ENTERTAINMENT AND UTOPIA

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ENTERTAINMENT AND UTOPIA
Richard Dyer is an academic professor for film studies and also a critic. He viewed entertainment from a new perspective that had not been previously considered; that nowadays, it’s not only for fun and amusement but broad and coordinated ventures with different specific targets and goals. Where the outcome is determined by the actors or performers, the audience and relatively the intentions or the impressions the film hoping was to divulge. He highlights that despite the conservativeness that is publicly portrayed by the entertainment industry, there are many struggles within it by its stakeholders, in the definition of what entertainment is supposed to be (Nichols, 222). This is illustrated by the volatile nature of what entertainment is produced because, the audience are not given what they want but what will interest them, this is achieved by the continuous innovation and creativity of the producers and the actors.
Dyer in his article about entertainment and utopia lists the historical needs and the corresponding utopian solutions. Shows are used in escaping the day to day problems by immersing the audience in a planned utopian illusion of better and perfect lives that are free from complexities and contradictions. They help the audience in a way to believe and hope for better things in future despite the harsh and unforthcoming real life situations. He highlights five social inadequacies namely; Scarcity, exhaustion, dreariness, manipulation and fragmentation that are all addressed by the following utopian illusions; Abundance, energy, intensity, transparency and community (Nichols, 228).

The inadequacies are experienced by the people always, and no definite and sustainable solutions have been found to address them in the real world. The people have therefore accepted the fate and turned to films and entertainment to escape such horrors and to keep the fire of hope and wish burning in them.
Scarcity is a social need that is experienced in all communities, and it can be described and the state where you have enough even with some to spare while those around you are also in the same state. With the world today the possibility of such happening is almost zero due to the difference in the individual members of any society and therefore entertainment offers alternatives in forms that provide abundance and communities that are balanced and stable. In the case of the exhaustions and challenging urban life, entertainment brings out the feeling of motivation and reward for hard work which soothes the audience (Nichols, 225). Dreariness can be seen from the view of monotony and predictability which is catered for in entertainment with the various twists and creativities that entice and excite the audience for example through drama.
Manipulation which is a regular and most disheartening habits by persons of today and brings a lot of distress and sadness is addressed by entertainment in various forms. For example, relationships in the utopian world are presented with true love and sincerity, and in the case of dishonesty, consequences eventually take its toll. Lastly, fragmentation, this entails the splitting of the separation of individuals either by law or unavoidable circumstances which result in loneliness (Nichols, 228). The utopian solution to this social need is through the development of functional communities that work together, and all the parts are equally given keen interest and concern. This enables the lost hope for productive and prosperous communities or neighborhoods to be realized in one way or another which counts to some level of satisfaction to the audience.
The star theory by Richard Dyer is one of the theories that analyses the realization of the social needs that ordinary people crave and wish to achieve. The method bases upon movie stars and other performers and their different role in modeling and presenting the utopian world to the intended audience. The theory splits a star into three, firstly, the star as a construction, this is where professional producer makes and build on an actor’s profile and popularize it (Truelove). This profile, however, is not the same person but only the public star, and in private, the artists are viewed as themselves. Secondly, the star as a commodity, this is where after the producer have made a profile and has achieved a substantial fan base, they are used to make profits in various ways, for example, a company can make profits through, t-shirts and in adverts. Lastly, the star as an ideology, this is where the star is now used to set trends and rally people into performing various things. For instance, making a star in a movie advocate for rights of the people, his or her fans will support him or her in the bid through various ways.
In integrating the two aspects discussed, that is, the social wants of the people and Dyer’s star theory, to find a way where the later can be used to fulfill the former in modern communication entertainment by taking the case of Wizard of Oz. The first part of the theory addresses several social needs for example scarcity and exhaustion whereby the character of Judy Garland was built to bring different impressions to specific groups of people. The setting of the movie was also instrumental in illustrating abundance. Relating to the film, the Technicolor that was a significant aspect of Oz was a clear illustration of abundance when it was compared with the real world, Kansas that Dorothy hailed from, this, therefore, addressed scarcity (Burger, 76). Exhaustion is a common aspect today, but through the film, the audience is encouraged to be strong through the explicit representation of Dorothy’s character. This figure shows a determined and motivated character facing all the challenges positively and striving hard with energy and will; this acts a source of inspiration for the people.
Dreariness and predictability as social inadequacies are addressed by the fact that the characters and the story portray an unknown path for Dorothy the star and her friend when they are all looking for the Wizard of Oz. This thus sheds some light on the subject on how the people are given a way to avoid all the monotony of the movie. In the film, this inadequacy is addressed by the drama that was associated with the twists in the paths of the different performers along the yellow brick road (Fleming, 1). This issue of fragmentation and its consequences is also displayed by the nature in which the different characters were distributed and did not go along at the start but later unified together to achieve a common goal. The scarecrow, the cowardly lion, and the tin man prove to be helpful to Dorothy when she is being chased by the flying monkeys. This portrayal contributes to the feeling of community and unity in a sense and thus aids in rekindling the hope for unity and togetherness that cannot be attained in the real world.
In addressing the social want regarding manipulation, Dye’s theory that bases on the ideologies that a star illuminates to effect a change in the society. By conclusive characterization and representation of a character in a film, the viewers can be overwhelmed by the ideas and the actions of the particular actor (Burger, 27). This copying and adoption of these habits can be instrumental in setting them in new paths in life. For example, in the Wizard of Oz, the gay character of Dorothy was brought out, and this film and her depression at some instances identifies her with the plights faced by the minorities in the society. The different social groups are therefore inspired by the Dorothy and are using her ideas and decisions to make their own in the real world. The fact that Dorothy keeps dreaming and anticipates to meet the wizard despite the challenges encountered on the road is a lesson to be learned and absorbed in real world situations.
In conclusion, the choice of the artifact, The Wizard of Oz, was relatively effective in addressing the social needs. This was because the community of the film was set up to have various challenges and twists that need to be addressed. The means of solving the stated social needs was seen at work throughout the film. This thus illustrates to its best the needs of the audience, and through those solutions, they are transformed, and their hope for better futures are rekindled. Richard Dyer’s theory hence describes the different ways in which the particular social needs can be addressed adequately.
Works Cited
Burger, Alissa. The Wizard of Oz as American Myth: A Critical Study of Six Versions of the Story, 1900-2007. McFarland, 2012.
Fleming, Victor, et al. The Wizard of Oz. Warner Home Video, 1939.
Nichols, Bill. Movies and methods: an anthology. Vol. 2. Univ of California Press, 1985.
Truelove, Connor. “Richard Dyer’S Star Theory.” Slideshare.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 17 Dec. 2016.