Monthly Archives: March 2016

LOOKING AT PHOTOGRAPHS

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This week’s optional reading was based around looking at photographs and deriving meaning from what we see. The excerpt by Victor Burgin analyses what makes a photograph and how it must be looked at in order to reap it’s most profound meaning.

Photographs surround us in day to day life, and as Burgin says, to miss seeing photography around you would be “unusual”.

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols, and the way in which they are applied to every day life in a conventional way. However, according to the excerpt, there is no definitive regiment for the way in which photographs are interpreted.

Which, to an extent, I agree with. Not every culture perceives certain symbols, shapes, colours, objects and people in the same way. A naked woman in Western culture is often perceived as sexual, however in countries such as South Africa, a topless woman is customary, it’s the social norm and the furthest thing from a subject of objectification.

In spite of this, there are some representations in texts that are recognised as having a general meaning on a worldwide scale, which can tie into stereotypes and archetypes.

Stereotypically, red rose petals are associated with passion, love and lust. Men like the colour blue. Women like the colour pink. Asians are smart. Blondes are dumb.

And media-makers tend to play on these universal stereotypes and generalisations of objects and cultures in order to attract a certain audience and aid in audience understanding and engagement.

I’m going off on a tangent here. The point I’m trying to make is, when reading media texts, photographs in particular due to the fact that they are usually framed in a way that creates meaning, it is important to be mindful that each individual will perceive that photograph in a different way. However, there are codes and conventions that must be understood to interpret it in a profound way.

ANALYSING ADVERTISEMENTS

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This week’s topic of textual analysis really got me thinking about the meanings behind forms of media that I am constantly being exposed to. I took a specific interest in the texts that consumers are exposed to and the kind of advertising that sells products in this day and age.

I did a quick Google search of advertising in 2015-16 and found the ancient and controversial debate to rise once more: does sex sell?

I chose one of the less-raunchy men’s fragrance advertisements and decided to give textual analysis a go.

I interpreted the below image from a connotative and denotative prospective:

perfumes-masculinos-que-fazem-o-maior-sucesso-8

Denotative:

  • Black and White Photograph
  • One caucasian male, three caucasian females
  • All are dressed in black formal attire
  • All females wear lustful facial expressions, male wears an expression of flippancy

Connotative:

  • The male has spritzed himself with the Armani Diamonds fragrance and attended a formal event
  • He is not necessarily surprised by the flock of beautiful women who throw themselves at him
  • He is dignified by the masculinity boost of having three women all over him

Through textual analysis, it can be said that the intention of this advertisement was to convey the supposed effects of wearing this cologne. While it is not necessarily a realistic prospect, the advertisement is suggesting that by wearing this fragrance, you are instantly more attractive to women, which is desirable for men.

Moreover, attractive and young talent has been chosen for this shoot, as people of all ages generally desire to either be beautiful or youthful, leading viewers to believe that by purchasing this fragrance they will become both, and smell good as well.

TEXTUAL ANALYSIS

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“When we perform textual analysis on a text, we make an educated guess at some of the most likely interpretations that might be made of that text.”

That is the simple definition of textual analysis by Alan McKee, Media Professor. One of this week’s readings was an excerpt from a piece by McKee, in which he outlines what Textual Analysis is in terms of a variety of mediums, or ‘texts’.

Put simply, textual analysis is the process by which we view a text (whether that be a film, image, newspaper, novel, or such), the context in which we view it, and the information that we are able to gather and interpret from it.

Textual analysis is often dependent on context, and the way that context is divided is into connotation (the implied meaning of a text) and denotation (the literal meaning of a text).

Analysing a text is the foundation of understanding and comprehending it’s meaning. Texts are generally representations of reality, so textual analysis doesn’t involve measuring  how ‘real‘ a text is, but alternatively, we analyse how well it reflects reality and whether that is even the creator’s intention.

This is such an interesting aspect of media studies, because we are learning how and why we do something that has always come to us almost naturally. We are questioning why we question everything, and how we derive meaning from the answers we receive.

 

THE FOURTH BE WITH ME…

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Four weeks of uni successfully complete!

I won’t pretend that this past month hasn’t been gruelling, because it really has. I feel as though there have been more moments that I care to admit where I have fumbled through blindly, out of fear mostly, and somehow come out the other  side of every week feeling confident.

The past week in particular really challenged my skills as a media-maker. Having never used editing software as complex as Premiere Pro CC, and having little to no experience behind a camera, filming and editing, I was really out of my depth. While my PB2 Portrait wasn’t mind-blowing technically, I was proud of myself for persisting through the stress and tears and producing a reflection of myself.

In the spirit of reflection, I thought it would be appropriate to comprise a “survival guide for your first month of uni”, or a list of things I wish I’d known a month ago, if you will.

  1. You do not need permission to use the bathroom like you do in high school. (I learned that one the hard way)
  2. Time. Management. Is. Crucial.
  3. Making friends really is as easy as just saying “hi”.
  4. Being able to balance your time between uni, work, family and that sliver of a social life is essential.
  5. Lynda.com is a life saver.
  6. Did I mention the importance of time management?

SELECTIVE HEARING

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When my siblings and I were kids, we were undoubtedly a handful.

My dad worked around the clock, so it was my mum’s job to ensure my youngest sister was looked after, I was dropped off at kinder, my oldest sister was dropped at primary school and my brother was dropped in high school.

The car rides home were loud, as you can imagine. Four chatty kids all fighting to be heard over one another, each with our own stories about our days and our teachers and our friends, each urgently requiring our mother’s attention.

She was patient with us all, and listened tentatively to all of us jabber until we pulled into the driveway.

When we all got older, we asked where she found the tolerance to lend an ear to our bickering and anticlimactic stories, to the sounds that would fill the car and unequivocally give anyone a headache.

She smiled.

“It’s called selective hearing, I only hear what I want to hear”.

 

SOUNDS LIKE PERCEPTION

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listen

This weeks readings were focused on the element of sound in terms of communication.

According to Theo van Leeuwen, perspective in sound is divided into three positions: figure, ground and field.

Figure can be identified as the dominant sound, that which the audience or listener is the most likely to respond to.

Ground refers to the presence of sounds that are in the listener’s social space and are less relevant to Figure, however, are generally only recognised once they are absent.

Field sounds are positioned in the listeners physical, but are predominantly disregarded by the listener.

My understanding of this theory is best conceptualised by imagining a scenario whereby all positions of sound perception would be present. For example, two people are talking at a cafe on a busy street. The prominent and Figure sound would be the conversation occurring between the two people at a social distance. The Ground sounds could be the constant chatter of other people in the cafe, the clinking of coffee mugs or perhaps the hissing of steam from a coffee machine. Examples of Field sounds would include the rumble of various vehicles passing outside, or the distant wailing of police sirens, the slamming of doors being open and shut, or even the roar of music from car radios.

I think this is an interesting way of perceiving sound because it accounts for the sounds in our physical space that we habitually would not notice unless we consciously and premeditatedly paid attention to them.

(Photo Credit: www.gretchenrubin.com)

PROJECT BRIEF 2

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For our second brief, we were tasked with compiling a series of different mediums into a 1 minute film as a digital portrait of ourselves.

I knew immediately that I would be out of my depth, as I had never worked with film before, and the task required a maximum of 2 video shots. As this was my first time utilising film as a medium, as well as editing via Premiere Pro CC, I know that there is plenty of room for improvement.

I have a distinct idea of who I am, and the most clear-cut thing about me is that I am difficult to define. I find it hard to describe myself, which becomes evident in my film. Instead of talking about myself, I asked my sister-in-law who she thinks I am and how she perceives me, and it is her voice that is layered beneath the other audio tracks. She’s known me since I was 4, and I feel that she has watched me grow up through the eyes of someone who couldn’t always be there, making her perception of me far more interesting.

The first audio clip that you hear is one of my favourite noises, the sound of the turntable needle dropping down onto the record. I’ve always found that anticipation and excitement so satisfying. I wanted the constant ticking of the clock to be part of the film without consuming it, mainly because I am such a time-conscious person, I constantly fear autonomy and wasting time.

The four still images are things that I personally hold close to me or find represent who I am: symbols and remnants of my late grandfather, street art, fruit infused tea, and my favourite fragrance, Flora by Gucci. These, I feel are my emblems.

As a very family oriented person, I wanted there to be something that represents the people who have made me who I am. The patriarch of my family, my Papa, even in his last weeks would remain as positive as emphysema keep you. Roughly translated from Sinhalese to English, he would persistently remind us that “even if the ship is sinking, the band will play on”. And in a lot of ways, that has been my motto.

Because even when things seem to the worst they can possibly be, there will always be a sweet symphony to embrace, a light at the end of the tunnel if you will.

Enjoy.

 

3 DOWN…

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Today marks the end of Week 3; 3 weeks since the beginning of the course, and 3 weeks since I became a full-time university student.

To say that these past three weeks have been overwhelming is an understatement, but the way I see it, when you love what you are studying, it’s hard to perceive it as a burden.

As an overview, these past three weeks have been focused exclusively on what exactly media is, and how we are affected by it and exposed to it through texts, advertising, social media platforms and such.

Media is overwhelming, and more often than not, it is easy to become engulfed by it due to our constant exposure. However, like a rip at the beach, we either can fight it and be weighed down by it, or we can relax and allow it to carry us into a world of communication and connectedness.

Brian defined Media in a way that really resonated with me; I can’t remember what it was exactly, but he proposed that Media is a place in a way, it is where we inhabit, we are made of Media.

Which makes a perfect circle back to Week 1’s Lectorial, a reminder that this, being tugged here and there by the media entity, must be the place.

COMFORT ZONE

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Today’s workshop consisted majorly of me learning how to use Premiere Pro CC.

This is completely out of my depth as I have never really so practically worked with film before.

I like the idea of film, I like that you can capture so much more than a singular image or snapshot, you can capture an entire moment through this medium.

But with that comes a lot of room for error.

My comfort zone spans about as far as PhotoShop and InDesign CC, as my preferred field is print publication.

I’m learning that Premiere is quite similar to these, however it has it’s great differences which is honestly very intimidating.

I’m excited to see what I’ll be able to produce for my Project Brief 2, and hopefully I can reflect myself through mediums that I generally wouldn’t use.

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