The main problem we had with this exercise was to get complete silence in the background whilst we recorded ur sounds. Even when we thought the environment was relatively quiet, when listening to the recordings we could definitely hear the background noises including people talking in the distance, walking up stairs and shutting doors. These background sounds were so much more evident when listening back on the recordings compared to when actually recording them.

Our most successful recordings were those in the bathroom; including flushing the toilet, the hand dryer, closing the door and running the tap. This was due to two reasons. One being that no one was in the facility when we recorded the sounds so therefore there was no background talk, walking sounds or anything else to interrupt, and secondly because the tiles and general feel of the bathroom created an echo atmosphere so the sound was crisp, clear and loud.

The best solo recording would have to be the coffee beans being poured into the glass container above the coffee machine. This was such a raw, clear and distinctive sound that was super successful.

 

I remember in about year 8, a few girls in my class had an app on their phones that produced such a specific high pitched noise that the teacher couldn’t hear it. They would play the same pitched ring on repeat during class and we would be laughing in hysterics (as you do in year 8, find everything funny) because the teacher legitimately couldn’t hear anything. I found this so amazing. I didn’t understand that what we hear can actually change as age increases and there actually are certain pitches that people above a certain age can’t physically hear.

According to this YouTube video by ‘AsapSCIENCE’, specific pitches can actually be heard by different ages, and it proves that the older you are, the less Hz are able to be heard.

8000 Hz = everybody

12,000 Hz = Under 50

15,000 Hz = Under 40

16,000 Hz = Under 30

17,000 Hz = Under 24

19,000 Hz = Under 20

 

I tested this on my mum who is 50 and she could only hear up to 12,000 Hz, nothing higher.

 

John Cage was an American composer and during the post-war avant-garde, he was one of the leading figures. He is considered to be one the most influential and inspiring composers according to specific critiques, and to this day his absence of deliberate sound piece titled 4’33” remains on of the most unique experiences ever to be heard in music. The composition 4’33” actually stands for 4 minutes and 33 seconds of absolute silence, during that time the audience are able to take in and become fully aware of their particular environment at that current time.

 

What I was trying to achieve and explore in my video was how the mundane can be edited to the extent that it looks and sounds so interesting and exciting.

I took everyday activities including making a cup of tea, playing guitar, and listening to the train go by outside my back fence and put them together in a slow paced, montage inspired structured sequence to create an authentic interpretation of my life. I decided to title the piece ‘the joys of life’ because I do believe that although every day activities can become tedious, boring, repetitive and extremely mundane, if you really take time to think about how important these things are to you and how much they define you as an individual, they become so much more than just every day activities and hobbies. These editing techniques were chosen so viewers can take time in realising that although quite basic and at times tedious activities, they all make me who I am and bring joy to my life. Hopefully then viewers are able to reflect back on their own lives and realise that it’s the small things in life that count and make us who we are as an individual, ultimately making them want to live their lives to the fullest and appreciate everything they have and live for.

The most successful part of my self-portrait was the recording of the train going past my back door. This was because it was so authentic and exactly how I hear it every day. Living right on a train station took a bit of getting use to, at the beginning not being sure if there was an earthquake or a thunder storm coming, however I now find it quite settling and almost therapeutic. It definitely plays a part in who I am as it re-assures me I am not alone even though at times I may physically be alone at home or just feel alone, that the public is right there behind me.

The least successful part was the title as it skimmed the screen so quickly and it set up a rushed feel for the rest of the video. This could easily be fixed for next though with a more basic effect rather than ‘crawl’ which is what I used. ‘Still’ would have been the better option.

 

“…media is inspiration, people being able to inspire people’.

 

Yes, David Gauntlett, it sure is.

I personally know that I’m inspired by the media. I’ve seen many films that have left me inspired, many TV broadcasted stories, lots of music, concerts, radio stories; there is lots and lots of inspiration being spread around the media world and allows ordinary people to be inspired to achieve greatness in their own lives.

Specifically, I was flicking through television programs the other night and stumbled upon the premier episode of ‘Long Lost Families’. Without having heard any background information as to what it was entirely about, I began watching it. The whole concept is essentially family members re-connecting with each other after years and years of trying to find them. Little did I know within 2 minutes into the program I’d be in absolute hysterics, a complete crying mess. What really inspired me though with not only this particular episode but with the program in general, is one of the hosts, Ahn Do. I read this autobiography ‘The Happiest Refugee’ a few years ago and was absolutely moved with his story mainly because he is so happy all the time (being a comedian too) I was just so shocked and it was unexpected to hear from his own words what he and his family went through. He is such a compassionate, loyal and sympathetic host because he can actually relate with most people’s stories, and family means so much to him (as it does to a lot of us too).

When Ahn Do would tell a family member that they have found the missing other half, the individual’s faces would light up and it was just so emotional. Seeing Ahn Do cry with happiness after seeing the individual’s cry with mixed emotions was just amazing and that really inspired me to not only be so thankful for my family and what we have, but also inspired me to never give up, just as these people had done – they never gave up on finding their loved ones, even after such a long period of time.

 

And of course Beyoncé continues to inspire me every day. #queenbey

 

 

Until this lesson I have never heard of a haiku poem, and even when learning about it, didn’t understand the idea behind the structure and content within different haiku poems. After researching them I found that they are actually beautiful and give people an opportunity to express their feelings towards their surroundings, environment or just general emotion through poetry. The 5 – 7 -5 structure is also a nice way of doing it because it allows freedom and flexibility as it doesn’t necessarily have to rhyme, just fit within the syllables.

My favourite poem however are acrostic poems, mainly because they remind me of childhood. These were my classes favourite poems to do back in early primary school and since then they have had the ability to remind me of how much fun and care free school activities were back then. Our imagination as children was incredible, I definitely know that personally I had a pretty wild, crazy and creative imagination and ideas.

When I think upon these times it makes me happy, warm inside and a bit sad as I wish we could go back to it.

 

I don’t know why, but some people in the world like to make it sound as if media and devices are bad, scary, and ruining children’s life and development. Every time a new device is released, there are media stories everywhere entirely circulating and emphasising the fact that it’s bad and powerful and society should be worried.

Specifically, there was an episode of ‘Sunday Night’ that aired late 2015 about children complaining, screaming and throwing tantrums when devices such as iPads and iPods were taken away from them while they were playing with them. The footage shown throughout the episode portrayed several children aged roughly around 2 – 5 in distress after their parents took away their devices. Through editing techniques combined with music, the ‘bad’ and ‘scary’ aspects that these devices bring out in children is heightened to an extent that even I was convinced that they really were bad.

What the episode essentially forgot to mention was that anything taken away from a young child will cause that reaction. If a soft toy was taken away from them – they would most likely be in distress. If Lego was taken away from them – same reaction. If dolls, balls or any other forms of entertainment were taken away from a small child, aged specifically between 1 – 5, they would definitely feel distressed and could definitely cause them to cry, scream, and have a tantrum; the same reaction caused when an iPad is taken away. The media, in this situation television programs, heighten stories so much and manipulate them, convincing their audiences of the dangers of such events and activities (e.g)

Unfortunately I was unable to locate the specific Sunday Night episode I referred to therefore the link isn’t included in this blog

We can all admit than technology, for the better or worse, is taking over society before our eyes. We can either learn to except it, or choose to ignore it’s power. Personally I believe that technology development isn’t scary at all, rather exciting. There is so much to look forward to and technology and the media in general keep us all on our toes, discovering new technologies all the time.

Every time I walk past a bus stop or am waiting on a platform to catch a train, nearly everyone, and I mean everyone, is either looking down at their phone, or has their earphones in. To some, this is frightening as older generations believe that young children and adolescence these days will have no social skills and less opportunity for social interaction physically. I don’t believe this is the case. Being on social media is meant to connect individuals with each other, creating a larger opportunity to socialise. One may be on their phone texting a friend as they are planning where to meet up for lunch. How is that being anti social? To me, that sounds like being more social.

 

Photo Source: http://d1udmfvw0p7cd2.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/b-phonebills-a-20151020.jpg, date accessed 18/3/16

Even though it’s very hard to believe considering those communities in third world countries wouldn’t have a toothbrush let alone a phone, I believe it 100%.

A few years ago I travelled to Nepal – specifically, about a 40-minute drive out of Kathmandu, to volunteer at a primary school. One of the activities we did with the children was teaching them how to brush their teeth. We sat outside in a big circle and handed out toothbrushes. When each child had their toothbrush ready, we demonstrated how to put the toothpaste on and how to brush each tooth, as well as the gums and tongue. The kids loved this activity, which isn’t even an activity rather a chore we have done every since we have had teeth. They were amazed and most of them had virtually never even heard of a toothbrush let alone use one.

The road conditions were awful with dirt and bumps everywhere, and the buildings we past everyday looked as if they were about to fall down, all of which had citizens just sitting out the front of them. There was an astonishing amount of poverty which was confronting, but despite all this poverty and extremely poor living conditions, almost every second person I saw was holding a smart phone or some sort of electronic device.

How is it possible that adults, even children I saw, even have these electronic devices when they have never even heard of a toothbrush? This instantly indicates just how much power the media and devices has these days, so much so that people have them in third world countries and don’t have a toothbrush. Amazing. I don’t know whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s reality and learning to accept that is all we can do. Seeing it firsthand was amazing though, a massive eye opener.