Research Paper ideas

For my research paper I am going to write about a Canadian film because I am a film major and any opportunity that I can get to write about a film, I will. I haven't chosen an exact film yet but I am thinking about writing about Normal (Carl Bessai, 2007), Rude (Clement Virgo, 1995) or Atanarjuat (Zacharias Kunuk, 2001). I am leaning towards Normal because I like it the most, I have the film and I've seen it the most. I think I could talk about how the film is Canadian but very American by nature. The film's narrative has all the plot lines to make it popular like drugs, sex and violence which is common in an American film. However the film can be seen as Canadian because it is about three people's emotional journeys through life which Canadian films usually concerns themselves with. Canadian films are mostly about people trying to discover themselves similar to our country trying to discover who we are. This film is about three people trying to discover who they are and how to move on after being effected by a death.

In this paper I could use the Media Effect theory to discuss how America takes control of our entertainment industry with their own films as well as influencing Canadian films. I could also discuss Adorno and Horkheimer's theory of the Culture Industry which refers to the media, which in my case is film. Adorno and Horkheimer both argued that society is "in a state of false consciousness" (lecture). I could use this theory by discussing how we are consumers of the American world and they are deluding their image upon us. American films make Canadians want to be American because they paint a beautiful picture for us and tell us everything is better there in order for us to buy their products. Now Canadians think they have to be American or act American in order to be popular or make money. For example the film Normal is Canadian but has American tendencies in it like the sex, drugs and violence.

This is just the beginning of my analysis. I have to do a ton more research in order to make my point valid and appropriate for this course. I want to choose Normal because it is a Canadian film that thinks it has to conform to the style of an American film to be popular, which in a way I think is valid because society has gotten used to the American style that they can not accept Canadian film as it is behind in development. My argument in my paper will surround the notion of the Canadian and American film industry and how the American industry has taken over because they are more developed and the Canadian film only has a slight chance to over power the American industry if we try to copy their style.