Exploring Fidelity in Mass Media: Cinema and Books - Essay Analysis

This essay delves into the multifaceted concept of fidelity within mass media, specifically focusing on cinema and books. It explores different models of communication, including transportation, semiotic systems, rituals, and conversations, to understand how messages are conveyed and interpreted. The essay examines the challenges of translation across mediums, highlighting the loss of meaning and significance in adaptations. A key focus is on the two primary kinds of fidelity in cinematic adaptations: story fidelity, which deals with the faithful recreation of a narrative, and thematic fidelity, which centers on the preservation of the core themes. The essay provides examples, such as "Lost in Translation" and adaptations of Homer's Odyssey and the Harry Potter series, to illustrate the complexities of these concepts. It concludes by emphasizing the impact of fidelity styles on viewers and the need for critical analysis, especially concerning thematic fidelity, within the context of mass media adaptations.

Running Head: ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA
AND BOOKS)
Essay on the Aspect of Fidelity in Mass Media (Cinema and Book)
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
Introduction
Communication is an important part of the existence of human beings on earth and thus is
defined as a process that is dynamic as well as irreversible in nature. Human beings engage
themselves in interpreting messages in a particular situation or a given context in the process. It
also helps to reveal the nature of relationship and organization that is dynamic. Mass media
functions like a vehicle or a medium through which messages can be sent to an audience that is
large as well as heterogeneous, unevenly distributed in dimensions of time and space
simultaneously. The importance of mass media lies in the contributing factors such as growth,
development, and cohesive nature of the society. Mass media also plays a pivotal also functions
as a gatekeeper and agenda-setter that puts them on the pole position that contributes in
influencing and controlling public opinion. The mass media is responsible for the public agenda,
what things people worry about as it is again dependent on what the media chooses to publicizes
and shapes. The factor of selection and distribution of content for the public to consume, be
informed, and educated on various topical issues that have societal importance, along with the
aspect of entertain is dependent on the mass media.
Discussion
The focus of mass media is on the telling of stories, or of recounting various events, or
occurrences in a manner so that the people who were not present at the venue of the event, or
incident can experience it in a similar fashion. As Chinua Achebe in his book Anthills of the
Savannah recounts the responsibility of a storyteller, he focuses on the aspect of language that
takes the focal point in narration of the incidents. It is clear that human beings make sense out of
things with the help of language (Soukup 1999). They associate the process of meaning making

2ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
with the help of language by adding the pre-existing knowledge about language and define things
around them. With the system of the deferral, the world inhabited by humans is created and the
reality is constructed. The system of language is for the need of creating an identity for humans
for themselves (Soukup 1999).
Another factor that comes into action is the aspect of translation. Just as language is one
of the oldest known tool to humanity, translating from one language to another is perhaps as old
as humanity. Translation occurs not only from one language to another, but also from one
medium to another. It goes to extent of public accepting on mode of translation while going on to
reject another. The components that are taken into consideration while carrying out a translation
is the nature of aesthetic and the degree of faithfulness is however not always explained
theoretically (Johnson 2017). Communication also stresses on the product as the outcome of the
translation as well that process of communication.
In order to understand the aspect of fidelity and its connection to cinema as a mass media,
it is important to understand the factor of communication as transportation, as a semiotic system,
as a ritual, and as a conversation.
Communication as transportation dominated the studies of communication of North
America during the middle of 1970’s (Barnes 2016). It conveyed the fact that communication is
mostly involving the transfer, movement, or transportation of a particular message from an
individual to another, or the movement of some information from one source to another with the
help of a medium or agent. Thus, it defined the very traditional method of communication that
involved the presence of a sender, or a particular source, a message that needs to be transferred,
and a receiving end or a receiver (Barnes 2016).

3ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
Communication is also present in the form of a semiotic system that was developed by
Saussure who has describes the concept of meaning in the form of signifier and signified. The
semiotic system thus forms a tool that helps to describe the communication study as scholars
have applied the theory in a very generalized manner that constitutes signs or a system of verbal
communication that is greatly applicable in the visual, cinematic, and graphic medium. Roland
Barthes also has significant amount of contribution is the act of describing a set of semiotic
relation that occurs in relation to another however it remains mostly restricted to the verbal forms
of communication. Others such as Levi Strauss and Umberto Eco have found semiotics to be
extremely valuable for describing the cultural and linguistic system (Hayward 2017).
Communication as a ritual consists of the process of something that is done in a regular
basis that becomes performance. Here, communication is less of simple transportation of
message or information as stated by Carey “A ritual view of communication is directed not
towards the extension of message in space but toward the maintenance of society in time; not the
act of imparting information but the representation of shared beliefs. If the archetypal case of
communication under a transmission view is the extension of messages across geography for the
purpose of control, the archetypal case under a ritual view is sacred ceremony that draws persons
together in fellowship and commonality (Chinedu Ekwueme and Akpan 2012).”
The last model of communication is the face-to-face interaction that takes place when
people. It is forms a circle that includes all the previously mentioned models and hence is
perhaps the most effective model of communication (Hayward 2017).
One of the best examples of fidelity in mass media (cinema) is “Lost In Translation”
(2003) directed by Sofia Coppola which deals about the effectiveness of cinema as mass media
and the aspect of translation. Many instances of meanings that get lost in translation, literally and

4ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
metaphorically for the plot for the film being set in Japan vividly portray the power of cinema as
a media.
Fidelity in Cinematic Adaptations
With respect to fidelity in cinemas and its different forms of adaptations, the aspect has
been divided into two primary kinds that are the story and thematic fidelity. This has been due to
the prolonged case of a gap which has been observed in the different style of expressions which
has gone severely amiss in the conception of receiving from the audience’s side. As a general
concept in the world of cinema we have observed that it is the audience who have been criticized
but the aspect of story fidelity we see that the idea is not limited to the viewers. The story fidelity
deals with the concept of writers and producers aiming to convey an idea or narrative and take
the help of a specific piece of literature to give a boost to their story but the audience on the other
end sup conceiving the entire narrative into something solely based on it. For example, the
production of the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” by Coen brothers film whose central
theme was primarily based on the great depression revolving around the region of the south in
America and its impact of racism (León Romero 2015). But the movie started with the title card
quoting Homer’s Odyssey which calls to the listener’s attention for him to narrate the story.
The movie also contains a bit of similarity where the central character’s name also
happened to be named Ulysses and his wife is called by the name Penny, both of which coincides
with Homer’s Odyssey. This could lead to the audience expecting to see a similar narrative but
the writer simply intended to use the call for the attention to convey his own story (Alqadi 2015).
This is the typical example of story fidelity where the expectation of the story goes amiss
through the use of a piece of literature which has no similarity of content. There is a variation
present in the kind of story fidelity, where the director of the part claims to be following a

5ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
particular piece of literature but the audience can gather similarities and aspects of a different
section of writing present vividly in work (Harold 2018). This brings about the aesthetic merit,
which we find in the interpretation of the work. For example, there is a constant comparison
among the various translations of Homer’s works in the cinema. This raises the question in the
mind of the audience about the scale in which, they are measured and what is the definition of
the adaptation of any piece of art into cinema.
On the other hand, thematic fidelity derives the theme from a piece of work and displays
a different narration, which is based on the theme derived. Hence, this form of fidelity is found to
be most prevalent in the cinematic world. So, we can drive that thematic fidelity is one where the
story keeps the central plot and theme of any piece intact (Munday 2018). However, it has been
noticed that it is in this field that the directors miss the writer's point and the theme is more often
than not lost in the adaptations.
Fidelity in Books
As Prince Modupe had written about his encounter that took place in his days of West
Africa: “The ore crowded space in Father Perry’s house was his bookshelves. I gradually came to
understand that the marks on the pages were trapped words. Anyone could learn to decipher the
symbols and turn the trapped words loose again into speech. The link of the print trapped the
thoughts; they could no more get away than a daomdoo could get out of a pit. When the full
realization of what this meant flooded over me, I experienced the same thrill and amazement as
when I had my first glimpse of the bright lights of Konakry. I shivered with the intensity of my
desire to learn to do this wondrous thing myself (Baudrillard 1967).” For some Westerners,
words that have been written down, have become a thing of anxiety. The most recent threat to
the ancient tradition of penned down words on which the lieracy of phonetics were based on. The

6ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
digital technology has included elements of participational work that is spoken, over the word
that has been written by a specialist.
However, the basic dilemma or the significance that has been associated with written
words or words that has been uttered, and the various mediums that have been instrumental in
conceiving meanings from it is still questionable. Books and Cinema, as the two mass media has
been trusted medium of communication for a long time. However, what was lost in the
translation process while moving from written down books to the depiction of the meanings that
have been depicted by words in the form of motion picture, a lot of the significance of words
have been lost and compromised. This best example of loss is the adaptation of films, which, are
originally based on a text (written). A certain amount of limitation has always restricted the free
depiction of pages into the screen. Best example is the Harry Potter series where a lot of the text
had to be sacrificed at the threshold of the film.
Conclusion
One can very well conclude in the subject of the styles of fidelity present in the
adaptations of narrations in cinema that though most of the time it is not intended by the
directors they leave a significant impact on the viewers and the audience. The need for the
criticism especially when it comes to thematic fidelity is due to the appreciation and the demand
for an already acclaimed piece of work whose theme and the plot has created a particular affinity
among the audience and leads to diminishing the aesthetic merit of the work. But overall, it has
been accepted that though fidelity sometimes causes the loss of due recognition it also leads to
the acknowledgement and acceptance of creativity which is the basic principle of cinema.

7ESSAY ON THE ASPECT OF FIDELITY IN MASS MEDIA (CINEMA AND BOOK)
References
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https://scholarcommons.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1082&context=comm
[Accessed 1 Jan. 2020].
Alqadi, K., 2015. Literature and cinema. International Journal of Language and Literature, 3(1),
pp.42-48.
Barnes, J., 2016. Laurence Olivier. Shakespeare Bulletin, 34(3), pp.487-491.
Baudrillard, J., 1967. Marshall MacLuhan, Understanding Media: the Extensions of Man, Mc
Graw-Hill Book company, cop. 1964. L'Homme et la Société, 5(1), pp.227-230.
Chinedu Ekwueme, A. and Akpan, C. (2012). Fidelity of Mass Media Communication: A case
for Efficacious Use of the Language. [ebook] pp.440-445. Available at:
https://www.japss.org/upload/2.%20fidelity%20of%20mass%20media%20communication.pdf
[Accessed 1 Jan. 2020].
Harold, J., 2018. The value of fidelity in adaptation. The British Journal of Aesthetics, 58(1),
pp.89-100.
Hayward, S., 2017. Cinema studies: The key concepts. Routledge.
Johnson, D.T., 2017. Adaptation and fidelity. The Oxford Handbook of Adaptation Studies,
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León Romero, H.D., 2015. Classical tradition and reception studies in contemporary cinema in
English. O brother, where art thou? by the Coen brothers.

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Munday, R., 2018. The Kubrick Cinematic UniverseMethod. Essais. Revue interdisciplinaire
d’Humanités, (Hors-série 4), pp.141-156.