Here is Aidan, Jeremy and my project on ‘mediums’. There are 2 podcast episodes which discuss how several different mediums such as interactive video, audio and propaganda.
Check it out here =
https://mediumpodcast.wordpress.com/
Reflection:
Project brief 4 was a long project and the first group project for Media 1. In this project, which asked my group of 3 to discuss mediums, we decided to discuss how conflict is covered over several mediums and the differences in this coverage. Also we wanted to discuss how this has changed over time. Overall, I believe the end result of the project was successful but it did come with its challenges and confusion.
The most successful parts of this project were the actual podcasts – they covered a lot of material with easy access to an audience and also addressed how conflict is and has been represented by different mediums across a variety of time periods. We discussed thoroughly several topics which opened our minds to several relevant concepts. We created an informative website which comprises of 2 podcast episodes assisted by written information. I believe these components effectively explored and described the properties and functions of different mediums and how they have evolved over time. In this regard I believe this project was a success. The whole project is an easy access, informative and well put together idea which informatively discussed mediums and how conflict has been and is represented in mediums.
However, the project did have weak points. It was a rush to finish the project in time as we did not use a lot of our time effectively. Changing an idea of a project relatively last minute can be complicated. The day our first draft was due we decided to change our idea and make the project a series of podcast episodes. However, this was a good idea and I believe will increase our mark rather than just posting videos and text posts which was our original idea. This also allows for a greater capacity for collaboration between topics. The podcast episode idea allowed for more connection between each of our individual research. We changed our project idea two weeks before the project was due and therefore previous work was, somewhat, irrelevant. I personally believe this made sessions time wasting, as we did not come up with the idea straight away. We also changed our website in this alteration. Therefore, previous work is on another website which will not be assessed. I believe that we could have discussed more as a group and worked better together, but because on the long duration of the project we often waited to discuss ideas in tutorials. Therefore, information was not shared promptly. If we had more time, we would have been able to do more podcast episodes and therefore use our research more effectively.
We went by solving issues through the majority rules concept. This was a fair idea, which solved any confusion in the project well. What I learnt in the making process about collaboration that is relevant to my broader development as a media practitioner is to be more careful with time. Although we had a lot of time, we did not use it completely effectively. I also learnt that for podcasts you need to be completely sure of what you are going to discuss. If there are pauses, they can be edited but it is a smart idea to have a script to work with because then you don’t begin rambling and going off topic. Our group each recorded ourselves over a skype call in order to get the best audio. The more copies and repeats of information, the better the project is likely to be in terms of quality. For my development as a media practitioner, I learnt about collaboration. This was my first group project for any media project I have ever done, so I learnt that collaboration is key to a good project. Working with people to produce something only works if there is effective communication. As the project progressed, the group’s communication became more effective. As a future media practitioner, I furthered my practice on making videos. I made 2 videos which solely included found footage. This furthered my practice of learning about creative commons and copyright.
I also know a lot more about mediums since doing this project. I have learnt about interactive video, audio and broadcasting which has expanded my knowledge and will be very helpful for future studies. Having a topic, which is so broad, enabled me to research more and be able to thoroughly assess and study how conflict is different in several mediums. In saying this, and also researching found footage and broadcasts, I saw how history has dealt with conflict and how many mediums deal with and organise themselves when working on a breaking news day. A small example is that this has given me more of an insight into the world of television production. Considering this is what I plan to be doing as a career, it was very interesting to see how past workers have dealt with issues.
Overall, I believe this project was a success and that the group was satisfied with the end result. I am glad we produced this project on a website so we can look back on this project and have access to the research put into this project.
