Analyzing My Text's Cultural Setting

In this post, I will be exploring the cultural setting of my selected article, "Natalie Portman, excellent special effect?"

Fernandez, John. "Natalie Portman TIFFS." 10/3/15 via Wikipedia. CC BY 2.0

Author:
Tom Shone, the author, lives in New York. 

Article:
Slate, the publisher, is based in NYC. This leads us to believe that the article was electronically puublished in NYC on FEB. 14 2011 10:51 AM. 

Time frames discussed in the article:
-The film business in the early 20th century
-Films in the '50s and '60s
-The advent of special effects with Star Wars
- The '90s period of special effects with Jurassic Park
- Current filmmaking

1. What values, ideas, norms, beliefs, even laws of the culture play an important role in the text?

The article assumes that the society we live in values greatness and wants to award special acts and performances with specific/tangible praise. This translates into awards, critical praise, etc. The piece also rests heavily on the integral part that the film industry has in daily life, whether it be the films themselves as entertainment, the lives of the movie stars, or the gossip that surrounds the two. 

A norm that plays an important role in the text is the tendency for people to be shocked and amazed by drastic physical change. Change like this does not fit neatly into a persons perception of reality, so they are fascinated by it. 

2. Does the text address these cultural values, beliefs, etc., directly or indirectly?

The text addresses the values directly, because he touches on these values and norms of society to make his point. Shone recognizes that audiences are drawn to CGI masterpieces because they like to be visually stunned, but he also emphasizes the idea that we want greatness from our actors. His argument is that "greatness" does not necessarily stem from a mere altering of physical form.

3. What is the relationship of the text to the values, beliefs, etc.? Is it critical, supportive, and/or does it seek to modify the aspect of culture?

Shone is critical of the norm that shows people are fascinated by CGI because he thinks that this contradicts another fundamental aspect of culture: the desire to reward what is done at a higher level than expected. He hopes that by bringing these aspects of culture to light he will make people more aware of the relationship they have, and thereby judge the quality of films better.