Month / March 2016

by harrietread

Visual Self Portrait – PHOTOGRAPHY

Coffee helps me function and get along with people like a human, so naturally I have a fair bit of it

Coffee helps me function and get along with people like a human, so naturally I have a fair bit of it

Its yum, and makes me feel sophisticated when I feel gross

Its yum, and makes me feel sophisticated when I feel gross

Who doesn't love pizza?? I love the stuff at Pizza Religion, like this pea and prawn pizza

Who doesn’t love pizza?? I love the stuff at Pizza Religion, like this pea and prawn pizza

What can I say? Seeing people for dinner and drinks is a great part of hanging out

What can I say? Seeing people for dinner and drinks is a great part of hanging out

One of my first experiences at RMIT was being handed this little sweet flower by a stranger

One of my first experiences at RMIT was being handed this little sweet flower by a stranger

Food and drink is super important to me in almost every form; I get to eat plus I meet people. Double win

Food and drink is super important to me in almost every form; I get to eat plus I meet people. Double win

by harrietread

Media Texts in Everyday Melbourne

We were greeted at the State Library with large promotional banners hanging in front of the building; the first media text we encountered at the library itself

We were greeted at the State Library with large promotional banners hanging in front of the building; the first media text we encountered at the library itself

An advertisement for the stage show 'The Book of Mormon' was spotted on the tram passing down Swanston St

An advertisement for the stage show ‘The Book of Mormon’ was spotted on the tram passing down Swanston St

Poster for the upcoming 'Batman vs Superman' film opposite the State Library

Poster for the upcoming ‘Batman vs Superman’ film opposite the State Library

Print promotional material is a commonplace media form found in the State Library such as this promo poster

Print promotional material is a commonplace media form found in the State Library such as this promo poster

After books, magazines and other print media texts youd find in a library, the most common form of media we found was marketing media texts such as this promotional poster

After books, magazines and other print media texts youd find in a library, the most common form of media we found was marketing media texts such as this promotional poster

Alot of the media texts we found in the State Library were marketing pieces, such as this one encouraging a social media following

Alot of the media texts we found in the State Library were marketing pieces, such as this one encouraging a social media following

Libraries have always housed print media, from archival documents to marketing posters. Here, there are collections of magazines, old and new

Libraries have always housed print media, from archival documents to marketing posters. Here, there are collections of magazines, old and new

Much of the media provided by the State Library is interactive media, such as tours and guides

Much of the media provided by the State Library is interactive media, such as tours and guides

Here we observe the wild Student; thrown into his unnatural habitat, the wild Student uses Facebook Livestream to connect with his natural world

Here we observe the wild Student; thrown into his unnatural habitat, the wild Student uses Facebook Livestream to connect with his natural world

The library lends out and sells some media forms such as music, film and photography

The library lends out and sells some media forms such as music, film and photography

Most digital media in the library, such as YouTube on this man's computer, is found on laptops, smartphones and computers owned by visitors

Most digital media in the library, such as YouTube on this man’s computer, is found on laptops, smartphones and computers owned by visitors

by harrietread

What is Media?

Our Media 1 class yesterday explored what makes something a media text. Our verdict was that a media text was ‘any piece of media that communicates some sort of meaning.’

We also explored the way in which media, in its development as forms of communication, has made us interconnected and intertwined across the globe. Something that interested me was the shift from a Pre-Modern society to a Modern society.

A Pre-Modern society was the world before access to mass media was possible, wherein we experienced almost everything directly and face-to-face. A Modern society, like the one we are in today, sees us experiencing things through media texts, ranging from maps, books and newspapers to television, radio and phones.

The concept of ‘imagined communities’ was raised in the context of Modern societies. My understanding of them is that they are how media texts and the interconnectivity of communication media and technologies form a sense of community. For example, national newspapers, such as The Australian, help Australians identify as a community even though not everybody knows one another as closely as a smaller, local suburban area would.

Following our discussion of what is media, we were sent out in groups to various parts of the CBD to gather a collection of media texts that are present in our everyday lives; my group was sent to the State Library on Swanston Street, and our collection of media texts will be presented in a follow-up post.

by harrietread

Jeremy Bowtell on Editing in Media

In our Media 1 class yesterday, we began with a presentation from guest speaker Jeremy Bowtell on editing; specifically, in film. For me, editing a film is the best part of filmmaking. I find it a meditative experience, requiring patience as I go back and forth trying to find the right place to cut. What I found interesting in Bowtell’s presentation was this trifecta that contributes to editing in film: Rhythm, Emotion and Story.

Rhythm refers to the technical aspect of editing; does the cut fit into the sequence in a way that fits with or challenges the rhythm of the score or soundtrack, or has a jarring or subtle effect on the audience?

Emotion refers to whether the style and Rhythm of editing evokes a feeling within the audience. For instance, in the gore-filled ‘torture-porn’ horror, Saw, the style of editing in the flashback of Amanda Young instils anxiety, fear and apprehension in the audience through its face-paced, erratic and frenetic style of cuts.

Story is how narrative within a film progresses based on editing. Bowtell provided us with a quote by Edward Dmytryk: ‘Never make a cut without a positive reason.’ This can be referred back to how Story and Editing are intertwined, as Dmytryk is saying that a cut made through editing should be done to allow the narrative to progress in a relevant and efficient manner.

by harrietread

My Take on What Makes ‘the Lord of the Rings’ Iconic

CAUTION: Spoilers ahead

Earlier today I found myself having a conversation with a co-worker studying a degree in business/commerce about what makes films iconic, and found myself dumbstruck at his curiosity surrounding why the Lord of the Rings franchise is ‘iconic,’ ‘classic,’ ‘awesome’ etc.

So I had a quick think to myself: what would allow it to qualify as ‘iconic’ films? What I believe has Lord of the Rings rooted deeply in the culture of film and media includes its capacity for visual gorgeousness and furthermore its concept and storyline.

Firstly, a disclaimer: I have an incredibly biased view considering that LotR is one of my favourite series of all time and I could never get sick of it.

The story itself surrounds the fellowship of the One Ring; friendship, loyalty, courage and compassion are notions that are heavily evoked throughout the story. This spans from Samwise Gamgee’s vow to protect Frodo Baggins in the beginning of their quest in Fellowship of the Ring, to the cathartic closure of their journey in the scene at the top of Mount Doom, following the destruction of the One Ring, in Return of the King. Friendship, love and compassion are elements in the narrative that overpower forces of evil and corruption, which can be seen in how the army of Minas Tirith sacrifices everything against the overwhelming armies of Sauron, to ensure the successful destruction of the One Ring by Frodo in Return of the King. The timelessness of these thematic concerns that can be related to  consistently through human history, such as a sense of comradeship that can be linked to JRR Tolkein’s time in the armyduring the Battle of Somme, contributes to the iconic and timeless nature of the franchise.

Adding onto this, the visual wow-factor of the films are stunning to audiences, as director Peter Jackson’s influence led to much of the film being shot using practical effects, stunts and actors. For instance, a core moment for me in the entire series is the Battle of Helms Deep (The Two Towers) as the battle sequence is almost entirely shot using practical effects. The visual element of battered armour, ornate swords and weaponry mixed with the ghastly faces of orcs and Urukai provoke for the viewer a sense of thrill and excitement, as we are encouraged further to believe in the fantasy onscreen.

The Lord of the Rings is a brilliant series. Of all the films that I have watched, nothing comes as close to home as the original trilogy does. The Hobbit had so much potential, but really didn’t need such unnecessary expansion and tacky, plastic CGI.

by harrietread

Out with the Old, In with the New

With communication medias and technology changing at such a vast and rapid pace, it is interesting to consider how we are changing the ways that we communicate. I am most interested in how we communicate depending on our contexts, whether we may be doing so a personally gratifying sense, or in a professional environment.

When tasked in my New Media, New Asia class to brainstorm in groups what communication is and what forms it takes, we looked at two basic categories: personal use of technologies and media, and professional use.

In a professional sense, whether you are contacting employers, engaging in business, commerce or politics, or even just contacting a professor or teacher, we found that you are more likely to use traditional means of communicating. This includes emails, faxing, verbal telephone calls or even handwritten letters. Conversely, more personal means of communication involve text messaging and a wide range of social media platforms. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Whatsapp and even dating apps such as Tinder, Scissr or Grindr.

What I gathered from these examples is that presently, leading figures such as CEOs, world leaders and the judiciary, as well as teachers, shop owners and various practitioners, are predominantly of an older generation accustomed to a handful of communication methods. Within a few years, that may change. These are figures of a generation predating the mentally stimulating world of 21st century communication technologies; thus, it is far more appealing for them to be approached for things that are formal or professional with formal and traditional methods of communicating. An employer of an office-based job is highly unlikely to hire someone who only communicates with them via texting or Facebook Messenger.

Furthermore, as I myself am a member of Generation Z, I find that I am more comfortable using informal methods of communicating, which often don’t involve any verbal conversation; even now, businesses and organisations are adapting to the rapidly changing world of communication media, with apps and websites being developed such as LinkedIn. I theorise that in the years to come, the formalities of present day communication in a professional sense will relax, and give way to a more informal and casual style of communicating.

by harrietread

The Historical Context and Cultural Shifts seen between The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra

I consider myself an avid fan of the popularised children’s’/teen television show Avatar: The Last Airbender and, more predominantly, the far more mature Legend of Korra. My keener interest in the latter (LoK) is the vast conceptual, narrative and design-based development taken by creators and producers, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. What fascinates me in Legend of Korra is how these factors are inspired by real-world historical and societal contexts, and I sought in this essay to work out why I love it so damn much.

To begin with, let’s look at what divides the two series in Avatar: their settings and societal contexts. The Last Airbender is set in an ancient, barely pre-industrial world, taking a lot of its visual, historical and conceptual inspiration from ancient Chinese history. Legend of Korra retains these historical and social inspirations, however they are recontextualised into a world based on the 1920s-30s in the West. Many fans are critical of the seemingly drastic change of the show’s style as they consider the shift from a near-medieval context to a 20th century setting to be unrealistically fast.

However if we take a closer look at the chronology of the show, the time period between Avatar Aang’s defeat of Fire Lord Ozai in The Last Airbender, and the birth of Avatar Korra in Legend of Korra, spans 53 years. Many consider this to be too short an amount of time for the world to see such immense cultural and technological changes as are seen onscreen. Some may argue that the rate of technological advancement in the Avatar universe far surpasses realistic expectations.  But if we observe history from the late 1800s to the present, we can see that the real world went through a massive amount of change similar to that seen in Legend of Korra.

Industrialisation on a massive scale began as early as the 19th century in Europe. This is referenced in The Last Airbender wherein the Fire Nation is already in a period of industrialisation; yet, the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes still retain almost medieval social values, let alone the capacity for mass industrialisation. This can be seen in The Last Airbender, Book 1, when Katara is initially forbidden from learning to waterbend in combat by the Northern Water Tribe’s strict patriarchal social values.

Adding on to this notion of social values, the end of the First World War gave way to a massive cultural and social shift, the Roaring Twenties, which is reflected in Legend of Korra. An example of a cultural shift across the series is the evident changes in styles of bending, with various techniques blending across elements. This can be seen in the differing earth and metalbending fighting techniques of Toph in TLA and Kuvira in LoK. Toph uses a traditional earthbending style with deep rooted stances and a very clear distinction between when she is being defensive versus offensive. Kuvira, however, earthbends with traditional waterbending techniques, turning an opponent’s attack back onto them in an adaptive and fluid style. This idea that the Great War in the Avatar universe influenced cultural changes down to the way that the elements are bended reflect the cultural changes that occurred in the West following the First World War.

Furthermore, the historical context of the hundred year long war holds similar relevance in how the real world encounter rapid modernization. Tensions within Europe leading up to what became the Great War contributed to massive industrialisation and development of technology such as warships, tanks, automatic guns and artillery. Similarly, as seen in The Last Airbender, the Fire Nation holds a dominant position over the other nations as it has far superior tanks, airships and technology that allow them to hold an upper hand against the less technologically advanced Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom.

But I believe that the ability to bend the elements in the Avatar universe would not only assist in development of technology, but would accelerate its development far beyond what we could ever achieve in the real world. For example, in Legend of Korra Book 1, Chapter 4, it is shown that the firebender Mako uses lightning bending in an industrial job to provide electricity to Republic City. This indicates that in the Avatar universe, not only is the rate of technological and socio-economic advancement realistic, it could easily surpass that of the real world.

Avatar: the Legend of Korra is, from a subjective point of view, is brilliant. It is a brilliantly developed series that has grown from a ‘kids’ cartoon’ to a mature and often challenging show. The narrative itself, in taking cues from historical contexts, provides a clear insight onto history for younger generations, and can also be readily consumed by older audiences as it is visually stunning and elegant.

by harrietread

My take on Katherine Hayes

What I found interesting in Katherine Hayes’ work Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes, was the notion of there being a generational divide in how people learn, behave and act in everyday life. To me,this divide is incredibly clear in everyday society in particular when those predominantly born in Generation Z (1995-2015), (such as myself, as I was born in ’97), are asked to explain how to use 21st century technology and software to older generations, whether it is how to use smartphones to computers and other communication technology.

What I have noticed from explaining the workings of technology to older generations, is that there are different motivations behind understanding how everything works. This correlates with how old the person being explained to is; for me, as a relatively young person, I know that ‘Ctrl+C’ copies and ‘Ctrl+V’ pastes, and that’s all I feel that I need to know. However, older people often feel that they need to know ‘Why do I need to copy this?’ ‘Where does it go when it is copied?’ and for many people of more recent generations, this is unnecessary information; we don’t care where something was copied to, we just need to copy and paste and be done with it.

This analogy holds relevance to the subject of Hyper Attention and Deep Attention because, as Hayes’ evokes in her essay, Deep Attention is cognitively the ‘de facto norm’ for older generations that did not have such mentally stimulating activities available to them. Therefore Hyper Attention is perceived by older generations as ‘defective behaviour’ and not an effective approach to everyday life, let alone education and academia. Yet Hyper Attention is the cognitive approach preferred by younger generations that tend to opt for mentally stimulating activities such as using video games, computer games, and multi-tasking constantly in everyday life.

The divide that I detect between generations in the 21st century is that older generations that are accustomed to Deep Attention are not accustomed to the mentally stimulating nature associated with Hyper Attention, which is a massive part of modern communication technology that Generation Z has practically grown up with.