As I have just moved back to Melbourne after living in Queensland for the last 10 years, things are quickly changing but surprisingly feeling quite normal. Melbourne is just as I remember it with lots going on and everything moving quickly which I love as it is the complete opposite of Noosa. So much to do and so much to see in this big city which I love. Moving across the country can be quite a big thing for anyone and although you are still you, you sort of have to reshape yourself to fit into something new. This might not be a dramatic change but certain aspects of yourself will change. I stumbled across a great article (click here for article) featured on the Huffington Post which lists the 10 reasons you need to move cities in your 20s. Although I am just short of 20 (19) this is still quite relevant and makes some good points. Although it can be daunting moving away from friends and family and what feels comfortable, it is a great adventure, and I feel like anything that feels a little bit ‘risky’ in life will more often than not turn out amazing and will probably be the best thing you ever did.

Today when we received our task sheet for Project 1 – Self Portraits, I must admit I did struggle a little to think of what I want my project to be based around. I have always struggled with revealing myself to others and showcasing myself I guess you could say, but this task made me really wonder what makes up my self? I find myself a caring, compassionate and fun person so I will demonstrate this through my materials somehow. However, showing your qualities or traits is a lot more difficult to convey than things you like or are interested in. I will, however, include both in my series of media. What I really like about this task is that everything is going to be so raw as we are not allowed to edit or manipulate these forms in any way at all. No filters, no cropping or shortening, no nothing. That to me, is quite scary and confronting because I am used to editing things to a certain standard to look a certain way or convey a certain thing. So I think the rawness will be a new style for me and perhaps something to learn from. For the task we are to create a set of media materials; a pair of audio recordings, a small blurb of text, a few photographs and two videos.

During our first lectorial for Media 1, we were introduced to the what we want to learn and how we will learn these things during the course. This was my first class at uni so I was interested to learn about what was going to happen throughout the course. We began with writing a list of 10 things that we want to be able to do/to be better at/to know by the completion of the degree. Here is my list…

1. To learn more about the big world of social media.
2. I want to learn the impact that social media has on us.
3. I would like to learn to use computer programs very well as in editing, filmmaking, etc.
4. More knowledge about the the idea of media and the theory behind it.
5. I would like to create a network of people and places for when uni is over.
6. I want to learn how to find a job and make a career out of the degree in the media industry.
7. How media effects different places and cultures all over the world.
8. I want to know how to connect to an audience and how to make them engaged in what I am doing.
9. I want to gain presentation skills on how to showcase my work.
10. I want to become more confident in what I do as well as my own work; not be afraid to show it off.

As the lectorial went on we continued the discussion, or on our (the students) part, listening to the ways in which we can learn. University differs to high school greatly as it is so much more individual and self driven… We all WANT to be there so learning is easier in a sense, but also more difficult because we have to push ourselves to explore different ways of learning. What I really got out of it is that we shouldn’t be too literal about learning in this course; just because we are told one thing we shouldn’t literally do that. We need to make analogies, practice our learning techniques, repeat these methods over and over again even if we make mistakes or fail sometimes, until we finally get it. It is also about finding processes that work individually, because everyone is different and we all have many different ways of doing everything.

A quote was put on the screen during the lectorial that I found very true and inspiring. On Werner Herzog: “Or per Herzog, who describes himself as a product of his cumulative humiliations and defeats, ‘filmmaking causes pain’.” (A Guide for the Perplexed: Conversations with Paul Cronin, 2014) I found this very relatable to my own feelings of not only filmmaking but anything where you are putting yourself out there, as you can see from my list number 10. It is difficult to put your whole self out there especially your work and what you believe in, but I think that is the fun and excitement of it all. That is what really excites me is that unlike science or business or maths there are no boundaries to Media. I mean really what is Media? Is it an idea or a theory, a space even? To me I think it is more like a movement or something to convey certain messages to certain people. It is scary because there are no boundaries so you have to ask yourself how far can or do you go but that is also very, very exciting!