Friday, November 14, 2008

Jesuits And TV

The Jesuit John O'Brien founded the Communication Arts program at Loyola in 1965, and the Jesuit legacy of humanism influences Balcer's work to this day.

"It was the way of integrating media and ethics, and to do media work with some kind of conscience as a navigator," said Rene Balcer, in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "It's a humanistic approach to content. If anyone bothers to look at the episodes (of Law & Order) I've done and the work that I've done, (they) would probably see that influence. You're thinking of the effect of content on the viewer. It's not just a matter of telling a story, of getting from Point A to B, but also thinking about subtext, thinking about how the audience is affected by the content, how television engages the viewer. It's just thinking about those larger issues."

Link (here)

Photo is of Fr. John "Jack" O'Brien, S.J.

No comments: