This is a story about a man dealing with depression. Stuck in mundane life where nothing ever changes, he has effectively given up on hoping for change. He blames his passive personality for his tedious and repetitive reality, but he has a sort of cynically optimistic outlook on life as he is aware that there are those who are worse off than him. This however doesn’t null his pain as he tries to cope with it through watching TV and playing video games. He uses self deprecating humor to hide his true feelings from the world as often what he says in his head is vastly different from what he actually says.
Author Archives: Jamie
Media Project Rules
Rules
1.Keep an open communication with the group.
2.No idea is beyond compromise.
3.If issues or uncertainties arise contact group immediately.
4.Everyone is expected to contribute to the best of their ability to the group.
5.Keep yourself accountable for every action.
Week 4 Story Lab Post
It was quite interesting to see the character of Agent Carter in three different platforms that are still within the Marvel cinematic universe. In Captain America, she was introduced as a tough as nails woman that could hold her own in a male dominated society. However when ever Captain America shared the screen with her she was downgraded into the role of the love interest for our ‘Hero’. This is clear when she was chasing the intruder and at the hint of danger the big and strong male protagonist came to her rescue. In the one shot and TV show, Captain America is completely out of the equation; therefore she can take on the role of the protagonist. Here Carter is still being treated as an inferior figure by her male counterparts, but she takes a more proactive approach to proving herself as she goes on a mission and accomplishes it. This was even more evident when she is being strangled by a bad guy when she manages to save herself. In such scenes the audience wouldn’t be surprised if a male character would have come to her rescue but true to her character, she is the one to help herself.
Week 3 Story Lab Post
The reading by Henry Jenkins helped to better understand the role of transmedia, in the age of ‘media convergence’. By using a film franchise I was quite familiar with it showed me that the first Matrix film was released to generate interest from the public, but the interest was not limited to the film itself. The film is actually just a part of the Matrix universe since it extended into other mediums such as comics, video games and web series. This helped fill in the gaps that the film couldn’t possibly accomplish in its 150 minute run time. With this much content, the producers expected quite a commitment from the audience as when the second film came around, there was no recap. This kind of universe building is quite intriguing from a narrative point of view as there are many layers on converging stories that affect one another until they reach an ultimate conclusion. I now realise that I have been actively engaging with this kind transmedia universe but instead of the Matrix it’s the Mass Effect video game franchise. The Mass Effect universe can be explored by playing the three main games, the many issues of comics as well as an animated film that all fill in the time jump between each game. This is a way to have multiple mediums to tell the same story that I can actually see myself making, so I’m really glad I read this reading.
Project Brief 1 – Case Study (The Thrilling Adventure Hour)
The Thrilling Adventure Hour is a popular Hollywood staged show and has been running since March 2005. Beginning in January 2011, the Thrilling Adventure Hour began podcasting sketches from past performances. Each stand-alone tale celebrates and reinvigorates a new genre from the radio comedies of yesteryear, including science fiction, fantasy, westerns, superheroes, horror, war dramas, and many more. The various tales told are in the same format as traditional old-time radio serials as they are performed in front of a live studio audience and have an original intro song. Each episode is essentially a parody of various works of pop culture as they constantly delve into the cliches of all these sub genres for comedic effect. Examples of this are the characters of Sparks Nevada and Croach the tracker from one of the most popular segment Sparks Nevada: Marshall on Mars. Sparks Nevada is like a childish Indians Jones mixed with every western protagonist in 50’s as his exceptionally quick draw and even quicker mouth gets him into more trouble than out of trouble. Croach the tracker on the other hand is a combination of Tanto and Spock as he has a great sense of honor and tradition but is also a Martian and his lack of understanding of human customs and logical thinking causes confusion between him and Sparks Nevada. Most segments have a three act structure as the norm is introduced with banter between characters, then a conflict emerges to the dismay of the main characters which disrupts the norm so they have find some way to overcome the obstacle. This is usually solved with an exchange of quick witted responses and any other means depending on the show, between the protagonists and antagonists. In some cases there are ‘Specials’ that occur on the anniversary of the show where in that episode the podcast’s fan favorite characters will crossover with each other. There are also various spin offs of the podcast’s flagship shows that also converge as they make several references to past events that end up effect the entire Thrilling universe. This is similar to the example given in class which was the Marvel cinematic universe where the actions taken in one property affects the rest. The casual manner in which the characters react when they face each other is unique in the sense that they just accept that they are now in the same timeline. These are very interesting episodes as in a one particular ‘special’ they had fans of the show as characters. These particular fans where dwellers from the fifth dimension so that was the explanation of how they viewed the character’s reality as fiction. The characters refused to acknowledge their fictional world as the fans addressed the character as if they were actors by being star struck and repeating catchphrases despite the fact that in reality they actually fictional. This fictional reality upon fictional reality made for a fascinating listening experience as it was conflict between realities as both sides argue that their reality is the ‘real’ reality despite the fact that both are fictional.
Week 2 Story Lab Post
Manovich’s reading on databases was quite interesting especially when he asked whether narrative and databases have the same status in computer culture. This was a tricky question as they are almost polar opposites as databases as a culture form, represents the world as a list of items, and it refuses to order this list. On the other hand, a narrative creates a trajectory based on causality of seemingly unordered items. There is common ground in terms of motivation and purpose the example given for a game and a novel the reader needs justification to progress further. There are media objects that explicitly follow a data base logic, while others don’t but the majority of them are databases. In new media, despite being labelled as linear narratives, interactive narratives or databases on the on the level of material organisation, they are all databases. This assumption of calling new media as a narrative rather than a database is due to the fact the narrative is used as an all-inclusive term. The fact that a database can support a narrative is a significant enough reason as to why databases occupy a large portion, if not the largest territory in the new media landscape.
‘Why so Serious?’ Campaign Questions
What is the ‘narrative’ of the campaign?
The narrative of the campaign was to liberate Gotham city from crime and corruption by electing Harvey Dent and showing support for him. However there was a twist as the Joker took over the website and vandalised it. It then turned into manhunt for Joker clues as they were planted in cities all around the world.
What role does the audience play?
The audience were upgraded from a passive role to a more active one as the campaign required a certain degree of engagement and effort. The audience was required to find clues through the website they were given. Without audience participation the campaign would have been a failure. The enthusiasm shown by the audience helped made this campaign a massive success as producers were able to create hype for the film which made it the biggest grossing film for 2008.
How was the idea of the ‘remix’ and the ‘database’ employed here?
‘Remix’ can be found in this campaign as the picture and trailers that the audience were provided with have been tampered with. This “jokerification” of this work gives the audience an insight into the deranged mind of the Joker as the smiley faces on the character’s faces as well as the “Haha” graffiti were testament to his twisted sense of humor. In terms of ‘database’ producers of the game took full advantage of the open nature of the web as a medium their websites kept evolving and changing with the initial Harvey Dent support posters and ending with the vandalised version of it. This also allowed for other mediums to be linked to the game as it linked audio to images to give a variety of clues to the participants.
Make a list of as many artefacts/objects/’bits’ of the campaign as you can.
• Harvey Dent Posters
• Harvey Dent recorded speech
• Joker Harvey Dent Posters
• Joker graffiti of various paintings
• Gotham Newspaper
• Gotham websites
• Voice mail and text messages by the Joker
• Rallys for either Harvey Dent or Joker
• Batman logo
• Batman logo vandalised
What role does each ‘bit’ play in the overall narrative?
• Harvey Dent Posters – these posters establish a sense of reality for the audience participating in the game.
• Harvey Dent recorded speech – this adds further realism as he talks about needing the audiences support to save Gotham.
• Joker Harvey Dent Posters – The audience is introduced into the deranged mind of the Joker as he vandalises the campaign posters and announces his own vision for Gotham.
• Joker graffiti of various paintings – The Joker tampers with even more paintings claiming his intent to be bigger, which prompts a scavenger hunt for more clues.
• Gotham Newspaper – The newspaper informs the audience what their actions led to in Gotham city. This also has various clues such a websites and hidden messages.
• Gotham websites – Several Gotham public websites include recording and hidden messages which help those participating.
• Voice mail and text messages by the Joker – This is the most immersive aspect of the game as the audience is actively interacting with the Joker as he leads them to even more hint and clues.
• Rallys for either Harvey Dent or Joker – Gathering crowds support their chosen leader as they take to the streets in support. This is a sign of an impending climax in the narrative of the game.
• Batman logo – The Batman logo, a symbol of hope for the people of Gotham appears in front of those that called themselves “citizens of Gotham City”. They were sent there by the clues from the game. All of a sudden the Batman logo is defaced with the Joker graffiti along with every website that was part of the game leaving a trail of chaos. This is so the audience can see the conclusion once they see the film.
How do you think the team went about planning this? Think logistics.
The website was simple enough as they would have has graphic artists make the props for the Harvey Dent campaign. They would have had Aaron Eckhart and Heath Ledger record their lines in addition to having they pose for additional promotional material. The fact that they need to go out a hide tangible objects in various cities had to require people to either travel or have people that live in the area to be actively communicating with the people in charge of managing this project. They would have had to carefully map out the schedule of the introduction of each bit as it required numerous steps in a specific order for the whole campaign to progress its narrative.
How does this campaign fit into the narrative of the film?
The campaign fits into the character motivations of the film as Harvey Dent intends to clean up the city of Gotham while Joker desires chaos and anarchy. The posters with Dent wanting his city to change for the better is testament to his desire to improve the city that he loves and wishes to protect as for the majority of the film that is a one of his biggest ambitions. The Joker vandalising the Batman logo and the line about breaking his one rule is his attempt to corrupt the Dark Knight as well as shatter the public’s perception of him. That is the motivation of the Joker in the film as his obsession with Batman’s rigid rules prompts him to try and make Batman submit to chaos. The fact that Batman was so absent from the campaign makes the game feel like setting up the film, as Batman will fix the problems raised by the game.
Week 1 Story Lab Post
The TED talk by Andrew Stanton grabbed my attention the most as there were quite a few things that he said that I whole heartily agree with and others that I downright disagree with. I am firm believer that for a story to be feel genuine and with a sense of reality, the author must have had some sort of similar experience or is very informed on the subject. Stanton touches on this as he emphasizes that a writer must write what they know in order for their story to have an added layer of depth. That is why I feel that for my story I will have to write a story that I am quite knowledgeable about or have firsthand experience. Stanton went on to say that a story must evoke a sense of wonder but that is not true for films that are darker. It is fine for a Pixar film or another fantasy based film but he seems to forget that there a various genres out there mainly horror and thriller movies that aren’t able to conjure such emotions with the story they are telling. If I end up settling on an idea that might allow me to do so, I will definitely try, but if having such emotions instilled in a scene that might disrupt the mood I’m setting then I would be against it. Stanton definitely took his own advice and stuck to what he know and there is nothing wrong with that, however I would of appreciated if he was a bit more inclusive with different types of stories.
Mixed Media Creative Critical Essay
Adrian talks about the principles of distributed content production and sharing and how they are changing knowledge production as well as building many varieties of content and knowledge. This has a clear impact on the pathway that I would like to pursue once I finished university. As an aspiring screenwriter it is comforting to know that there will always be platforms on which content can become available for consumption to the public but based on the ever changing methods of development and distribution it can be an issue for student who have been thought to work for a network or a studio.
An example of new form of content production is the open collaborative production company hitRECord.
This is an interesting example of a new age kind of Production Company as instead of being exclusive with the contributing privileges of a let’s say an old school production company, hitRECord is actually embracing the massive community of internet users and gathers those who wish to contribute to a project or start one all in one place. The following is directly from their website:
“Writers, musicians, illustrators, photographers, video editors – artists of all kinds are invited to contribute their work to hitRECord. Once on the site, the hitRECord community collaboratively edits, builds upon, develops and remixes each other’s work to create songs, animation, short films, live shows, and music videos. As certain community collaborations develop at hitRECord we figure out ways to get our artwork out into the world. Since 2010, hitRECord has put out works of publishing and music, gone on tour and screened at festivals. And now, we’re working on producing a TV variety show!”
It is quite clear from this that they are committed to welcome anyone with an idea or skill that can be beneficial to a project as they break down the barriers that more traditional production companies have built around themselves. I feel that this following statement is what makes hitRECord so different from traditional media producer:
“Now, the point of hitRECord isn’t to make money. A wise man once said “we don’t make movies to make money; we make money to make other movies” — and that’s why hitRECord is a for-profit company. If and when we’re able to earn money from one of our hitRECord productions — books, live shows, vinyl records — we split the profits 50-50 with the artists who contributed.”
Unlike the studios and networks that create and cancel shows depending on the profitability of the content, which essentially shows that their business model is profit first, content second, hitRECord claims to do the opposite. Joseph Gordon Levitt’s company seems to be solely focused on producing as much creative productions as possible as the money raised from all these projects are used to make future projects even better and in greater numbers. This shift in company policies has given a chance for a more varied and intriguing content to be created that would have never been possible in the current rigid Television system.The success of hitRECord is due to two changes. The first is the one I spoke of earlier where this large network of creative individuals contribute and share their skills though this creative online community. The second is the change of how people are consuming their content, which in turn impacts how the content is distributed. Being split between Television and the internet, it ensures that the content they produce has the best chance to be seen as both these platforms consume the most time of an individual’s day.
The fact that Global Web Index, a highly respected market research firm found that internet users aged 16-64 on average spent more time online each year then the last as TV remained relatively steady but is prone to fluctuate. The ever changing methods of media consumption is nothing new and has been present since the conception of every medium as they continue to evolve and adapt.
According to Erik Barnouw a historian of radio and television broadcasting, in the US until the nineteen-eighties, an overwhelming amount of the TV shows were commissioned and carried by ABC, CBS, and NBC, which the networks themselves started out as radio networks. Audiences were fascinated by this new type of media, and broadcasters made money by selling spots to advertisers. Media researcher Tero Kuittinen says that today, the broadcast networks suffer 15% to 25% annualized audience loss, which is due to a proliferating array of viewing options. Cable television networks were the first to come, which delivered HBO, ESPN, CNN, Nickelodeon, and dozens of other channels through a coaxial cable. Then competition came from the world of the internet with the busiest “television” platform in the world, YouTube which has (according to YouTube’s statistics page) a billion unique visitors watching six billion hours of video every month.
Now it is true that YouTube is by far has the most unique visitors than any other video platform but it is online streaming services such as Netflix that users spend the most time on which lead to the term “binge watching”. During peak hours, Netflix accounts for more than thirty per cent of all Internet down-streaming traffic in North America, nearly twice that of YouTube, its closest competitor(seen in the graph above). The Netflix Web site describes the company as “the world’s leading Internet television network.”Richard Greenfield, a media and technology analyst states ‘We now live in a world where every device is a television,’ and ‘couch potatoes have given way to “active hunters,” viewers who “snack” and control what they watch and when.’Chris Anderson writer of The Long Tail argues that Netflix and other online content providers have “broken the tyranny of physical space” as the average blockbuster can only carry less than 3,000DVDs where Netflix there has seemingly unlimited storage from titles.Anderson also provides us with what he calls “the new rules for the new economy of entertainment”. These are “Make everything available”, “Cut the price in half. Now lower it” and “Help me find it”.
The first rule addresses the audience’s sense of curiosity and discovery as by simply flick through the thousands of selection they will surely find something that is not mainstream but intriguing to them. Anderson states that more niece content will finally have a platform to be seen as the documentary Daughter form Danang which was produced by PBS in 2002 was given exclusively to Netflix rather than the more traditional DVD channels. Now it consistently ranks in the top 15 on the Netflix documentary charts. The second rule works on the model that if you lower the price more people will buy the product which in the long run will bring a larger profit. In a world of pirates companies can’t expect people to pay the same high prices for content they can easily get for free so that is why the lowering of current prices will result in more people buying content. The third rule is exposing lesser known content by pairing it to more mainstream ones. This is done by having a personalized recommendations based on what the user consumes as according to Netflix 60 percent of rentals come from recommendations. This helps to popularize sub genres in order to keep producing content since now there is audience for them.
Netflix continued to expand, making itself available on game consoles, mobile phones, tablets, and other streaming devices, such as Apple TV and Roku. Reed Hastings, the C.E.O. of Netflix has succeeded, by taking advantage of what he calls viewers’ ”managed dissatisfaction” with traditional television as each hour of programming is crammed with about twenty minutes of commercials and promotional messages for other shows. Netflix carries no commercials. Its revenue derives entirely from subscription fees. Viewers are happy to pay a set fee, in order to watch, uninterrupted, their choice of films or shows, whenever they want, on whatever device they want. “Think of it as entertainment that’s more like books,” Hastings said. “You get to control and watch, and you get to do all the chapters of a book at the same time, because you have all the episodes.” That was an interesting comment as it was books that gave way to all these content producing mediums and now it seems that it has gone full circle.
So where does this leave us? Well there are definitely some changes to the entertainment industry with producers and providers of content such as hitRECord and Netflix and how these companies have changed how people create and consume entertainment. The bottom line seems to be that there will always be people that want to create stuff and people that want to see it but the process of creating and distributing can be drastically different from the one seem to accept as the proper process.
Bibliography
Barnouw, Erik, Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television, 2d ed. (1990)
Anderson, Chris. “The Long Tail” Wired. N.P., Oct.Web. 23 Aug. (2013)
Miles, Adrian. “Network Literacy: The New Path to Knowledge.” Screen Education Autumn.45 (2007), 24–30.
Kuittinen, T (2013). ‘Broadcast Television Takes another Beating’, Boy Genius Report, Sep 27, viewed Sep 24 2014
#9 Symposium Pandemonium
Elliot describes data bases as an “organised collection of information”. I guess I always thought that it was exclusive to the internet but in that sense a library is a database. The debate that databases can be random was interesting as Betty said that a database in systematized way of retrieving information but there seems to be more a grey area according to Jason. Even our blogs are databases as everything online is a database. The fact that the access to data can be limited by local law is especially true for countries such as China. The recent Hong Kong protests have promoted the Chinese government blacklist words on the internet such as “cultural revolution”, “overthrow” and “oppression”.
