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Sociology: Mass Media

Prior to 2004 actor, Mel Gibson was mostly known for his cinematic performances in Braveheart, The Patriot, the Lethal Weapon series, along with a countless other film appearances. But in the past few months, the anticipation of Gibson's independent film, The Passion of the Christ, has become the subject of controversy in several different communities and realms of society. Mel Gibson has become known as an ultra-conservative, devout, "by the book", Roman Catholic who went against a predominantly Jewish run Hollywood in the hopes to produce a film about the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ's life. Many felt that the movie was going to cause outrage across the country and outside the United States due to the possibility of it being interpreted as having an anti-Semitic nature. Fortunately for Gibson, controversy, when depicted through the media, also produces interest, and as a result his Passion was able to become a success, in if at nothing else, a financial aspect. Gibson invested a substantial portion of his money into this project, making it a colossal sized "independent film". Through the media and his celebrity status he was able to raise support and excitement for his project. It is interesting to delve into the different media sources to see what "news" they chose to report in regards to the movie. The movie itself, is a form of media, that the public is able to become totally immersed in the project. Many of the sources give reviews, reactions, and side stories about how the movie has influenced the public. All of these aspects help to stir up the popularity of the movie as well as help the media outlet produce more sales. Everyone loves controversy, thus they flock to newspapers, televisions, and online periodicals to find out what all the "fuss" is all about. It is interesting to see how the Media form of the film itself, and also the other media sources that have latched on to its success, have influenced the public.
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