I remember at the beginning of the semester trying to decide what I liked and being asked constantly what my passion is. I had no idea then, and I’m still not certain, but it has become a lot clearer over the first semester. Throughout the semester I’ve learnt I’m more of a visual and audio learner. I took in the most information and was engaged in the video readings and weekly film analyses. I found the content to be a lot more interesting and able to comprehend. The lack of motivation and having the theory in a written format may be why I didn’t do enough of the readings.
When looking at my professional skills I think at the start I had a fair amount of experience in that area. Working in groups, collaboration and roles were familiar to me, but I learnt a lot in this area. Feedback was one the things that I really had to work on. I hadn’t done peer related feedback before in class so it was quite strange for me. Taking the feedback and improving on those areas helped a lot. My work ethic wasn’t exactly at the standard it should’ve been.
From previous experience I was already familiar with engaging with media environments on a daily basis. Using Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and having my own YouTube channels allows me to interact with so many people every day so none of that was new to me. My passion definitely became a lot clearer throughout the semester. I definitely know I want to be involved in the film industry. Yes, I’ve always loved film but I’ve never been 100% certain if I wanted to do it on a professional level.
I didn’t have much knowledge regarding media theory-wise. I had done research in past courses, so I know what academic readings and research is, but I hadn’t done any about media. I knew about the concepts of audiences, narrative, industries, and more, but not on an academic level. I know that I definitely interact and relate with what we are learning, but I’m not at the level yet of fully comprehending media on a more theoretical basis. Throughout the semester I did gain more knowledge, however, I didn’t put as much effort in to it as I should have.
There are many things I found challenging throughout the semester. The main things were consistency and motivation. In the beginning I was determined to do the readings and keep on top of my work. However, I started to lose enthusiasm and commitment around the middle weeks of the semester. I was committed to the project briefs and assignments due in class, but lacked in some areas. I have always been quite good with technology so anything on the computer I usually get accustomed to over time. I’m not new to video and audio editing, however I had never used Premiere, and it’s much more complicated. When first introduced to the Adobe programs I watched a lot of YouTube videos to understand the features and buttons. It’s a lot more complicated than what I was used to, so it was all pretty new to me. I am now a lot more familiar with what’s available and how to use the programs, but there are a lot of features so I aim to be a professional by the end of the course. I also used microphone equipment for the first time. It took me a while to get used to using it, and I’m still not 100% but I’ve learnt and am set with the basics.
When it comes to my creativity, strengths, and weakness, I have learnt a lot over the semester. I’ve discovered this within individual and group environments. Working on my own let me grow accustomed to the production technologies. Also putting myself in new creative environments prepared me for the group assignment. My thoughts and ideas have broadened in individual and group work. The collaborative work definitely helped to understand my creative style, as we all seemed to work well off each other. The key moments where I really discovered what my qualities are and what I need to work on were during the feedback sessions. This style of feedback was all new to me. At first I was hesitant and a bit uncomfortable to give and receive feedback face to face or present my content in class. Now, at the end of the semester, I’ve become a lot more confident and open to criticism. I still get a bit nervous and unsure presenting my videos in class, but it’s not as daunting as it was compared to at the beginning of the semester.
I’ve learnt a lot about myself, how I learn, and where I need to improve, and I’m excited for semester two and choosing my studio.
Passion is fake: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2016/03/14/media-1-week-1-reading/
Hyper and Deep Attention: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2016/03/14/media-1-week-1-seminar/
Barely using Facebook…: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2016/03/14/media-1-week-3/
Project Brief #3 Reflection: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2016/04/19/project-brief-3-reflection/
Mad Monkey: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2016/04/11/mad-monkey/
