Tag Archives: media

No comments

RWAV Blog: Week 3 & 4 (and maybe a little bit of Week 2) – The Demo

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • March 24, 2017 , , , ,

As the Room with a View studio begins to really kick off with groups formed and demo’s being recorded, I thought I would reflect so far on how the class has been going and the demo my group recorded.

This task asked us to get together in the studio and record a full hour of a show so that we could reflect on our work and practice before the real live show as a group and in our specific roles. It was great to finally get together and practice using a run sheet that would be similar to the one for the live show. It allowed us to have a play around with song choices, ways we present and stings/promos we could use. The intro was also played many times to practice how long it needed to be played for on the actual day. Of course, I have never presented with Dusty before nor worked with her so ultimately  this demo session was important for us to work out how we communicate with each other whilst on air i.e. hand signals or live updating of the script. It was also an important time for Rose to work out how exactly to panel operate and to ensure the running sheet was adequately filled with promos and stings so that it could be templated for our actual show.

At this stage, we were still finalising our interviewee’s so instead, we interviewed each other. In week 2, in order to get ahead so that we were not snowed under with other commitments, we attempted to get our demo done and dusted. Only issue was that I had to leave early and we rushed too much into it… therefore didn’t have a proper working run sheet. In this circumstance, Liv filled in for my presenting role for the rest of the session so that Rose could practice panel operating.

From here in Week 3, we went on to record our demo with a working run sheet and script. However, as the hour was over, we realised that audacity had recorded the show going live to air, rather than our pre-recorded show. At this point, we were all feeling pretty exhausted after having just done what we thought, was a perfect show.  However, we knew that the demo just had to be completed so we did it then and there again. I think what we learnt from this process was that it’s important to ALWAYS test everything required before the show, something I will definitely think about when recording my interview. I think this also did us some favours as we were able to have an extra live session together before the real live show, allowing us to start to understand deeper into how we all work and how the show might actually turn out. I think Dusty and I started becoming quite good friends at this point which obviously helps with on air chemistry. This time Liv had to leave early but being the in the producing role, this wasn’t such a big deal as a lot of her work is about the pre-live show i.e. organising interviews etc.

At the end of the day we knew there were a few things we had to work on. This included ensuring that Dusty and I balanced out questions so that one of us doesn’t take TOO much of the lead during an interview. It’s sometimes difficult when you get caught up in the moment of the interview and continuously ask questions to find that the last 5 questions have been from the same presenter. This will be fixed for the live show by ensuring that Dusty and I sit in a way that allows us to both see each other and the interviewee so that we can communicate with each other i.e. with eye contact + hand gestures.

You can find annotations on the more technical issues and things that went well on the demo recorded under my username ‘sammyscrammy’, as well as any other comments left by my teammates. Here: https://soundcloud.com/user-960295125/rwav-demo or see embed link below. 

I’m really looking forward to doing my individual interview and the live show!

No comments

RWAV Blog: Week 1 & 2 – A New Beginning

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • March 10, 2017 , ,

This semester I have taken the ‘Room with a View’ media studio. The course enables students to gain some practical radio experience at 3RRR every Monday from 12-1PM. Students rotate between on and off air roles (producing, social media, panel operating, presenting etc.) but I am hopeful that I will score a presenting role at some point within the Semester, to enable myself to work on a different radio station with a different audience and show style.

Coming into the course, I currently do a breakfast and news show on SYN 90.7, so I am hopeful that the skills gained from these shows will enable me to succeed within the course + I am looking forward to doing something a little different to what I’m used to.

Before getting really into the assessment tasks, we were taken to the 3RRR studios and given a run down of the history and what to expect from the station as well as our specific show. The studios are really well set up and spaced out. The panel looks a little intense, however it feels just as easy to operate with a few minor changes from the SYN panels after having a quick go.

Stay tuned for more blogs about my RWAV journey!

No comments

Searching da web for dogz

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • May 16, 2016

As part of my final group project, I’ve decided to look around the interwebz for some inspiration. I did a google search for ‘why you shouldn’t buy dogs at pet stores’ and the first link to come up was this.

It’s interesting how this website doesn’t have much interactivity. It means well, yet I reckon listing 8 points as to why you shouldn’t buy dogs from pet stores isn’t the best idea, as people will most likely skim through, or click away.

Perhaps if they had made a more interactive space with a Q&A so that people could learn a thing or two, or even just having some images that click through to the treatment of animals in both breeding places and pet stores, so that people can face the facts.

Screenshot 16 May 2016

Screenshot of dot point 3 as to why you shouldn’t buy dogs from pet stores with links (hypertext).

However, they have provided a few links in some of their points as seen in the image above, yet it appears that they only have this for definitions, in case you are unsure as to what i.e. ‘purebred’ means. It’s a start, but the inclusion of more images or sound as mentioned above would definitely make this more appealing to people and would certainly make me more invested in the topic.

No comments

To Voice Overs and beyond!

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • April 6, 2016

So as some of you may not know, I undertook this Bachelor of Media in an attempt to explore the world of media, before I attempted to become a media presenter. I’ve already learnt so much from the course and I know that there is still so much more to learn.

There are some things I’ve learnt that I didn’t think I would ever need to know about, but it’s an amazing feeling knowing that I now have skills that other media presenters may not necessarily have. I think as well, these skills open up so many other doors and career paths for me, so I will always feel I have a place in the industry.

Before Easter and my stomach full of Haigh’s Chocolate, I went into the studio with a guy named Peter. He heads up a company named Audio and Image Solutions PTY LTD, who in short, is an “Australian company that provides all forms of multimedia production and services” (Audio and Image Solutions website, ‘About Us’ page). We recorded a voice over demo that showcased some of my best and different style reads. I then went away over the Easter break and showed it to my friends and family, who gave me feedback on what they liked, didn’t like and what I should keep or change. I think being able to seek feedback from those close to you is really a hard thing, because sometimes they’ll be more honest, which can in turn be a little too harsh. But I loved every single piece of feedback I was given. The more constructive it is, the better it is.

I went into the studio yesterday (5th of April, 2016) and took all this constructive feedback into the studio. My demo went from a 5 to an 9. I got rid of a few reads that I didn’t feel showcased my work very well, and added in some new reads that I definitely think reflected particular styles that I have. I’m really happy with where it’s at, at the moment, and am really looking forward to seeing where it takes me.

So without further ado, attached below is the demo. Have a listen and let me know what you think in the comments below! Here’s to *hopefully* a future in Voice Over.

 

1 Comment

Reading Week 2 – Network Literacy

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • March 7, 2016

The reading for Week 2 in Networked Media made me really consider the way the world is changing. Because of the fact that we are becoming more technological than ever before, we can begin to compare the old ways of finding a categorised book in a library to finding information on blogs and being able to categorise information.

It fascinates me that there is this term ‘network literacy‘. You would think that it means that one is literate in computers (understanding the functions of a computer). But in actual fact, network literacy is the ability to participate in various networks that we can share knowledge through. It’s an understanding of the “logics or protocols of these networks” (Miles, pg. 26). It includes a basic comprehension of network identities, privacy settings and communities.

This idea reminds me of Twitter and the ability to use hashtags. I am a huge user of Twitter and I find that I have definitely been able to voice my opinions over the years with hashtags. I’ve even had photos posted and retweeted several hundred times, as my opinion is shared by many. Screen Shot 2016-03-11 at 12.19.20 PM

Hashtags allow any user within the network to comment on a particular topic, allowing any type of person to comment on something. These people don’t necessarily have to be professors in the area but just need some sort of opinion on a topic.

In order for me to become more network literate, I have decided that I want to further comprehend information filters within various networks. This will enable me to assess and interpret the quality of various information I find more efficiently, allowing my blog posts to become a lot more concise and to the point.

Often it is easy to trust any site that you Google, but I think it’s important to use my resources through university, my fellow peers or preferred blogs as often their ideas will be more precise, or more creative.

As Adrian Miles states, it’s important to use tags to catalogue different works. This makes it very easy for others to roam through your blog to find information they are after and also makes a blog become a part of a wider community of users who also tag posts of similarity. This allows you to become a part of a broader community of users.

Week 2 Reading: Miles, Adrian. Network Literacy: The New Path to Knowledge [online]. Screen Education, No. 45, 2007: 24-30.

Featured Image from: https://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/files/2011/09/netlit_wordcloud.png

No comments

RMIT Student Charter

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • March 4, 2016

http://www1.rmit.edu.au/staff/studentadmin/studentcharter

Keeping in touch with the RMIT Student Charter, I will be posting quality work that reflects my respect for all students and staff alike at RMIT. I will also keep in mind the responsibility I have to keep my blog safe and respectable as it is a personal folio of my work.

No comments

/ Completion of Project Brief Four /

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • June 4, 2015 , ,

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.

 

No comments

/ Annotated Bibliography from Popular Culture /

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • June 1, 2015 , , , ,

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.

No comments

/ Week 12 – Lectorial Reflection /

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • May 26, 2015 ,

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).

No comments

Follow my yellow brick road

  By samanthabeniacbrooks • March 3, 2015 , , ,

So hello,

My name is Samantha Beniac-Brooks however I prefer to be called Sammy. It’s my first year in BComm Media and I’m feeling very excited to be starting my dream course. I hope to become a Media Presenter!

This blog has been created so that I can submit work on a public forum so feel free to leave any comments on posts or send me a message! I hope I can be teach you some things about the media as I go on my journey to learn more about the media also. I’m so incredibly excited to have a place where I can share my work to the public! I have always wanted a blog but have never had the time to keep up with it. However RMIT shall keep me in line!

Here is a link to a website run by a few of my favourite celebrities. It’s (I quote credit to the website) “a positive online community for women (although men are always welcome!) covering DIY and crafting projects, beauty, friendship, sex & relationships, pop culture, pets, television & movies, nostalgia, fandom, tips on savvy and stylish living meant to inspire a smile – founded by Zooey Deschanel, Molly McAleer and Sophia Rossi.”

Take a peek and let me know what you think. I’m sure you’ll become just as obsessed as I am!

http://hellogiggles.com/

I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I will enjoy creating it and posting!

Happy reading!

Peace xoxo