Five Minds for the Future

The synthesising mind, the disciplinary mind, the creating mind, the respectful mind and the ethical mind. According to Howard Gardner these are the “minds” you need to succeed in the near future and in retrospect represent different types of intelligence that should be present in our thinking.

Synthesising – Being able to gather information and idea from multiple places in a generative manner and then communicating them to others

Ethical – Considering your role and it’s affect on the those around you – working together

Creating – Put forth innovative and new ideas, ask fresh questions, thinking outside the box

Respectful – Acknowledges the difference between opinions and people

Disciplinary – The mindset of perseverance, to practice a task until done well

These five minds might seem simple enough might take a little more work to achieve. It’s easier enough for me to do this with my own workplace however when it comes to school work I found myself slacking in certain areas and mindsets. This might be due to the environment – I get paid to work but not paid for school work, or that I simply find the type of work easier in one environment and the other more difficult. However, it think it’s due to consistency, disciplinary mind should be the first one to put into play whenever you begin a task/job, working continuously at a singluar role will aid you through experience and memory. Then respectful and ethical mind and so you can make connections and grow in your role and finally creating mind, for when you are confident and comfortable in your role so you are able to make better judgements.

Work Vs Play

What was once described as a “Wibbly wobbly timey wimey” mess, time neither proven to be linear nor encased inside a reality of it’s own. In the case of this week’s reading Judy Wajcman discusses technology’s ability to distort and alter our perception of time and the manner in which we allocate our priorities. Technology was perceived to be developed to better dictate our organisation of time, however the opposite might have occurred due to the accessibility of information. The blurring between work and play has become an pillar in society and thus we “lose rhythm of our lives”. The ramification of growing technology involves the culture that pressures you to over consume rather than relaxing for pleasure.

It’s rather strange if you look at our society from a differing perspective, we promote smart phones, new technological developments and more efficient means to everyday tasks. However further use of this technology then transfers us push ourselves to work harder, we save time to create time, forcing ourselves to pile our workload higher and higher. There’s a sense of disgust that comes from simply “stopping” instead of working/creating/consuming, I’m constantly flooded with uni work, intern work, regular work and if I was ever to ask for a holiday there would be a limit placed upon that parameter.

I do believe it’s unfair to dictate that failure is linked to relaxation or “laziness” yet someone who is busy is considered successful. There is the saying “busy idiot” which doesn’t fail to comply with this theory, and as such it’s important to prioritize goals with a healthy balance between work and play.

Passion vs Craft

Newport’s chapter discusses the craftsman’s mindset – a focus on what value you’re producing in your job, and the passion mindset – a focus on what value your job offers. It’s argued that the craftsman’s mindset provides a greater deal of success as it forces you to work to your full potential and invest your effort and time into producing good content. On the flip side, the passion mindset is a more passive approach, waiting for the world to provide opportunity to achieve your goals thus bringing disappointment when this requirement isn’t met.

It’s rather shameful to say, but I’ve always had a passion mindset for the majority of my life. While I read and saw many success stories I always believed that individuals would always “stumble” across their fame and good fortune. So when I began my three year university course, I didn’t think much about creating a blog or name for myself purely based on the idea that I would happen to collide with my calling. However as my final year dawned nearer and nearer I began to realise that producing content didn’t rely purely on me “getting lucky” but also on the effort and pride I poured into my work. I wasn’t going to naturally improve and grow, I needed to seek out my passions and craft. Hence, the craftsman’s mindset was something I grew into rather than pulled over my head like a sweater and as such I grew to become more driven with my projects.

However it is important to note that two opposing ends of the spectrum can be extremely perilous, working a job without passion is meaningless and to passionately work without a goal is useless. Ultimately I believe we should aim for a happy middle ground between the spectrums.

Annotated Bibliography (Part 2)

O’Flynn, S. (2012). Documentary’s metamorphic form: Webdoc, interactive, transmedia, participatory and beyond. Vol 6. Toronto: Intellect Limited, 141-157. Viewed 1 August 2016, http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/deliver/connect/routledg/17503280/v6n2/s3.pdf?expires=1470140064&id=88304120&titleid=75007871&accname=Royal+Melbourne+Institute+of+Technology+%28RMIT%29&checksum=65384BA48722709CB62BD16B81295485 

O’Flynn discusses the multifaceted platform that is interactive documentary, in her article she explores the evolution of documentary and transmedia with the impact of modern technologies. The article dives straight into detailing the evolutions of i-Doc’s in the past decade, each documentary is investigated as independent and without a template due to the dynamic nature of it’s platform. Experimentation is a crucial aspect of this new model, in particular with social media and new age media are all accelerating this market. Due to it’s unique nature, crowdsourcing has become it’s most important model of communication for fans and even to the extent of crowdfunding. O’Flynn makes it clear that the fluidity of this digital space is what allows i-Doc’s to exist and thrive in today’s society. Gaudenzi’s previous research regarding interactive documentary is also mentioned and referenced in regards to more traditional modes of documentary, and the viewers experience. The contrast between webdocs and i-Doc’s are also delved into, while webdocs distribute content through websites, i-Doc’s are “designed as databases of content fragments”. Further on, Transmedia expands this mode of storytelling to a deeper level and adds to narrative content. This articles plays mainly on the two developing aspects: we no longer follow the generic mode of storytelling but instead choose to explore the open space of i-Docs, and secondarily the influence of new age technology – especially social media.

Rosenstein, J. (2005). Documentary Filmmakers Speak/Documentary Storytelling For Film and Videomakers. Issue 2. Columbia:Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 226-229. Viewed 31 July 2016, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/docview/215288830/fulltext/8DCD8FDA284B487CPQ/1?accountid=13552

In this article Rosenstein reviews the opinion’s of Liz Stubbs and Sheila Curran Bernard and their ideals of documentary storytelling. He begins by stating the more involved and innovative storytelling method is documentary during this era, it reaches masses of people and brings a new level of acceptance for this medium. A documentary maker is described as someone who has rejected publicity and work in anonymity. While there are some exceptions to this rule, however many dedicated documentary filmmakers won’t ever see fame during their lifetime of working due to limited publicity. Rosenstein then dissects Stubb’s book, “Documentary Filmmakers Speak”, as the title suggests is a collection of interviews from historically rich documentary filmmakers. He compares and contrasts Stubb’s book with Bernard’s book of a similar nature, and while Stubb’s book focuses on emphasising the filmmaker’s point of view, Bernard discusses filming processes and techniques. While the previous readings I’ve discovered focus primarily on modern technology and it’s effect on i-Doc’s, this reading provides insight to the difficulties that directors and filmmakers will face with documentaries. However it is through social media and online influences that provide more leverage and publicity that is currently lacking in the traditional documentary community. As previously mentioned by O’Flynn, filmmakers can crowdsource and fund through new media platforms and thus gives i-Doc’s a wider viewership.

Future Jobs in the Creative Industry

This weeks reading, appropriately titled “Work” by Ramon Lobato and Julian Thomas, focuses on the rising jobs and underpaid positions in our media industry. Correlating alongside the exponential growth of new media platforms and evolving technology, it’s clear that our industry is currently underprepared for this dynamic new medium. They touch on the overwhelming adversity an intern student must confront before jamming their way into a tediously long line for a job at a creator and media manufacturer. The freelancer is considered and used as an example of a worker at the base of the food chain in entertainment and media careers, with most jobs low in pay or blanched of creativity.

The appropriation of this reading couldn’t be more exact to the feelings of all us students (maybe only me?) during this final semester. I’ve had many individuals claim the nuisance of the media and entertain careers and the difficulty of maintaining a stable job. I’m currently writing freelance for a website without pay hence I can relate to the anecdote that was provided and it has been hard seeking a job in that department that was an unpaid internship. It seems that due to the intangible nature of online writing, unless the list of viewers becomes rather substantial, funding is limited and done through mostly advertising through this medium and to your readers. I do hope that this issue is addressed soon (similar to how youtuber’s are able to utilize it’s platform as a career), and that our generation might proactively create a new range of careers that’s purely digitally based. Not only does this generate more jobs for us in this industry, but it also has many benefits like: working away from office, having your own hours and reaching a broader audience.

Annotated Bibliography (Part 1)

Sanchez-Laws, A. (2010). Digital storytelling as an emerging documentary form. Vol 6. Bergen: Seminar.net, 359-366. viewed 31 July 2016, http://seminar.net/images/stories/vol6-issue3/Sanchez-Laws_Digitalstorytellingasanemergingdocumentaryform.pdf

Sanchez-Laws is a PhD in the Department of Science and Media Studies at the University of Bergen, presents the concept of studying digital storytelling through the scope of documentary. Analysing the forms of storytelling and comparing them to the characterization of documentaries. Through this comparison of multiple storytelling methods it is possible to argue that there is a correspondence between digital storytelling and documentary filmmaking contextually. Defining the ability of digital storytelling as personal, short and public, Sanchez-Laws dissects further to concur that this mode of storytelling diverges into two components: the practitioner and the product. Her evidence discovers that while the product falls under the bellcurve of standards required for documentaries, the practitioners are considered amateurs in contrast and therefore places more pressure on the storytelling process. She highlights the process as one that links generations and communities, one that focuses on a more personal aspect in preference to a contract with the public that provides truthful storytelling found in documentaries. On further extrapolation, new digital media practices are presented as a dynamic new medium that has provided a platform for audience members and viewers. In this knowledge then brings new relationships that develops an essential point of discussion; emphasising the importance for professional creators to acknowledge amateur creators. The negative aspects of autobiographical documentary is further highlighted as Sanchez-Laws questions the authenticity of this storytelling method and it’s moral ambiguity that’s involved. While this report provides an evenly skewed opinion on both digital storytelling and it’s comparison to traditional documentary, it lacked information on digital mediums – despite lighting touching on this topic.

Ashton, J. Gaudenzi, S. (2012). Interactive Documentary: Setting the Field. Vol. 6. Bristol: Intellect Limited, 125-139. Viewed 1 August 2016, http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/deliver/connect/routledg/17503280/v6n2/s2.pdf?expires=1470140028&id=88304110&titleid=75007871&accname=Royal+Melbourne+Institute+of+Technology+%28RMIT%29&checksum=DCD8EF7366A24A690C25DF492B306BEE

Ashton from the University of the West of England along with Gaudenzi from the University of the Arts London collaborate in this article to focus on i-Docs, a new form of interactive documentary making. Their research brings a bundle of discussion points on the multi-faceted process involved with developing and making an i-Doc, along with it’s impact on traditional documentaries. The article presents i-Doc’s as an innovative form of storytelling, not to be tossed aside or considered fiction due to it’s interactive nature and digital realm. Defining i-Doc as any document built on a digital platform with an intention to be real or true, this broad term acknowledges that interactivity dives beyond the presentation of information but rather the viewer is dispensed in the product itself. Gaudenzi notes four different interactive modes discovered in an i-Doc: conversational, hypertext, participative and experiential. Emphasising the importance of each mode –  as they all provide users with a particular reality, this provides a plethora of ranges and perspectives regarding a single topic or issue. Despite some ever-present debates with interaction design, narrative fluidity and the degree of interaction, practitioners are already aware of the rising medium and it’s consumers. Similar to Sanchez-Law’s report, Ashton and Gaudenzi both believe that interactivity provides an balanced perspective for audiences without the domineering voice usually present in a regular documentary. While i-Doc’s are still evolving in today’s digital universe the article strong encourages any creators to collaborate together to nurture this platform of storytelling.

O’Flynn, S. (2012). Documentary’s metamorphic form: Webdoc, interactive, transmedia, participatory and beyond. Vol 6. Toronto: Intellect Limited, 141-157. Viewed 1 August 2016, http://docserver.ingentaconnect.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/deliver/connect/routledg/17503280/v6n2/s3.pdf?expires=1470140064&id=88304120&titleid=75007871&accname=Royal+Melbourne+Institute+of+Technology+%28RMIT%29&checksum=65384BA48722709CB62BD16B81295485 

Rosenstein, J. (2005). Documentary Filmmakers Speak/Documentary Storytelling For Film and Videomakers. Issue 2. Columbia:Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 226-229. Viewed 31 July 2016, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/docview/215288830/fulltext/8DCD8FDA284B487CPQ/1?accountid=13552

Entertainment and Media’s Global Report

Chris Lederer and Megan Brownlow’s report on Media’s expanding industry discusses the statistics of exponential growth and decay of Media’s current stronghold with the population. While it might seem that it has become an ailing ship, the report goes to depict that while published media has plateaued online/digital media is swelling – especially with countries that hold a younger populace. It seems that our group as a whole prefers to consume media through a plethora of different platforms as opposed to the babyboomers who prefer more traditional methods.

Local VS International (or US produced) media also became an interesting topic of choice, while the US currently stands at no.1 it is calculated that China may over take that position soon, globally. However it has come to a halt that trends thagt certain digital and published media are being produced in correlation to the demand of locals as opposed to international demand.

This report does not come as a surprise to me as 99% of content I consume is online, blogs, news, music, tv, film…etc the list goes on. While I have been skeptical about print media dying out, it’s no joke that the internet is exploding, with more people logging on each day. Content itself it sacrilege, e.g. Netflix – it’s ability to spread shows to individuals whenever without the inconvenience of television advertisements, and while I don’t mind free content I think that it’s important to give justice where justice is deserved.

Ultimately, content is an important factor to the growth of publishing mediums. The better the content the more it’s consumed, this could be print media or digital but the highlighting attribute is that digital media can be distributed internationally. Hence, digital media has the upperhand when it comes to distribution and ownership of content vastly increases your chances of bringing in more consumers.

#MegaTrends

Kalus Schwag’s piece “Megatrends” and it’s overall effect on society discusses how “autonomous vehicles, 3D printing, advance robotics and new materials” are changing the way we work. These elements are all archiving themes for many technological items that we use on a daily basis and are furthering our studies biologically and industrially. He explains that not only has technology improved our communication (Internet of all things) but also the efficiency of our work. Despite some set backs, including; ethical and morality considerations, Government and public VS private, Schwag makes it clear that conformity and adaptability are important to maintain this exponential growth in technology.

Reading this piece during the first week of university, fresh from my holidays gives me an odd sense of comfort. One that I couldn’t initially describe. Here I was, sitting at my desk reading and I felt a wave of emotion, the familiarity of when I initially step into a uber after a long night. I came to realise this feeling was due to the continual interaction with these developments.

A few specific topics did come to mind when reading this section; Pokemon Go and AR/VR, VantaBlack and Kimye VS TayTay.

Yes, it’s a strange accumulation of topics, some that people might be accustomed with and another which you might have never heard.

Firstly, Pokemon Go, HOW COULD I NOT? We talked about AR (Augmented Reality) in class this week and I couldn’t resisted talking about the exploding phenomenon. Decades back, what took NASA to space is now a laughing stock compared to the processing power on our phones, and even so I remembered when AR was initially kicking off and now every single individual with a smart device can access it internationally. I mean, if you’re not impressed then who is?

VantaBlack, maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, it’s not a common material found in your everyday paint/fabric draw.

Vantablack is a substance made of carbon nanotubes and is the blackest substance known, absorbing up to 99.965% of radiation in the visible spectrum.

I thought immediately to this technology when Schwag wrote about new materials, it’s pretty crazy and I’ve seen images of this material and it looks like a hole… well in space.

And finally Kimye VS TayTay, you might be wondering; what does this have to do with technology or the digital world? Excuse me? What does this NOT have to do with technology. I’m not talking directly about the issue itself, but I’m referring to the digital platform that it has been mediated on. Schwag discusses the ethical and moral considerations that come into play when technology has grow to such a degree. This might be the prime example of such, TayTay “lied” (I’m using quotations because this hasn’t been 100% proven) and Kimye posted a video of her call her out on this, however there’s a law that states an individual’s call can’t be recorded without their consent.

So who’s in the wrong? You make the decision.

Signal Reflection

Signal’s umbrella idea involved the word OBSESSION, an object, theme or story we desperately wanted to tell to the public. For my theme, I played on an idea derived from Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) in his book “Alice in Wonderland”, I was fascinated by the idea of world inside a world, or in this case a small universe inside the walls of the Signal building. This connected with reoccurring motif of Alice growing and shrinking, pushing up against walls and trying to escape from tiny spaces. I combined this idea with the thought of loneliness and confinement from reality, being hidden away inside of a fantasy world where nothing is as it seemed to the viewer.

Carroll’s book has always been associated with “Memory, language, and consciousness” (D.Robson, 2015), many of it’s themes and stories being directly linked to the idea of madness and insanity. I discovered that back in 1955 a psychiatrist, Jason Todd, found that many of his patients reported a feeling that was similar to Alice’s growing conundrum, a condition dubbed Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. Most common in little children, they reported seeing the room upside down, people who were standing next to them could be seen across the room and the feeling of their bodies expanding or contracting (micropsia (objects appear too small) and macropsia (objects appear too large)). I wanted to pinpoint that exact feeling of pressure and exposure, becoming trapped inside the four walls of a building, a feeling that was ultimately psychological – “They were almost too embarrassed. People want to be told that they’re not crazy.” (H. Stapinski, 2014). While I originally wanted to incorporate a singular model interacting with a glass screen into my shot and play that on micropsia, I soon discovered that it would be too difficult to create that fourth wall I wanted with the glass screen. I wasn’t able to find a sheet of glass large enough to give the effect I intend it to, so I changed my idea and decided to position three different models throughout the four different shots I wanted. Also, instead of having a full body shot, I switched to portrait but still kept the element of interaction.

However with the introduction of multiple models came the idea of isolation. When an individual is a singular display on the screen it is the primary target of audience members, but if you bring multiple model into the image then viewers will expect them to somehow interact in one way or another. I decided that for my models, they will all be separated by the borders of the Signal windows, each window has a dark border and thus will provide a wall between each person.

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Isolation itself is both a physically and mentally harrowing experience for individuals, once again playing on the idea of psychological illusion and madness, isolation caused “hallucinations… bizarre scenes, such as squirrels marching with sacks over their shoulders or processions of eyeglasses filing down a street. They had no control over what they saw” (M. Bond, 2014). It seemed only logical to mix both Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” with the theme of isolation, both conformed on the idea of mental instability and the unreliability of our memories and senses themselves.

For my soundscape I looked into augmented 4ths in music, also know as the Devil’s Interval. Not specifically associated with Satan himself, the triad causes a dissonance between the two notes and gave an ugly sound, gaining it’s name from the Church when music was primarily used for Hymns and songs referring to God. Used only “by composers when they want to create an atmosphere of evil or dread” (G. Veith, 2011) I believed that it was only fitting to use such a morbid and organic tone to accompany my visuals (although not related). The only real issue I had with the sound was the form, have a three channel system did complicate my soundscape and I would have preferred to have something a little more precise and delicate, hopefully in the future I’ll dedicate some more time to sound editing.

Despite the long processors I’ve gone through, I am happy with my final and finished shots and sounds. The idea behind “Alice in Wonderland” still interests me greatly and I know that there are still many different themes and motifs I have not explored behind the book and it’s hidden meanings. Overall it’s been amazing showcasing my work in a space like Signal and I wish to continue expanding behind my ideas in the future, not only for class but also as a personal experiment.

References

D. Robson, 2015. Five things Alice in Wonderland reveals about the brain. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150225-secrets-of-alice-in-wonderland.

J. Veith, 2011. The Devil’s interval. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2011/07/the-devils-interval/.

Liua, Liua, Liu, Liu, 2014. “Alice in Wonderland” Syndrome: Presenting and Follow-Up Characteristics. Pediatric Neurology, Volume 51, Issue 3, Pages 317–320.