Superpower and Strategies of Media: How do We Convey Fairy Tales Today
What is the function of a fairy tale or its interpretation, and is it, in the globalization era, capitalism, one of the questions dealt by the PhD for science for area of art and media Vuk Vuković, from the Faculty of Drama of the University of Montenegro, in scientific paper “Superpower and Strategies of Media: How do We Convey Fairy Tales Today?”.
As an example of industrial, capitalistic, exploitation of fairy tales, Mr. Vukovic states Disneyland Park, with authentic marketing moral – the place where dreams come true.
„Designed as mirror of Disneyland, the project has been set as artistic exhibition of dystopian society, with direct intention of critics of modern culture of living, in the broadest sense”, Vuković explains.
„One of arts showing a broken carriage from which Cinderella falls out, followed by the photo reporter, is “a fairy” depict of historic moment when princess Diana lost her life in 1997 – surrounded by media who watched not only last moments of her life but also the very act of saying goodbye and funeral brought to phenomenon of media spectacle”, Vuković says wondering whether this project is artistically relevant and has catarza effect or it satisfies itself by walking on the surface of world of critics having in mind the fact that for this exhibition 4000 tickets were sold per day.
In modern television and film production characters in fairy tales are put from imaginary world into modern life, being anthropomorphized with all bad and good traits of a human, so evil queens driven by revenge, become as such for unaccomplished love. Such a method, at the same time gives audience identification with the character or compassion in their suffering.
Vuković states that this strategy of revitalization in creating, which has the aim to break general principles of ethics and moral“ as a crucial issue puts audience into dilemma – can I do whatever I want, even harmful for others, if I have a good explanation?” .
Second strategy rests on imperative “Be yourself”, Vuković explains ideology which affirms self-pursuit and calls for personality metamorphosis. One of examples he states is a lesson given by Wolf to the Red Hood in TV series “Once Upon A Time”: “If you accept the wolf within – you will realize the truth. You are the Wolf. And when you accept that, you will finally have absolute control”. Vuković asks the question if we, viewers, exposed to motivational messages, dealing with ourselves and with what we are, are becoming insensitive to social, political, economic and cultural surrounding.
Production in the era of market thinking trades our emotions, our past, presence and future, through strategy of capitalism of intimacy strips a person, goes deeply into our intimacy.
With the aim to understand modern media production, the paper deals with issue of reinterpretation of classical fairy tales, in that sense, critical blade of work is not directed to media audience or to producers individually, yet to the industry in whole, which is as a paradox made of media audience and producers.
The paper is published in electronic Journal of Philosophy "In Medias Res".