Introduction
The end of Semester. A time where past trials and tribulations can be reflected upon. A time where freedom from assessments allows for extracurricular activities to be explored. It also marks a time where one finally comes to terms with the notion that they will no longer be surrounded by the same group of contemporaries that they have become familiar with, nor will they receive the same content delivery. This final notion leaves me with a sour taste, as both the course content and students have become a safe haven for me over the past 3 months. A place where my creative ideas could be explored and critiqued.
This final Blog post serves to encapsulate the ‘lightbulb moments’ of my time at RMIT & to offer a small, but succinct glimpse into the person that is Patrick Hills. To help you gain perspective on these ‘lightbulb moments’ and to aid you with your perception of me (Patrick Hills) I offer you this graph of my journey throughout the course, small selection of poignant Blog posts & a final all encompassing reflection.
Learning Graph
Top 5 Blog Posts
1. http://www.mediafactory.org.au/patrick-hills/2015/05/25/sial/
2. http://www.mediafactory.org.au/patrick-hills/2015/05/05/narrative-the-twist/
3. http://www.mediafactory.org.au/patrick-hills/2015/04/22/࿕-thats-life-࿕/
4. http://www.mediafactory.org.au/patrick-hills/2015/03/26/transitions/
5. http://www.mediafactory.org.au/patrick-hills/2015/03/12/not-so-tame-impala/
Final Reflection
Entering in to the Media Course at RMIT as a 23 year old who had already completed an Audio production course, I was fearful that I would be too outdated and too unfamiliar with literary techniques to integrate with my contemporaries. This notion was immediately laid to rest during the first ‘Lectorial’ of the Semester, where I was able to gauge both the depth and breadth of the course I was about to commence, as well as witness my contemporaries.
My time in the media course has been one of numerous ups and downs (evident in in the Learning Graph) as I have had to engage with new mediums, new editing processes and new concepts that I was otherwise unfamiliar with.
Learning to edit using unfamiliar editing software and mediums both fuelled and hindered my desire to edit, as I could see gains in the quality of my work, but was constantly arriving at another problem that needed addressing. This coupled with learning more effectively about the editing process of media and the reasons why we choose to either omit or retain certain scenes. These two initial learned outcomes ultimately served to help with learning the value of collaboration and peer feedback, as without these two aspects, I would not know if my media was of considerable quality. The culmination of these learning processes came together in the Assessment 4 collaboration, where the Lectorial talks about the editing process shaped the way our collaborative group decided on what to keep and what to discard, as well as the effects this edit would have and the connotations it would draw.
The skills gained were mostly procured through a trial and error basis (steeped in theoretical discourse), by implementing ideas discussed in Lectorials and observing their relevance or irrelevance to the final media artefacts. The poignancy of the learning habits became apparent when taking time to retrospectively ponder on the Tutorials. Having Rachel touch on key concepts about media creation that remained imbedded in my subconscious, I was able to facilitate lightbulb moments when I most required them. This was evident when editing the footage of my Nonna for “That’s Life”, I was able to draw from her talks about variance in mediums and implant them to the final product.
Media (Communications) is a course that is steeped in theoretical frameworks and practical implementations of these frameworks. Having recently finished a course in sound production, involving little to no literary components, I was required to restructure the way I wrote and annotated text. I found this aspect of the Media course the most challenging, as grandiose words were not my forté.
The course has so far offered me a lot of new approaches to tackling both the theoretical and practical components, while managing to offer me excellent opportunities to implant the newfound practices. Adopting these methodologies and practices has enabled me to excel in my creative practice and push boundaries I didn’t even know I had. The foremost discovery I have notice in my creative practices is that I have a more imaginative mind than first thought (pardon the paradox). This epiphany came at the middle of the Semester where I was up late, making notes of what to include/exclude from Project Brief 3, and my mind began to wonder…traversing every neural pathway and unloading a plethora of creative ideas onto the paper.
Thank you for your initial interest into the fragmented mind that constitutes me, and until next time, stay adulterated.
(music credited to The Doors)
-donandsherri