people by raising definition of obesity. 

Personally, I think one purpose of this argument is to tell people how ridiculous the way that the government chooses to handle a problem. It can be seen as a way to express their indignation towards government's reaction to some issues, and people are not blind and they need effective solutions.

For its audience, they can be anyone who watches news.

And, there are two stances of this video. One is to show the fact that there are a huge number of obese people in the US, which is a serious problem today. But the government "solves" this problem by changing the definition of obesity, which is nonsense. So, the other, or the main stance is to indicate that nowadays, the government pretends to solve some tough problems by covering them instead of dealing with them. 

And, they created a TV program called "The Onion News" to convey the information, which can attract people's attention. Usually, people would think it is true at first, but later find out that it is just joking. By this way, the audience can be impressed. 

Shuyi Li

Knives Vs Cops

The purpose of this video is to create a parody of the way cops/police so boldly approach people, house and vehicles in their line of work. It creates a situation in which cops and regular civilians can see possible errors in their ways of operation and handling the business of their jobs.

The stance is that police do not, oftentimes, think about the possible outcomes of their actions. It shows things that cops may need to consider when they are carrying out their job responsibilities.

The genre of the movie is pretty professional because the makers used real polices cars and uniforms to create the video but you can tell that the budget was not terribly large in making it.

I think the intended audience is anyone who works in law enforcement, people who have to regularly interact with the public and people who have job that require them to carry weapons.

I think the argument, quite simply, is to be careful and to expect the unexpected. If this was the creator's intended message, I think he or she was very effective.

Obama: National Debt Road Trip

This is a video that offers a visual representation of the debt as proposed by the Obama budget in comparison to the debt of all previous administrations.  

Its purpose is to make an argument to viewers that Obama spending, at this point, is worse than any other president.  

Its stance is simply that Obama is spending too much in the opinion of the creator.

Its genre is a video that is created at home without commercial backing.  It is almost like a cheap public service announcement.  

Its audience, it seems, are those who are not traditionally fiscal conservatives.  He is trying to make the argument that even to someone who supports an active and involved government, this is too much.  

It seems to be somewhat effective, although it gets more confusing when you have to factor in both speed and distance.  There also aren't sources for his figures, which is questionable.  

Kyle Shenfeld: Blog #2

Stance: The stance of this video is that dos equis beer is a choice that interesting people make. Overall a good choice.
Purpose: To show the viewer how "interesting" the lives are of those people that drink dos equis, specifically this man who has been in an ongoing line of commericals as "the most interesting man in the world."
Genre: YouTube video, television commercial
Intended Audience: The video definitely seems to be intended for men (over 21). It is clearly for men who are healthy enough to drink beer so probably under the age of about 80. I also think it is definitely for men because the video definitely conveys the ideas that a "typical" man would strive for, specifically the ability to be interesting and get with women, as this interesting man has definitely don so.
Overall i think the video is great. It is funny and interesting and it uses silly cliches and sarcasm to convey a clear message and make people remember the video. Humor as well as clever wit makes this a great video. So, heres my video, THE most interesting man in the world.

Assignment 2: Future Technology 2009 The year of technology invention

Stance: Technology has significantly changed the way and the speed that we receive information and will continue to do so in faster and more efficient ways in the future.

Audience: The audience for this video is to anyone who has evolved with the technological world and curious of the effects and possible future effects it holds for everyone. This applies to students in most school settings as schools have seriously adapted to technology and almost everyone in the working world as businesses, hospitals, etc. have made tremendous adjustments in becoming more efficient with technology.

Genre: It is a fact based informational video about technology.

Purpose: This video presents how technology has played a major role in the amount of information we receive and how we receive it over a lifetime and gives shocking numbers of how much information we have learned since the past and how much we will be able to learn in the future from technology.

This video presents an interesting topic and says the question "What does it all mean?" at the end of the video. The video is presenting all of these facts about how technology has changed our lifestyle, but what can we do with all of this information in the future and how is going to change our lives.

The video is very interesting and effective in getting its argument across, as it continuously presents the viewer with one shocking fact after another.

Assignment 2: Usain Bolt Celebrates Early

Audience: The audience for this parody of Usain Bolt's 100m gold-medal run is viewers of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and potentially other athletes that were critical of Usain's early celebration before he finished. They also allude to Bella Karoly, the former coach of the US Gymnastics team who was a commentator, so the audience is also viewers of the gymnastic competition.

Stance: This video parodies and exaggerates Usain's early celebration. It also points out how good of an athelete Usain is, and how he dominated his competition.

Purpose: The purpose of this video was to cast Usain as an athlete who does not have good sportsmanship. In the video, he starts celebrating as soon as the race starts because he knows he was going to win, which criticizes his cocky attitude. Overall, the video ridicules how outrageous Usain was in celebrating before he finished, even though he finished in world record time.

Genre: This video takes a the form of a fake sports broadcast, and interview with Usain.

The argument that Usain probably shouldn't have celebrated early is effective because they parallel these exaggerations with his actual celebration, and the viewer sees that his actual celebration was not far off of the exaggerations.

2nd blog assignment: rhetorical analysis

This genre for this video is a satirical parody of a commercial, specifically that of Snuggies, which are basically sleeved blankets made out fleece material. Snuggies promise to keep you "from being chill" without "destroying your heating bill", but according to this video, it can't promise you from not looking stupid while sporting it:



This video's purpose is to show that there's nothing you can do with a Snuggie that you can't do with a regular blanket, especially since the actors are all doing mundane tasks (such as watching T.V., writing, etc.). To make matters worse, not only are Snuggies useless, but they aren't even fashionable (the speaker makes remarks of how they're "creepy" and simply, "robes you put on backwards"). The overall stance is that Snuggies are a horrible investment, and there's nothing to be gained by having one and possibly to ridicule those who do wear them.

Although a wide range of people may be able to relate to the "uselessness" of Snuggies, the humor of this video is a bit edgy and sophomoric. Therefore, I'm going to suggest that the audience would be teenagers and young adults exposed to commercials/infomercials as so.

This video does a lot of ridiculing, so I believe it is effective at shaming those who may have positive interest in Snuggies. But, it's a bit ironic because Snuggie sales have far exceeded the expectations of their distributors, possibly due to their widespread ridicule in today's pop culture.

Rhetorical Analysis YouTube video

Stance: Anti-Palin
Purpose: To show that Sarah Palin is dumb and un-governor like.
Genre: YouTube video
Intended Audience: Supporters of Obama since they will find the video funny. Also, it could also be intended for Palin supporters to get the purpose (as stated above) across to them. Particularly, this video would be aimed at teenage to older men since the video uses quite a bit of sex appeal.

Overall, Obama Girl is trying to argue that Sarah Palin is not qualified to be a governor, let alone the next vice president of the United States. She shows Palin as naïve and unintelligent in order to get this point across. I believe her argument is effective since it had me thinking that Palin was definitely not presidential material. Also, it has over 6 million view on YouTube, so she must be doing something right with the video.

Hey all, can anybody tell me how to embed a link?

Becky Liner

Hey guys, 

My name's Becky Liner and I'm a junior majoring in business here at U of M. I'm taking a bunch of sweet classes this spring, not one of them being pertinent for any academic requirements. I love to kick back listening to music or reading a good book and if I'm feeling active I'll play some good old Wii sports. 

I typically go on Youtube to watch clips from shows, specifically, to quench my obsessions with The Office, Demetri Martin, and Borat. I'm always down to broaden my youtube horizons and thought this class would be a great way to discover new videos, get a good laugh, and learn a little bit about the viral video industry (if you can even call it that).  I'm sharing this great political satire from The Onion about 9/11. Enjoy!

Shuyi is in ^____^

Hey Hey Hey guys,

My name is Shuyi (which may be a little difficult to pronounce). And, I am a sophomore, I think but not sure because I transfer from a university in China last semester, so I still feel confused about which year I am in. =.=

Anyway, since I like watching videos, like MVs and funning clips, I am excited about taking this class!!!! Hope we will have a great time together and make awesome videos in the end! >____<

Shannon Herline

Hey everyone. My name's Shannon and I've never posted on a blog before! I went to Kalamazoo College for  years but transferred to Michigan for my junior and senior years. I was born and raised in Ann Arbor so I love being back! I just graduated with a psychology degree and am finishing up my final four credits. I was a computer science major then changed to psychology, with a focus on organizational psychology. I'm actually happy to be taking spring classes because when people ask what my future plans are (I have NO idea) I can tell them I'm still in school and haven't figured it out.

I spend a lot of time watching movies and reading. I love being outside and am getting ready to run the Dexter-Ann Arbor half marathon at the end of May. Most of my evenings are spent at the Black Pearl, a restaurant on Main Street where I'm a server and bartender...come check it out if you've never been there! 

I've seen a lot of youTube videos, but am really excited to take this class to find out why videos become so popular. My favorite is the "Cute girl flushes fish" video because the little girl is so innocent and serious about her fishes funeral, but you can't help but laugh because it's so cute! Even the mom and dad break down. I've never embedded a video in a blog before so I hope this works!

アシュリーと申します！

Hello, internets! My name is Ashlei and I am a senior. I "graduated" about a week ago, but I need to finish up a few credits which is one of the reasons why I'm taking the course. It also looked fun and very different from other classes I've taken in the past. I'm looking forward to finishing up my degree this year, but I'm also going to miss classes here at U of M...

I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and only moved out to Ann Arbor for school. I am a sociology major and I am very much interested in the crime and deviance subject of sociology. I also have a minor in Japanese, just because I've always wanted to learn (or at least, attempt to learn) a new language.

For fun, I'm usually surfing the net or playing video games, or maybe just strolling the town with my friends (because, I need to periodically go out and adjust my eyes to sunlight). I do a bit of art as well... nothing terribly impressive, though.



Haha, one of my favorite viral videos. Not only because these guys sound hilarious laughing at this poor girl, but also because it another side to the usually rigid and strict newscasters. These guys look fun!

Eric Plourde

Hey guys, my name's Eric, I am finishing up my undergraduate credits this semester.  I'm taking the class cuz it seemed like the coolest 1 credit class being offered.  I'm big into music, writing and recording it, and I play guitar, drums, bass, and keyboard.  After graduating I'd like to go to law school, although I might take some time off to travel or just to chill, who knows.  My newest viral video that I like a lot is Mr. Chi City...

Intro to me.

Hey All,

I am Christopher Sinclair and I guess I have officially, but not technically, graduated from the University. I have five more credits to finish my degree, but I walked a couple weeks ago. I was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan but I now call Farmington Hills, Michigan my home. I have been singing for the last 16 years of my life and the majority of my time on YouTube is devoted to watching my favorite singers do live performances. I like to study the things that they do vocally and the ways in which they perform a song/deliver it's message. 

The video that I'm posting is of one of my favorite singers named Chrystal Rucker. She is singing a song by Patti LaBelle called "Over the Rainbow" that she rearranged into a gospel song. It may or may not be viral, but it's one of my favorites. 

This is my first time posting on a blog, so in case I don't do it correctly, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCZ92Yovv2c

S. Van Lyle aka Lil' You Tube

S. Kyle Shenfeld AKA Lil' You Tube

Hey There Hi There Ho Ho Ho There...
My name is Samuel Kyle Shenfeld and I'm a sophomore + 1/2 majoring in English and minoring in life. I like stanzaic poetry and monotone bike riding.
My legal name is Samuel but I go by Kyle. My friends call me Lyle aka S. Van Lyle. However, recently i have become the self proclaimed Lil' You Tube aka Lil u Tube aka Lil Tube.
Why you ask? Well, some say i have separation "issues." Maybe that's why I refuse to download firefox and would perfer to sigh slowly on safari's sinking ship.
Anywho, along those lines, I also have problems with "downloading."
So, i perfer to do things the old fashioned way, You Tube style.
That's why my itunes only has 26 songs (all of which were sent to me by my 1/2 girlfriend?)
Where is this going? Oh, yeah, so they call me Lil' You Tube...the most well respected you-tube-music connoisseur in the northeast, specializing in anything and everything weezy.
So, without further, here is my favorite young money cash money track of the week.

Scott Kirsch: Lets get viral

Hey everyone,

My name is Scott I am going to be a junior in the fall.  I am currently majoring in brain, behavior, and cognitive sciences and I am pre-med.  I love games, sports, and activities.   I am on youtube all the time and I frequently send videos to anyone I think is up for a good laugh.  I chose this video because it was one of the first videos I ever really appreciated on youtube.  It is short, quick, surprising, involves soccer (my favorite sport) and hilarious.  Its the best under 5 second video you can find (possibly the best video out there), but if someone can top that, please do.  I am taking this class for the joy of youtube and I also would like to make a video go viral.

Think green, go blue.

Scott

Elliott Darvish, at your service

I'm ferocious, hungry and intense. I have a youtube account that says I have watched 2,735 videos and counting. I have posted a few videos, including a documentary and an interview. I am a sophomore from Los Angeles, CA majoring in business at the University of Michigan. 

I decided to take SWC 200 primarily for three reasons: 1. I love youtube, 2. I want to learn how to make a video viral, 3. the class sounds awesome. It's a blog-eat-blog world out there and I'll have to say I'm ready to take this class by the horns.

I'm a big basketball fan (I love Kobe and the Lakers), enjoy tv (24, prisonbreak, etc.) and films (all films) as well as being outdoors and sipping on some iced tea occasionally. In my free time, I often watch youtube videos and I often watch the same videos several times.

I will have to say choosing a favorite youtube video was difficult but I would have to choose the Persian convenience store owner that kicks butt. The man, Edward Petrossi, has become a viral video celebrity in my community but the funny thing is since he received his 15 minutes of fame, I haven't watched the video once.

Enjoy!

Deh

I am Derrick. I am an aspiring good-for-something. I have two kids, love 'em. I am tall, but small (i mean i'm skinny, you perv).

I don't believe in freedom. I don't believe in money. I don't believe in school. I don't believe in religion. I don't believe in morality. I don't believe in health. I don't believe in truth. I don't believe in fortune... I just believe in me, Yoko and me.

"And i'm like, a pleasure machine... uh huh huh huh"
-butthead


I took this class to try to enjoy UM class more. So far so good.


For example:


I like it because he is f-ed up! His innocence combined with his stonededness is what makes it so funny. Poor kid.

-d

Dan Newman

I'm Dan Newman. I'm taking this class because, how awesome is a class on viral videos? Really, I thought it would be an enjoyable summer class, and it gets me another LS&A credit.

My interests include foosball, thinking of businesses to start, feeding my fish, and cooking.

One of my favorite viral videos is this Indian song:

Not only for the great dancing, and not only for the made-up lyrics, but also because it's a great song.

Nicole Morack

Hey, my name is Nicole Morack and I'm finishing up my undergraduate credits this Spring term. I attended Spring commencement and will be starting at the School of Social Work in Fall. My undergraduate degree is in Sociology and I hope to work with the elderly after I receive my M.S.W. In my free time, I spend most of my time with my almost two year old daughter Jennifer. With what limited free time I have from school and Jennifer, I like to watch TV shows on HBO or the Office.
I'm taking Viral Video Rhetoric this term since it was one of the few one-credit courses offered over Spring, and I needed a one credit to supplement my other two credit class to meet my credit requirment for my degree. Also, I enjoy watching viral videos online and think it will be interesting to see what makes certain videos more viral than others.
As for my favorite online video, I really enjoy "Peanut Butter Jelly Time". I just think it's really catchy and I can't help but laugh whenever I see the crazy banana person dancing around.

Introducing: D'Anne Witkowski (a.k.a. your instructor)

In the spirit of your first assignment (you know, the one where you're supposed to tell the class about yourself and post one of your favorite online videos and tell us why you like it), I thought it only fair that I should jump in and go first. Not that first is better, but it is my hope that I might eliminate the potential anxiety of being the first person to post.

So: About me. I am a lecturer at the University of Michigan in both the English Department Writing Program and the Sweetland Writing Center. I have an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from UofM and I did my undergrad work at the University of Detroit Mercy.

My interests include reading, actual books as well as things I get from the Internets (Videogum is one of my favorite blogs), writing (poetry, creative non-fiction, etc.), pop culture, some TV (The Office, The Wire, Big Love, Supernanny, Grey's Anatomy, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), music (listening. I'm not a player. Of music. Or player in the other sense of the word), spending quality time with friends and family, politics, teaching, and animals (I have a dog, Henri, and a cat, Jasper). Two of my interests, poetry and monkeys, are represented on my blog Touched By A Monkey.

As for my favorite viral video, well, there are too many to choose from. So here is my favorite of the moment. You may remember it from class last week.

A shout-out from Obama Girl

Yes. This really happened. Obama Girl gave our class a shout out last term.

Welcome to Viral Video Rhetoric!

Hello! Welcome to the official class blog for Viral Video Rhetoric. I'm D'Anne Witkowski, your instructor. Thanks for taking this class! I'm looking forward to an action-packed educational adventure this semester.

A note on how this blog is organized: you'll notice that to the right there are lists. "Stuff To Read" is just that. Reading assignments for this class (though some of your reading assignments you'll find via C-Tools. Don't worry. I'll let you know). "Stuff to Watch" is, again, just that. This is a list of online videos that have gone viral, particularly videos that employ the kind of persuasive and rhetorical strategies we'll be discussing in this class. "Sites of Interest" is a list of sites that we'll either talk about or that pertain in some way to viral videos. Some of them are viral marketing sites that want your money. Inclusion on this list is in no way an endorsement, nor are you required or even encouraged to use these services. They are there for your reference.

Your first assignment is to post to this blog yourself. You'll get an email inviting you to join this blog. You'll need a Google email address, so if you don't have one, please get one even if that annoys you. We must all make small sacrifices for the sake of education.

May the viral force be with you.