Author Archives: jasmijnvanhouten

Changes in the Post-Broadcast Era

In today’s Lectorial regarding audiences, Brian mentioned the rise of long form narrative, and how this has affected audience consumption. The first example that springs to mind is, of course, HBO, the American cable channel. It’s hard to find a person that hasn’t watched or heard of Game of Thrones, a testament to the show’s popularity. Fun fact: Australians are the world #1 for illegally downloading the show. There are plenty of reasons for this, including archaic Foxtel models, but that’s a rant I’ll save for another blog post.

HBO, as a cable channel, has more freedom with the content it produces compared to free to air channels. They have built a brand that audiences associate with quality TV productions, also known in some circles as ‘prestige’ TV, and also attract big name actors for their flagship shows. When my parents walked in on me watching the opening credits of True Detective they thought I was watching a film – season 2 stars Colin Farrel, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch.

However, despite cable TV’s success, there has been an increase in the amount of people cancelling their subscription service.  Netflix, a relative newcomer on the TV scene has provided real competition by providing a service that allows audience to watch whatever they want, whenever they want, for a low (compared to cable TV) monthly price. They are unrestrained by broadcast time slots or the restraints of broadcast TV, allowing them to produce original content, and releasing whole seasons of shows at once, enabling viewers more control. Audiences are able to ‘binge watch’ their favourite shows at 2am if they so desire, something that was not possible 10 years ago waiting for shows to be released on DVD, and then making a trip to the local video store.

Modern consumers are unsatisfied with the restrictions of cable TV, and the convenience of streaming services is a more than tempting alternative than being locked into expensive cable packages that don’t provide follow traditional broadcast models.

Netflix isn’t the only service that uses streaming to provide content to audiences. In Australia, most commercial channels now provide catch-up services, where audience can watch episodes of shows they have missed when they aired. The post-broadcast era is for large part about convenience and accessibility, giving audiences power to access content the way they want, not the way media institutions are telling them to consume.

Individual SWOT Analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths; Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

Terrible stock images give me joy. Source

In regards to the project you need to complete, what are your strengths?

My strengths definitely lie within organisation and communication. I think I’m good at making sure the everything is on track and we’re never held back because something hasn’t been organised. I also think I’m quite creative so I can bring that to the project as well. I also find the topic of audience interesting and I’ve studied it somewhat before, so that previous understanding might come in useful.

In regards to the project you need to complete, what are your weaknesses?

I think my technical and production skills are not as good as other members of my group. I’m not very skilled in recording and mixing audio, so the audio essay will be a weakness for me.

In regards to the project you need to complete, what do you perceive is of particular interest, or presents an opportunity to extend your knowledge in a way that interests you?

I’m interested in extending my skills of working with others. Previously I’ve mainly worked alone and have always seen this as the most efficient way to work, but after the Lectorial and readings about collaboration I’m convinced that working with others is a great skill to have and this can also lead to increased productivity.

In terms of your own personal situation, what threats do you identify which impede the completion of the project? 

One threat that might impede with the completion of the project might be that I’m quite busy with uni and work so it might be difficult to organise times to meet up or record interviews/footage.

Outcome: The members of my group have lots of different skill that will hopefully compliment each other and lead to a successful project.

Workshop Exercise: Research

So handsome. Jamie’s okay too I guess. Source

For the annotated bibliography due next week, in the workshop today we did an exercise to help us get started researching our topic. The exercise was to research in regard to Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef, as if we were writing a hypothetical essay on him. The first point was to consider where to search. Possible places included:

  • RMIT Library search
  • Jamie Oliver’s Twitter account
  • Google news
  • Equella
  • Google News
  • Google Scholar
  • Jamie Oliver’s website

Secondly, what sources to look at:

  • Academic sources
  • Books
  • Journal articles

Thirdly, What key terms appear frequently, and thus give insight into how media academics talk about him?

  • Culinary culture
  • Domestic masculinity
  • Family man/everyman
  • Class/authenticity/roots/identity
  • Social issues e.g. child obesity, sugar tax, school dinners
  • Social activist
  • Lifestyle

This exercise helped me a lot in terms of where to look for academic sources. I had no idea where to start finding these for the annotated bibliography, but now that I know resources like the RMIT library search exist it will be a lot easier.

Radiolab Podcast Analysis

In the workshop today we listened to a podcast on sound by Radio Lab and analysed its audio/stylistic elements, to help us when producing our audio essay. The podcast propels the narrative along by asking a question/hypothesis (why do we need sleep?). Notable was the conversational style of the narrator, which made it is easy to digest the information, as it wasn’t as dull or full on as more academic styles, even though it was clear that the podcast was still scripted. The sound quality was very high, as the narrators were probably speaking quite close to the microphone, compared to the interviewees who sounded more distant.

The podcast weaves in and out between narration and the interviews, creating an interesting rhythm. It is easy to visualise what is happening due to the creation of the soundscape, using sfx sounds and atmospheric sounds from the locations fo the interviews. This also helps to introduce the characters/people that are featured in the podcast.

The audio elements used include:

  • Sound effects created in studio (SFX)
  • spot sounds (such as the cat purring)
  • Music
  • Narration
  • Interview audios
  • Atmospheric sound
  • sync sound (live sound)
  • conversations

other audio elements that could be included in our audio essays as well include:

  • archival recordings
  • vox pops
  • phone call (diegetic sound)

Mainly, this podcast created interest through the layering and mixing of different sounds in a way that engaged the viewer and thus presented information in a unique way.

Sound in Vivre Sa Vie

Director Jean-Luc Godard’s film Vivre Sa Vie (1962) follows a young woman, Nana, who turns to prostitutions after she fails to gain a career in acting. The film is divided into twelve tableaux, which are presented as title cards without sound, in the style of classic novels. The titles of the scenes give us insight into the characters, as in the scene where Nana dances to the juke box, where the title card has cued us that she is wondering if she is really happy.

The opening credits are superimposed of close up shots of Nana from front and side angles. Accompanying this is the musical score that becomes a motif throughout the film. It fades in and stops abruptly, creating dynamic changes in loudness as the music is suddenly replaced with silence. This creates a jarring effect, as we are used to hearing a continuous musical score.

Most of the sound in Vivre Sa Vie was recorded naturally at the same time as the visuals were recorded. This meant that the only mixing was during the addition of the musical score I mentioned earlier. Although this is a natural way of recording, it does not sound naturalistic as audiences are used to hearing the polished soundtracks of films, like Hollywood films, where audio was mostly recorded during post-production, for example Foley and ADR. This also means that the sound not perfectly polished in Vivre Sa Vie, notably in the opening café scene, where some of the dialogue is almost lost amongst the background sound of the café. The background sound also cues us into the setting of the scene, as many shots are medium close ups and close ups and focus on the characters, without any establishing shots to tell us where the scene takes place.

I really enjoyed this film, perhaps that’s because I have a soft spot for anything French and I miss Paris dearly.

“YOU DO NOT CASUALLY PLAY THIS GAME, JUST AS YOU DO NOT CASUALLY TAKE HEROIN”

..said Pat Puller, mother of a 16 year old boy who shot himself through the heart after playing Dungeons & Dragons.

This fantastic quote originates from this article, published January 27, 1985. It jumped out at me as it is an intriguing example that fits into the ongoing debate regarding moral panic and the ability of the media to influence audiences. Arguments for and against the ability for Dungeons & Dragons to drive young people to commit suicide are included in the article, with the spokesperson for the game, Dieter Sturm, saying “this is a game. It’s make believe.”

New media has been freaking out concerned parents since the printing press. Time and time again, this debate this brought up, for example after the Columbine shooting in 1999, when two boys were said to have been influenced by violent media to go on a shooting rampage at their school.

David Morley, in an entry on ‘Audience’ in New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society, outlines that in the past audiences were largely assumed to be passive entities, which I think is an assumption that Pat Puller, and others who believed that Dungeons & Dragons was as dangerous as ‘heroin,’ was making.

This may be an interesting case study to look at in regards to Project Brief 4.

[1] David Morley (2005), Entry on ‘Audience’ in New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture and Society, Ed. T.Bennett, L. Grossberg & M. Morris (Wiley-Blackwell), pp.8-10.

What I Watched This Week (18 April)

Say yes to the dress. Source

Outlander (Season 2, Episode 2)

Seriously, bless this show. This week’s highlights were swan nipples and “I can see your third rib!” ★★★★

 

Mystery Road (2013)

An Aboriginal detective returns to his remote home town to investigate the murder of a local girl. Director Ivan Sen creates a uniquely Australian narrative in which the desolate landscape assumes a character of its own. A brooding, thought provoking film underscored by racial tensions and corruption. ★★★★

 

Ex Machina (2015)

This film delves into the ethics of artificial intelligence and leads you to question the morality of the key characters. The relatively slow, philosophical pacing at the outset may turn viewers off, but ultimately it is a complex film that invites debate (especially if you’re into sci-fi). The visual effects and soundtrack stand out. ★★★★

Project Brief 4 Research

Faced with the prospect of producing both a video essay and an audio essay, I had to ask the question: what are they? So, as it was a long weekend and I was expected to be 1.5 times more productive, it was research time.

First up,

THE VIDEO ESSAY

This is a voice over type of video essay. The main information is relayed through voice over, matched with visuals, in this case copyrighted footage from films that underscore what the narrator is talking about at that point in the video. At certain points, text is shown on the screen that reinforces the narrator’s argument by providing another visual representation of what is being said. The background music is quite faint so the speaker is easily heard. Clearly, this particular style of essay would not be appropriate for PB4 in terms of its heavy reliance on copyrighted materials, but then again, it is also a film analysis essay, and not a strictly academic one.

Next is the video essay Adaptation’s Anomalities. Like the video essay above, it is also a film analysis style video essay (the majority of the essays I found, if not all, were related to film) that relies on copyrighted material, in this case from the film Adaptation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o47Lr9GXEnI

So I moved on to What Makes A Video Essay Great? by Kevin B. Lee. This video was interesting as it offered more insight into what exactly a video essay is. Lee discussed video essays such as Tony Zhou’s, from the Youtube channel Every Frame A Painting. His style, also similar to the videos I’ve previously discussed, is to produce short, smart video essays. Zhou’s style is, as Lee puts it, “assertively opinionating” but delivered in a conversational tone that makes it appealing. The words and images are fast paced and compressed, delivering a “high impact sensory experience” (Lee). Zhou’s videos are engaging and easy to watch, which perhaps aligns with the almost superficial way in which modern audiences consume media – but that’s a topic for another blog post.

Another video essay Lee mentioned is Thomas van den Berg’s On (Un)Reliable (Un)Reliability. Van den Berg makes the distinction between video essays and essay videos, the former of which is van den Berg’s. Where video essays, like those of Tony Zhou, consist of instructive, formal analysis, video essays incorporate theoretical framework, citations and references, and audiovisual rhetoric. Van den Berg’s essay video is, I think, more in line with what we are expected to produce for Project Brief 4. However, I found this format less engaging than the first examples. This was due to the flat tone of the hyper narration and the dreary academic language, not to mention the video’s considerable length.

Moving on,

THE AUDIO ESSAY

Examples of these appear to be scarcer than video essays. I found a guide here, that helped shed some light some light on the process of producing an audio essay. This website suggests:

  1. Use a conversational style.
  2. Use vivid details that paint a picture in the listener’s mind.
  3. Use a simple and clear method of organising your essay.

Also, the exercise we did with the Zoom recorder in the Workshops will also come in handy, no doubt.

I found another audio essay here, Remembering Those Who Serve. The figure, the main sound, is the narrator, who is crisply recorder and clearly audible over the background sounds. At one point, snippets from news recordings from the 70’s become the figure, which are in turn clearly audible. The key to this audio essay is the mixing and balancing of the different sounds. Notably also is the skill of the narrator to create interest and drama through his manner of speaking, for example, pausing to create dramatic effect, and thus heightening the audience engagement.

These are just a few examples, and I will likely further my research, especially to find more audience essays, but I feel I have grasped a basic enough understanding of these formats to contribute to the discussing amongst my group members.

 

Narrative in Mystery Road

This week’s screening, Mystery Road (2013), is a filmed by Australian director Ivan Sen, following an Aboriginal detective (Aaron Pederson)who returns to his home town in the Australian outback to investigate the murder of a young girl.

Narrative refers to a series of chronological events related by cause and effect. It regards how the story is given to us, through components of film form and style, including narration, mise en scene, setting, and more. Manipulated order, frequency and duration can help us make sense of events within a narrative. We can consider how the opening of a film relates to its resolution, and the connection between this.

Time within a narrative film is usually contracted, as it is in Mystery Road. The film’s narrative spans over a few weeks, even months, yet is contracted within a two hour film. Ivan Sen creates a uniquely Australian narrative through the film’s style. Wide shots of the Outback landscape, the red dust, and Australian architecture, and the film’s characters and costume all work together to draw us into the narrative. Aerial shots of cars driving along lonely, dusty roads both serve as transitioning shots and give a sense of the vast scope of the landscape.

Aaron Pederson as an Aboriginal actor gives credibility to his role as the detective as racial tensions underscore the narrative. We are drawn into his characters view as his performance enhances how he feels isolated from the community, and yet driven to make positive change. His role as detective sees him set of a chain of cause and effect that leads to the climax of the film, but yet, this chain is not as straightforward as Hollywood narrative films. Due to limited dialogue and background music, there is more mystery and the story is not always clear, especially in the film’s ambiguous ending.

Sound Feedback

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After watching all our Project Brief 3’s in class, the main criticism for almost all the videos was sound. Often, the background music was too loud, or the audio was just recorder poorly.

The consensus was that more thought needed to be put in on where to record (apparently cars are excellent places for recording sound). In a live room, sound bounces off everything, like rooms with lots of hard surfaces, which is why big old churches are so echo-y and it’s hard to hear your friends in you resident white tiled and concrete floored hipster cafe. In rooms like the one in which our workshop is held are designed to reduce reflected sound and thus be better for recording. Fun things like carpet and acoustic panels (pictured above) can help absorb sound.

I know that the audio in my PB3 is very mediocre, due to recording most of it on a DSLR without a separate microphone. Recording better audio will be important especially in the upcoming audio essay for PB4 so these it will be crucial to keep these issues in mind.