Course reflection – Michael P. Firus – Semester 1 – Media 1

Michael P. Firus – Course reflection – Semester 1 – Media 1

The pace at which this semester slipped by can only be described as disconcerting. The past 13 weeks have been my first taste if university life. Prior to my enrollment I traveled to the CBD only a few times a year: corresponding to my intermittent trips to Melbourne. Now I travel 8 times a week to or from the city totaling around 4 and a half hours of commuting.

What I have received through this university degree covers many areas of learning, not simply academic education. Academic knowledge has been imparted, but importantly in a way that connected practical and concrete ideas to abstract theories. In fact, something I hold valuable from the course is the way my pre-existing skills were contextualized into a ‘big picture’ perspective of media creation and analysis. For example, the discussion that took place around the theories of David Gauntlet on the relationship between analysis and practice. These made me realize that my role as a creator of physical media was not separate from my role as a media analyzer and consumer.

Similarly, I have acquired much information on the appropriate methodology for the creation and analysis of media products. Before the course, my methodology for the phases of production constituted informed guesswork. However, over the course of my first semester, my knowledge in this area has increased greatly. The lectures on copyright as well as the information regarding intellectual property and obtaining proper consent were of great value in increasing the professionalism and legality of my work. These are skills I hold valuable, not only at an amateur level, but also as I begin my work in the professional sphere.

Simply the presence of a structure within the course enabled my professionalism to increase. Due partly to the presence of part-time work, I found meeting the deadlines of the course possible, though nonetheless rather difficult. The most challenging aspect of the course stemmed from sub-par time management on my part in the early weeks of this course. Over the last two briefs, however, this essential skill has improved dramatically. This improvement was especially evident in the just-finished group project in which collaboration demanded greater accountability on my part in the areas of time management.

The importance of working in a team was evident to me from the very start of the degree. As soon as I began interacting with others in the course, it was evident that we all had different abilities, and those abilities could be used in a collective way to create something. Meeting people has perhaps been the  most valuable contribution this course has made to my career as a media practitioner. I have met a number  of people so far that I plan to collaborate with on projects outside of University, and intend to establish many more connections. The project brief that has just reached its conclusion (4) enabled me to practice the skills necessary to produce a media product as a team. Foremost of these skills was that of coordination. The realization that nothing may get done if one does not coordinate activity is quite motivational (in a positive and negative sense) in the context of a group project. By experiencing such realistic conditions with the relatively safe environment of Media 1,  I was able to experience the pressure of a commercial environment without anything fundamentally detrimental taking place. Thus a multitude of things was learnt.

My velocity in the media industry has been catalyzed by projects I have undertaken not in direct relation to  Media 1,  but nonetheless facilitated by my presence here at RMIT.  These are the extra-curricular events and activities that I have been  involved in. This semester, I have shot videos for Large Noises and Tram Sessions ,  and have gained contacts practical experience  during each occasion. Not only were these experiences enjoyable,  but they are proving valuable in  my evolution as a media practitioner.

Along with the requirement to exert my creative thinking,  came a greater understanding of my own creative practice. This course marks the first time I have ever taken a step back and examine myself as a creative . For the first time, the question was posed: why do  I  create something. This contrasted with my mindset before, which  was very much a practical one. This practicality is reflected in my fist project brief. However, now it seems my thinking has broadened and I am now able to apply the ideas discussed in class more laterally.

My participation in this course has also encouraged me to  undertake more projects independently and on my own initiative. These include personal media products such  as home videos and photography. Hand in hand with this is the exposure to new tools for creating and distributing media. Before  this  course, I had never used Flickr nor WordPress. Now I  am familiar with the affordances of each of these online services and can effectively utilize them in  my own  media creation and distribution.

I very much look forward to the next two  and a half years.  I hope that  similar advancements in thinking,  understanding and practice will  take place over  these next five semesters.
My progression through the semseter: