Media 1, Week 3 Tutorial Reflection

With the use of my media files, in order for my peers to understand how these represent myself, I had to explain to them how it represented me and why it did because there was only so much you could read into my photographs, videos and audios. All my work depicts who I am and what my values are but my peers extended their media files out to others who represent themselves. I think that in my next project I could involve people that are considered important to me. My peers deferred from the traditional self-portrait and involved family members and closer friends and partners which I found very expressive of them. I think the peer-feedback was useful in that you could have a view of what others have created, and create more ideas from it. I wasn’t too nervous about presenting but I felt like I could have done a better job with my media project as I wasn’t a fan of presenting raw material however that is why I am so excited for my next project as this is where I can involve editing skills into my work.

Project Brief 1

Self-portrait #1: Energetic

Photo 1

In this photograph, I utilise my face to symbolise my identity, and then my hair to represent I am loud and enthusiastic person. All together, especially with my hair caught in a chaotic motion, represents my energetic personality.

 Self-portrait #2: Wired

Photo 2

With the use of the PlayStation controller replacing my eyesight, I am expressing my love for digital technology. I am obsessed with the video game Spyro, I spend majority of my time either on my laptop, my phone, or watching television. I’m rarely in an environment that doesn’t connect me to Wi-Fi or have a strong 4G connection.

 Self-portrait #3: Inception

Photo 3

I began this image by taking a photograph on my laptop of me first, and then setting it to full screen. After many attempts I was able to capture myself where I was aligning the picture with me. This digital inception portrays my ability to stay as the same person no matter the situation. Although you’re looking at a photo of me in a photo of me, I still look the exact same as I fail to change myself to suit someone else’s standards, as I advocate maintaining a strong identity.

 Self-portrait #4: Lost

Photo 4
This last photograph depicts my blindness about my future. I hate when events and life is not predictable, as boring as that seems., that’s just how it is. I am still unsure of what I want to do when I leave university and it scares me, and this digital image indicates me confused and lost about where I am going next.

 Video #1: My second home

Work is considered my second home, I have been involved in gymnastics since I was a child, and I have been a gymnastics coach since I was 12 years old. This is my 7th year of being a coach, and the coaches especially are counted as my second family.

 Video #2: Hamish

I spend a lot of my time at home, and so does this little guy, he is respected as another family member in our household. He sleeps on our beds, eats with us, and watches TV with us. I’m home a lot with him and although he doesn’t understand, he brings such a sense of comfort and love, and yes I know I’m speaking about a dog here but that’s how it is.

 Audio #1: Work

I love my job mostly because of the children I meet and get to work with. I have come across hundreds of children in my time as teaching and they never fail to make my day. Most people dread going to work, yet I go there knowing I’m going to leave in a great mood.

Audio #2: Family
This recording was of majority of family having a regular conversation in our lounge room. We speak loudly and argue quite a bit but it’s just the way us Blundos communicate with one another.

 50 words to describe you:

I felt that the best way to have 50 words to describe myself would be to have my closest family members and friends pick around 5 words and send them to me. I am aware some words are repeated but I just copied and pasted what one would say. Some I can agree with, some are questionable, but nonetheless here they are:

“Breath taking, amazing, goddess, beautiful, charismatic, strong, loud, funny, Nice, friendly, creative, disorganised, messy, fast, flexible, sporty, childish, lazy, caring, funny, loving, loud, and full-on, funny, energetic, lively, friendly, caring, foot hater, sarcastic, smart, funny, loud, funny, outgoing, happy, beautiful, charismatic, ambitious, annoying, funny, outgoing, smart, fat, ugly, chat”.

Natalia KILLS on New Zealand X factor

It’s amazing how fast news can travel across the globe. X-Factor is an internationally recognized reality television series but usually most people stick to watch their own countries series. However, the one small part of the New Zealand 2015 season has spread very quickly around the globe, and it’s not for a positive reason. Natalia Kills (I think her surname is giving a major hint) abuses a contestant not because of their performance but because of their appearance. She is “embarrassed to be sitting [t]here in [his] presence” as she “respects creativity integrity” and is “disgusted” how contestant, Joe Irvine could copy her husband’s “look”. These are new and vulnerable artists trying to make their name in the music industry, and she was confident enough to act as a big bully on TV. I am really impressed with the response that has been received from this incident, and that these judges were punished for their inappropriate actions. I am glad to hear that New Zealand television has a strict policy against bullying and that this message was shared globally. It was even better to hear and see the positive responses shared from other artists and countries from around the world.

Screen Shot 2015-03-18 at 10.42.30 pmScreen Shot 2015-03-18 at 10.42.15 pm

 

 

 

 

Here’s the video below:

 

 

Media 1, Week 3 Lectorial Reflection (c)

The Media 1 students were lucky enough to have 3 guest speakers during today’s lecture. One of the presenters was Anne Lennox, a Senior Coordinator in Copyright Management. We were exposed to the importance of legal and moral rights of Copyright that is implemented within Australia. I was intrigued to find that copyright is automatically implemented once something is created, I admire how Australia respects the right of intellectual property of an artist in today’s society. The creative industry is so huge, it’s pleasant to understand that majority of original artworks and ideas are aimed to be protected, and not just for the duration of an artist’s life but for another 70 years after their death.

Media By Night

In regards to our previous lectorial, when I was out in the city on Saturday night, I had to walk from Melbourne Central all the way to the Brown Alley, which is roughly a 15 minute walk. From there I begun “noticing” many forms of media that became obvious at nighttime that were not as visible or accessible during the day-time. The huge screens displaying advertisements for films and commercials for products lit up the city and immediately dragged your eye to the lit devices. Restaurants had outdoor lighting, and conversation bursting through their shops. Night clubs were using print media to guide customers to their venue, and popular music to draw clubbers inside. The nightclub ‘Billboards’ for example had the venue’s name and address in fluorescent pink paper glued onto light posts and walls all over the city.

Along King St, every door you passed, you heard a range of different music depending on the venue you passed. The club ‘Rats’ was playing commercial top chart hits whereas the club ‘Anyway’ were playing fast pace, dance music. It then occurred to me how much clubs employ media to succeed in their industry. They use social media websites as free publicity, creating events and sending them to thousands of people on Facebook, some have websites displaying video based previews of what customers can expect on their night at their venue, there is print media placed all over the Melbourne City and nearby suburbs and they don’t stop there.

They continue to publicise their business by using photographers to take and upload photographs for free with the nightclub’s logo in a corner, this allows the business to attain free advertisement from their customers. Furthermore, the nightclub ‘Rats’ provides a free photo booth, using it as print media to promote the next week’s event. Additionally, you can go into all the mechanical forms of media, such as screens, lighting, and sound systems to attract and entertain clubbers within the venue. I had never acknowledged before the many forms of media that nightclubs utilised for their business and therefore, the more you concentrate, the more you begin to notice

'Rats' print media

‘Rats’ print media

'Anyway' use of film media on YouTube

‘Anyway’ use of film media on YouTube

'Oasis' online media

‘Oasis’ online media

'Billboards' use of social media

‘Billboards’ use of social media

Media 1, Week 2 Tutorial Reflection

Today marks a week until our first project is due. I’m not going to lie I’m struggling for ideas. I have a big brainstorm but I’m not entirely sure how I want to work things. For the self-portraits I think I have nailed it down to working on silhouettes and abstract reflections, and then for sound and video I have thought to aim that at my work and my home as these are both considered family to me, which assists in representing my true sense of self. Today, I researched different self-portraits and I came across some amazing pieces of self-portrait work by 18-year old photographer, Laura Williams. Below are few examples of her work:

Photographed by Laura Williams

Photographed by Laura Williams

Photographed by Laura Williams

Photographed by Laura Williams

 

I have planned what days I am going to work on what part of the task, now it’s just up to me getting up and completing the actual assignment. Hopefully it all goes accordingly to plan.

Media 1, Week 2 Lectorial Reflection

Today’s lesson encouraged us to become more aware to every day surroundings that may be ignored or not given much attention normally. Rachel challenged our group to “notice” every form of sound, print, digital media on Swanson St. There were print media and digital media, up-high and down-low. There were lights, sounds of communication and advertisements everywhere, it just took ourselves a chance to walk in silence and to allow ourselves to “notice” all these forms of media.

Below are the forms of media we had discovered documented:

UP HIGH:                                              ON THE GROUND:
– 
Logos                                                     – Newspapers
– Traffic lights                                        – Branded rubbish
– Advertisements                                   – Magazines
> on the library                                   – Flyers
> on the trams
> on buildings
– Satellities
– TV screens
– Lit up signs above walkways
– Shop branding

MID-GROUND:                                BACKGROUND:
– Tibet protest                                        – Tram bells
> Sound                                                – Pedestrian sounds (communicating)
> Posters                                               – Conversations
> Culture                                               – Scents (cultural food)
– Newsstands                                          – Music within shops (targeting audiences)
– Posters
– Stock screens
– ATM machine

FOREGROUND:                               IN YOUR HAND:
– Fashion – communicating one’s       – App sounds (Facebook, games)
identity                                                  – iPhone text message sounds
– Busker – music                                     – Camera shutter sound

 

Brands and Advertisements

Brands and Advertisements

Tibet Protest

Tibet Protest

Building Advertisement

Building Advertisement

Sound of Tibet protest

Sound of a busker on Bourke St.

This task was beneficial in that it allowed us to “notice” the accumulation of forms of media and communication that surrounds us. The city is full of a multitude of conversations and advertisements and this allows our culture to indulge ourselves into a fast pace, and connected community.

TV Gender Roles, the 80s vs the 00s

The American 80’s reality show, The New Newlywed Game, pits newly married couples against each other to determine who knows whom best. What was surprising about this program was that it “reward[ed] the couple who best conform[ed] to our ideological norms” (Fiske 1995). However, the audience favoured this “popular” program due to the couples that failed to live up to society’s expectations. Men were belittled and mocked when they demonstrated any form of femininity during the program, for instance, dancing around, and using hair products, whereas, women were mostly portrayed as irritating and argumentative towards their husband.

Married couples during the 80s aimed to portray themselves as the ideological couple. This included, non argumentative, having a consistent and healthy sex life, being heterosexual, and both genders fulfilling their stereotypes created by social norms. This involved the man being dominant, giving orders and making plans, whereas a woman’s behaviour would be sharing, giving, and concerned for others (Greenberg, 1980). However, in reality, I believe more couples would relate to the non-ideological couples, as although society may have created a specific relationship norm, our world is rapidly evolving and adapting and couples are rarely meeting these expectations.

Since the 80’s, social expectations of the ideal couple have evolved in a positive manner, and it is evident it today’s television. Modern entertaining programs such as How I Met Your Mother, and Modern Family, depict “normal” relationships nowadays as interracial, same sex, and argumentative. More importantly, an individual’s behaviour is not marginalised to a particular manner because of their sex. In general, gender roles have changed markedly in the last quarter century. More women have moved out of the home and into the work force; relationships between husband and wife have become more equal; and men seem more willing to share in childcare and in work around the house (Farley, 1998). I have admired modern American media as it has been successful in adapting to society’s evolved love life and has helped influence and support the change of ideological couples and gender stereotypes.

 

References cited:

Fiske, JF 1995, ‘Popular Culture’, in F Lentrichchia and T McLaughlin (eds.), Critical Terms for Literary Study. The University of Chicago Press, pp. 321-335.

Glascock, JG 2001, ‘Gender Roles on Prime-Time Network Television: Demographics and Behaviors’ Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, June, vol. 45, issue 4, pp. 656-669.

 

Media 1, Week 1 Tutorial Reflection

During today’s tutorial, the tutor, Daniel Binns, provided the students with an overview of the course, a step by step process on the blogs, and he then elaborated on our first project of the semester. I found the blog very simple to use and I easily set it up, personalising it and creating new posts. When Dan was explaining project 1, I became really excited as photography is my favourite hobby and millions of ideas came rushing through my mind on how to approach this task. I love the idea of trying to avert from the traditional idea of a self-portrait to create something abstract that questions the meaning of what a self-portrait is by only using raw material.

Seems like a challenge, but who doesn’t love a challenge? #letmetakeaselfie

Media 1, Week 1 Lectorial Reflection

Today’s lectorial was simple and informative. The students received an outlook on the tasks being provided for this semester and then they had a the reading to follow on 2 particular learning behaviours, in which alerted me to the way in which I learn. I struggled to stay focus the whole reading time and therefore, I rushed through the piece to try and complete it quicker and was unable to finish reading in the time given to do so. This indicated that I related to the “Hyper attention” style of learning rather than the “Deep attention”. I tend to study or do homework with other media devices surrounding me, such as music, television or my mobile even though consequently, it takes me a longer amount of time to complete the task. However, multi-tasking allows myself to continue completing the task by having a break and moving back and forth from other activities or I become bored after a period of time. Even sitting in the lectorial for 2 hours straight was a challenge, I did want to focus but many times I caught myself checking my phone, or going through my laptop. The learning styles from high school to University are very different, and I hope to adapt to this new form of teaching.