Month: May 2015

Institutionalised

May 12, 2015 — Leave a comment

12-05-15

 

Institutions.

 

The aim of this weeks lectorial was to address the frameworks that govern institutions and highlight how they have come about as well as their importance in the modern media world.

 

Institutions are a social construct. They are interested with the flow of power.

 

Power = Knowledge.

 

So if institutions hold power it is assumed they hold knowledge. However I have to disagree with this notion, for not all institutions hold knowledge; or should I say correct knowledge.

 

1939 – 1945 the Nazi campaign had a hold on Germany and held the power..however, did they hold the knowledge? They stated that Jews were the downfall of western society and therefore had to be eradicated, so that the world could progress. This is obviously not the case and I feel perfectly encapsulates my notion that Institutions (Power) do no necessarily hold knowledge.

 

– donandsherri

Bobo Doll Experiment

May 9, 2015 — Leave a comment

Having to engage in research into the Social Cognitive Theory for my Pop-Culture group presentation, I came across the experiments of Albert Bandura…in particular, his experiments with the bobo doll.

 

Upon reading and watching the experiments, my memory was sparked and reminded of the electoral in which Brian touched on these experiments and their importance into how messages are subliminally received by the audience.

 

This idea behind the cognitive ramifications of messages has altered the way in which I perceive certain media artefacts and has prompted me to continue in my own personal research on the topic.

 

For those of you who have yet to witness the experiments:

 

 

– donandsherri

..Familiar Place…Familiar Story..

May 9, 2015 — Leave a comment

Drawing near the end of its cycle, Semester 1 of 2015 has found its ground and managed to compile a plethora of different assessments that require my undivided attention and engagement, which are all due in the same week.

 

This pile of work ahead leaves me to retreat to the all too familiar battle grounds of the State Library of Victoria. A solemn place where people either come to expand their mental horizons in a tranquil, quiet state or to (like myself) battle the ever amounting work load that seems to only bury them for extended periods.

 

Knowing the battlegrounds quite well, I have managed to secure a table in the quite room and can now attempt to get a grasp on the struggle that is no doubt ahead.

 

– donandsherri

Flashback

May 7, 2015 — Leave a comment

Arriving to the Thursday afternoon tutorial 15 minutes early left me utterly bored…which, gave me a perfect opportunity write this post. Sitting in this room, by myself, prompted my mind to flash back to last weeks lesson.

 

A non-enjoyable experience to say the least.

 

Brain Storm

 

…and to set the theme for this flashback……..

 

 

– donandsherri

Sitting in Audience

May 5, 2015 — Leave a comment

Week 9.

 

3/4 of the way through the first semester of the Media degree.

 

The first lecture I have attended in approximately 2 weeks and it was a great reintroduction back into the ideas surrounding the Media Industries as a whole. Having recently been divided into our groups and designated our discourse, I can only imagine the lectures from here on out will be of high relevance to our degree and ultimately our future in the Media field.

 

Audiences.

 

The topic of todays lectorial centred around the ideas of Audiences.

 

The two major components of the interactive discussion that resonated the most with me was the ideas of Mass Culture and Mass Audiences… with the common perception that there is no masses, only a capitalisation of people for the purpose of cultural or political exploitation. That in fact, acting in stark contrast, there is an audience that is engaged with the media thrown at it and the audience is active in their involvement with the media artefacts.

 

I feel that I fit comfortably into the category of the active audience, as my interactions with media is always highly critical and analytical; as I am always looking for the motives behind certain scenes and edits. If I were to be studied by a theorist or academic, I feel that they would find me somewhat of an anomaly, for one reason I may dislike a certain piece of media, is the exact reason I like another piece of media.

 

Until next week, I feel I will ponder these thoughts about the active audience and attempt to discover why it is that I resonate and repel from certain media artefacts.

 

– donandsherri

Narrative – The Twist

May 5, 2015 — Leave a comment

“Narrative is any kind of retelling of a sequence of events”

 

This is the first broad statement that is made during the  on Narrative, and it turns out to be quite a good statement.

 

In the Lectorial the ideals and underpinnings of the term Narrative are unfolded – as it turns out there are three main story elements (character development, plot & resolution) that fall under the CAUSALITY framework, that ultimately make up a Narrative.

 

Character Development : is usually achieved over time. It is usually generated by subjecting characters to a series of events, that there reactions to and response of, shape the way the audience perceives them.

 

Plot : is the skeleton of the film / story. It usually defined as the chronological sequence of events within the Narrative.

 

Resolution : This is the ultimate culmination of everything that has proceeded it. It is the final act in the sequence of events and generally is the final part in a characters development. The End, if you will…

 

These practices that make up Narrative have been challenged in recent times by the ideas of non-narrative. Films that lack any discernible plot, resolution, character development or even characters at all.. however I feel this idea of non-narrative fails as people will ultimately project their own opinions and stories onto the piece and ultimately form their own narrative.

 

– donandsherri

..:Disciples:..

May 5, 2015 — Leave a comment

Teasing their audience with a multitude of different media each week, Tame Impala is generating a great deal of hype for their heavily anticipated new record ‘Currents’. This weeks instalment comes in the form of a new single, titled – DISCIPLES.

 

DISCIPLES – is a synth heavy track thats underpinned by the dreamy vocals of Kevin Parker. Clocking in at just under the 2:00 minute mark, this new single is one of Tame Impalas shortest tracks to date. It comes after Kevin Parker hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on reddit last week; prompted by one of the questions to release a new track, Parker sticking to his usual carefree attitude, did just that.

 

The album ‘Currents’ isn’t due out until July, however if this current trend of weekly interviews, singles and AMA’s continues, there will be no shortage of material to keep us entertained until then.

 

CHECK OUT THE TRACK BELOW:

 

– donandsherri

annotated bibliography – 1200 words of death!

May 5, 2015 — Leave a comment

Dedicating a whole day to read the required 5 readings and complete the subsequent 1200 word annotated bibliography proved to be a fruitful venture, having managed to complete the whole task. It did however, drive me to the point of insanity & complete and utter mental and physical breakdown.

 

I have come out the other side, slightly more enlightened and educated…but full of resentment and a set of sore eyes.

 

– donandsherri

My Little Friend

May 3, 2015 — Leave a comment

Music.

 

It is what governs my very existence. The thought of going a day without hearing any form of music is repulsive to say the least. This necessity to hear aural stimuli has gotten to a point that I am now pursuing music that is highly personal and almost unplayable to any crowd…and I find it is this type of music that is conducive to better studying and better results.

 

I often wonder why this is the case? Is it because this type of music often lies without lyrics and its structure is highly complex, or is it because ‘I’ am able to connect with it more personally and therefore it validates my work? Whatever the reason, I know that I am a slave to it and it is a slave to me…a sort of weird, give and take relationship.

 

Here are two examples of the current style that governs my studying habits.

 

Arca – Tongue

 

The Haxon Cloak – Excavation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5seHgsN3U

 

Music credited to Arca and The Haxon Cloak

 

– donandsherri

Shit Son!

May 1, 2015 — Leave a comment

After attending the tutorial last week, a somewhat too familiar thought entered my head, I am further behind than I thought I was.

 

Having Rachel inform us that we had a 1,200 word annotated bibliography due in exactly 1 week, not to mention the plethora of other work due in differing subjects, I naturally began to chant the mental incantation of “oh shit, oh shit, oh shit”.

 

This did serve to put a metaphorical firework up my sphincter and initiated was has been a highly productive few days. Having now completed the bibliography and gained a clearer vision on where the group assignment should head, as well as gaining further advances in other subjects, I feel that everything is back on track.

 

Or as the gods like to put it –

 

 

(music attributed to Radiohead)

 

– donandsherri