Month: April 2017

Looking at the power of media through the fandom of Harry Potter during this weeks reading prompted me to explore the magnitude to which it has grown into one of the most dedicated and creative collection of fans I have ever seen.  What I have come to learn is that people can very much develop their sense of agency through passion. For the younger generation, Harry Potter was a catalyst; it encouraged many to read and appreciate fictional literature as well as to engage with the ideas of growing up, fantasy and simply understanding how powerful you can be. J.K Rowling wrote these stories in a medium that inspired audiences to participate actively in their making sense of them, quote often with a variety of media forms.

In a very short summary the Harry Potter series have enabled the following:

-8 Films of the seven books

-Two main websites: HarryPotter.com and Pottermore.com (an interactive insight into the world of the story).

-J.K Rowling’s creation of her twitter account and the trending hashtag’s, memes and retweets that have accompanied this.

-Numerous pieces of fan fiction, discussion seminars, Harry Potter Blog’s Film Conspiracy theories, fan art, symbolic photography, Tattoo’s and youtube video’s.

-A Harry Potter Theme Park.

-Numerous Theatre Productions, spin off novels and films including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them.

More creations of media. And as growth of this fandom continues, the stronger its members unite. Henry Jenkins titled his blog piece so eloquently when he referred to those attending “Infinitus” a 2010 Harry Potter event as The Night of a Thousand Wizards. He shows that not only has the process of media making become easier for the newer generations who are raised with the knowledge and tools of the internet, but there is a sense their media is still created for the masses. Only the masses can often included a very strong fandom. The video below captures certain actors of the Harry Potter Films being sorted into a house based on their Potter more results which I feel like shows the degree to which the fandom has grown and evolved into multiple media platforms and resources for fans to access.

 

In this weeks tutorial, each of us showed our rough cuts to one another for official feedback. Seeing what everyone on my table had produced really reflected their talents and ideas as media makers. Something that never fails to impress me is the direction that my classmates take their projects and how different they all are, yet unique and well thought out in their own way. Giving feedback on other’s rough cuts enabled me to really view the work as objectively as I could and hearing what others had to say about my project allowed me to notice things I hadn’t before. Some of the feedback I received included was:

Positives:

-The content was good, it felt like an interesting interview to watch with questions that seemed to cover a lot about my subject. Funnily enough, Lizzie is in my media one tutorial and so she was able to watch the rough cut. Overall she was happy with it and felt represented well which was the top priority for me as I was not only interviewing her, I also went into detail about her blog which deserved a lot of respect as it is her passion.

-The main interview shot of Lizzie (a mid shot) was well framed which I was really happy to hear. It was important to make sure there was an appropriate amount of space in-between the top of the frame and Lizzie’s head as well as showcasing the background of the interview to reflect her creativity as a person and artistic background as a blogger and media student.

-The sound was recorded well. This again was a big priority for me as it was going to affect how I edited together the footage and make sure everything flowed. I pretty much struck gold when I went to Lizzie’s room during shooting and it was a really ideal location. She did have a tram stop outside her building but her room was not as close to it, so it could only be heard very faintly if at all. There were some times where we had to stop filming and pause for birds or trams but for the most part the sound recording went very smoothly and listening to her voice in the edit, I couldn’t notice any major audio problems which I was very relieved about.

 

Negatives and suggestions to work on:

Colour grading: There were parts of the footage that look different in their lighting. This was due to interview being on a slightly cloudy day, where the sun would appear then disappear for a few minutes. The main fix is to alter the colour in the shots to a base look and match it to the rest of the footage.

The continuity: This was a very rookie error on my part, but although the interview is primarily shot in the same spot, there were times where I adjusted the camera because I was concerned that the black leather jacket in the very right of the frame was a little clumsy to look at and the shot required cropping. However the interview had already began and I felt bad about asking Lizzie to redo everything so I figured that I would keep the footage as it was really good content and try to conceal the slight change in framing through the inclusion of cutaways and photographs.

The lack of cutaways: In the rough cut that I showed the group I just had the interview footage edited together. Due to this it felt very predictable visually as the interview went on. My table agreed that adding cutaway shots would create more interest for the viewer and visual context for Lizzie’s stories and answer’s to the questions. This is something that is a top priority in editing the final cut as watching it over and over I too, was becoming sick of Lizzie’s yellow desk and bookshelf, despite the fact that her room is very modern and decorative.

With these points in mind I have a clearer idea of the things I need to improve upon for the edit as well as my filming skills in general. The rest of the lesson was dedicated to working on our project briefs, so I got started with editing and my unfortunately long list of blog posts.

 

Project brief 3 is now due on Monday! Yaaaaaaaayyy.

In other news there were two parts to this lecture:

1. Considering fandom/ audience within media

2. Jeremy Bowtell on advice for editing you rough cut/final cut

 

We started off looking at attention and how we capture attention through media; the editing of the story, its structure, even in the animal world as last weeks reading touched on. Whilst watching a brief animal clip from a David Attenborough documentary. Quite often being able to become so immersed in this natural world there is a lot of power that media holds in dictating how we relate to the animal world. In terms of textual attention something that was talked about is how texts establish relations with their readers as well as representations of whatever their subject might be. Textual attention moves away from the view that there is no real connection between our world and theirs, but tries to implement a connection and analysis of how they are apart of our world…How they relate to us.

 

We also looked at those who care about the media. Some examples included Advertisers- who are very aware of the commercial imperative, Commercial Broadcasters- who are employed to make assumptions about their intended audience in the production of media, Cable networks- Who rely on ratings and audiences to help keep their content on the air as well as many others both within and seperate from the industry. Whilst these figures still hold the same desires and hopes for their works and variations of media, there is a sense of change within the industry and the way we relate to media itself

Brian spoke about the “Post Broadcast Era” which refers to a time period following the traditional beginnings of television (The 1950’s-1980’s) where major advances were made in the establishment and developing power of new televison channels with content created for more specific audiences.

There are key characteristics that we are noticing in this era such as changes in:

-Television institutions/ major players

-Technologies of production distribution and consumption. The idea of long form narrative, sequels etc.

-Audience practises/ conceptualisations

-Aesthetic sensibilities. More was able to be explores in terms of look and aesthetic within media.

Watching a post broadcast paradigm from “The idiot Box” Four corners conveyed how the old ways of media are still within society, however there is no longer an average audience to appeal to. Media and television as an example, has grown much more specific and accomodating towards different groups of people. So now the traditional ways are made to make room for new ones, so there is a slight battle between the two.

Media effects theory  is an approach to the study of media influence which focuses on the effect that media texts have on audiences. This way of thinking about the media developed in the early days of the mass media and has become a dominant way of thinking about communication.

Some key academic texts for television studies include:

-Stuart Halls encoding decoding theory (1980)

-David Morely, The nationwide audience (1980)

These texts theorised the active audience as they acknowledge

The complexity of viewing activity; we can make sense of media in its specific forms as we have had an intense training for it. In our project briefs we are breaking down the processes that we would hardly even think about.

Cultural competencies: How we are more aware of the world around us.

Social context of viewing: How social and political issues are exposed to us in more media forms that previously.

 

We spoke next about fandoms and how what audiences do has changed. There is still a slight negative connotation to the fan label. Fans are often stereotypes as hysterical, freakish and regressive social subjects. In some ways they are a problem for legitimate culture because of their insistence on muddying boundaries (the high low culture boundary and what should/ or shouldn’t be studied (doctor who or jane Austen e.g). This related to the reading for this week Henry Jenkins’ notion that being a fan enables your own sense of agency and identity. To place your own idea and meanings onto a culture and within the industry fans are a resource in the construction of a series. Fandom shows us a deeper creativity within the expansion of a textual world through fan interaction. However the question lies, have fannish modes of engagement normalised themselves in contemporary culture? And does it encourage bias towards you if you associate yourself within that fandom?

There is the phrase that has two perspectives:

“The people formerly known as the audience..”

This statement talks about how audiences are no longer completely compliant in consuming media as producers and institutions wish them to.  There is a transformation of media how it is produced consumed etc. there is now the hybrid prosumer- a creator and consumer all in one.

 

Jeremy Bowtell spoke to us about editing on premiere pro as we were nearing the completion of our project briefs. Some points he made included:

-How important it is to organise your work on your desktop or in a file somewhere.

-Time management can make a very big difference to the quality of your projects.

-How you must have all of your files on your desktop as in a premiere project you won’t be able to edit as the project will need to find your files.

There are 3 steps to editing in general that would be a good idea to incorporate in your next project.

Assembly: Focus on structure, deciding on what parts you wish to use.

Rough cut: First draft. Filling in blank spaces to include montages, B Roll as well as music and sound effects and anything that is necessary for the telling of the story. Get your structure correctly, aesthetic later. You should not do any real colour grading our manipulation of sound effects, as you might not use that footage in the final product.

Fine Cut: Fine tuning of vision and audio, the pace and feeling of everything is good. In terms of audio you can look at fixing it in adobe audition. There are LUT filters that are a further way of manipulating the footage.

It was great to learn more things about premiere pro such as the fact that you are able to have multiple sequences up at once, the importance of the rough cut and assembly before that and seeing what a professional editor does in his project. At the end of the day I think its being exposed to that higher level of work that can really change the way you analyse what you are doing and if there is a better or more efficient way of going about it.

 

 

This weeks initiative is both interview and animal themed. It is a youtube video titled “Ultimate Dog Tease” from the talking animals youtube channel. The video itself shows a dog looking past the camera (presumably at its owner) and making various noises, however the editor of this clip has dubbed a voice over of the dog and another voice over of the owner speaking to one another about a food treat the owner had been preparing. Whilst this video is very adorable and worthy of its 186 million views, looking at it with this week’s reading and working on the Project Brief, I started to appreciate the mini production that went into this video. Although the maker most likely didn’t write down the questions he asks of the dog, there would have had to be a lot of time where he would have had to watch the shapes the dog makes and come up with a funny dialogue exchange between the two voices.

After this there would have had to be the recording of the voices (making sure this was done without any background noise) and finally the editing over the footage of the dog. This would have been interesting because the maker would have to time the voice recordings perfectly with the video and then watch and re watch it to ensure that everything is in sync. The actor would have had to explore how to deliver the lines, and the maker of the video would have had to make the decision as to how long the video would be, appealing the the hyper attentive viewers who can only sustain attention for 1-2 minutes at most. This video is also a great example of how audiences are able to take on the role of creators much more easily, hence the term “Prosumers” in the world of media.

In terms of the reading this week, I felt that the construction of a narrative for entertainment was an example of the ideas John Berger was drawing upon. We have no real idea as to if the dog is truly thinking this way, and for the most part it is unlikely as cognitively they differ from human thought and functioning. Instead, the creator has made this video as they understand the novelty in adapting typically loved human traits such as innocence and simple desire onto an animal that many own as a pet, and believe they relate to. So without further ado….I present the Ultimate Dog tease 🙂

 

 

This weeks Tute started off with some of us talking about what our project briefs were going to consist of as well as sharing advice and opinions with one another. It was great to hear from some of the people on my table about what others had planned and also what some of their challenges have been in making an interview. I had made a very early rough cut of my interview and from this gathered that there were a few things that I needed to keep an eye on and fix up. Some of these included:

-How I was going to condense all of the footage I had into 2-3 minutes.

-The fact that I realised I needed to film one of two more cutaway shots to make the interview as a whole more varied visually.

-Making sure that more noticeable cuts are concealed by cutaways.

-Spending a lot of time on colour grading and making sure each shot resembles the last. This was something that during filming was a slight issue as despite the fact it was around a twenty five minute interview, the weather was fairly cloudy often causing the sun to disappear for a few minutes and then for the shot to become brighter making it look like a different day. So colour grading and matching the footage will be one of the more prominent tasks that will need to be done, but I think it is very achievable and could make the end project look good.

After we finished this activity, Liam talked to us about the concept of shooting a film completely in camera. By this, he meant filming each shot once and never editing on a computer program such as premiere pro, the editing being “in camera”. This type of exercise is something that requires a lot of planning before hand about the framing of shots and how effective they will be in conveying the story, as you only get one shot at filming and each shot that you have, you will watch one after the other. Liam also spoke about the importance of the timing between the start and end of a shot how we must be aware that there won’t be any cutting out awkward silences at the beginning of the clips and its important to start shooting and tell the actor to start their dialogue or action immediately.

So with this knowledge under our belts, we were split into random groups and asked to make a 1-2 minute film based on the phrase “The Pursuit”, which we could interpret in any way we decided. This was a great exercise because it taught me how important and effective it can be to create shot lists and storyboards when deciding on your narrative as this allows more time to shoot at a faster pace as your aren’t bulked down in decisions that need to be made when setting up for shooting. Working in my group, we started off brainstorming what our story was going to be and decided to keep it simple, making the title “The Pursuit” in reference to a girl’s pursuit in reaching a can of red bull that is in front of her so she can finally quench her thirst. We elected to stay in our classroom as the girl would be sitting down during the filming an we thought it would add a more comedic feel to the film if the girl is sitting down the whole time, (highlighting her laziness by not getting up and reaching for the can herself).

Overall I felt as though we had a strong idea and planned very effectively. Liam, who acted in the exercise was really funny and so easy to work with as were everyone in the group. Some things I felt might have let us down were our time management when it came to filming as we were rushing towards the end and missed a few shots, and deliberating jobs. It was great that everyone collaborated and was very involved in finding ideas, but I think there were too many opinions at times and this ate away at our time a little bit. So it was a great learning exercise and again gave me experience in working with a different group. Creating the interview for Project Brief 3, I think I have been very used to doing all of the roles by myself, and needed the practise in working collaboratively, which is ultimately the environment a media maker will find themselves in and need to be really good at.

 

As this weeks lecture was cancelled, this post is another initiative piece on the reading. The reading for this week “Why Look at Animals?” by John Berger although a slightly confusing one was interesting to relate to how we use media in the observation of animals. I felt as though Berger was commenting on how the more we come to learn about animals and try to incorporate them into our everyday society the less we actually come to know. For whilst we put animals in zoo’s and film documentaries about them, there is a tendency to place our own ideologies and gender roles onto them. For example if an animal is watching you, one could interpret this to be that it is a sign of intimidation or establishment of dominance, which the person films as writes about on their nature website. When in actual fact, the animal is simply trying to decipher who you are or have noticed you moving. There is quote in the reading that really stood out to me. In reference to Grandville’s “Public and Private Life of Animals” where the installments included a group of animals in suits at first appearing to be of an older “tradition” where each one conveyed a part of their character;

“The animal represents an apogee of their character trait in question; the Lion- courage, the Hare- lechery. The animal once lived near the origin of that quality. It was through the animal that the quality became first recognisable. And so the animal lends its name.”

This was really interesting to think about because we have been made to understand through the use of media that Lion’s for example are courageous or brave, despite the majority of what they do in actual fact is due to the need to survive and continue their life course. It is through the observation of these animals on camera in a video edited with a large orchestral crescendo layered over the top that we are made to believe that their often graphic and powerful encounters with their pray and one another holds more stature than say a Pufferfish creating a circular sand sculpture to attract its mate. We connect so much of what we have some to know and understand about our own way of life that one of the only ways to engage with those in the animal kingdom is to humanise their actions and ways of life. Its similar to the complexity of learning a new language. For those in their adult years learning french for the first time (for example) they will base their accumulation of terms and meanings from understanding what they are trying to say in english and translating this to french. Where as if a young child or infant is learning a new language they do not have anything to base their understanding on, instead learning a it through the use of speaking and living in the french language. Watching animal documentaries has been interesting to see how even the portrayal of an animals day to day interactions is heavily constructed and produced for a human viewer.

There is a narrator providing context of the animal, an edited sequence of a dramatic moment captured on film, which follows a 3 or 5 act play structure Beginning, middle, end etc. and there is always a sense of resolution, admittedly acknowledging the sadder results of the animal kingdom on occasion but for the most part treating the animals experience which may occur three of four more times that day when the camera’s have left as astonishing or rare, when quite often the opposite it true.

I don’t know if this is necessarily a good or bad concept in the process of media making. It is inevitable that we may never always portray something correctly or honestly, but I think the acknowledgement of how we decide to create media in the ways we do can make us better at our craft. For it can give us the tools to truly analyse our work and prevent it from becoming two dimensional and ignorant. To conclude here is a film clip of the Pufferfish reference I spoke about in David Attenborough’s “Life Story” on the BBC. I think it is a really good example of what the reading spoke about and really hope I interpreted it at least semi correctly 😏.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpdlQae5wP8

 

 

 

Although considered to be a slightly vague term in the film industry, on every project be it big or small there is almost always at least one producer on board. Why you ask? Well, quite simply they shepherd the production from start to finish. As there are different types of producers depending on the scale of the project, we will be sticking to what tasks a producer is generally given. Producers are required throughout all stages in the production process and are generally one of the first people to be involved in the pre production stage.

They will often help develop in idea or story with a writer, or if translating a piece of work into a screenplay they will be the ones to secure the rights to it. After this is achieved, the producer will enlist other crew such as financial members to help plan out the economic boundaries of the project, ,organising other roles such as a director, artistic director, casting actors and hiring production and post production crew. This job is required throughout all parts of the film; the producer keeps an eye of scheduling and the organisation of the shoots, makes sure that everyone is working well and effectively and that the project runs smoothly from start to finish

 

Ways to become a Producer:

 

1. Gain film experience!

In order to become a great film crew person its important to start with the basics. Work on as many film sets and independent projects as you can. No one is naturally prepared for the skills and requirements that a producer should have, and its important that you have the chance to observe other Producers and projects to see how they are managed and organised. This will give you the knowledge and preparation to go into a project you are really passionate about, and the confidence to do it correctly and to a high standard. Even if you begin your career as a runner or assistant, these positions will help your understanding of how to make a great film and how integral each crew member is to that happening! (Also they will help you to network).

 

2.Organisation is key 

As a producer working on low budget or independent films, it is up to you to make sure everything is going smoothly. And for the technical aspects of a film organisation is a must. You have to plan out schedules for, crew, catering, equipment hire, location permission the list goes on, hence the pre production phase must be taken seriously and with enormous detail. Its important to have a detailed knowledge of what is required of the production and take responsibility for its financial status. Although it can be very exciting to know that a project is getting its wings and there are cast and crew interested, quite often projects can fall apart due to poor planning, financial irresponsibility and no real plan B. So plan out everything there is to plan and be logical about the project, it’ll come together.

 

3. Work really f****** hard and love what you do 

Working in the film industry is touch and if reliant on passion for your job and above all else hard work. As a producer, you are in a high position within the crew and cast. You must turn up early, go home late and pay attention to everything, meaning no cutting corners for convenience and paying attention to all details. Also, you must have a desire to tell the story you are trying to tell, and a respect & integrity to it. A great interview with Harvey Weinstein on the Graham Norton Show, (Weinsten is a highly prominent Hollywood Producer, famous for films such as Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Gangs of New York etc.) highlighted the last piece of advice. Weinstein told the story of how a young Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were visiting all studios who were all wanting to make their film “Good Will Hunting”. As they eventually went to see him, roughly ten minutes into their meeting Harvey stopped them and spoke about how a very random scene (of an overly sexual nature) was written into the script and he (who had read the whole script) did not understand why it was there and why it added to the narrative. Amazingly Affleck and Damon replied that they had specifically written that scene to determine if big Hollywood Producers actually read their work or if they had assistants prepare a synopsis for them (for convenience) because up until this meeting, no one had mentioned the scene. Needless to say, Weinstein got the movie 🙂

 

Personally I wasn’t too sure what a producer did specifically but after doing some research I like the sound of their job and hope that I’ll get the opportunity to produce a project one day. Highlighters and calendar at the ready 🗓.

 

 

 

 

 

This week we looked at camera exercises to improve our knowledge and to better our teamwork skills. Liam spoke to us about the concept of one shot films, where as the name suggests they are only one shot long with no cuts at all. We saw some examples of a one shot film in pieces titled “The Life of a Five Dollar Note” and “Betrayal”. Although they were slightly different genre’s both short films were impressive in the thought and choreography that was involved, in the telling of the story. It showed me how much planning and practise would have had to go into preparing to shoot these types of films as all elements have to work together effectively. There are also the factors of how due to only having one shot, the Mise en scene must be able to convey multiple layers in the story, the actors have to be able to recite what dialogue they’re given or perform what choreography and blocking they learn to a high standard, (if there is slacking off, it is more noticeable in the one shot). That being said if done well these shots are truly and utterly clever and impressive (at least to me).

 

So after gaining some inspiration and examples, we were put into table groups and given our technical exercise for the lesson. We were to make a one shot film which conveyed the idea of misunderstanding. The main focuses were to concentrate on the framing of the shot, what story elements we needed to utilise in order for the story to make sense, and to make sure that we didn’t use too much dialogue so that more energy went into “the shot”. My lovely group and I got together and made a mini plan of our final idea; We decided to base our story in Chinese Whispers, where someone hears something, mistakes it for something else then a domino effect of misinterpretation takes place, where each person who hears said gossip changes the rumour.

This ended up being a really good idea as it allowed us the freedom to move around a lot and have the camera moving as it followed the next deliverer of gossip. It was decided that Sam was going to film and Myself, Tiahne, Pat, Lizzie and Ellie would be in the film. Overall it was a really fun experience working in a group again as well as having the time to plan out our ideas and even factor in time to rehearse so that we could get more than one take. Everyone was a joy to work with and were all really enthusiastic about the project even though we had a small amount of time to get it done. Although we used dialogue to bookend the piece (it was at the beginning and the end of the shot), I felt as though it suited the story really well and complimented the logical movements of the camera. As always a very fun Tute 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

For this weeks Lecture Paul Richard came in to talk to us about how to be a good media practitioner and advice in regards to standard protocols for media making.

How to be cool and not a tool:

Be clear with your participants, text if you need or don’t text. Call if this is easier so they don’t reply later.

Have a clear communication plan and make sure that they understand what is required of them.

Release forms: RMIT location and personal release forms are provided on the film and television blog and must be used for filming. Read through it before you send it. It is a legal document for those involved to sign.

Insurance & Legals: You are supported by RMIT

Locations: It is a good idea that you be at your location an hour and a half before. It stops you from wasting time, if you forget something, if you need to grab something. You can have a better amount of time setting up and sorting out different shots.

Makes sure that your equipment set up is neat; figure out areas to go and hang out.

It is a good idea to have your notes on a piece of paper and make sure everyone is concentrating. If they are on their phones it can affect the interviewee.

Leave the location of the shoot in better condition than when you found it.

Performance release:It must be send before and signed before, or signed afterwards. Also Sometimes its good to do an interview and go back and do it again. It is likely that there was something that the interviewee didn’t say originally and wanted to  elaborate on.

Safety: If you are shooting in certain public spaces you will sometimes need permission. there is a safety form that can be found to sign. e.g if You are shooting on Swanston Street and you need permission, Melbourne city council can grant you permission. Potentially if your shoot has a crew of less than 6 people. identify a person as a safety person. To make sure that no one is driving home after a long tiring shoot.

Serendipity: The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. Sometimes things can work themselves out when you didn’t plan them to. So when something goes wrong with location or actors cancelling on the day, this can be an opportunity for you to improvise and arrange something else.

 

Project Brief 3 Discussion: 

As we are going into our next plan for the next project brief (3), we were given some little pieces of advice for it.

Advice: Read the project brief carefully!

Talk to your tutors. It is possible for you to use some previous footage, just make sure to talk to your tutor as to if you are allowed.

Be proactive and as organised as you can. This will help you in the production and post production phases of your project.

 

Documentary: 

The last part of the Lecture involved watching a documentary looking at the ideas of privacy and the power of free internet resources over us as a generation. The episode titled “The Cost of Free” from The Virtual Revolution Series on the BBC. I found the documentary to be a real eye opener and great source of context in regards to the reading we had this week; “Privacy; Why do youth share so publicly?” written by Danah Boyd. In the episode we watched, the presenter spoke about the phenomenon that is Google and the empire it has created since its humble beginnings. Although starting as a simple search engine and way to find information on the world wide web, it eventually became a platform for surveillance and identification of its users. It was really interesting to learn how google can track what you are searching and eventually controls the advertising that you are presented with on the sidebars of its pages.

 

Although I had seen this, it still felt quite unsettling to be shown how much we as users are analysed and that despite actively searching for the things that we do, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all us wish to have that feeling of monitoring. With regards to the reading we looked at this week, many of the anecdotes from young teenagers and adults followed the same idea. The author Danah Boyd really highlighted how the line between privacy and publicity has become so much more blurred now, more than ever. In the example of teenagers involving themselves in social media or even texting, there is a desire to share ones life, however only to certain people. Boyd used an example of a teenager sitting in the car with best friend and their father. After a few minutes of talking the girl begins to text her friend who is sitting next to her as she doesn’t want her father to know what they are discussing. This anecdote was a funny example because it feels so spot on. The article asks why do youth share so publicly but become so defensive of their privacy from certain people in their lives?

Well its the car scenario. In this dilemma there is a catch 22 for the teenager. Naturally when you are young you want to find out new things about yourself and learn how to be an adult. At the same time their are aspects about this journey that you only wish to share with peers and friends your age. A. Because you are going through this stage together and B. There is a desire for connection. However due to the shifting dynamic of parents and and teenagers sometimes feeling restrictive, potentially judgemental or simply out of touch with how to go through this stage, privacy measures are taken against “The enemy”…or the parent as most people call them. Ironically though as discovered in the documentary we watched, these supposed measures can prevent parents from accessing a teen’s private life, but apps such as Facebook, snapchat and Instagram hold the potential for online hackers to see some very intimate details about this technologically savvy teen. So in a way if one wishes to be active on social media, yet in a somewhat private fashion they run the risk of revealing their lives to people they never even realised were monitoring them. Perhaps one of the main concerns for new media. Overall the lecture was a very informative one and left me with a real perspective on responsibility. Not only as a media maker but as a user of social media. Sometimes not everything has to be on the internet…

 

 

 

Writers. Without them there is no idea that gets written down, to be gradually developed into a script for a producer to notice and organise the resources to make into a film. They are the storytellers of the film world who write screenplays or edit and develop scripts and are the foundations of a project.

Quite often to be a screenwriter of some sort is a very self motivated job. Unless one is contractually bound to a studio, the majority of those in this craft are freelance workers. Which like many creative roles requires you to stand out and be “good” in order for your work to be noticed and invested in.

Ways to help become a Film Writer/Screenwriter/ Script Writer; 

1.Write any time you can. Practise makes perfect. As we discussed in a lecture several weeks ago, the faster one comes to terms with the inevitability of hard work making you better at your job the more productive you will be because you understand why it is so important to write and write and write. Even if it is not the best story in the world. You must train yourself to have self discipline, to refine your skills and get better at what you do. That being said, it is ok if you experience writers block, or frustration about what you are producing and what stage you are at in your craft. In my features and storytelling class my tutor shared a video that spoke about this which I found really helpful. Overall, it shows that eventually through all the dedication and effort you put into your craft eventually you will create something you never realised you could amount to.

2. Research and Learn. No great writers were born with an innate understanding of how to write an award winning screenplay. You must research and study the correct format of how to write a screenplay or script. There are websites such as the Internet Movie Script Data base (www.imsdb.com) or Celtx, a scriptwriting tool that can help with its correct format. This is an important step as it enhances what natural creativity we have as storytellers and elevates us closer to a professional level, thus we are a little closer to getting our work off the ground. Constantly educating yourself and learning new things from those in your field is really important, as there are some pieces of knowledge and experience that you cannot find or think up on your own. You must go out and discover it, and only then will your work be able to connect to those who encounter it.

3. Ask for feedback & Network. You must show your ideas and work to others and be prepared for feedback. Quite often if we are working on a project for an extensive amount of time, we can become very attached to it and gradually blind to its imperfections. So seek out all types of people; literary agents, producers, family members, peers teachers etc. All will add something important and open up your mind to where your story has the potential to go. Showing people your work can also enable you to make connections and create opportunities. In the business of media, it is not often what you know, but who.

4. Take breaks and Remember it is ok to get lost. Its not always easy to determine when an idea or story has run its course, or even if you simply need to step back and take a break from what you are working on. Doing another activity requiring very little brain power can often be the best thing for writers block. Going outside and finding inspiration can beat sitting in front of a computer screen all day and waiting for that idea to arrive, and its not a reflection of laziness, rather it shows that you understand how you work as a writer and person. That being said when you realise it may be time to move onto another idea of story, you may be about to experience a blessing in disguise. As the saying does “When one door closes another one opens.”

5. If you are struggling to enhance you story, thing about its core. Why should this story be written? Why do you want to tell it this way? What impact will it have? As you are destined to be writing for an audience of some kind, depending on your stories genre, themes, and characters there are certain things they wish to find in a story. As a writer it is important to have your audience in mind and why you are writing what you are writing. Would it interest you seeing this film? Will it challenge, entertain or move you? Often once you can answer these questions it is easier to navigate your story.

6. Have patience and work and rework and rework. You must edit your stuff. All pieces of work require tweaking and editing. This shows you are prepared to better what you have written and are serious about it. Although editing is a tiresome process, it can be a way of finding the best version of the story, and it will improve your skills as a writer.

 

Famous Writers who I look up to: 

Tina Fey– An Actress and Writer, whose writing credits include:

30 Rock, Saturday Night Live (As Head Writer) and Mean Girls.

Richard Curtis– A Writer famous for works such as:

Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually, Bridget Jones’

Diary and Mr Bean’s Holiday

John Hughes- A Writer whose prominence came during the 1980’s including:

The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s, National Lampoon’s film series.