This reading focuses on the codes and conventions that are combined to create cult classics. Pieces of film that have mass followings and fan bases and will stand strong against time. This reading uses Casablanca as a example of such a film. The reading spoke about how you can tell a film is a classic and has had an effect on its audiences when they make an association between certain elements of every day life and the film. When people make connections between ordinary aspects of every day life and scenes in these films that’s when you can tell they have had a considerable impact of their viewers. These aspects are transformed from boring, inanimate things to something that conjures up memories and flashbacks of movie scenes. When trivia questions are based around these films it is evident that we assume these films are so widely watched that people will know the answers. This is proof of the effects that media consumption have on our lives. As audiences we view these films, memorize them, identify with them, discuss them, debate them and bond over them. Each individual will read into these texts and add their own interpretations. Through the combination of a individuals past experiences and the media they view, each person will have their own individual reception of a film. However with the perfect combination of codes and conventions, films have the ability to appeal to and resonate with a wide array of people and have a strong impact of mass audiences.

Recently I’ve been reminiscing on my views of TV and film as a child and how I couldn’t fully grasp the concepts and magic of film. My mum always tells me the story of my first encounter with a VCR. I was in the middle of watching the Wiggles when we had to go out for dinner and my parents told me that they would pause it and I could watch it when I got home. This concept of pausing and resuming footage from the same point was something that I didn’t quite understand. Another thing that I didn’t understand was the shot reverse shot. I used to watch shows such as Neighbours and they would be filming conversations between 2 people. They would cut from one persons face to another and I used to wonder how they would hide the camera from the background of each shot. I thought that this was a live conversation and they were switching between camera angles like they do on live TV shows such as the morning show. I didn’t understand that each scene was filmed multiple times with different angles and then cut together to make a cohesive conversation.

Today in class we worked in our groups for project brief 4. My groups topic is text and we are creating a powerpoint presentation for our final piece. Today we worked on our annotated bibliography. We tried to source articles and learned how to use the library search to locate scholarly sources. We also learned how to set up a folder in google drive and upload google docs so we can all work on them simultaneously.

Sound is an essential element in human communication and perception. It is pervasive and multidirectional. We are surrounded by it and it helps us to understand the dimensions of the world around us and develop special awareness. Without equal hearing in both ears it can throw off our balance and perception of reality. Sound is essential to manipulate in in productions in order to communicate specific meaning to the audience. Quality, source and volume of sound can all alter an audiences perception and interpretation of work. Sound is complexly layered element that is prioritized by the ear, therefore different people will experience and process sounds differently. Jasmine spoke about how we usually take notice of sounds that are similar or foreign. She gave the example of our names and how we automatically tune into our name because we identify with it and are familiar with it. An experience I had with my friend Milli on the weekend demonstrated the opposite. She slept over at my house and as we lay in bed I couldn’t get to sleep because I could hear the subtle ticking of my brothers alarm clock from the next room but no matter how hard Milli tried to tune into the sound she couldn’t hear it. This was probably due to the fact that for me it was a familiar sound but she had never registered or identified it before. Jasmine also explained that sound is not an experience that can be closed off, we have to earlids to filter or cut off sound, we are constantly subject to the sounds around us. Selective hearing is a subconscious process that we go through. As people get older their ability to hear high pitch noises decreases. It is important that we try to appeal to the audiences sense of sound and create audio that is engaging, allowing the audience to tune into the piece without the interruption of their subconscious selective hearing. Jasmine also spoke about the different perspectives of sound and how they are divided into 3 layers. Figure (the focus of interest), Ground (the setting or context giving the focal sound meaning) and Flied ( the background or ambiance which is usually not registered but creates a setting and environment rather then silence)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoRWg6l47Pg%MCEPASTEBIN%

My project brief 3 (Media Portrait) was entitled Dance. It features my friend Mikaela Schreauder who is a passionate dancer and is currently studying it professionally. I wanted to document the process of a dancers daily life. Their preparation, rehearsals, getting ready with makeup, hair, costumes and preforming. I also wanted to look at how dance can be such a strong focal point in someone’s life. I tried to do this by using footage of Mikaela dancing at various locations around Melbourne. This was done to depict the fact that is someone is a dancer it is something they are committed to, they take it everywhere with them and are constantly required to practice in order to maintain such high standards. I believe the most successful element of my piece was the subject matter. Dancing is beautiful and entertaining in itself and is automatically engaging to the audience. The least successful element of the piece is ……. The thing I found most problematic was definitely sourcing stock footage. I struggled to find footage that was free for public use, that didn’t want you to pay and that weren’t watermarked. I also struggled to work out how to actually download footage when I sourced something of use. I also found it really difficult to find relevant material that connected with my piece. I would have liked to find a way to create movement with the images such as a zoom, that would have made for a more fluent piece with constant movement and less jarring. In making the piece I had to learn to use the colour correction and exposure effects to alter the footage. I also learned how to overlap 2 pieces and change the opacity.

The public relies on the media to broadcast horrific events in order to educate us but could this coverage simply be glorifying crime? Sometimes I wonder if these criminals are driven by the fame they can rely on after they have committed these crimes.  The media provides recognition for these people, it feeds their name to the public and gives them a lasting legacy. These stories are then often also transformed into books, documentaries and fictional films only further glorifying the crime Andreas Lubitz, the pilot responsible for crashing the Germanwings flight into the French Alps was reported saying to his girlfriend “people will know me”. The driving force of Man Haron Monis, the man responsible for the Lint siege was to capture the attention of 7 news. He requested that his demands be broadcast publicly, he wanted attention and he wanted to be an iconic figure. On top of glorifying criminals the broadcasting of terrible events can also inspire others and feed people ideas about how to execute crimes. Giving details about how the latest Isis runaways have escaped to Iraq, is bound to give other people ideas. It is important that the public gets information about these events but I believe the media should broadcast these articles with more anonymity, less details and no names to give credit and recognition to these criminals.

Today in media we watched everyone’s portraits that were generally done in a documentary style. There were some interesting techniques that I would like to learn how to incorporate into my work. One person used a transition to cut between shots that looked like a camera flash. They showed clips of a girl walking down a driveway dressed in different clothes, they tracked backwards and followed her walk and intercut between the girl in different outfits. This was really effective in representing the progression of time and the different aspects and elements of a persons personality. The interviews of the subjects were often cut really well, cutting to the main points and skipping the irrelevant information whilst still maintaining a fluid feel. It was good how people managed to interview the subjects and get information that was understandable without having to know the background information and the interviewers question. I also like how allot of people presented their audio and interviews in the form of a phone call. Some people had overlapped stock footage of old flickering film and overlapped that to blend 2 shots together. Lots of people also used home video type footage with shaky camera work, which gave the work an authentic feel. When people used different music from the main piece to the closing credits then it signified to the audience that the piece was coming to a conclusion. Annick used some of these techniques in her portrait. It was set out like a sort of music video and the footage was cut to the beat of the song.

Sometimes I fear that my love of films is having an adverse affect on my life. I allow myself to become fully immersed in the films I watch, I become the character and fantasize about having these exciting adventures in my real life. Then when I return to reality I am so often left feeling disappointed and unfulfilled. These films create a set of standards that I subconsciously want to attain in my own life. Sometimes I just have to stop myself and realize that the reason these films are so compelling is because they are unique, they contain story lines consisting of things outside your ordinary daily occurrences. The reason people spend there time watching these films is because they are interesting, they’re not the type of things that happen to normal people. I cant expect my life to be that intense. Even though I know that logically my life isn’t, and cant be a movie there is still that inner hope that maybe I will be the exception, maybe it is possible for me to be that one person that these amazing things happen to. My high expectations are creating dissatisfaction, I always want things to be better but my nostalgic outlook on films is also often one sided. I overlook the characters lowest points, the parts of the story where everything is going wrong and their life is in turmoil, I just want to live the highs. I want the adventure, excitement and happy ending without the middle transition stage. Sometimes I wonder would I be more content if I didn’t watch as many films as I do or am I happy living as a dreamer.

Today in class Rachael spoke about collaboration.

Good v bad experiences.

Things that create a bad collaboration experience:

– One person does all the work and the others get the credit.

– People may have to take ownership and put their name on work that they may not be happy with or proud of.

– Peoples opinions may be outnumbered, making it hard for them to have any input.

– People with differing artistic attitudes may not collaborate well. Sometimes compatible personalities may not be compatible work mates if they have differing artistic opinions.

– Ideas may clash and this may sacrifice fluidity and consistency in the work. This can create a jarring piece that does not target any specific audiences. They may struggle to stick to 1 specific aesthetic and end up with a clashing piece. Differing ideas could potentially come together to create the best of both worlds but alternatively they could clash.

– People may feel that their ideas are not worthy of other peoples. They might not know how to contribute if they do not feel they have valuable information.

– Sometimes people have conflicting ideas and cant reach a compromise.

– You have to rely on other people that may not pull their weight or show up.

Things that create a good collaborative experience:

– Sharing of ideas allowing everyone to build on and improve ideas.

– With correct leadership you can find a balance between a leader and dictator. You need someone who will consider and respect others ideas but maintain authority and make final decisions.

– You can solve problems with others help by putting multiple minds together.

– You can bounce ideas off each other and build on them.

– You can support each other, confirm other peoples ideas and get a second opinion, reassurance from other people.

– You feel a sense of responsible because others rely on you. This can often help people to work harder, achieve goals and meet deadlines.

– In a group large-scale projects can be worked on at a faster pace with shared workload.

– Everyone can work to their specified areas.

– People can utilize key skills and their specialized departments.

Important skills of collaboration:

– Leadership
– Negotiation

Today in class we experimented with the Zoom handy recorders. We learned how to record audio, change the channels, playback audio, download it onto the computer and delete clips. We recorded various sounds such as doors opening and closing, the elevator opening, rustling of leaves, ambiance, footsteps, conversations and cars. My favourite sounds we captured was the waterfall running and birds chirping, the sounds are clear and crisp with a good volume and little background noise. Some of the less successful recordings included rustily recordings, fuzzy recordings and muffled recordings, usually with allot of background noise, often recorded in an outdoor environment with a expansive space. The least successful recording was an attempt at capturing the dialling noise of a pay phone. The sounds was too quiet and difficult to capture. When the volume of the recording device was low you could not real the dialling tone and could only hear background noise. When the volume was turned up it created a high pitched screeching sound.