March | 2016 | Michael Firus

On Comics and Cinema – Scott McCloud’s ‘Blood in the Gutter’

The idea of closure as described in Scott McClouds comic ‘Blood in the Gutter’ is an interesting one and was discussed at length in our workshop. McCloud defines ‘closure’ as “(the) phenomenon of observing the parts but perceiving the whole”. He gives the example of the gutter (the empty space) between comic panels as being…

Trailer: Holy Motors, Leos Carax’s tentatively categorized fantasy drama is one of those films. One of those films where no one is completely sure what on earth is going on. This is because the film explicitly rejects any sort of logical structure or definitive interpretation. However, my opinion on the issue of the films interpretation…

Melbourne Central – A Media Audit

Most likely, as a seasoned inhabitant of a bustling metropolis, you give absolutely no thought to the constant bombardment of media that you sometimes unknowingly wade through during your morning commute. Thus, I present a survey of all the types of mediated interactions/communications encountered during a casual stroll through Melbourne central. Up high: Art installations…

Mediated or Nay?

I’m pretty sure the notion has passed through everyone’s mind at some stage. Whether subconscious or deliberate, we’ve all made up our minds at each moment which we prefer. To communicate in front of a living, breathing human or to be on the other end of kilometers of radio waves and copper (or fiber…

Work Ethic – My response to Cal Newport’s Article

Work ethic. It’s all about ethic. Well, if success is what you’re after. This is something that I and a great deal of others hold to be self-evident. It is also an idea championed by Cal Newport in his celebrated blog series. Newport, an assistant professor of computer science, takes aim at the concept of…

Class Brainstorm – Media – Immediate Response

Media is an extremely complex thing to define. Put simply it is the varios ways in which information is mediated. Put less simply: as beings with five senses, media is everything. But to bring this down to earth, what do I think of when I hear the word ‘media’? Mediation – transfer of ideas Influential…

Evoking Hate – Editing in Practice

“Montage is an idea that arises from the collision of independent shots” – Sergei Eisenstein Editing can do amazing things. I decided to pull out some old footage (of me) and create something that explored how editing can create meaning. I decided to use footage that seems totally out of context with the main action…

Editing – Pretty Fundamental

A screenshot of part 1 of my last short film inside the editing suite. I think editing (in terms of the motion picture) is something that we all hold in great regard. I possess this rather forward opinion, because… just think about it. Wouldn’t you want your life to be edited? Get rid of your…

Creative Self-portrait Photo No.6 ‘Mediated’ – Michael Firus

As I progress into the habit of filming more and more of my life and thoughts, I have of late begun to think that maybe I spend too much time looking at what my camera captures rather than actually witnessing things in real life. I thought that this image, in which my camera lens is…

Creative Self-portrait Photo No.5 ‘Last Year’ – Michael Firus

Coming out of my last year of high school, it is difficult to forget the people whom I spent many years studying and growing with. This photo of the reverse of my VCE T-shirt symbolises a remembrance of this.