LIZZY IS DOIN' THIS

This weeks focus on sound has got me thinking about how sound effects what we hear. I really like lyrically poetic music, and the way certain lyrics can help to paint pictures or transport you to a completely different time or place. Although that’s a very personal thing that will differ person to person. So instead of using that as an example, I got thinking about things or places, other than music, which use sound to get a point across. So I look to radio. Obviously radio needs to utilise sound to even become more than a pen to paper thing, to become something that can be experienced by almost all. Radio is worldwide, but a program that really sticks out in my memory as being one that is edited in such a way that it draws you right into the story, the place, the people; is Triple J’s Hack program. “Shoving the J in journalism”, Hack is a half an hour show that runs every afternoon Monday-Friday, with each episode centring around 2-3 issues and delving into them. The show aims to focus on issues relevant to Australian youths and young adults and stands to be one of the better sound-based projects I’ve ever heard. So here’s todays, for an example of how background and archive sounds are used to transport the listener to where the stories are unfolding.

“Today we explore the parts of the Australian story… that we’re NOT proud of. We explore the meaning of the Cronulla Riots and our relationship with Indigenous Australia. With guest Joe Hilderbrand and Shannan Dodson.”

“Texts are the material traces that are left of the practice of the sense-making – the only empirical evidence we have of how other people make sense of the world.” – Brian Morris, week 7

What is a text, and what is textual analysis in media studies; and where does the textual analysis tradition come from? These are some of the questions Brian attempted to indulge us with the answers to throughout this weeks lecture. Textual analysis rose as the response to two concerns, 1) the study of effects (cause and effect) and, 2) a mid 20th century turn against the idea that everything is ‘good’, are there other ways we can look at certain texts?

It is through textual analysis that people can pull apart the cultural meanings and signs hidden within any one text. As Alan McKee said in 2003, “text” is just “a convenient term for all of the elements of culture”. It’s through all of this that we come to the understanding that textual analysis isn’t about determining whether or not any one text is right or wrong, but this form of analysis is more concerned with the methodology around what the text can do in the way of sense-making of the world it is produced.

Textual analysis relies on the assumptions humans make when they see certain signs or signifiers, and what these assumptions say about the person, and the world around them in which certain texts are made within.

Jasmine then talked to us about the affordances of sound. I thought that this was a great lecture about how important sound can be in telling or re-telling a story. I learnt a bit about aural semiotics and the way sound creates and gives perspective in a piece, determined by what sounds are granted priority through the use of figure, ground and field sounds.

Project Brief 3, a portrait of someone else. This project brief fell in line with some unprecedented life issues which, in turn, have left me here, late on a Sunday night, finishing up this assignment so as to hand in something I’m not 100% happy with just to reach a deadline. It’s my own fault, and I guess I’m glad I’m in this position now because I definitely don’t want to be in it again.

In my third Project Brief I used my housemate, Bianca, as my subject – she has an infectious energy that is unparalleled in most humans I meet. Enthusiastic, bubbly, open, she was next in line after my original subject had pulled out. But as soon as the cameras were on, her persona and voice inflections changed dramatically. This really threw a spanner in the works for my original idea, which was to have her tell a story, which I would play over a mix of found and original footage. This isn’t what happened because a lot of the conversation I ended up with, after a night and morning of filming were unusable. Even with the use of cheat sheets with reminder topics on them, what was left was just too much of my voice trying to lead the conversation. I had never factored in to my schedule that some people react differently in front of the camera and had left no time to re-film. I guess it’s just a lesson about collaboration; you can’t rely completely on others – because people are different. Working with someone means working around people’s weaknesses and finding their strengths – something I didn’t give myself enough time to do.

Up until this Project Brief I had just dismissed filming and editing as things I didn’t like to do, but this is only because I didn’t know how to do them. I have the ability to create pieces of media that I am proud of, even though I haven’t made that obvious in my work so far, and with a bit of time management and an open mind I will be able to learn the skills to create something exciting, original and ‘me’. Unfortunately Project Brief 3 wasn’t the one.

 

Stock footage and audio:

NATURE’S HALF ACRE

By National Archives and Records Administration

Published 1951

https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.5832

This week we had a chance to have a look at everyones PB3’s. Going around the room there was some seriously good work. Some stand-outs for me were Sally‘s insight into her friend Tom and Tim‘s PB3 about his Mum in which he seamlessly used the voice over technique I was hoping to use (but I failed miserably). We were also given a chance to critique and praise each others work in small groups by using the ‘hat’ system.

RED HAT: initial instinctual response

GREEN HAT: potential creative possibilities

YELLOW HAT: something you liked about the piece

BLACK HAT: negative response

Some of the feedback I gave Sally was: ~RED HAT~ the audio component of the piece really worked well, which complimented the fact that her project was about sound/music, also her found footage components really worked well. ~GREEN HAT~ Sally could have used more footage of Tom actually speaking to the camera because, the parts where we did see him speaking, it had the feeling of comfort or familiarity, obviously showing that his personality isn’t influenced negatively when in front of a camera (or on stage). ~YELLOW HAT~ the black and white effect given to Sally’s footage not only made the film flow well from original to found footage, but also shaded the piece nicely, giving it a feel of an old music documentary or something similar. ~BLACK HAT~ I honestly could not think of a black hat to give Sally’s PB3!

We were then divided ~randomly~ into our groups for our Project Brief 4 assignment! I was placed in a group with Alex and Julia, I’d never worked with either of these two before, but they also weren’t strangers so I’m really glad for the opportunity to get to know them a bit more and work with some new humans. We were given the media ‘idea’ INSTITUTIONS. So here goes.

This weeks lectorial was split into two parts, in the first we were told about library researching techniques. At first I wasn’t sure if this lecture would be beneficial at all ~ how hard can searching a data base be??? We’re digital natives right?! ~ but it actually was. I learnt a few handy skills relevant to searching specifically the RMIT Library database, skills I will use when researching future assignments.

We also then talked about collaboration, in preparation – I assume – for our PB4 in which we will be required to work in groups to present a media portrait of an IDEA. We talked about what collaboration can achieve, the strengths and limitations of collaborating, some tips for creating effective and successful collaborative projects and some approaches to it.

I thought that our Lectorial was interesting and it got me thinking about some collaborations I know and like. I’ve mentioned earlier about my love for music ~ especially hip hop ~ a genre in which collaborating in all of it’s forms is very evident. Whether that be rappers and DJ’s working together to create a song or album, artists working together with musicians to create video clips, posters or merchandise. So here are a few of my favourite hip hop inspired collabs…

^Kanye featuring Rakim, KRS-ONE, Nas and DJ Premier (2007)

^This band, One Day is made up of a bunch of m8s who are all in other bands like Horrorshow, Spit Syndicate, Jackie Onassis, and Joyride’s solo ventures. Works out alright, right?

^Do I even have to tell you?

^Kendrick and Drake

~PEACE~

Sound is so important to our consumption of media, and our creation of media. It’s is probably the most important element of tying together any story or edited piece of footage but is often forgotten about because it isn’t ~seen!. The thing is, when sound is done well, we don’t notice it but when it is missing from a piece or not perfected it is hard to look beyond. I am not musically talented in any way but sound is an imperative part of my days. There’s not a moment in my life that passes without me having a soundtrack playing in my headphones or my head. Music, and what is means to me and how it’s affected my life has been and will always be really important to me.

We were given a chance to experiment with a Zoom H2/N recorder during the second part of our workshop today. Justin and I went out into the world and had a play around. It was a great exercise to get out there and experiment with our levels and how outside noises can affect our end product. This is a big thing to think about heading into the production of our PB3, and how we’re going to need to think about our filming locations to we can limit the amount of outside noises or disruptions that could affect our product.

OVER AND OUT

Today is my birthday. I went out for breakfast at one of the best, most innovative and delicious cafes in Melbourne IMO. Little Big Sugar Salt is owned by one of my friends and not only is it great at doing things that can be ingested, such as hip hop inspired sandwiches, like the Lil Kimchi, and tea such as A Chai Called Quest (thanks to the homies over at Homie-T ~ check it) they’re also really, really good at using the powers of social media to get their name and what they do out there! Never before have I seen a cafe whose online presence is almost as good as actually being there and eating the food IRL (too many internet abbreviation rn? Nah) Here’s a picture that I posted onto Instagram about being in LBSS that they then re-posted onto their Instagram. HEAVY.

This weeks Lectorial was very information heavy. We were introduced to our Project Brief 3 ~ in which we are required to edit together 2 minutes of original and found footage (from archive.org etc) to create a media portrait of someone other than ourselves ~ someone we know. Some ideas started flowing, especially with the examples of everyones PB2’s fresh in my mind from yesterday. I like the fact we’re encouraged to use stock footage, this requirement gives us a great opportunity to practice our editing skills in using footage other than our own to enhance and convey the messages and feelings we want to create in our PB3. Immediately I was thinking of the examples of voice overs used in peoples PB2’s to enhance their footage ~ and thinking of ways I could do this with images and script in my PB3…. I also need to start thinking about who I could do it about.

Brian then talked to us about reading and getting the most out of doing so in regards to critical and analytical skills. He mentioned the usual stuff, like highlighting, annotating, breaking it up (and then dooooooown) and even skim reading as all methods and actions that help to digest material and ideas a little better. It reminded me that, although it may seem silly to tell us to do these things, they seriously help! And it’s great to be reminded. I know, that for me to be able to truly read something in a way that will make sense to me and stick with me in the long term, I have to skim read, highlight and annotate as I re-read and then re-note and re-phrase all of the elements that I eventually want to use.

Today we presented our Project Brief #2’s in the workshop and were given the opportunity to give and receive some really great feedback, while we got a chance to check out what everyone else had produced. There was some seriously great, creative and inspiring stuff from the whole class.

Showing up to class and realising that my work would be on display for everyone to see was a really nerve-racking experience though, and as the presentations moved from table to table, slowly edging towards my table  ~ the nerves were palpable.

Some of the feedback I received on my PB2 was that the movement elements I used to infer transience worked well, and that my voiceover at the end of the footage tied everything together well. The feedback I received was much better than I expected of my work so that was a nice feeling.

There were some seriously great works presented from the rest of the class, from the technically elite to the ones that really carried a sense of self, the PB2’s covered a wide range of styles and expertise but they were all there – so they were all great. Some of the highlights for me, of others work was Jarrod‘s ~ whose use of voiceover was flawless and conveyed great emotion about his move to the big city, and how far he feels from his roots in country NSW; Sally’s use of original music was incredible! Her love for all things sound really shone through her work; Alex’s use of editing in that mirror shot; Julia‘s piece felt really homely and made me definitely hungry; and I felt that Justin‘s work had a real essence of himself within it which is noticeable throughout his Instagram presence too ~ a skill every media producer needs to have and one he does.

Some of the things I noticed about my own work when it was shown on the big screen, and heard through proper speakers was that I should have endeavoured to film all of my shots in the same frame ~ something I didn’t even think about until the presentation! I also need to work on my audio levels, because the element in which I used my voice over at the end was much louder than the other ambient sounds I used throughout the piece.