Category: Climate Changing Media

Climate Changing Media

‘Down To Earth’

The prompt for our Climate Changing studio is ‘how might climate change communications be both political and poetic’ and looking at Seamus’ final media work, I can clearly see that he has explored this idea. He was able to communicate the hidden connections of our everyday actions to CO2 emissions in a deeply personal and moving way by utilising found family footage. Situating these pieces of footage in a nostalgic way, paired with upbeat classical music, Seamus then re-contextualizes them by suddenly rewinding and explaining the environmental effects of these actions, such as driving a car, through a jarring automated voice. This changes the meaning of these sentimental memories and forces us to question our deeply ingrained traditions.

‘Our Fashion Will Outlive Us’

Cristina also challenges these deeply engrained attitudes in regards to the West’s insatiable desire for fast-fashion. She contrasts the glamorised imagery in fashion advertisements and social media content with the confronting footage of the industry’s ethical and environmental consequences such as water pollution, the draining of natural resources, and poor working conditions, which exposes us to the reality of our consumer privileges. By illustrating our expectations vs the reality of the fast-fashion industry, Cristina addresses a concept we’ve covered in the studio which is the need for society to understand their connection to and, as outline by Nurmis, ‘responsibility for the problem of climate change’ (2016:503).

Green Media

Looking at Charmaine, Darcy, Emilienne and Jude’s ‘Food for Thought’ project for the Green Media studio, I am so glad to see a sense of hope being fostered in the midst of the climate crisis. This group has created four videos are to be posted on a Facebook page for members to share sustainable ways in which to consume food. I really appreciate the idea of giving people practical guidance in tackling the devastating consequences of food production whilst also creating a community of like-minded people. I am, however, concerned that the imagery often contradicts the message of the project, encouraging viewers to cook with meat despite it being stated in the voiceover that animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change. That said, I do applaud this group for responding to the need for hope and unity by encouraging people to make achievable changes, as a collective, through the food they chose to eat.

My Media

Audience

In my final media work, I hope that I was able to engage my audience through the familiar footage of eating and juxtapose that with the unnerving images of mass production, cruelty and environmental destruction that is caused by these mundane and often sentimental acts of consuming. Nurmis poses the question; ‘how can we convert into image and narrative the disasters that are slow-moving and long in the making?’ (2016:502). To respond to this, I used fast-paced editing and a mosaic split-screen to compile the various aspects of environmental damage caused by food production and consumption. This overwhelming composition, paired with a gradually building soundscape of intensifying, repetitive sounds will hopefully keep the audience engaged.

Message

A key concern of the studio was; how do we make people care about climate change? Nurmis claims that we are currently experiencing a crisis where ‘the information doesn’t shift behaviour’ (2016:502) which is arguable because people do not see how climate change directly affects them, and more importantly, how they directly affect the crisis. To respond to this, I have attempted to address our studio prompt and create a media artefact that is both political in its message and poetic in its emotive and personal portrayal. The idea I aimed to communicate was that our consumer habits for excessive quantities of specific foods is not always necessary and, in most cases, causes much more harm to the environment than we think. My hope is that by seeing familiar images of eating and food production contrasted against disturbing footage of destruction and suffering will encourage the viewer to question their relationship with food and realise that their choices and habits are directly contributing to environmental destruction.

Improvements

If I were to keep working on my video, I would like to extend it (as an additional, longer version) and address other aspects of food consumption that have a social/cultural impact. In my video, I have focused on the environmental consequences of this industry, but think it would be beneficial to also illustrate the ways in which cultures and developing nations have been impacted by the ruthlessness of Western food habits.

I also think that including human voice would elevate and further communicate the message of my film. In my own time, I extended my video and repeated the first piece of family footage at the end, this time, with sound. Not only does this serve as a bookend, but the inclusion of the video’s commentary brings it back to me; a reminder that this is something I too am responsible for and must question. The full film is linked below.

 

 

References

Nurmis, J 2016, ‘Visual climate change art 2005–2015: discourse and practice’, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, vol. 7, no. 4, p.501-516.

Student Work

Daniel, S 2020 <https://www.mediafactory.org.au/2020-climate-changing-media/2020/06/04/down-to-earth-seamus-daniel/>

Foster. D, Islip. J, Lee. C, Paul. E <http://www.mediafactory.org.au/2020-green-media/2020/06/03/food-for-thought/>

Ulloa Sobarzo, C 2020, <https://www.mediafactory.org.au/2020-climate-changing-media/2020/06/04/our-fashion-will-outlive-us-cristina-ulloa-sobarzo/>

Prompt 10

Prompt 11

Prompt 12

Johns-Putra claims that we never encounter climate change as ‘purely material’ but instead, a ‘discursive phenomenon’ (2013:7) because of the earth’s gradual collapse spanning long before our own lives. This is the same case with food consumption; a hyperobject I explore in my final media artefact. Nurmis discusses the challenge, faced by artists, of converting these slow-moving disasters into thought-provoking images and narratives that inspire change (Nurmis, 2016); an obstacle I had to overcome in my own film.

My Approach

The scale of environmental degradation caused by Western food consumption is incalculable, and it’s deeply ingrained practices makes it especially difficult to challenge and observe. My approach to this obstacle was to create a representation that ‘draws attention to the dystopian future that climate change is generating’ (Nurmis, 2016:506),’ whilst also working around my chosen constraints; no use of voiceover, music or news extracts. In order to capture the scale of damage caused by food consumption and ‘bring climate impacts closer to home’ (Australian Psychology Society), I used split-screens with footage of people eating, alongside footage of the various consequences of these demands. To overcome the constraints that took away a large auditory component, I created an unsettling soundscape with natural and artificial sounds that further communicated the graphic impacts. 

My Thoughts 

I can’t deny that in the first few weeks of this studio, I felt overwhelmed by the information presented to me. However, as we began to ‘break the collective silence’, that the APS claims is key when communicating climate change, by; sparking discussion, sharing our feelings of both hopelessness and hope, engaging with alternative approaches, and particularly creating media in prompt 2 and 5 that encouraged us to reflect on our own feelings, I began to feel more empowered.

Reading Nurmis’ article was a profound moment for me as it made me realise just how powerful emotionally charged media can be. Nurmis quotes Lorenzoni who claims that ‘it is not enough for people to know about climate change in order to be engaged; they also need to care about it’ (2016:502). Coming into this studio, I thought I would learn to make instructional videos on how to approach this hyperobject, but now realise that my purpose is to make people feel sad enough, angry enough, concerned enough to actually take on the guidance professionals have already laid out on the table.

My Purpose

In the making of my final media artefact, I was given feedback that questioned whether creating such a confronting visual of controversial issues needs a happy ending. A clear-cut solution or glimmer of hope. This balancing act is something I still struggle with, but I do know that I feel compelled to, as Nurmis suggests, create a ‘reflective space for aesthetic contemplation’ rather than one that presents an explicit call to action (2016:504). I like to think my media artefact brings some sort of self-awareness in viewers which is, what I believe to be, the first step towards taking action. Even if we don’t have the answer (yet), we should always question the actions we so rarely scrutinise. My hope is that, through watching my video, this complex, intangible climate crisis becomes a personal issue for each individual. That they begin to see just how much weight our choices hold.

Reference List

Australian Psychology Society, Climate Change Communication, <https://www.psychology.org.au/About-Us/What-we-do/advocacy/Advocacy-social-issues/Environment-climate-change-psychology/Resources-for-Psychologists-and-others-advocating/Climate-change-communication>

Johns-Putra, A. 2013, “A NEW CRITICAL CLIMATE”, Symploke, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 7-10,431.

Nurmis, J 2016, ‘Visual climate change art 2005–2015: discourse and practice’, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, vol. 7, no. 4, p.501-516.

With one week left to complete my final video, it’s safe to say it has been one of the toughest projects I’ve produced. I am excited to experiment and create a piece of media with a purpose, but I have been asking myself whether I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

Challenges

Although I knew creating a busy, mosaic layout would be challenging, I really did underestimate how much time and focus it would take to source, not only enough footage, but selecting relevant clips that complement/contrast one another. It has taken me an entire week to source footage from archive.org and YouTube, as well as creating a ‘selects’ project where I have cut and attempted to organise my footage into categories. No matter how much I try to keep things orderly, it quickly becomes an overwhelming mess, not to mention the painful lag in Premiere caused by the excessive number of files. To solve this, I had to create proxies so that I could work more efficiently with smaller files. A long process but effective nonetheless.

Constraints

When I first chose the constraint of ‘no voiceover’ I assumed it was referring to the conventional use of climate-related speeches but later realised it meant avoiding the use of human voice altogether. This became a major issue for me once I started collecting footage. I was gravitating towards videos with dialogue that had the potential to be recontextualised in order to create meaning.

There was a particular Aldi commercial where the character repeats a long list of tomato sauce options in a dazed tone. This stood out to me as I felt, if remixed/looped, it could reflect the unnecessary number of options we have. I sought feedback from Elaine, wondering whether human voice as a source of rhythm and sound (as opposed to having the words drive the narrative) is allowed. I got the go-ahead but am still reluctant to continue with this idea as I fear it isn’t entirely consistent with the constraints.

Responding to Feedback

In her feedback, Jasmine had raised concern over the potentially jarring transition from a familiar, positive image to one that is shocking and overwhelming. To respond to this, I’m aiming to create an eery mood from start to finish, which will gradually become more emphasised through fast-paced editing and the introduction of more images and sounds. To achieve this, I am planning to open with footage of people eating whilst creating an unsettling feeling by either keeping it silent or pairing it with unnatural sounds such as the ticking of a metronome or scraping of plates.

 

Adjustments

Another addition I’ve made is the inclusion of my own footage. Since my project is almost entirely based on found footage, I thought it might be nice to personalise it with some of my own by incorporating parts of old videotapes of my family eating. I thought it might be interesting to challenge my own ideas of food consumption and how these fond memories still have consequences. This thought is inspired by Clark’s discussion of the Anthropocene Disorder, defined by the “the mismatch between familiar day-to-day perception and the sneering voice of even a minimal ecological understanding or awareness of scale effects (2015:140).” My intention isn’t to make these special moments redundant, but simply to create some awareness over practises we rarely scrutinise because of their sentimental value.

References

Clark, T 2015, “Chapter Seven: Anthropocene Disorder”, in Ecocriticism on the Edge: The Anthropocene as a Threshold Concept, Bloomsbury Publishing, p.139-158. 

As daunting as pitching my hyperobject was, it was incredibly insightful to receive feedback from our guests, as well as Jasmine. It definitely provided an alternative perspective that allowed me to see potential challenges I hadn’t yet picked up on.

The main piece of advice I was given was that I will have to pay close attention to navigating this topic in a way that doesn’t create despair and paralysis, as food is something we often feel we have very little control over. Wendy suggested that I end on a positive note and perhaps show what is being done to mitigate the consequences of food production/consumption. I understand how this may create a sense of hope for the viewer, however, I wonder whether ending on a positive note would suggest that the problem is solved? Would the audience question their demands throughout the video but then have their conscience eased by the happy ending?

On the other hand, Cormac and Jasmine suggested a different approach; providing the audience with some sort of alternative they can implement in response to the confronting footage. This is definitely something I will consider as I may be able to issue some advice (based on professional advice, of course) or direct the audience to helpful sources at the end of the video. That said, I am concerned that this will take away from a potentially impactful, emotionally charged ending. This is something I will need to continue thinking about and hopefully develop a way to navigate the conflicting demands for urgency and hope.

Jasmine provided additional feedback, suggesting that transitioning from familiar, mundane images to those that are confronting, may be jarring. This is a great point as I had not paid much attention to it until now. A way I plan on overcoming this obstacle is to take advantage of the mosaic layout to gradually introduce confronting images whilst familiar pieces of footage are still rolling, therefore, avoiding a jarring cut.

Jasmine also reiterated the importance of emphasising western consumption as opposed to developing countries that face far more limitations as to how they produce/consume their food. I 100% agree and plan on focusing entirely on western food habits. Not only is it a culture I myself am part of, and therefore inclined to speak out about, but Duvall claims that a family in the US ‘consumes as many resources as a Third World family with fifteen or twenty children,’ clearly indicating that western countries are the biggest contributors to over-consumption. In terms of how I aim to emphasis this demographic in my film, I plan on using extracts from western food commercials, Hollywood films and other footage that people associate with such countries to make this as clear as possible.

References

Duvall, JA 2017, ‘Chapter 9: Animals and Extinction’, The Environmental Documentary: Cinema Activism in the 21st Century, Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, New York, p. 231-256.

 

Prompt 7

Prompt 8

Prompt 9

My Presentation

Feedback for Jasmine – ‘iPhones’

Jasmine, your presentation was definitely a stand-out as you have taken a unique approach to climate communication, as opposed to researching clear contributors to the Anthropocene (such as CO2 emissions/pollution). Although one of our presentation guests may disagree, I think your decision to hone in on ‘iPhones’, rather than smartphones, is a really interesting way to analyse and challenge our deeply ingrained, capitalist habits, and captivation with a single technology brand. That said, it may be challenging to find research about e-waste produced by Apple specifically and not just smartphones in general.

Initially, I didn’t see a clear connection between ‘iPhones’ and climate change, but your research proved there are great environmental and social implications within the lifespan of the Apple’s smartphones; from production to disposal. Looking at the scale of damage one, specific object most of us own and rarely question, will put into perspective just how harmful the rest of our actions and consumer habits may be.

One thing that may be worth considering is whether your viewers may feel unsure as to how they can fight against this system (which is something I definitely have to consider too!). Our society relies so heavily on smartphones and most people aren’t prepared to give up that privilege. What’s the alternative? On the other hand, I definitely see how important it is to hold Apple accountable to their unsustainable practices and force them to make changes (rather than pointing the finger at consumers).

In terms of creative suggestions, I think the idea of contrasting Apple’s sleek, thoughtful marketing with their cost-cutting production practises is the way to go as it will challenge the viewer to rethink their perception of the brand and become more aware of the frightening power of advertising. Since you won’t be using music, it’ll also be a great chance to make a soundscape, emphasising mechanical, artificial sounds in contrast to the very human/environmental suffering (which I think is an idea you mentioned in your presentation).

In terms of research suggestions, you probably know a lot more than I do, but there’s a documentary that the BBC produced which might be useful. It seems to have undertaken the most extensive amount of research and under-cover investigation of Apple’s Chinese factories.

Overall, you’ve picked a really interesting topic and I’m looking forward to seeing what you create!

The hardest part of the preparation for the studio presentations (and final video in general) would have to be choosing a single hyperobject to work with. There are so many concepts that can be addressed, but I was eventually inspired to explore the concept of ‘human consumption’ (particularly in western countries). It is a topic that I haven’t personally addressed in my work but is also a factor of climate change that really hits a nerve with me. However, after discussing with Elaine, I realised this topic may be too broad for this particular assignment. It prompted me to hone in on one specific aspect of human consumption; food. It is an essential part of our lives but is also a major contributor to climate change, whether that be through the methane produced by cattle, deforestation for crops, food waste, transportation to import and export products, the list goes on.

Looking into Duvall’s reading provided critical insights into the consequences of our unrealistic food demands in the West. It is said that humans ‘annually use half of the world’s freshwater supply and consume one-third of the oceans fish products’ (2017, p.240), but what shocked me most was that a family with two children in the US ‘consumes as many resources as a Third World family with fifteen or twenty children’ (2017, p.240). This is only a glimpse at the scale of which we consume, and hopefully, this hyperobject will give me a lot to work with as I plan on using a mosaic split-screen that gradually populates to reflect the scale of our impact.

After finalising my topic/hyperobject, I began looking through saved films/scenes that have stood out to me in the past that may inspire the way I produce my final video. I did this to explore possible stylistic approaches, but also to give presentation viewers visuals and references of what techniques I aim to incorporate in my final video. A scene from Jeunet & Caro’s, ‘Delicatessen’ is an example I focused on in my presentation as its use of rhythm and pace, without the aid of music, is intriguing and relevant to my concept. The way the filmmakers have taken mundane actions (e.g. beating a rug, painting a wall) and diegetic sound, and gradually increased the pace creates an overwhelming, melodic scene which is something I hope to loosely recreate in my film.

 

I haven’t yet had a chance to start collecting found footage, but I am aware of a range of movie scenes, advertisements, and public domain footage on archive.org that I can use in my video. In preparation for my presentation, I did, however, quickly collect a few images (e.g. KFC advertisement, land clearing, food waste, etc…) to briefly illustrate what imagery my video will include. I will now begin sourcing footage and audio to be used in my film. 

 

References

Duvall, JA 2017, ‘Chapter 9: Animals and Extinction’, The Environmental Documentary: Cinema Activism in the 21st Century, Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, New York, p. 231-256.

Although climate change is a popular topic of discussion, it remains to be an elusive concept. Johns-Putra recognises that there isn’t one thing that proves climate change to be true. It is made up of a ‘cluster of scientific facts’ (2013, pg.1) and proven by unprecedented geological changes such as melting glaciers, ocean acidification, rising sea levels, the list goes on. Jasanoff claims that climate change is ‘invisible’ (2013, pg.1) in terms of our feelings and senses, but we ‘accept this consensus’ (2013, pg.1) based on the ‘popular science sound-bites’ (2013, pg.1) relayed to the general public by environmental organisations. In that case, we simultaneously ‘know and don’t know about climate change’ (2013, pg.1).

The scale and complexities of climate change pose the question, is a ‘new critical climate’ (2013, pg.2) required to understand this hyperobject, or will it elicit the traditional, ‘old habits of critique?’ (2013, pg.2) Johns-Putra explores these questions, outlining the way Morton’s Object Orientated Ontology and Clark’s environmental criticism calls for a ‘deconstruction’ (2013, pg.3) of traditional forms of critique.

Morton’s Object Orientated Ontology tackles the hyperobject by prompting us to ‘address the feedback we are receiving from Earth’ (2013, pg.3). If ‘the hugely expanded time and space scales’ (2013, pg.3) of climate change renders the concept almost impossible to comprehend, Morton suggests we refrain from reapplying traditional approaches, and instead, listen to the Earth. This is an attitude I’ve recognised in many examples of climate change media, one of which is ‘Our Changing Climate’ by Jack Harries. Harries is able to use his platform to share ‘the Earth’s feedback’ by communicating the rapid decline of Greenland’s icecaps. It follows the process of observing the Earth’s responses (to increased temperatures), outlining what causes it (Co2 emissions), and then suggesting how we, as a collective, can work towards stopping it (rallying at climate for renewable energy).

 

 

John-Putra also suggests that to deconstruct traditional environmental criticism, we must challenge its ‘humanist tendencies’ (2013, pg.2) and interrogate our specie’s impact. Although people are naturally opposed to being blamed for something as colossal as climate change, I believe it can be an effective way for media makers to connect viewers to the problem and inspire change. Darcy Prendergast does an incredible job at doing so in his animation, ‘Tomorrow’s on Fire.’ Prendergast shines a light on the corrupt nature of Australian politicians during the devastating bushfires, drawing a clear connection between the nation-wide disaster and climate change. The bold, visually engaging animation and young narrator presents an overall thought-provoking video that points the finger at humanity’s greed and ignorance. By shifting from a humanist outlook to one that seeks to understand our connection to the degradation of our environment, only then may we begin to comprehend climate change and the action we must take to fight its fatal consequences. 

 

 

References

Johns-Putra. A, 2013, ‘A New Critical Climate’, Symploke, vol. 21, no.1-2, p. 7-10.

Harries. J, 2015, Our Changing Climate, streaming video, Vimeo, viewed 27 March 2020, <https://vimeo.com/153257994>

Prendergast. D, 2020, Tomorrow’s on Fire, streaming video, Vimeo, viewed 27 March 2020, <https://vimeo.com/383034313>

Prompt 4

Prompt 5

Prompt 6