MORPH: Wrap Magazine Issue 6, Vol.8 by cpu coap

The Official Publication of College of Advertising Practitioners Issue 6 Volume 8 College of Business and Accountancy Central Philippine University, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000

MORPH EDITOR’S LETTER

We, humans, and all living things on our planet are capable of evolution. As a result, we can adapt and thrive in different environments. This is evident and innate in us as one of the most advanced species living on Earth. On the other hand, one of the best species that are capable of this are butterflies. Butterflies are capable of morphing, from hatching from an egg to becoming a caterpillar, to pupa, and a winged beau that are equally with us. We have become bearers of fate and the course of change in our world. In this magazine issue, Wrap captures the ability and power of metamorphosis in our field as advertising practitioners–designers, writers, artists, editors, and a like that belongs in the creative and design industry. I hope you may join us as we embark on this journey in exploring stories of change and transformation that shaped us as a community and individually. Though challenging, we at Wrap Magazine do not let stories end and completely wrap up. Instead, we let them unravel and be heard to give you an immersive experience that resonates and inspires all of us to become like butterflies– thriving, unyielding, and morphing into the best version of ourselves for us and our community.

Glory be to God! All for Him, all for Central.

Gad B. Castro Editor- in- Chief, Wrap Magazine Issue 6 Volume 8

TR H 12

CHR 36

RHO 74

OPA 95

RELIVE YOUR

Precious Moments

E EpisodesPH

Birth

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

E-COMMERCE 101: What is Online Shopping and Its Role in the Present? text by DANIELA GARZON graphics by ROVIC SIPACIO

Nowadays, anyone who manages or is involved in any new or existing business cannot deny the importance of e-commerce especially in the present. It definitely is a must for retailers and brands selling any product or service. The digitalization of other services in recent years, increased access to technology, and incidents such as the COVID-19 pandemic have all contributed to the growth of e-commerce in practically every retail industry. The pandemic in particular, drove everyone to change their shopping habits. Whether you prefer internet shopping or browsing in stores, it changed our everyday routines in many obvious ways.

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

Consumers are more reliant on the digital world than ever before, and companies are being driven to adapt their strategies and shift toward digitization with greater urgency. An instance was when grocery store shelves were quickly emptied of toilet paper and disinfecting products as people hurried to stock up during the global lockdown. Distribution channels tightened as the lockdown went on, sanitizing supplies were increasingly scarce, and everyone was scrambling to locate basic food staples and essentials. One intriguing side effect was how rapidly brand loyalty fell out of favor when customers claimed they switched brands during the pandemic. Mainly for the reasons that they offer lower prices, support their employees, offer ways to maintain social connections, and donate to COVID-19 relief effort. Moving on, let’s begin with the basics first, what is e-commerce? Well, e-commerce (or electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of goods (or services) on the internet. It includes mobile shopping and online payment encryption, as well as a wide range of data, systems, and tools for online buyers and sellers. Most e-commerce businesses utilize an e-commerce store and/or an e-commerce platform to manage their online marketing and sales as well as their logistics and distribution. E-commerce was introduced about 40 years ago in its earliest form. Since then, new technology, advancements in internet access, more security with payment options, and widespread consumer and business adoption have helped countless enterprises grow. Some of the notable events throughout e-commerce history are: in the mid-1990s, CompuServe was founded by electrical engineering students Dr. John R. Goltz and Jeffrey Wilkins introduced some of the earliest forms of email and internet connectivity to the public and dominated the e-commerce landscape. In 1995, Jeff Bezos introduced Amazon primarily as an e-commerce platform for books. In 1998, PayPal made its appearance on the e-commerce stage as a money transfer tool. In 1999, Alibaba Online launched as an online marketplace with more than $25 million in funding and went on to turn into a major platform that’s widely used today. While in the 2000s, there were multiple launches of online shops through the years like Shopify, Amazon Prime, Etsy, and Instagram Shopping as well as digital payment methods such as Google Wallet, Stripe, Apple Pay, and many more. Moreover, in the present 2020s, the pandemic drives e-commerce growth and pushes consumers online to unprecedented heights. Consumers are turning to the internet to make purchases that they would regularly make in stores, such as food and household items, clothing, and entertainment. E-commerce has come a long way since its mid-1990s beginnings. Changes in technology, as well as worldwide circumstances, have spurred e-commerce expansion and now plays a vital role in our daily lives. More people will be able to benefit from the majority of online services, including e-commerce, as internet usage and accessibility grows. Thanks to mobile devices, people are purchasing and selling more flexibly and passively through the internet. E-commerce businesses rely on fintech companies that are transforming payment methods for a more secure, simple, and effective transaction which are also integrated into mobile applications. Customers are more glued to their mobile devices with their fingers set to pay. As the

Internet becomes more accessible in many parts of the world, the e-commerce industry is fast evolving. Traditional retail firms are increasingly transitioning to the virtual environment. As a result, they are extending their consumer base while also remaining competitive. As we witness and experience the growth of e-commerce throughout the years, we cannot overlook its impacts as well. E-commerce has a far-reaching impact, affecting everything from small businesses to large corporations. For instance, large retailers are being driven to sell their products online. E-commerce’s rise has broadened the reach of many brands while also improving their profits. Secondly, the impact of e-commerce helps small businesses sell directly to customers. Small business owners are slowly developing e-commerce stores and broadening their services, reaching out to new clients, and better accommodating customers who prefer to purchase online or on mobile devices. Lastly, although new jobs are generated, traditional retail positions are reduced. E-commerce has resulted in a slight decline of jobs in reformed industries or fading manufacturing technologies, such as retail, post offices, and tour operators, as a direct result of the changing means of doing business in the digital society. But on the other hand, it has generated jobs for those who are skilled or highly-skilled workers in the field of Information and Communication Technology services (ICT) wherein there’s involvement in terms of new business models and new processing models, therefore becoming an advantage for the owners of e-commerce platforms.

As we witness and experience the growth of e-commerce throughout the years, we cannot overlook its impacts as well. E-commerce has a far-reaching impact, affecting everything from small businesses to large corporations.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

How Advertising and marketing affects a game’s success in the first year text & graphics by ARKISHA MARIE QUISUMBING

I enjoy new games. New games usually mean new storylines, new characters to learn and love, and just new entertainment to kill time with. Usually, it is very exciting to play a game especially when it is beautifully drawn and directed. But then imagine you have this hype, this hope for the game, and suddenly you see the game’s company failing with their service for the consumers in less than a year.

LAST MAN 18

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

STANDING: It's very surprising, isn’t it? Imagine a game that's loved by one country and is not very well received by the whole world.One example that comes to mind is the acting game called A3!. It is a game which revolves around actors who are performing in an acting troupe while trying to save their theater from closing. It is very popular in Japan. A lot of people, especially the ones who are into female oriented games, are well aware about the existence of A3!, so when Cybired announced that they were going to translate the beloved acting game into English, I was ecstatic because my favorite anime seiyuus (English translation: voice actors) are voice acting in a game! A3! launched to huge success, however, less than a year of service, it Many fans were sad and disappointed and I was one of them. The Asus community outside of Japan is very small, but we are very solid. However, I did see why they had to close service that early into the story. Games usually rely a lot on advertising and marketing especially in the gaming industry. The more complicated and complex a game is, the more likely that it took a lot of money to translate foreign titles. This is also one of the reasons why a lot of visual novels from Japan have not been translated into English because a lot of companies have to pick and choose their battles– not every game is going to be popular no matter how much praise it gets on certain social media sites. One example of this is 7'Scarlet, a beautiful mystery game which sadly has failed in the West due to the feigning interest that the Western audience has shown during promotion. It did not help that another game called Collar x Malice was released at the same time, and it took all the attention. Advertising through social media influencers is also a factor into a game’s success. Games such as Detroit: Become Human wouldn't have been so popular if it weren't for the content and promotion done by game content creators such as PewDiePie, Markiplier, and so much more. Their influence affected game journalists to keep an eye out for their new videos and streams. Millions of people

It is definitely important to support the gaming industry if it is something that interests you.

watching their content usually wait for a new game to come out so they can see how the gameplay mechanics work and provide a fun viewing experience of the new release to their audience and community. With their opinion and recommendation, newly released games will either launch to fame or will be ignored. A lot of games give off memorable in-game experiences, engaging storylines, and beautiful artworks but because of the lack of media attention from journalists, they are left to suffer in sales. It is definitely important to support the gaming industry if it is something that interests you. Gaming companies are letting artists, such as myself, out there create things that speak to the heart and things that audiences would enjoy well into the future. Supporting ethical gaming companies would mean a lot to artists who are working under them. With our technology boom still ongoing, I believe that the gaming industry is just starting to rise and it is up to gamers and enthusiasts to help preserve the stories that everyone works so hard to create and bring to life.

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

Six Best Streaming Services to Binge- Watch Your Favorite Films text & graphics by DANIELA GARZON

We’ve had more TV streaming service options than ever in the last three years. Today, more people watch streaming shows than pay for cable or satellite TV, and anyone with a decent broadband connection and a high-quality streaming device can do it. I can attest to this, we literally have cable TV but never use it, we prefer our usual streaming routine and binge-watching the latest films or series.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

With that said, more TV streaming service options means you’ll have to decide whether your streaming subscription budget will grow or shrink based on which ones are worth your time and money, and of course the competition is fierce. But before we talk about that, let’s tap into the reasons for the shift mentioned earlier. First and foremost, the finest live TV streaming services now include everything you’d expect from a regular TV cable or satellite service, plus a lot more. We have the power to watch whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want. Second, while the prices of live TV streaming services are catching up to that of cable, streaming services are still more affordable, at least for now. When you look at it, they all charge a fixed rate, which varies depending on the provider. The beauty of streaming services is that you can pick and choose which ones you want based on your preferences and how much you’re willing to spend. Finally, videoon-demand (VOD) providers like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, which spearheaded the cord-cutting trend, create more “must-watch” content than their older competitors. The cord cutting trend is the fast-growing trend that involves “cutting the cord” on high-cost pay-TV options, including cable TV and satellite TV, thus shifting to lower-cost online streaming options.

of viewers while also receiving worldwide recognition and awards, we get the closest thing to casual conversations we have today. Other Netflix Originals such as The Queen’s Gambit, Black Mirror, and Peaky Blinders have set the bar for excellent streaming TV content, but I doubt we know exactly how many original shows the platform creates — and the numbers are only going to rise. Although Netflix has an extremely broad catalog of video content, it changes all the time. Shows that are available one day may be gone the next. It’s difficult to say with certainty what’s available on Netflix at any given time, but that’s part of the fun, right? Despite that, each week, new shows and movies are added to Netflix, with 70 new original films added to the platform in 2021 alone. And the company isn’t reluctant to appeal to a wide range of interests, including gaming options and categories for children, anime, and international titles. No matter what kind of video entertainment you like, you’ll find something not only to watch but love on Netflix. Its base plan starts at P369.00 per month and goes up to P459.00 per month for HD and two simultaneous streams. But for the variety you get, and no commercials ever, Netflix remains the one essential streaming service.

Now let’s get back on track, which streaming service is right for you? Before jumping into them, since everyone’s tastes vary, and these services’ video offerings change every month, rather than try to list them in a “best to worst” order, I’ve listed them in a way that highlights the platforms’ features, their shows, movies, and prices.

First off on our list we have the veteran service: Netflix. It has become a synonym for streaming in general for a reason. The platform evolved into the top-tier streaming service that’s a must-have in recent years. When huge originals like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, or Emily in Paris capture the attention of millions

Second on our list, the well-designed app full of popular TV shows and movies: HBO Max. If you love HBO, you’ll love HBO Max. So, what’s the difference? With HBO Max, aside from HBO’s entire catalog you also get access to some movies and TV series from Warner Brothers; DC, CNN, Cartoon Network, and Looney Tunes Cartoons. HBO Max also features a good streaming library for kids, with better parental controls on kids’ profiles than most other services. The streaming service is well worth the money if you aren’t ready to go out yet or simply enjoy viewing movies at home. These movies, such as Wonder Woman 1984, Matrix Resurrections and The Batman, for no additional fee plus you can watch them on up to three devices at once. HBO Max is no slouch in the library

of on-demand movies either, thanks to content partnerships with in-house (New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.) and external content sources (such as Studio Ghibli and The Criterion Collection). The lineup changes frequently, but popular films on the service recently include: A Star is Born, The Fast and the Furious, Joker, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Ponyo, Shazam!, Spirited Away, and The Dark Knight. HBO Max offers two tiers: one without ads for $14.99 per month and one with ads for $9.99 per month. Ad-supported tier subscribers are unable to download content for offline viewing on mobile devices, stream 4K video, or watch any of Warner Bros.’ same-day movie releases. Now, the prices are stated as such because unfortunately HBO Max is currently only supported in the US, 39 territories across the Caribbean and Latin America, the Nordic region, and Spain. As a result, it will pose a difficult problem for interested viewers in other regions.

Next, we have one of Netflix’s closest competitors, Disney Plus. The company’s dedicated video streaming service, offers an attractive interface with competitive features like 4K streaming, offline downloads, and customized recommendations. The streaming service debuted in late 2019 and now has nearly 130 million users. Aside from its iconic studio films, Disney is likely to own a few additional entertainment properties that can be recommended to basically everybody. It’s the only platform where you can watch the great majority of Disney and Pixar libraries, as well as Marvel, Fox Entertainment, and Star Wars movies and TV shows. Although Disney+ is still growing its original content collection, it already includes big blockbusters such as The Mandalorian, Hawkeye, Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and with the highly anticipated Obi-Wan series coming soon. With the pandemic keeping us at home, Disney+ is also exploring pay-per-view (PPV) options for movies like the live-action Mulan. Sadly, Disney+ isn’t available in the Philippines. Although Disney has confirmed that the

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

streaming service is coming to the country soon, there isn’t a definite date for this yet. A Disney+ subscription costs $7.99 (around P408) per month if you’re connected to a US server and $79.99 (around P4,000) for an annual subscription. Disney+ used to charge $6.99 per month and $69.99 per year. Disney+ no longer offers a free, 7-day trial. Disney also offers a plan that bundles Hulu’s ad-supported tier, ESPN+, and Disney+ for $13.99 per month and an $19.99-per-month option that bundles Hulu’s ad-free version with those other two services as well. Disney+ is a feature-filled video streaming package that offers an incredible collection of high-quality programs and movies, but it’s best appreciated as part of a bigger family of streaming services.

Fourth up on our list is Netflix’s perfect complement and counterpoint: Hulu. Hulu continues to provide a broad live TV options as well as a great on-demand streaming library. Even if Hulu’s original series are a hitor-miss, the site is a great way to view popular TV shows, and we like its wide platform compatibility. Hulu’s on-demand library has always been centered on TV shows, and that focus still remains. The service offers hundreds of seasons and thousands of episodes from major networks. For fans of animation, there’s Archer, Adventure Time, Bob’s Burgers, and Futurama. Drama shows include Bones, Killing Eve, The Orville, and The X-Files. Hulu, like Netflix and Amazon, also produces original content. While its content has been inconsistent in the past, and several shows have been cancelled, its track record is improving. Some of Hulu’s best original releases include High Fidelity, Marvel’s Runaways, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Veronica Mars. Hulu’s movie catalog included mainstream films such as Black Swan, Parasite, Sonic The Hedgehog, Space Jam, and Taken. Happiest Season, Palm Springs (which was nominated for a Golden Globe), and Run are among Hulu’s original films worth mentioning as well. Again, Hulu is not available in the Philippines and can only be accessed in the United States due to copyright licensing

issues. Hulu’s on-demand streaming package with ads now costs $6.99 per month on the other hand you have to pay $12.99 per month to avoid ads. You can bundle Hulu (adsupported version), Disney+, and ESPN+ for $13.99 per month or get the ad-free version of Hulu in that same bundle for $19.99 per month, as mentioned previously as well. Therefore, the bottom line is, Hulu is a reliable alternative for viewing new and classic shows as well as live TV on practically every platform and it’s also considered a top choice among video streaming services.

Right next to Hulu we have our second to the last recommended streaming platform which is Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video has a growing library of original content to stream, as well as a solid selection of movies and TV shows. Subscribers can opt to download content for offline viewing, as well as watch 4K movies. Moreover, Amazon has a large library of TV series and movies accessible for rent or purchase but unfortunately, it lacks the high-quality shows that top services offer, and third-party content continues to subside. Although Amazon Video began as a place for buying and renting movies and TV series, the industry has grown, and Amazon has embraced the world of unlimited streaming for a single monthly subscription. Let’s consider Amazon’s increasing catalog of original content, which includes titles like Catastrophe, Good Omens, Homecoming, Hunters, Invincible, Jack Ryan, Utopia, and The Wheel of Time. The list of originals continues to increase, and while it isn’t as extensive as Netflix or HBO Max’s, many of the shows are on par in terms of quality. With Amazon Prime Video, you enjoy more than just Amazon originals; you also get free access to shows like Chuck, Hannibal, Mr. Robot, and The Americans. Although Prime Video has more movies than any other service, when quality is considered, its statistics are similar to Netflix’s. In terms of prices, Amazon’s video content is available in two ways: A

Prime Video subscription costs $8.99 per month and only gives you access to Amazon’s streaming video collection. Alternatively, an Amazon Prime subscription costs $14.99 per month and provides a variety of benefits such as free two-day shipping, music streaming, and more. Thus, Amazon Prime Video is a fantastic service that offers a multitude of prestige content and has remarkable technical features like 4K HDR streaming and offline downloading.

Lastly, we have on our list, a limited library with support for high-end streaming specs, Apple. Apple entered an already saturated video streaming industry with the launch of Apple TV+. Apple TV+’s inexpensive pricing and premium features, on the other hand, are impressive: subscribers can watch shows in 4K, download material for offline viewing on iOS, and watch anything without advertisements. Apple TV+ currently has more series and long-form titles than when it first launched, but it still lacks the depth of material to compete. Apple TV+’s launch titles included Dickinson, Ghostwriter, Oprah’s Book Club, The Morning Show, and Snoopy in Space. These shows span a variety of genres and content ratings, indicating that Apple TV+ won’t be aimed solely at one demographic. According to Apple, new shows and episodes were promised every month and every week. New shows will often premiere with three episodes or whole seasons available at once. Although the rate of production has slowed due to the coronavirus outbreak, some new programs are now accessible to watch, including Central Park, an animated musical series, Little Voice, a romantic comedy; Ted Lasso, a sports comedy; and Tehran, a co-produced spythriller. The full list of shows is getting too long to mention them all, which is a credit to their expanding library, but the total number of titles is still on the lower side of the margin. Apple has the resources to expand its collection, but subscribers should consider reviews of current and upcoming shows before signing up for a subscription. For the pricing, Apple TV+ is

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

The beauty of streaming services is that you can pick and choose which ones you want based on your preferences and how much you’re willing to spend.

available in the Philippines if you buy an Apple device, the service is included free for three months if you redeem the offer within 90 days and a monthly subscription is just PHP 249 per month after a free seven‑day trial. Even if you just watch one or two shows per month, the Apple TV+ membership is likely to be inexpensive enough that you won’t bother canceling it. Apple TV+ is one of the most affordable video streaming options available. Although Apple TV+ is technically impressive, its current catalog of original content appears to be inferior to those of top-tier video streaming services. So, most of the names on this list are likely familiar to you already, but it is by no means complete. There are a wide range of different options for streaming, as well as countless others and let us keep a few factors in mind as we look into these streaming possibilities. Ultimately, you can choose any streaming service you want based on price, content and who watches what in your humble abode. Leaving you with that note, happy watching!

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

THRIVE

K-Pop’s Killing point or Prolonged Stardom? text and research by CZARINA SUNICO

OR From simple trainees to worldwide sensations, how do Korean Idols end up from being rookies to influencers in music industries around the world?

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

BTS, IU, Black Pink, Twice, Monsta X, and many others have undergone years of harsh training in dancing, singing, acting, and even language and speech to achieve perfection for their debut and showcase their talents in South Korea’s wide stage of the entertainment industry. However, K-Pop is loved more than its catchy songs and easy-to-follow choreography, and these are some of them:

Photo credits: BTS’ Official Twitter account

WITHER 1B+ BTS’ “Dynamite” has already 1,338,259,169 and counting streams on Spotify and acroos all music platforms.

FASHION K-Pop has found its way into shaping the world of fashion. When K-Pop became a thing in the worldwide music industry, designers took the opportunity to make idols endorse their brand. Fans tend to imitate the style of their idols and celebrities, so if they are seen wearing or endorsing a specific brand, it can greatly increase their sales and popularity. Since idols are given the freedom to wear whatever they want, such as male idols wearing crop tops or female idols wearing suits, it creates an impact on the fans and society that breaks gender norms and stereotypes. Through this, the K-Pop industry highly influenced the media in conservative countries to be open-minded about fashion statements, and it especially made an impression on the younger generation. CONCEPT It is a part of K-Pop that makes it feel special. There are many kinds of concepts in K-Pop, but these are some of the examples that we knew by heart. School Uniform Concept, whether it’s 90’s or 2020’s, your favorite group definitely tried the school uniform concept and they will never be old enough to try this style and will never be out of style. The cutesy concept is one of the concepts that will never grow old. Despite its reputation to be avoided by guys, this exposes many men to be a softie by heart as they dance to Cheer Up by Twice or No No No by Apink. The sexy concept is where fans think that it is a treat and a threat at the same time. A treat to see sexy EXO’s Kai dancing with The Eve and also a threat as it is mindblowing, jaw-dropping, stunning, spine-tingling, breathtaking, heart-stirring, and striking all at the same time. EXO-Ls almost had a heart attack watching the choreography video. And you can’t talk about the concept without Red Velvet. They’re the group that goes from upbeat and colorful to mature and dark and back, not afraid of doing any kind of concept, and still, rock every one of them. K-Pop is an unending pit of creativity and taste formulated by producers, directors, and the artists themselves. Some honorable mentions are; Badass Concept, Dark Concept, and Hip-hop. STORY It could be the music video or it could be the meaning of the song. K-Pop fans generally enjoy listening to music with stories or meanings behind them, take for example Maria, which is sung and co-written by Hwasa. Maria is a song that expresses self-love and ignores all the haters that want to tear you down. The song is pretty catchy and it causes an earworm for anyone who listens to it, but it gets more interesting once you know the meaning behind the hit song. Almost all of BTS’s music videos have hidden meanings all throughout, causing different reactions from fans and casual viewers. Fans also love to debunk theories and connect pieces with each other. Another music video with a famous storyline is BAP’s Oneshot, you should definitely check it out because– spoiler alert! It’s awesome!

KOREAN POP KOREAN POP KOREAN POP KOREAN POP

Photo credits: Red Velvet

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

it’s also their very own music. Darari by Treasure, Fever and Polaroid Love by Enhyphen, BTS’s Butter and Dynamite, and many more. Seems like K-Pop making trends all across the globe will not die anytime soon.

From fashion, makeup, music to dance challenges, K-Pop never ceases to disappoint in making trends all over the world.

TRENDSETTERS From fashion, makeup, music to dance challenges, K-Pop never ceases to disappoint in making trends all over the world. There are a lot of fashion trends that are popularized by K-Pop this year, such as military boots worn by idols when performing on stage, airport fashion, pleated skirts, and even plaid pajamas. Plaid pajamas seemed to creep their way to the Philippine market as youngsters have seen it frequently on TikTok and some online market apps took this as an opportunity to sell more. From then on, it stayed as a trend to wear pajamas even when it is scorching hot outside. Long lashes have come to life all thanks to Blackpink’s Lisa. Having taken over Korea and also abroad, the extreme eyelash extension is seen in various K-Pop music videos and many women loved the idea of looking younger with longer lashes aside from saving time in applying mascara. K-Pop dance challenges were already trending in the 2010s but they became more popular when the pandemic started. As many people started to find a way to cure boredom, they are now a part of the K-Pop community to post dance challenges every time an idol has a comeback, even even if some are bone breaking steps like SMCU Express’ Zoo, ‘O.O’ of NMIXX, Pretty Savage by Blackpink and Wannabe by Itzy– it never stops the fans and dancers to cover their favorite dance challenges. And it’s not just dancing challenges that K-Pop Idols made viral,

PERSONALITY Nowadays, it is a trend amongst K-Pop Idols to take an MBTI test or personality test online. They take this test to understand their own communication preference and how they interact with others. Having an awareness of what MBTI is can help you adapt your interpersonal approach to different situations and audiences, and also to let fans get to know them more. You’ll be in shock to know which idols are actually introverts and which are extroverts. South Korea’s standard has been high since the beginning, and they keep a close eye on not just their appearance, voice, and dance abilities, but also their personalities. It’s an extreme job for some reporters to chase after idols’ private lives just to get a scoop of their behavior. Some even intentionally test their idols to see if they really have a heart or just a mask for the camera. We can’t measure who is the nicest or mean amongst K-Pop stars, but we know we can count on them when we need an extra serotonin boost and entertainment when we need it. K-Pop has been one of the main contributors of music and trends nowadays, thanks to our amazing internet that keeps people connected even if South Korea is on another side of the world. This might be fun for us fans, but it is a tough world for the idols and the whole K-Pop community to keep the bars up for us. Words can’t explain how fortunate we are to be alive at the same time as them. They give us not only entertainment but also the spirit and hope that we can survive, especially since the pandemic happened. With this, I am confident to say that these killing points of K-Pop is what keeps them relevant, popular, and special amongst fans, casual viewers and listeners, the general public, the idol themselves, and the entire K-Pop community as a whole.

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

TALENT =\ SUCCESS: Talent Alone Can Not Make a Musician Successful text & graphics by ROVIC SIPACIO

There is, by no doubt, a huge amount of talented musicians on this planet. Some of these individuals make or play music as a hobby, some choose to perform on local shows, and then there are international influencial sensations. These people may be talented but what does it really take to be a successful musician?

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

If you are an artist who profits from your work or even a businessman, you may already know that in order to be a successful musician, aside from great talent, there must be effective marketing. And if you are part of the audience who wonder what happens behind the scenes in the music industry, reading this article will give you an idea on how your favorite artists have reached you and make a living out of the songs you love. Musicians, especially the independent ones like Lil Nas X before his break with “Old Town Road”, resorted to advertising their music on the internet, specifically with the use of social media platforms. Some independent artists who have a budget advertise with print advertisements. While signed musicians like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, and One Direction can go as far as creating a two-year long campaign for an album with ten to thirty million US dollars as their budget. In that period, they may choose to advertise in buses, trains,

billboards in New York City Times Square, partner with well-established brands, television appearances, or the fans’ favorite, hit the road for a world tour. The artist markets his music to let people know that his work is out there in the world, that it is available for purchase, and that it’s worth the music consumers’ hard-earned money. If people don’t know that an artist or his music even exists, what would urge them to buy? Similarly, if they are aware of their existence but can’t tell what makes it deserve their interest, how many downloads or sales will that musician make? The answer is little to none. An artist can compose and record thousands of songs, have the musical skill, and have the best album in the world, but if he cannot communicate these works to the people, it won’t be worth anything. These days, with streaming and social media platforms, anyone has the opportunity to sell their music online and

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

A great song, if not marketed properly, may still suffer in sales. A mediocre song with very good advertising and marketing strategy may still have the chance to sell.

their presence. Through these means, it is a great way to reach a larger number of listeners, but it also means that there is a ton of competition. In a time where a channel for artists is abundant, the noise that the consumer needs to get through before the musician gets the chance to earn also increases. With artists being aware that the competition is immense and global, he or she will have no choice but to find a way to set his work apart from others. If you have ever tried to sell something without promotion, you will know the result is zero or very few sales. A great song, if not marketed properly, may still suffer in sales. A mediocre song with very good advertising and marketing strategy may still have the chance to sell. Some pop music artists are very successful when it comes to producing profit out of their music because of a number of reasons. One of which is that the artist is branded meticulously and creates music for the carefully targeted listeners. Another reason is that the album or song rollout is strategically planned months ahead to exploit every available opportunity it has to generate a great amount of hype and traffic for the artist and his work, thus resulting in an increase in revenue. Talent and marketing work together. Marketing amplifies and multiplies what is already there. But talent is still just as indispensable as to what would make a company invest in an artist. If the product is unbearable, no amount of marketing would make it great. That also does not mean that the music has to be the best of the best before it hits. It just has to be sufficient. A musician who wants to profit from his talent will have to make great music, optimize branding, and market his work. In the tough world of today’s music industry, a good song is not enough. Many independent artists tend to work under the belief that once they’ve produced their music, they already have a shot at success. And if they still don’t get signed by a label, some will think it’s because they live in the wrong era or lose hope. Marketing the music is not optional if the objective is to generate revenue. It is oxygen to the music industry. Talent helps to create a decent product but marketing is what pushes that product to the charts and attain longevity. Marketing and advertising is an integral component of releasing music, even if you are the greatest.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

 You can hear silence.

Grab your copy now! Central Philippine University (Main Gate)

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

DIVERSITY:

Portrayal of People of Color in Games text by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO graphics by ROVIC SIPACIO photo research by ZYRA JUNE LABATING

As we all know, there are different genres of computer and mobile games. There’s action, fantasy, romance, and many more, which caters to different people and their preferred gameplay. And sometimes, characters are what draw people into trying out a game. Women may prefer Otome games, which are fictional men dating them in a story, and men may prefer scantily-clad women in fantasy games where there’s more armor in wearing a bra than there is in wearing a full-on iron suit. Therefore, when making games, characters are taken into great consideration, since they will be the ones shown in the trailer to entice players in buying or trialing the game. If you are the type of player who plays a game largely due to the characters, you may have preferences that are sometimes deemed ‘unique’ in a game. Sometimes, game developers may create characters that may be used to bait people into trying the game.

32 Photo credits: Ubisoft.com

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

AFRICAN-AMERICAN TEENAGERS AS THE MOST ACTIVE GAME PLAYING DEMOGRAPHIC

83%

71%

69%

NON-HISPANIC BLACK

CAUCASIAN

HISPANIC

It is different in fantasy games however, since there is no nationality given to dark-skinned characters unless stated otherwise officially by the game developers. When other people assume a fictional character’s nationality without an official statement is when problems rise. Take Kaeya Alberich from Genshin Impact for example. A lot of people have taken to playing Genshin Impact due to its open-world feature. I, however, have decided to play it since there is a dark-skinned character in it which I really like. Be that as it may, there should be an understanding that a fictional character does not exist in real life and should not really be treated as a real person. For Kaeya, he is a person from the long-fallen kingdom of Khaenriah who happens to be dark-skinned. Some people have started calling him African or Hispanic even though his home is not based on a country from real life which has irked some players. Quarrels started, complaints were thrown, and some fans even went as far as sending death threats to artists who do not draw him dark enough for their standards. As of the time of writing this, there are only two dark skinned characters in Genshin Impact: Xinyan and Kaeya, with the former described as scary by other characters in the game and the latter being seen as exotic. This has made critics call for more colored

Therefore, when making games, characters are taken into great consideration, since they will be the ones shown in the trailer to entice players in buying or trialing the game. 33

BIRTH — WRAP MAGAZINE

characters since it is deduced as racist to have such few people with dark skin color. Other games like Grand Theft Auto are at least generous with the colored characters. It is also based on real places, therefore being in the watchful eye of even more players who are sensitive to a character’s nationality. According to a study done by pbs.org, “the most-active game playing demographic is African-American teenagers”. 83% of teenagers who play video games are non-Hispanic Black, 71% with Caucasian teenagers, and 69% of teens being Hispanic. It is disappointing with how much people of color play video games yet are still lacking in representation. Most colored characters in games are also created with horrible stereotypes such as being drug dealers or being in gangs and are typically seen as violent and unforgiving. Due to this, it may cause negative responses from people in real life and may ruin their perception of what that race might be. Games created in Asia are also most likely to have characters that are Asian though still limited in their portrayal of Asian nationalities. For example, most

of the characters are only Chinese, Japanese and sometimes Korean, with disregard for others such as Filipino, Indian, Thai, and many more. Characters based on the Middle East are also being shown most of the time as terrorist or exotic royalty who are rude and condescending. Creating ads and game trailers should not use colored characters as bait in reeling colored players into their game. Character creators must always take into account that people will still rebel or boycott the game if the trailer is falsely advertised from what it seems to be. It is imperative that game developers should do research and create characters with an open mind and a greater understanding of how they should be written.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

It is disappointing with how much people of color play video games yet are still lacking in representation. Most colored characters in games are also created with horrible stereotypes such as being drug dealers or being in gangs and are typically seen as violent and unforgiving.

Photo credits: GTA 6 Offical Website

Chrysalis

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

BEAUTY

DIVINE 38

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Beauty perception in the Advertising Industry Beauty has been around for thousands of years– it has always given people a privilege that only a few could have and because of it, a lot of people desire to be beautiful in the eyes of others.

text by ARKISHA MARIE QUISUMBING illustration by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO

From crushed beetles that were used as eyeshadow and lipstick in ancient Egypt to our modern liquid lipsticks and factory produced eyeshadows, much has changed in the beauty industry. One thing which never stopped is the pursuit of beauty and innovating towards more products and in the process, creating either brilliant inventions or deadly trends.

Countless Filipino women until now are still using whitening soaps, moisturizing creams, and the like in hopes of becoming paler without any idea of how much mercury content the inside of their products contain. Even though in this day and age being morena is perfectly fine, but majority of Filipinos are being brainwashed by depressing advertisements that promise lamb that they will have perfect pinkish skin only to suffer the consequences of allergic skin reactions, chemical burns, hyperpigmentation, and so much more because they refused to seek medical attention from professional licensed doctors.

more attractive. However, prolonged usage of this plant’s drop made a lot of the women blind. Scary right? Before the creation of health regulations in makeup, arsenic was a popular cosmetics ingredient. But with the presence of poison in its composition, it has been banned to use. Taking this in note, because of society’s high regard on beauty standards, daily life, particularly for women, has been very hard to live through the day.

In the past, because of the spread of Christianity, cosmetics weren’t widely used because of the changing ideal of modesty which also impacted the ideals of beauty during certain time periods. But over time, since cosmetics are slowly getting commercially produced, it became more common in a lot of households. Despite the overbearing morality of the Victorians’ cosmetics, it was commonly used especially in the late 19th century. Thanks to the 1920s and the glamorous stars of the 1930s, cosmetics were finally brought into the mass merchandise market which means that a lot of people could afford the cosmetics easily. From Estee Lauder, Revlon, Elizabeth Arden, Avon, to Maybelline– they were already popular back in the day and still are in the mass market today. But how does marketing and advertising affect the beauty industry?

because of society’s high regard on beauty standards, daily life, particularly for women, has been very hard to live through the day.

It is disheartening to say, but a lot of beauty brands, especially in the past, used the insecurities of women to sell products. A lot were very dangerous to women’s health but the worth of a woman back then only depended on two factors: their beauty and their family standing. For example, one of the most dangerous trends in the 19th century was dropping belladonna (a dangerous, poisonous plant) taps into the eyes of Victorian women to dilate and make them

Nowadays, Filipino women are slowly accepting their skin color and their own natural beauty. However, many misinformed people are still victims to misleading advertisements from a number of small startup companies who try to offer products such as rejuvenating sets for acne and aging without knowing the consequences of not going to a dermatologist.

As a makeup wearer and enthusiast myself, seeing Filipino beauty advertisements definitely disheartens me. A great deal of brands are going for an inclusive feel, which I am thankful for, but whitening, weight loss, and other dangerous products are still circulating in the market, with advertisements promising change. Selfimprovement is okay, loving yourself is okay, but putting your lives in danger because you want to look a certain way to be accepted by people is something that a lot of Filipinos should realize that it is very wrong. I, an advertisement student myself, think that the brands of today can still do better. We should encourage empowerment in unity within ourselves, but the beauty industry and its advertising here in the country should go with the times to create products that make people empowered and confident, instead of giving them false hope and promises.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

VOGUE: Evolution of Fashion and Where it leads us text by DANIELA GARZON illustration by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO

Fashion has been long-standing in the course of history, be it the 20th or today’s 21st century. In fact, a hundred years isn’t exactly a long period of time. Throughout the course of fashion history, it is the comparison between the tight corsets that squeezed away the waist and gave an S-shape figure to subcultures and significant cultural changes taking center stage. There have been notable changes in the past few years such as technological advancements, politics, pop culture, and social standards, especially in these times of the pandemic– but fashion didn’t let that stop it from its ever-evolving cycle of trends, leaving us something to think about: “where will these lead us to?”. Now, let’s turn back the clock and browse through the gallery of fashion evolution.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

Let’s first take a look at the fashion from the first half of the 20th century. The most notable piece of clothing would be the “health” corset that continued to dominate the earlier years of the 20th century, aiming for the perfect S-shaped figure that emphasized a thin waist and large bust. In addition to that, matching bell-shaped skirts was definitely a must to complete the overall look. Moving on to the “Jazz Ages” of fashion in the early 20th century, we have the classic tubular “la garçonne” look, also known as the flapper, with a dropped waist and creeping hemlines, was not only one of the most iconic outfits but it was what defined the 1920s dresses as well. Another hugely popular trend for women in the early 20th century was sportswear worn as daywear, embracing wider fashion trends, sleeveless, knee-length shift-like tennis dresses with a bob hairstyle, and matching cloche hats that looked best with short hairstyles were considered fashionable back in the day. From bell-shaped skirts, to hobble skirts, tennis dresses, and poodle skirts were all iconic styles of everyday fashion, especially in the fifties. Closing into the mid-20th century wherein fashion continued to progress and brought us one of the most revolutionary designs, the miniskirts, and minidresses that became the cultural icon we recognize today. So, it’s gone with the conventional below-the-knee skirts and in with short and sweet, yet rebellious hitched-up hemlines. As for menswear, it evolved far more slowly than women’s during the first half of the twentieth century. In the earlier years, men continued to wear suits of various formalities and would usually depend on the appropriateness of the event. Suits like lounge suits, a three-piece suit, which consisted of a sack coat, a waistcoat (vest), and pants, are similar to business suits today. Gradually, following after the suits, men also looked to movie stars or famous icons for fashion inspiration during this period. Nicknamed “Teddy Boys” was another style introduced in London where men, particularly young men, wore extremely narrow trousers, velvetcollared jackets, and greased their hair back into quiffs, to indicate a certain type of “rebellious” young working-class man. As young men in Britain had their own style of the “rebellious guy”, so did the youth in America and in Europe too. With inspiration from Marlon Brando in the film ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, and popularizing the leather jacket in 1955 in ‘The Wild One’ starring James Dean and Elvis Presley–promoting Jailhouse Rock– young men in the US began embracing a working-class look of jeans, a white t-shirt, leather jacket along with the greased-back quiff hairstyle to go along with their casual look. Another iconic outfit worth mentioning is the military jacket which was influenced by military elements, with many of the rock influences contributing to its popularity as well, like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Mick Jagger, among others. In the years that followed, the military look has become completely ubiquitous, and part of the fashion vernacular now. We now move on to the latter half of the 20th century, so as the Swingin’ Sixties had come to an end, we now turn to the Disco Era – the 70s. Seventies fashion saw bold colors and patterns take center stage. It witnessed a wide range of popular styles, from

hippie fashion to flashy party wear, and even the rise of athletic wear. It was a period that explored fashion, but also looked back. Evening wear was thoroughly modern with satin, sequins, and velvet ruling the dance floor. Furthermore, as disco gained popularity, evening wear became increasingly stunning which made sparkle and glamour the embodiment of the decade. As women’s sexual freedoms increased, they began to dress in outfits highly influenced by menswear. Suits and trousers became increasingly acceptable for both formal wear and workwear, it became less form-fitting and feminine with new patterns like animal prints and accessories like fur coats added to their glamor. It was also in the latter half of the 20th century that saw the rise of athletic clothing as casual wear, and came about as one of the most iconic fashion trends of all time. Introducing sweat-shirts, ra-ra skirts, bandeau tops, jumpsuits, leotards, and leggings, naturally leading it to typify the 80s. As a result, sportswear also made its way into high fashion. In the 80s “power dressing” also began to dominate. This indicated a change in the number of women in high-powered positions who used fashion to be recognized. This meant vibrant colors, bold accessories, and shoes with pointed toes and spiked heels. Aside from power dressing, another look that represented the casual American style that drew inspiration are from classic menswear designs such as blazers, button-downs, and hand-knit sweaters to create casually elegant womenswear, known as the “preppy” style, referencing the elite preparatory schools attended by wealthy teens. Fashion continued to evolve towards a more casual way of dressing and minimalism throughout the final decade of the twentieth century. Sportswear looks from the eighties remained with biker shorts, leggings, Keds, and oversized sweatshirts. It was also the desire for vintage clothing that encouraged grunge fashion; it was a widespread look that was based on baggy, worn-out jeans, flannel shirts, and Doc Martens boots. There was also the “sexy schoolgirl” look as seen in movies and in music videos during the mid-90s, undersized sweaters, baby doll t-shirts, and knee-high socks all made-up this look which were worn by younger women. Logoed clothing had great popularity then as well, especially when Tommy Hilfiger perfected this with casual clothing featuring heavy branding. At the beginning of a new century, fashion emphasized on new technology-inspired fashion with metallic silvers, blacks, leather, trench coats, and the incorporation of straps and belts to achieve a Matrix-esque effect. As the 2000s began, casual clothing was the norm. In the early 2000s, low-rise, flared jeans were prevalent, while bootcut jeans had grown more popular by the mid-2000s, and so did skinny jeans when it was introduced in 2006. Distressed jeans purposely ripped, frayed, or otherwise worn jeans – were a defining feature of the decade, and they were recognized as appropriate wear on almost every occasion. During the early to mid-part of the decade, skin was in, tiny mini-skirts and ultra-low-rise jeans were usually paired with tight, cropped tops to show off the midriff. The story of fashion in the 2000s was tied to technology from beginning to end, from technology-inspired looks through the sharing of trends through social media to the sale of fashion online.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Men’s fashion in the latter half of the century also continued to get brighter and bolder as it was made acceptable for them to dress that way with bolder prints and wearing their hair long. Men’s fashion emphasized a tall, lean figure, especially in the 70s. Turtlenecks, slim-fitting shirts, and tight-fitting flared pants all contributed to popularizing the trend. Likewise, with womenswear, menswear saw a rise in athletic wear and the “preppy” look, everyday casual athletic wear included tracksuits and sneakers, while the “preppy” look included form-fitting suits, polo shirts with popped collars, and knit sweaters worn draped over the shoulders. Other styles emerged especially in the 80s for men’s fashion like street style and the rose of goth fashion which expanded on punk style. Hip-hop and rap paved their own way in the US, which included old-school, white trainers by Adidas and Puma, distressed, tapered jeans, preppy button-down and polo shirts, nylon coach jackets, hooded sweatshirts, gold chains, and baseball caps. Menswear also became more and more casual as trends in music influenced styles throughout the latter half of the century, allowing sportswear to become more acceptable for everyday wear. Men’s fashion as a whole was simply more casual. As the dawn of a new century came, futuristic styles for men included a dominance of black with some silver additions, trench coats, and thin, square sunglasses. Sportswear still dominated men’s fashion in the early 2000s and smart casual was acceptable for business wear as it headed towards a more informal direction. Later in the decade, two separate music subcultures influenced men’s fashion: rap-inspired gangster style and the indie-inspired scene or emo style. The gangster look involved baggie, wide-legged jeans, basketball jerseys, puffer jackets and vests, “stunna” shades, and Air Jordans. For men and women, adults, teenagers, and children alike, celebrity influence was the theme throughout the decade. Celebrity influence over consumer decisions has been a prominent characteristic of the twenty-first century. We have now reached the most recent stages of fashion evolution which are the 2010s. Fashion in the 2010s was highlighted by a variety of subcultures that reached a global stage, from normcore to Gen Z Internet culture. However, while logomania, streetwear, and the British Royal Family dominated the decade in terms of style, the fashion industry as a whole underwent significant cultural changes over the last ten years, spurring significant change in terms of larger issues such as inclusivity, diversity, and sustainability. First up on the list gives launch to the decade’s most comfortable fashion trend: athleisure. From the ubiquitous yoga pants to sports bras, which have improved with higher-quality materials, bold colors, and graphic patterns and are now being worn everywhere from workout sessions to the street. Athleisure wasn’t restricted to just fashion because it made its way to the beauty industry as well and saw steady growth throughout the decade. Next up, we have new additions joining the royal family, namely Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and they were the talk of the town with their very distinct styles in fashion. This is because their royal styles

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

are surprisingly more accessible than those of celebrities these days, to the point that you are more likely to see Kate repeating her outfits. It is very reassuring to hear that both have utilized their platforms to promote lesser-known designers and continue to influence and inspire women around the world. And we can’t forget about their royal wedding since 2011 and 2018 wherein both duchesses had an impact on the bridal industry. Following that, fashion subcultures were even more popular than the original trends, spreading from niche communities to mainstream high fashion. Several of these subcultures emerged during the decade, including streetwear, and the Gen-Z Internet culture. Streetwear was nothing new in the 2010s because it had its origins. However, during this decade, brands like Stüssy and Supreme revitalized the aesthetic and gained widespread popularity. The streetwear trend encouraged these brands and prominent designers to collaborate and bring it into mainstream fashion. And then we have the moody new trend spawned by Gen Z– e-boys and e-girls– wherein the “e” stands for electronic and they’re obsessed with the style of the early-aughts, but instead of hanging out in malls, these kids spend their time online. “E-boy style” and “e-girl style’ were the second and third most Googled fashion searches of 2019. A notable icon who embodies this newly spawned style is the sad and punkish 20-year-old singer-songwriter Billie Eilish. Below the neck, striped shirts, wallet chains, baggy pants, or plaid skirts are outfit essentials. As for shoes, chunky ones such as platform shoes or Vans sneakers, are standard fare. Lastly, the long-awaited movement for inclusivity and diversity had a significant impact on the industry. Designers and firms across the field committed to including and portraying individuals of all colors, gender identities, sizes, and ages in their businesses, runways, and projects. Fashion’s embrace of diversity has mostly been reactive; broader social movements have influenced its perceptions of what is fashionable and who should be heard. In an age where a refusal to represent or acknowledge certain groups can result in viral outrage, brands have adapted in order to maintain relevance. Now, after this long and thorough talk about how fashion came to be in different decades throughout the years, where will all of these lead us? The fashion industry welcomes new trends, looks, and styles each year and we cannot deny how much technology has occupied the majority of our daily lives, same goes for the fashion industry. Especially as of now, in the age of the pandemic, the impact has caused even more dramatic shifts than just seasonal changes in preferences and has significantly affected the foundations of fashion, including how customers buy and how retailers source and sell their products. As a result, many businesses are adopting digital technologies and matching their sales strategy with ever-changing customer buying behaviors. In the digital era, consumers demand a seamless and personalized online experience just as they do in every other aspect of their life. There are luxury brands now that have gone to great efforts to offer unique shopping opportunities. Like with an Augmented Reality (AR) experience, personal stylists on their websites, while other brands utilize 3D modeling to improve the manufacture of customized clothing for customers. When it comes to customization, Nike has the forefront, where customers are invited to collaborate on a design of a shoe for greater personalization.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Fashion is always a reflection of what is currently happening in society.

There are currently virtual try-ons that allow customers to try on items using augmented reality on their desktops and mobile phones. Humans still require clothing, so we will notice a change in how we obtain clothing in the future. Technology is a gamechanger for every participant in the fashion industry: designers, manufacturers, retailers, stylists, and, of course, consumers. The ultimate goal is no longer ownership. We use digital subscription services to access our music and movies, and we’ll see a similar trend with AI-powered fashion. Fashion will preserve its identity as a form of escapism and expression, regardless of where we buy our clothes, especially in regards to environmental sustainability. Fashion is always a reflection of what is currently happening in society. In the future, there may be such a contrast between the haves and the have-nots that it will lead to really lavish fashion.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

NEW

DIMENSION The evolution of 3D Graphics in games text by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO graphics by ROVIC SIPACIO

When we play a particular game for the very first time, what do we usually judge first and foremost? The answer would obviously be the graphics. Even if the music is bad or the story may seem complicated, people generally compare the photo on the game cover with the actual game design itself. As trailers are shown, we immediately hone in on how beautiful the scenery may be and how fluid the characters move and act which determines if we become interested in the game and would be willing to play it. Games that have good graphics and are free but come with in-game purchases later are often forgiven and may even become increasingly popular as time goes on.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

There is a difference between easy visual graphics and outright bad graphic designing in the sense that the former is done for ease of the developer as well as the possibility of minimalistic design in mind; whereas the latter has most likely not hired a designer nor asked for design criticism from outside sources which makes the graphics sadly displeasing to look at. As graphics hardware constantly evolves, the look of games also increases in appeal. However, there are some games that have evolved backwards, so to speak, throughout the years instead of having improved visual design. So what examples of games have improved in graphics over the years, and which ones haven’t? TOMB RAIDER (1996) – TOMB RAIDER (2018) I’m sure almost everyone has played a game of Tomb Raider or has at least seen the movies– be it with Angelina Jolie (2001 version) or Alicia Vikander (2018 version). It is developed by Ubisoft as well as others such as Square Enix Europe, Activision, etc. This game’s graphics has improved so much over the years from blocks of characters to actual, beautiful 3D models that are impressive to play with. As graphics hardware got better over the years, so did Tomb Raider’s visual attractiveness and that has made it one of the most well-known games to have distinguishably evolved for the better today. Looking back, the 1996 version is blocky and very pixelated. The cover art for the game also looks very sexualized as critics have said it’s done in order to have more sales of the game. Camera angles also cause vertigo in certain parts as it spins numerous times for the player. As the 2000s version came around, the next sequels’ 3D models improved though it still had hard edges in some places. The background colors have also improved and it isn’t too dark to see in anymore. 2013 rolls by and Lara Croft’s facial structure has improved drastically with better proportions and emotions seen in her face. The effects of her environment as well as her hair physics are now impossible to compare with 1996’s design. Her 3D model is now more realistic to see and also moves fluidly when climbing, running, or shooting enemies. The latest game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is eye-catching and does a great job of making her less sexualized such as changing her short shorts

for long cargo pants better meant for adventuring. They have also given even more emphasis on the game’s environment and increased the detail of the game’s surroundings, lighting, and mechanics like never before. All in all, Tomb Raider is a great example of a game’s visual design increasing to become better over the years. PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES (2009) VS PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES (2019) It is such a nostalgic game that just the mere mention of it takes us back to those times of panicking on what to do– as well as asking our friends for help in beating a level. Not to mention the catchy ‘(There’s a) Zombie on Your Lawn’ song which is sang by a Sunflower to signify we finally beat the final level, this game has brought us so many memories of frustration, excitement, and fun, as well as remembering how almost every internet café had (or still has) this game due to how popular it was. It is always heart-warming to see a game having sequels throughout the years and to see the generations after us enjoying what we liked as well. Plants Vs. Zombies is developed by PopCap games which is well known for nostalgic computer games such as Zuma, Bookworm, Insaniquarium, Feeding Frenzy and so much more. The game was first released in 2009 with the 2D animation we all know and love. However, the game has worsened because it has been bought by EA in the year 2011 due to its very high popularity and they created sequels which changed the way of people’s perception of this game throughout the years. The logo’s design slowly changed as the years went by. From colorful, playful tones to just one color (blue) and becoming minimalist in design. Too minimalistic in fact, that any sense of a game targeted for kids and young adults has been almost removed from the logo. Gone are the grasses and the tombstone and replaced by a block font. Focusing on the graphics, PVZ2 in 2013 decided to keep the 2D design however, it changed in Plants Vs Zombies 3 where it became 3D for claims that rigging the 2D models is harder to do especially in a short amount of time. PVZ2 released a small film and because of this, people have slowly become disassociated with the game as too many new characters are introduced as well as locked behind a pay-to-win gate. PVZ3 is

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

As graphics hardware constantly evolves, the look of games also increases in appeal.

also in portrait mode instead of landscape which is smaller to see on the screen. This has caused some issues as EA claims that it is to make the game phone-friendly though many players disagree as the majority just use iPads or tablets. The 3D models have become very pixelated just to make the game size smaller for phones which is terrible to look at if you’re playing on bigger screens. The sunflower we love to plant at the start of the game has been removed and placed in the interface to generate sun which has removed any fun of collecting in random places it pops out of. Model movements have been recycled from the 1st version to this which is very disappointing considering it took 7 years to be released after the 2nd one. These are only a few of the visual problems that changed the sequels throughout the years. As we now realize, the joys of childhood are gone and games with microtransactions are increasing throughout the years. Thankfully, graphic design is improving as we get better equipment and artists are allowed to be more free these days. Hyper-realistic games are being produced progressively every year and you can see how much hype the trailers produce in viewers and may also be a reason people look forward to buying their game.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

WA! RNING, DANGER! Financial Impact of Gacha Gaming text and illustration by ARKISHA MARIE QUISUMBING

Remember when in the good ol’ days before the pandemic happened, a lot of people usually flock to casinos to spend their money to test their luck? But because of the global lockdown, these people are stuck, cooped up in their rooms and homes all year round.

Gacha gaming has been around for a long time. However, at the peak of the pandemic, Hoyoverse has decided to release their newest game which is Genshin Impact. Everyone who’s into gaming has heard of it– it is a gacha game that relies on you pulling, or in the game’s term, wishing on character event banners where you try your luck to get the previewed five star who has the best abilities at the time of their release. Because of the sudden rise of social media applications such as TikTok and Twitter, Genshin Impact has become sort of a pop icon in gaming. A lot of gacha games such as Fate Grand Order, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Granblue Fantasy haven’t exactly experienced the same success that Genshin Impact has in the last two years. The sudden rise of popularity from not only the gaming community, the Gacha community, and the anime community; many people have gotten into gaming for the first time because of Genshin Impact. But how is this a bad thing, you may ask? Gacha games can become very predatory to people who have no control whatsoever with their spending habits and their finances. In Japan, due to the predator nature in gacha gaming, it is actually banned to release gacha in game items that require for you to get certain copies or items just so that the character would be able to use it’s purpose.

Gacha gaming is very dangerous for those who are new to the genre. Not everyone is going to be financially responsible, especially to those who are minors and unemployed people, who play the game.

Nowadays, games such as A3! use it as a loophole; where you could just pull for a copy but by pulling another copy, you would be able to unlock illustrations that are different from the initial card. Gacha gaming is very dangerous for those who are new to the genre. Not everyone is going to be financially responsible, especially to those who are minors and unemployed people, who play the game. There are free options where you could possibly earn

free currency in game, but it is always going to be tempting to pull out the credit cards just to get your ‘best girl’ or your ‘best boy’. However, you can only get your desired character with a very, very small chance such as around 0.5% of the time. Gacha gaming accounts are also very susceptible to stealing and hacking because the more valuable units that you have in the game, the more desirable and more sellable it is. Imagine going into a game just to see that you can’t login anymore because someone has managed to hack your account no matter how safe and careful you try to be. Spending money in a game is both a luxury and a risk at the same time. Let this be a reminder to you that you should only spend what you could spend in a game. Luckily, for a lot of gacha games, many banners tend to have reruns. So next time you will definitely get your desired character if you save your in-game currency for them, but you should also keep in mind that you should not listen to what people say when they try to persuade you that the newest units and the newest cards are something you really need in the game, because it isn’t. You don’t need to have every unit in the game; it is not financially responsible to become obsessed about a game that you might ultimately drop due to burn out and other real life priorities. Just enjoy the game and experience the stories as you should.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

REST-

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

How China’s Gaming Ban Affected Internationally Released Games text by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO graphics by PHILLIP MATTHEW DONGUINES

Video games have always been more prevalent in the east and most games (both on PC and mobile) have been developed in Asia. From our childhood, most of the video games we play have been created in East Asia such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Pokemon, Super Mario, Final Fantasy and so many others that have shaped our childhood and became a part of the nostalgia we have of being young. Video games have been increasing in popularity due to everyone staying at home because of the pandemic and by playing games from their devices, it keeps them from being bored and eases them from work when they play during their breaks. So, here’s a question: who is currently dominating the gaming industry? It has been estimated in 2020 that China is considered the biggest gaming market worldwide, ranking first with a revenue of $40.85 billion and the United States only ranking second with a revenue of $36.92 billion. This means that China’s games are consumed heavily by gamers, with almost 670 million players constantly, if not daily, being entertained by their products and consoles. It is said that over 97% of people ages 18-24 and more than 90% of ages 25-35 in China are gamers and exceeding 18% spend beyond 30 hours per week on games. It is a bit mindblowing to know how much people invest into games, especially in-game purchases that sometimes cost more than a month’s salary. Many gamers are abandoning their health by staying up late or not sleeping at all for multiple days as well as forgetting meals just to buy the games they want. Student gamers in particular are obsessed with being the best in ranking or having a greater amount of in-game items and rare characters than their other peers. They consider it a form of status or as a way to ‘flex’ what they have for the envy of others. Due to this, many students focus more on gaming rather than studying as well as spending their allowance on games. As some games may have a payment form to unlock a certain level fast, there are other ways of passing a level and that is to grind. Grinding essentially means to spend time making a character level up and getting the needed requirements for that character to beat a level. So let’s say your character is level 20, and a requirement to pass the level would be to have the character level up to 30, you have to spend so much time playing to the point of exhaustion just to get 10 levels beyond. Some people are impatient and often grind late into the night just to be able to beat a level. Others throw money instead to instantly pass the level for their convenience. In short, student’s health, education, and finances are at risk due to being too obsessed with gaming.

It is a bit mindblowing to know how much people invest into games, especially ingame purchases that sometimes cost more than a month’s salary.

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

Photo credits: Timothy Dykes, Unsplash

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

So what is China’s stand to this? The first restrictions to gaming came in 2019 when China put a 90-minute limit on gaming during weekdays to its citizens with a strict curfew of only until 10 pm for any day of the week and a 3 hours limit on weekends and holidays. Ingame purchases are also only limited to $57 a month which is 3,000 in Philippine pesos. China has released a statement regarding their teenagers’ addiction to online gaming and how hard it has become for the parents. It has affected the younger generation’s mental health and parents are growing increasingly concerned due to the lack of control of the situation. A few years later, the restrictions tightened to limit gamers from under the age of 18 to play only between the hours of 8pm to 9pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. China started to have registration laws which forbid anonymous online posting or gaming and requiring accounts to be made with their real names, therefore restricting access for young gamers to be able to play or post outside of the curfew times. The country has been said to vehemently press the harm of online gaming and referring to it as ‘electronic drugs’ or ‘opium for the mind’, thus controlling how Chinese social media perceives online gaming and attacking the company if their game does not adhere to society’s demands. One of these companies is Tencent, which is China’s biggest gaming company with a revenue of about 482 billion yuan for both its mobile games and computer games. Tencent, who has popular games such as PUBG, League of Legends, Arena of Valor, Call of Duty, etc. owns huge shares with stock investors from all over the world and is even known to buy game companies out when it threatens to be big in the future. When Tencent was attacked due to one of their games breaking a rule, their earnings dropped so much that it also affected the investors from abroad, which is not good for a company. Due to this, Tencent implemented new rules for their games which tries to adhere to the country’s gaming laws. As a giant tumbled, others tried not to follow suit. The law also requires for a character’s clothing to be more conservative and to lessen fanservice to players. For instance, having indecent poses or characters that do not conform to society’s views of how a man or woman should look, such as small-looking men or big, buff women, so gaming companies quickly complied with it. For this reason, international gamers who play their games are complaining about the lack of content because of the limitations of new releases as well as updates. Game updates are slower to arrive now and video games are banned from showing blood, ghosts, skeletons and all the previous things mentioned which leads to the game appearing bland and unappealing. New games produced in China have slowed down or even temporarily halted due to the 9 months freeze on new video game licenses, as well as suspension of game approvals. It is a concern for China’s youth—the next generation of tech giants, how to handle gaming in the future with their access to games already severely limited. Only time will tell if they can be able to keep the gaming industry running and if they can continue to place China as the world’s biggest gaming industry, so long as these laws are in place, or finally give up the position to the next country

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

A Decade of Streaming text by DANIELA GARZON graphics by MEPHIL ANGELA BUYCO

A few decades ago, if you told me I would not have cable TV or radio in my house, I seriously wouldn’t believe you. This led me to wonder how streaming evolved and became so popular. How did Netflix grow from a DVD delivery service company to a prominent streaming service and award-winning content producer? People’s attitudes on media consumption have changed significantly, for more than a decade now. When we think about streaming media, we usually think of Internet-based services like Netflix or Youtube, but in reality, all types of media are streamed to consumers. They are increasingly using their tablets or smartphones to view movies, listen to music, and read magazines and books. Streaming is now ingrained into everyday life. We conduct business meetings and attend online classes over Zoom, and sweat to fitness routines on connected gym equipment. Real-time streaming capabilities are integrated into robotic vacuums, smartwatches, and medical equipment. People like the ease of online streaming, as well as the highresolution and 3-D options currently available. These are only one of the many advancements in technologies in the history of streaming media.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

Just imagine the COVID-19 pandemic without streaming. That concert you attended from your living room couch or just casually viewing short clips from TiktTok? It wouldn’t have ever taken place. And the opportunity to escape the pandemic hibernation by binging Squid Game? Forget about it. These days, online video isn’t just popular, it’s a part of how we live. So how did we get here? Let’s take a trip through streaming’s history. It all starts in the good old nineties. Furbies were all the rage, the Macarena was about to go viral, and the Spice Girls took over the world with their catchy girl-powered hits. Believe it or not, the very first live streams took place in the time when people used to watch VHS cassettes on their CRT TV sets and connect to the internet via modems. Are you old enough to recall the irritating noises it made? In 1993, a rock band called Severe Tire Damage was making waves in the tech world, for being the first live internet band. They had some associations in the tech community, therefore the band members were the focus of the first live stream to ever feature both audio and video. According to one of the band members, the broadcast consumed around half of the internet’s total capacity at the time. The band continued to live stream their gigs, but just for their own amusement. The Rolling Stones followed in the footsteps of Severe Tire Damage as pioneers of live broadcasting the following year. RealPlayer, the first media player capable of live streaming, was created by the internet startup RealNetworks in 1995. The company held the first public live broadcast later that year. It was a baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners that was being televised. In terms of monetization, live broadcasting was still something of an experiment, and additional successful attempts were necessary. As bandwidth expanded and compression technology improved, Adobe Flash became synonymous with video streaming. In the meantime, RTMP served as the playmaker behind the scenes. RTMP stands for Real-Time Messaging Protocol, it uses a persistent Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to stream audio and video from a source to a destination. This allows it to preserve packets of information in the correct order when received and viewed, ensuring that you don’t miss the middle of your movie or sports game. In short, it receives a response, creates a session, and transmits the data. Moving on, with the rise of streaming services like Spotify, YouTube, Justin.tv (later Twitch), and Netflix, the notion of internet content began to play a role in mainstream media. Broadband use was steadily increasing, and mobile cellular technology was progressing. Around these early periods of streaming did Spotify also start its journey, the company’s main line of business being music or audio streaming. One of the main reasons for the success of the Spotify business is that it provides a good list of search variations where the users can type the song, artist, album, or genre on the search bar and then hit go. In fact, as of September 2021, Spotify enjoys a huge cheering section of about 381 million active users (monthly). Next up in 2007, Netflix also got in on the streaming game when it began offering subscribers the option to stream some of its movies and television shows directly to their homes through the Internet. Netflix introduced a streaming-only plan that offered unlimited streaming services but no DVDs in 2010, then expanded beyond the United States, and by 2016 its streaming services were available in more than 190 countries and territories. Their first produced drama series “House of Cards” premiered in 2013 and since then such content films became a

8.9 hz 58

92.9 hz

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

major focus of Netflix. Currently, Netflix has produced some of the world’s most popular series, including “Orange Is the New Black,” “Queen’s Gambit,” “Stranger Things,” and “Kingdom.”. Then again, YouTube was also one of the pioneers that revolutionized the live streaming industry when YouTube Live, the company’s first live event in 2008, was simultaneously live-streamed from San Francisco and Tokyo and featured interviews and performances from various celebrities, including Katy Perry. Unfortunately, despite the success of the live event, YouTube did not develop into a dedicated live streaming platform, with only occasional live broadcasts.

1001.1 hz

Moving on to the decade of the 2010s, live streaming and mobile video viewing grew in popularity. In 2011, Twitch.tv (previously known as Justin.tv) debuted a new video game broadcasting platform. This concept actually didn’t appear to be even somewhat feasible at the time. But despite that, Twitch had over 45 million monthly viewers just two years later and was yet another turning point in the history of streaming. YouTube immediately changed its approach towards live streaming, and by the end of 2013, any registered user could live stream on the platform. Other social media platforms couldn’t miss out on the fun and jumped on board the live streaming train as well. Since 2014, content creators have been able to simultaneously broadcast live videos across numerous platforms. Periscope, a live-streaming service, was obtained by Twitter in 2015. It was released as a separate app from Twitter, allowing users to watch both live and previously broadcasted mobile video feeds. This acquisition illustrates the company’s commitment to include moving visuals into its services. Later in 2016, Facebook and Instagram both announced their live streaming services. Facebook has put a great deal into its live-streaming service and took a lot of developmental work, marketing budget, and media relationships to ensure success and help with the company’s aim of making Facebook Live a thing normal people will want to use, not just to watch paid celebrities, but to broadcast their lives to their friends and family. While in the case of Instagram Live, one key difference from existing live broadcasting products like Facebook Live and Periscope is that Instagram Live video is entirely transient: as soon as the broadcast ends, the video disappears. No replays. Which could encourage more Instagrammers to jump on and feel more comfortable sharing live content. On the other hand, the fact that the content will no longer be viewable once the stream ends also creates a state of urgency for viewers to ensure that they don’t miss out. Since the introduction of live streaming technology to social media, it has been steadily increasing. By 2018, Facebook has hosted over 3.5 million live broadcasts. By the end of 2019, people had viewed over 1.1 billion hours of live video from across the world. The stats don’t lie: live streaming is becoming more popular by the day. As we welcome another decade of streaming, in the year 2020, the world was confronted with something unexpected, something terrifying: the global COVID-19 outbreak. Despite the fact that the world economy as a whole was dealt a devastating blow, live streaming found new opportunities. It has become mainstream. People all throughout the world have been stranded in their homes for more than a year, with nowhere to go and nothing to do. For many of them, their only saving grace was their high-speed internet connection and the cloud. Also, because of COVID19’s requirement for social distancing and the lockdowns all over the world, many people were forced to work from their homes, interaction

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

CH 7

During the latter half of 2020 till the beginning of 2021, the global streaming market experienced growth in hours watched. Due to the ongoing lockdowns, this growth has remained steady and so far, there are no signs that streaming will decline in trend in the near future. According to Grand View Research, the global streaming market is estimated to reach more than $180 billion by 2027. Rapid digitalization, increased use of mobile phones and tablets, and the growing popularity of online video streaming are all major contributors to the market’s rise. The fact that the COVID-19 outbreak requires people to stay indoors and confine themselves at home for a prolonged period, drives a positive impact on video streaming services’ viewership and engagement. Furthermore, technology has boosted the need for entertainment, leading to greater use of video streaming services. Twitch, Spotify, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter are likely to remain the most main players on the global platform. Live streaming is no exception to the monopolization of online communication by top social media businesses. The internet continues to grow, and streaming is growing with it. The majority of people want to witness things unfold in real-time. We can only imagine how streaming will evolve in the future, but it will definitely thrive for the better.

CH 9

and entertainment also took place online. In the fall of 2020, 52% of students remotely attended school. Zoom, for example, has exploded in popularity as more people than ever use video conferencing to interact with colleagues and loved ones. Streaming media services like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max have become a reliable cure for quarantine boredom and the overall consumption of streaming media has continued to rise, even till this day and age. Our attention is the most valuable resource in this age of information overload and we are devoting an increasing amount of time to screens these days. In a current study, according to media watchdog Ofcom, the viewing habits of adults during lockdown spent nearly 6 and a half hours a day watching TV and online videos (or 45 hours a week). There were fairly significant doubts before the pandemic about whether streaming entertainment could compete with traditional platforms like cable. With such strong statistics during these past few years, there’s no need to ponder: Clearly, it can.

These days, online video isn’t just popular, it’s a part of how we live. So how did we get here? Let’s take a trip through streaming’s history. Photo credits: Fran Jacquier, Unsplash

1001 60

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

STREAM STREAM STREAM STREAM STREAM STREAM 61

CHRYSALIS — WRAP MAGAZINE

IN THE HEIGHTS From Boradway to the Big Screen text by ARKISHA MARIE QUISUMBING graphics by MEPHIL ANGELA BUYCO

How many movie musicals have you seen in your life? Have you seen Mamma Mia? Les Misérables? How about Hair Spray? There are a lot of films under this category even going as far as The Jazz Singer in 1927. Movies and music are like bread and butter; they could always come together and it is never the same without the other. For the longest time, broadway musicals have been some sort of an elite thing. Not everyone could afford watching a musical after all, especially in the times where there is an economic depression. Broadway tickets can go as high as $1,000 to $2,000 depending on how popular a musical is. Usually, the more popular it is, the more expensive the tickets are due to scalpers and overall high demand. With the increasing production of movie musicals, there are some questions that come to mind: how does it affect the overall sales of a broadway musical? Does it affect it negatively or does it increase the sales tremendously as time goes by?

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Let’s discuss movies turned into musical productions. You may have either already watched it or listened to it. A lot of these movie musicals have been thriving because of their already established fanbase thanks to the movie franchise. The best examples of these movies turned to musical productions are Disney animated feature films such as the Lion King and Frozen. The Lion King has been running on Broadway since 1997, and is still running until this day. It is one of the highest grossing films of all time, and still the highest selling Broadway. There are many factors as to why the Lion King is so successful, but one of the main factors is that it is already an established Disney franchise. Everyone knew what Lion King was, and the fact that they transitioned into Broadway was an even more exciting feat as the Disney shows on Broadway have one thing in common: they try their best to develop the characters in the Disney film as more complex individuals, where you could see more of their personality and their intentions shine when it was very limited in the film due to budget and time restraints. Good examples of these characters are Elsa (Frozen) and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast). It goes to show that broadway has a really huge impact in a lot of people’s lives because it is a movie happening in front of you in real time that has been practiced over and over again so that they would be able to tell the stories that the producer and composers wanted to show the world. Personally, after seeing the Lion King live, I was definitely a changed person. Musicals that are based off of animated

media try their best to replicate the magic and the wonder that the films have established. And yes, most Disney productions on Broadway are very successful in bringing the magic of the movies up on stage. “How about musicals to movies?”, you may ask. Honestly, as someone who has watched both the film and the stage adaptations of multiple franchises that were released, it does weigh a lot on the production crew of a movie to appease the Broadway audience when it comes to the movies. Everyone expects a certain standard when it comes to it, and I totally agree. In most cases it is impossible to hire a musical actor to be in a movie because although it may be an advantage, musical acting usually does not translate well into movie acting. There are a few exceptions, of course, such as Hugh Jackman and Vanessa Hudgens. Many movie actors actually started on stage but only a few could actually translate into movie acting very well. Was the Les Misérables movie good? For the non-musical audience, it’s definitely one of the best selling movie musicals alongside Mamma Mia. The franchise made 400 million dollars under their belt, so you can say that the movie helped Les Misérables be brought into so many homes that were never reached before, and the musical is still running strong and will not seem to close anytime soon, especially with successful runs on West End and Broadway. In conclusion, musical movies do boost the broadway sales of a musical. There is a reason why so many theater purists would rather not have their stage recordings released in cinemas. The hype of a movie would usually radio to get tickets to the show to see how it is on stage and it becomes a cycle. Whether it may be

good publicity or bad, publicity is publicity in the Broadway world. It is just up to the producers and composers to keep up with how fast the industry is growing with the amount of money broadway shows are currently getting, and trending on mobile applications such as TikTok, as well as gaining fame through animatics on Youtube. Anything and anyone could make a musical if they wanted to in this day and age, but only those that meet the expectations could reach the top. For musical such as The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Cats, Wicked, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigo, I wouldn’t have to worry about it because the music has withstood the strength of time and I am pretty sure that in the near future, it is just going to be performed in different ways and which a lot more people could appreciate.

It goes to show that broadway has a really huge impact in a lot of people’s lives because it is a movie happening in front of you in real time that has been practiced over and over again so that they would be able to tell the stories.

cover story

JAN’S SUMMIT JOURNEY TO THE

text by MEPHIL ANGELA BUYCO photos by JAN “IAN” BEBANCO

WRAP MAGAZINE

Nature and Technology’s

Trailblazer 66

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

R VE

E R S T O RY C O V E R S T O RY

V CO

COVE R STO RY COVE R STO RY COVE R STO RY COV E R S T O RY

R S TO RY COVE R STO RY COVE R STO RY COVE R STO RY OV E YC

Get to know Ian Bebanco as he sits down with the staff of Wrap Magazine for a virtual interview conducted on Zoom!

WRAP MAGAZINE

BECAUSE EVERY BIT OF WHAT’S HAPPENING OUTSIDE COULD BE A NEW GENERATION OF IDEAS JJ

an Karlo Bebanco, also known as Ian Bebanco on his social media platforms, is a 4th year Advertising student in CPU. He is currently a freelance photographer, editor, and cinematographer for various events. He is also venturing into new art forms such as videos, motion graphics, and graphic design. Bebanco used to draw a lot when he was in grade school and thought about taking Architecture as his course in college. However, he was later on fascinated by taking pictures, hence why that is what he has been doing for the past several years. The reason why he chose Advertising is because he wanted to connect his passion with his future career, and that motivates him as a creative person. This passion ignited in 2012-2013 where he started his career as a freelance and landscape photographer. During our interview, Bebanco confessed that he cannot imagine himself in the marketing industry wherein he has to plan and strategize about brands, instead he is more of a person who focuses on visual works rather than literary works. He also disclosed that he is intrigued and fascinated by how the advertising industry operates because he interned as an Art Director at Amplify, an experienced agency, in Manila last May where he experienced what it takes to be an Art Director and the processes

that comes with it. When Bebanco was asked about the challenges he experienced as an Advertising student, he said that for the first few months of being a freshman of the course, he did not know what to do or what he could end up with in this journey because in every minute for every process, he felt that he needed to come up with a new idea constantly. And once an idea has been generated, he has to think about whether it makes sense or not. To overcome this, he did a lot of research and searched for inspiration in his surroundings, rather than letting himself be influenced with what he sees on the screen and on different social media platforms. “As a student, I think we should try to get a bigger picture by going outside and having a taste of coffee. Because every bit of what’s happening outside could be a new generation of ideas on collaborative projects with classmates or even workmates.” Jan Bebanco said. In his third year of being an Advertising student, one of his teachers approached him and asked if he possibly wanted to join any school publications.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

WRAP MAGAZINE

UR W NAT HO

AN EC

M A I

M A

D E AZ

D AN

N CE D E BY U L NF

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

He declined this with the reason that he was busy creating a brand that he wanted to market himself to, however, this school year (2021-2022), he decided to explore new things before graduating and joined Central Echo as a layout artist as he had previous experience with Wrap Magazine’s 6th issue. He also participated in contests outside the university such as Power Mac Center’s Hometown Glory, a visual story-telling competition on how one can present their hometown, where he won Best in Cinematography. The staff of Wrap Magazine are avid fans of Bebanco’s Instagram posts and stories, but when he was asked about his journey in becoming a social media influencer, he chuckled and said, “I don’t really call myself an influencer, I don’t know if I can influence people… [but] I am amazed and influenced by how nature can provide me new ideas.” He then adds, “...when I hear the word ‘influencer’, it sounds so sarcastic because it’s all about you. But when it comes to my photos, when it comes to the visuals that I post on social media, I think it’s about the emotions I try to connect with the outside world.” That is how Bebanco tells his story– visually, instead of words. Through the colors of his posted photos, he sets the mood and emotions he felt that day, explaining that the colors will always speak for itself. He also gives a message to the people he has influenced, “[if there is any], I hope you have the motivation to explore the world and even understand yourself on how you could make a better impact not just as an artist, but as a human being, in this world.”

W E N ME

.” S A E ID

On December 21, 2021, Bebanco was awarded with Best Use of Instagram for the CMS Social Media Awards 2021. When asked about how he feels about the award, he shared that the CMS Social Media Awards is an event by UP’s Communications and he had a friend who asked for his details to fill him up despite Bebanco not having any intentions to join any contests. In the end, he felt happy with the results even though he only asked his followers on Instagram to vote for him on the very last day as Bebanco avoids advertising himself too much and prefers to stay ‘lowkey’ as much as possible. After winning the award, he plans to continue doing what he loves most through small steps for the small audience that always looks forward to his content. His mission is to only inform his audience to try and explore the outside world– where you could feel more, think more, and experience more that is to life, freely. With his earth-themed feed on Instagram, Bebanco admits that as a photographer, his goal is to connect himself with nature. He also adds that branding is vital, even if it’s just a person, because it can clearly tell how a person portrays themselves. As a landscape photographer, an outgoing and rugged person who enjoys going on extreme adventures, Bebanco acknowledges that his brand is all about exactly that. The art that he creates is never without a tree, or a single cloud, or even a little ray of sunshine– for that is Ian Bebanco, a human who is fond of playing in the mud during rainy days and going on hikes.

WRAP MAGAZINE

Nearing the end of the interview, Bebanco advises beginners and future freshmen of Advertising to “believe in yourself”. He says, “if you’re hesitant to try things, just do it– because even I, myself, am hesitant to do things I try to do. I am happy to have a group of people who support and believe in me, [but] when you believe in yourself, you could possibly do everything even if you can’t do it on the first try.” Bebanco also shares his experience as the previous layout artist for Wrap Magazine’s issue no. 6, confessing that he really had no idea what to do nor how to use InDesign. He only had a decent knowledge on how to properly use Photoshop. On his first attempt at layouting the magazine, he only created pages on Photoshop and made separate artboards. However, he later on explored InDesign, and managed to do the layout three days before the deadline. Although he admittedly struggled with time management and procrastinated most of the time, he stayed up 48 hours just to finish the 6th issue in time. Part of the reason why he procrastinated was because he cannot finish a single thing if everything is not complete (such as the articles and covers), so he waited and rushed everything in three days. He also discloses that when they conceptualized their edition of Wrap, it was difficult as he and his batchmates kept comparing their ideas to previous themes, as Wrap actually has no fixed concept and is rather dynamic, but that is what makes Wrap belong to Advertising Practitioners as that is how the advertising industry actually operates. In the end, he believes that he and his batchmates pulled it off and made a Wrap issue that best represents them and their creativity. Lastly, Bebanco sends a message to the readers of Wrap magazine: “Abangan niyo gid ni ang series ni Gad, because I think nami gid ni siya.” (You need to look forward to this series by Gad [referring to our Editor-in-Chief, Gad Castro], because I think this will turn out nicely). Bebanco adds that he hopes the readers will gain knowledge and inspiration on how to become a better artist from the person they are now, and believes there is a lot to explore in this world as it is dynamic. He thinks that readers should always set their standards in creating something, not for the sake of others, but for the sake that they can satisfy themselves, as that is what he also prioritizes when creating something new. He ends the interview with the Wrap by reiterating, “I hope everyone enjoys this magazine and may God bless us all.”

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Rhopalocera

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

THE

Film Advertising: Through The Years text by MEPHIL ANGELA BUYCO graphics by JOHN ROVIC SIPACIO

Do you remember going to a movie theater as a kid and seeing an awesome blockbuster movie poster, pointing at it, and begging for your parents to watch that movie with you? Or how about seeing little icons of different characters when you use a particular hashtag that promotes a certain movie on Twitter that prompted you to check out what the hype is all about in recent years? If so, the advertisers of these films have succeeded with their strategy to draw attention and gain one more person in their growing audience.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

BECOMING The first film ever created was in 1878 called The Horse In Motion by Eadweard Muybridge. It is not the typical film that you would think of– in fact, it was more of an animation to answer the most popular debated question: “When a horse trots, do all four hooves leave the ground simultaneously?” Muybridge showed Leland Stanford (Founder of Stanford University) who asked the question that the hooves do leave the ground at the moment when they are all tucked under the horse, after successfully photographing a horse in fast motion. Although this was the first film made, it is not the first film to be advertised. Rather, the first film to be advertised was Projections Artistiques through a poster created by French painter and lithographer, Jules Cheret, in 1890. The poster showed the image of a lady holding a card with the film’s screening times. He also created another poster for Emily Reynaud’s Theatre Optiques called Pantomimes Lumineuses in 1892.

Film posters have then served as an effective tool in promoting films. However, as cinema style evolved, so did marketing tactics of the film’s marketing and advertising team. From artistic posters, Nils Granlund, the advertising manager of a chain of theaters owned by Marcus Loew, created the first theatrical trailer in 1912. The trailer, which Granlund edited and compiled,

was actually for an upcoming Broadway musical. The collected footage was from rehearsals and it was screened after the feature film. By the 1930s, theaters became worried that crowds would leave after a film than watch a series of advertisements. To compel the audience to watch them, theaters began showing trailers before the film started. The Crooked Circle’s studio decided to take a risk and advertise the film on television in 1933. It is also the first film to be screened on TV despite the fact that very few people owned one at that time. When the 1950s came into the picture and more families had their own television sets at home, many theater films decided to advertise their works on TV, including trailers that became lengthier in time as most of them lasted up to 4 minutes to summarize what will happen in the film, rather than a minute of sneak peaks like it used to. From then, posters and trailers were essential for a film’s marketing success. However, through the years, advertising a film has changed and improved much like how fashion, music, and trends would throughout many eras and generations. The promotion of many films, especially in the digital age, heavily rely on press conferences, Twitter hashtags, cast interviews, billboards, and magazine shoots.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

Fans of many different movie franchises would gush over their favorite actors and actresses through these advertising strategies and publicity. In the time of the pandemic, the most sought after advertising schemes are of the film’s casts appearing on different Youtube videos that require them to play games, answer unusual and fun questions, and share neverbefore-told behind the scenes stories. The reason for this is because viewers find it amusing to see how their favorite fictional characters are different or similar from who they actually are as a real life human being. An example of this is Tom Holland, the actor who portrayed Peter Parker, or more famously known as Spider Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Avid MCU fans are impressed by how strikingly similar Holland’s personality is with the character he plays, hence why many believe that his portrayal of Peter Parker is the best and the closest to the comics. Another example would be Tom Felton, the actor of the infamous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series. While Tom Felton is the type of person who would break security rules just to comfort a crying fan who wanted a hug, Draco Malfoy on the

other hand, would more than likely glare and leave. As you can see, over time, the shift of focus in advertising a film becomes clearer and more apparent. From showcasing a film’s screening time through a poster, to commercializing behind the scene shots, to presenting summarized versions through a trailer, to interviews and publicity, and finally, to virtual hashtags and viral videos of the casts. The promotion of a film all comes down to teamwork and camaraderie of everyone involved– the actors and actresses, the writers and directors, the production crew, the marketing and advertising team, and the viewing audience. A film’s success is not only measured by the quality of its output, but it is also measured by how it is advertised to the general public and how the general public reacts to it: the poster, the trailer, the interviews, the interactions of cast members, and the entertainment that they can access and gain from the internet through their observing eyes. From the pre-production of the film, the advertisers must already plan what message they want the audience to receive and understand,

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

or more specifically, what they want the world to see and feel throughout its campaigning period for the film in order to gain one more person in their growing audience.

As you can see, over time, the shift of focus in advertising a film becomes clearer and more apparent.

And so, allow me to go back to my questions in the first paragraph: Do you remember going to a movie theater as a kid and seeing an awesome blockbuster movie poster, pointing at it, and begging for your parents to watch that movie with you? Or how about seeing little icons of different characters when you use a particular hashtag that promotes a certain movie on Twitter that prompted you to check out what the hype is all about in recent years? If so, you are a part of the reason for a film’s success because with you, they gained one more set of eyes to witness and experience the art that a big team has created. You are also part of history as an observing person of how advertising a film unfolded throughout the years, and will continue to change and conform to the test of time.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

DOWN: UPSIDE

A look into businesses and how the pandemic has affected their daily lives text by SHELUMIEL DEBULGADO graphics by GAD CASTRO

Being stuck in the house all day is no easy thing to do. It is hard not being able to do better exercise such as walking or jogging like you used to before these times. Having to work from home is also difficult since your resources are limited and communicating online with your colleagues is dampened often by the WiFi signal or the background noises from your family. Now imagine how harder it is for businesses to be running in the pandemic where livelihoods are at stake and money is on the line. They have several employees working for them which they need to pay regardless if the stores are open or not— especially if your business has perishable goods, it is very important to be able to sell them in a certain time frame in order to have the correct profit for the company. Experiencing a pandemic limits the purchase of these goods in stores which wastes the product as well as the money spent on it to be placed on shelves. Several businesses are also severely underprepared for the pandemic which leads them to have such small cash on hand (less than a month at most) at the ready when the lockdown started. Businesses have also been

predicting how long the pandemic would last resulting in them making mistakes on how much their financial problem may last and not being able to save enough for years as what the pandemic turned out to be. Businesses need to function well for a certain amount of time without seeking extra credit or outside assistance. It is important for a firm to have good governance in leading the business to adapt fast to the pandemic to ensure the firm’s survival. Customers have started panicbuying due to mass confusion, making stores become severely understocked. By the time they overstock to avoid shortage, the panic dies down and people become calmer and are able to rationalize how much supplies they should be purchasing. As the pandemic gets harder to eradicate, so does the time spent at home as it is lengthened which can also affect customers’ income to buy the business’ products. Due to budget cuts, some get laid off from work and they may not be able to afford the services offered by a lot of businesses, especially those from the middle or lower classes, who need to save money every chance they get. Businesses also fire multiple staff because of the sudden decrease in profit, leading to them needing to find new jobs elsewhere which is difficult to do during the pandemic. If companies are losing more than they earn, then the possibility of the business shutting down and declaring bankruptcy is not far in the future. These days, rival companies are in an extreme rivalry with each other for customers which may lead to a firm being plummeted to the ground if it’s so much as considered weak by the other companies as well as avoided by the public. Inflation has also severely increased during these years of the pandemic, forcing businesses to expand their prices and having an extreme decrease

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

estate-related businesses.

Digital entrepreneurship has become a central focus for these businesses as this will be the base of where their business now stands.

in demand. According to a study by Fairlie, the number of working business owners has plummeted from 15.0 million in February 2020 to 11.7 million in April 2020 which means 3.3 million business owners have been forced to shut down their company due to the impact of the pandemic. The total number of working hours has dropped so much due to everyone being forced to stay at home and advised to go out only when it is absolutely necessary. A survey created by pnas.org in 5,800 small businesses revealed that the pandemic has caused 43% of the businesses to be temporarily closed due to reductions in demand as well as employee health concerns and disruptions in the supply chain. The businesses impacted the most are retail, arts and entertainment, personal services, food services, and hospitality businesses while those who weren’t impacted that much were the finance, professional services, and real

Small businesses have either closed or have adapted to selling online and creating different ways to solve the many problems they are facing. Firms have begun hiring IT professionals to help them in advertising their trade and creating delivery tools in order to sell most of their products online. Several businesses have also created social media accounts to promote their products and services especially on Facebook and Google who have profited immensely in this current state. Enabling a system that is online can improve sales, make payments easier especially with digital payments, and create cybersecurity to be beneficial for the firm. The business can also have better legal frameworks for online transactions which is extremely important when you are taking your company online. Digital entrepreneurship has become a central focus for these businesses as this will be the base of where their business now stands, which means digitalization has become faster and more direct. It is also known that working with the government to create such opportunities is beneficial to the business since it gives stability both financially and legally. As the pandemic drones on, we at least have started taking vaccines and boosters which have helped the people become more safe and secure into venturing out again. Big businesses such as malls and supermarkets are now starting to open once more to the general public. However, the threat of the virus has still not been completely eradicated which makes some businesses, especially smaller ones, to become hesitant in opening physical stores again due to the possibility of lacking profit and having to pay for rent and electrical bills, in contrast to having online stores where income is stable and there is no need to pay for anything else. Online stores may never disappear now that it has left such a big impression on us and how easy it is to purchase from them. We can only hope that the virus will slowly but surely be gone for good and businesses both big and small will be able to rise back up again both for theirs and our sake as consumers of the market.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

BOOM(B) DETON ‘Johnny’ lives on! text by GAD CASTRO photos research by ZYRA JUNE LABATING

As the crimson curtain closes, the dimmed lights, little by little, glow and sparkle like stars as the cast of Rent successfully marks the end of the premiere of the musical. Meanwhile, behind those smiles of the pioneering company members, this is a bittersweet beginning of the turning point in musical theater history, which paved the way for contemporary pop and theater music to blend into the world of musicals. The evident silence and sudden cheers filled the momentous atmosphere without “Johnny.” Yet, alas! The world finally saw what a Jonathan “Johnny” Larson could do.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

NATED! 83

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

30/90 On February 4, 1960, Johnny was born in White Plains, New York. He lived most of his life out of drama clubs and music lessons in high school, where he played the tuba. Larson attended Adelphi University in New York, where he graduated with high hopes of becoming an actor. Stars seem to lead him to the mentorship of Stephen Sondheim, the playwright of “West Side Story,” an award-winning musical on Broadway, as he ignited the idea of pursuing as a composer instead. Jonathan, throughout his career, lived in poverty and survived by waiting tables and other side jobs to support his passion for music and composition. His life as a musician is constantly at the end of the line. Barely making his ends meet, Johnny endured and persevered the dissonant yet melodious life as a newyorker. The loud and hustling New York City didn’t seem to put his music into silence. This reflects his passion for composing music to be much more apparent in his works. SEASONS OF LOVE Jonathan’s father, Allan Larson, recalls that while still in college, Johnny wrote a fan letter to Sondheim. However, it didn’t end there. As they exchanged letters, he became friends with him. “Sondheim told him there were many more starving actors out there than starving composers,” Allan said in an interview with signature.org. For years, Johnny often sent his work to Sondheim for critique, which later produced his early iconic work, Superbia, and Tick... Tick... Boom! With this exchange, when Larson exceedingly wrote 100 songs, he knew when to accept criticisms and rejections. To pay tribute to Stephen’s contribution to his work, Johnny gave a shoutout during his monologue piece, Tick... Tick... Boom! Where he called him “my idol, a composerlyricist so legendary his name may not be uttered aloud by me.” The friendship that they formed and the connections that they established with their fellow composers allowed Johnny to have the resources to develop and hone his work. TICK.. TICK... BOOM In his last days, the turning of the long and short hands of the clock seems to swivel faster and faster. What Johnny fears suddenly shows the world that everyone in this world is temporary. Tick... tick... boom! Depicts it all. The musical is all about battling against the never-ending flow of time, knowing that we can’t win.

5...4

With Johnny’s frustration and disappointment about his futuristic musical Superbia, he decided to make this monologue to release his perception of his life, which revealed his mid-life crisis at the age of 30. However, little did Johnny know, these frustrations led him to make his timeless masterpiece, Rent, which transcends to youngsters until now. His works inspired thousands of lives, including the young Lin-Manuel Miranda, later renowned for his exemplary musical Hamilton and his lead role in In the Heights. Though time flew past throughout the years, Tick... Tick... Boom found its way to the hearts of the new generation. It eventually ushered in the making of his autobiographical film named after this marvelous bombing piece. With Miranda’s direction, the life Johnny has been relived and will be forever remembered. The bomb that was once haunting Johnny has been detonated. Like a time capsule, we let his life be opened to be known to the music world and pinned it to the wall of success. May the story of Johnny be an inspiration to us as we live our lives as creators, for Johnny isn’t alone with his struggles. These trials that we encounter as a creative in this world remind us that we are alive, and so the legacy of Johnny lives on.

4...3...2.. 84

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

4...3...2...1! Photo credits: Adelphi University, Netflix

the turning of the long and short hands of the clock seems to swivel faster and faster. What Johnny fears suddenly shows the world that everyone in this world is temporary.

5..

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

CURTAIN DROP Are there bad musicals? text by ARKISHA MARIE QUISUMBING photos research by ZYRA JUNE LABATING

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Musicals, everyone loves them. Your mom loves them, your music teacher loves them, maybe even your neighbor loves a good old musical. We live in an age where musicals are everywhere everyday. There are new musicals being written, more off broadway shows and production, and more auditions for aspiring theater actors to line up and pray that they get the part.

Imagine this: your friend invites you to a show they think you guys will love because one of your favorite musical actors, whose voice control you love so much, is in it. But it only takes you 10 minutes from the moment you walked in to realize that this isn’t technically what you wanted to see. All out of musicals means that there is going to be a diversity of genres within it. Everyone has their own cup of tea. A lot of musicals cater two different age groups. There are musicals for kids, there are musicals for young adults, and there are musicals for older people. But how do you pinpoint one that is really bad? Bag is subjective but there are a lot of distasteful ones, that usually do not do the subject justice. Do you want to see what happens to Christine and the phantom after Phantom of the Opera? If so, Love Never Dies is there for your viewing pleasure. Buzz usually tends to pop from sequels. In this case, Love Never Dies basically ruined what relationship Raul and Christine had built in Phantom of the Opera. Love Never Dies is a fan fiction of Andrew Lloyd Webber and it is not canon to the Phantom of the Opera story. It was very disappointing to say the least. Musicals should be enjoyed by everyone, and accessible to all. But with musical sequels, it feels very inaccessible to a new audience. Jukebox musicals are usually a hit or miss. But as we all know one of the most popular ones is definitely the Mamma Mia musical. But there are a lot of jukebox musicals such as The Cher show, The Elvis musical, and so much more that try to celebrate artists’ lives. And I agree we should definitely celebrate the lives of so many artists, especially in music and the fine arts, but when you put pop songs in musicals that have a dramatic undertone, it ruins the whole atmosphere that the musical is trying to depict.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with musicals, especially with technicals and the song writing, but a lot of the time it is really up to the viewer and what the viewers’ taste is. musicals because they like listening to the show tunes, some like the drama and the traditional way of performing in theater, and some just honestly watch for their favorite actor or it’s because they found it on TikTok and wanted to see it live for themselves. Let us definitely try and make musicals accessible to everyone while making sure that the quality never drops. Musicals deserve to be appreciated by everyone no matter how old or young you may be no matter what class you are in. And musical sweets find stories that resonate with us, stories that if it weren’t for the musicals would have been gone as time passes. It is an art that we should preserve.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

TIKTOK Tiktok’s Secret as the Key to Success in Advertising text by DANIELA GARZON photos research by ZYRA JUNE LABATING

We can’t deny how everyone these days is glued to their phones or any kind of gadget. It is the era of technology and social media apps are skyrocketing. From Boomers to Zoomers, everyone is engaged on social media. Now, many of us most likely have the app or have at least heard of it: TikTok. TikTok will change the way you use social media, even if you try to avoid it. TikTok has been dubbed the fastest-growing social media platform of all time and has been on the top list of the most downloaded apps in the world for the past three years. Despite a multitude of controversies, the Chinese-owned site joined the likes of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter in many people’s social media routines. It has influenced entertainment, music, and activism, and its success has welcomed a new era of self-expression. And now, TikTok has transformed a lot more than just how we consume media online. Without further ado, let’s dive into its revolution, hazard, and what it has to do with advertising.

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

TikTok (formerly Musical.ly), has been making headlines recently being hailed as a lighthearted, fun app. It was created by Bytedance, a Chinese multinational internet technology company headquartered in Beijing, and was introduced in 2017, with approximately 800 million active users worldwide, with its demographics usually leaning towards the younger generations. It popularized shortform video and created a recommendation algorithm, which follows the “people like you, like that” logic meaning it recommends content to a user if similar users liked a particular content before, which enabled it to become one of the most powerful video competitors in the world. TikTok has taken on a life of its own with users creating dances, popularizing fashion trends, and generating new memes used in everyday conversations. Following in the footsteps of YouTube, TikTok’s algorithm suggests content based on your subconscious preferences, and unlike YouTube, these videos are under a minute long. That means you could watch endless amounts of entertaining videos in a single sitting, discovering about producers, trends, and communities in the process. There’s space for everyone – the good, the bad, and the downright eccentric, even ordinary people who have gained fame ushered in a new era of content creators. TikTok may have succeeded in attracting celebrities, but users rush to the platform to see people who are distinctly ordinary and relatable. History will probably come to remember TikTok as having a prominent role in the era of digital activism. It’s easy to dismiss TikTok as a fad for choreographed dances and popular memes, but the app is also where real coordinated action is taking place, especially during COVID. When in-person gatherings and on-the-ground activism were limited, it has emerged as a new sort of venue where, if you upload a video strongly for a cause you believe in, your microphone can be magnified to reach millions. Following the Black Lives Matter protests, young users criticized TikTok for restricting Black creators, thereby escalating the movement by criticizing it on their own platform. Issues

like the #StopAsianHate movement, climate change, and LGBTQ+ rights have taken the forefront of the app, and examples of young users organizing on the app to create real-world change have been growing. Videos on every conceivable issue go viral, disseminating knowledge and providing forums for young people to rally their peers and broaden their activism. Due to its tremendous popularity and widespread use, TikTok has proven to be the current forum for political activism, at least for the younger generations, notably among Gen Z. The high potential of it as a space for political conversations and activism as seen in other parts of the world, indicates that TikTok has a lot of potential to enhance grassroots activism if used strategically, especially in places where freedom of expression is constrained. TikTok has established itself as the current social media powerhouse, not only for its entertaining choreography videos but also for giving a new platform for political expression to its global users. Through TikTok, there have been new opportunities for independent musicians to be able to get their songs out there. The birth of the audio meme, or the mass replay of the same sound to all of these magical trends, has gone hand in hand with the promotion of trends on TikTok. Sometimes the sounds are from well-known artists, but the publicity of unknown singers and artists who have been catapulted from anonymity to millions of views has been a defining feature of TikTok culture. Pop music nowadays almost has to become viral on TikTok in order for it to chart because it’s becoming an essential platform for reaching out to new social media audiences. Most notably and most memorable is Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” released in December 2018 on Soundcloud. It quickly rose to the top of SoundCloud’s country music charts that same year he started sharing the song through Twitter and Reddit. But it wasn’t until 2 months later, when a TikTok user turned it into a TikTok craze, that the song took off, breaking Billboard records as the longestrunning #1 single of all time.

REVOLUTION

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

We have Arizona Zervas as well with his song entitled Roxanne, wherein he posted a short black and white clip of him dancing to his new song on TikTok. This created a massive snowball effect and 3 years later the song has now amassed 9.2 million views on TikTok. Last but surely not the least, we have Benee with Supalonely. 21-year-old New Zealand artist’s song was a big dance craze in early 2020 amassing nearly 7 million videos on TikTok. Since then, Benee has released songs and a full-length album, all of which have performed well on streaming services. These are just a few of the many artists seeing success on TikTok. The music of lesser-known musicians that becomes extremely popular is always inventive, emotional, and uniquely indie. All of these artists rose from relative obscurity to fame as a result of TikTok’s ever-increasing influence on the music business as a whole. We all become content creators through Tiktok. If many people become content creators because of YouTube through their computers, TikTok is converting even more people into content creators because of their phones. TikTokers pull out their phones on the go or in their spare time at home, record, edit in the app, and then upload right away. The pressure of needing to come up with content ideas, as well as the burden of making it look like it was recorded by a videographer, disappears. With TikTok, your funny video has the same chance of going viral as the next person’s, whether they have 0 or 100,000 followers. While the resulting internet chaos isn’t necessarily a good thing, it does have a delightfully merit-based feel to it. The rise of TikTok this year prompted many of us to explore two important issues: the benefits of joy scrolling on the internet to escape reality, and, more importantly, the question of who really controls what we say and see online. The much-needed awareness among internet users about who might have access to their data and who might be prioritizing or suppressing the content they see in their feeds. For the time being, TikTok has not been found to be a data security risk – and its growing popularity in so many people’s lives has already made it a fixture. We all love the app but there are many things we still don’t know about it yet. Being the most downloaded application on different app stores, this particular app’s popularity continues to rise and is now installed on millions of mobile devices around the world. Many people on TikTok have found it to be a supportive community, but it has also raised concerns about dangerous trends and their impact on mental health. Despite the various benefits of TikTok, there are certain drawbacks to take into consideration as well. There are extended permissions on the app. This is when a user downloads TikTok, they must agree to a set of permissions right away in order for the app to work. This raises concern about the way that the app uses permissions that allow the app developer system

access to the device. This is especially alarming because the software collects a large amount of personal data about the user, in other words, the app stores it on the device in a not secured way. There’s also a potential that the application will unintentionally install or upload data from the user. Second, is the concern in data mining, selling, and storage. Many users are concerned about how TikTok stores and potentially shares data because eventually, the more data they have, the more money they can make. Therefore, it creates a strong motive to collect as much information as possible. Any app that can track location, record faces, and discern preferences will have to deal with data storage issues. Users are demanding more transparency regarding the permissions and agreements they can accept with a single click and in the case of TikTok, users must be aware that their data is not stored within the app or its servers. In order to stay safe online, we should keep in mind that apps frequently protect themselves and may not always have your best interests at heart. TikTok, like all things, can be detrimental if not used properly, but it is up to us to ensure a great experience by being diligent and responsible. Many of us definitely witnessed that this short-form video app saw tremendous growth during the pandemic, as many users found time to explore it and engage with their various audiences in new ways. Through this, we can already visualize how TikTok, together with its fast-growing community, would intrigue and form an interconnected relationship with advertising. Advertisers are attracted to TikTok because it symbolizes a crucial social media trend for young audiences’ creative skills and teamwork. Users spend an average of 52 minutes per day using the app due to its fast-paced nature, which keeps them engaged for extended periods of time. TikTok is most popular among teens all around the world, who are often the first to adopt new social media platforms. Despite the fact that TikTok draws mostly to younger generations, it appears to be retaining its audience as they grow older. TikTok has become a powerful factor for global brands to engage with young audiences, stimulate consumer content, and collaborate with relevant influencers. TikTok has seen both paid and influencer campaigns on its app from Nike, Pepsi, Calvin Klein, Sony, and FIFA, to name a few. During the COVID pandemic in 2020, many Hollywood stars and global musicians were seeking ways to stay relevant and connected to audiences, and through that, TikTok saw a tremendous increase in celebrity users. Its variety of beauty, fashion, food, dance, and fitness, influencers allows brands to reach younger audiences without having their own account. How did TikTok contribute to the success of advertising you ask? Well, TikTok provides a fantastic opportunity for advertisers to reach out to younger consumers all over the world in an entertaining and creative way. Many social media memes start on TikTok, and being at the forefront of these cutting-edge trends can help

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

TikTok, like all things, can be detrimental if not used properly, but it is up to us to ensure a great experience by being diligent and responsible.

TikTok is a diverse social media platform that accommodates a variety of interests, from entertainment to education, and in terms of content creation, self-expression will become synonymous with it. While platforms such as Instagram are quickly becoming venues where only the largest brands with the largest marketing budgets receive any screen time at the expense of fresh, smaller talent, TikTokers with powerful messages are free to run rampant, fearless in their ability to take on the algorithm, the internet, and the rest of the world.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

SANDS OF

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

In order for something to withstand the test of time, it has to exude a certain level of value. Probably the reason why anime is able to survive the test of time is because it is extremely valued by its massive audience, and has found itself woven in the fabric of pop culture domination. As an artform, anime has proven itself to be an essential tool in exposing various creative mediums and imperative narratives. It liberates the mind and opens people to a brand new world filled with ideas that are deemed obscure in the realms of reality. Anime engages people to the thought that life is more than just the surface and that we can find meaning in the nuances and subtleties it has to offer, whether it is presented through the lens of romance or gore

Anime’s firm stand towards time text & graphics by PHILLIP MATTHEW DONGUINES

THOU WITHSTAND

TIME

In its very core, anime is art, and this is what makes it influential. For instance, why do you think masterpieces like Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Michaelangelo’s the Creation of Adam, and Van Gogh’s Starry Night are still talked about today? It is because they exude a certain level of value that allows themselves to become timeless. We can see these classic paintings evolve their way towards mainstream culture– they are presently celebrated in the form of Instagram filters, shirt designs, and even murals. Through this, we then are able to shape perspective; perspective that ultimately tells us what makes art, in itself, unique and that it has the capacity to become transcendent. Art is able to evoke a feeling and bridge a mental connection that differs from person to person; it has the capacity to influence a conversation, spark an exchange of knowledge, and, therefore, bring together varying sentiments in order to reach a collective understanding. This is where the appeal of anime lies– it is so deeply rooted within its art that despite it being a melange of diverse stories, it is still able to reach its viewers in a thought-opening manner. Another reason why people are deeply attached to anime is because it is able to summon nostalgia. Over the years, it has become apparent that nostalgia has been exploited by multiple mediums in order to attract audiences. Nostalgia has a way of reminding us of our past life; it has a way of reuniting us with our most authentic self and giving us a sense of our individuality and who we are as a person. It is a strong sensation that we seldom fight because nostalgia is arguably something we crave for– going back to the past and reliving previous fragments of ourselves is something that we wish we have the ability to do. Anime’s power to withstand the effects of time has something to do with its profound connection with nostalgia. What this essentially tells us is that we are able to transcend through time because of our extensive longing, and anime fundamentally guides us in achieving this type of emotion. It is in nostalgia that we learn to be a piece of our past lives. Although there are those who would argue that the past should be something that is detached from us, what anime tries to teach us is that we can never reach the point of our timeline today if it was not for the past. Anime allows us to relive the lives we otherwise have taken for granted and it is through its stellar worldbuilding that we are reacquainted to ideas that we may have overlooked before.

RHOPALOCERA — WRAP MAGAZINE

ISSUE 6 VOLUME 8

Anime’s power to withstand the effects of time has something to do with its profound connection with nostalgia. What this essentially tells us is that we are able to transcend through time because of our extensive longing, and anime fundamentally guides us in achieving this type of emotion. It is in nostalgia that we learn to be a piece of our past lives.

Anime reconnects us to our past but it also strengthens our pointof-view of the present. It has solidified itself more than just part of pop culture but rather people’s lives. Anime has stood the test of time simply because it has the unique ability to grow alongside its viewers. This is where every facet of its influence reached their apex; this is where every factor incorporated within the artform translates itself into an integral part of someone’s lifetime. The power of anime goes beyond just its captivating use of animation and its pulchritudinous art style; the power of anime lies in its potential to tell a story. Anime essentially mirrors the lives we live and expounds on the narratives we partake in. It has the power to turn vision into art, and art into reality. As audiences, we tend to gravitate towards this because we feel as if we are represented, regardless of how far-fetched the narrative might apply to us. Representation is a massive factor in engaging in the arts because it not only makes our time worthwhile, but it allows us to actively participate in the artform. In essence, representation is a key asset in immersing us to the world built by the artform. In conclusion, as previously stated above, in order for something to withstand the test of time, it needs to possess a certain value. Much of this is evidently true for anime. It is extremely valuable and will grow to be more valuable as time marches on. It fosters as an artform as much as it fosters as a global phenomenon. Anime is deeply embedded in our collective culture and will remain as such probably for the rest of time.

VISIT US Torralba, Banga, Aklan, Banga-Libacao Highway Road

MORPH ART DIRECTOR’S LETTER

The 2022 issue of Wrap magazine, MORPH is governed by two art styles. One being brutalist architecture and two, experimental art. Brutalist design is bold, unapologetic, and honest. Its goal is not perfection, but functionality. Experimental art on the other hand, gives the magazine the freedom to create outside and inside the box of brutalism. Experimental art aims to be different and be set apart from its surroundings, which is a significant factor that led to the decision-making for this issue. The two variables resulted in a unique identity, unpredictability, and artistic explosion. The styles that normally will not be an ally to each other found their consonance in the 102 pages of this magazine. We divided this magazine into three sections: Birth, Chrysalis, and Rhopalocera. The process that a butterfly undergoes towards its final form took the peak of our interest, and so we named the sections out of that process’ different phases. Each of which has their own moodboard, personality, and guiding principles. For the Birth section, I took inspiration from cells – the basic unit of life. Along with the marriage of the color orange, geometric, and organic shapes. If nature was angular rather than organic, then it would look like the Chrysalis section of this magazine. Geometry and red fuels the control and structure in the section. Brutalism is the hardest in Chrysalis. Rhopalocera section is abstract and motion in one, with blue mixed into a rare color in nature. The cover page features a photo of Jan Bebanco interpolated with experimental and brutalist pieces of graphics, accentuated by the striking light blue that provides a very conservative peek into what the MORPH issue of Wrap magazine will and might be.

May our experimentation with different artistic possibilities in this magazine inspire you to, at the very least, go outside the comfort of what is common even once in your lifetime. Because on the other side of fear, is wonder, opportunities, and greatness. We are often in a capsule of the many constructs that this world has. It is in our own hands to have the never-ending drive to constantly evolve and learn about ourselves and the beautiful possibilities on this planet.

John Rovic Sipacio Art Director, Wrap Magazine Issue 6 Volume 8

rapstaff Wrap Magazine The Official Publication of College of Advertising Practitioners Issue 6 Volume 8 College of Business and Accountancy Central Philippine University, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000

Gad Castro Editor-in-Chief

Mephil Angela Buyco Managing Editor

John Rovic Sipacio Art Director

Arkisha Marie Quisumbing Writer

Phillip Matthew Donguines Layout and Graphic Artist

Daniela Rose Garzon Writer

Zyra June Labating Photo Editor and Reseracher

Shelumiel Debulgado Writer, Assistant layout and Graphic Artist

Czarina Gaile Sunico Photo Editor and Reseracher

A Special Note for the Readers We started this journey on Valentine’s Day, February 14, at 2:00pm when our teacher, Ma’am Grace Ann Jardenil, posted the announcement of this year’s Wrap Magazine Editorial Staff. Everyone had different reactions to this– some were happy with the role they received and others were anxious if they could fulfill the duties that were assigned to them. For 4 months, we spent countless hours conceptualizing, writing articles, creating illustrations, attending meetings, updating each other on our individual progress, all the while juggling our other academic requirements and outside-of-school responsibilities. Unlike the previous issues of Wrap, we had to somehow find a way to make this possible virtually because of the ongoing worldwide pandemic. There were multiple challenges and obstacles that occurred, such as delays in our schedules due to conflict with other commitments, internet connection problems, and the lack of inspiration; but our determination to make this happen, our teamwork and camaraderie, and our willingness to reach out was never one of those issues. Even when we had to sacrifice a good night’s rest, multitask even on examination weeks, and give up a few minute’s worth of entertainment, we never ceased to continue working hard and giving all our best efforts for this magazine. The reason why we never gave up on ourselves is because this magazine is our collaborative work that we will treasure for years to come. As we have not experienced our college lives normally in a face-to-face situation, we made the most out of this project to meet in person and have a batch photoshoot. When we met each other for the first time, everyone felt like they finally belonged somewhere– that somewhere being with our Advertising batchmates who we only saw on our mobile phones and computer screens. They say that you find the greatest friends in college, but we found each other’s burning passion as Advertising Practitioners. Now that we have finished this year’s issue of Wrap Magazine, as the Managing Editor who was constantly in the middle in communicating with everyone, I sincerely hope that my dearest batchmates would be proud of themselves for the final output that we have created in the last four months. The creation of Morph would not have been possible without your cooperation and willingness to help in any way you

can. I am pleased to say that each and every one of us has participated and made a contribution to every aspect of this magazine, from the decision making process to each writing features and creating illustrations for different articles to showcase how limitless our creativity can be. To end this special page, we would like to thank our teacher, Ma’am Grace Jardenil, for being patient, understanding, and for guiding us when we needed it. We also want to thank Sir Edward Mallada for being extremely accommodating to us when we had our photoshoot at his studio. Our gratitude is extended to Jan Bebanco, our one and only cover, for making time with us for the interview and sharing his personal experiences and stories. To Gad Castro, our Editor-inChief, for always lending a helping hand to everyone who needed it and for being the best EIC we could ever ask for. You are truly the MVP of our team. To Rovic Sipacio, our Art Director, for cementing our design and making it all beautifully come together. To our writers, Daniela Garzon, Arkisha Quisumbing, and Shelumiel Debulgado, for being their outpour of knowledge and writing for our articles. To our layout and graphic artist, Philip Donguines, for learning how to make our magazine the best and making it happen. To our photo editors and researchers, Zyra Labating and Czarina Sunico, for not only fulfilling their roles, but also for helping everyone out with everything else needed to be done. And lastly, to our readers of Wrap, for supporting us and being with us on this journey. We sincerely hope that you will be inspired by our art, be informed by our articles, and be influenced by our stories to make a better impact in the creative side of business and the world. To God be the greatest glory!

Mephil Angela Managing Editor, Wrap Magazine Issue 6 Volume 8

Cover Design by: John Rovic Sipacio Magazine Design by: Gad Castro Co-designed by: John Rovic Sipacio & Phllip Matthew Donguines