TVC – Reflection

I’ve never really been a big television watcher- in saying so, I’ve been a big VOD kinda gal. I pick shows to watched based on recommendations from friends and family rather than anything else, and don’t really pay much attention to television promo ads.

While I never gave into big hits such as Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, I have been sucked in to lighthearted, easy to watch programmes such as Geordie Shore, Ex on the Beach, Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers and Friends (Oh God, I love Friends).

Over the semester as I tracked my viewing habits, I did catch myself logging in actual scheduled television hours (wow, go me) however these moments did come at times when I had been too lazy to turn the television after mum left the living room, or after The Bachelor/Bachelorette finished running (one of the only shows I watched all year without time shifting).

Almost always my television viewing was done on my laptop through catch-up television such as TenPlay, or through web-streaming services. I usually always watched television at night or before bed, or sometimes even in the morning before I got out of bed! I found that even whenever I watched, I had the screen on a half-window so I could multitask by checking the weather, scrolling through social media, or even using my phone to snapchat parts of my viewing session to friends, and even to talk to my friends about something totally unrelated.

I admit I am a big user of second screens, but not convergence culture. More often than not, I had a phone or tablet or as earlier said, my laptop on half-window while viewing content. But my use of second screens was rarely to access further content from the programme I was watching. I usually spent most of my time aimlessly multi-tasking (I have a very short attention span).

My attentiveness to liveness was apparent when watching the scrolling bylines/live news feed on banners during the news, and my hate for live elimination shows on X Factor have grown significantly as I held out behind my laptop as mum anxiously yelled profanities at the television during the infinite pauses between saying “THE PERSON WHO IS SAFE IS… ”

 

*crickets*

 

 

* eight thousand years pass, the earth has turned to dust and we are all but minute beings floating throughout space*

 

 

 

 

“*INSERT NAME OF LOSER*”

 

Was that an accurate depiction of live television or what?

 

Another thing that occurred to me throughout looking back upon my television habits included how dependent I am on the Internet to watch TV. Since most of my viewing is done in a time shifted or streamed manner, I literally NEED the internet in order to watch the content that I want to watch. Because I am at work or at uni, I am unable to watch scheduled television as I please. While I have the capability to record a programme on VHS, I must admit I would have 0 clue on how to do so, since I have grown up with the World Wide Web. Also, my household has no sort of video time shifting mechanisms because my dad is an anti-hoarder and throws away anything that is any bit outdated.

Comparing the times when my dad and I used to sit down every Saturday at 2PM sharp to watch WWF (back when it was called WWF) and now, where I wait until whatever day he and I are both free so I can hook my laptop up to the tv so we can stream 3 episodes of Suits in one go, my dependence on the advancements of time shifting capabilities has increased dramatically, as it has for majority of the modern content viewer. With increasing accessibility to platforms such as Foxtel IQ, Stan, Presto, Netflix and catch-up sites like JumpIn and TenPlay, the digital world has not only identified us as individual beings with individual schedules, but has encouraged us to do so, allowing us to fit television around our schedules rather than making us work around a networks programming.

My tether to time shifting is definitely the biggest takeaway I have had through recording my habits and reflecting on them, but I have definitely learnt so many key concepts that have opened my eyes to television from a wider perspective and I have gained a stronger insight into the power and potential of users in the industry.

TVC – Screening/Genre: The Bachelor/Reality TV

Currently on television, reality tv shows seem to be the newest fad. Shows are popping up everywhere trying to put a spin on even the most mundane experiences. Cooking dinner, losing weight, running a business, and even watching television itself! Shows such as The Biggest Loser capitalises on unhappy, overweight individuals, couples and families looking to shed their excess weight, and is an international coproduction with many different international versions, the two largest being American and Australian. Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, America’s Next Top Model, Farmer Wants a Wife, Big Brother, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Block… The list goes on! But one of the most talked about reality franchise in Australia right now would have to be the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise.

In Week 10, the cement-faced monster Blake Garvey was addressed, who notoriously picked hot blondie Samantha Frost as his winner, proposing to her, before promptly shutting her down after the season had ended and breaking her heart to pursue a previous contestant.

The Bachelor is a show which takes one seemingly eligible single man, and making him the centre of attention to 20 odd girls who are dumped in a house together where they sit around and wait for him to pick them out of single or group dates so that he can find “the one”. The attraction of this show lies in firstly, the attractiveness of the Bachelor (us ladies love us a hot bachie) and additionally, the drama that comes along with 20 girls in one house all dating the same man, who seem to sometimes forget that they are not the only ones dating the Bachelor and consequently get upset or jealous when he spends time with the other ladies.

As self confessed, complete and utter sucker for drama, I am also a complete and utter sucker for reality television. And the main reason I would say so is because I love the excitement of the drama; particularly, when I’m not involved in it. Reality TV is great at picking the most ridiculous characters and filming 24/7 before editing and cutting bits and pieces together to create a preposterous storyline. ‘Characters’ are created by producers who cleverly cut and edit footage as they please, and throughout filming they have a heavy say in who says what and retakes, etc. Nevertheless, despite knowing this- I was sure to turn on the tele at the exact time I heard Osher’s voice and the opening theme for the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Ignoring the fact that the genre is “reality”, these shows are popular and draw in their target audiences because they are dramatic. Each week is exciting, and each week there is a new bit of gossip- As I said before, there is a strong excitement about drama when you’re not in it. And the typical target audience being females aged 16-34, we love it.

The main question, is whether or not reality television can even be considered “real”…!?!? As audience members, know scripts are partially written, and we know people are told to say certain things or act a certain way- but at the end of the day, when there are life decisions to be made or prize money at stake… how can we judge a person for their “natural” reactions and their behaviours on television? If I were up for $1,000,000, there’s a whole bunch of stuff I’d do without question. Would I do it because my intentions were good? Or would I do it because I have zero dignity? OR would I have not done it at all, and it was simply edited in a way that made me fill a certain role in the programme? Where the Blake Garvey is concerned, it would appear that he did it for publicity rather than for love; as he made claims (or excuses, rather) that the producers “made him do it” more or less. when asking him to propose to Sam despite him having feelings for Louise. But how much we know is true and how much we know to be fake, is left wherever we suspend disbelief. So where do we draw the line between Reality TV and Drama? You know what they say though, any publicity is good publicity… And now Blake Garvey is on Celebrity Apprentice and every time I see his smug monotonous, droopy face I curse out loud- even though I hate him and Celeb Apprentice… I still hate watch and give him attention because I HATE HIM THAT MUCH (see how invested I am in the franchise?! I’ve been sucked in!)

However, reality television is an easy production template for networks looking to fill holes in their programming or ensure they get good ratings. International co-productions such as Big Brother, The Voice, Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Geordie/Jersey Shore, are productions which grew successful in their country of origin, before being coproduced and taken overseas where television ratings can be predicted ever-so-slightly more accurately. By doing this, reality television remains a love-to-hate staple television genre that I hope stays forever and ever.

TVC – Concept: The Serial Narrative

In week 6, one of the concepts discussed was the “serial narrative”. 

Characteristics that define a serial narrative include:

  • a multiplicity of characters with individual storyline
  • overlap of characters
  • a larger narrative web where most of the main characters are connected

This all can be explained by the fact that the biggest overarching attribute of a serial narrative is that the narrative continues over the entire season or multiple episodes rather than having stories resolved within 30-45 minutes. 

An example of a serial narrative can be demonstrated by the popular ABC series, Suits. While within an episode, smaller issues are usually resolved, the overall narrative and the bigger-issue stories continue throughout the season- these narratives may affect one or two individuals, but usually later branch out and affect most main characters. At the end of each episode there is usually a cliff-hanger moment to entice viewers to watch the next episode. 

The series also features a multitude of characters, with two to five main characters, introducing supporting characters such as antagonists, trouble makers and love interests along the way. While some characters are recurring throughout an episode, season or the series, they are obviously crafted in a way as to not overshadow the purpose and storylines of the main characters- In suits, these main characters are Harvey Specter, Jessica Pearson, Louis Litt and Mike Ross.

These characters all have intertwining storylines who are affected within their social circles and also through work related law cases which cause conflict and disagreement between parties. As previously mentioned, these conflicts branch out and usually involve other characters as well to create a larger, intricate narrative web.

While a series makes it harder to watch episodes out of order or on a one-off occasion, serial narratives like Suits are fantastic and crafty as they engage viewers from episode one and keep them engaged from the beginning and throughout the entire season in order to build rapport with viewers. 

The elements of a serial narrative can be made more obvious when comparing to a show like Modern Family, where episodes can easily be watched out of order. Despite character and plot arcs throughout multiple episodes, these arcs are not too extreme or narrative dependent and the episode-long conflicts are usually solved within the shorter time frame.

With the rise of the public sphere and increased fan-cults, the serial narrative has increased. With shows that existed in the 60s and 70s such as I dream of Jeannie and Bewitched, conflicts and problems were solved by the end of the episode, allowing closure for viewers who were unable to watch the show religiously or on a regular basis. Now with the societal changes such as the public sphere and the easy accessibility for viewers to share what they want, with the introduction of heavy binge watching -due to time shifting mechanisms like VHS and Foxtel IQ and VOD such as Netflix and Stan- shows can be created with long character arcs and developments throughout an entire season rather than episodic conflicts which are resolved in 40 minutes or less. While these kinds of narratives are not new, they have definitely become the more popular type of programme for networks- types of popular serial narratives include Game of Thrones, Suits, Greys Anatomy, True Detective, House of Cards and Madam Secretary. 

Described by Journalist Tom French, a serial narrative is a “promise that the end is worth waiting for”. Due to the long developmental arcs and season long suspense while building rapport, audiences fall into the trap of being extremely invested in a television show. This is how the cycle of fan-cults and fandoms begin, and of course the power and influence of fan cultures are invested back into the television series, which carries on as a two-way relationship. Due to this, producers must work hard to market and creatively construct their series- a show needs to avoid repetition in order to stray from the dull “wallpaper” approach a self contained series would have. Fans hold out for seasons at a time, waiting week upon week in order to get one step closer to the final developments and to uncover the outcome/resolution. In saying so, programmes such as Game of Thrones and Suits are crafty by introducing larger conflicts which overlap throughout the series, so that during the season finale, one major conflict can be solved, and another can offer a cliff hanger moment, to entice current viewers into the following season, as well as to encourage new viewers to jump on board.

With heavy focus on the investment of viewers from start to finish, this is not to say that viewers are unable to switch the channel and stumble upon an episode of Suits and not follow. While it may take some time for the viewer to acquaint themselves with the characters and their respective storylines, serial narrative programmes cater for such viewers by adding episode recaps- “Previously… On Suits…”- In order to jog the memories of the poor viewers who have waited a full week to see the new episode (unless you’re watching a Netflix Original) and also in order to give new viewers some background knowledge and context so they can follow the current episode. 

Serial narratives are extremely constructed in a way that caters to both casual and religious viewers while providing the opportunity for a larger, stronger fanbase and heavy, passionate investment. 

REFERENCE:
McDougall, J. & Potamitis, N. 2010, The Media Teacher’s Book, Hodder, Hodder Education, Great Britain, London 2010

Media 6 – Week 6

TV: A REMOTE JOURNEY

ON THE DAY

On the day of the seminar my tasks were to assist with set up, ushering guests in, still photography and to pack up. I arrived at 2.30 and helped with smaller tasks as we waited for the lecture theatre to clear out and when it did, I helped to move our set pieces in, including chairs, old tv’s and food. As we got in and set up the furniture, we also had to distribute popcorn packs to the seats as we were sponsored by the popcorn company, Cobs, as well as our programs and feedback forms. With only one stapler we managed to create a system to staple the three together and distribute the popcorn and forms in an efficient and timely manner. After this I chipped in where I could, to finish setting up the lecture theatre before setting up my own DSLR and then helped to usher in our guests and seat them.

While the seminar was running, everything was going smoothly and I began to capture photos from different angles and with different settings in order to give myself a number of options to edit and submit. Even after our unlucky evacuation, Monika and I were the first back in to help reorganise and regroup. Clean up ran smoothly as well; while some group members left early, most of us stayed until the very end to clean up all the mess and return props and set decorations to their homes.

CONTRIBUTION AND COLLABORATION

Throughout the semester as recorded in previous blog posts, I contributed to the preparation and execution of the seminar through the poster design, seminar format, helping with the promo video and still photography. With the poster, I felt like I collaborated well with Jenny as we discussed the construction of the poster going off Helena and Miguel’s ideas. I was sure to present any updates to the group in order to keep everyone in the loop and felt that this was a good approach to avoiding conflict as everyone was aware of the progress of the poster. When I wasn’t sure about a creative decision regarding the poster I was sure to seek advice from my group members and kept an open mind and accepted their suggestions and feedback before progressing. I felt that my approach to my delegated tasks and taking the initiative to ask for advice and be open to suggestions is reflective of my understanding of group work and is a demonstration of my ability to be the kind of leader who listens to my peers.

I took the same approach constructing the seminar format (discussed in a previous blog post)

I am extremely pleased with my contribution to the preparation and execution of the seminar and believe that I conducted myself in an organised manner. I led where necessary and followed instructions in a timely manner without compromising quality.

Proactive Learning: 

I found myself to be a lot more proactive in my learning throughout this assignment than I thought I would be- when stuck on technological or creative issues I always tried to seek help myself before calling on others and in turn, learnt a lot throughout my individual tasks!

As discussed in previous blog posts, I sought out resources to teach myself certain photoshop skills instead of pulling my group members away from their tasks to teach me when I had the resources to do so myself. Additionally, by sitting in on the editing sessions for the promo video, I learnt new editing skills such as ultra key and colour grading (refer to this blog post). Not only did this extra learning benefit the work I did for the seminar, but also taught my skills that I will be able to use throughout my creative life/career.

Participation

I will admit that while I did seek to engage with my group and contribute to class/group discussions, I was absent for one group meeting/class due to personal reasons but I informed my group one week in advance, and laid out my tasks, completing them by the agreed upon date. In between meetings I was sure to catch up and update my group by communicating with them through the Facebook group and through phone. I made myself easily contactable and was sure to provide constructive feedback/suggestions to my group members where applicable. I feel that I accurately fulfilled the goals I set myself in week 3 and organised myself in the way I set out to (as stated in this previous post).

Connections and Intersections

I found the seminar series extremely valuable especially at this current time leading up to graduation- Despite having studied for the last three years and trying out a range of roles and learning a plethora of skills, I am still completely overwhelmed by the number of career options this industry has to offer; the seminar is extremely valuable for all of us to help try and steer us in the right direction and open us up to the working world.

Additionally, the preparation of the seminar itself was extremely beneficial for me as I found it a new challenge to coordinate myself within such a large group of people and communicate through different parties (i.e. tutors and the steering committee) and it forced me to re-evaluate my approach to group interactions and networking. I found it both difficult but refreshing to have so much to do in such a short time frame while working with such a large group of people and can happily say that I believe I put 110% into each of my tasks and into my seminar! I am confident that the skills I have l learnt throughout the seminar series (both technological and personal) have helped shape me to become a strong candidate for whatever I end up doing in the Media industry!

 

 

 

The Melbourne Way Of Life

Having been fortunate enough to travel with my family growing up, I have been exposed to a lot of different cultures. I’ve holidayed in Tokyo, Orlando, Auckland and Montreal to name a few, but you know what they say, there’s no place like home.

And it’s true! Melbourne has once again been dubbed the most liveable city in the world for the fifth year in a row. The ranking is constructed over a number of factors, including the city’s infrastructure, it’s availability of goods and services and level of personal risk. Despite the beautiful places in our world that I have seen, I still have so much more to explore, but I can’t imagine I will ever find a place as interesting and upbeat as Melbourne.

But what makes Melbourne… well, Melbourne?

It’s our people. Melbourne is an amazingly diverse city. We have no one style, religion, language, appearance; we are different and we are unique. We all have different stories and different backgrounds, but there’s a true Melbournian quality that shines through; each Melbournian, no matter how different to the last, radiates this quality through and through. Melbournians have a wonderful approach to life in which we set our souls free- we dare to take risks and care not what people think. We have no time for prejudice or disrespect. We embrace difference, we embrace individuality, and we embrace confidence.

Thus, Melbourne city seemed like the perfect place for some intense people-watching. As a general instinct, we often find ourselves watching others. We take note of people’s style, their body language, their gait and their overall vibe, creating a projection in our heads of what a person is like, or how we can predict their responses to certain situations.

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As I sat outside State Library embracing the rare August sun, I watched in silence as the world carried on around me. The green lawn I walk past each day on my way to class was for once, not as empty as I had usually seen in the previous winter months. Various groups of people had taken their place on the grass; mothers with their young children, dog owners, office workers and tradies on their lunch breaks, and many tertiary students taking a time out from their assignment ridden schedules, even some bringing laptops or books with them in an attempt to ease the guilt of skipping class.

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As I found myself a spot on a bench at the tram stop, I noticed in particular, a grandmother playing with her two young grandchildren, one girl and one boy. While most individuals and groups of friends kept to themselves on the lawn and stayed in one spot, these children ran wild, chasing the terrifyingly brave seagulls away from other peoples’ meals in a superhero fashion. This continued on for quite some time, and people generally seemed interested in the boy and his bubbly energy. Not long after, the young boy noticed a dog. Excitement shot out of the boy like the end-of-day fireworks at Disneyland as he sprinted over to a girl in a flannelette shirt and a yellow beanie, putting his hands together as if to pray and politely asking if he could “pretty, pretty, pretty, pleeeeassse” pat her dog. Even before she had said yes, he had both arms around her dog before pausing quickly as he remembered to say “thank you”, smile wide than ever. The young boy played with the dog for so long that his grandmother had to eventually drag him away.

IMG_0516What interested me the most about this situation was that I noticed that children were a lot more proactive in asking for what they wanted- they do the things that we as adults feel like we cannot “get away with”, or things that we generally avoid in public. For example, children often throw tantrums in shopping centres when they cannot get what they want. Their explosion of emotion is something that we as adults feel we cannot do in a similarly emotive situation, even if we feel the urge to. As we develop from child to adult, we learn about social norms and rituals, which tell us that we can’t ask a stranger to share their lollies with us, or feel totally shameless about crying in public. As we grow older we care more what people think of us, and place pride and dignity above our truest desires. Where adults act how they think society wants them to act, children act however they want to and how they feel, not worried what others think of their behaviour.

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After I considered my first observation, I was distracted by the loud clacking of the tram tracks as a tram approached on Swanston Street behind me. I turned around as people poured out of the tram on to the bike lane. As people slowly oriented themselves and tried to navigate their way on Swanston Street, a lady in an orange jacket was fast approaching on a bike. She was going at a relatively fast speed and made no effort to slow down. She rang her bell several times, smiling at pedestrians while politely waving them aside. Fellow pedestrians helped each other off the bike lane and on to the sidewalk, and in seconds, the cyclist had a clear path alongside the tram. Debunking the stereotype that cyclists are selfish, egotistical road-hoggers, the lady yelled a quick thanks to those now behind her as she rode swiftly down Swanston Street on her now clear path. A common occurrence, which happens frequently in the City struck me as an incredible feat of trust between stranger to stranger. The cyclist had full trust in the idea that if she rang her bell, people would move out of her way, and despite her speed, no pedestrians seemed frantic or startled or scared as the cyclist sped past them- they heard the bell, and calmly moved out of the way, trusting that the cyclist would manoeuvre around them accordingly.

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While strangers could trust that other strangers would not physically hurt them, it appeared that strangers could not do the same on a mental level. As I turned back to the lawn, I had realised that I wasn’t the only one people-watching that day. As I raised my lens to take a photo, I noticed some people turning their heads away, wanting to hide their faces and trying to shift their bodies out of frame. Seemingly, it wasn’t so much my presence that affected people, but the idea that I was taking photos of them which would somewhat cement their place in that moment forever, and that they were unaware what would happen to that information. I began to watch the public go by for a while without my camera, and noticed people making eye contact with me, assessing me and observing me in return. As I tried to act cool and avoid their gaze, being sure to alter my body language in order to present myself as a friendly person and in doing so, realised that I was acting in the same self-conscious manner that my subjects were behaving towards me. The major link I made between all three of my observations was that they all related to social norms and how we act in accordance to social norms is a reflection of us as a part of society and our contribution to the strength of said norms.

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As adults in a modern day society, we conform to a set of social norms- a set of behavioural rules, which are deemed “appropriate” in a group or society. We use our manners, are wary of others and think before we act. And in a big, bustling city like Melbourne, the city is full of completely different individuals who, for the most part, adhere to these social norms, almost as an unspoken rule. But of course, not all of us feel the need to adhere to these rules- while some adults were able to confidently step away from the majority (such as the man who took his shirt off so he could relax on the grass without getting a t-shirt tan), it was mostly children who were so confident in themselves and their desires that they weren’t afraid to act exactly how they wanted and express how they felt; a trait that I wish adulthood hadn’t made me feel obligated to mask. But even so, these social norms are what help us to function smoothly as a society. We walk only when the green-man says we can, we alert ourselves when we hear a siren or a bell, and we smile at other runners during our morning jog. We make these associations not as a coward’s approach to avoiding conflict, but as a mutual understanding and mutual respect for one another. We as adults, and we as humans, have the capability to recognise that while we are all unique individuals, there’s a truth in the idea that we are all cut from the same cloth and we are all equal and deserving. I strongly feel that this idea is a true reflection of the Melbourne way of life, not because it is an understanding which is unique to Melbourne, but because it is the reason I am proud to call Melbourne my home.

http://www.mediafactory.org.au/regina-lee/?p=388

Media 6 – Week 5

TV: A REMOTE JOURNEY

With one week of preparation left, stress levels were super high and everyone was trying their best to organise themselves. Our group leader Jess was extremely helpful and organised, checking up on each of us and keeping us in the loop with google docs and our Facebook page.

I was unable to attend this week’s lecture but my group was aware of this at the previous week’s group meeting and I made sure to outline my tasks for the week and keep my group updated through our Facebook group.

By this point we had accomplished quite a bit but we still had a long way to go; the poster had still not been finalised, we hadn’t had all our confirmed guests yet and we hadn’t had our run sheet drafted or approved yet.

I had a number of tasks to complete and began first with finishing the poster. Together with Jenny we pieced together images of the Mona Lisa, the Melbourne skyline and a remote- we altered the colour and scale of each image in order for the colours to match up as well as photoshopping the remote into Mona Lisa’s hand, which took some time and a bit of extra help! The following night I attempted to finish up the poster but realised I still had a long way to go. I added in a cartoon plane with a banner and downloaded a free font to use on the poster- This was later sent to Tiffany for our name tags for continuity and to create a more synced up, themed experience overall! The font used was unique and not recognisable and as a default word/photoshop font and in so, gave our seminar title a more creative and memorable spin!

Once the poster layout was complete, all I had to wait for was the confirmed names and titles of our guests! After receiving the confirmed names of our first two guests, I listed them with a “and more!” included in the font and posted an exported JPEG copy to the group for approval. After receiving approval I sent the copy to Monika for use on our social media platforms. When updates were given to me for the poster, I completed these including the names, dates, updated slogan and appropriate RMIT logos and forwarded copies to Jess and Monika to share with the Steering Committee and our social media sites.

While I put my name down to help with the video, I steered my focus more towards the poster instead and took a step back with producing the video. While I was present in the edit suites through most of the editing sessions, I did not contribute much to the editing process except for providing feedback to Jenny and Georgia who were much more hands on. I did contribute to the video however, by creating a background for one of the green screen shots by editing an existing screengrab from TV show “The Office” on Photoshop. Additionally, despite not contributing much to the editing process, I gained extra knowledge and skills from sitting in on the editing sessions as I was able to watch my group members and pick up the ultra-key process and how to incorporate green screen footage into a video. While this bit of learning did not benefit me for the seminar itself, it benefits me outside of the seminar and enhances my skill set for future projects, shaping me to be a more versatile future employee.

Since last week’s meeting, I used the notes I made to create a draft format. I listed all the tasks in an excel spreadsheet and people required for each tasks and left the time stamps blank as I was only in charge of layout and format, and not time management. After creating a rough draft, I shared the spreadsheet with both Jess and William; for Jess to review and for William to add the time stamps as he saw fit.

This week was extremely productive for me and I’m extremely happy with what I have achieved this week. Below is a copy of my final draft for the poster.

TV Seminar Poster

TV Seminar Poster

Also attached are before and after photos of the photoshop job from the scene from “The Office”. While the completed image still has patches on it, these patches were going to be covered by the image from the green screen, and so I left it untouched, as it wouldn’t be visible.

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Before Photoshop: Original Image

 

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After Photoshop: Image for green screen

 

Media 6 – Week 4

TV: A REMOTE JOURNEY

In week four the lecture had a heavy focus on our Professional CV assignments, so we were unable to talk too much about our seminars however, my group met before the seminar with Jess running the agenda to catch everyone up.

In this meeting we were able to finalise roles for the group, and we also discussed confirmed guests, and potential guests. We tried to decide on a theme for our TV seminar but with so many people in one group it is hard to orchestrate such a focused meeting.

One of my first tasks was to construct the format of the layout. I feel (and hope) that I displayed great leadership through this process as I made a point to address the entire group first and present my initial ideas before seeking feedback. Then, in order to allow the group to carry on with the meeting, I split off with William to discuss the format further, I also asked Georgia and Tiana to join our discussion as they were writing the script and also to allow deeper and broader discussion regarding the format. I was sure to ask relevant questions.We discussed possible entrances and introductions as well as the overall format (i.e. where breaks will go, when to have activities, what activities they may be, etc.) and after taking notes, I presented my rough draft to the group for approval. I was open to change and made amendments to the layout as requested and kept William updated so that I could send him the draft to add in the running times. We still have quite a bit to work on but as we ran out of time with our meeting, we left it at that to work on at another time.

After feedback from the steering committee. Jenny and I began working on our seminar’s poster and brainstorming ideas to improve on the draft she showed the group during the week. We read the feedback and took a poll to our Facebook group to decide on a new slogan, and yesterday we began constructing the real thing! I will finish it off before next week and send it to our group for approval, then Jess will forward it to the steering committee for their approval. Only after that can Monika use it on social media. With only a week and a half leading up to our seminar, the tasks are beginning to put a bit of pressure on all of us, but everyone including myself seems to be really on top of our tasks which is fantastic.

While I am quite familiar and comfortable with Photoshop, I would definitely not call myself an expert. I was proactive in my learning and by seeking help from a friend, I was able to learn the skills to improve my work and my Photoshop knowledge.

In addition to finalising the poster, Jenny, Miguel and I booked the green screen to begin filming our promo/intro videos which will feature our host. Unfortunately due to our individual class and work schedules, I will be unable to attend the shoot but have promised to help edit and as producer will help oversee the process and keep in touch with my group members so we are all up to date.

During the week in the lead up to this week’s meeting, there was one conflict/issue between two group members. I tried to diffuse the issue within the Facebook group so we wouldn’t have to escalate the matter. I was as fair, objective and honest as possible and made suggestions to both parties that the issue be solved with the whole group present and in-person to allow a fair discussion at the group meeting. The issue eventually resolved itself before the the group meeting, which allowed the meeting to run smoothy.

Attached below is the first draft of our poster which was shared with the group (the horrible quality it because the JPEG file was too big to insert).

posterdraft

Media 6 – Week 3

TV: A REMOTE JOURNEY

Week three was my first week of classes after a long and unprecedented illness. I met with my group members for the first time and in the weeks I had missed, I had caught up and got myself up to speed using the resources available to me on Blackboard, and with the notes my classmates were kind enough to pass to me.

In this week, tasks were delegated and I accepted the task to contribute to producing the promo/intro video for our seminar, as well as helping create the poster. Additionally I put my hand up to create the seminar run sheet and format and on the day of the seminar, I will be one of two photographers. As I had taken up 3 roles for preparation but none of the day, I decided to take up a fourth task on the day to share the workload on the day and to pitch in where I can. This task also allows me to contribute through a crew role but  also help with set up and pack up.

While I feel like I may have taken on a few too many tasks to handle in addition to my other subjects, the tasks I have nominated myself for are tasks that I care about and am passionate about. This is a challenge I have set myself in order to push myself to my full potential in my final semester of Media Comms but at the same time, a challenge which is achievable.

My approach will be to prioritise my work in terms of chronological due date as well as the amount of work needed to be put into each tasks and plan out my weeks before they begin. By being extremely organised and communicating well with my group members I am confident I will be able to stay on top of my tasks and achieve a good result. I will take it upon myself to keep to schedule and direct my own learning, seeking resources myself to improve my skills before seeking help from my fellow group members.

TVC #1 – Screening Post: Broad City

Much like any program, in order for a show to be successful… it needs viewers! Many shows on networks get dropped after one or two seasons because they do not produce enough revenue, or do not receive enough views from consumers. Show’s like ABC Family’s ‘The Lying Game’ didn’t get picked up for a third season due to bad ratings.

The general norm for networks such as ABC Family is to have a new show created and trialled, as demonstrated by ‘The Lying Game’. Of course, this is a gamble for the network as they won’t have a ratings measurement until the show runs for a couple seasons- Like ‘Breaking Bad’ shown on the AMC network, the program began to pick up only towards the end of Season 2. From there, the show proved to be an enormous success even after it’s finale with AMC also picking up a ‘Breaking Bad’ spin off, ‘Better Call Saul’. However, Comedy Central made a smart move by picking up a program which already had a fan-base and a solid following.

‘Broad City’, a program discussed in the Week 3 Lecture, started out as a webisode created by Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. Their first episode, “Making Change” was a quick two minute sketch premiering in 2010 on YouTube, and currently has a surprisingly small 503,152 votes. However, the episodes that followed were so uncannily relatable that the show’s fanbase began to grow exponentially. ‘Broad City’ ran for two seasons on YouTube, and coincidentally, was noticed by a very influential fan; Amy Poehler! Amy Poehler helped boost the show’s following, and after two seasons, Comedy Channel picked up the web-series to be turned into a television series, which Amy Poehler currently produces.

The move from web-series to television series was a smart move by Comedy Central as they essentially achieve guaranteed or at least more accurate projected ratings due to the already existing fan-following and quantitative measures from ‘Broad City”s YouTube channel. Of course, the show itself must undergo changes in format and production in order to meet the standards and requirements of Comedy Central, but the format has not seemed to affect the show negatively and it currently has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 8.6/10 on IMDB.

The way that ‘Broad City’ has found better success is an example of the influence fans have over network content. Despite the extremely influential push from Amy Poehler, the show has found such steady success due to having an already established fan-base. Viewership proves to be an extremely influential part of network contracts; reflected in the current ratings of ‘Broad City’ on television and the fact that it has already been renewed for a 3rd season in 2016.

This Webisode-to-Spin-Off situation ‘Broad City’ has highlighted changes in viewership and distribution channels, as discussed in the lecture. Regardless of what platform it is broadcasted on; whether television or web, ratings are an accurate measurement of viewership and viewer-approval, thus demonstrating how viewership and fan-following proves to be an enormous factor in the success of a production.

 

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TVC #2 – Concept Post: Second Screens

In a post broadcast world, we as users are now able to make conscious decisions about our own television consumption. Some would say scheduled TV is slowly becoming redundant as we progress into a post-broadcast era in which we are able to use services such as Foxtel IQ, Stan and Netflix and YouTube which allow us to watch content as and when we please, in accordance with our own schedules. With the increasing popularity of these new services, we must also identify and acknowledge the transitional changes that come alongside the move from the Broadcast into Post-Broadcast era.BUT, for some programs that we do try and watch at a scheduled time (i.e. reality tv competitions which involve voting- SYTYCD, The Voice, X Factor, Australia’s Got Talent), we as viewers try our best to find time during the allocated time slot to sit down (with a second screen) and watch while we browse the web or use social media simultaneously! The way we watch scheduled TV now, has evolved from the television being the sole stimuli in the room; where families used to gather in the living room after dinner and sit together to watch a show with no distractions, we now have multiple platforms which allow us to interact with a show in different ways, with different stimuli allowing us to multitask. Now, the television is competing with other screens during broadcast. Whether it be a phone, a laptop or a tablet, it is now extremely common for viewers to use second screens while watching television.

In order to maintain the flow of a 26 minute production in a 30 minute time slot, networks cleverly introduce interactivity to keep viewers participating or on the channel while commercial breaks play. Shows such as ‘The Voice’ urge viewers to jump on to the website during the ad-breaks (featuring a website on a tablet, thus encouraging second screen use) to interact in the show, and to also participate through the second screen while the program is running! Many programs acknowledge the use of Second Screens by suggesting hashtags during key moments of programs, for example, Suits uses hashtags such as #LittUp and #SaveDonna during relevant moments throughout the broadcast to encourage viewers to take to social media and share their views. With the introduction of social media as yet another avenue to discuss our favourite TV shows, viewers have become active members of the public sphere, creating communities through fandom and engaging in discussion with other viewers.

Convergence Culture was another concept addressed in the lecture, which refers to the ability of the consumer to make our own decisions about consumption, and the ability to do lots of different things with the same technology. With smart phones, tablets and new generation TVs now we are able not only to watch content, but also use the internet to follow up on the internet and see the content on the network or show’s websites, as well as follow social media fan-bases and contribute to the fandom via Facebook, or Twitter, amongst many other platforms. Second screens allows us to do this while simultaneously watching content, or in the case of broadcast tv, during ads to maintain content flow!

In today’s transitional era between Broadcast to Post-Broadcast, Second Screens have become quite a regular occurrence in modern households; while watching a program on television, we have our phones, laptops or tablets out as well. We use social media while watching TV, allowing us as consumers to be more active in our viewing process. This transition from simple broadcast television to a post-broadcast era with second screens and multiple platforms for discussion encourages consumers to be more active in their viewing and allows a shift in power and control. Consumers are now given the power and the ability to choose what we watch, when we watch, how we watch it and how we interact with fellow viewers.