In Media 1 I have learnt a general understanding of creating media projects and how to manage aspects of creation and production. This includes basic operation of audio and video equipment, editing, planning and producing a project. In lectures and workshops, we also covered a number of concepts related to media theory, including audience, institutions, narrative, as well as its role in a wider environment.
Through this semester, I have found I enjoy analysis of media, especially from my other classes of Cinema Studies and Popular Culture. Understanding how media can create a cultural change or how it evokes a response in people is incredibly interesting to me. Research, planning and writing has been my favourite aspect of Media 1 – where I contributed to scripts and how to discuss the various topics.
I felt the week 9 readings of what an audience is and means were interesting and a strong insight into how media is affected by and affects the audience. It was interesting how it discussed a contemporary audience, who are more active and able to create their own media more readily, which resonated with me as I have grown up being active in online media especially.
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/06/07/week-8-reading-audience-again/
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/06/07/week-8-reading-audience/
It was either week 1 or 2, but most likely week 2, where we watched an extract from Scorsese’s Casino. It was a very fun and engaging class and ignited my interest in analysing and discussing aspects of film. It definitely aligns it my interest in my other class, Cinema Studies, where we analysed aspects of the shot and features that create a meaning for audiences.
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/03/08/casino/
In the week 8 workshop, we looked at RadioLab and how it fits into creating an audio essay for project brief 4. I found this workshop to be informative and one of the most interesting ones. We focuses on the multitude of aspects that culminate in the finished product, including interviews, music, sound effects and how they are layered to create an entertaining and engaging product. I found the analysis and discussion on their techniques useful and insightful.
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/06/07/workshop-week-8-radiolab-and-pb4/
Apart from the mental health problems, the most difficult and challenging part of the course was editing. I find it incredibly dull and tedious. Though choosing and understanding what to use in a film or video is interesting and offers an insight into the production of the media, the physical and slow task of editing and cutting shots, for me, is not a pleasant experience.
Establishing the content we wished to pursue in project brief 4 was also a difficult process. Our group initially put focus on social media and how it acts as an institution. As the research and discussions went on, this turned to a sole focus on ACMI and a local analysis of an institution.
Project Brief 3 and parts of Project Brief 4 was definitely the lowest point in this semester. Plagued by lack of motivation and mental health problems, I found myself putting off the project until the last minute, where I scrambled together basic footage and hastily edited it. It is much easier said than done, to say that I have learnt from this experience; I am hopeful it will allow me to seek help and manage my work in future semesters, as well as generally in my life.
The use of blogs was stressed from the beginning to the end of semester. Though I did some blog posts during the semester (but at times not enough), I did not find it enjoyable or useful to my learning. This did, however, change this week when I focused and did numerous in a row. It was less tedious and almost fun summarising readings, workshops, and lectures, and analysing how it applies to the course and overall discussion into media. There was definitely that moment after completing them, where you recognise it wasn’t so bad after all.
Overall, the semester of Media 1 was interesting and fun. I enjoyed the workshops the most, where we can easily discuss things in groups and have immediate feedback and difference on opinion on certain things. This was evident in the workshops where we got feedback on certain projects, using our Coloured Hats system to help give feedback and advice.
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/04/27/week-7-workshop-interview-feedback/
Week 12’s lecture focuses on wrapping up the semester and introducing the learning graph. It is a way to analyse how we feel we have learnt and progressed in many aspects over the semester. There are many aspects to illustrate on the graph, such as our technical ability, professional work, conceptual knowledge and our overall practice as a media student.
http://www.mediafactory.org.au/blair-conway/2016/06/07/week-12-lectorial/
The semester tracked fairly okay at the beginning – I was keeping up, learning and participating. As the semester progressed, due to a few internal issues, I fell behind on a number of issues, such as blogs and the project briefs, missed some classes and had a difficult time engaging in the class. This culminated in a low point, especially for project brief 3 and 4, though I did improve towards the end and felt happy with my learning and engagement as the projects finished and I had an extended opportunity to do blog posts and finish my reflections.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8MGrD8DvdRWNjlFNUNuQ1pfUXc