Author Archives: lindashi
Project Brief One – Marking Criteria “The Katering Show”
1.Characters/Host
I love the dynamic between both Kate’s in the series. One is passive with a dark and moody sense of humor while the other has a more innocent persona and is often left clueless. Despite the differences between the two characters they still have an common love throughout the series; alcohol. 4/5
2.Script/Humour
The writing throughout the show are both done by McLennen and McCartney, and the humour is so that it’s clever and witty rather than being a blatantly obvious joke. This series focuses on subtly making you gape and chuckle rather then bringing in the big laughs. Both comedians focus on making the audience laugh at them and the topics they are talking through mannerism and words that should be spoke behind the scenes making it feel as if we’re prying into some dirty secret that the produces don’t want us knowing. 4.5/5
3.Cinematography
The cinematography in this web series is relatively straight forward, both Kates are usually positioned next to each other and the camera faces them directly. Apart from some visually stimulating, up-close shots that most cooking programs have and some oddly long shots of water running you’re getting your typical TV Home Show cinematography. 2.5/5
4.Setting
Usually set within a kitchen or some sorts, unless you’re watching the first episode, then the ending is set “in a gutter”. 2/5
5.Realism
I wouldn’t say this show is unrealistic, in fact, it cuts all the crap from fancy cooking and lifestyle shows you normally see and instead replaces it with normal everyday people like us who think wine all tastes the same and that we enjoy the consumption of sugar on a day to day basis. I especially love the sarcastic remarks McCartney usually inputs into the show because she literally takes words out of my mouth. 3.5/5
6.Narrative
Unfortunately, not much to a storyline, this web series concentrates on a more ‘slice-of-life” style of narrative. 1/5
7.Introduction
The Katering Show’s introduction includes the animation of a colon spitting out food -there is literally no way else to say it-. You don’t initially notice it… until some points it out. 1.5/5
8.Accessibility
After being funded the show was placed on Youtube and so I would say that accessibility is rather high, almost anyone with an internet connection can watch the whole web show. There isn’t a fee or any form of downloading needed to view “The Katering Show”. 5/5
9.Unique
You do see a lot of satirical shows out there, but since the invention of Youtube more and more people have been professional directing and distributing their content online these days. The show itself isn’t unique in the sense that it’s genre would be easily found. I found it unique because it has it’s own qwerkiness. 3.5/5
10.Experimental
Overall is this web series really shines in the comedic and satirical theme that underlines its episodes. In terms of the actual show itself the producers don’t really attempt to try something new in the way it looks or feels. However the way they deconstruct the food industry is something refreshingly new and innovative. Despite the series looking like a typical foodie dream show, it is in the value and the undertone where it really captures the experimental side of things. 3/5
Overal Average Score: 3.05/5
“It’s just a funny little joke about food culture”
Project Brief One – Characters
Kate McLennan
Known as the “Intolerable Foodie” who seems cheerful on screen but has a passive and rather pessimistic side to herself.
In the series she often makes creepy comments here and there about her life or what she’s dealing with. Often mentioning the fact that she does not know if she wants children or not and her main goal throughout the show is to create food substitutions for McCartney. Despite being rather cheery and overall good natured she is shown to have an angry and aggressive side when she does not get her dose of sugar or if she drinks excessively.
Kate McCartney
Is the “Food Intolerant” she is rather blunt and airy and most of the time seems rather comfortable in her weirdness – she reminds me a lot like Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter… If HP had been a satirical cooking show-.
McCartney’s character, unlike her partner doesn’t really care too much for cooking or food, in fact she probably would live off vodka and alcohol if she really wanted to. The only real episode where she shows slight interest is in the “Food Porn” episode where she doesn’t really have to cook. Ultimately, I feel as though I am staring into a future version of myself when I look at McCartney, who “is predominantly nocturnal and her talons can rip a mouse in half.”
Project Brief One – Case Study “The Katering Show”
Overview
“The Katering Show” is an online video web series hosted by two sassy Melburnian comedians called Kate. Together, within each episode they explore and hilariously break down the food trends that have come and gone, exaggerating the sheer stupidity of some of these trends. This series is a satirical version of many food shows, but rather then have them spew nonsense to you that you’ll probably never follow (Like “The best way to live forever is to quit sugar!”) they instead create an atmosphere that mocks these TV series as well as the food trends they intend to promote.
Characters
“The journey of a food intolerant, and an intolerable foodie.”
The show is hosted by Kate Mclennan – The intolerable foodie – who has “taken the morning after pill… a lot” and her friend Kate McCartney – The food intolerant – that “if [she] didn’t give up these foods [she’d] probably keep shitting [her] pants”. The show comically shows the two friends struggle with creating substitutes for McCartney’s food intolerances as well as keeping up with the overall theme of the episodes, to a point where they “substituted… guacamole for potato and food dye”.
Episodes
The web series consists of six, 7-8minute long episodes, each with their own individual theme.
Mexicana Festiana – “Hi, I’m Kate McCartney, I spend my days not being an asshole”
Ethical Eating – “Ethically speaking possums and wallabies are really cute so I’m not going to eat them”
We Quit Sugar – “Sugar has been linked to dementia, corn, americans”
Thermomix – “The kind of appliance that your rich mother-in-law gives you as a wedding gift because she doesn’t think you can cook”
Food Porn – “because fuck how it tastes”
Christmas – “if you’re not christian… it means absolutely nothing”
The abuse of Post-it Notes
Online Video Experiments – The First Class
Week 10 Symposium – THE CONE
Hi Interwebs,
It’s the final day of Uni so I’m going to try and file as much work as I into the next couple of days.
During week 10’s symposium we discussed writing essays and critical analysis in relation to the plethora of essays that we needed to complete after uni ends.
Adrian, uses the example of a cone: in a normal essay we begin at the open end of the cone, we start on a broad idea and eventually move our way towards the point towards the end. We begin by discussing many different points, however each point gets denser and denser until we reach the one point at the end of the essay.
In our critical essays, we’re expected to start the other way. We begin with a dense idea and then gradually we expand out from that one point. Therefore the essay we’re writing can technically have no “ending” it will keep expanding if we want it to.
We also talked about the paranoia music industry and how it was before Steve Jobs came crashing in on his wrecking ball with his digital downloads and iPods. It was obvious that before online downloads became a thing, that it was expensive, heavy, and painfully time consuming to buy CDs and carry them around with you. Nowadays we can carry about 1000+ songs on our phones alone, so I don’t think it’s much of a surprise that we were willing to pay for online downloads.
Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right.
– Steve Jobs
Distractions – The Maze Runner
Interwebs,
I think its time I had an intervention.
The reason why I haven’t been updating my blog as much is that I went and saw the film: The Maze Runner (as you can tell by the title…) and then one thing led to another and next minute I’m adding it to my long list of fandoms that already exists.
I need to stop.
And I need to complete my work or else I’ll probably be spending the next week pulling all nighters.
That, and I’ve eaten like 5 burgers in the past 3 days… I think I need an intervention for that too.
Peer Reviews (Weeks 8+9+10+11)
Allo Interwebs,
Okay so I know I haven’t been consistently blogging lately and I am SUPER behind in terms of peer-reviews and since I write like 2 lines per blog post in regards to think I’m just going to smush them all together.
Week 8
Claudia mentions the “Oracle of the Bacon” as previously mentioned, where any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon in a limit about of references.
Kenton tried to trick the system… but nada
Marcus focused on similar aspects to what I gathered from the Symposium in terms of net neutrality…etc
Week 9
Monique discusses not only the Barabasî reading but also another called “The Fabric of the Cosmos” and then continue to delve deeper in the power rule and the 80/20 rule
Simone‘s hilariously titled “20% of this post delivers 80% of the information” not only talks about the 80/20 rule but also asks: How does order emerge from disorder?
Stephanie wondered if a “network was just many webs?” in class and then furthered her understanding by determining that it was important to remember that the “concept of a web is that there is a centre”
Week 10
Coming back to Marcus, he basically just reiterates what occurred during the week 10 symposium… which I should probably get to as well…
Monique believes that there is an infinite amount of “creativity to be harnessed” in terms of databases, they will continue to grow and much like hypertext have no real end.
Stefan on the other hand is having a hard time with algorithms. Agreed.
Week 11
During week 11’s symposium the topic of conversation was also DataBases so Claudia listened for the first 20min but soon dozed off before Adrian mentioned “Design Thinking” and recaptured her attention. This basically means that we (as in Media Students) should start looking at ourselves as designers as we create material.
Cassie mentioned something about a “Fern-y Book”…
and finally Stephanie gives us a good low down on what is going on during the week 11 readings, which just makes my life easier.
Phew, glad that’s all out of the way.
Mwahx
Week 8 Symposium – Pavlov’s Dog
I know this is like 5 weeks late. Yolo.
During week 8s symposium we talked about multiple issues including: digital media, how it has affected the print media industry, how it has affected technology, neutral technology, the internet… etc
In this blog post I’ll be looking at neutral technology and the idea behind Pavlov’s dog in relation to technology today.
So the idea is that technology is neutral in a sense that he can do anything, however that is not possible due to the fact that each form of technology no matter or complicated or simple has a specific use. Despite that fact that you can use a technology with a different manner then it’s original intention is simply can’t perform every task it’s designated.
E.g. Eammer – has to come out of a history, who wanted a hammer, wanted to know how to make a hammer? (even a hammer is not a simple technology, how do you make one?) A Hammer is only used for certain jobs, it can’t be used to saw wood or even write with, therefore it is not neutral.
So basically: it would have affordances, it is better suited to doing something’s than other things.
The second issue is about our phones, specifically our mobile phones, Adrian asked during the lecture: Why must we go pick up our mobiles as soon as they ring? Why is there a sense of urgency? Whilst some phone calls might be important there are those we can leave and call back later but for us, whoever it may be we always attempt to pick up the phone when it rings.
Ironically, I was watching Orange is the New Black (awesome show) during that period of time and it reminded me of a scene. Where basically two of the characters were getting… intimate *ahem* However the phone rings and so they stop what they’re doing and one of the girls goes and picks up the phone and has this full on conversation! What even. Like who in the throes of passion just goes: ah shit man, need to go answer my phone might be someone important… like my mum… or my cat.
