In WEEK 3 reading for media 1, was exploring upon how we think about media in these days.

(Gauntlet.D (2014) Making Media Studies: Extract from new book, accessed from <http://davidgauntlett.com/making-media-studies/extract-from-new-book/> (date viewed 16/03/2016))

From the video and readings this week, Gauntlett points out there are two main ways or he calls two peaks that can summaries the studies of media in these days. The first peak includes creative, making and inspiring, these are based on the positive points of modern media industry. Moreover, the other peak was about troubling, computer capitalism which basically people uses media for consumerism.

Remembering learning media in high school around two years ago, the subject media in most of the high school teaches student according to 4 categories: audience, institution, production and texts. Gauntlett is describing these four categories as the old way of thinking about and teaching media studies. He believes that the business people have more interesting things to say on media institution. As the result, Gauntlett thinks the media studies in nowdays should focusing on what he has categories as the two peaks.

What I particular agree with him was, when he discusses the media industry is about making new things happen. Especially like us, the media students we need to not only learn media, but create it and therefore influencing the industry itself. ‘Media some make new things, some just faded away’, in this industry things are changing very quickly. We need to firstly notice the trends in this industry in order to create new things that influence the audience.

Hi, I am Kris

I have black hair, black eyes.

what to wear every morning, what to eat each meal, are the two questions that bother me every day.

I like to dance, dance and dance

I enjoy music but not piano

I like hanging out with friends, hate crowded

I am proud of myself because I speak four languages

나는 나를 좋아한다

During the workshop in Week2, we have been shown a few examples done by past students, I particular liked the first example, the narrator speaks with a light voice, she does not include a lot of texts in her video but only says single words, by combining with the relaxing music the whole video seemed calm and relax. I think to create an short video that introduce my identity can really tell what kind of person you are through the style of editing/sound track and filming.

In week 3’s workshop, while we have discussed upon Gauntlett’s reading, we also mentioned a lot about the use of social media in these days. Facebook,  snapchat. twitter, instagram, YouTube etc, people are using these apps in their everyday life. Personally, I find myself very addict to instagram in particularly, it is a way of sharing things to people. Even over in the Asian countries, for example in China, people in China do not have the access to Facebook or instagram so they are using another app call wechat which is similar to facebook’s messenger.  The reason we are addict to social media everyday, Firstly, it is quick, one-to-one, convenient and it allows people to connect with each other. Especially for people like me who has family and friends overseas, we are using social media/internet to connect with each other. My grandmother is living in China for her whole life, after I have left China she learnt to use smart phone and download wechat so she can video chat with me, what I am posting online. I think social media is a strong tool which connects people.

We post things online everyday, even my family is not with me all the time, they can still see how I am going everyday. Secondly, to see what did my favourite celebrities have posts. This became to one of the most important reason I am addicted to social media and check them all the time, it is a convenient connection which brings people from different area all together.

Everytime when there is something massive happening in Melbourne or anywhere in the world, instead of checking ‘the age’ or any new app. Instead if I look thorugh on twitter, facebook or wechat which used in China I can get all the information of what/ where/ why the episode is happening.

This blog is a review and a recommendation for film – Collective Invention (돌연변이) by director Kown Oh-Kwang.

This is the second time I have watch this film, I always like to watch a film, drama or a piece of music video for several of times. As I found each time I watch it again I can receive a new message or have a new interpretation from them. The film ‘Collective Invention’ has conveyed the idea of how frightening is human’s selfishness. I particular liked the story was represented while describing how desperate is the main character Gu’s life after he has  transformed to a ‘Fishman’ from a chemical experiment, no one wanted to approach him not even his father. . After the main character Gu has became a Fishman, this hapless episode has brought Gu became a celebrity and blew up the whole Korea, which he was being criticise by the society and became the centre of public opinion There were three characters beside Gu who appeared as ‘friends’ and wanted to help Gu, but they had their own reason to approach Gu. Including Gu’s father, they helped him because of their own goods, they wanted to earn money from Gu.

Different to the films I have been watched a lot, the tone of the whole film is gloomy and hapless, I always dislike these types of film but this film was set in this tone seemed to be because the director wanted to represent how harsh and grim is the society. Especially this film presented the storyline through the fish man’s point of view which let the director’s intention expressed more deliberately, how desperate and struggle Gu might live through out the time. I pondered how I might feel if I have became a ‘Monster’ and with no one besides, this is where the film is good of.

In regarding for my next project brief, I was looking forward to Friday’s workshop. This was the very first time I have ever done something about myself, so I did not have so much ideas for this project brief. By thinking who am I and how can different media helps me to speak out what kind of people I am, I was very curious of how did other people represent themselves.

During the workshop, I particular enjoyed when hearing people explaining their stories behind each photo; videos and audios. In order to give each other feedbacks and learn to be able to work collaboratively, we have learnt to used the ‘hat’ feedback strategy to evaluate each other’s work. Each of our group member will get a hat to give either negative, positive feedback or suggestions for things we they can work on. Personally, I think this section of the workshop is extremely helpful for in regarding to prepare my next project brief, especially the four different colour hats, you will not only hear the positive review but also where you can put more effort in or where you might consider changing. I think sharing with my classmates has inspired me a lot, now I kind of have the idea of which direction should I go for my next direction.

What I have found during sharing time? I particular noticed there are lots of artist in our group, who play different musical instruments and who likes painting. Most of our videos and photos were quite similar in the way we have record things around us, where we live and what we see every day.

Our second week lecture opened by guest speaker Jeremy Bowtell, he has introduce the role of editing in Media to the class. Editing, which have inspired me a lot. Editing? What is editing? And how is it important in a production? These questions made me pondered for a while. I have been enjoying watching films; dramas and variety shows since I was little, as I have never done any editing, so I have never considered what an important role is editing playing in the media industry. ’A good editing is a shoot which gives your audience full lots of information’, I believe editing a film, drama or even a music video is a huge amount of work. Personally, I think the Korean music videos contains a large amount of technique to edit, especially the dance singers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o4Zj98FeX4

What is media? At the second part of this week’s lecture, lecturer has asked students to write down 5 things that you think of when I say ‘media’. Before actually get into the program, I think media is what brings information to people all over the world from different technology. What I have written in my list was only: communication, connection and information, which contains a huge range of different things. During discussion time, I remember a student said: ‘media is omnipresent.’ I agree with her, media is something we see and use in our daily life. Especially for students like me who has family and friends in overseas, we connect each other through media (i.e. wechat/Facebook). Media is gradually becoming a tool which connect one another in nowadays. Moreover, media is a connection tool between public and individuals, this is what people are using every day. I believe many of us have the experience of knowing someone on the internet like Facebook but never seen each other face to face.

Personally, I believe media is exposing human nature, producers make a personal story to a film or dram and using media to tell the public. Media is a combination of art; culture and information.

In our lectorial today we were placed into small groups to do an experiment to prove that media is always around us.  My group was allocated to the bourke street, we walked along bourke street and observed. Our group members have never thought ho many we can get, however, it was actually shocking that media is literally where ever you look on the street!!  We cannot stop recording down all the medias we can see, it is everywhere!!! Before we get started, we use our mobile to add each other’s facebook.

Screens in the shop or upon in the top of building for advertisement!

Posters of up coming movies on stations or on trams

Street artist was selling his music CD, use music to attract audiences

Warning signs on trams

Tourists used google map to look for locations.

In our first project brief with the topic – identity, the first thing turned up in my head was: what made me, me? I believe there are lots of students like me, which family background is from another country and we left because of several reasons. I have been away from my mother country for seven years, which I guess people can see both Aussie and Chinese on me. Many people may think being multi-lingual could be advance but sometimes is very challenge for us living in between them.

What I am trying to achieve in this project is: human is like a blank paper when we are born, because our surroundings; people we know and our family formed us who we are and what kind of characteristics we have now.

• Multi-lingual (Cantonese; Mandarin; English & Korean)
• Everything I love and I am able to do was from my parents
• Travelling a lot
• The sense of combination of Chinese and Aussie
• A representation of me by representing my surrounding

“You’ve got to find what you love…If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking and don’t settle.” For myself, it’s been three years that I am looking for something I love.

In this week’s reading exploring upon the topic ‘(Do not) Following your passion’ really draw me pondered, because I have noticed that most of the time, people are usually being motivate to do something if they are passionate in doing it. The result is always better than doing something that we are not into it. I incredibly enjoyed this week’s reading and the video but I don’t hundred percent agree with what was being raised: Even though you follow your passion, you might still don’t get a fulfilling career. Although I found this week’s reading very relevant to me in regarding to my experience and my family background, by using Steve Jobs (former CEO of Apple) as the best example to show that stumbling into a career might also lead you to find your love.  However, I still believe that following your passion will lead us to a fulfilling future, although you might need to pay enough effort to it.

Personally, I think no matter what we decide to do as our job, at the beginning of our career, we will face different challenges for sure, when we are stumbling through  the beginning of every career, we need to put enough effort consistently. On the other hand, if we don’t have immense passion or interest to do the job, we might never get a chance to stumble through the challenge and get to the period what we call: ‘success’, like the Steve Jobs’ example.

My family was from China, I believe most of Asian countries’ parents want their children to have a fulfilling career by getting a stable job like: teaching, doctor, engineering, accountant etc. My mum worked in a school after she graduate from UNI, she wants me to have the same career as her, at least it is stable. After graduated from high school, I have been studying in Bachelor of Education for two years, moving towards what a ‘stable job’ is.  However, I was totally not into teaching and wanted to stop from the very beginning. Then, I persuade myself by trying to seek for different reasons that this will be the best choice for me. After two years, I still cannot settle and I was extremely jealous to my friends who is doing what they love. At the end of last year, I end up with no reason to continue spending my time and money in somewhere that I like nothing about.

When I was trying to persuade my mum, I said: ‘You brought me to study and live in Australia, because you hope I can learn something different from the restrict Chinese education system, what I have learnt was, university is somewhere that we do things we really love. I have learnt all of this, so you cannot say to me that no, you have to follow what I want you to do. That’s totally opposite to the reason of moving to Australia.’

In the modern society, I believe that the key to get a fulfilling career and enjoy your workplace is to really ‘Follow your passion’, however, we need to pay the same amount of effort to do it. I believe my passion will help me to stumble through the challenges.

The first media lecture began by the lecturer gave us a brief browse the program structure; discussed the knowledge and experience are we going to acquire through these three years. During the first part of lecture students were asked to write down our 10 goals/ what we want to achieve from ‘media 1’. This question really made me pondered, I moved from Bachelor of Education to media was only because I am very interested in this industry. I want to find a spot for myself in media industry. I have never considered what to achieve after the course. After a while, I have written down: ‘Know what I can do in this industry’. Knowing my capacity and character in this industry will be my very first goal through this program.

Remembering from my last two years’ experience in Education program, I always feel a sense of loss and blank, because that was not somewhere I want to be. I believe people are motivate to do things better when they are interested at it, I was very surprise that the first day of being a media student didn’t make me feel loss and unfamiliar. Instead, I found myself was very exciting to know more about media industry and concentrate into the lecture. From the topic of ‘home’ we have touched on, I have never sure about if media is a place where suit me and I have never thought about course can be the sense of home. I wish in the next three years I can find my role here.