This semester has been an introduction to media and the broad spectrum of elements it covers. We started by looking at identity and producing a creative piece that that represented ourselves. This required us to reflect and find ways to communicate and depict different elements of our personality. We had to use editing programs. I had to focus on how to edit and cut the visual clips to suit the sound and how to incorporate all the different elements together to make one cohesive piece. In one of the first lectorials we looked at the differences in the way that we learn. I fit into the hyper active thinking group which means that I have a short attention span and focus intensely on the material in front of me for short periods of time. I find it much easier to learn using a hands on approach. I like to have things explained to me initially but then I must solidify this knowledge by repeating the tasks myself. I also learned about scholarly sources and how to locate reliable and accountable information. You can then use and reference these in your own work. This course required me to make connections between media and the outside world. I had to think proactively about the alternate ways in which media has become embedded in our lives. It has meant that I cant be passive when consuming media and that I have to pause and determine the reason why a media outlet has produced this media, the reason why I am consuming it and the message that is being conveyed. In this semester I learned how to use a hand held recorder to capture audio recordings. This is important in order to accompany clear and crisp footage with appropriate audio to create a 3 dimensional world that audiences can immerse themselves in. I have learned about the importance of getting the right balance in the levels of audio in a piece. Bold use of sound can highlight moments of tension and heightened emotions but use of minimal the sound can be just as effective and impactful and can enhance the importance of sound when used sparingly and appropriately. This semester I have really struggled with the technology involved in producing media. I find it challenging to self teach myself things involving technology and I find it very intimidating and bewildering. I am less experienced in the sound aspect of media productions, I need to learn more about how to record clear crisp sound to create professional looking work. I learned about, but still need to improve on sourcing stock footage and material that doesn’t infringe on copyright laws. I have also struggled to grasp some of the content on the theoretical side of the course. The broad and boundless interpretation of the different aspects of media was challenging for me to comprehend and wrap my mind around. In the film making process I realized that I work from a visual point of view and create quite interpretative and artistic pieces that focus on aesthetics. In the editing process I have learned that I begin with the music and edit to the beat. I generally produce material where the visuals match up with the audio in a sort of choreographed composition.

The blog posts that I feel resonated most with me and contained the strongest links to the content covered in the course are:

– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/05/26/technology-developments-desensitizing-us/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/05/19/18515/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/04/22/sound/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/03/23/life-without-media-exposure/
– http://www.mediafactory.org.au/siobhan-bird/2015/03/26/blood-in-the-gutter/

With more and more technology developments it can be argued that we are being desensitized and loosing an element of our natural human responses. The military has developed new systems to allow them to detonate bombs electronically from entirely different countries. Its dirty fighting that can be done from the comfort of your own couch. It removes the consequences, they don’t have to face the visual result of their actions. All they have to do is press a button as simply as they may change the channel with the TV remote. These life-altering actions are being made as carelessly as video game warfare. Dubai has recently announced plans to introduce Robocop’s to their streets. The police force will take the form of these androids but can we really trust these machines? How can they possibly possess human instincts? They cant show the, discretion, empathy, intuition and simple human instincts that are essential for people in these positions. As these technologies progress are we removing all human elements and aspects of communication from our lives? I don’t know about you but I like being able to go into a shop and try on clothes rather then purchasing them online. I like having a brief conversation with cashier about my day. I like being able to physically talk to my bank teller rather then messing up my accounts electronically. And I am not yet willing to sacrifice my ability to hand pick my DVDs from the shelf rather then waiting for them to load online. They may be more inconvenient but my face to face human contact and would choose it any day over a computer screen.

There are many social experiments circulating the internet at the moment that highlight peoples need to feel as though they fit in and are up to date with all the latest trends. Jimmy Kimmel did a segment on his show entitled ‘Live Witness News’. The segment consisted of street interviews where they asked people about their opinions on made up bands. The names of the bands included things such as ‘Contact Dermatitis’, ‘I’m Not Done With The Salad’, ‘Vegan Bikini’, ‘DJ Metamucil’ and ‘The Obesity Epidemic’. When asked about these bands people would ramble on about how unique and revolutionary they are. People were able to bullshit even when placed on the spot in an attempt for it to seem like they are up to date with popular culture. Although these are often used as comedic relief they pose questions about our underlying concerns about our image and appearance, especially when what we are saying will be shown publicly via media outlets such as TV, magazines or online. People take pride in having extensive knowledge on contemporary issues. One group in my media class have created a fake reality TV show contestant. They plan to conduct vox pops on the street and ask people to follow this characters Instagram and Facebook and support her fictional business endeavors. It will be interesting to see how the public react to this and if they reply to the fact that this character is a supposed celebrity.

Today was our final media class for the semester. We reflected on the different elements of the course and how our work has evolved and progressed. The blog is one major component of the course which involved weekly blogs about the class, lecture and correlation between the 2 and the outside world. The blog has been good in enabling me to make connections and create relevance between the topics covered in class and the media effects in the wider world. We were required to develop and expand on the ideas that were mentioned in class, we had to come up with our own take and additions to these concepts. The course also involved the production process, this was my favourite element of the course. It gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our creative and visual skills when creating portraits that represent ourselves as well as another person. This process involved reflection on what represents each individual and how to communicate this and depict it in a media form. Lectorials often had guest speakers talking about media. Workshops usually involved presenting and sharing work which was good to get inspiration from other peoples ideas which in turn influenced my own work. It also enabled you to gage an understanding of what was expected of you and the requirements of the assessment tasks. Readings were often thought provoking and provided inspiration for blog posts. Lastly he course involved a collaborative process where we were required to work worth other people to create a unified and consistent piece.

Humans have been around for centuries, constantly evolving, coming up with new ideas and entrepreneurial adventures but are any ideas ever really original? Are they just appropriations of other information you have collected over the years. Have you used history as inspiration or copied it? Korbys film presented the fact that ‘of the 10 highest grossing films each year for the last 10 years, 74 out of 100 of those were sequels, remakes of preexisting movies or adaptations of books and comic books.’ Even if you think you have a truly original idea chances someone somewhere else on the other side of the world is probably thinking the same thing but with the degrease of separation you may never come to know this. Sometimes when paraphrasing a text I find myself composing a sentence that I am extremely proud of. I sit there writing, thinking ‘Wow, I sound really smart’ only to read over the original text only to find it is almost exactly the same. Its almost like a scene from Inception when I believe that an idea is solely mine when actually it has been planted there from past exposure to other material. At the end of the day sometimes the differences in a piece of work are original and intriguing enough to distract us from the other exhausted conventions.

Every year I notice the Christmas, Easter and Halloween decorations seem to appear in our stores earlier and earlier. It seems like the day after they have torn down one holiday display they are onto the next. The medias role in publicity has played a massive role in transforming these long standing traditional festivities into marketing ploys. Where people would once celebrate with loved ones and appreciate the simplicity of each others company we are now expected to plan lavish, expensive and extravagant occasions. Take Valentines day for instance, this day was supposed to be an opportunity to express your love and appreciation for another person, the media has transformed it into a day where love is measured in generosity of expensive gifts. Stores are inundates with chocolates, cards and flowers for people to purchase as a token of their love and affection. Is this really the way we want to be measuring love, with materialistic goods? The advertisements on TV and the radio prime you to think that without the biggest and best food, decorations, cards and the perfect accompanying outfit you are inadequate, it has almost become a competition, a showcase, a display designed to impress the rest of society. Has it all gone too far?

Today in class we discussed the effects of giving out your information on the internet. Once your information is out there it is not removable, it is out there forever for anyone to see. Companies can collect this information and specifically target you with advertising material e.c.t. Yes that is a bit invasive but in a way I think it is convenient. If your webpage is going to be framed with adverts wouldn’t you rather it be ones that are relevant to you? Maybe they will inform you of a new product that is exactly what you have been looking for. If not well it is your responsibility to recognise that this is just an advertisement, no one is pressuring you or forcing you into purchasing anything. An argument was made in class to question the difference between using data to make assumptions about clients and face to face sale tactics. People were also complaining about sexting and how anyone can access there photos. Everyone is aware of this though and should realize that if they are going to take or send photos its at their own risk. We know where it may potentially end up with the capabilities of modern technology so we need to take more responsibility for our actions. Privacy violations are valid concerns as it is possibly for someone to find your bank details and address and steal your identity. When it comes to the government being able to access information such as security camera footage I believe that safety comes before privacy. If access to this information allows the police to locate and imprison a serial killer then I am more then happy to sacrifice my privacy. Everyone seems to be concerned about themselves as individuals and their ‘right’ to privacy. I think peoples focus of concern should be on the accumulative effects on society rather then the personal effects on them. The thing that scares me is what large corporations could do with a large scope of information. Will in enable them to monitor and manipulate the community without our knowledge. Will they be able to change the way in which we live our lives and the way society operates? They are the real concerns.

Today we were introduced to the concept of media institutions. Institutions, defined as “stable, valued, recurring patterns of behaviour.” Generally these are viewed as organisations but they can also include things like religion or marriage. Both are social institutions that develop a set of values and expectations. Society sets standards and rules, which create the makeup of these institutions that are less specifically defined. Traditions and ritualistic occasions are often undertaken to meet the conventions of each institution. Many of these traditions are symbolic and reflect meaning of important values embedded in each institution. Although beliefs are alterable and interchangeable there will always be dominant beliefs that are generally maintained out of convention. Marriage in particular is a widely accepted and practiced institution. It is a legally accepted practice that is accompanied with a legally recognised document that is acknowledged by the government. This is a powerful institution that alters the applicable legislation. Institutions have the power to alter how a community or individual conducts their lives.

On Saturday the 9th of May channel 10 broadcast a Melbourne Comedy Festival debate asking the question “is social media antisocial”. Sara Pasco and Katherine Ryan although on opposing teams both took the same angle that, yes social media is antisocial but that is a good thing. Both comedians talked about the benefits of not having to deal with your friends in real life. The internet draws an imaginary wall that allows you to insert another degree of separation between yourself and your friends. If someone inboxes you your are not required to respond to them instantly as you would be with a phone or face to face conversation. You can have the time to consider what someone is saying before replying. You are no longer required to remember friends birthdays because Facebook will helpfully remind you. You are no longer required to make an effort to get dressed, put on makeup, make yourself presentable, travel to a destination to meet your friend and risk exposure to certain environmental elements such as the wind and rain which could possibly make you sick. Now you can interact with your friends via various online multiplayer games. FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR VERY OWN BED. When your friends make statuses on the tragedies or triumphs of their lives you will be informed about these milestone events without having to demonstrate a false façade of empathy for their situation. In your own time you can inbox them with messages of consolation or congratulation without trying to maintain appropriate facial expressions. Your happy, your fulfilling your duties as a friend and your friends are also reaping the rewards. It’s a win – win. Yes social media can be antisocial but is that really such a bad thing.

In class today we shared our ideas for presentation and content for our project brief 4. Most people are using interactive mediums to present their work. This allows the audiences to have more control and influence over the information they are consuming. It makes the material more engaging and easier to follow. It gives the audience time to process material and continue consumption in their own time. This in itself is demonstrating the ways in which we consume media and what the audience looks for in their conscious consumption of material. Audiences are becoming more powerful in the ways they consume media. We are able to individualize and design a method or ritual that specifically suits us. We can tailor our consumption to the constraints of our everyday lives. This is why it is important for media distributers to understand this and maintain up to date knowledge to keep up with the demands of the public in each sector of media consumption.