Citizen Kane Essay Example for Free

Citizen Kane Essay The film Citizen Kane (1941), directed and written by Orson Welles and Herman Mankiewicz, is an American film drama that use various film techniques to illustrate themes, attitudes, and the development of a story. Welles use of camera angles, lighting, movement, symbolism and expression allow the audience to comprehend and understand the themes such as power and exploitation that are present in this movie along with many other themes that pertain to the life of the main character, Charles Foster Kane. Many of the filming techniques that are used in this film illustrate Kane and his feelings and transitions through and about his life. Citizen Kane is a film that demonstrates the importance of how simple scene techniques can help develop a story. After viewing the film, the audience comes to understand that the main theme of the movie is centered around the importance of childhood. Throughout the movie, symbolism is used to reinforce the theme. Thompson, the reporter, attempts to figure out the meaning of the word â€Å"rosebud†, Kanes last words before passing away. Kanes life seems to be a mystery to some people, and the word â€Å"rosebud† is that missing piece to Kanes life. Thompson never figures out what â€Å"rosebud† means, but at the end of the movie we see the word â€Å"rosebud† on the sled that was thrown into the fire. At this point the audience understands that rosebud is indeed symbolic of his childhood and the missing piece of his life. Earlier in the movie, Kane is outside playing with that same sled while his parents are discussing a plan to send him away. â€Å"Rosebud† can now be connected to the snow globe which represents his childhood in Colorado. Thomson said that â⠂¬Å"rosebud† was a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. He is illustrating that Kane always felt that he lost his childhood and himself. All he had to show for it was that sled and the snow globe. Further importance on the theme of his childhood is illustrated through lighting when Thomson the reporter investigates Tatcher to get a better understanding of Kanes childhood. When he enters the room there is a very distinct, glowing light that is angled in such away that it focuses on a book containing information about Kanes childhood. Right away, we see the importance of Kanes childhood in the developing plot. To further emphasize this importance, when Thomson opens the book, the audience notices the very distinct contrast between the bright light on the book and the dark area surrounding the book. Throughout the movie, the director is hinting to the audience that his childhood is symbolic of something very important which just might be the answer to the question, â€Å" What/who is Rosebud?† By now the audience understands that that Kane was unable to have a normal childhood due to a lack of say and power. This is illustrated using a depth and focus effect. In the early parts of the film there is a scene in which Kane is outside playing while his parents and banker are negotiating his fate. The actors are ordered in such a way that the mother is always in front, followed by the banker, Kanes father, and then Kane. Kanes mother seems to have the power due to her position in this scene. It is important to notice that although Kane is in the far depths, he is still in focus, but with limited power. As we transition through the movie, Kane gains power and is in the front of this scene but there is always depth and focus in the shot to illustrate a hierarchy of power. Another theme in the movie that is reinforced by this technique of depth focusing is relationships. As Kane develops through the movie, the audience recognizes that he is losing his power and his weakness leads to broken relationships. When he takes control of the Inquirer, he is constantly surrounded by people and they are not physically distant from him, but as his status on the hierarchical system dwindles down, he begins to distance himself from others in scenes. When Kane fires Leland, we see a great deal of depth and distance between the two but both remain in focus. In this same scene Bernstein is standing in the doorway at a distance away from Kane but he has no significance. The way the actors are positioned illustrate how Kane is developing as person and with other people around him. When Kane gets taken away by Tatcher at a very young age, his life is transitioning into one of power and corruption. When his employees and partners welcome him for the first time at the Inquirer, all the shots are low angle shots. The angle also makes it seem as though Kane is significantly larger than everyone else in the subsequent scenes. It is as though the audience is looking up to him just as his employees are, illustrating the theme of power that Kane now holds. Exploitation is a theme that begins to develop after Kane has taken control of the Inquirer. His need for power continues to grow and he becomes more and more corrupt. Not only is there corruption within his company, but he comes to exploit other peoples thoughts and ideas. As Kane obtains more power and greed, he gets the idea to run for governor, but in the process he gets exploited in regards to his developing relationship with Susan. This is where the movie transitions from power to weakness. Up until this point there has been many low-angle shots to illustrate Kanes growing power. When Kane loses the election, the film moves transitions into high-angle shots. Prior to anyone even saying that the election was over, the scene setting clearly illustrates that the election was lost. Even though the office looks like it is a mess, it is very empty. No campaign crew, no feeling. The shot then moves to Kane. During this scene Kane speaks with two different people but his face is down and hidden from the audience. The camera is constantly at a low angle illustrating Kanes diminishing power. Furthermore, this is the first scene with Kane in which there is limiting lighting in the room, which reinforces the concept of an empty feeling. As mentioned before, the director uses deep focused shots to illustrate a hierarchy of power. Throughout the movie, deep focused shots are also used to put significance on a specific actor. In the deep focused shots, actors are usually separated by long distances, like in the scene where Kane is talking to Susan across a long corridor with Thompson as the interviewer. When either Kane or Susan speak, the camera shot is always focused in front of them to draw attention to what they are saying. Another technique used to put focus on Kane throughout the movie is by drawing in on Kane by passing through and object or person through a continuous shot. This filming technique is used in the first scene of the movie. The scene begins with the audience closing in on a â€Å"No Trespassing† sign, and then passes through the sign to reveal a house with light coming from one window. This might not be a significant amount of light, but the lighting does illustrate the importance of what lies beyond those windows. The scene continues through a garden, over fences, etc. but the whole time the lighted window stays in the same position, continuously bringing a attention to its significance. Of course as the scene continues it is that of Kane passing away and revealing the mystery which follows throughout the film. The director attempts to always keep the attention on Kane even when it seems as though he is fading out of the discussion. The audience can always find a relationship between the characters of a story/film and the main themes. In the film Citizen Kane, the relationship between the characters and important themes are illustrated by filming techniques that range from camera angles to symbolism. Throughout the movie symbolism played an important role in determining the main theme and what â€Å"rosebud† meant. Kanes development as a person and place in society was illustrated through camera angles, lighting, and depth. These techniques not only assists the audience in understanding Kane, but also understanding other characters and the relationship Kane had with them.

Examining The Guest By Albert Camus English Literature Essay

Examining The Guest By Albert Camus English Literature Essay The modern work I chose to examine was The Guest by Albert Camus. I chose this piece because I felt that it was easy to relate to the sense of isolation that was faced by the character Daru. The political theory and psychology in the piece were self evident as it played a big role on the actions of the character in his lonely state. In my opinion the title The Guest, suggests that there is more than one person that Daru doesnt know about. The main character Daru can be examined to be a self-righteous, trusting, full-hearted person. His caring for the prisoner and actions toward him made him feel like he was doing the right thing to help out a fellow human being. The political theory around this piece can be described as volatile in the sense that it assumes to the reader that a war is about to happen. Then Ill wait for the declaration of war! and there is talk of a forthcoming revolt. bring awareness of the actual political unrest among the two feuding parties, the Algerian French colonial government and the Algerian Arabs. I believe this feud is what places Darus post in such a remote environment. The idea that Daru doesnt know what exactly would be the reason for him having a gun would be further supported by the fact that his shotgun is in his trunk which means he obviously doesnt use it. When Balducci told him that he ought to have it near his bed because if there is an uprising no one is safe, were all in the same boat. I believe he is hinting towards the fact that I think he knows people are following him to retreave the prisoner. I feel that the severe political unrest will begin to happen after the end of the story. The psychological impact involved in Darus isolation was that he was caught up between the legal system that imposed itself on the Arabs family quarrel and his emotions to do right as a man. When Daru said every bit of this disgusts me, and first of all your fellow here. I believe he was fighting with his inner morals which to him were to do the right thing and to not turn the Arab over but in turn, set him free. He doesnt have any problem with his choice in refusing to turn him over and firmly stands by his decision. Instead of taking the prisoner off and setting him free, he wished that the Arab would just run away that way he would be alone with no decision to make. The statement that mans stupid crime revolted him, but to hand him over was contrary to honor supports this entirely. The statement, he could see nothing but the dark yet shining eyes and the animal mouth, in my opinion means that he didnt see the prisoner as a monster or a killer but just as a normal person incapable of murdering another human being. I believe that when Daru was feeding the prisoner and treating him like an actual human being the Arab developed some sort of Stockholm syndrome while in the custody of someone who I believe he grew to trust in a short amount of time. I think that when the prisoner asked Daru if he would come with them to the prison, he knew that his fellow Arabs were following him to get him back. I believe he was trying to protect Daru from what was going to happen. When Daru was walking the Arab south to the nomads where he would be safe, his heart grew heavy and I honestly dont think that Daru wanted him to leave since they formed a very strange and mysterious bond among men. When Daru returned to find the message you handed over our brother. You will pay for this. written on his black board I believe he was unsure why they would be after him considering that he just let their brother go, not only with food but also with money. He finds himself felling misunders tood and what I believe is frightended when he dosent see anyone in sight. The psychological impact in my opinion is greater on the concept of isolation more so than the political theory involed with the character and his struggles. I think the author did a good job dehumanizing the prisoner in an attempt to make Daru seem like he is still alone although someone is there. The imagery and detail also given make it easy to visualize just how alone and torn Daru actually is. I believe that the storys title should be changed from The Guest to The Unseen Guest just to make it play a little more to the psychological aspect of the piece. (words: 1024)

John F. Kennedy and the Civil Rights Movement Essay -- Black Civil Rig

In 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. During his campaign he had promised to lead the country down the right path with the civil rights movement. This campaign promise had brought hope to many African-Americans throughout the nation. Ever since Lincoln, African-Americans have tended to side with the democrats and this election was no different. The Kennedy administration had noticed that the key to the presidency was partially the civil rights issue. While many citizens were on Kennedy’s side, he had his share of opposition. Malcolm X differed on the view of the President and observed that the civil rights movement wasn’t happening at the speed Kennedy had pledged. Malcolm X possessed other reasons for his dislike of John F. Kennedy and his brothers, especially Robert. The Kennedy government stood for racial liberalism and Malcolm X argued their true intentions for the civil rights movement weren’t in the best interest of the black population. This tension streamed both ways. John Kennedy and the Federal Bureau of Investigation felt that Malcolm X had become a threat to national security. James Baldwin has written essays that have included the repeated attacks on the white liberal and supports Malcolm in many of his theories and actions. Malcolm X became one of the leading figures during the civil rights movement with his great ideas and speaking abilities. Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X led the Nation of Islam in the United States. The Nation existed as a growing organization and the government felt that it would turn into a violent association. The FBI became intensely interested in Malcolm after his joining with Elijah Muhammad and began to tap Malcolm X and try to find charges against him so he... ...s an informant! Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Down at the Cross.† 1995. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998:296-347. ---. â€Å"To Be Baptized.† 1995. James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998: 404-474. ---. â€Å"White Man’s Guilt.† 1995 James Baldwin: Collected Essays. Ed. Toni Morrison. New York: Library of America, 1998: 722-727. â€Å"Civil Rights.† Congressional Quarterly Almanac 17 (1961): 81. Evanzz, Karl. The Judas Factor: The Plot to Kill Malcolm. NY: Thunder’s Mouth, 1992. Handler, M.S. â€Å"Malcolm X Scores Kennedy on Racial Policy.† New York Times 17 May 1963:14. Jenkins, Robert, ed. The Malcolm X Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002. Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M. A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1965.

Reality versus Illusion in Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Essay

Reality versus Illusion in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his play, The American Dream, Edward Albee unveils a tortured family that is symbolic of the reality beneath the illusion of the American dream.   In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Albee takes a more traditional approach than the theater of the absurd, and his language is more natural, but he returns to this theme with a vengeance.   For in all of drama there are few plays about domestic relationships that are as caustic, violent and as poisoned with the milk of human bitterness, cynicism and pessimism as is Woolf.   The story regards George and Martha, a married couple (he a history professor and she the University President's daughter).   Verbally and emotionally George and Martha are as skilled at cutting each other without going for the final kill as much as a professional torturer trained to prolong his victim's agony.   Into this volley of abuse come Nick and Honey, a young couple who also share a vision of the "American dream," but Albee portrays Nick as the victor in his battles with George because George is of the old school and Nick has already been indoctrinated into the new American culture of capitalism for its own sake.      The theme of the play, other than touching on the disillusionment of the American dream for the younger generation, and a robotic-like acceptance of the evolved "capitalized" version by the older generation, is that each of the characters in the play, like each of us in real life, are destined to struggle through our own personal hell, a struggle that we face alone "It becomes clear that each character is engaged in an isolated struggle through a personal hell" (Murphy 1113).   The plot centers around George and Martha's p... ...e his themes in the play.   Truth versus illusion, reality versus perception, and union versus inability to come together are the main themes the author chooses to highlight throughout the work.   In the end, once all illusions have been stripped or peeled away, Martha and George have a chance to come together in an effort to save their marriage.   As Martha says to end the play in response to George's singing "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf"; "I...am...George...I...am..." (Albee 242).   Only from this point of truth can George and Martha hope to save their troubled marriage.    WORKS   CITED Albee, E.   Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.   New York:   Signet, 1962. Carter, S.   Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"   The Explicator.   Vol. 56.   June 22, 1998, 215-218. Murphy, B, ed.   Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia.   New York:   HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.

My Experiences in a Nursing Career Essay -- Personal Essays Career

Nursing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nursing is an art: and if it is to be made an art, It requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter ´s or sculptor ´s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God ´s spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts.† Spoken by a true nurse, Florence Nightingale; a pioneer of nursing and a reformer of hospital sanitation methods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have many goals in life such as to have a good strong career and family. What is important to me is graduating Central high school and go on to UND. While at UND I plan to get my nursing degree and specialize in pediatrics and truama. I have already started to make short term goals that will lead me in to the life of nursing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have volunteered at Altru hospital since I was in the eight grade. I have been on most of the floors from surgery to pediatrics, terminally ill to yearly check ups. This has influenced me greatly, encouraging me to go in to nursing and also to go in to a more specialized area. Volunteering helped me search my future my career until I was old enough to get my CNA and go in to the health careers class. A CNA is a certified nursing assistant. When I turned sixteen i applied for the CNA class. Three months later I became a CNA. As a junior I also took a health careers class. This class gave me a more indepth look at the choices that I could make a...

Art History Final

They have manipulated our opinion, reactions, and even likeness of art. They defined who the great artists are and through their judgments they have even cited the value of art. But unfortunately for them, post-modern art has dethroned critics with the use of humor, wit, and scale of impact in their art. Post-modern art rejects the idea Of beauty and truth and reveals the value Of irony. Artists such as Marcel Decamp, who created the Fountain, or Mark Tansy, shock, mock, and force the viewers to rethink the meaning of art. The reader/viewer must create a whole new context in which to hold the art, one which may truly challenge his belief structures, one which may force him, to make sense of what he is seeing, to hold a larger perspective than he errantly has in place. † 1 And this applies to the critic as well. His opinion can no longer be valued as before because this kind of art no longer has a meaning and its interpretation no longer matters. Its importance lies on the impac t and sensation of its viewers. Art becomes then a participatory experience, one in which the audience receives, and handles as they may, the flows of libidinal energies which the artist set free. † 2 The control the words Of critics had over art is gone and viewers are able to let their unconscious decide what art is. Nothing can better explain the place of the critic with this ewe art as Roland Breather's essay title does: post-modern art has brought â€Å"The Death of the Author. † In his essay Farther explains how in literature the identity of the author no longer has any importance. Nonperformance† may be admired, but not his â€Å"genius† The author. 3 By giving the power to the literature rather than to the writer itself, he is giving the power to the piece of art and not to the critic as it has always been. As explained earlier, the opinion of the critic was impeding us from reaching our own conclusions on art. But by denying beauty in art and intro ducing something as absurd as a urinal, post-modern artists â€Å"refused to assign [art] a â€Å"secret† that is, an ultimate meaning,†4 that a critic can easily identify or criticize, and instead, â€Å"liberates an activity† where each viewer can have their own reflections on the piece.In my essay I am giving the role of the author in Farther essay, to both the critic and the artist. Nevertheless, I am assigning the part of the modern author to the artist, and its opposite to the critic. Before, the importance was given to the author, he was recognized, in other words, the critic was recognized. But now, â€Å"language knows a subject, not a person. 5 And from my point of view I interpret this statement as meaning that the person, in other words the critic, does not matter anymore, the art does, the subject.Of course the critic will still be a critic and give their opinion, rank a piece of art, and judges it as well. But this time they cannot use an absolute standard of arbitration. By not being able to judge the way they used to, they assert Farther point, that ‘the explanation of the work is always sought in the man who has produced and for me this man he speaks about could only be the artist himself. Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, and Roseland Krause have been incredibly influential in the history of art. Greenberg championed and was the first to appreciate the achievements of abstract art.Rosenberg was also a supporter of the abstract expressionists and proved the importance of the happenings and performance art. Krause introduced a new approach that focused on aesthetics that apprehend cultural and historical issues. While I have criticized them in my essay shall also embrace their intellectual knowledge on the subject of art and its importance in society as well as history. Nevertheless, â€Å"the birth of the reader must be ransomed by the death of the author. 7 The public should continue to take in and learn from t hese figures opinions. Nevertheless, we cannot take what they say too literal.We must understand that they are critics, they are â€Å"a person who judges the merits of literary, artistic, or musical work. â€Å"8 They judge but they do not define art. Challenges to the Status Quo Art has deliberately hidden the figure of women and their work in society. There have been great women artists, but have not been recognized as such and valued by posterity. Many paintings by women were initially credited to males, suggesting that there is no objective difference between art made by omen or men, but when it is verified that the author is a woman, the economic and symbolic value of the work decreases immensely.Even today, there are works by women that are not attributed to the real author because the fact that they are women would reduce the price of the work considerably. As Linda Gnocchi explains in her essay, ‘Why Have There Been no Great Women Artists,† the answer to this question â€Å"lies not in the nature of individual genius or the lack of it, but in the nature of given social institutions and what they forbid or encourage in various classes or groups of individuals. Women have a long experience in the fields of art and culture, their contributions have always been present, although in many cases the concept of â€Å"respect† has not been applied to them in the same way as their male counterparts. They have always been relegated to a second plane. Being a woman and artist has often been seen as an injurious occupation and inconsistent, while it has been traditionally reserved the epithet of genius for men. Women have to live in a society which has not ceased to be sexist, in a culture where women are still thought of as an inferior place and lacking retain rights.And this, as Gnocchi explains, does not apply to art only. In her article she gives us the example of the great artist, Rosa Bonjour. Now a day if women become the CEO of a comp any, an architect, or a policeman, they would be categorized the same way Bonjour was: a tomboy, a woman with a desire to be more masculine, or selfish. Yet if men â€Å"have a need for feminine involvement,† 10 as Gnocchi puts it, the jobs such as pediatricians, child psychologists, or chef, are admired rather than frowned upon. In her essay Gnocchi explains the disadvantages women had in art education that led to he lack of great women artists.Some examples were the restriction put on them to participate in classes with nude models or be a part of several contests. Nevertheless, today those restrictions no longer apply but the lack of ‘great women' still persists. Society and history is to blame for this. Now, as John Stuart Mill points out and Gnocchi quotes in her essay, â€Å"everything which is usual appears natural. The subjection of women to men being a universal custom, any departure from it quite naturally appears unnatural. † 1 1 We have progressed as a society and we have reached equality in many areas.However, sexism as well as racism seems it will never cease to exist because they are distinctions we consider natural. In her article Gnocchi writes about how her question can or has been answered incorrectly. Afraid to be included in the category of incorrect answers, I would like to put my life as a perspective instead and show how the views of today's society regarding the sexes are clearly defined. From a very young age had a nanny, who as many would expect was a women because caring for children, cooking, and cleaning is a role usually given to a women if in a household.A man drove me to school every morning and generally anyone who drove that was not a family member was in fact usually a man. I remember the habitual comment that ‘women do not know how to drive. ‘ When I arrived to school there were five male security guards, and my teachers all the way from pre-kinder to about sixth grade were women. Society wou ld see this as correct because security guards are there to protect and men being stronger than women means they can do a better job.And the reason why all my teachers at a young age were women is because we are still young, I do not receive a grade but simply mille faces, stickers, or a ‘good job' in its place, and I need a mother figure at all times. High school was not much different. I started to get grades and was considered a grown-up, so men began being my teachers as well. Physical education, however, was still separated by sex, including the teacher, because â€Å"boys are more aggressive and they can hurt girls. † Now I arrive at Washington and Lee University.An Ivy League education in a beautiful campus with amazing professor, but, a place where it is believed that women only come here to get their MRS. degree. A joke that has been around since he university became co-educational back in the ass's, saying that women only come here to look for a husband. At th is point Gnocchi will probably consider me a feminist, but I am simply showing a perspective from someone that is in her twenties in the 21 SST century and can still clearly separate the roles of men and women as expected in the realm of our society that we claim has improved and changed.My life is only one perspective and many might not have had the same experience did, but it does support what Gnocchi repeatedly states in her essay. Quote Incision's words once more: the question of women's equality-?in art as in any other realm-?devolves not upon the relative benevolence or ill-will of individual men, nor the self- confidence or abjectness of individual women, but rather on the very nature of our institutional structures themselves and the view of reality which they impose on the human beings who are part of them. 12 This also includes the educational system today. Gnocchi makes one more important argument in her article. She explains that when it comes to art what needs to change is the way its history is taught. Lucy R. Leopard supports this argument in her article, Too Political? Forget It,† when lists the amount of information on art that has most times not been taught, and how it IS â€Å"No wonder activist and community art, always a stepchild, is slow to evolve. 13 The statement that ‘there have been no great women artists' can be justified, but it does not mean it is correct. Women as well as other minorities have been deprived from being a ‘genius', a term that is unreal but largely used for men, due to their social conditions and deprivation of an education. But the only way to transform this lack of recognition is to stop listing excuses, or have minorities keep aerating themselves as such and change the unnatural to natural in society. Artistic expression comes from the spirit, not the body type you have or hormones. The language of art is, more materially, embodied in paint and line on canvas or paper, in stone or clay or plas tic or metal-it is neither a sob story nor a confidential whisper. â€Å"14 The Courage to Break Grounds For many years there have been many instances where artists have held public events to raise social and political issues, yet many of which are not on record. While artists know that when choosing this career path it will not be ass, especially economically, they risk their commodities for their passion. Nevertheless, this does not mean that they do not want recognition. If they are primarily concerned with audiences who will never write, curate, collect or fund art, they run the risk of being forgotten before they are even acknowledged . â€Å"15 A reason why political artists mostly limit their work to galleries, and this is a problem that must be fixed. However, I do not believe that political artists who only care about this acknowledgement truly care about making political art. In galleries the artwork will always first be seen as esthetics and subject to be rated and crit icized by its artistic aspects rather than the subject matter and message it is trying to pass on.Political art is that which addresses public concern and takes a stand on an issue. It is a way to speak for those who wont and to open the eyes of those who cannot or resist viewing reality. It is also meant to support or represent those that cannot do it on their own. Most importantly it is supposed to change minds. Political art is not meant to be hidden by the walls of galleries and museums and constrained to the eyes of critics and elitists. It is meant for society to see as ell as to learn and experience what is being fought for Or sometimes encouraged.Nevertheless, politics is a sensitive subject. While I do believe it should be out for everyone to view, certain aspects of the viewer can affect the intended message of the artist, making it difficult to completely object the idea that such an important subject matter should have viewers with certain capacities of understanding. Th e real answer as to whether or not political art should be presented in public venues, even if it is protected by the first amendment to do so, lies on how it might impact the observers.

Difficulties in an Internet Music Promotion Company

JEJA Entertainment is a great way to offer live music entertainment to music lovers and fans in Australia and to the rest of the world. JEJA is based in Australia but since the Internet cannot be confined to a certain geographical area, the products and services of JEJA Entertainment will have to be offered to music fans all over the world. Although the Internet is a fascinating and emerging means of distributing media content, there are still startup costs that must be considered. Most of the time, internet entrepreneurs explore their business model while pursuing another line of work.This enables them to have a fallback should the Internet business fail. On the other hand, this could also be inimical to the continuous growth of the business. Internet entrepreneurs face a number of challenges in establishing their business. For one, the issue of capital is an important one. The Internet may be seen as a low-cost option for distribution, yet there are a number of operating costs that must be taken into account—the domain name and web servers, the IT personnel who will create and maintain the webpages of the site, the marketing personnel and the production team among others.This will involve thousands of dollars if it were to become truly successful. While internet marketing via email can be a good starting point, there should also be offline promotion so that more people can be made aware of the company and the kinds of products and services that it offers (Perrini, 2006). Startup Capital and Funding Creative and novel ideas that have been largely untested do have a big potential for success in the world, especially so if the medium chosen such as the Internet has so much room for growth. Yet, because of this very same thing, a number of internet media business startups fail!Internet entrepreneurs need startup capital and money that could help them sustain the operations of their internet business up to such time that they can stand on their own and star t earning profits. Insufficient funding would mean that the business will not grow as quickly as it is perceived to be and it will not also become as profitable as the business plan states. One of the biggest problems that internet entrepreneurs face is where to get startup money that will help them setup equipment and other needed materials and network for the business.No matter how good an idea may be, without startup capital, it will remain as a good idea and will never be launched to the whole world. Sources of Startup Capital For JEJA Entertainment, there are a number of sources of startup capital that they can draw from. Before identifying the sources of startup capital, however, the entrepreneurs should lay down ¬ the projected expenses in starting up the business. This should include all expenses such as equipment, the establishment of web pages and the maintenance costs, the servers, the domain name, the initial promotional expenses among others.This could lead them to a realistic view of the expenses that they will face. When these expenses shall have been laid out, then the actual amount of funding needed for several months (or years) can then be projected up to such time that the business can become profitable. Personal funds and Loan from Family and Friends The easiest source of startup capital, perhaps, could be the personal funds of the entrepreneurs who will engage in the business. Most of the time, entrepreneurs use their own savings they have gained from years of working as employees.There are also entrepreneurs who inherited a sizable sum of money that they then divert the money for the business that they have conceptualized by themselves or with other friends that they have. In cases where the personal funds of the entrepreneurs are not enough to cover the startup expenses, they ask the help of their family and friends in funding their business. Internet business may be less costly than an offline business that offers â€Å"physical† products and services.The problem with the funding from friends and family money, however, is that this might give the family and friends some expectation that they also have important stakes in the business more than just the money that they lent in starting the business. This can lead to strained relationships and problems in the business due to the unclear expectations from friends and family members. If JEJA Entertainment will rely on this kind of startup funding, then the expectations from both parties should be clear so as to avoid any conflict in the areas of operations of the business.Funding from Banks and Lending Organizations Another riskier source of startup capital is funding from banks and lending organizations. To get loans from banks and other lending organizations, there is a need for collateral in the form of land, car or other valuable collateral. Depending on the soundness of the business plan, banks may fund the startup so that it can take off and become prof itable in the long term. Convincing banks to release funds, however, is a big challenge as they want to minimize the risks they face in lending so they can maximize their profits. Venture CapitalOne of the important sources of funds that have come to light in recent years is venture capital from what has been fondly called as â€Å"angel investors. † These angel investors provide much needed capital for entrepreneurs in the twenty-first century. Venture capital, actually, can contribute to the long-term success of an internet business startup. Angel investors can help budding internet businesses to survive the first few years of competition and difficulties in the market. Most startup companies usually tap venture capital investors not during startup but during the next few years of their operations.If an internet business does not attract venture capital, it is bound to fail within three years according to a study made by Gompers and Lerner (2002). Long-term Profitability, B randing and Reputation Building Even if startup capital were found for JEJA company, there are still a number of factors that it should surmount if it were to be profitable and sustainable in the long run. Long term profitability can be ensured through a variety of strategies and a careful management of resources. Fresh capital is also needed if JEJA were to be truly successful.Brand building is another important matter that JEJA will have to engage in. A successful branding strategy could also build the reputation of the company. Over the long run, this can help the company package itself as a good option for venture capitalists and to its clients all over the world. JEJA needs to be aggressive in its branding strategies because it faces an uphill climb with various competitions online. Even if the online concert option is a good selling point, the company has to create its audience and make it irresistible.The company will have to invest on marketing investments online and offline so as to make people aware of what the business offers. Carefully placed ads on high traffic websites and offline advertisements can yield returns. In addition to this, media exposure and reputation borrowing through sponsorship of concerts by major artists, singers and actors and actresses that visit Australia. Even major events in Australia can be covered by the company so as to gain greater reach, credibility and the preferences of consumers.The longevity of these branding strategies cannot be ensured in the long run (Kotha, Rajgopal & Rindova, 2001). Because of this, JEJA Company has to stay abreast with emerging trends in the entertainment industry and in the Internet. These things make the branding strategies more difficult as the marketing personnel of the company will have to keep track of two divergent although related fields—the entertainment industry as well as the reception of fans and media content consumers as well as the behavior of internet surfers and consum ers.Long-Term Growth and Strategic Management Securing startup capital is but one of the first steps that JEJA Company will have to secure. As the operations of the company continue and it gains brand recognition in Australia and all over the world, it will have to establish a long term plan that deals with the need of fresh capital, effective management of resources and the establishment of a reliable and recognizable Australian brand. The entertainment industry is highly volatile and continuously changing.If the branding strategies of JEJA were effective, it can readily engage venture capitalists for the provision of fresh capital to finance expansion of operations, offering additional services and products, engaging more geographical areas, and establishing partnerships with a larger number of production companies and studios. The presence of venture capital is a great means of ensuring the long-term growth and profitability of internet businesses (Davila, Foster 7 Gupta, 2003).A s such, it has to proactively seek out venture capitalists who believe in the business model of JEJA. This can be done through networking, effective publicity and brand building and making sure that the business delivers the projected income and growth. Conclusion Internet businesses such as Amazon. com, Yahoo, Barnes and Nobles and IVillage among others have, at one point, started out with limited experience and financing. Yet, with effective raising of startup capital, effective branding and strategic management, they managed to grow their businesses (Carpenter, 2000).Although financing is different from the realm of management and branding strategies, it is still a very crucial part of the operations of the business of JEJA. Surely, there will be new trends and challenges that will arise in the area of internet media business. Yet, with the influx of capital from â€Å"angel investors† and other sources, effective branding and strategic management, JEJA management can rise up to become a significant internet business in Australia and all over the world.