This week we explored the authenticity of online media. In other words, how we portray ourselves online compared to who we are in real life. For this, we watched the movie ‘Eight Grade’, directed by Bo Burnham. I’d never heard of this movie before, and I will say it was certainly an experience to watch. I felt like my thirteen-year-old self watching it. As much as I hated some of the decisions the main character Kayla got herself into, I emphasised with her. I know I was the same way. When you’re younger, you can very much want to push a different reality of who you are online or try to seem ‘better’ than how you think you are, especially in today’s society which is so strongly dominated by how you are perceived online.

The practical exercise involved us making use of the Zoom F4 microphones and using them to interview strangers around RMIT. I was paired with Ryan for the task and, neither of us had much experience working with audio technology except for the very basics. We came into several issues as neither of us were particularly confident in going up to strangers to ask them questions and the people we did ask ended up declining. Eventually when time began to come to a close, we decided to team up with another pair, Darcy and Lauren, who were also struggling to find people to interview, so we all interviewed each other

Editing the audio was difficult I will say, finding the right audio levels was difficult and the audio tended to peak despite remaining in the range of -12 to -6. But I eventually completed it and am happy with the final results.

Here is the Video Link:

Link to Vlog 2:

This week we took time to work and practice with two different types of cameras in groups — a Canon DSLR 6D mark ii and a Sony FS5. Either way, I enjoyed the exercise, as said before I borrowed a 6D mark ii for my vlogging and I enjoyed getting more practical experience with it, especially in regards to fixing lighting and exposure on the camera. While those options were easy to solve on the Sony camera, I had no idea initially how to fix it on the 6D mark ii, so it felt incredibly satisfying when I could fix the exposure issues at home.

For our vlogging exercise, I had to film myself doing something I enjoy in a cinematic way. I decided to film myself playing video games in my room as it’s something I enjoy doing and could picture making in a more ‘cinematic quality’. Music in editing has always been a strong suit of mine, so I knew I wanted to edit this to music. I knew Copywrite was still something to be conscious of while making our vlogs, so I decided not to risk it by showing any actual gaming footage. I thought it would be a fun challenge to portray my hobby without actually showing any game footage and overall, while I believe there is still plenty to improve on, I am satisfied with what I accomplished.