Week eleven of our Real-World Media course brought us significant headway in the development of our project. We further solidified the storyline, revolving around the experiences of international students portrayed as metaphorical ‘aliens’ in Melbourne. The decision to present this narrative via a cartoon format added a layer of creativity that was both challenging and engaging to explore.

I’m mainly responsible for providing the stories of alien life in Melbourne, I sought to weave together elements of fantasy and reality. By grounding our story in the real-life experiences, trials, and triumphs of international students, I aimed to create characters that would elicit empathy and understanding from our audience.

Our project resonates with the theories presented in Couldry’s ‘Media, Society, World: Social Theory and Digital Media Practice’. This work emphasizes the crucial role of media narratives in shaping societal perceptions and discourse, a consideration that was foremost in our minds as we crafted our story. （Couldry,2012）

The choice of a cartoon medium, though not directly grounded in academic theory, represents an innovative approach to communicating complex narratives in an accessible and engaging manner. As we continue to refine our narrative, I look forward to the potential of our project to convey a compelling and relatable message.

Reference:

Couldry, N. (2012) Media, Society, World: Social Theory and Digital Media Practice, Google. Available at: https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=zh-CN&lr=&id=AcHvP9trbkAC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=Couldry%2C%2BN.%2B%282012%29.%2BMedia%2C%2BSociety%2C%2BWorld%3A%2BSocial%2BTheory%2Band%2BDigital%2BMedia%2BPractice.%2BPolity.&ots=My_wUCSMND&sig=N0QV4NanYUg9-RT4GBKukLbgREo&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Couldry%2C%20N.%20(2012).%20Media%2C%20Society%2C%20World%3A%20Social%20Theory%20and%20Digital%20Media%20Practice.%20Polity.&f=false (Accessed: 31 May 2023).