/ 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

 

/ Week 12 – Lectorial Reflection /

Wow… well it’s the last lecture for Semester one. Crazy to think how quickly this semester has come and gone.

Today in the last lecture we discussed Media Materialism.

Some notes I took:

Culture

  1. identifying subgroups within population – youth group etc.
  2. the world as culture, humankind – think about humanity as a whole/we are a human culture
  3. art, theatre, cinema: creative expression – what you would find in the newspaper under culture.
  • Culture is multiple – different classes/races/ages
  • Messy, unpredictable, confused.
  • Brian Eno – “culture is everything we do not have to do” – we don’t need to have certain cuisines or clothing but we need to be clothed and need to eat. (we could survive without them)
  • Culture is something that we do, but also something that we are.

Technological Determinism: Technology determines its own path – each development has a preconceived course

  • – Invention of the Walkman – shut out oral cues of the world, we could shape our own music.

Social Constructivism: we control it

  • No matter how radical the innovation is, we ultimately have control.
  • Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
  • It is not a straight line, it is unpredictable.

 

It is interesting to consider the idea of culture and the way in which it is alive within the media. This lecture confused me a little as I am quite exhausted from a long semester. However it was interesting to hear of the different ideas in culture focused on the theory that technology is pre-determined and has a direct path compared with the theory that we control everything and technology is unpredictable (social constructivism).

/ Week 4 – Lectorial Reflection /

wk4  Media integrates theory and practice  [theory + creative practice + disciplinary knowledge]

Both Adrian Miles and Liam Ward came and spoke to us today.

Adrian Miles discussed the idea that media is the integration of theory and practice. He said that stories aren’t everything and that we must act on our thoughts in order to make it something as thinking means nothing in terms of the final product, in the media world. It made me realise that it is important to get off my backside and start making a name for myself in the world in order to provide myself with the best possible future opportunities within broadcasting.

Liam Ward discussed editing: it is not about “fixing problems”. It is about deliberately breaking things (putting gaps in there) – encouraging viewers to have fun with the ideas. If you break it – it creates meaning – Why those parts? What does it mean? Why those edits?

We considered, 2001 Space Odyssey – primates fighting over water (using tools to fight) : cut: history of human species – from using bones to break things, to orbiting the earth with a spaceship.

And the 1920s – the chair is more than just a picture – it has colours/meanings – what the images can mean rather than just what they are.

We must consider the spatial/temporal relations of media.

/ Week 3 – Lectorial Reflection /

wk3  Media is a public practice [that is, an engagement with the world and others requiring a philosophical and practical ‘ethics’]

Media is a public practice [that is, an engagement with the world and others requiring a philosophical and practical ‘ethics’]  (taken from Media One blog lecture notes).

In this lecture, Annie Lennox (not the singer, however I do wish it was) discussed the ethics surrounding copyright and the restrictions.

We discussed rights of ownership – the rules of ownership – creator/author first owner and the exceptions i.e. employer ownership/contract assignment/licence.

Duration of copyright is for 70 years however this can differ throughout the world.

In this lecture I learnt that it is incredibly important to create your own work but if you are wanting to copy/reproduce/publish/adapt something you must respect the rights of the original works and gather licenses where necessary.