Monthly Archives: May 2015

When Marnie Was There

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During this week I watched Studio Ghibli’s new film: “When Marnie Was There.” Overall I enjoyed the visuals and the sentimental story, but felt as if something was missing. Reflecting on Roberts McKee’s ‘The substance of story” I was able to conclude that I personally did not find the protagonist Anna empathic. She did not strike a chord within me as I found a lot of her problems petty and childish. As an audience I found Anna to act hypocritically, treating others without maturity and then expecting it in return. I also struggled to find her friend with Marnie believable as she earlier in the film showed no interest in making friends or interacting with others. Overall when I was feeling sad by the end of the movie, it was not sparked by anything the main protagonist did.
Furthermore the supernatural elements in “When Marnie Was There” acted as a source of confusion, rather than highlighting the protagonists skills and ability to cope in a new and frightening situation. These encounters with Marnie often left Anna in the middle of no where passed out and vulnerable.

Allow I enjoyed the movie, but it missed the mark when it came to forming a connection between the audience and the characters.

McKee, Robert. (1997). ‘The substance of story.’ In Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting. New York, USA: HarperCollins, pp. 135-154.

I’m Scared.

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Machines are becoming too intuitive or intelligent.

In 2001, A Space Odyssey this fear exists, the fear of something we depend on betraying us due to it’s intelligence. Hal is unclouded by emotions and human reasoning to get the job done. So dedicated that he is able to make the decision that results in the killing off a crew member and to fake the human emotions.

“Stop Dave, I’m Afraid.”

When we watch a video game demo in class concerning androids similar words are uttered. It seems this phrase has been pinnacle for discussing if this is an act of unfeeling intelligence where they are aware that reminding us humans of morality is a chance to enact sympathy from them.


Can also be viewed  here 

“Kara” from the demo watched in class, is an android who experiences thoughts and emotions. This mimics an important theme grappled with in neo-noir film Blade Runner what does it mean to be human? Where androids are programmed  in a way were even they are convinced they are humans, how do they’re synthetic emotions differ from ours? This idea is further played out in movies like ‘Her’ that rather than relying on a sci-fi world to express this message. It is grounded in the now through the use of smart phones. It raises the question if  Hal had been presented as an android coded as sweet innocent girl in “2001” could we have witnessed a different turn of events.

It’s obvious that this idea will continue to exist in popular culture as the idea of what it means to be human is in no way close to being solved. The question we have to ask ourselves however is how this representation will be changed as years go on. Will we come to fear machines again or continue to rely on them, questioning if we can form long lasting bonds with them?


Can also be viewed here 

Reflection on Draft One

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Today we were able to present our radio like clip to Dan in our tutorial. He understood the campy direction we wanted to take our research in but suggested we needed to “ham it up” because he wanted to see the whole pig.
To achieve this we have begun revising the script to highlight words or phrases that should be accentuated for comedic value.
We’ve also made note of Dan’s suggestion to use expressions, hand movement and acting because they can be heard even through the recording. A challenge we face however is that to improve sound quality we’ll have to record alone, hopefully we’ll still be able to achieve that intensity and comedic timing by remaining in the room to play off each other, even if only one person is running through their lines.
When addressing sound quality we were also make sure we are not only using individual mics, but proceed to test sound levels and statics to ensure a clear recording. The use of a fuzzy and testing of different recorders has also been suggested.

Overall we’re moving on into our second draft with a clear idea of what we need to fix to improve our artefact.

Remixing Art

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Pixiv is a Japanese online community for artists to share their works. It involves a free membership to be able to post and explore the range of works. It is protected under these terms, which state that work can not be reposted.  Even though this is stated there is still on blogging website Tumblr, that involves taking these images uploaded on Pixiv and editing them. Here is an example.

When Glitch Art was explained in today’s lecture as a form of “show[ing] how destruction can change into the creation of something original.” [1] There is no debate where that with the use of cropping, colour saturation and minimal animations these edits implore are turning the original art into something new. The new work however is not something that necessary needs to be presented with the original and many think this is not an acceptable form of remixing. To explore this further Menkman as an example compels us to believe the glitch was something usually associated with rejection, and only when mixed with original art was it able to be “understood as a new representation or new language.” This could be said of Tumblr edits as when contrasting them with the original art form a new story can be told; for instance the art above has been edited to create a more somber and emotive effect. However these edits are usually made to create a desired aesthetic to match their blogs, resulting in many other users feeling like this is a shallow reason for the use of remixing and that the art should be left untouched.

It’s hard to say if this is an appropriate form of remixing or not because while it does produce a new way of understanding a image it’s done in a way that breaks certain laws and for an affect some may consider childish or shallow. Is this something that should be done with permission in order for it to be acceptable or is there still no real reason for it to occur.

Here is some further reading into Tumblr users who find this remixing problematic.
[x ] [ x ]  [ x ]

[1]  Menkman, in 2011, Video Vortex Reader 2, p. 341

 

Personas In Pop Music

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In class the idea was brought up that although in Taylor Swift’s new music video “Bad Blood” she is shown wearing bondage-like gear, we can’t sexualise her.
This was juxtaposed with the study that Nicki Minaj has single handily corrupted todays youth with her songs about her Superb Ass  and pill popping. (see Super Bass)

For me this was a clear example of a pop-star’s persona in action, it’s easy to play the good girl next door when you look like Taylor Swift. You can’t really image a doe eyed blonde haired girl playing another role really. It’s in the same way we are able to jump to this conclusion that most people are readily able to look at a woman like Nicki Minaj and describe her as exotic, sexy, and animalistic. In a way pop-star’s only have so much control over how the public wants to view them.

Theres a lot of stigmas around how a black woman’s body is used in media.  It’s often sexualised and dehumanised in a way where it is described rather than beautiful it is always raw, animal, exotic. She is never a woman but a creature ready to be let out and tamed. More of this discussion can be found online, but here is a good start.

There things we can never associate with “wholesome” persona’s like that of Taylor Swifts. This is even played out in her video Shake it Off, where she is shown “twerking” We are presented with an image of Taylor giving a half hearted embarrassed shake, and even if it’s unknowingly it’s still making a clear dichotomy between her and stars that exist in the industry. Stars like Nicki Minaj.

In Nicki’s video Anaconda it’s easy to at first glance see it as a way to play up the persona given to her by the media. However on closer analysis it’s easy to see how Nicki plays with the idea of objectification and works to give herself agency. Lets break it down

The song Anaconda samples good old Sir Mix A Lots, “Baby’s Got Back” a song that’s cemented its self in our pop culture. However she subverts this idea as she “shifts the common narrative of a man conquering female bodies to Minaj’s own stories of sexcapades without apologies.” [1] This is further reinforced in the video by showing images of her covering herself in whipped cream only to have the following shot be one of her slicing a banana in half angrily or sitting Drake down on a chair and giving him the lap dance of his life that ends, once he puts his hands on her. Throughout the video we can see that Nicki is in control. Rather than letting you decide what persona you can ascribe to her, she is telling you that her body belongs to her and is not yours to consume. She doesn’t give a fuck what your anaconda wants.

Does My Voice Sound Like That?

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On Tuesday our team was able to record the first draft for our media project on film festivals. On our first run through of the script I noticed a few problems that I’d like to be more aware of in the future.

For example I found myself often talking to fast and mispronouncing words, however I feel this could be fixed by making sure the next few weeks are really spent rehearsing my part and speaking slower.
To make sure rehearse is goes smoothly it’s necessary that  as a group we get our script finalised. Improv is always welcome but I think it’s important to really nail down those key points we need to hit. Hopefully this Thursday we’ll be able to receive feedback on the script so we can revise it, and tighten it up. Once all the key information is in I feel we will have more room to experiment with comedic timing and other media we might want to introduce. It’s still unsure whether or not we’ll film this script, but based on the feedback  I think this will be resolved before the second draft is due.

Overall I feel like we are on the right path and I am excited to continue work on this project.

Interviews

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Over the weekend i’ve been interviewing friends about film festivals for our project. Although I’ve gotten good results, it’s as we discussed in class, it really is a talent to interview people. To improve these skills i’ve brainstormed a few ideas to help me in the future:

For research I think it’s wise to approach a variety of different people with my interview questions. During the week I mostly talked to friends in their early twenties. Hopefully when we get to attend a film festival over the next week I’ll have a chance to talk to a board range of people rather than relying on those who are convenient and I feel comfortable talking to.

To help with me feeling comfortable around approaching new people, I think it’s in my best interest to really figure out how I want my interview to answer. This can be achieved by really nailing down not only my questions but my approach. For  example when conducting research this weekend though I started by telling interviewees that I was asking them questions about film festivals I often forgot to make clear that I was also interested in the programs of film festivals and often added that information in as an afterthought. To improve I will look to practice my approach on peers and look for feedback and really refine the questions I’m asking in the future.

Institutions

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A mindmap done in todays lectuorial, discussing Facebooks characteristics as an institution.

Some of the main points that came out of this brainstorm were privacy and ubiquity. I thought the idea of Facebook being so omnipresent also helped create a sense of exclusivity. When logged off Facebook it can feel like you’ve cut connections from the entire world because of how quickly information is received and then buried. For you not to have an account means you’re out on a bigger picture is often used by the simple technique “like us on Facebook to see more.” It highlights the idea that Facebook is where it’s all happening and for  you to not have an account you’re missing out on all the exclusive offers or deals only avaliable to those who are. If you’re not experiencing Facebook, you’re not experiencing
Our research on institutions has mostly been related to how film festivals use there programs to market towards audience. So I think it was helpful to look at how Facebook’s ideals and qualities have also been used.

Moving Forward

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Today we presented our script on informing people how to navigate the film festival circuit. We explained we’d be using camp to push what an important role programming plays in attracting the intended audience, however we were
given the feedback that it was important that our research didn’t get lost in all of our camp. To allow the research to flow through more clearly we’ve devised some questions to ask a range of people as to why they attend film festivals to really bring together and define our scripts. On the weekend we’re  working on conducting interviews and finalising scripts. We are on track and have set goals to record everything by Tuesday. I am happy with how things are progressing and look forward to seeing how our script will translate to film or broadcast.

The questions we have decided to focus on are:

Why would you go to the film festival? 

How did you hear about any of these film festivals? 

Out of these three  film festivals which would you be most interested in going to? Why? 

Are you interested in learning anything from attending this festival? 

From this program which movies or events would you attend?

By showing a range of people the programs, along with the questions I think it would really help us grasp what techniques draw people towards the festivals. 

 

Audience Participation In Storytelling

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When discussing audience this week, I couldn’t help but think about media that actively asks for the audiences participation in order for the narrative to unfold. “Vote for what you want to happen next” experiments give the audience agency. They feel as if they are in control, even within the strict options set by the writer. One of the most memorable acts of audience participation for me would have to be Batman’s; A Death in the Family. Where readers were asked to call in to decide the fate of sidekick Robin.
What I’m reflecting on today is how we can use Audience Participation in Game Narratives. The idea of the audience being able to take control of the way a story unfolds without flipping back the page is something in interested in. Although games like ‘The Walking Dead’ are popular and use audience participation affectively, users still have the chance to replay the game whenever they want or watch other endings through youtube. I am looking into the idea of an absolute the ideas that audience participation actively shapes the rest of the liner story.

With todays use of kickstarting and crowd funding it’s not unrealistic to suggest that audience participation could be used with the main writers able to shape and form the main ideas. However is the idea of the choice being in our hands put us at direct fault when something eventually goes wrong? Is the wonder of what would have happened if I had voted the other way something to conflicting for fiction?

Overall I think this is where the problem lies, we don’t want to actively be responsible for drawing out the end of something we love but maybe there is something to audience being able to voice there ideas within the brainstorming stage because writers can see what’s at stake and whats interesting but it’s only something time will tell.
I’m also attaching a game I’ve played on  new-grounds game: ‘One Chance’ I think it employees an interesting mechanic when it comes to audience participation and story telling.

Play ‘One Chance’ here.