Documentary Part 1
Basically this movie is on a young lady, Chie, who had developed breast cancer. Her condition deterioted drastically and she only had a short time to live. Initially, she wanted to hide her condition from her boyfriend. However, she could no longer conceal the truth, and decided to leave him. Her boyfriend was initially taken aback, nonetheless, he was still devoted. Hence he found ways to reach to her, and told her that he would fight this battle with her. He goes on to plan a wedding despite his girlfriend only having one month left to live. You may say that this is just a typical Japanese tearjerker, but one characteristic that sets this movie apart from the rest that it is based on a true story. In particular, her life was reported on the television news, followed up by a documentary that documents her life, both prior to the release of this full-length feature film.
Chie Nagashima chose to document her remaining life because she wants young women to know more about breast cancer. It is a myth that breast cancer is only associated with women at old age. She believed that she would have been cured if only she discovered the illness at the earlier stages. She also wants to encourage other cancer patients, to tell them that they were not the only ones fighting the battle. Thus she contacted and invited Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) to accomplish it.
Even without in depth study of the media, Chie was able to identify the crucial media function that she can make use of, surveillance -- which is the gathering and dissemination of information. Through the news report and documentary based on her life, viewers are warned of the potential myths associated with breast cancer. Also, her message to other cancer patients to stay strong got disseminated.
When the documentary was first aired on TBS, it was very well received. The producers received more than 1000 responses from the public. Of these 1000 responses, there were cancer patients who thanked Chie for giving them encouragement and the motivation to fight on; there were also people who wrote that they now know to value their lives even more, to treasure the people around them even more, through Chie's life. Hand in hand with the documentary, the family and friends of Chie also started a movement to encourage more young women to go for body check-ups regularly, so as to discover any illness and be cured at the early stage. As showed in the documentary, the turn up for the event was more than expected, and Chie's family and friends were all pleasantly surprised with the public's response. Also, some schools were featured as the teachers used the documentary as a teaching tool. The students' responses towards this documentary showed that the media messages embedded within the product was evident and impactful. Many cried and were very encouraged by how positive Chie was. All these show how pervasive the television is, even in today's context.
On media determinism, Marshall McLuhan argues that the medium is more important than the message. Quoted, "the medium is the message". I felt that for this case, the medium was indeed the message. For instance, when the documentary was broadcasted on TBS, it emphasises the importance of the message solely due to the medium. And even though the movie based on the story was much more romanticised, the underlying message remains the same and the medium had the power to impact the viewers at a deeper level. This is because when in the form of movie, viewers gave greater affirmation since they chose to watch it. As such, the effect of the message was more concentrated (not as diffused as on television) and less sub conscious, with fewer distractions and selection of which elements to experience or omit.
Therefore all in all, I felt that the message was successfully disseminated by both the television and the movie. Also, the impact left on the viewers was very deep due to the natures of the mediums.
"Every tomorrow is a miracle",please live your life to the fullest...
That is Chie's heartcry,
have you heard it yet?
P.S.: The documentary is really good! I digg it. Do watch the full documentary if you can afford the time to :)
P.P.S.: If you're curious, Chie died at the age of 24. The documentary was broadcast after her death.
P.P.P.S.: Other than Chie, the other character that impacted me most was her father! Both his beloved daughter and wife were taken away by cancer :'(
Hey well here's me typing this out again. what we see is that the media being able to affect thousands of people at a time, the media determining what each generation thinks or prefers. media plays an important role in our lives, be it in decision making or getting messages to us
ReplyDeletehey it's ling ting here. :) sorry i only had time to watch through the short clip, but i read through your description and totally agree with the fact that sometimes media is the message! Recently my Nursing studies are quite focus on oncology (cancer), and it's really a very tough thing to go through. The patients require alot of psychological and financial support. It affects not just the patients themselves, but also their family and friends who love and care for them. You mentioned that the father really impacted you and I do think he must be a very strong and courageous man. Usually it's the patient that becomes so weak that it exhaust the caregiver.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I do admire the young lady's courage. Despite suffering from the illness, she too had an willing heart to help and encourage others. Using the media is definitely powerful, it's beyond boundaries and can touch many. :)
I watched the trailer! And I'm still contemplating if I should watch the documentary because I'm afraid that I will cry.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, media is an important platform for disseminating information to public. Through Chie's documentary, like what you mentioned, many more people are more informed about cancer. It is a channel for people to learn things. The influence through the media is rather strong. Many a time, topics that are discussed among groups of people started from perhaps a piece of news heard/watched/read or a youtube video, which are obtained through media. Through discussion, those who initially did not know about it will know eventually. It is the ripple effect that enhances this media influence.
Personally, I feel that Chie was really fortunate in the sense that she had found her true love. Someone who was so willing to stay by her through the remaining days she had and even married her. I believe it was a great leap for Chie's husband as well, trying to overcome the tortured feeling of knowing his loved one was leaving him very soon. Frankly speaking, I think it is hard to find people out there who are willing to do that for their girlfriends/boyfriends. Let alone marrying someone who is leaving him/her soon. I'm awed by their love.
A movie that I wanted to watch but did not have time to catch it! I think it isn't showing anymore. So most probably I'll get the DVD or something :)
Well, a fine example of the positive effects of Mass Media.
ReplyDeleteBillions of people have access to internet and television everyday and the mass media has the ability to broadcast information at that kind of scale. Of which it's content varies from pure entertainment or propaganda to documentaries.
It's really good that through the media real life stories such as Chie can be shown to the bigger population. In a world, where stress levels tend to hover at extreme levels, more and more healthy people are going into depression, but through such stories which they themselves can relate to, is where they can find hope and purpose to live on; to be able to see the good side of the society we are living in.
To some of these people, the television is probably the only window to the real world, and hardly would people really process fully what they see.
Japan has never failed to amaze me in many ways. It's culture is rich and the land is beautiful. It's also a land with lots of extremities; from the utterly corrupted to the pure in heart; from the ingenius innovations in technology to the pure silly entertainment.
I really do hope Chie's story can reach even more people. Super touching and heartwrenching. i almost cried watching the documentary.. lolol
J-Hong
Passerby A
ReplyDeletejust a friend of friend here..
on life and death
Death is inevitable. To live is to die. However, it is not death that scares, but rather coping with the realization that death is approaching that is. Gripped by the fear of death, it then leads one to treasure life more, and ironically, allows one to truly live for once.
In Chie's case, I would say that it was fortunate for her to know that she was dying. With the realization in mind, she managed to love with her all, to be loved by her loved ones, to put aside all unnecessary materialistic wants, and to focus on treasuring what she really needs. In reality, many people died without knowing it, and many did not have Chie's chance to live before they died. And by using her own life to encourage others, she gave many people a second chance in life. Indeed, it was not her choice to die, but it was her choice to live. In the current world where people are just living for the sake of living, her life before death is what people really need to reflect on.
Would you rather live to die, or would you die to live?
On the Media
The media did a great job getting her story broadcasted, through the documentary and movie, and did managed to disseminate her message others. Based on the well-received receptions of the show, one can acknowledge how powerful the media is. It is not the message made, it is not the form of medium used, but the ability of the user to sway the audience to believe. Both the message and the medium are merely complementary tools towards the depicter's cause.
However, despite the power of the media, human beings are forgetful. Messages and mediums leave long lasting impressions, but do not leave long lasting influence. At the spur of the moment of rushing emotions, one feels compassion and sympathy towards Chie's cause. Truthfully, one will not be able to feel the true experience of Chie's situation. Only a small minority of people who watched the movie and documentary will truely have their lives changed by just a single movie, or just a single documentary. The medium can only preach, but not achieve its preachings.
Quoting Mother Teresa, 'If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.'
Terry Fox did his run for charity. Michael Jackson pleaded his audience to 'Heal the World'. Both influenced others to join in their purposes. The Terry Fox Foundation and Heal The World Foundation were established, and are still functioning today. Chie has got her message sent. So did the documentary and April's Bride. But without continuous publications of her message, Chie's story will simplify fade away into the flow of time. Only with the people's efforts to contribute will the impact of the media sink beyond the superficial level. April's Bride was a start. Will someone else help to sustain it for the future? Will someone help Chie to impact the lives of many more?
Therefore, the media is capable of disseminating, but to truly accomplish the message, it relies more on the people's efforts to achieve it.
An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching - Mohatma Gandhi
I once read similar story on the magazine, U-weekly. The girl wasn't even 20 when she discovered she had breast cancer and it was after her insistence on having all the check-up that got herself saved as her doctors though the chances of it was low since she was young so the doctor kind of ask her to just watch and see causing some delay. This really taught me, if you suspect something going wrong, go a GOOD doctor and insist on the necessary checkup. Yes, i know it is really costly in s'pore but it might be your life-saver. (:
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie trailer in the theatres but did not think much of it... until i started watching the documentary. It is so difficult to imagine that the girl in the video is not in this world anymore, and it reminded me how important life is. It has hit me particularly that Chie was just so normal... her experience can happen to any other normal being like us, but her optimism and bravery was so exceptional and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI am less concerned about the usage of media as a persuasion... but I definitely am grateful for media's presence because it has allowed me to know more about Chie, who is unrelated to me yet managed to impact me very much today. Thanks for sharing the video!
Hello! I've seen someone did the exact movie as you (But I've forgotten who did that) But, I managed to find out the movie's story.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is almost similar to the documentary just that the impact of the movie seems larger and more people are aware of it. It shows that media do have a great power in swaying public's opinion over issues. Amongst all cancer-suffers, Chie was one of the many who got such attention because her story is being made into a movie.
I feel that more emphasis should be placed not just to those featured in the movies but as a whole for those who are experiencing such illness. :)
I think indeed it's a great show. Using the show to convey important messages that will improve the awareness of the people who watch it.
ReplyDeletePeople are becoming more aware of the existence of breast cancer and I think that's a very good thing. During an interview with a doctor where I was present, I remember the doctor mentioning that his youngest patient with breast cancer as just a mere 21 years of age! So I think we cannot take it for granted that it is a sickness that will not happen to us.
What you have featured actually reminds me of an episode which one of my producers did, which is Tuesday Report(xin qi er te xie) on Channel 8. He actually visited the Home where he filmed that episode, as a volunteer himself. After some time, he got the appproval of the patient and produced the programme. The episode was just recently broadcasted on television and the patient, sadly to say, has already passed away.
I feel that I salute these producers who are willing to put in their heart and soul into producing these programes that reach out to the heartstrings of the masses.
Do comment on my blog too alright?
http://commmediadiscourse.wordpress.com
:) Kai Ting
Being alive is a miracle isnt it?
ReplyDeleteBeing healthy is a gift from God daily.
I agree media helped Chie to spread her message which she wanted to convey to many people about the importance of taking good care of your health. And from the documentry we see that many people, after watching the program, started to be more aware of going for checkups.
New media like youtube and blogs allow news and messages to spread faster too.
Through Chie's life we see a positive spirit of love, relationship, love of life and hope.
Something we probably don't see very much bring conveyed through media nowadays.
As you switch on the TV, you hear news about disasters, wars, people dying, materialism, fame and riches.
If only people would spend more time thinking about how we can make the world a better place through the use of media.
I guess this whole story reveals the greatest love of all - Chie's finding the courage to embrace herself with the love that she is worthy of. The unconditional love that her bf gave her inspired her. Really reminds me of how Jesus's unconditional love allows us to have the courage to embrace ourselves again.
ReplyDeleteBeing a tool of inspiration, the media has definitely performed its task well. Passerby A mentioned how despite the power of the media, people are forgetful... "No long lasting influence", really? I think when it appeals to the emotions, allowing the courage and love displayed to resonate with the heart of the audience, something special will occur in the lives of those who connected.
It might be true that only a minority ppl who watches shows like these have their lives changed. However, that is the power of the individual. That when Chie's lives was changed, she left a legacy... And those individual's lives who will be impacted and changed by Chie's testimony, will in turn impact so much more around them. it only takes a spark, to keeps the fire burning...
And the media definitely allows testimony like these to be amplified, allowing more ppl to gain access to these stories and be inspired. It also acts as a reminder and motivator esp for those ppl who are already living a life of giving and loving. These stories featured in the media spurs them on and remind of a fellow human beings taking courage in life, and moving forward in spite of obstacles. That is the power of influence, esp on those who are already on the ball, rolling and influencing! :)
I wanna be a burning flame too :)
I agree that the media is a very powerful tool which commands a large sphere of influence. If used appropriately, the media would be able to be a powerful tool to influence the society. Just like in this case where messages of love and life are being disseminated, in the same way, stigmas and misconceptions of the minority population can be can also be clarified. The media can be used as a powerful tool to increase public awareness of issues and provide a voice to those oppressed in the society as well.
ReplyDeleteI think the media plays an important role in bringing messages across to the public. I'm sure everyone watches TV, read newspapers or listens to the radio. Through movies, advertisements etc, it's definitely easier to disseminate information across. In my opinion, I think movies or shows would be a more effective way in bringing messages across, especially if the movie or show is based on a true life story. The impact on the audience would definitely be greater. Thus movies like this will definitely make cancer patients face their sickness even more bravely because now they know that there was this girl who was like them and she didn't give up. And i also remember watching a video on Obama quoting a speech from the movie "lord of the ring'. I mean it goes to show that the media is impactful or else he wouldn't have quoted it right. Thus, i really think that the media is the best form of communication!
ReplyDeleteHi Shuling!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, after I watched the trailer, the first thought that came to my mind was that this was a typical storyline of a Japanese Romantic genre. Until I realise that it was based on a true story.
I agree with you that Media determinism was used by Chie. As TBS Asia is a reputable media broadcast. However, I disagree that Chie used the media function, Surveillance. This is because, if she had chosen Surveillance, the method of broadcast would probably be a documentary itself and not a movie. The choice of a movie, I would say, is Entertainment. With that said, it would be more accurate to say that Chie used a combination of both methods to reach out to the audiences. As if she used Entertainment alone, it will be deem too typical (as I mentioned before), audiences would probably dismiss the message immediately after watching it. And if Surveillance was used alone, it would probably not be able to catch the attention of the audience.
HEY SHULING!
ReplyDeleteThis movie is really touching and it sort of reminds me of another Japan Television series (also based on true story)"1 Litrs Of Tears." The main character was also diagnosed with an incurable degenerative disease at 15, but was able to continue her life until her death at the age of 25. I was tearing at every episode and was really impressed with the character's will to live despite of their misfortune.
Well, i have to agree with you that the medium here is the message where because it has so effectively reach out to the different groups of audience. Although the impact if the movie may be short lived for some, it became and inspirational source who are also facing the same problems.
GREAT POST KIM SHU NEE! :)
-Madeline
Heyy there!
ReplyDeleteChie's story is so touching!
Though the media may take biased stands at times, it can really help us see the struggles that many face in their lives. With a little luck, the media may let many more people understand the plight of such people in need, and others may even extend a helping hand to help such cancer stricken people.
@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree that the media determines what each generation thinks! After all, there’s always a circular argument present – whether the media moulds us or we mould the media. Moreover, the message disseminated by the media is largely dependent on the receivers to make meaning out of them.
I agree that sometimes the media, particularly television, play an important role in our lives, which could be explained by the cultivation theory.
@Ling Ting
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing such a refreshing and interesting point of view! I’m glad that my post made sense to the course that you’re taking.
@kris
ReplyDeleteYou will surely cry if you watch the documentary. Personally, I cried buckets.
I don’t really agree that the “ripple effect” enhances the media influence. That is because the ripple effect is caused by the media influence. Moreover, like you’ve mentioned, certain mediums will actually encourage sharing, especially youtube videos. When someone in our network spot something very interesting, they would almost immediately share it on Facebook. And if we dig it, we’ll repost. Likewise for online newspaper articles we find online.
@J-Hong
ReplyDeleteYes! It’s definitely a very positive effect of the mass media. It’s also a very powerful effect, don’t you agree? It also reveals that television, its influence enhanced by online sharing, still remains one of the most pervasive media.
You *nearly* cried only? I CRIED BUCKETS! :(
@Passerby A
ReplyDeleteOn life and death
“To live is to die,” definitely!
I really like your view on this. Her realization of death is definitely *the thing* that made her realize the importance to put aside the materialistic wants and focus on her true treasures in life. Many people would just see the bad side of this. But like what you’ve mentioned, precisely because of the realization of death, it made her live like never before.
On the media
“Both the message and the medium are merely complementary tools towards the depicter’s cause.”
This is indeed very true! The use of specific medium to disseminate the message is only a part of how the depicter communicates its cause.
I really like your analysis on this. A one-off broadcast of a message may not be effective in accomplishing the message. It communicates the message, but the cause that comes with it would not be accomplished if not for human efforts to continue pushing the cause.
Kudos dude/dudette!
@bean
ReplyDeleteIt also reminded me how important life is! It made me rethink about my own life too.
The media is definitely one of the mediums that encourage information sharing. It is through these different forms mediums that precious and useful messages reach us.
@Chu Yuan
ReplyDeleteI think that the movie has achieved more attention because there was more publicity done as compared to the documentary. One of the promotional events was in fact providing free scans for women. The effect of the documentary should not be undermined because the impact on people via free-to-air television is still great in Japan. Like I’ve mentioned, even school make use of this documentary to teach the students about life.
@kai ting
ReplyDeleteThe producers’ efforts are admirable! Normally, these programs won’t particularly fetch high ratings (well, most broadcasting systems are still largely looking at profit making). Therefore featuring their stories could be risky. However, they still turn out very well and I’m glad that the television and movie are effective in bringing across Chie’s message to the masses :)
@bings
ReplyDeleteIndeed, sometimes the media is exploited for the wrong reasons and wrong messages. However, we should appreciate the rare beauty in it :) i.e. Chie’s story. It’s empowering, encouraging and inspiring, don’t you agree?
@Sihui
ReplyDelete“The power of an individual… it only takes a spark to keep the fire burning”
How true!
Thanks for pointing that out. I do see that the media makes the message perpetuated among people. One watches it, gets inspired by the story and message, passes it on to someone, and sparks more individuals and then becomes a small flame, and then a burning flame. No doubt the message can be diluted when it’s being passed on, but I think the media is very effective in starting the first sparks among people. You’ll definitely agree with me on this right? :)
@Anonymous (I)
ReplyDeleteAs people learn more and more about the functions of the media, they are able to exploit it to deliver their message. The messages can be selfish and wrong ones, while others could be altruistic. Whichever the case, I think having it depends on the viewers to discern and filter messages :)
@Anonymous (II)
ReplyDeleteImpactful indeed! I agree that using true stories will deepen the impact on the viewers since we can relate to better. I remember the famous Spiderman quote as well, “With great power comes great responsibility”. Sometimes the impact of the media is so powerful that we unknowingly live out what we got from the media product. For example, we quote from the movie and apply it to reality. That’s how impactful and pervasive the media is!
@Celeste
ReplyDeleteFYI, Chie didn’t contact the production company to use her story for the movie. In fact, she contacted the television broadcast system (TBS), and they agreed to document her remaining life.
I agree that sometimes focusing on disseminating the message could be boring to viewers. Still, identifying the primary motive is important such that it could be achieved effectively.
@Madeline
ReplyDeleteI watched that too! I love that drama. I literally cried “1 Litre of tears”. Japanese human dramas and films really never fail to make me rethink about my own life, and the true meaning of it.
Sometimes the effect could be short-lived, but when the impact is deep enough, it’d leave a dent in the person’s life (positively of course). Don’t you think? :)
@E.Ee
ReplyDeleteYup! That’s very true. I think the media has provided us with valuable insights. Even though we are not physically close to Chie, we feel as though we are going through with her as we watch the documentary and ultimately learn through her experience.