Week 1 Lectorial Reflection

It was difficult to list ten things I would like to accomplish before I receive my degree as setting goals has never been my forte. Yet they were suddenly popping into my head because I realised how passionately I feel about media and pop culture and how eager I am to soak up all the knowledge I can. They are as follows…

  1. Review television episodes and films in a professional and well educated manner
  2. Deconstruct a director’s choices and the relationship to the films narrative
  3. Learn proper script writing and directorial skills
  4. Deep understanding of the relationship between media forms and the pop culture zeitgeist
  5. Ability to translate media from script to screen
  6. Deeper knowledge and understanding of different equipment and software
  7. Create a network between peers
  8. Learn the career pathways and opportunities that may await me in the future
  9. How to connect with a differing range if audiences through media
  10. Understanding of media jargon

The discussion on hyper and deep attention surprised me not through the excerpt from Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes by N. Katherine Hayles, but the discussion on the topic with other people in the class. I have been aware that the younger generation have become aligned with the hyper attention cognitive styles due the the ease of access to screens and the internet. It is as simple as reaching into your pocket and pressing a button, the distractions are endless and the need to look at a phone when the message tone is heard has become a reflex in a large percentage of the population. Yet I was not aware of how my peers would classify themselves.

I definitely see myself as having a hyper attention, and I assumed my inability to solely focus on a single task was shared amongst my generation yet a few people I talked to were adamant that they had the ability to give deep attention to a task, be that studying of watching a film. This concept seemed so alien to me, with my need to have my computer split screen so I can do two things at once and it made me want to question how students will be taught when there is clearly a huge divide in a class’s cognitive modes. Yet I am ecstatic to be apart of the experience.

 

Week 1 Tutorial Reflection

After fifteen or so months off from studying full time, getting back into the swing of things is a very daunting task. That being said, having my first class of the semester having a similar set up to a high school classroom helped me to begin my ‘academic rehabilitation’. Introducing myself through my favourite movies and television shows allowed for my defining traits (a huge love of TV and film) to be shown to my classmates. Being presented with our first project, a self-portrait consisting of 2 videos, 4 pictures, 2 audio clips and a few hundred words of text, following me having to quickly think of a way to present myself to a room full of strangers was a good introduction to get me in a reflective state of mind. I am not a person who likes to dwell on myself so hopefully I can look past any insecurities and present a series of texts that demonstrate where I see myself at this point in my life beyond a love of popular culture.

It Begins… (Wk 1)

I assume every cliched ‘this is my first uni blog post’ has been used and I also assume that this attempt at meta humour is not capturing the imagination of any reader but to be fair it is pretty exciting to be surrounded by film fanatics who understand this sentence.

Movies and TV are subjective to every individual but let’s be honest… there is no better film IN THE HISTORY OF EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN then Back To The Future. Or maybe The Breakfast Club. Well then there is 12 Angry Men. The cinematic landscape is littered with gems which have changed the way we view the world, treat each other and left a lasting impact on the pop culture zeitgeist. Movies are an artwork I have always appreciated and I hope the next three years help me to further understand every detail of the craft.

In addition, as a man addicted to television, I would recommend the reviews offered by The AV Club. I read the review every time I watch a new episode of TV and it really adds a new layer of enjoyment to see the episode through the eyes of a professional.

Thank you for you time,

Jeremy

PS…

Into great hilarious TV? Watch this show!
Into great hilarious TV? Watch this show!