Going out and using the camera was such an epiphany for me. I have used cameras and sound equipment many times before but wasn’t at all sure what I was actually doing. Talking through what white balance does and different functions within the camera helped me understand the process of setting up a shot and how you can eliminate difficulties in post production and editing. It was really helpful to know how long it takes to set up a shot and understand your blocking in order to create accurate run sheets on shooting days.

Another thing I noticed was how important blocking is within a shot. The aesthetics of the actual location go hand in hand with the actor within the shot and where they will positions themselves and how they will move and converse. Different focal lengths and camera positions enable different meaning and can focus an audience on a particular aspect of a character or action.

I found that when I was setting up a shot like in our first exercise (i.e. no subject in shot), a certain amount of chaos within a shot was interesting and the background becomes the object and focal point of the shot. However once a subject or person is put within a shot the background can becomes to overwhelming and the subject is lost. This obviously can be the desired affect in some cases, if you want to create a busy scene have you actor morph into a sea of landscape and people, but when you don’t want this, the actual location becomes really important in isolating or capturing the character and to appropriately defining what you want in the character.

This Tuesday’s class saw us film shots to edit, and once again this forced me to think more attentively about how to block and capture the shot. We found that to keep continuity flowing, we need to make sure the blocking had be planned before filming has started and we need to know each camera position and when each shot will occur between the duration of the blocking. It definitely made me think that the more amount of shots we have will enable an easier editing process and a more fluid transition of movement within the different shots.

So far, I’m very glad I’ve chosen this studio. The practical component and activities have been the more useful than anything I’ve learnt in uni so far. The broad outline of filmmaking as a practice seems to be the general overview of this particular class and I’m excited to get a good grasp on how to conduct myself as a professional filmmaker. I’ve never learnt a lot about how to use cameras and it professional practices within a film set. What I’d really be interested in learning about is colour grading and post production techniques that adjust the aesthetics of the shot. As well as that, I’m really intrigued by a few different camera techniques; the zoom/reverse tracking shot is one that I’ve seen multiple times and even though it can come across in a sometimes sloppy or amateur way, I’d be very interested in learning how to make the shot work in different contexts. I think in terms of considering the briefs of this particular studio I want to learn how to better myself in the technical side of filmmaking. I don’t mind if we don’t learn to develop story or script but I’d like to know how to convert something from a page and interpret it to the screen. In order to do this a certain amount of creativity is needed to envision a shot but also the technical abilities to master and actually produce the shot, e.g. lighting, blocking, camera movements (I’d really like to learn how to do a tracking shot with a dolly). By the end of the semester, I would like to have a reel of shots or clips that show my ability to capture an aesthetically creative shot, and show my ability to take words from a page and make them into images on a screen.

As a part of my reflection i have chosen 5 posts that I believe best deomonstrate my understandning of the course and my ability to connect with and learn from the key concepts. My 5 posts include here are as follows

Blood in The Gutter – Tutorial Week 4

Tutorial Week 6 – Sound

Project Brief 3: ‘Pippa’

Lectorial Week 8 – Narrative

Lectorial Week 11 – Remixes

I’ve chosen these 5 posts as I believe they all represent an element of my learning in terms of developing and gaining a deeper understanding. Each of these posts have evidence of a new concept I have gained wider knowledge and understanding on. For example in the post that reflects my project brief 3 video, I learnt to identify the pros and cons of the work i created. A deeper level of critical evaluation was learnt and applied during this part of the semester.

Throughout this semester I’ve learnt a lot about myself and my own learning processes and practices. I found the lectorials relatively thought provoking and challenging in terms of pushing myself and my ability to think more broadly about media practices. In the lectorial that focused on remixes specifically I learnt a lot about the media discipline in terms of appropriations and taking on new meaning, this is a concept that was fairly new to me and I was able to think more deeply about and expand upon this as a specific element in media.

As mentioned previously I’ve learnt about my learning capabilities and how I learn as a student specifically. I’ve found that I am much more of an individual learner but I respond well to others around me. I am able to collaborate ideas and develop practices with others and this helps me in progression with my studies. However I find that when it comes to assignments and written work, I am more capable working on an individual basis.

The most challenging elements of the course was the final and ongoing project brief 4 group assignment. I found the project itself difficult to grasp and quite different from what we were doing for the majority of the semester (in terms of assignments). The component of group work was also very difficult to organise and maintain, and I found myself unable to keep on track with the work as all my group members were at different points of the assignment at different times. I found that being able to keep the group on track and progressing was my main challenge, however I learnt a lot from this assignment and was able to complete an artefact all members were happy with.

In terms of creative practices, I’ve learnt this semester that one needs to be inspired to create media. In my own experiences in the last 13 weeks all medias that I’ve pushed myself to create, whether it be a blog post or a clip for a project brief, if they have been forced I don’t create such good work. I need to be constantly inspired, whether it be through the readings or content in the lectorials, or videos and films I have watched. I find that it isn’t hard to be inspired, but I need to force myself to find that inspiration, rather than to force myself to create or produce something.

Here is a ‘Learning Graph’ which highlights different aspects of my learning across the semester.

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the context and expectations of the assessment declaration.

(URL;http://www.rmit.edu.au/student/assessment/declaration 

For our last tutorial we began to finish up our final draft/edit of our artefact for project brief 4. Our podcast comprises so far of three sections on different areas of sound, we link these together through the discussions we have that particular sound element. My area on podcasts in the education system has sources information from the featured interview presented. My interview is with RMIT lecturer Dr. Olivia Guntarik as she shared her knowledge and professional opinions on podcasts as a learning tool.

So far we have a fairly long edit of our final podcast that will need to be condensed down to about 12 minutes (i.e about 4 minutes each). With the inclusion of a small ad and brief description and introduction to our interviewee this is difficult to do. Im finding it hard to consolidate all the information and interview responses and to edit out all irrelevant content. Im finding most of the content quite necessary and relevant however i don’t want it to bore our intended audience.

For our last tutorial we also completed a class survey and discussed the final 20% assignment criteria (the blogs) as a part of our reflective journal. Finally at the end now!

As a part of my research for project brief 4 I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts to get ideas of how to set up and formulate our own podcast. Radio is one that I’ve come across that is really well crafted. It follows an scientific and morality based subject that discusses many different topics such as ‘colour’ and ‘time’ and discuss these on different levels. It was very helpful listening to these podcasts specifically. I found that I could relate a lot of my research to how they presented their research on episodes of radio lab. What struck me was the textured and layered elements of there podcasts, they used an array of sounds an voices, different interviewed people and many elements that varied the sound of the podcast. What I’m most worried about in terms of my group’s podcast, is that we will create a bland or dry podcast that regurgitates information to the audience. I really enjoyed radio lab and the diverse way it engaged me as a listener. I didn’t understand the great difficulty in creating such a well crafted podcast.

The part i enjoy most about radio lab and that i hope to appropriate is that the information featured in the podcast is of a highly knowledgeable field, however for audiences it is easily understood and easily taught. I hope that our podcast is half a innovative as Radio Lab’s podcasts are.

I’ve also really enjoyed podcast from This American Life, Triple J podcasts and Criminal and like Radio Lab, hope to draw elements of them to our own podcast.

Today’s lectorial was centred around Media Materialism in which Dan showed us this video below. It was a long and at first confusing video. I found myself annoyed by it and questioning it in the lectorial. It featured a robot who developed a conscious and the ability to question, think and feel beyond its original functions. To me i look at this video and think of science fiction, something made up and something that is childish and annoying. However evidently this is a possibility of the future, we already use computer to match us up on dates, and telectronic toothbrushes to brush our teeth, whats next? New technologies and intelligences are being developed all the time, and to think of a robot like this may not be far out of the question. The short video reminded me of Spike Jonze’s Her, and the protagonists relationship with his software intelligence. Are we now having relationships with our technologies and is this our future? Who the hell knows? I suppose its not far off people sleeping, eating and living on and with their phones.

From one of the readings this week a thought remained with me that once a technology reaches its use by date, it is finished, and a new technology comes along in a speedy succession. We need to know when technology reaches it use by date, when we need to update and when something is no longer keeping its function. However functionality is up to its user anyway, technologies may and do take on different functions, and this is every changing. It almost scares me to think where these advancements take us in the future, i think the aim is to be aware of these advancements and to think about their repercussions.

source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-pF56-ZYkY

After a brief moment of panic, my group decided to change our Project Brief 4 artefact to a website…and then back to a podcast. I think we were rattled by the thought that we may not be able to present and communicate all of our research and findings into a podcast. However we ultimately decided that a website would be a lot more work and would mainly distract us from the objective of the assignment, and would leave us off track anyway. Although there is the risk we may not present our findings effectively, we must aim to create clear and direct questions in our interviews they communicate our prior research. I have been stressed out in the last week in terms of this assignment as i’ve found it difficult to devople my ideas and resseach further. However after the tutorial today and another meeting with my group we have a clear indication of where our artefact is heading. At this stage i will be interviewing a University lecturer and directing questions that ask how podcasts are used in terms of educational tools. I have written a script and sample questions based on my research, that will aim to elicit the responses needed to create my part of the podcast segment. My other group members will also conduct their interviews in the coming week and we will all come together to edit and create our podcast. Hopefully in the the coming week we will be able to gather all of our work and produce a concise first edit of our final podcast.

This week’s lectorial was based around the idea that no media is original and that new meaning needs to be applied to older content in modern production. I have begun reading a book called My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff and her experiences of reading the book Catcher in the Rye. This book is an autobiography, however it is an adaptation in terms of its links to Catcher in the Rye, and it is a genre book and coming of age story that audiences have seen time and time again. However it is a great example of remixed media and its ability to still have great relevance and importance in the media community. Rakoff has won The Goldberg Prize for Jewish Fiction by Emerging Writers and has the ability to produce inspiring writing/poetry even if her work is argued as a remixed. After Dan’s lectorial on Tuesday I’ve been thinking about all the films, narratives, books and songs that I love, and it’s hard to think of any of them as truly ‘original’ pieces. In my aim to produce and create films and narratives, I will need to think of an original method to appropriation and using my influences in an innovative way. I can already see that the work I have produced, heavily influences directors such as Joe Swanberg and the Duplass brothers. In order to be ‘original’ I will need to give change and new meaning to my influence’s styles and techniques.

In this week’s lectorial, Dan was focused on remixes and the ideas based around original and unoriginal media. How can we differentiate between the two when almost everything that is made in modern media is heavily derived from past influences. The phrase “creation requires influence” said by Kirby Ferguson in this weeks reading was particularly interesting to me. Almost every idea or thought has been made or created before, but it is the reconfiguration and transformation of these original ideas, that gives new meaning and requires creativity. It is extremely hard to not be influenced by past artists or film makers in the production of films, as everything can be placed in familiar genres and subgenres. I personally believe its extremely important to derive information and influence from past sources. Often older techniques, narratives, actors etc, employ a new meaning and new view point when someone else has remixed their work. The word ‘remixes’ almost gives a bad connotation, as if to say that someone has copied anothers work and used its best elements to recreate. However i believe that remixes are an innovate and creative thing, and are often unintentional. For myself, many genres and techniques are so familiar to me, I wouldn’t even be aware that I am appropriating it, its almost just a reflection of the times I am living in and the society I’m apart of. I think the most important part when talking about remixes is that when doing so, a new meaning or technique needs to be employed in order to not be copying or stealing. Many of the best films in history have been some sort of remix, whether it be a sequel, re-make or adaptation. When it really comes down to it “there is no such thing as an original idea” so we must accept that remixes are part of modern media.

Today’s tutorial was further developing Project Brief 4. It was really helpful to present our findings so far to the class, as it forced us to formulate a concrete outline. Having all our group members together and discussing our brief was thought provoking and progressive in terms of what we are going to do. We are have decided on a more direct line of action, creating a podcast that will be divided into 3 parts. Each of us will direct one of the 3 sections and present our own findings as well as conducting an interview. We are in the process of writing a script and consolidating our research into questions for an interview. Our segment will reflect on researched podcasts, using a host and sound techniques to create a formal podcast. We have restricted our podcast to 15 minutes, however i feel like it make go for longer as interviews could take more than 5 and then explanations and further research will take more time to explain.

After presenting our Artefact element as a Work in Progress document to the class we were able to get feedback. Some people suggested that we listen to a few specific podcasts such as The American Life, Start Up, Night Vale, Criminal and there are many more i’d like to listen to in the future. This was helpful to us as we were unaware of many popular podcasts and podcast providers.