I began this semester with some idea of where I wanted to go, and what I wanted to do with my life. I realise now that there are so many options, and now I know even less about that then before. I have been able to practise with a few basic aspects, and this I’ve been able to determine what I like, and what I’m not so sure of. Something else I have learned is how to use editing software such as Adobe Premier. When I first tried  it I was incredibly frustrated. I had my slow and ancient computer, which didn’t handle it very well, and took it’s time completing the smallest action. However as I experimented with it a little more, I got used to it and became comfortable with the idea of editing on something that wasn’t iMovie. I actually tried to use iMovie to quickly cut down some footage, I discovered that I now preferred Premier to iMovie. I wouldn’t say I’m a pro at it, there’s still so many things I need to learn, but I’m definitely happy with where I am now in relation to understanding Premier. In contrast to this, I’m still not sure about Audition. I was away for the audio interview we did in class so I had to do it later. Because of this, I was only able to experiment with it very quickly, it seemed to take so long to edit thirty seconds worth of audio. I’m sure with more practise, I’ll feel more confident with it. Something that also came to light through the semester was how I learn.

I used to think I was one of those lucky people who could learn equally as well by theory and practical work, but this semester helped bring to light that I’m much more confident when I’m creating something. Although I was okay doing theory work, I could understand them fairly well, it was when we were doing practical work such as the haiku and audio interview  , that I felt like I was learning something solid. I also work much better, and feel more confident when I’m working in a group. I enjoyed making the self portraits, however found group work more enjoyable. I think working in a group is so much better because there are so many ideas and possibilities to work with. It’s easy to share your own ideas and get feedback, and it’s also nice to learn and share each other’s knowledge. I feel like my most successful work (over all my classes) have involved group work. My favourite production so far is the ‘Surviving University’ interviews that were done as a production exercise. While I was working individually I often felt worried that I had interpreted the brief completely differently, being in a group meant that there were people there to reinforce my ideas or set them straight.

There were only a few things that really stuck out as challenging. The biggest for me was maintaining my blog. Four posts a week seemed like a lot, and even though there were so many readings, lectures and workshop activities I found myself not knowing what to write or how to write it. This resulted in a bad habit of keeping drafts right up until the posts were due. For the first three project briefs I also felt as though I wasn’t as creative as I could’ve been, I didn’t experiment or test myself with how I can present my work. I think a lot of these problems was due to the fact that I didn’t really do any pre-planning or organising. I usually just went with the flow and I think this limited my creative process and the final piece. Something else I noticed was how fast the semester went by. Last year in VCE, everything was paced slowly, we worked on a single topic for at least three weeks before moving on to the next. The pace of this semester seemed so fast, every week there is so there was a lot to take in, and I feel like I wasn’t able to truly grasp a concept, unless it was something that interested me personally.

Looking back on the past semester, I now understand what I’m best at and what I need to work on. Although it seemed very fast paced, and the twelve weeks went by so quickly, I was able to work on my own personal goals and experiment with the thing’s I’m interested in. I really enjoyed every second (even the stressful ones). It opened my eyes to a lot of ideas and possibilities and I’m excited to see how I go next semester, and in the future.

Berry, R., 2015. Serial and ten years of podcasting: has the medium grown up?. CECS-Publicações/eBooks, pp.299-309. 

Berry illustrates how the introduction of Podcasting threatened the nature of Radio while also opening many opportunities for the latter. The texts recounts how podcasting allowed anybody wishing to produce their own content could do so easily, and reduced the restriction of content that had been enforced on broadcast radio. Richard Berry is a senior lecturer, teaching Radio Production at the University of Sunderland. He also involved in community radio and is the Spark FM Station Manager. His experience in the field of radio broadcasting and production means that he is reliable in providing information about podcasting and how it impacts radio as a medium. This is useful information for our project as it involves the evolution of radio entertainment and technology, it will help create a timeline and outline the effects and benefits of podcasting within media society.

Chapman.CC, Handley.A., 2015. Podcasting: Is This Thing On? in Content Rules: How to create killer blogs…and ignite your business. Wiley. 26 April 2012

In chapter 17 of her book, Handley highlights the benefits that podcasting provides for companies. She outlines the affordances of podcasting and the advantages it provides for the audiences as it enables them to continue on with their everyday routines while simultaneously consuming media content. She also touches on what makes a podcast enjoyable and how they can narrow their content towards specific audience’s. In the chapter, Handley refers to Mitch Joel, a blogger and podcaster who has experience in the field. Ann Hadley herself is a Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs while C.C Chapman is the founder of Digital Dads, a company that produces content about raising children in the digital era. The authors’ knowledge and experience in the field allow their information to be reliable. Although the text focuses mostly on how one can produce interesting content for their own podcasts, some pieces of information may be helpful in understand the affordances of podcasting and how the medium evolved from radio.

I’m Not A Real Detective, I Only Play One On Radio”; Serial as the Future of Audio Drama. (2016). The Journal of Popular Culture, [online] 49(2). Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/doi/10.1111/jpcu.12401/epdf [Accessed 1 Jun. 2016].

Leslie Grace McMurtry speaks of how and why narrative podcasts are becoming successful forms of entertainment. She mentions that those who make podcasts often do so out of passion rather than a means of making money. Podcast makers create content for free as an expression of creativity. McMurty discusses the formula for a successful podcast, one that gains and maintains the interest of an audience. The formula states that seriality, high production value, star casting, fiction as well as passion with in a narrative podcast will result in it’s success. Mcmurty also discusses how radio drama has incorporated seriality over the past 80 years, and by using this method in radio podcasts they are able to upkeep the audience’s interest. She also compares having a high production value for podcasts would be like watching Game of Thrones in a car. This information will be useful for our project as it includes an answer to why narrative podcasts may be preferred to television shows. McMurty’s text is a peer review journal that was published this year. The fact that it’s recent means that the text is reliable information.

Solomon, B. 2011, “The Future of Radio”, Dealerscope, vol. 53, no. 7, pp. 40-42.

Brett Solomon briefly mentions the history of radio before discussing how the medium has remained relatively unchanged when it comes to customer consumption. Despite technical advances, Solomon discusses how radio enable consumers to choose how they consume radio, there are no distinct rules, and they are allowed control over what they listen to and how they listen to it. Throughout the article Solomon talks about smartphone apps that allow consumers to listen to what they want, whenever they want. He discusses multiple apps and considers the strengths and weaknesses that they possess. Brett Solomon is the co-founder and executive director of a global movement for digital freedom. His knowledge of the subject allows him to be a reliable source of information. Although his articles centres mostly around the discussion of apps that allow access to radio platforms, he points out how ease of accessibility and audience control is the new future of radio, something that can be discussed in our group project.

Hilmes, M. (2014). The Lost Critical History of Radio. Australian Journalism Review, [online] 36(2), pp.11-22. Available at: http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/fullText;dn=912224190027901;res=IELAPA [Accessed 1 Jun. 2016].

The Lost Critical History of Radio talks about Radio as an old art form that is revived and presents new voices and content over the decades. The text looks specifically in the history of American Radio and how the lack of radio archival and critical discourse prevents the medium from having a solid roots from which to grow. It mentions how the earlier decades of radio are standard behind old and obsolete technologies. The text further talks about how critical traditions are needed to upkeep consumer rates and solidify radio as an art form. Michele Hilmes is a media and cultural scholar and has taught students in many universities in the US. Her expertise in the area allows her to be a legitimate and reliable source of information for our project. The information provided in the text will be useful for our project as it provides information for the history of radio and how it has been able to sustain it’s self for a century. 

Ala-Fossi D.Soc.Sc., M., Lax D.Phil., S., O’Neill Ph.D, B., Cand, P. and Shaw Ph.D., H. (2016). The Future of Radio is Still Digital—But Which One? Expert Perspectives and Future Scenarios for Radio Media in 2015. Journal of Radio & Audio Media. [online] Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19376520801971337 [Accessed 2 Jun. 2016].

This text discusses radio as a digital format and how it was developed and introduced in the late 20th century. It discusses how it’s introduction in 1995 it’s rate of consumers was fairly low and was more popular within countries with strong public radio service organisations. The text focuses on 10 years of digital radio and how technology has influenced its growth.  It talks about the benefits and disadvantages of digital radio. The text also focuses on the possible future of the medium and how significant it would be in 2015, predicting that it would remain heavily significant throughout society. The authors are all experts in the field and talk in detail about the future of digital radio. The text talks about the past and future of radio extensively, and will provide our group with the opportunity to make comparisons between the expectations of the future and how present day radio really is. 

So because I was away in Week 4 I was unable to do the interview task with the Zoom H2 recorder. Thankfully my sister was willing to help me out and throughout the recording process I realised a few things;

1. I have completely lost on how to work this thing (the recorder)
2. My sister and I sound almost exactly alike. Seriously, it sounds like I’m talking to myself. (I swear I’m not)
3. I don’t have the smallest idea about Audition. It looks scarier to me than Premier first did.

So with the help of google and an abundance of will and patience, hopefully I can produce something decent!