CaptiveHeart: Award Winning Director (maybe)

In senior years in high school, I took Film and Television as a class and it was the best choice I ever made. It was incredibly inspirational and so much fun. And so, I will here showcase my work in film and how it has evolved.

September, 2008

August, 2009

July, 2010

July, 2011

My portfolio of film over 4 years. 

Gaming

Games recently purchased: 

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3)
• Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
• Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PS3)
• Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3)
• Guildwars 2 (preordered) (PC)

Ok so initial impressions of each of these games: 

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

So, admittedly I never played the original one, but I noticed that this one seemed very popular in EB games recently. I figured 'Why not?' and decided to give it a go. 

The first cut scenes leave a bit to be desired with the graphics, but that's always a balancing act between quality and efficiency running the game. 

In the augmentation cut scene though, I was starting to find that this game was more of a mash-up of F.E.A.R. and Iron Man and Assassin's Creed. 

But still more to be played, although I hope it improves. Seems a bit...mehh at the moment. 

Final Fantasy XIII

I have previously attempted to play a Final Fantasy game, but I decided the dodginess of the gameplay was due to me attempting to play it on a DS. This time I've chosen one of the more recent games and have gotten it on PS3 in the hope that it will be more interesting and have a better gameplay experience. 

I haven't actually had an opportunity to play it yet, but I'm hoping it will be good, mostly due to the great reviews I've gotten from friends. 

Anyway, the trailer looks good, so I hope it'll keep me entertained. My brother certainly seems to enjoy it. He described it as being a bit like Bayonetta and Star Ocean. It's definitely a very stereotypical Asian game in any respect.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North

My brother got Aragorn's Quest on Wii not too long ago, and I quite enjoyed it. I have also previously played another DS game of Lord of the Rings that was also quite good (although DS is not a very good console). So for these reasons I decided that War in the North ought to be fairly decent. 

You can choose from playing as either the dwarf, Farin, the elf, Andriel or the ranger, Eradin. Of course, myself being a massive elven lore fan, I chose to play as Andriel (also the only female character). 

The gameplay is decent and gives you a basic tutorial in walkthrough. Each character has their own story, and they all work together to make their way through. 

The downside that I am seeing at the moment, however, is that there isn't much that is challenging or puzzling, which is something that I particularly enjoy in games (being a fan of the The Elder Scrolls, Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew). As far as I can tell, so far it is all about killing as many orcs as you can and beating your way to the next area. I have my hopes for this game though, especially with the soon release of The Hobbit. 

If you are interested in more information about the game, there is a really nice website that gives you the stories behind the characters and what's happening in Middle Earth, etc. http://www.warinthenorth.co.uk/

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Yes, I am aware that this isn't exactly a new game, and I have played it before, but my brother really wanted to own a copy. Not that I mind too much. I quite enjoy playing zombies (in teams though, otherwise that's a bit scary). After having a lan party earlier this year with a team of four fighting zombies, it was certainly a game I quite liked. The campaign is quite short. And if you want more maps in zombies you need to buy them separately. It has been a very popular game though, and I'm sure you all know enough about it without me rambling. So here's the trailer. 

Guildwars 2

And finally, we come as we inevitably must, to Guildwars 2. I was a big fan of Guildwars when I was about 14 and me and a few friends all decided to get it and play together. This time around, me and ALL of my friends (worldwide) are planning on getting it and playing together. 

It's coming at a perfect (and not so perfect) time because of recently starting uni. As comes with the territory, I don't get to see all my old friends as much. And so, we decided, what better way to keep in touch than to go kick some Charr-butt together? 

In the original I enjoyed playing as a Ranger/Elementalist or a Mesmer/Ranger. In this new version we'll be allowed to choose a race and also our professions (not sure if duel professions will continue). I'm thinking I will definitely keep to my tradition of being a Ranger (although the new professions do interest me) and if I may duel I will probably choose Thief as my secondary profession (they look like they would go together quite well). My race will be Sylvari, they are almost Elven. I guess it's pretty clear, I love ranged weapons, primarily bows, and have a thing for elves (thank-you Tolkein). 

Because I preordered the game, I get a three day headstart on all those who haven't. (And I will definitely need it so as to not fall behind with my guy friends). 

There are also beta weekends frequently. The release date is still yet to be confirmed, but many people are saying September this year. Arenanet has said that they are conducting the beta weekends to make sure that everything is perfect, and so as long as there are improvements to be made, the release date will be postponed. The only way of deciding the date depends on the beta trials. 

Because of this no official trailer has been released, however there is a fanmade trailer with reasonable quality. 

Also, the Guildwars 2 website offers mini-trailers for skills each of the professions have and also a look over the games landscape. This definitely looks like the upgrade the original was in need of. http://www.guildwars2.com/en/

Steve Molk

For our final lecture we had a guest speaker, Steve "Molk" Molkington. He is a very professional, online journalist and spoke to us about the platforms of online journalism.
He also has is own website: http://molkstvtalk.com/ which posts many interesting stories.
Since hearing him speak, I've taken the liberty of further looking into online news journalism and work that he's done.
Being in an online medium seems to be quite a difficult/high maintenance area.

• You need to be connected, and heavily. Steve has accounts in practically every form of social networking available. 
• You need to stay up-to-date with everything. You must be at the forefront of all breaking stories because online is where it's happening.
• You have to be able to maintain your contacts. Which involves a lot of time and organisation.You have to be there online doing everything you can, but also not offending anyone with your opinions. 

In all honesty, being localised online seems like an immense balancing act which leaves not a lot of time for getting out into the real world (off the computer). 

After his lecture, I feel more intimidated than inspired to go after this kind of platform in journalism. But it was certainly an interesting experience. 

Find the pace, stop all the clocks, set the agenda.

Before I really get into it, there are four agendas that first need to be looked at. They are:

1. The public agenda
2. Policy agenda
3. Corporate agenda
4. Media agenda

And all of them are interrelated. 

Now, what we as the public perceive to be reality, is really a jumbled-up mixture of what reality actually is and how the media has augmented it to make a media reality. Mass media filters and shapes the reality that we believe in. What this means is that when a story is very prominent in the media and is receiving a lot of media attention, we as the public then believe that this must be more important than other stories. (Obviously this is not always true). 

The easiest way to think about agenda setting is to put it into a simple list, the agenda setting family. 

This is one crazy family, and they are made up of...

• Media gatekeeping: what the public is told/not told. 

"I am the gatekeeper, are your the keymaster?"

• Media advocacy: purposeful promotion of a message

"Don't shoot the messenger!"

• Agenda cutting: amount of attention - how much the public cares

"I'm not finished,"

Agenda surfing: follows the trends; the bandwagon effect

"He's a morph,"

• Diffusion of news: how, when and where news is released, who decides? 

Jagrafess

All of these things are linked to how issues are portrayed in the media. But how they are portrayed depends greatly on how the public perceives them. When portrayals vary it is usually because the public find their own perceptions. 

The more dependent the public is on the media, the easier and more influenced they are by what the media says. 

"You repel me,"

Investigative journalism! 

It is intelligent (making the right choices)

It is informed (knowing the facts)

It is intuitive (knowing when to stop and go, are they lying to you?)

It is inside (getting on the inside to get the information you need, trustworthy)

It is an investment (are you prepared to take a risk to get the information?)

But what is the purpose of investigative journalism? 

Well firstly, it is critical and thorough journalism, getting the most accurate and correct story in the most detail possible. Critical means it is a thorough is an active participant. The key idea is "active intervention". Thorough means that the journalist puts in a substantial amount of time and effort so that they may discover the truth behind the story.

Secondly, it involves the custodians of conscience by Ettema & Glasser. It takes the society's norms and asks for the public to scrutinize the and decide whether or not they trust or believed this to be true. They key idea is "exposure". Nothing is to be left in the dark or hidden, everything open, under the eye of scrutiny. 

Thirdly it is providing a voice for those who don't have one and to hold those in power accountable for all they have done. It holds strong the values of social justice. Allowing those who would normally not have a chance to be heard to shout out to the world their story. To let everyone know that they are there and this is happening to them. The key idea behind this is "public interest". 

Finally, it has been known to use things such as the fourth estate/fourth branch of government/watchdog. 

• Fourth estate is when journalist take into the consideration the interests of those without power in order to create a balance against the power of the government.
• Fourth branch of government is when a journalist ensures a free flow of information that is necessary for the function on a democracy. This is done by interrogating the judiciary, executive and legislature. 
• Watchdog is when journalists make public personalities and institutions whose functions impact the social and political lives of society accountable.

So these are all the things that need to be considered while being an investigative journalist. One thing that isn't emphasized enough, though, is how dangerous it can be. Going into the line of fire for the story, you're risking your safety and the safety of those you love just to get a story. That is why you need to weigh up the pros and cons beforehand. Still, it's an incredibly dangerous field and there are often journalists shot down in the line of duty because of it.
And on that note, here are a few trailblazers of the investigative journalism profession, who ought to be remembered.

• "The Sydney Monitor" Edward Hall Smith (1826) 
• "The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon" William Booth (1885) 
• "Watergate" Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein (1972-74)
• "The Moonlight State" Christ Masters, Phil Dickie, Shaun Hoyt
• Julian Assange (Wikileaks)

What exactly is it that investigative journalists should be looking to investigate though? How do they know where a story has more to it, and when to just leave it as is? 

It is known that you must ALWAYS check your facts and never assume anything. 

Investigative journalists will use all types of methods such as looking into interviews conducted, old documents and files, trespasses, leaks, etc. in order to find a lead into a story. 

However online news is once more threatening another realm of journalism, this time our sluethy reporters. With there being less money going towards news corporations (due to less people actually paying for their news), there is less money that can be spent on paying journalists and allowing them to take their time in finding out all their information for these stories. 

There is also the continuation of the journalistic facts vs. the public propaganda and which is more important to the public. Currently, we all want sensationalist news stories, and so there isn't as much call for investigative journalists to actually find out information and report on the truth. 

Now all that is in question is where does the future of investigative journalism lie? Some would like to believe online, on YouTube even. But is this really the future? Or just a way of attempting to survive until we once more circle back for our thirst for truth.

And as my parting gift to you, if ever you were looking to see how investigative journalists are portrayed by today's entertainment media, you need look no further than the amazing 'Reichenbach Fall'.

And the moral of this story? Don't piss off a determined investigative journalist.

Values of News

News values are the degree of prominence a media outlet gives to a particular story.

They are usually rated under the following criteria:

1. Impact

Anything that grabs our attention and makes us react. 

2. Audience identification

Things that are related to the audience, that is local, that is relevant. Anything that is interesting to the local audience or affects the viewers. 

3. Pragmatics - ethics

Includes thing such as facticity, practice vs. practicalility, current affairs and everyday news. 

4. Source influence

Journalism and public relations need to work together in the current time so that stories are accurate, have trustworthy sources and are able to stand up against scrutiny.

 

But how do the news companies decide what news they will run? How do they know what is the most newsworthy story? 

Well, 'If it bleeds-it leads!' or, more recently there is also, 'If its local-it leads!'

A table of news values and how they rate in relation to newsworthiness is displayed below.

There are also three hypotheses of newsworthiness: 

• The additivity hypothesis - that the more factors an event satisfies, the higher the probability that it becomes news.
• The complimentarity hypothesis - that the factors will tend to exclude each other. 
• The exclusion hypothesis - that events that satisfy none or very few factors will usually not become news.

Galtung & Ruge

A review of these hypotheses by O'Neill & Harcup presented a revised number of hypotheses that justify newsworthiness. 

1. THE POWER ELITE. Stories concerning powerful individuals, organisations or institutions.
2. CELEBRITY. Stories concerning people who are famous.
3. ENTERTAINMENT. Stories concerning sex, showbusiness, human interest, animals, an unfolding drama, or offering opportunities for humorous treatment, entertaining photographs or witty headlines.
4. SURPRISE. Stories that have an element of surprise and / or contrast.
5. BAD NEWS. Stories with particularly negative overtones, such as conflict or tragedy.
6. GOOD NEWS. Stories with particularly positive overtones such as rescues and cures.
7. MAGNITUDE. Stories that are perceived as sufficiently significant either in the numbers of people involved or in potential impact.
8. RELEVANCE. Stories about issues, groups and nations perceived to be relevant to the audience.
9. FOLLOW-UP. Stories about subjects already in the news.
10. NEWSPAPER AGENDA. Stories that set or represent the news organisation’s own agenda.

So to summarise, news values are what allows editors and such to determine what is relevant and appropriate news to publish. They measure the stories against these criterion and then publish what will get them the most views or most bought newspapers. It is all about optimising the news sales for that day/week/month/etc. 

"Ethics is nothing else than reverence for life."

Ethics are applied to every field you will ever study in, and they are particularly important in Journalism due to the touchy subject matter that we tend to cover.

There are three paradigms that allow us to understand ethics. They are:

1. Downtology - rules and principles based
2. Consequentialism - Doesn't matter what the process is so long as the consequences are right. 
3. Virtue ethics - good habits of character. 

So lets look at these a bit clearer individually. 

Downtology

Downtology is based on a code of ethics and rules. It is the journalism code (and no, they're not more like guidelines really.) 

It includes attributes such as honesty, fairness and balanced reports. However, it doesn't state that it needs to be objective. 

Consequentialism

Consequentialism focuses on only needing to have the right outcome. 'The end justifies the means'. This, however, can lead to much controversy due to whatever method being best for the outcome is therefore justified. 

Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics focus on goodness being equivalent to a sense of happiness. 

The virtues are courage, justice, temperance and patience - all from experience. 

Ethics allow us to use a code of conduct as we work, so we know our limits.