Tag: two

Generation Like

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This week’s ‘flip lecture’ features 45-minute documentary Generation Like; a piece on the synthesis of social media to the lives of modern young adults. It is clear prior to viewing the film that social media acts mostly as a competition of likes/friends/followers, in an attempt to emulate fame through instant gratification. Although the idea of empowering kids through self-expression and the ability to communicate with

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their idols (via Twitter), there are things that corporations such as Facebook and Twitter are not so open about.

The idea of “taking teen culture and selling it back” comes from two elements, that is, the endorsement of commercial products and thetracking of user activity. Successful social media practitioners such as YouTube’s Tyler Oakley unknowingly promote brands that receive their approval, in his case, his obsession with the boy band One Direction. Secondly, these corporations are aware of their users’ activity through the use of unknown algorithms that track preferences and supply more options for prolonged interaction. This knowledge is then taken to shape the brand according to the consumers’ desires.

As a social media producer, it is clear that to study the target audience is important in creating a successful campaign. Utilising the strategy of other social media practitioners, one must cater towards the demands of the consumers, by eliciting curiosity and exhausting visibility.

With that, there are some details that are necessary in the success of the Symphony Cacophonia (working title). Firstly, as per discussed during the tutorial, the event will need to be held somewhere within obvious reach of the public, most likely on a weekday. The State Library and Federation Square are amongst the venues that were mentioned during our meeting. Although the musical aspect will be initiated by actual musicians, the public must feel unwary of approach, through clear signage and spatial allowance that encourages participation. As of now, the group must look into council permits and any laws that may affect the event, to ensure that its success will be without a doubt.

Initial Sound Record Talk

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For the first Film & TV 2 tutorial, we were sent off to record clips on campus. Although I started off with a fail -recording of my “ident” as “My name is Arthur Cortez and I am a Media student”, as opposed to what tute I am in- I believe that I did a manageable job of recording a variety of sounds considering that I was on a solo mission.

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Upon evaluation, I recognise that my clips could be classified into two associations: Nature vs. City. Although I was recording on campus, inthe heart of Melbourne, I managed to find sounds that created the image of nature to the audience, in the form of a flowing stream (water fountain) and wild life (straining to reach birds on far-off trees). Some of the easier to capture sounds were found around the campus, such as clicking of the pedestrian crossing buttons, the flitting of the escalator, and the jugging of the city tram and its neighbouring traffic.

I think that it would make an interesting juxtaposition to use both images of calm and bustling to create the idea of transformation. To elaborate, the concept of wildlife sounds turning into the clips of the escalator (then birds) and the tram (then some larger animal), as well as the rhythm of water flow into traffic noises, proves to be a starting point for a poetic piece on modernisation and globalisation.

The Idea of North

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Glenn Gould’s radio documentary The Idea of North begins with a reminiscent woman whose words not only speak of the past, but also possesses a voice that illustrates history, a certain wisdom. This poignance is interrupted by the overlap of voices, people speaking on top of each other about what is presumably their own pasts, in which I found myself jarred and uncomfortable. Despite the multitude of voices, I could not help but look for the woman’s voice, her cool, charmingly-accented lines that provided initial clarity.

This confusion is redeemed by Gould’s introduction, providing a relief from the chaotic voices that had been minuted. After introducing another voice whom will play the role of narrator, it is clear that the character of the voices is somewhat equally important, if not more, in the creation of the image of the past. Unfortunately, this is only bogged down by the straightforward interview reply style with which the clip ends, lacking in any form of audial elegance.