/ Final Post for Semester 1 /

Well the semester has come to a close and what can I say, it’s been a busy but insightful 12/13 weeks. I feel blessed to have been accepted into this course, it has been my dream since I was in primary school.

This semester I have learnt quite a lot within my elective and contextual study for this course, Popular Culture and Cinema Studies respectively. However I have to admit, Media has definitely been the basis for the things I have learnt.

I found the individual work more challenging than group work which I think was more a function of the fact that we had to do a lot of filming, something that is definitely not my forté at all. Whilst the group work was hard at times because often it was impossible to get everyone to do their work at the same time and to catch up due to various other commitments, I think have more than one brain doing research really enabled our Project Brief 4 to give a very deep insight into what we discovered about media ‘Texts’. Here is a blog post I wrote during this time to outline the task and to reflect: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/samantha-beniac-brooks/2015/05/26/feedback-in-class-group-work-project-brief-4/

Within my own creative practice, I think that looking and reflecting on the things around me has been really important as it allows me to have something to work up to or outdo. An example of this is the post I made reflecting on Sound Design within film. I have always loved film and seek to hopefully further my knowledge in the area in the near future. When reflecting on others work, I often make myself more inspired to create something quite similar but completely unique to my tastes. Here is the blog post I made about Sound Design in cinema: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/samantha-beniac-brooks/2015/05/24/sound-design/

To follow on from the theme of me loving sound, I thoroughly enjoyed the Week 7 Lectorial which gave the Media 1 students an insight into the world of sound in which I had no idea about. These lectorials have been important in providing a basis for what us media students have been learning this semester whilst also relating these things to the world beyond Level 11, Building 80. Here is a post reflecting on the lecture: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/samantha-beniac-brooks/2015/04/21/week-7-lectorial-reflection/

This semester, I have also become quite aware of the media that surrounds us and the way in which it is presented to us as an audience. It is amazing when I walk down Swanston Street and I feel quite ‘bombarded’ by the media texts that surround me almost as if there is no way out (which is a little scary at times). However there is a good side. I watched the Logies during the semester and something that stood out for me was the way in which Carrie Bickmore wore a beanie to raise awareness for Brain Cancer. I love the way in which celebrities use their power and fame to not just promote themselves and their product, but to raise awareness for charities and give information about these diseases. Here is a blog post I wrote after the Logies where I discuss the night and my reflection of Carrie’s wonderful gesture: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/samantha-beniac-brooks/2015/05/05/the-media-and-raising-awareness/

I have also loved doing the readings this semester and tried to realise how important they are for not only myself as a media practitioner but also to gain knowledge and to become more open-minded within my creations and also the creations of others. Here is a blog post reflection on a reading we were given in the first week of classes seeking the difference between a selfie and a self-portrait: https://www.mediafactory.org.au/samantha-beniac-brooks/2015/03/03/whats-the-difference-between-a-selfie-and-a-self-portrait/

And finally, here is a Learning Curve for showing progress in Semester 1 for Media 1:

25051501

 

/ Completion of Project Brief Four /

So whilst this semester has been an incredibly difficult uphill battle in terms of life, I am really happy with the final product in which Jenny, Annie and myself have created 🙂

We had to include (which can be found on google drive):

A Production Dossier:

  • Collaborative Contract
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Blog posts
  • Release forms
  • Minutes from group meetings
  • Bibliography and any key references consulted
  • Final Product

We have created an eBook which can be found here – Media Texts eBook

I have thoroughly enjoyed the project and have definitely learnt a lot about the way in which media texts bombard people in their everyday lives. I have also learnt a lot about collaboration in which will be vital for my life as a media practitioner.

 

/ 800 Word Reflection – Brief 4 Group Project /

For Project Brief 4, I was teamed with Annie Goldring and Jenny Pham Vo to undergo an analysis on media ‘texts’. At first we found the project brief a little difficult to tackle as the area of media texts is one that is quite large. We had to narrow it down and look at a particular area (and one that intrigued us all). From this, we chose that looking at advertisements was the best choice as we are bombarded with these texts every single day whether it be on social media or whilst waiting for a tram at the tram stop. We originally set out to create a bombardment video along with a short mock youtube clip at the beginning and pop up ads, however as a group, decided that our assignment needed to be more analytical to fit in with the task description. From this we decided to create an eBook where we could explore the three different media advertising platforms in which we were most interested in (print publication, radio and video/television). However the idea that “media is everywhere” remained a key point when creating our own case studies and at this point, this is when we decided to look deeper into the formulas of these advertisements.

 

Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the group work as it enabled me to gather a deeper understanding of media texts, with the use of three minds. Our annotated bibliographies were incredibly vital to the project as we all went away and did research that gathered theories and case studies from past researchers who were interested in the study of media texts. Moreover, the case studies often mentioned audiences and the ways in which advertisers attempt to persuade an audience. From this, we decided to consider the formulas in which are used to advertise a particular product. These annotated bibliographies created a basis for the idea of the eBook, in which we have included many case studies looking at a handful of advertisements that we are bombarded with in our everyday lives. The idea of the eBook enabled our group to show in depth, each of our case studies as well as inform readers with a general overview of what we believed media ‘texts’ were.

 

Unfortunately at times I found the idea of group work difficult. Whilst also having other assignments, we all have busy lives and it is very hard to come together outside of class time (however we did manage to catch up at least 4 times outside of class which resulted in quite productive work where we were sharing ideas and helping each other out with our own case studies). This project has definitely taught me to in future create some sort of schedule that enables the group to come together at the beginning to decide when we were all free and to save dates. Another problem we faced was the numerous last minute meetings that often had to be cut short because of other distractions.

 

In terms of being a media practitioner, this project has taught me that it is important to stay on top of the work and to communicate with your group members as often as possible. Communication within the group is something I would like to work on in the next media group project as without it, it is impossible to understand where your team members are at and what work they are doing. I would also like to stick to the group rules set out at the beginning (do work when required etc.) as within the group, we had lost track of each other’s work and I became concerned that perhaps we were all at different stages within the project. Although, I am incredibly happy with the work we are submitting as I believe it provides a deep insight and shows the depth we went into, to fully understand media texts.

 

After completing the work, I feel I have gathered a sound understanding of media texts. It was interesting to note the similarities between many of the advertisements we compared within our case studies. The use of formulas like slogans, colours and even monotone voices in advertisements, enables each advertisement to target a specific audience (sometimes even a wide demographic), to ‘sell’ an idea or product. The process of research and analysing specific advertisements allowed me to form a deeper understanding of the way in which the media attempts to bombard us with messages. Overall, the project has made me more aware of the bombardment of texts within our everyday lives which almost makes me feel as if I am not just another ‘audience member’ to these advertisers as I now understand the ways in which advertisers try and sell me a product or idea.

/ Annotated Bibliography from Popular Culture /

So here is a post relating to the elective I am doing at the moment (Popular Culture).

I wrote this Annotated Bibliography to submit for the final assessment piece (we had to write 3 bibliographies).

I want to know what people think of the idea between Fan-Celebrity interaction. It was previously discussed in a lecture for Media 1 and I myself am definitely apart of this fan-celebrity culture which is why I am so interested in it.

Here it is below.. enjoy!

Ferris, K 2001, ‘Through a Glass, Darkly: The Dynamics of Fan-Celebrity Encounters’, Symbolic Interaction, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 25-47.

 

In this article, Kerry O Ferris examines the interaction between celebrities and their fans, further suggesting that perhaps there could be a theory developed for fan-celebrity interaction. The article explores the dynamic relationship between fans and celebrities, and the ways in which some “fans make and take advantage of opportunities for prestige encounters at public events” (Ferris 2001, pg. 25). However some fans actively pursue celebrities to create fan-staged encounters often blurring the line of being an, ‘active fan’ and showing similarities to ‘celebrity stalkers’. Whilst Ferris acknowledges the face-to-face contact between celebrities and their fans, she also brings attention to the interaction between fans and celebrities via mass media and the way in which it “can incorporate the fictional and the extraordinary into their real, ordinary, everyday lives” (Ferris 2001, pg. 25).

 

To form a deeper understanding of fan-celebrity relationships, Ferris collected observational and interview data over a two-year period from ‘active’ Star Trek and ABC soap opera fans. She describes active fans as “pursuing beyond interest, consumption and enjoyment of the television show”, whilst also “forming social bonds with other fans and participating in activities” (Ferris 2001, pg. 28). Collected were a series of twenty in-depth interviews with active fans (fifteen women and five males), who discussed their “television viewing habits and practices, personal histories of fan ship and fan-celebrity contact” (Ferris 2001, pg. 29).

 

The article provides a deep insight into the developing theory of fan-celebrity relationships, recognising that not all fans blur the line between ‘active fans’ and ‘celebrity stalkers’. Whilst also having collected subjective data from interviews, Ferris gathered notes whilst attending “conventions, autograph signings, and personal appearances at store openings” (Ferris 2001, pg. 29) in which fans can interact face-to-face with celebrities, providing an ‘in the field’ perspective. This enabled her research to have a multi-faceted approach supporting the theory of fan-celebrity relationships.

 

Whilst the article provides a range of data to suggest that there is a potential for a theory of fan-celebrity relationships, there are some limitations which include the fact that Ferris has used an unbalanced male to female ratio (15 females and 5 males) potentially giving an inaccurate result, as the results could be gender-affected. However, this ratio could perhaps suggest that there are in fact more female ‘active fans’ than there are male ‘active fans’, implying that further research within this area is suggested. Ferris also states that the data is focused primarily on fans, as it is “solely from the fans perspective” (Ferris 2001, pg. 30), giving no other outlook (that of the celebrity/celebrities involved). Nevertheless, this could also be seen as a strength of the data, as it is purely “naturalistic data” (Ferris 2001, pg. 30) which enables for the examination of “indigenous perspectives and meanings” (Ferris 2001, pg. 30) of these active fans.

 

The article is useful for individuals looking into the fan-celebrity interaction as it provides a multi-faceted approach to the developing theory of the contact between these two groups. Potential research into different fan-celebrity groups is however required as this article only looks at Star Trek and ABC soap opera viewers. In addition, it may also be necessary to gain a perspective from the celebrity’s viewpoint.

/ Feedback (in class) – Group Work Project Brief 4 /

This week our group presented the layout of our eBook to the class. We were pleasantly surprised when the whole class seemed satisfied with the work we had done at this point. People enjoyed the look of it, stating that it was “unique” and “colourful” which enables readers to keep attracted to it. This is important as we wanted to give off the effect that media advertisements do.

Annie chose www.canva.com and I have been very satisfied with her choice. It allows us to show a deep analysis with the options to include images as well as text to show the reader what research we have done.

My case studies are coming along nicely. I will be submitting them to Annie by Friday in order for us to begin the introduction and conclusion and complete any last minute work before submission on Thursday June 4. Something that came up in my research was that of the common formulas used between the two breakfast ads that I am comparing. It is interesting to note the use of families in both as well as children perhaps showing that there is a particular audience target. I will be looking deeper into this within the eBook.

I have loved researching deeper into the bombardment of media texts (and more specifically advertisements).

Our group seems to be on top of the work!

/ Media Tutorial – Last One /

Screen Shot 2015-05-25 at 9.59.47 am

So today we had our last tutorial for the semester. We continued working in our groups as the Project Brief 4 is due next week.

Our group has created an e-book in which we presented part of today. The fabulous Annie has put it together so that we are able to show research into texts and more specifically advertisements.

My section includes researching television commercials and in particular cereal ads. I am looking at the way in which these are broken down (so the formula) in order to portray a particular message and this is done by watching and analysing several cereal ads.

Above is a screenshot of a convention of a cereal ad (Milo cereal). Of course the actual cereal being advertised is mentioned, however often there is a close up of the cereal box with a faded out background so that we can clearly see the subject of the ad. This is generally paired with a voice-over stating that the cereal has “healthy” ingredients.

This project has been quite interesting to explore as it is amazing to see how simple these ads are but how effective they are.

/ Progress… – Project Brief 4 /

So far I have been working away at discovering the formulas for television advertisements. I will be completing two case studies in which will show a depth of analysis into the ways in which advertisers attempt to sell individuals a product/idea.

I have decided that I will be comparing two breakfast cereal advertisements, which are targeted towards parents of today’s society. I have not yet chosen which advertisements, however I want them to be similar so that it makes the study more reliable.

I have quite enjoyed this project so far as I am learning more and more about being aware of my surroundings and enabling myself to become aware of the deconstruction process behind media texts.

Feedback from peers has been good in terms of what my group is planning to discuss and analyse. I hope it comes together well 🙂

/ Random Post about Project Brief 4 – Sound /

Screen Shot 2015-05-04 at 10.59.11 am

 

So last night I was watching the news with my family and I saw that the Kew Tram Depot was celebrating a centenary. They showed images of children using tram simulators so that they could see what it is like to drive a Tram. This shocked my brothers and I as we thought it was the coolest idea EVER.

My brothers and I are all really obsessed with any type of game simulator whether it be flight simulator, train simulator or truck simulator. So us being us, we googled ‘tram simulator’ and I found this little website: http://tramsimulator.com.au/. I clicked in and found a big red button. I clicked the button and there was just a tram ding. Not the best outcome BUT it has come in handy as for our Group 4 Project, we are creating a soundscape of the media bombardment in which we all experience every day.

We will now record this ding being played in order to add the sound of trams as a media text.

Sometimes my random thoughts can be helpful!

/ Week 8 – Lectorial Reflection /

wk8    Narrative//Non-Narrative

In this lecture we discussed Narrative and Non-Narrative. I have never heard of non-narrative before so it was incredibly insightful.

Narrative is any kind of retelling of events and is ‘everything’.

When considering narrative, we must consider:

Causality – cause and effect – Perth to Broome, you must be in Perth to get to Broome. A logical progression from one event to the next.

Character Development: Any kind of story we know of, character development takes time – its rare for us to know exactly who a character is and what their motivations are straight away. They must be presented with a number of situations in which the character must deal with. Allows a character to form from a blank canvas with events.

Plot: Chronological sequence of events in narrative. A person carrying out the action, the action itself and the person it is being carried out with/for.

Resolution:

An end.

“The stuff of story is alive and intangible”

Joseph Campbell; ‘modern myth’ or the ‘heroes journey’ – a pattern of narrative identified in many stories throughout the world.

We were then required to complete an in Class activity where we discussed the Hunger Games and the emotional highs (i.e. Katniss and Peeta winning the games)/lows (Rue dying) and the characters mapped according to prominence (Katniss then Peeta).

Repeated representations set up a pattern of expectations – if we the audience see something enough, we recognise the signs and assume what will happen next.

 

Non-narrative: no main story-line (that is typical or is something that we can assume), no speaking, the characters are just objects.

 

We watched a non-narrative film that had no main-storyline but also had elements of narrative (i.e. headings).

 

This lecture was interesting as often I overlook the importance of narrative as often it comes naturally as we experience it in our every day lives.

/ Week 7 – Lectorial Reflection /

part two
lights out for the territory – a disciplinary road map

wk7    Texts

In the first half of the lecture we discussed ‘texts’.

Where does the ‘textual analyis’ tradition come from?

‘effects’ tradition in communication studies: post WW2/mid 20th century turn against a particular idea of culture

Texts are:

  • vehicles for the production of cultural meaning (sign systems)
  • ‘texts’ in media, communications and cultural studies include cultural products, images, policy documents, social practices, institutions….
  • ‘sites were we can see the social production of ideas and values happening before our eyes’

I learnt that there is not one true accurate meaning of ‘texts’. We must also consider semiotics: A ‘sign’ can be a visual, linguistic, aural, combination etc.

Signs have two parts:

: The signifier and the signifies

– Signifier/signified – dog/(picture of dog)

– Red = signifier

(colour of red) = signified/mental concept

We then had a look at an image:

http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/documents/s4B-sem-gloss.html#P

and discussed…

Denotation = literal of first order meaning and Connotation = cultural or 2nd order meaning

Denotated – man is throwing child into swimming pool

Connotated – a father throwing his child into the swimming pool

The second half of the lecture was dedicated to sound (one of my favourite elements).

Sound is defined as noise or music and is multi-directional: 360 degree angle. It is pervasive: can’t turn it off, it is everywhere and complexly layered: hear lots of sounds at any given time/can be experienced all at once.

Sounds can be prioritized by the ear: we can do this.

  • We are continually absorbing and therefore we must constantly filter out sounds.
  • Sound is intimate (e.g. radio dj talking to listeners)
  • It is also subjective – methods of representations/aural semiotics (semiotic codes of sound place the listener in a mediated/imagined relationship with the subject of representation + two crucial codes – perspective and social distance)

Theo Van Leeuwen, ‘Perspective’ – “hierarchizes elements of what is represented”.

Sound Perspective (simultaneous sounds)

  • figure: the focus of interest
  • ground: the setting or context
  • field: the background/ambient space

Social distance: consider the kinds of speech in terms of volume, pitch, relaxed, softness hardness (single sounds)

  • intimate
  • personal
  • informal
  • formal
  • public

Technology of amplification and recording has uncoupled the two and allowed them to become independent semiotic vehicles – a whisper can be projected with the use of a microphone.

Soundscape: it is a representation of a place or an environment that can be heard rather than what can be seen.

Technical elements – pitch/volume

Temporal aspects – attack/sustain/delay

Interaction of sounds

Emotional/associative aspects of sound

Where the sounds originate from

How might we be able to create/obtain/treat them?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc – what could be the figure, ground & field sounds?

Figure – children’s voices/screams

Ground – feet touching the floor as they run

Field – wind

Above are a whole bunch of notes taken in this lecture. This has been my favourite lecture so far as I was able to look deeper into ‘sound’. I hope to someday be able to explore even further into this area as I believe it is incredibly underrated and very often overlooked (especially in cinema).