Here is the link to my video

For my final assessment, the hyperobject I eventually settled with was Invasive species with a focus on three species; feral cats, cane toads and the crown of thorns starfish. When I originally planned my idea, I wanted to focus on only feral cats—distinguishing between the perceived ‘meme’ like view of cats against the reality feral cats have upon the environment and native species. However, with the feedback I received, I decided to broaden my scope to three species instead. I chose these three because I think they cover the overall spectrum of how far invasive species can reach; Land, riverside and ocean. This helped me in the long run in collecting footage and conveying my message in the harm done to the environment. As Duvall explains it, the goal of films that deal with topics of animals and the environment, the audience needs to be confronted directly with the damage that has been caused by humanity in both the smaller and large scale. (Duvall, 2017) I wanted my video to ask questions about their connection to the issue of invasive species and the impact of introducing these species and wrought on the environment.

My video depicts these three animals in two lights, showing footage of these animals as harmless and not doing anything to prompt concern, as many people can view them. However, I go on to display images and footage of the destruction of the environment and the deaths of the native species as a result of their invasion. As Nurmi’s states, it is essential when creating climate media to engage with people’s emotions and attitudes in regards to the issue to incite change for the better. (Nurmis, 2016) Instead of using split screens like I originally intended, I decided to use overlaying footage, primarily when showing photos and environments so to keep everything related to one another and demonstrate how no matter where you go, these species and their damage are always there and always continuing around us.

My three constraints for my assessment were no music, no voiceover or human voices, and no footage intended for commercial and corporate use. I also wanted to avoid using statistics to convey the issue as it would have been jarring to the tone of my film. Henricks also points out that statics and facts given the wrong way are more likely to distance certain viewers rather than help. (Henricks, 2017) So, to strengthen the contrast between the types of footage, I used text to directly ask the audience if they reckon that these seemingly harmless animals aren’t a danger to the native wildlife across the country. Due to the generally disturbing content of my topic, overall relating to the deaths of animals, I took advice from my studio leader and included a content warning. This also served well to inform the audience of the severe topic being discussed, that this is a topic that needs to be addressed. I’m aware this can isolate some viewers, but it is necessary to address the issue.

I initially struggled with sound as I have always relied on using voiceover or music to help with editing and timing as well as helping to guide the footage I chose. But having to rely on diegetic sounds like nature ambience and the sound of the ocean was a challenge. I used a loud, steady heartbeat throughout the video to emphasise the tension, implying this idea that the land and its creatures are all living and all feeling the impact of these species, how humankind will also handle these effects in the long run.
Overall I am pleased with my piece and believe it conveys the message I wanted well. I look forward to others viewing it and hope it leaves an impact on them as much as it did for me when learning about the topic to create it.

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.
Nurmis, J. (2016). Visual climate change art 2005-2015: discourse and practice. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 7(4), pp.501–516.
Hendricks, R. (2017). Communicating climate change: Focus on the framing, not just the facts. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/communicating-climate-change-focus-on-the-framing-not-just-the-facts-73028 [Accessed 30 May 2020].

Admittedly I had been struggling with this assessment as the deadline slowly draws closer. My plans have significantly changed from my initial presentation on the subject, and it feels overwhelming when trying to adapt and adjust.

In the end, I decided to focus on three invasive species, in particular, Feral cats, the cane toad, and the crown of thorns starfish. This keeps the footage I need to collect focused and covers the broad range of invasive species and their reach; land, rivers and the ocean.

Challenges
The main struggle came down to footage. When creating a video-based around found footage, the creator is more or less at the mercy of the footage they can collect. This is frustrating when you have ideas for a film but can’t find the correct footage to convey your meaning. I searched many websites for the footage I needed. It, in turn, made me very thankful for deciding to broaden my scope of invasive species from only feral cats. The primary sources I required my footage from were Youtube and various stock footage sites like Pexels and Pixabay. I struggled with Shutterstock frequently offering useful footage but all with a large watermark, something I was adamant about avoiding.

Fortunately, I managed to come across a lot of documentaries that provided useful footage detailing the damage caused by my chosen species. The importance of this is as Wallace explains that the cognitive dissonance created by the public to the various issues of the Anthropocene has created ‘an ambivalence of denial and acceptance, complacency and horror.’ (Wallace 2017, pg 572)

Concerns
A concerning matter that came up was how violent my topic is graphic content. Invasive species are responsible for the eradication of many species and to visually demonstrate this without statistics images of the animals and environment eradicated is the best route. Elaine provided helpful feedback to this that a content warning would be best in the beginning regardless of the footage I use due to the heavy subject I am discussing. I still tried to avoid content too heavy. For instance, I used footage from this Video to gather footage of feral cats in the wild. I had to be careful in cutting footage to avoid showing anything too graphic.
(Please note, I am only including the link and not embedding the video on purpose due to the disturbing content. View at your own discretion as feral cat hunters took the footage.)

Sound
Finding various diegetic sounds was difficult at first. As someone that prefers using music or voiceover to convey a message, it was a challenge to avoid them entirely and rely only on diegetic audio and the visuals on screen to convey my message. I wanted to use a multitude of sounds from the various animals I chose. I took on Ash’s feedback and suggestion of a heartbeat to add suspense. It helped give me focus on the footage and rhythm to work and time myself. I also decided to use only ambience sound from my chosen species environments to keep the overall tone of the video the same.

References
Wallace, M 2017, ‘It’s the End of the Field as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)’, American Literary History, vol. 29, no. 2, p. 565-578.

Listening to the feedback from my presentation was engaging and vital to help me in shaping out my ideas for my project. The central theme I wanted to go for in my plan was the hyperobject of ‘Invasive Species with a primary focus on Feral Cats as an invasive species in Australia. I liked the feedback Ash gave me in terms of ideas of where to go with it and references to draw from as well. Ultimately, I’ve decided to take the advice from the feedback in the presentation and zoom out my idea to not just feral cats, but certain invasive species in Australia. This is mainly due to how they seem to like my idea, but worry I will get lost in the idea of feral cats and lose focus on my hyperobject, missing the point of the assessment entirely. I think my focus will be upon feral cats, rabbits, cane toads and potentially the crown of thorns starfish for variety in visuals and sounds. I still do want to include feral cats as like how Ash explained it in his thoughts on my presentation, ‘it fits in amongst invasive species as a broader topic.’ (Fox, 2020)

However, this doesn’t mean the feedback I received isn’t useful. Ash’s recommendation of looking into the Dingo fence as ‘a great example of pre-industrial control methods’. (Fox, 2020) Providing a link for me about the subject was also really helpful since I didn’t know about it and was able to educate myself on this topic further. This reminded me of other methods taken to prevent the spread of invasive populations like the rabbit-proof fence. I think showing examples of these methods in the footage I find would be a great example of my hyperobject to utilise. I also really like the suggestions of sounds to use that Ash provided. I originally had a focus on feral cats to utilise footage that compared the ‘meme’ like the way they are viewed. Still, as I drift away from that idea to broaden my scope, the idea of a subtle heartbeat throughout the video is an idea I like. I do still want to stay with my constraints and my plan of a split-screen showing differing images. Now that I am broadening my scope on animals, I think this will be an excellent utilisation of footage.

Feedback

PROMPT 9

My Powerpoint Slides are available here.

The presentation I was allocated to give feedback on was Ash’s presentation with his hyperobject focusing on Food Production. Food production is always one of those hyperobjects that contribute to climate change that not enough people focus on, myself included, so I think that it’s a great topic to look into.

I like how you situated your practice and experiences in tangent to your project idea. It demonstrates your knowledge and passion for the issue. From the sound of your presentation and your slides, it’s clear that you would prefer to use photography as your media format for this project. I like that you did look at the issue from all sides and address the possibility of a short video. However, you have a very solid idea for what you want to do with your photo essay so it’s clearly the way to go in this matter.

Your decision to use ‘amatuer shot only’ images for your photo essay is an interesting approach. Your reasoning and beliefs behind them support why so I’m curious to see how you work with this added constraint. A royalty-free site I often use to collect footage and images is the website Pexels but unfortunately, I don’t know how useful this will be as many of the images have a more professional edge to them but it is always worth looking into. You mentioned in your presentation that you plan to use google images to track back to useful websites. This also seems like a useful method if not a bit time consuming so id makes sure to start collecting images early to know what you want to plan out.

You are under some rather different constraints when it comes to using photography for your assessment since you are limited to what is in the frame. However, like the others that provided feedback, I think that it gives you a great chance to subvert the traditional chronological portrayals of this industry. Utilizing not only what is in the frame but how the piece is shown is another alternative way to portray your message.

Your presentation really showed off what you’re interested in doing for this project and outlined a clear plan to follow along with. You have a passionate interest in this topic so I have no doubt the final product will also reflect this. I wish you luck in the making and I can’t wait to see the final outcome!

(Word Count 402)

For studio presentation, and in turn my final assessment, I have chosen to discuss the Hyperobject of invasive species. As a result of the Anthropocene and mankind’s continued search of a world made easier, the biodiversity of the planet has gradually grown smaller. Animals are frequently being introduced to new habitats that aren’t their own. This causes them to thrive in an environment void of their natural predators and diseases, but in turn, causes devastation to the original species of this environment.

Invasive species were always an issue in the environment I was aware of, but never focused on a great deal unless for a different smaller-scaled assignment in high school. I always knew of most invasive species but actually looking at them as a whole, it was alarming to learn the rate at which animals in Australia are going extinct or at a high risk of extinction. With so many invasive species in the country and all over the world. I decided it would be best to focus on one species, particularly a more universally recognized species and a species that poses a great threat to the lives of many species in Australia. The feral cat. The reason for this is for the wide variety of dangers the animal has to the country. According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, ‘More than 20 of our Australian mammals’ (Feral Cats FAQ, 2017, pg 2) are now extinct due to the intervention of feral cats and at least a further ‘124 Australian species are at pressure of extinction’ (Feral Cats FAQ, 2017, pg 2) because of this.

Another reason for this choice is that cats in the general eyes of the public and the internet are considered a bit of a meme. Sure they can be dangerous and hunt animals, but if you look up cats on the internet you are more likely to find funny compilations of cat videos over anything else. This leaves a plethora of content for me to sort through and examine in my goal to portray this more serious and dangerous side to this hyperobject. While people can be aware of the damage done by invasive species, Morton reminds us that Hyperobjects are ‘massively distributed entities that can be thought and computed, but not directly touched or seen.’ (Morton, 2013, pg 37) Hyperobjects like invasive species exist all around us constantly even if we are not aware of them and yet their impact on the globe can be devastating. I wanted to create a media artefact that is more personal to viewers, by showing the comparison between how cats are generally portrayed vs the reality of the damage they cause. This would be done either through a split-screen or collecting positive footage of cats and intercutting it with the contrasting reality of cats footage. The challenge with this is not to demonize cats as a whole and try to remain on the topic of hyperobjects as a whole.

In my development as a media student, I found I have come to heavily rely on music in many aspects to carry my work, so I want to use music as a constraint this time and focus on diegetic sounds in a scene to carry my video. It will be a challenge but I want to challenge my skills as a media maker to further develop my practice.

(Word count 562)

References
Morton, T 2013, ‘Poisoned Ground: Art and Philosophy in the Time of Hyperobjects’, Sylmpoke, vol. 21, no.1-2, p. 37-50.
Australian Department of Environment and Energy, 2017. Tackling Feral Cats And Their Impacts. Australian Government.

Update Post Presentation
I wanted to quickly update this according to the feedback I received though this isn’t really part of my prompt 8 reflection.
With the feedback I received from my presentation I believe it would be better to broaden my scope of invasive species to the most notable invasive species in Australia. Focusing on feral cats like I initially intended seemed like the best idea due to the plethora of content I would be able to use on the matter. However, I do agree with the feedback that this poses a risk to be focusing on just this and not the hyperobject of invasive species as a whole. While this may pose more of a challenge in the future, I believe this is the best course of action to take to ensure I stay on topic.

The introductory reading ‘A New Critical Climate’ by Adeline Johns-Purta, proved to be interesting when discussing the matters of Climate change in correlation with our understanding of the Anthropocene. As Johns-Purta puts it, climate change is not a tangible source and is something that, while we cannot see, is something that exists all around us like nothing we have ever seen before. (Johns-Purta, 2013). This rings true, as she later remarks, to Timothy Mortan’s definition and descriptions of Hyperobjects and how they affect the planet and its inhabitants. Scholar Mary Wallace similarly remarks on the Anthropocene and in particular the struggle of ecocritics interpreting this hyperobject in a constantly changing environment of ‘social, cultural, economic, and ecological factors’ (Wallace, 2017, 566)

The text raises certain questions to ecocritics that does the reality of this hyperobject require a ‘new critical climate’ (Johns-Purta 2017, pg 8), or will our long used ‘old habits of critique’ still reign supreme in this crisis? She explores these ideas by delving into Morton’s ‘Object-oriented Ontology’ (Johns-Purta 2017, pg 9) in which hyperobjects are evaluated in regards to the environment to ‘address the feedback from Earth’ (Johns-Purta 2017, pg 9). Through this, they call for a form of ‘deconstructive environmental criticism’. (Johns-Purta 2017, pg 9) With climate change as a hugely expansive hyperobject that is ‘massively distributed in time and space’ (Morton 2013, pg 39) the traditional methods of ecocriticism are simply not as effective.

A good example I have seen recently using this deconstruction of these traditional critical climate change methods is the video “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” by Richard Williams or better known with his channel name, Prince Ea. The video details a dark future with Williams himself addressing the viewers as the future generations of the world, apologizing to them for the damage his generations have wrought upon the planet in the name of greed. The video goes to extremes in these depictions, filmed in a desert that he says is what once was known as the Amazon Rainforest and that the trees that populated it helped the planet by taking in carbon, purifying water, helping us with curing diseases. The most noticeable parts with this video, however, is he apologizes for the complacency of his generation in allowing these things to occur before addressing the viewers again that this is not yet their future and that we are already seeing the effects of climate change, that the generations of today have the power to change this.

The video’s addressing that we as people are not only able to make a change, but have a responsibility to is something I think is an important discernment to make at this time. By examining the ‘humanist tendencies’(Johns-Purta 2017, pg 8) of people these days, bringing the matter of ethics into the discussion is yet another deconstructive method of climate change theory. It is another form of making the hyperobject a more personal issue to people and can further encourage others to take action through the idea of taking responsibility to undo the damage of older generations.

(Word Count 502)

References
Johns-Putra, A 2013, ‘A New Critical Climate’, Symploke, vol. 21, no.1-2, p. 7-10.
Morton, T 2013, ‘Poisoned Ground: Art and Philosophy in the Time of Hyperobjects’
’, Sylmpoke, vol. 21, no.1-2, p. 37-50.
Wallace, M 2017, ‘It’s the End of the Field as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)’, American Literary History, vol. 29, no. 2, p. 565-578.
Williams, R., 2015. Dear Future Generations: Sorry. Available at: [Accessed 8 May 2020]

Mediating Changing Climates

1. Clark, T 2015, ‘Chapter One: The Anthropocene- Questions of Definition’, in Ecocriticism on the Edge: The Anthropocene as a Threshold Concept, Bloomsbury Publishing, p.1-28.

The piece authored by scholar, Timothy Clark, breaks down the various definitions and interpretations of the term ‘the Anthropocene’. While the term may not be officially recognized, it is a term that is utilized by scientific and nonscientific fields alike. Clark details how the ‘The Anthropocene’ was first coined by scientists to define the next ‘geological epoch the Earth entered with the industrial revolution’ (pg 1) otherwise known as the era of the earth where ‘Human activities have become so pervasive and profound that they rival the great forces of nature’. (pg 1) Over time, however, the term has attracted a variety of conflicting meanings ranging within “cultural, ethical, aesthetic, philosophical and political” (pg 2)

Clark firstly defines how the term additionally applies to the ‘Great Acceleration’, the time in which the impacts of humanity upon the biosphere has risen significantly. (pg 1) He then goes on to break down the broad viewpoints made by other scholars on ‘The Anthropocene.’ Scholar Timothy Morton, for instance, describes it as a new era where ‘humans are no longer excluded or merely decorative features of social, psychic, and philosophical space’ (pg 2) He additionally claims it began with the overuse of agriculture well before the industrial revolution. Conversely, he describes other viewpoints like that of Tobias Menely and Margaret Ronda, linking the Anthropocene to the global expansion of capitalism. (pg 2) By taking and breaking down these different viewpoints on the matter Clark demonstrates how the term is utilized in different fields to explain the impact of climate change on the earth in ways many can understand.

Clark goes on to utilize Braden R. Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz’s model detailing the three complex levels of effect that man-made technologies have upon the earth. Level One is described as the traditional idea of technology as ‘a simple tool’ (pg 6) with easy to predict cause and effect cycles. Level Two is described as when these technologies become ‘a complex socio-technological system, infinitely less predictable and more complicated’. (pg 7) Level Three is when the impact of these complex systems of technology has become impossible to calculate and predict. Clark is able to break down how due to the increase of so many hyperobjects reaching this third level of complexity, yet only being treated at a level one stage, has created a great deal of ignorance of the effects of climate change for the population. (pg 9) Thus making attempts to challenge and change these impacts highly difficult.

Clark goes on to explore how the Anthropocene is an epoch where humanity has brought on a great deal of self-reflection in regards to our own impact on the earth. An act not seen in other epochs of the earth. With the rise of climate change, the demand for this self-reflection and taking responsibility has never become more important. Clark implores how this ecocriticism is and should be applied as an ‘emergent culture, a metamorphosis in the way ‘we’ think, understand and read.’ (pg 17) By utilizing our knowledge of the Anthropocene Clark hopes that the use of the arts can create an ‘eco-cosmopolitanism capable of uniting people across the world without erasing important cultural and political differences.’ (pg 17) Through Clarks words and push for the unification of ‘politics, culture and art’ (pg 17) in regards to the Anthropocene. It is clear that Clark would also view media making as an essential way to convey and combine the severity and charged emotions behind the ecocriticism of the Anthropocene.

2. Hammond, P 2017, ‘Introduction: ‘Post-political’ climate change’ in Climate Change and Post-Political Communication: Media, Emotion, and Environmental Advocacy, Routledge, pp. 1-17.

In this reading, authorized by Phillip Hammond, Hammond discusses living in a post-political society and the consequences this has brought upon Climate Change and its overall effect on society’s response. He details how in the ’90s, there had been a steady increase with the overall concern of climate change. Calls to action to the government and small changes to environmentally friendly alternatives had become commonplace ‘all in the name of reducing human impacts on the environment and combating climate change.’ (pg 2) However, Hammond also remarks that while these changes had “produced little or no meaningful action.” (pg 2) By bringing Climate change to the forefront, critics have argued that Climate change is now being deemed as ‘strange non-political politics’ that works through ‘compromise, managerial and technical arrangement, and the production of consensus’ (pg 2).

To unravel this change, Hammond delves into ‘the political life in Western societies since the end of the Cold War.’ (pg 3) He does this by citing many various scholars including Slavov Zizek, who argues that politics has deteriorated as both sides of the political spectrum become full of western elites focused and unwilling to move outside the confines of a capitalist society. Because of this, it is argued that this realm of post-politics has ‘closed off the possibility of change’ (pg 5) Hammond describes how little action on climate change can also be due to the mainstreaming and depoliticization of the issue. While on the surface to many this new representation of Climate Change would be deemed a success, it has overall ‘compromised its former radicalism.’ (pg 6) By providing the general public with a watered-down reassurance of political action, people no longer demand meaningful action to be taken, satisfied by their continued belief in what they want to see.

Hammond then proceeds to discuss the role of the media, culture, and emotion in the way Climate Change is viewed by the public. Hammond utilizes the arguments of various scholars including that of Anabela Carvalho, who criticized the news media as a vital role in ‘processes of political (dis)engagement in relation to climate change’ (pg 10). This criticism also drew upon research on how the public is commonly depicted as ‘passive and childlike’ (pg 10) and thereby presenting the culture around Climate Change ‘as the concern of elite decision-makers’ (pg 10) removing the agency of the public to join in on these discussions. Hammond goes on to argue from these points the importance of the emotional dimension in the media. By highlighting ‘the continuous use of fear and danger’ (pg 10) utilized by climate media, Hammond argues that this sensationalization of Climate change has caused the public to distance themselves from the issue as they no longer view it as a personal threat to their way of life or view it as an impossible task they are expected to overcome. By breaking down this fear, Hammond demonstrates media that portrays Climate Change as not ‘an uncertain risk, but a moral certainty’. (pg 12), such as Al Gore’s environmental campaign. The public can be convinced through media like this of a need to call for more action. People are in turn then less likely to turn away from the growing issue and with time, Climate change can be re-politicized in the eyes of critics and the world.

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

The article was written by Joanna Nurmis the past and recent development of Climate Change art through various practices and the outcomes of these changes. Nurmis begins this by delving into the reality that Climate change in the media as a whole has been generally uninspiring due to a lack of engagement from audiences. This is due to ‘unbiased, scientific-based information on the impacts of climate change’ (pg 502) simply not being enough to sway audiences as the public is more likely to respond to ‘personally relevant affective images’. (pg 502) With the need to make an expansive and sometimes hard to see concept such as climate change more personal to the public, the media has turned to the growth of climate art to convey these desired images.

Nurmis argues that art has been the key factor in challenging audiences to make a change in regards to the climate as she quotes Marda Kirn in that ‘Artists can scream, scientists can’t’. (pg 503) With many scientists and journalists unable to ‘take sides’ (pg 503) in the debate at the risk of heavy scrutiny, art has become a form that provides an easier way to engage with audience members about climate change concerns. Nurmis utilizes various sources to establish that our climate reflects our culture and that ‘an honest response to climate change requires a cultural transformation.’ (pg 504) She includes voices like that of Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber, who agrees we need a ‘culture of attentiveness… participation… and obligation towards future generations.’(pg 505) She reinforces that art is capable of eliciting emotion whereas science is explicitly void of this quality. By being able to convey story and expression through art, audiences are able to reach a more personal understanding of Climate Change and its urgency.

Nurmis goes on to describe three categories that Climate art takes form from, each with varying levels of engagement. Representations are ‘two-dimensional pictorial art’ (pg 506) otherwise known as art 2D art like paintings, photography, etc. these are most useful in depicting ‘actual impacts to imaginative visions of climate change futures’. (pg 506) The category is also known to utilize images that commonly represent climate change like glaciers or carbon emissions. The second form, Installations, involves ‘three-dimensional objects’ (pg 506) that can be integrated with, generally placed with a museum or gallery. The third form, Interventions, includes art that artists have chosen to place ‘within the public space’ (pg 507) that don’t include galleries and allows the public to interact with it in their own way. While describing these categories and their engagement, Nurmis is quick to provide examples of climate art that falls under these categories. Such as that of Olafur Eliasson’s Intervention climate art ‘Ice Cloak’ that allowed, people to’ touch the inland ice on City Hall Square and be touched by it’ (pg 507) The differences in these arts show how Installations and Interventions are more engaging to the public by providing a level of interactivity. By providing audiences members a chance to become personally involved, it strengthens their own personal involvement in the issues of climate change being conveyed.

Political and Poetic Climate Media

When it comes to climate change, it can be hard to describe how I feel on the matter, or even what I want to articulate on it. With two enormous topics like Climate Change and COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to narrow down one’s thoughts to a single video essay. Yet in a time with the world going through so much turmoil, it seems that Media has become a crucial factor. It is what keeps people informed and aware of is what can keep people ignorant and dismissive. And at a time when the world has become locked away inside their homes, putting forward a valuable and factual message through the media has never been more important.

I myself have been luckier than most in this crisis. Other than being confined to my home and the mental strain that has brought, I’ve more so been concerned for the wellbeing of friends and family that don’t have that luxury. Trying to work through that stress and worry while being powerless to do anything about it. It’s incredibly frustrating. The poor response and the reaction of the pandemic and the bushfires only strengthens this in the face of the lack of action to climate change.

I wanted to reflect this anger and frustration in my video essay. I chose to draw upon the responses from countries to the pandemic to compare them to that of climate change responses. In my narration, I try to balance my voice between both tired and angry to capture the feeling most people in my generation feel when faced with climate change and the pandemic. I try to maintain this tone throughout the video as opposed to remaining stoic on the topic as this has been shown to distance other viewers by distancing them from the problem. This is additionally why I started the video with a meme about the virus to form a connection with viewers as someone that understands how we cope with this worldwide trauma. My chosen music ‘Take me to the depths’ by Midnight North additionally was used for its somber and overall repetitive tone to convey the somber mood I hold for much of the video, yet it also compliments my tone when I become more hopeful at the end. It doesn’t drag attention from my voice but adds depth to the video overall

While I ideally would have wanted to use much of my own footage, I simply just didn’t have any that properly related to my topic or was too much of a quality difference to the clips I sourced. I at least tried to use a balance of stock footage I had collected and news footage too. I, fortunately, found a website that provided me a library of high-quality footage I was able to use to complement what I was saying or even juxtapose it at times to emphasize my points and frustrations and overall make the video more appealing to look at.

While I do think my video could have benefited from using more personal footage and narrowing down my scope overall. I am happy with the quality of the video and feel it conveys the message I want to spread well.

Climate Media as Ecological Grief Work

At the time of writing, the world has fallen into disarray. The globe on lockdown and quarantine to prevent the spread of a virus we don’t know how else to combat. As a media creative studying a topic such as Ecological grief, it feels like a cruel sense of irony. To be studying media delving into discussing climate change and its repercussions only to see the impact it can wreak on the world, only in the form of a virus. In most regards I would consider myself on the luckier side, I live at home with my family so I have never had a fear of paying rent. Thus when my job inevitably shut down in response to the pandemic, I was upset, but not scared of my immediate future is filled with uncertainty.

It reminded me of a time last year when I traveled to Sydney for an internship. My aunt lived on the outskirts of Sydney in thick bushland. My aunt had told me of times she had dealt with bushfires close to her home before but on one of those days, I had to leave for my job with a small suitcase and stay the night in the city as the bushfire threat had become too severe in my aunt’s suburb that it was unlikely I would even be able to return home. Thankfully the scare passed and my aunt and her home were safe, yet the stress of waiting for news made me sick to my stomach at that time and the lack of response from our government was seething.

Photo from my instagram story when I was leaving my aunts house

Photo on same day on the way to work on the Harbour Bridge

It seems we are yet again in one of those times. You can’t turn on the news without learning more about the state of the world in regards to the virus. This is natural of course, it’s the most pressing topic and something people need to be aware of. However, something that people do bring up occasionally is also the repercussions of quarantine in regards to the climate. How air quality has improved, skies are clearing in India as well as waters in the Venice canals. This is all due to the drastically reduced emissions across the globe in response to the pandemic.

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-lockdowns-effect-on-air-pollution-provides-rare-glimpse-of-low-carbon-future-134685

In a blind vacuum, of course, this sounds great, but it should not have to come to the point of a global pandemic for this to make a change. Many have also as a result raised the question of how the world will react once the pandemic is over and wonder if things for the environment will just return to the same point. While I would love to be optimistic, I highly doubt a strong change will come directly after this. It is frustrating that as a media student, there isn’t much I can do in regards to going out and filming. This course itself originally had a strong emphasis on practical work and that is something I wanted to prioritize this year. I wanted to spend the year making content that can fill a resume and really develop the voice I want to have as a content creator. The fact we are all now so limited to what we have at home and feels both depressive and infuriating. In a world that has come so far with technology and science, it feels like governments should have been better prepared to assist those not as well left off. While I am capable of making it through this quarantine, I know plenty of people that are not and it scares me for what their futures could hold.

There is one thing however that this quarantine has shown me that is inspiring. The persistence of media creators in this time. Watching the content that others have made in this time with their limited resources to provide content that is enjoyable to others to help people get by in this unpredictable time.

I want to try and create content in this time that can be both informative, but enjoyable. In a time where everyone is stressed out and afraid, people should be educated, but able to relax and be able to cope in the situation. I myself feel so worn down and unmotivated by the state of the world and like most people, feel as though the world has staggered to a halt with no way of moving forward. It’s why seeing content that inspires that hope to keep going, making do with what we have and using the time to find ways to cope is so important to me. And I don’t mean that in an over the top ‘we will get through this together’ message. I want my voice at this time to say that where we are right now isn’t great, but that’s ok. That this won’t last forever and we should look forward to the differences we can make when this pandemic finally ends. Living in the now is what should matter and creating media that can reflect that at least at this time is what I want to do.

References
– Monks, P., 2020. Coronavirus: Lockdown’s Effect On Air Pollution Provides Rare Glimpse Of Low-Carbon Future. [online] The Conversation. Available at: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-lockdowns-effect-on-air-pollution-provides-rare-glimpse-of-low-carbon-future-134685
– Nolke, J., 2020. Explaining The Pandemic To My Past Self. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms7capx4Cb8