Project 2 Polished

You’ve heard of ChatGPT but what else do you know about Artificial Intelligence? Did you know how much it’s affecting real world industries? Speaking of, it’s greatly affecting the world of theater and film. There are union strikes going on, protesting the excessive use of Artificial Intelligence. This is because the film industry, Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) is wanting to change the contracts to state that digitally duplicating actors' faces would be okay. In another union, also among the film community, writers (WGA) are on strike, protesting AI written scripts. Because of this immense struggle that will affect thousands of people, there have been many individuals, groups, and organizations putting out information on the strike. There are unlimited news articles, personal journals, blogs, podcasts, and videos on this subject, because it’s so hot right now. Going through a google search to learn about the strikes can be very overwhelming. This is why, today, two artifacts will be analyzed, one that is text based and another artifact that is non-text based. This essay will be rhetorically analyzing an article talking about the strikes and a youtube video/podcast that’s all about AI but focused on the SAG strikes in this particular video. The following paragraphs will be looking over the rhetorical aspects of each of these artifacts, like ethos, pathos, and logos. This essay will also be going over some of the ways these two different artifacts might portray their opinion on the matter through the way they speak/write, the music and pace in the video, and even the grouping of words in the article. Different kinds of artifacts can do wildly different jobs at giving out information and, as the audience/reader, you probably don’t actively notice what feelings the artifact is making you feel, and that’s what this essay will go over.

 

For the first artifact, let’s dive into an article titled, “Writer’s strike: Why A.I. is such a hot-button issue in Hollywood’s labor battle with SAG-AFTRA” written by Andrew Dalton and The Associated Press on July 24th, 2023. News articles are quick, great ways to get information on the go, without worrying about your volume being all the way up in class, if you know what I mean. Usually, articles like this are pretty short and can give you lots of information quickly, since they get straight to the point. Lots of news businesses have Instagram accounts that will post a photo relating to the content and write out a little blurb from the article (or use the title) as the caption and end it by saying, “Link in Bio.” They do this because they want to hook you, by using a visual and something juicy you might want to hear about, and get you to go to their profile and click on the link in their biography, where the full article is posted. Many articles are extremely repetitive, especially when the situation at hand is new and there’s not much information about the subject. This leads the author to have to repeat facts in different ways to make the article worth reading. This is a quick, easy, and reliable way of getting information, especially for someone who feels like there’s never time to sit down and read pages upon pages of information that’s not always necessary. 

 

The purpose for this article is to share exactly what Artificial Intelligence is doing to the film industry and why people are on strike right now regarding AI. The article is short and sweet and gets points across quickly, to entice readers to read the entire article and get all the information in a short period of time. It’s tough to pinpoint an audience, just because many people, even people outside of this industry, want to know what’s happening with the strikes. I know many highly anticipated movies and films  have been postponed due to the strikes, so people looking forward to those films were paying attention to what information came out about the filming process and then it stopped, because most filming has stopped. Release dates for shows and movies alike have been postponed months and while people can be mad, there’s nothing we can do until the contracts are officially figured out and resigned so filming can commence. So I would say the audience is mostly film and theater actors, who are worried about their jobs. Because much of the strike has happened in Los Angeles, actors who don’t live in California might be confused as to what’s been happening and may look to articles like this one to get the most up to date information. 

 

There are many obvious benefits to articles and how they portray information. Usually, articles are structured by starting with the title, the date it was released, the author or company writing it, and a picture at the top of the page. In this article, there is a picture of Debby Ryan, a famous ex-Disney channel star, holding a sign that says, “SAG-AFTRA on Strike!” This will catch someone’s eye because it’s a well known celebrity, walking the streets of LA, fighting for her right to act. This is a rhetorical tactic called visual rhetoric. This is a perfect example of using visuals to captivate an audience member. A reader might even read the entire article just to see if there is anything specific written about Debby Ryan, so the publishing company still gets what they want; for people to read the article! Depending on the structure of it, this aspect can make an article come across as really clean. Using a clear, logical structure is actually a subtle logos approach, letting the audience trust the appealing and easy-to-read structure, making the article seem much more knowledgeable and trustworthy. Usually, articles have short paragraphs, with quotes and short blips of information, so people don’t get bored. Lots of readers don’t want to see a huge chunk of text because it looks like too much to read all at once. Article writers have to be strategic about how they divy up the article, as it can make or break the viewership of the piece. 

 

Most articles are written from a standpoint that never says “I.” They don’t have a passion behind the reason for writing it, typically, because they write what their boss tells them too. That doesn’t mean the article can’t come across as passionate. That’s exactly why writers utilize quotes from people who are passionate. For example, an actor and writer, Johnathan McClain, is quoted in this article, to show passion and devotion about the strikes. This is a perfect example of using pathos, to appeal to the reader’s reasoning and show that there are logical arguments behind the passion for the strike. There is clear use of pathos, as much of the article appeals to emotions. The strikes are so devastating because many people are out of jobs at this time. Despite that being a big factor, the issue at hand is the future careers at risk. If AI replaces background actors, there will be thousands of people out of a job. Not everybody in Hollywood is famous and rich. Most people in Hollywood are striving for that life and doing freelance work to get to that point of financial freedom. The point of the strike is really appealing to emotion, because so many people are worried for their futures and careers. This is a great example of pathos in the article. 

 

Articles are great examples of useful artifacts that are easy to read and get a good point across. They are short, sweet, and many people use them on a daily basis to get more information they might not know a lot about. I personally use articles the most to get information in my day to day life, since it doesn’t take long, you can skim pretty quickly, and it consolidates information nicely. Although articles don’t come across as very personal, they’re formal and concise and can easily have a sense of charm, since they use quotes from well known people (like celebrities, in this case) to show a side of personality that other artifacts can use as well, just not as cleverly. Articles are the media's highest utilized form of communicating information to the public and I don’t see a change in that in the foreseeable future. Videos and podcasts are extremely useful in their own ways of course but not everyone always has access to listen to something in public, when reading is silent and can be easier, depending where you are physically. This article was incredibly effective, as its brief statements and chunked up paragraphs guided the reader’s flow easily. The appeal to the audience was high and it got through all the necessary information quickly and effectively. 

 

For our second artifact, we’ll be going over a podcast that is also video recorded and posted on Youtube. The podcast title is the AI Wave Podcast, hosted by Chris Parisi. His podcast is all about Artificial Intelligence and every week, he talks about a different topic relating to AI. This video, titled “SAG-AFTRA vs. AI: Ethical Boundaries in Acting with Brennan Stefanik: Episode 11” was posted about two months ago, and has only 65 views! The amount of knowledge that Chris seems to have about AI is really astounding and I thought his video was really well put together. Anyway, he often hosts guests and in this video, he had a guest named Brennan Stefanik. They mention early on in the video that they are related as cousins but Brennan is an actor and works and lives in New York City so he has lots of knowledge about the strikes, as a member of SAG himself. This is a clear use of ethos, as the credibility behind the guest’s knowledge and history as an actor explains why you should listen to him; he knows what he’s talking about because he has first hand experience of being an actor and going through this hard time with little to no work in the industry at this time of striking. 

 

To start off, videos and podcasts in general are becoming extremely popular among younger generations. The sad reality behind this is the way that my generation (and even some of the Millennial generation) has been raised is with so much technology, we can’t go a single second without being mentally stimulated. There’s lots of evidence about this online that I won’t get into too much but our minds have been constantly stimulated by the internet and social media that our attention spans have never been worse as a generation/age group. That is exactly why there is so much content out there on Youtube, Spotify, Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Twitter…the list never ends. We continuously have podcasts, music, audiobooks, or even tiktoks and TV shows playing in our ears, so we never find a moment of boredom. There is so much out there to be consumed that thousands of people are starting podcasts and Youtube channels. Even though the reasoning behind podcasts being so popular might be a little sad, they are extremely up and coming and are a good investment of time, for an audience member to listen and for the creator, putting time and effort into making the content. Because podcasts and Youtube videos are so popular, especially among young people, it’s a great way of sharing information because you don’t have to sit down and read it. As unfortunate as it is, it seems like in this life, everybody is always on the go. With this comes a feeling that sitting down to read a book, long article, or anything past an Instagram caption, seems like a task to many young people. Of course, the audience isn’t only young people but many actors and actresses are younger and the people spreading the word about the strikes are typically younger people as well. This makes a podcast a very easy thing to pop in your earbuds and take on campus with you on the go. That’s personally why I love and enjoy podcasts. I can take it anywhere and multitask, which I find a great way to find time for other things in the day as well. 

 

The purpose of this podcast is to share important facts about the SAG-AFTRA strikes and WGA strikes to an audience of people who care about it. There are many artifacts out there to share what these strikes are about, why they initiated, and what’s currently happening regarding the strikes but this video is very well structured. On Youtube, there are timestamps and “chapters,” where the editor/creator can make a mark in the video and title it so you can jump somewhere in the video that interests you. The structure helps entice viewers to watch, since they can skip the intros of the guest star if they only want to hear about the strikes. These organizational skills really help appeal to the audience’s logos, as organization and structure are ways to make your reader/listener believe you know what you’re doing and that’s exactly how you are so organized.

 

There are so many benefits to podcasts. This one in particular is uploaded to Spotify and Apple music as a podcast but is also recorded on Youtube so they can upload one video/audio clip to three platforms and make more income while reaching a larger audience. So although this is a Youtube video (and I’ll be analyzing both a little bit), podcasts have so many benefits as well. I think modern video recorded podcasts come across as so cozy because most people want a really comforting environment with couches, carpets, blankets and throw pillows. Although this one isn’t as comfy, it’s still a cute set-up with bookshelves, plants, and two simple chairs. This is an appeal to pathos, because it emotes emotion from the audience, as they feel at home watching the youtube video that’s set up so peacefully. The setting feels very homey and small, like you’re inside the conversation with Chris and Brennan. I think a comforting environment can make a major difference when watching people talk about a subject. They’re in a welcoming yet professional looking environment so it makes an audience member feel welcomed and educated all at once. Another big aspect of keeping an audience entertained and focused is the use of visuals. Even though a video usually uses visuals, this is used as a podcast so they want to stray from that for their listeners who are only listening to audio. I think visuals can do a lot but the way they made up for it was by using tone and exigence. 

 

The tone used by the host and guest are very professional tones, letting the audience know that they are knowledgeable about what they’re talking about. This is an appeal to ethos, as the host’s tone comes across as knowledgeable and that helps him build credibility with the audience. The video starts with the guest, Brennan’s, reason for his passion about AI regarding the strike. He explains his story of working in Rhode Island, where he’s from, and moving to New York, joining the union, and being involved with Union work as his career, working on films. His passion is his career, so the threat of bringing AI so heavily into the industry could affect him a lot. After introducing his personal story, he goes into how AI is affecting the industry, or more how it will affect the film industry if the union lets this new contract pass. Thankfully, they didn’t and that’s exactly what they’re fighting right now. Later in the video, Brennan goes into arguing against heavily used AI. He does state that he’s not completely opposed to the idea of using AI to work smarter not harder but when Artificial Intelligence is used to completely replace actors, it threatens thousands of people’s careers. This use of logical arguments appeals to the audience’s reason, using logos to help them feel like they’re listening to the right people, who know their stuff. 

 

Overall, this form of artifact is extremely useful for getting many points across while also using lots of rhetorical strategies to appeal to an audience in different ways. A video gives a nice visual to people watching while the quality of the sound appeals to listeners' ears if they’re not watching the recorded video. Podcasts and videos are very effective when it comes to portraying facts about information heavy topics, like this strike. The SAG and WGA strikes are so important to people in the film and theater industries because it’s thousands of artists all fighting as a united front to get what we want and save the future of our jobs. So, videos like this are here to help us understand why we need to pay attention to the strikes and do everything in our power to help however we can. Podcasts and Youtube videos have gotten big over the past decade and they’ll only continue to grow, since it’s such an effective way of getting information out there for people who need it. 

 

In conclusion, videos and podcasts are very different compared to articles. They each have their strengths and weaknesses but both can be effective, depending on what they’re trying to portray to0 the public. Videos and podcasts have audio and visual appeals, they can be quite long and be dragged out a bit sometimes. Articles, on the other hand, are short and don’t give the same amount  It’s so important to know what kind of artifacts can benefit you the most. When looking at these particular artifacts, each one had different appeals to ethos, whether that was the organization of the article or the tone of the host’s and guest’s voices in the podcast. They also had appeals to pathos, through personal experience from Brennan in the podcast and the personal quotes stated in the article. Each artifact used rhetorical approaches differently but they each worked in very effective ways. This can be a personal opinion or just something that varies depending what you’re researching/looking into. Both articles and YouTube videos or podcasts can be very helpful and appeal to different rhetorical strategies in writing. Both are incredibly effective but if I had to rate the effectiveness of one more, I would put articles ahead of videos and podcasts because they’re so easy to get through and they’re much more convenient.