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Geocities is a place where early web users created their first web pages. It was a place for users to express ideas, feelings, and passions. There are many different neighborhoods including Hollywood, Area 51, and Nashville. People were free to explore and connect with like-minded people. It was a way for people to be creative. After many years, they can be accessed by looking at archives of these different “neighborhoods.” One that is particularly interesting is the “Movies” neighborhood, which houses an old web page on the movie “Saving Private Ryan.”
Although the website is anonymous, it is clear that whoever made it is a big fan of the movie. The creator wanted to spread knowledge of the film and the stories that it was based on. He included various tools on the website, such as a list of the cast, including which of them died. Others include important pictures of scenes, basic information about WWII, the trailer of the movie, and opinions/ awards of the movie. Due to this, one can see that the creator of the website put a lot of effort into gathering data, taking pictures, and putting it all on the website, furthering the idea that he is a big fan. They even included a sentence at the bottom that wrote “All information on this page was gathered through much research and by viewing “Saving Private Ryan.”
The web design and production bring in the identity of the fan. The overall composition of the webpage consists of a black page, with white text on top. The title is “Saving Private Ryan”: The Unofficial Site. Underneath the title is a picture starring the main cast, including Edward Burns and Tom Sizemore. Afterward, the creator brings up the main idea of the web page quoting “This page was designed to strengthen your knowledge on one of the greatest movies of all time “SAVING PRIVATE RYAN” and on the generals of World War II. Then, they include the main cast, including those who died in the movie, and some of the tools listed above. It is a simple design that makes the website easy to maneuver. In addition, it tells the audience that they want the website to be more than promotional. At the time, many movies already had their websites. In the case of “Saving Private Ryan,” it would most likely be a Paramount website. However, these websites would try to get people to watch the movie. They would promote the film in a way that is centered around getting money. In this case, the web design shows that the creator wants something deeper than promotion. For example, including a link to basic facts about World War II shows that he wishes other fans of the movie to know the meaning behind the plot of the movie, not just to watch it. The dark design of the web page correlates with the premise of the movie, which is about the horrors of war. The film takes place on a battlefield in Normandy, where three brothers died and one is stuck behind enemy lines. This is when the rest of the main cast, including Tom Hanks, goes to try to bring him home. This story is based on the stories of many military families during World War II. Due to the darkness of the movie, the web design is extremely complementary. If rainbows and bright colors had often symbolized happiness, it would not make sense.
On the opinions and awards page, the creator includes their own opinions of the movies. They wrote “These awards are well-deserved. At last, a good movie that I could sit down, watch, and cry over. It has everything that a good movie needs: good actors, good crew, and a great final product.” Reading this tells the audience that the creator can appreciate a vulnerable film that is truly open to bringing knowledge about events into the world. They care more about what the film brings to society than about promoting people to watch the film for money. On this same page, they include a way for visitors to contact him and get their opinions on the page. They add that they will only add it onto the page if it applies to “Saving Private Ryan”, setting restrictions and guidelines for their webpage. This idea shows the audience that the creator is open to visitor input. They want to meet others who share their passion for the film and make the website even more interactive than before.
In the same way that the web page brings hints about the identity of the creator, it also does so for its visitors. If people are interacting with the website, and looking at the tools above, it shows that not only are they fans of the movie, but that they are just as interested in the intricacies of the film. The consumers of this website want to know more about why the film was written and what inspired them to film it. The creator could have made the website in another direction, detailing just the plot of the movie, or the new films that the actors were in. However, they decided to do it in a way that would allow people to see the real-life implications of the film. The visitors, in a similar mechanism, could have gone to the promotional paramount website, but they landed on one that could teach them more about the film and the background stories. This shows the audience a lot about the identity of the creator and the consumers.
All of this material directly engages visitors, especially with the relatively simple web design. It allows them to explore different facets of the movie, from the connection to the real world to the actors that portray them.
References
Cultural History of the Internet 