Engaging with Media 1 through my Blog

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Since I started this course, I have been encouraged to think in new ways and make connections between everything I do in class and the outside world. I think that one of the reasons that I have learnt so much this semester is that our learning is highly practical and relevant to the current media climate.

I believe the following blog posts best demonstrate my engagement with the course, both inside and outside the classroom.

This post is a reflection on my first project brief:

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/emma-armstrong/2015/03/27/self-portrait-what-comes-next/

This post marks a turning point in the way I thought about the editing process, sparked by the course reading “Blood in the Gutter”:

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/emma-armstrong/2015/03/23/blood-in-the-gutter/

This post is made up of my notes from a particularly interesting lectorial on “narrative”, presented by Dan. I have also reflected and made comments throughout:

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/emma-armstrong/2015/05/04/everything-is-story-story-is-everything-narrative/

In this post, I brought back the concept of “noticing” from one of our early lectorials, and used it to think about all the things I had noticed, at different levels, as I worked on a performance I was involved in this semester:

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/emma-armstrong/2015/05/16/remembering-to-notice/

Finally, this post is a brief reflection on Vivid Sydney as a new platform for media and design:

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/emma-armstrong/2015/05/30/vivid/

 

And finally, here is my learning graph, which illustrates my development in…

  1. Learning about making media objects
  2. Working independently in unfamiliar ways
  3. Thinking critically and creatively
  4. Thinking about the value of the Media blog (all over the course of this semester)

20150605_113801-1

Final Course Reflection

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I’m not sure what I expected coming into Media 1, but the content covered and the assignments I’ve worked on have definitely surpassed anything I could have predicted. Over the course of semester, I’ve had the chance to develop my skills in a range of areas, working with new technology, learning to engage with the filmmaking process from conceptualisation to the finished product (and all the filming and editing in between), collaborating with others and conducting academic research. This learning experience, punctuated by my work on each of the four project briefs, has been very rewarding, especially in the moments when I finally saw my work coming together.

I experienced a change in thinking when I was editing my work for brief 3. I was watching the half-finished video I had created, and thinking about the different filming techniques and transitions we had discussed in class. I realised the difference this new knowledge made in being able to visualise how I wanted the final video to look and in putting into words the features I wanted to highlight in my work. Since then, I have been noticing these elements in commercials, television shows and movies and reflecting on the effects of each of these stylistic choices.

I have discovered this semester that I learn best by doing. At the start of the semester there were times when I was stuck for ideas, but just by getting started on something, even if it turned out that the something was later scrapped to start again, at least I had something to work from. This is what sparked ideas, and it was an amazing realisation to have about my own way of learning and working.

Given my very limited experience filming and editing, the most challenging aspect of this course was translating my ideas into film. There were times when I knew exactly what I wanted to illustrate on screen, such as the concept of yin & yang as the basis for my self portrait, but I did not yet have the technical skills to edit towards that visual. At times, this was quite frustrating for me, but I managed to work around it to produce a final product I was proud of. I hope that as I grow as a media maker I will be able to find creative solutions to the challenges I face.

In Media 1, I discovered that filmmaking is a very personal activity because I’ve seen my personality come through my work. I also realised that my creative practice involves working towards my original ideas, and weaving in new ideas as they arise. For example, I had a concept for my self portrait, but as I was editing I saw gaps in my work so I thought of new ways to illustrate key aspects of my personality. I believe these “afterthoughts” are the best features of my work, because with them I targeted what was previously missing.

I look forward to learning and overcoming new challenges next semester!

Brief 4 Final Reflection

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On the day that we formed groups and were assigned the task of creating a “Media Artefact” for Project Brief 4, I have to admit I was quite lost. It took me a long time to wrap my head around how we were going to use academic research to produce something that was both creative and meaningful. The media idea “texts” is inherently broad, and while we thought this would serve as an advantage, it actually caused us some confusion. On the bright side, there were also a lot of interesting topics for us to explore that also happen to be incredibly relevant to today’s changing media climate.

At the beginning of the process, we had several ideas floating around and not much direction for any of them. After further research and working to improve and combine these ideas, we finally settled on a topic we were all excited about: textual adaptations. The next challenge was narrowing down the topic area, which was still too broad. We attempted this in several stages, each time taking out some aspect of the work until we whittled away our topic to a core that we could explore in depth. I think that strangely the most successful aspect of the creation process was revealed when someone in the group was having trouble. This prompted us to ask questions to clarify what we were working on, and this not only helped us to come up with new ideas and better approaches to our work, but also highlighted the collaborative strength of our group.

Once we had a solid idea of the work we wanted to include, it was a little problematic deciding how we wanted everything to be presented. We were concerned that we would not be able to efficiently present our learning through a video or audio, so we eventually decided on a website. I think our final work is strong and demonstrative of the hard work we have put in over the semester. The only area I think we could have improved upon is the overall cohesiveness of the final website. There are three core branches we focused our work on: texts, leading into adaptations with a focus on Romeo and Juliet adaptations into a range of mediums, but we could have tied everything together more clearly.

I think the major success of our final artefact is one of the things I was most concerned about at the beginning of the process; the effective integration and application of references into our work. This element of the work fell into place as we watched the different Romeo and Juliet adaptations, and thought analytically about these works. The sources we used provided a highly relevant framework upon which we were able to substantiate our ideas.

As a group, I think Lucas, Rob and I all worked really well together, supporting and expanding on each others’ ideas and ensuring everyone was tasked with something that they had a personal interest in. I also learnt a lot from working with these two talented up-and-coming media practitioners, especially in terms of thinking about and following through with creative ideas. I especially respect the work Lucas and Rob did in filming and editing the adaptations interview with professional dancer Maddie.

At the same time, I was also able to showcase my strength in research and use this to improve the academic rigour of our artefact. Working on this assignment taught me a lot about the characteristics of positive collaboration, and how this can create a platform for elevating individuals’ ideas and highlighting everyone’s best abilities.

During the weeks I spent working on this assignment, I was able to refine my research skills, in particular learning how to use the RMIT library resources. I also developed my ability to perform meaningful analysis on media texts, learning to recognise conventions and techniques in particular works to expand my understanding of media as an area of study. Finally, I discovered a lot about intricacies in the field of media adaptations.

I think that everything I learnt and the skills I developed during the brainstorming, researching, creating and editing stages of this brief will help to inform my future work and studies in media. I believe this is significant because texts are constantly evolving in the fast-paced media industry, and to have a solid understanding of this strand of media is invaluable.

Achieving Goals

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On day 1 of this course, I wrote out 10 goals including things I wanted to learn or achieve over a range of different timelines, so I thought the end of Media 1 would be a good time to check back in and see how much progress I’ve made…

1. The standout qualities employers are looking for in the field of media

This semester we haven’t really talked about what employers are looking for, but I have realised the rigour of work that is expected, and gained a better understanding of requirements for project briefs. I think both of these things will be helpful in the future.

2. The best way (for me personally) to spark ideas that develop into creative approaches to project briefs

I did struggle with this at the beginning of the semester but I found that the two things that worked best for me were a) creating a brainstorm, writing down anything and everything that popped into my mind and b) getting out there and starting to create something, because this always sparked new ideas.

3. Working well in groups

I have had the chance to work in a number of groups in my different classes this semester. Though there were some challenges, I was able to practice resolving them. I also had one great group experience working on brief 4 for media, and this taught me how collaborating with others can help you create something so much better than you could have created alone.

4. Communicating effectively with classmates and lecturers/tutors

I think I have done quite well with this over the semester, and I will continue to work on my communication skills as I progress through my degree.

5. Effectively getting ideas onto paper/developed into a final product

There were times when this was more challenging than others. Again, I found that the best way to create something was just to get something down on paper (or on screen) because it’s easier to make decisions when you have something in front of you rather than just a blank screen.

6. Create a network to open up job prospects

I haven’t really had a chance to work on this much, so I’ll have to revisit it next semester. I have, however, met some wonderfully talented people in my media class, and I think that’s an important step in networking.

7. Understand the context of classroom learning and how this can be applied to jobs internationally

Again, this is something I haven’t given too much thought to because it’s still early days in my degree, but it’s something to keep in mind going forward.

8. How to effectively utilise technology to work on varied media project briefs

I think even from one project brief to the next, my editing skills definitely improved. I also got to film with a proper video camera and sound recorder for the first time, so that was an important step in developing my technical skills.

9. Figure out my postgraduate/career pathway

I have been thinking a lot about this over the course of the semester and I think that after I complete my degree, I would like to continue into a Masters of Marketing. Of course, this could still change between now and the end of my degree…

10. Gain practical experience working with a range of media platforms

I have started to gain experience working with basic software and some new technology, but I am looking forward to working with more high tech programs in the future and experimenting with the available features.

The End of Media 1

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“Because today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups… So I ask, in my writing, What is real? Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing.” ― Philip K. Dick

I read this quote and I knew I had to write something about it.

The concept of “manufacturing reality” scares me as a future media creator. I want to believe that I can tell the difference between what is news and what is make believe, but it seems that increasingly it is harder to trust my senses on this.

The quote above reminds me of the film Wag the Dog, which explores the idea of a filmmaker writing history by creating news of a war that does not exist, to protect a politician. Though it’s fiction, it’s quite scary to think that somebody could have so much power that they could literally create history. I think that after a certain point, it would be out of even the creator’s hands; if something is so ingrained in people’s minds and enough people believe it, it becomes real. It is the very same concept mentioned above of “creating universes of the mind”.

I hope that through my work I can create alternate universes that may help people escape from their lives for a while. But I also hope that people can always tell the difference between reality and imagination, and that the media is never so powerful that we completely lose trust in those feeding us information.

The Next 3 Years…

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After 6 months at university, I feel like I’m in a better place now to make judgments about my expectations and goals for the rest of my degree.

Skills:

  1. This is very broad, but I want to improve my organisational skills. I realised this semester that a lot of my assignments fall at the same time, and I could have made life easier for myself by looking ahead at the assessments calendar and planning accordingly.
  2. I’ve started to work on this already, but I want to continue developing my group work skills to ensure everybody works equally and communicates well to produce quality work.
  3. I have had a taste of working with film equipment and I hope to continue learning through experience.
  4. I plan to improve my editing skills both on iMovie and FinalCut. I think this is mostly a matter of practice, watching tutorials and experimenting with new ideas and techniques.

This semester I have been thinking a lot about how I can make the most of my experience at RMIT during my degree. I think one of the most important opportunities provided is the work attachment scheme and I have already been thinking about what I’d like to do for mine. I’m going to work to find as many relevant attachments as possible over the course of my degree and I hope this will set me apart when I graduate.

Vivid

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Last weekend I went to Sydney to visit some friends, and while I was there I went into the city to see Vivid. It was the first time I had ever been to see the lights show, and I stood and watched in awe, thinking about all the work that must have gone into creating something so imaginative and beautiful.

“Vivid” is a perfect example of taking media elements and placing them in a new context. We see animations everywhere; on television, in movies, video games, electronic billboards… and now the iconic Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The projections really liven up the city for tourists and locals alike. It is hard not to appreciate the beauty of the Opera House lit up with funky colours, patterns and characters, and all the work that must have gone into creating the graphics.

This is where I draw back to Media. Firstly, one really cool think about Vivid is that its main stage is the Opera House, which has such a distinct and recognisable shape, that it poses a new challenge and something a little bit different for the designers of the animations.

Vivid as a concept takes design and animation to a new audience, making it a very public affair. Animation is no longer just something you watch passively on your television screen at home or notice from your car driving through the city, but something that people can gather to see and admire. Their is also enormous hype around Vivid, which means that its reaching more people and creating more of an impact.

And besides, who doesn’t like to take their mind of the world for a while to watch something bright and mesmerising?

Institutions/Audiences/Texts/Mediums/Technologies

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In our tutorial yesterday, we looked at each group’s second draft for project brief 4. It was great to finally see what everyone else had been working on after being so caught up in our own work. A couple of the artefacts that really stood out to me were the following:

Elise and Jack

  • Institutions
  • Gave a clear explanation of what an institution was, then honed in on their topic of classification (connecting to the classification board of Australia)
  • Presented their work as a short 10 minute film explaining the intricacies of the classification system
    • How it works
    • What the different ratings are
    • Challenges facing film-makers today
  • I thought this was a very well executed media artefact that did well integrating academic information, whilst also being creative and interesting

Maggie, Jac and Dusty

  • Audiences
  • Focused on how audiences now interact with the content they watch, and the effect this then has on the media content produced
  • Presented their work in the form of a website, but also created Youtube videos to demonstrate linking to other sources and created an app to view the website easily from a mobile device
    • I thought these ideas were particularly creative because they were highly relevant to their content
    • Teaching about interactivity by creating something interactive

I also liked Gloria, Patrick and Bianca’s work. They created a sound recording with information and interviews with experts in their topic. It was the first assignment presented as a sound recording, and it really changed the way we experienced the artefact, requiring more attention because there was no visual component. Though this work still needed to be edited, I thought it was a really interesting response to the brief.

The “Anthropocene”

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“The Anthropocene represents a new phase in the history of the Earth, when natural forces and human forces became intertwined, so that the fate of one determines the fate of the other. Geologically, this is a remarkable episode in the history of the planet.”

The concept of the “anthropocene” briefly explored in this blog post (one of our readings for week 12), projects the world as being past the stage of saving. In other words, whatever happens now, the damage has already been done. I found the short extract above particularly interesting in light of how much recent discussion there has been about this topic and about “preparing for the end of the world”. Reflecting on the concept, it’s amazing just how many television shows, movies, books and songs have weighed in or focused on the issue. There are shows about “doomsday preppers” and an incredible number of movies and books centred around dystopian worlds in which the world has ceased to exist as we know it.

Though it’s quite confronting to think about, it’s also fascinating to imagine whether any of these imaginative dystopian predictions will come to pass. I think that’s exactly why it is such a popular focus in the media today.