Through this activity I learnt that our sensitivity to noticing something can be improved, as explored in John Mason’s reading.
By intentionally telling myself I would notice graffiti over the next day I was more likely to pay attention to what I saw in my surroundings. Additionally, recording the graffiti as I noticed it allowed me to use a heightened form of noticing, as it involved physically capturing what I saw through videos.

I found while completing the activity that while the majority of graffiti I found was located on walls or the footpath, I found an abundance of graffiti in unconventional places. The tree that had been vandalised struck me as unusual as it was a piece of nature, unlike a lot of the walls and flat surfaces I had filmed. It made me realise that there is a lot that I don’t notice in my daily life or pass by without a thought.

When filming I attempted to depict my subject in a unique and interesting manner. By using both static and moving shots, I wanted to portray my subject in a unique way that was interesting to watch. I also found it difficult not to focus on framing each shot as I filmed rather than focusing on noticing my surroundings impartially. I think my videos capture to some extent what I set myself to notice- I would have liked to record more videos to capture the diverse nature of the subject, such as graffiti in classrooms or in my neighbourhood. I feel that this would have added another layer of depth to my project work.

I feel that my work also responded to the criteria of nonfiction media as it is based in reality, and has not been altered to look unrealistic. It also does not include any elements of fiction such as imaginary characters or events. I attempted to depict the world as I perceived it, as the David Shield reading emphasises the importance of reality and how it is documented.

Two questions that evolve for me about noticing and nonfiction through doing this work are:
– How can I make my work a diverse depiction of reality, with nonfiction in mind?
– What can I do to further attune my sensitivity to notice?

I understand nonfiction to be a genre that involves any content that is factual or based on reality. Nonfiction media generally presents the truth in an informative manner; consumers of nonfiction media assume that they are being presented an authentic and accurate view. Documentaries, photographs and news reports are seen as popular forms of nonfiction media, which follow these conventions of presenting the truth. In contrast, fiction media deals with information, events, and characters expected to be partly or largely imaginary.

In the week 2 reading ‘Reality’  by David Shields, Shields explores the ideas of fiction and reality. He uses prose to illustrate how we interpret reality, stating: “The story’s not important, what’s important is the way the world looks. That’s what makes you feel stuff”, and, “All the best stories are true”. This implies that the author highly values the world in its authentic, raw form over representations or constructed images.

By noticing reality, we are able to document and create nonfiction media that depicts the world as we perceive it. Nonfiction is important as it allows us to learn more about the people, places and things that surround us, and strengthen our understanding of real world events.

I understand noticing to involve selectively attending to stimuli within an environment, such as sounds, smells and other sensory information. By shifting our attention, we are able to take in something’s overall composition as well as its unique features. This is important as it allows us to become aware of our surroundings and can inform our understanding of the world. Additionally, a developed ability to notice is a valuable skill as a media practicioner as it allows us to perceive the world in new and interesting ways.

The week 2 reading by John Mason outlines several levels of noticing: ordinary noticing, marking and recording. Ordinary noticing is a passive process and involves recalling stimuli after a cue from someone or something. A heightened form of noticing is marking, which does not  involve a cue and is an active process- for example, commenting on a sign as you notice it in your environment. The most active form of noticing is recording, which is the act of physically capturing something so that it stays in your memory. Recordings can be returned to, for example a photograph or a note.

Through the readings and in class discussions I was able to differentiate between intentional and unintentional noticing. The former involves a deliberate, conscious effort to notice, whereas the latter occurs on a subconscious level. Another interesting point John Mason makes is that while it is possible to sharpen someone’s sensitivity to notice, the most they can do is attempt to increase their likelihood of noticing. By telling myself that I would notice a particular stimuli, I feel as though this challenged me to pay more attention to my surroundings and increased my likelihood of noticing the subject.