Week 12 – Final Reflection
Exemplary Posts
(As you can imagine most are from the later weeks when I really got a hold of the blogging and understood more in depth of what a critical analysis was, I still have quite a way to go but it is only Media 1)
Week 11 – The Walking Ads & Project Update
Week 10 – Self Expression (The Medias Influence)
Week 8 – Initiative ‘Royalty Free Music’
Week 7 – Readings ‘Non-Narrative Documentary’
As I reflect on my process of writing and competing blog posts I notice it is quite hard to pick out ‘exemplary’ posts. I believe each one of my posts is different and all are written with a particular thought in mind. I’ve chosen the ones that relate to either the courses structure or give some demonstration in using the terminologies learnt throughout the course into analysis.
I’ve enjoyed writing on this blog, especially the initiative posts- I find they have taught me to look deeper into the media I am consuming and to analysis it so that I am able to have knowledge about the techniques used. For me personally this has included looking deeper into artists choosing to make their tracks royalty free as well as film remakes and why different cultural media industries differ from our own. This includes differences between the American film industry, Bollywood and other European countries. I find these posts have made me develop a love for research especially due to the fact I know I am able to share my knowledge to others who will find it equally interesting.
My earlier posts are less critical analysis and more reflection, it’s interesting to look back at the writing techniques used and how they have changed due to feedback and development. The audiences reading and lecture has really helped influenced the way I am writing now, I have an in depth knowledge on the target audience who these posts will reach and that means I understand the style I must write in to reach and respect that audience.
The most challenging aspects in the course was originally writing critical analysis in regards to the readings, I found again as previously stated I was mainly writing in a reflective manner rather than argumentative. My professional learning process including my work ethic and collaborative learning has improved due to being able to put theory into practice. I have found I have found it quite easy to have the creativity and inspiration to keep my blog consistent and up to date the only challenge would be a couple of weeks falling a few posts behind (which I caught up with during the weekend) as this was due to focusing on particular projects. Improvement
I have found I learn mostly through tutorials and practical settings; discussion is what makes me really focus. I love to input and really have a ‘full’ conversation, unfortunately although the ‘lectorials’ try to be as involved they aren’t able to reach the same collaboration as the tutorials are. My creative practice has definitely tapped into my passion within this course and media making. I have found the course suits me much better than the previous studies I have completed (Diploma in Screen in Media). It gives me an opportunity to really discover new theories and ways of thinking- time to think creatively and learn theoretically before putting work ethics and learning into practice.
Once an individual opens their eyes to each and every single aspect of media they are consuming (a consistent active audience) they can start to question biases. After set readings about audiences and media institutions I can see that a perfect example would be the use of newspapers.
I look at conglomerates that produce ‘The Age’ and ‘The Herald Sun’ and It’s important to note whilst consuming these pieces of media to think about who created them and if they have a set agenda. I dedicated a blog post to my thoughts on this and I still find it very interesting how blunt some advertisements and media propaganda can be.
My most challenging moment came about in the course with the audio essay, not because the content was hard or tedious but mostly because I love presenting and creating visual media especially my own media. Of course as a media student you cannot always do this and part of the learning process is to use material already available and to turn it into something new. I believe project brief four really changed my views and values as a media student as a lot of it was about taking media from different formats and places (either online or archived) and turning it into something else.
Overall throughout this course my professionalism has grown I felt as though it was something that had a constant flow. My technical skills have also grown although there were a few bumps in the road, during project brief three I needed to remember to choose my candidates carefully to make sure I contained clear narratives within stories I choose to convey. Again my conceptual thinking has always been growing I feel as though in general all the aspects pointed out as consistently heading upwards, there is no failing in learning only setbacks and this blog helped me realize that for even when there were days I fell behind I could always catch up, it was all opinionated and all down to me. Everything was able to be personalized and that’s what I loved about it.
Before I sign off for Media 1 2016 I’d like to thank my tutor (Brian Morris) for always being enthusiastic and making everyone in the class feel welcome as well as the lecturers who made my learning experience worthwhile and finally to the students in my tute for reading a few posts and encouraging me to actively keep writing a blog filled with passion, for me this became more than an assessment it was a fun and engaging project and I hope to do more blogging in the future.
Week 12 – The ‘Bollywood’ Intouchables and Mise-en-scene
Intouchables (2011) “After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.”
The French foreign film ‘The Intouchables (2011)’ is one of my most beloved films; it makes me feel a range of emotions and the imagery and narrative are suburb. As I re-watched this film the other day with a friend who had not seen it before both of us picked up visual metaphors ‘motifs’ within the piece that I had not realized before. An example can be seen when Driss ‘Philippes’ caregiver (who throughout the film does not ‘see’ Philippes quadriplegic disability when being with him as many others do) leaves him only to later return stating that he is much more than a caregiver but a close friend. Within the time Driss leaves, Philippes character begins to grow a beard which represents neglect to himself and from others. When Driss returns and shaves it off it represents return of Philippes happiness and the need for a true friend. This film has so many beautifully set mise-en-scenes that represents, isolation, alienation and displacement the use of classical music Driss listens to within the projects represents his displacement within his previous gang related lifestyle.
The frame (and scene) below is one of my favorite mise-en-scenes/shots of all time, the isolation in this picture can be felt as a dim street light shines on Driss as classical music plays whilst the camera pans across all of the projects apartment buildings, This is a powerful shot also due to the fact the ones proceeding it involve a vast amount of wealth. The contrast is also represented with mood lighting, the blue hues bring out the loneliness within Driss’s life whilst walking into the light represents the friendship that has yet to come.
To my surprise when wanting to research this film more (as I found out the American film industry may be making a re-make which I am highly against- as remaking a film purely due to language barriers only builds segregation) I found out that there is a Bollywood version, in fact when researching many films I found out there is a Bollywood version for most famous films, this includes Pride and Prejudice which becomes Bride and Prejudice.
The styles of the film are so different and there is such an over saturation in Bollywood films that I believe in this case deter from the films narrative. The Intouchables deliberately uses a specific colour pallet to create moods and melancholy atmospheres. I believe the difference represent the film industries values. Bollywood centers much more around colour, laughter and ‘cliches’ or hero’s. This can mean that the true meaning of the story can become warped into a film for entertainment. Although I am saying this one of my favorite films is filmed within Mumbai, this is was only half created within Bollywood industry whilst the other half of the film is English, this means the characters speak both Hindu and English and it’s a beautiful mixture. The film is named ‘The Lunchbox’ and it has a very similar mise-en-scene and feel as the Intouchables has.