We Have Decided Not to Die

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We Have Decided Not to Die Daniel Askill, 2004

“Impossible to capture in a neat formula, avant-garde cinema is recognisable by its efforts at self-expression or experimentation outside mainstream cinema.” In Daniel Askill’s 2004 film We have Decided not to Die we are introduced to the spectrum of experimental film’s absurdity from the get go by his choice of title. By placing something as defining as death in a non-concerned tone covered by the absurdity of ‘choice’, it instantly invites the audience into the film’s ironic experience of concern surrounding the matrix of humanity. Its three part nature of Birth, In between, and Rebirth are experiment with speed, green screen and time. The alienated woman, dressed in a white swim suit and held underwater only to in the Birth sequence connotes a Monroe effect and the seduction of birth’s prosperity. The water’s continuation of movement as opposed to the In Between car collision emphasise the production of nature as the visual tension of the crash will ultimately fall into a mechanical graveyard of nothingness. We Have Decided Not to Die acknowledges reality yet extends beyond the limit of the audiences’ experience and ability, setting up the film’s abstract and associated form. Askill’s experimental film symbiotically exploits the audiences’ experience allowing the non-conventional narrative and scenes to persuade each individual to create closure through their own imagination.

Power. And what form does it come in within today’s society?

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In my elective Rhetorics and Politics we discussed the idea of power, and it’s form within today’s society. We had to write about power in regards to school’s and universities, and I chose the subject of the Safe Schools Coalition. As I had discussed it in my Media 1 practical I decided to attach it to my blog because it breaks down power relations that can be seen in the media. All my information is sourced through Media articles as well, so I thought it would be interesting to put this response on my blog and one day maybe look back and see if my perspective has changed and why (even though i don’t think it will) lol.

 

To evaluate the idea and possession of power in reference to school and classrooms, one must address political economic foundations and therefore the role of actors and their ambitions. By perceiving power as something exercised within interactions and that ‘power relations mutually constitute production and distribution’ (Mosco, in Boyd-Barrett, p.186), the symbiosis of politics as a conflict and power as a social relation becomes clear. Foucault’s philosophy that revokes power as an asset, sets precedents in understanding how the distribution of power and its governance within schools, universities and classrooms have changed within the ‘second age of modernity’ (Dean, 2007, p.1). For each actor there is a paradigm of relationships that divides power into separate agendas. As diverse values lead to conflict however, individuals who find themselves in powerful position[s] might not always have equal opportunities to exercise such power.

Power in an academic environment traditionally connotes to ideas of ‘official’ actors: governments, school boards and teachers. Whilst these actors do indeed have a visual sense of power, the effectiveness of their ‘strategic game of liberties’ (Dean, 2007, p.9) becomes apparent as ‘political arguments depend on distinction between government … and civil service’ (Rose, 2005, p.152). Thus, the introduction of the Safe Schools Coalition in 2010, exemplifies how students and general populations can set precedents for change separate from ‘official’ actors. The Coalition’s aim to combat bullying of same sex attracted, intersex and/or gender diverse individuals through education is a response to the population’s changing conventions concerning the LGBT movement, as ‘72% of Australians’ are supportive of Same Sex Marriage’ (Jones, 2016).

Timothy Jones’ (2016) article Safe Schools Coalition: What is the Christian Right Afraid of? in The Conversation however, exemplifies how power changed through context allows actors with ascendancy to take advantage of their ability to govern. Turnbull’s request to open an investigation into the effectiveness of the Coalition demonstrates how some conservative, influential actors use their social and official power to pressure aspects of the program that contradict their beliefs. Thus, some Australian Catholic schools deliberately misconstrued the Coalition’s aim with the belief ‘that inclusive sexuality education will turn kids gay’ (Jones, 2016). This view, further projected by Senator Benardi, describing ‘the campaign for marriage equality as a masterpiece of sloganeering’ (Chang, 2015,), controls how populations are governed making ‘conservative voices … disproportionately amplified’ (Jones, 2016). The recent March changes responding to the pressures that surrounds the appropriateness of the program, has lead to a ‘strong and measured response’, criticized by Senator Simms as ‘conservatives on Malcolm Turnbull’s backbench… using this as an opportunity to flex their muscles within this Turnbull Government’ (Martin, 2016, The Australian). Ultimately, this demonstration to reform exemplifies power not only exercised through official means of governance but also leveraged from social relations.

An actor’s use of power as a ‘traditional concept … a substance’ however, exposes ‘inequality and exploitation’ (Dean, 2007, p.6) asserting Foucault’s belief ‘where there is power there is resistance’. Rose’s (2005) discussion on how contemporary Western societies’ power structures are reformed due to ‘communitarian thinking in politics’ which relies on the rationality of society (Rose, 2005, p.151) expands the idea of power as a ‘substance’ to something less visual and more mobile – a set of social relations. The Today Show’s segment Magda Szubanski breaks down discussing the Safe Schools program on the eve of Mardi Gras (3.3.2016, WhitakerBiggs) demonstrates powerful relationships that are exempted from the visible and official ability to govern. Szubkanski uses the rhetoric of community to advocate every individuals’ responsibility as actors to ultimately ‘be civilised … [and] govern themselves’ (Rose, 2005, p.151), as she urges the community to ‘open their minds and their hearts’ and the be aware of where Mardi Gras ‘all came from and what it’s all about’ (3.3.2016, WhitakerBiggs). Szubkanski’s use of social awareness as a responsibility puts everyone in a position of, and to, exercise power. In doing so she elevates her own status by becoming an advocate for change. She reminds the populations of Australia that the choice is simple, we ‘either stand with the great majority of Australians or fall a victim to the power of a small right winged fringe’ (Martin, 2016, The Australian).

Through Safe Schools and its protection and portrayal of the LGBT movement in classrooms and schools we see how power is not always visible and official, but flows through a network of actors. Although ‘protected under the grounds of international human rights legislation on education’ (Jones, 2016) we see how actors’ ‘official power’ diverts ambitions due to personal paranoia and values. However, the criticisms of this response exemplify the cognitive shift of power and governance as a mobile system rather than a domination of higher elected actors, redefining relationships and networks of relationships throughout the academic environment.

 

REFERENCES:

 

Boyd-Barrett, O. (1995) ‘The political economy approach’, in O. Boyd-Barrett and C. Newbold (eds.), Approaches to Media, Oxford University Press.

 

Chang, C. (2015), ‘Penny Wong and Cory Bernadi to debate same-sex marriage’, News; Date accessed, 17th March, 2016
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/gay-marriage/penny-wong-and-cory-bernardi-to-debate-samesex-marriage/news-story/2638da14e2bc695ae49cfdfcc8bb7c8b

Dean, M. (2007), ‘Introduction: Setting the Scene’, in Governing Societies: Political Perspectives on Domestic and International Rule, London, Open University Press.

 

Gauntlett, D. (2008), ‘Foucault on Power’ and ‘Power and Resistance’, in Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction, London & New York, Rutledge.

 

Jones, T.M (2016) ‘Safe Schools Coalition: What is the Christian Right Afraid of? The Conversation, available ; accessed on 16 March 2016.

 

Magda Szubanski breaks down discussing the Safe Schools program on the eve of Mardi Gras, The Today Show (2016); Date accessed, 17th March, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVwsHu2Ltak&feature=youtu.be

 

Martin, S. (2016) ’Safe Schools program: federal government unveils changes’, The Australian,     available; Date accessed, 23rd March 2016

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/safe-schools-program-federal-government-unveils-changes/news-story/ce2d4751b2068f6b3ecedede317954fd

 

Rose, N. (2005) ‘Government’ in T.Bennett, L. Grossberg & M. Morris (eds.), New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society, Oxford, Blackwell.

 

 

 

 

 

O.C.Mr.Clean

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O.C.Mr.Clean. was a really enjoyable project for me. One of the main areas of development was definitely in regards to Premiere Pro and my manipulation of and towards the application and its tools. In earlier projects I stuck to editing on a singular file, coordinating with great difficulty all my edits on the one timeline which usually made for a messy and thus systematic confusion/break down (eek!). Whilst producing O.C.Mr.Clean. however, I used multiple files and documents to ensure that each article was safe. For example, I edited my intro that composed multiple video files at a singular time on one file, saving and then uploading the completed sequence into my end project file, keeping the whole and final project neat and tidy. As my overall project was organised through separated files of with different edits, I was then able to play with Premiere’s tools and effects without the worry of accidental errors that could have affected my project as a whole. Thus, I played with size, colour, speed and duration effects that contributed a more experimental feel to my project, equating with my objective artistic and visual based film narration.

I wanted to portray an artistic and informal expression within O.C.Mr.Clean. rather than the traditional interpretations of OCD like washing hands, and a possessed cleaning sequence. However, this wasn’t always my approach. As my intro was one of the first things I developed in the portrait, you can see that when thinking of characteristics of OCD I connoted a subversive and eery perspective of the experience people with the disease would suffer (the ominous song of Mr Clean). It wasn’t until I interviewed Max however, and thus was in post production, that my portrait became a lot more informal and less aggressive as Max communicated a more tender and passive view of his disease. In this way, I guess I was subjected to a moment of serendipity where I had to rethink the way I was going to portray Max and his disorder. Through the use of found footage I was able to not only visualise my approach but societal ideas about OCD. When typing into Creative Common domains ‘OCD’ there were a lot of clips that portrayed a contradicting spectrum of  individuals in either a state of ecstasy or depression. Using the intro as a dismissal of convention, I allowed the for a traditional cleaning ad to crackled and beep with sound effects of deterioration. By placing my title heading after the intro it re-engages and re-addresses the audience from it’s previous stimulation and ideologies to the interview’s more personalised and informal tone. Further, I included the director’s voice and questions to make the interviewee seem more humanised and Max not so much as an isolated character. This shift in narrative structure (where at first I placed Max on the couch to answer formal question), and then to the more comfort environment of outside opened up not only an easier and more organic discourse about his disorder, but allowed for a more personal insight into his life and surroundings (as you can see his outside area isn’t as immaculately clean in comparison to his inside interview).

Overall, the project definitely advanced skills in editing as I used both Premiere, After Effects and Audition whilst creating O.C.Mr.Clean. As I started thinking and coordinating my project early I don’t think there’s any physical elements of it I would change. However, interviewing techniques that make the interviewer comfortable and thus more engaging is definitely something that needs to be worked on if I want to go into documentaries professionally.

Review of Lulu Raes live gig – 8th April, 2016

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Entering into the trendy multi-cultured exotica of Shebeen on Saturday night – a small obscure venue hidden in the quiet of Manchester Lane – I experienced an atmosphere of colour that seemingly leaked off surrounding walls and travelled into each artistic member of the crowd. The symbiosis of cosmic energy only enhanced as I moved through a demographic of Sheebeen locals who all seemed to speak experiences that matched the venue’s multi-cultural vibe. Noticing that Shebeen some how surpassed the usual exploitation of saturated colour which most tropical bars based in the Melbourne CBD seem to have, I continued past a bar fuelled with empty glasses and left over humus dip to descend into a air conditionedless world that substituted ventilated air for successful grooving to boy band The Lulu Raes. The five part band is comprised of young Sydney students, diversifying from the comedy club kids to moustache groovers, making up a band of increasing success of awesomeness. The amazing people and players – Angus, Eddie, Marcus, Taras, and Tom (listed in alphabetical order) bring back to the stage the youthfulness and charisma of the late Australian music industry that held the stage of heroic titles like Paul Kelly and ACDC. The Lulu Raes, however rejuvenating they are for Australian music, are forming their own contemporary path that gives their audience an authentic vibe of indi-pop-rock that leaves behind the ‘not so necessary’ heroin chic of rock and roll (thank god). Joining the Australian down to earth groove model that we see in our industry today- Matt Corby, Boy and Bear, Tame Impala, Zavier Rudd and Sticky Fingers – we watch our nation’s music industry, with help from smaller bands like the Lulu Raes, bring tunes to a podium of soon to be international fame. Cited by triple J, their most recent musical effort, Burnout, was added on full rotation on Triple j and FBi peaking at #3 on the AIR ‘Independent Radio Chart’.

The Lulu Raes new released single, Infinite Paradise which fans say have a Foster the People-eque vibe that left no honeys out or behind at their gig on Saturday night. Rumours aside, listening to this song countless times on my 8.30 am walks to uni, takes me on a ride of optimism that is rarely given and definitely received before my first coffee. The Lulu Raes have me tapping and shaking down Lygon before the first thought of the day has even started and that I thank them for. They create music that produces a transcendence of morning scepticism, providing a sound that is not only extremely well crafted and sophisticated, but unique and a great asset to the Australian music industry. It reminds listeners to be and smell like the young Australian adolescents they are, that the world will keep spinning and Infinite Paradise is just as obtainable as this good tune on your ipod. 

Thoughts and questions about PB3

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1. What is the ‘controlling idea’ (Robert McKee) of your portrait? In other words, what is the most interesting thing about your participant/interviewee that you want to communicate?
My participant/interview revolves around the subject of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, I want to humanise the disease, focusing more on Max as an individual who has OCD, rather than the OCD which controls Max. 

2. How is your portrait film structured? (Remember there might be multiple forms of structure employed) E.g. Discussion and depiction of an event or process? A Journey? Use of voiceover narration? Other?
My portrait is structured in rhetorical form as I wanted to present a subtly persuasive argument that Max, although he suffers from OCD, is still ‘normal’. Because OCD affects everyone differently it makes Max unique as an individual, so I wanted to steer away from conservative ideas and portrayals of OCD (the washing of hands, and cleaning of the room). Instead of allowing all my footage of him doing characteristics of his disease, I wanted to be creative and try engage the audience with how it feels to have OCD – the tug of war battle people have with it as they try and make it not determine the way they live their life and who they are.

3. What do you want your audience to make of your interviewee? (e.g. What are you saying through them and/or human nature, human folly, or noble human inspiration?)
I hope that my film projects a new and more sensitised version of OCD. My interviewee tries to communicate that mental illness isn’t something that should be embarrassing or feel whole consuming. He makes statements that advocate his OCD and discusses how there are worst things in life then having a controllable disease that potentially makes you into a good house mate!

4. How is your portrait being narrated? Why? How does it affect the structure?
My portrait is non-narrative. I don’t follow a three course action plot line, it is more a combination of shots that attribute to Max’s overall character rather than producing a linear relationship with the audience that uses character development.

5. What role will the ‘found footage’ play in your portrait? For example, reinforcement? Ironic counterpoint? Contrast? Comparison? Other?
My found footage plays on the ‘everyday’ aspects of society within the OCD world. I used cleaning ads to enforce the usually overlooked and allow the audience to contemplate how much thought and care they themselves put into cleaning. My showing ads like ShamWow against older generational ads like Mr Clean we see a cognitive progression of the interpretation of a clean house, mirroring Max’s ideas that mental illness isn’t a confirmation of personality but rather just an attribute.

6. Does your portrait have a dramatic turning point?
I use a lot of reverse manipulation and speed effects. Although this isn’t a narrative turning point I think its a turning point as it makes the audience think about perspective.

7. When does this turning point in your portrait and why? At the beginning? At the end? Two-thirds through?
My main turning point happens 1/3 into my PB3. After I introduce Max and his OCD, I try to humanise him as much as possible to ironically make my audience question, is the subject matter of this documentary even that bad? I gave significance to the disease in his introduction and in the beginning sector because I wanted to audience to understand what was being talked about, but then i wanted to peel it back and have them remind themselves that a mental disorder isn’t some ones whole personality.

8. How does your portrait gather and maintain momentum?
I use music throughout my portrait which sets a progressive tempo throughout. I used sound functions to heighten and lessen the music depending on if my subject was speaking or not, which also allows for a gain of momentum.

9. Where will your portrait’s dramatic tension come from? The gradual exposition of an overall situation? A volcanic, climactic moment? An impending change or crisis? The contrast between what the interviewee talks about and the found footage?
I try and grab the attention and subject matter of the piece straight away, however my use of sound effects I think will enhance the dramatic tension from scene to scene. I used technological sounds of discomfort or failure throughout my film to undertone the idea of OCD whilst also subjecting the viewer to an experience that they – through the noises – associate with non-satisfaction.

10. Does the portrait have a climax and/or resolution? Outline them.
One of my favourite scenes in my portrait has to do with Max smiling and/or telling us that he’s about to go out with his friends. The main objective of this portrait was to humanise him which is contradicted with the initially invasive and overwhelming introduction.

Sony RMIT Interview

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https://vimeo.com/162931412

In this week’s workshop we ventured out into the land of RMIT to record and produce an interview focusing on ‘How to survive the first six weeks of university’.  One of the main problems encountered in this exercise was audio. When filming outside and around RMIT constant sound pollution made if difficult to know whether or not shot and it’s audio was successful. So we experimented with the smaller microphone that can be attached directly onto a subject to make the sound quality clearer. However, the chord length that’s physically attaches the microphone and camera was too short and  did not allow a lot of movement or diverse camera angles. When using the earphones to play back the recordings we had just made however, we realised that the sound quality was clear of the camera’s microphone was clear and did pick up the interviewer and interviewee’s discussion. Once we decided to just use the out built microphone it allowed us to manipulate shot forms and become experimental, and we decided that any unwanted sound could just be edited in Adobe Audition. One of my most successful shots I think would be the first interview ‘spoof’ sequence. I idolise director Judd Apatow and Spike Jonze due to their ability to create humour on screen that is universal and at times meta-cinematic. Although this sequence doesn’t philosophise the meaning of life – like most meta-cinematic scenes do – I tried to play with humour as much as possible as I think it’s an important characteristic to have in my practicals as it represents what I find funny and thus me. It also allowed me to manipulate tools on Premiere as I became confident with the application and my advancing skills, also which definitely developed the sophistication of my PB3 portrait.

‘If’ to ‘Need’. The shift of conjunction to verbs.

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If i… vs I need. Robert McKee in his article The substance of story discusses the foundations of story laying focusing on the protagonist and their relationship with the audience. Within this reading, McKee briefly touches on the differences of reality … Continue reading →

Noticing vs Narrative

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Noticing

Reflective practice is one of the main methodologies of the media discipline. For those who are in a practical based occupation, reflective practice allows us to understand how to build something creatively and why we’ve chosen the elements used. This supports the developments of your professional expertise as it helps int he development of your professional identity. Within the media program at RMIT, our media self identity is set up through blogging through day 1, representing the interrelationships between expertise, identity and satisfaction. This usually results in a change of nature in your practice symbolising both practical and creative growth.

How to do it:

Noticing — media is everywhere, can you even see it?
Week 2 media audit is an example of this identification of media. “As multi-sensate beings, we are inundated with sense impressions all the time” – attempt to bring into consciousness ‘the intentional’. Conscious noticing vs. Disciplined noticing.

How to reflect on the light bulb learning moments
DIEP. Describe objectively ONE thing you’ve learned, Interpret the insight, Evaluate the iffiness and usefulness

Narrative

Key elements of narrative/story

Controlling idea

Character

Conflict (competing goals)

Structure (progression)

Character change/ growth

Mistaken for Strangers, 2013, Dir. Tom Berninger

All stories need an inciting incident, which for this documentary is the popularity of The National.

We have a first act turning point where they the protagonist going on an ‘adventure’.

Narrative Codes

Story telling is the creative demonstration of truth. A story is the living proof of an idea, the conversion of idea into action. A story’s event structure is the means by which you first express and then prove your idea” Robert McKee STORY (1999)

How do you prove  your controlling idea? 

Protagonist is the person who changes the most.

Janet Cardiff and the ‘ideas’ of sound.

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Janet Cardiff is a Canadian artist who works chiefly with sound and sound installations. She uses audio as a wrap around medium that encourages the stimulation of time and space as an experience, pushing its flexibility of interpretation by our senses. Most famously known for her ‘audio walks’, installations where the audience is positioned in an area either inclosed or in an outside environment (40 Part Motet positioned in a studio, whereas Forest was conducted outside in an actual forest), Cardiff surrounds her subjects with speakers that transmit sounds and create a transcending audio experience.

One of her most famous works, 40 Part Motet (2011), is an audio installation that comprises 40 speakers that surround the audience in a circumference. Each speaker projects audio of a singer, categorised into groups of soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto. Together a virtual choir is created that sings mid 1500’s music, using the complexity of 40 different harmonies which create a 3D audio sculpture with a narrative you can feel emotionally through music. The music lasts for around 10 minutes until there is a quick interlude where the choir talks informally among one another. Cardiff purposely used this section of audio to create a humanised experience for the audience where you are subjected from the transcending nature of song to basic everyday ‘human stuff’. Once the interlude is concluded the choir prepares to sing once again, all taking a harmonised breathe before proceeding to their angelic sound.

Within Forest, A Thousand Years 2012, Cardiff positions her audience in an outside environment that is surrounded with trees and nature. Each speaker is placed up high within the tree’s branches that creates a filmic soundtrack that portrays a choir moving through the forest. The audio is also edited with sounds such as planes overhead and birds chirping. This makes the audience question what sound is real and what is not, thus questioning what they should be taking away from the installation’s experience and what is ‘really’ authentic.

Through audio installations Cardiff plays on her audiences’ need for emotional release. By overwhelming the sense of hearing she enhances the presence of different and sometimes forgotten spectrums of reality, complementing life’s spirituality.

 

A ‘formal’ interview

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https://soundcloud.com/joss-utting/formal-edited

This is my edited version of a formal interview for our H2N sound recording exercise in Week 4. Pre-production included a quite and empty classroom, using the H2N zoom function of X/Y (that records only on one side), heightening the clarity of subject’s audio. As this interview was appealing to a ‘formal’ criteria we adjusted our approach in ways such as introducing the broadcast interview, interviewee and interviewer. Further, the questions and answers were discussed beforehand which allowed the participants to hold an eloquent discussion, rather then thinking of answers on the spot which could have made for badly established presentation.

Within Leeuwen’s article of perspective (Leeuwen, 1999), Edward Hall is quotes that “we carry with us a set of invisible set of boundaries beyond which we allow only certain people to come”. When listening to formal interviews such as This American Life and Sereal you can identify such boundaries the subject’s language and attitude, and also physically through editing. It is for such reasons I attached an intro and outro to my ‘formal’ interview as it enhances the the enargia of power relations on a show – such as Sarah Koenig’s position as an interviewer, and her relationship with the interviewee and audience.  When being introduced I allowed my intro to fade out into complete silence in order to grab the audience’s attention as they sit, eager to hear what the show will be about. In conclusion however, I let the outro cross-fade into the final answer creating a smooth exit out of the program.

  • Leeuwen, Theo van. 1999, ‘Perspective’ in Speech, music, sound, Macmillan Press ; St. Martin’s Press, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York