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. 

Conversational

After finally admitting that my poor, old Girl Xpress converse copies had finally had it (tears, rips, new laces and a massive hole in the bottom that lets me know when it's been raining), I obviously knew that I needed to go shoe shopping!

We (mum and I) bee-lined it straight to the DFO to the Converse outlet.

Upon arriving it was straight to the sale area, unfortunately me being a size 8 ladies means that there are rarely any left in my size by the time they reach the sales.

Looking around, I'd decided I wouldn't mind a pair of gorgeous red hightops. What I discovered, though, was and amazing section of 4 variations of DC converse; two Batman, two Superman!

OMG! If there's anything I've ever seen online that I've though "Damn, that'd be awesome!" It was definitely a pair of Batman converse.

What I'd seen online is this:

What I amazingly purchased in store today is this: 

So epic! And so epically happy! I can't wait to wear these to the new Batman movie coming out in July :D 

Along with a lovely pair of red ones (So I can rock my trench coat like David Tennant) 

Further posts will soon by update about my lovely new trench coat (coat appreciation), upcoming films I plan to see, Sherlock and Doctor Who and also Danny Boyle's Frankenstein screenings.

Annotated Bibliography

Serazio, M. (2010). When the Sportswriters Go Marching In: Sports Journalism, Collective Trauma, and Memory Metaphors, Critical Studies in Media Communication, 27:2, 155-173 

The author, Michael Serazio, a doctor at Fairfield University, used the case study of media coverage of the National Football League’s (NFL) New Orleans Saints’ success during the 2006 recovery from Hurricane Katrina to construct the critical essay which examines the correlation between sports journalism and collective memory. He theorised that sports journalism altered the memory of Hurricane Katrina in those living in the area, leading them to produce a story amongst citizens that was consistent throughout. The narrative detailed the recovery from Katrina by strongly using the metaphor of a succeeding team effort. Serazio breaks down the topic into subcategories which look at the effects of different types of metaphors and symbols separately. He also looks into any correlations between what people remember of traumatic experiences and what the news reports. He found that a lot of the time the media managed to influence how people recalled certain events to quite extreme lengths. The setting out into subheadings was useful in locating specific parts of the research. However, there was a definite lack of any coherence between topics and no concluding paragraph to sum up the relationships between each of the discussed topics. For this reason the article was reasonably confusing in the relevance of all the mentioned evidence.

Harris, R. (2012). Handshake Ban At London Olympics? British Athletes Discouraged From Greeting For Fear Of Illness. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/london-olympics-20120-british-athletes-handshakes_n_1322953.html

It was suggested that athletes participating in the 2012 London Olympics did not shake hands to try and avoid the spread of any disease. This idea was rejected by the British government, saying that such behaviour was merely ‘rude’ and ‘pointless’. The article uses interviews with spokespersons from USOC, suggesting that perhaps it is not such a terrible suggestion to prevent to any spread of virus. There is also a brief discussion about what athletes should do in the case of a delicate situation arising. The article starts strong and interesting, however it loses its flow and rhythm quite quickly. The use of tweets from the athletes makes the point of view of the article unclear – is it for or against this protocol? Also, introducing a secondary topic halfway through seems quite unnecessary and completely unrelated to the original topic that is in the headline. In comparison to the first article outlined above, this article seems thrown together without a single coherent idea. It doesn’t seem to gel well with what is expected of it, whereas the above article used subheadings to logically show the trains of thought as each paragraph was linked in some way, however not summarised.  

Balym, T. (2012). Bronte Campbell seeks a head start. Herald Sun. Retrieved from: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/london-olympics/bronte-campbell-seeks-a-head-start/story-fn9dheyx-1226338261954

An interview with Bronte Campbell, a young Australian swimmer and younger sister of bronze medallist, Cate Campbell,  about her upcoming trials in the London Olympics revealed that she is certainly confident and excited in being able to put up a fight against the other competitors. The article details briefly a few minor statistics and talks about her dive specifically. It effectively uses quotes of Bronte explaining what she hopes to do as explanations. The story makes good use of the inverted pyramid and is concise and to the point. The most important information is in the first paragraph and then the more detailed information follows towards the end. This allows the story to flow eloquently and the reader to feel satisfied with the presented information. The story ends with a summarising quote of Bronte’s confidence and hopeful triumph in the coming Olympics. This is a very suitable ending for the young swimmer, showing a true Australian spirit. The story flows much better than the academic article presented, however it doesn’t have as much depth into the theory behind sports reporting. It does demonstrate some of the chosen effects outlined in the way that this article is presented and which evidences have been used. 

Sportsmail Reporter. (2012). It's not fair! Australia's hockey coach complains about fixtures at Games. Daily Mail. Retrieved from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2148665/London-2012-Olympics-Ric-Charlesworth-complains-unfair-fixtures-Australian-hockey-team.html#ixzz1vnSyZn47

The coach of the Australian men’s hockey team expressed concerns that the scheduling of the matches was unfair, due to them have three out of five matches scheduled for a 5am start. Although his claims may be true, there is nothing to be done about them. He also has a history of claiming that the team will be disadvantaged; at the test event the coach once again protested that the playing surfaces were a disadvantage to participants. The article uses quotations from the coach as he protests and then follows them with comments that make his qualms seem trivial. This is a very effective way of showing that the arguments of the coach are not being taken seriously as he seems to be simply complaining or making excuses for his team in advance for any failure. However, at the end of the article his point about the start times being a disadvantage to the Australian team seem to be taken seriously, due to the author including all of the coach’s reported evidence. This shows a very good balance between dismissing the coach’s meaningless complaints and considering that he may have a point. It is a very well structured article, not unlike the original academic article. It is certainly the easiest and most interesting to read out of all the articles analysed. 

Flipside of a Carpenter

Many children wish to run away with the circus, and Alex is no exception. Except he has gotten a taste and wishes he could have more.

He started with dancing, primarily jazz and tap. He then transitioned into acrobatics, and finally found his way into circus performing. Boy did he love circus performing. Alex Carpenter was only 12 years old when he had his first workshop. Six years on, he’s wishing he could go back, but unfortunately his commitment to full-time study just won’t allow it.

Alex curled up in his tissue in a performance.

He told me wistfully about all the different tricks he used to perform and events he got to attend. For example, the group, Flipside Circus, would go to a function and just ‘rove’ through the crowd in costume and do basic circus tricks, such as juggling and hand balancing. He also got to participate in many performances at bigger functions where they would get a set to perform with small groups each getting to do an act. These larger acts would usually have people unicycling, balancing and performing group acrobatics and juggling.

His favourite though, was the tissue. The tissue is when a long, ribbon-like apparatus is suspended from the ceiling and the acrobat performs tricks within it, fully suspended. Other such acts would use a hoop or trapeze. But nothing could compare to the tissue. Alex said he thoroughly enjoyed it because, “A lot of people who do the tissue are usually girls, where they will get into an almost contortionist position. But because I was a guy, I could focus a lot more of my performance on feats of strength and daring drops.” Even more, he added that he enjoyed coming up with his own tricks that would look incredibly dangerous and would involve a lot of falling movement.

To an amateur, such as myself, such an idea sounds terrifying. All I could think was, ‘What if you fell?’ Alex simply said. “I never did. Apart from one time…”

“One time, when I was climbing up nice and high during the middle of a performance, I fell. Usually in a drop you are wrapped in such a way that once you start the trick it doesn’t really matter what you do, because essentially you are tied into the tissue. But the trick I was doing was one that required you to grab the tissue at the last second as you were rolling, and if you didn’t get it, you kept going and unwrapped and fell. So, the wrap I was in didn’t hold and I fell down about five metres. I grabbed back onto the tissue as I was falling, but I kept sliding down all the way to the bottom. I was left with bloody hands and lots of skin clinging to the tissue. I didn’t have time to panic. Your body just realises your falling and kind of takes over.”

Alex jumping over fire

In all honesty, something like that would usually scare someone away, but he couldn’t wait to for his hands to heal so he could climb back up again!

Alex recalled his best memory of his time in the circus. He told me, “Probably my first successful solo act. It was just me on stage with the tissue and my routine.” The emotion was strong as he recalled the memory.  He seemed euphoric, yet at the same time sorrow seemed to creep over him. “It felt so good to have it all come together and have the crowd love it,” he added.

I started to realise that this was something that he would love to do forever if he had a chance, but now he was no longer able to even do it for leisure. The pain of having to let go now shadows his happiest memories.

Alex hanging from the tissue in a performance.

Clearly, it’s something that is very much a part of who he is as a person and he’s had to give it up for his study. I asked him if he thought he’d ever go back, to which he responded:

“I want to go back all the time. I loved it so much. But I don’t think I will. I think this is one of those things that life just does. Maybe, when I’m older, but not for the foreseeable future.” 

And in that moment, his eyes downcast, he seemed deflated. Being on top of the world, looking down on the crowd from high up in his tissue nest, was what made him the Alex Carpenter he is today. He claimed that he had lost a lot of his strength since discontinuing his circus ways; but he seems stronger for the experience of having to give it up.

From the people, for the people

This week, in comparison to last, we looked at public media. The mission of public media is to serve the public. It is media in support of public and democratic processes.

So, very much opposed to commercial media, public media focuses on what we, the audience, are interested in and create media that would satisfy those interests. Money and profit is not the focus.

I personally do enjoy a good dose of public media over commercial media any day. Recently it was found the number one breakfast radio show listened to is ABC news radio! Why? Simply because there are no ads.

The confronting ads that plague you whenever you turn on the TV or radio is ridiculous, and all courtesy of commercial media.

Public media should have a 'public value'. The public value is defined by the BBC as:

1. Embedding a 'public service ethos'. 
2. Value for licence fee money
3. Weighing public value vs. market impact
4. Public consultation

Public media still requires it's own commercials to gain some profit to continue broadcasting. The below diagram demonstrates the ways in which the ABC manages this. 

The functions of public media are:

• Nation building
• National heritage
• National identity
• National conversations

Public media does have a tendency to be very serious and only shows very important matters. However, this comes across to viewers as being boring, elitist and out-of-touch. 

Public media is facing many challenges. Primarily is the ability to produce quality and relevant programs with the limited funding it receives. They must also engage with the democratic process, inform the public and be independent. All of which are making life in public media a great strain. 

While looking for more information on this topic, I came across what I believe is an American company called 'American Public Media'. There was a link to a game which allows you to control the American societies budget. I thought it was quite interesting, so you should check it out sometime. 

Budget Hero

Green eyed monster

This week the topic of commercial media was looked at. First, we compared commercial and public media.

Commercial media                                               vs.                               Public media

- Channel 9, 7, 10                                                                                   - ABC, SBS

- Go!, Gem, 7mate, 7two, one 11                                                           - ABC2, ABC3, ABCnews24

- Extra                                                                                                    - SBSTWO

- Foxtel, Austar

- News Limited, Fairfax Media, APN

- ARN, Austereo

Commercial media: Advertisers are the real customers of commercial media. 

So, commercial media is not to benefit us, the audience? Commercial media is driven by profit. It is non-government funded and relies on business success; it's business is generating audiences. How confusing. 

Commercial media uses Form & Function to generate audiences and bring in the big bucks.

Form = Commercial = Subscription, sponsorship and subsidies.
Function = Commercial, propaganda and social.

In a democratic society, commercial media must be truthful, comprehensive and intelligent. It must have an exchange of comment and criticism. It must be able to represent groups in society. It must clearly represent and clarify the goals and values of the society. It must have full access to the day's intelligence.

To keep it all under control, there are certain elements that are employed to monitor all of the above. They are:

• Formal state requirements
• Legal prescription
• State oversight
• Statutory 
• Voluntary

To guarantee social-communication functions, there is an ethical wall between commercial and social. 

On the commercial side is advertising sales; on the social is editorials. Keeping this balance allows for peace within 'The Public Sphere' ((Jurgen Habermas) A space between commerce and government where  people can debate freely (and form public opinion).)

Commercial media is now facing new challenges, such as: 

• Less revenue
• Les investment
• Les money for quality productions
• More brought-in content
• More US repeats

All of which leads to more repeats of US sitcoms and reality TV. 

What they NEED is quality, greater competition and to move existing customers to digital. 

A new interesting step for commercial media has recently come in the form of an online medium of news reports. This new websites utilises talented journalists all over the world and allows them the opportunity to write what they want. It's really quite an interesting site! 

Check it out here!

Some of the funniest videos I have found

Just a few funny videos to brighten up your day!

First off, the Laddergoat guy! Seriously, it'll make event he grumpiest of us laugh.

This guy is known for demonstrating games online - and his crazy laugh at all things non-amusing. 

I really love that when he sees the goat again he just bursts into laughter xD The best part is it never stops being funny. The best part is to watch is up to 3:40

Next we have the classic 'Old Spice'. You can't beat those hilarious ads! 

And one more to brighten up your life, 

Isn't that one smart bird, eh? 

Coming to you live on the medium waveband

So today's lecture was an audio lecture. Quite different I must say! We listened to a radio broadcast of two interviews.

"Don't miss Simple Simon's Super Sunday Smashes. I'm Simon."

From the broadcast I picked up a few hints about stories for radio:

• Make sure listeners are involved in the conversation (between presenters).
• When interviewing, tease or joke to loosen them up a bit. 
• Let the guests talk. 
• Silence is powerful

"He's the sexiest man on the planet. Hardly ever speaks. Not even when he's broadcasting, which is interesting."

• Ask questions????????????
• Expose yourself to other opinions.
• Communicate clearly
• It's about the audience! 
• Be real! 
• Read the guest's body language. 
• Be human

"Open your knees and feel the breeze, because Gavin's back to stay."

• Find the full human experience
• Talk less - listen more
• Don't give up on trying to get where you want - it doesn't matter if you fail. 

All of these tips are really quite interesting, and show that radio broadcasting has a lot to do with audience interest. Unfortunately, while I was listening to the broadcast, I had trouble keeping my attention focused on what I was listening to. Radio is usually something I listen to while doing something else. For me, I can't seem to focus solely on just the sound without doing something else. For this reason, I found the broadcast lecture not the best way to learn. 

Perhaps this was due to the presenters not following a few of the above tips. Specifically, I didn't feel completely involved in the broadcast. It was a very closed interview for the most part. This is probably one of the reasons that I did not enjoy it so much. 

Usually, however, I quite enjoy listening to radio. Perhaps it was also due to it being compulsory listening? Who knows. 

"You are listening to Radio Rock and I'm the Count, and I'm counting on you as we count down to ecstasy and rock all day and all of the night."

As you can see from the above posted pictures, one of my favourite examples of good radio is from 'The Boat That Rocked'. I love the rebellion and the pure naughtiness of everything they do.

The censorship today has gotten so much better, but they just don't seem to get the same kicks out of things as they used to.

For example, just check out this awesome little clip from 'The Boat That Rocked'.
WARNING: COURSE LANGUAGE. NOT SUITABLE FOR MINORS.


The Boat That Rocked - The F-Word

Media Usage and Production Diary

The first assessment task for JOUR1111 is to log a personal media use and production diary. Over ten days I recorded all of my media usage and production and then put all the collected data into the table below with totals for each day and platform (in minutes). A lot of the time I was multitasking media usage, so some totals seem impossibly large.

Table 1

From the data I was quite shocked to find how much media I use/produce each day - especially to find that I listened to so much radio. I had never consciously noted how much I actually listened to, because I am always doing something else as well. Comparing this to the answers given in the recent survey of the cohort, we seem to be on a fairly even par.

Graph 1

By taking the averages of what each student said their daily use roughly was, and averaging out how much I used over the week, I created the above graph. The cohort (representing the average student) and I listen to about the same amount of radio each day. This is not even reaching a full hour. From this it could be deduced that today’s generation (excepting any students who are of a more mature age in the cohort) either have little time to listen to radio or we simply don’t absorb information as well by only listening to it.

This reason could explain why, on average, daily television usage was more than double the amount of radio usage.

Graph 2

In comparison to the cohort I’m on average about 5 minutes lower. However, I will watch three hours of TV and then not watch anything for the next three nights. I personally don’t watch much news (and perhaps this is a bad habit). Instead I watch game shows (e.g. Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation) and crime shows (e.g. The Mentalist), all of which have been pre-recorded for me. This is why I am able to a large period of shows that interest me. However, this also means that I am not exposed to recent commercials or any other programs that may be aired between the shows I enjoy watching (e.g. news).

One of the main ways I do find out about news is via the internet. The online world is an amazing source of all current news and it’s certainly part of my upbringing. Once again, I have compared the average daily usage of internet between me and the cohort.

Graph 3

I had thought I was always connected to the internet, but the collected data says otherwise. It’s true that I always have the potential to connect to the internet (due to my smartphone), however it isn’t too often that I actually do. The graph above used data from online usage and online research to create my daily usage average. Also included in my online usage was my time spent on Twitter, my blog and YouTube. I chose to keep Facebook separate because I was already aware of how much I used it prior to starting the log.
This can be seen in relation to all other platforms I used in the following graph.

Graph 4

From the graph, it is noted that Facebook is one of the higher usage items. However, mobile phone usage (sending message, calls, and applications), university readings and online use are all substantially higher. My phone usage is understandably high because it is always with me. The mobile phone has become a necessity of day-to-day life. For this reason, I have come to feel at a complete loss without my mobile phone, sending more than one text message per minute.

The only media I produced over the ten days was written media. I enjoy writing leisurely (e.g. poetry, novels, etc.). So the time spent writing includes writing study notes, progress on a novel I’m writing and poetry. It doesn’t include anything that is only brief, only items that took my at least 10 minutes of writing and can be considered as writing.

From the above data it can be seen that we all spend an astonishing amount of time using media, even if we don’t realise it. We’re entering into a new generation of media everywhere, and those who say journalism is a dying form are sorely mistaken.

Once upon a time

Lecture four this week focused on 'factual story telling'.

A brief timeline of the history of print media:

17th century:
The first news bulletins/newspapers to start circulation. These were mostly handwritten until they began releasing printed periodicals which phased out handwritten newssheets.

1842:
The first newspaper to have illustrations was 'The Illustrated London News'. At the time of its release it was published weekly, and slowly phased out by 2003. These first ever newspaper illustrations were line drawings.

First illustrated newspapers with line drawings. 

1879:
The first photo to be published in a newspaper using halftones.

First published photo in a newspaper using halftones (rather than engraved image).  1879  "Steinway Hall" , (The Daily Graphic), NY.

1880:
The first published newsphoto in a newspaper.

First published newsphoto, 1880, "Shanty Town" by Henry J. Newton (The Daily Graphic).

1933:
Conflict between radio and newspapers breaks out. American newspapers attempt to force Associated Press to cease communication services to radio stations.

1936:
The first colour photo to be published in a newspaper.

First colour photo to be published. 1936, Scottish Daily Record & Mail. 

Also discussed was what makes a great photo?
A lot of these concepts I am already familiar with with my love all things Film and Television.

What makes a great photo?

• Framing
• Focus
• Angle & Point of View (POV)
• Exposure
• Shutterspeed
• Capturing 'the moment'

"A picture has no meaning at all if it can't tell a story."

The Rule of Thirds:
The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it.

Read more: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds#ixzz1pn8niewZ 



Two photos that I think utilise these ideas quite well are a couple of photos taken on the last day of year 12.

"Looking to the Future". Photo taken by Aliane Bylicki

This first image utilises a nice close-up frame, focusing clearly on the eye. It is the eye of a year 12 student who is nearly finished with his schooling life. The angle gives slight dominance to the subject, hinting at the power we all feel when we near our (final) completion of 12 years of schooling. If you look carefully, the reflection of school grounds is also visible.

Rule of Thirds applied

When applying the rule of thirds, it can be seen that the centre of the eye falls almost precisely on the top line. Also, the main segment of the eye is in the top third, and therefore draws a lot of attention.

"Bubbles of Fun". Photo taken by Kate Dunstan

This image is very well done for something just taken as a quick pic. The picture is quite aesthetically pleasing. This is due to the rule of thirds. It is also an excellent example of capturing 'the moment'. The pure joy on her face is very evident, and a story can quickly be deducted.

Rule of thirds applied

The main stream of bubbles in this image are along the bottom line. This acts as a vector which returns the viewer's eye to the main subject of the photo. Due to her being off-centered, she is immediately what is focused on.

And of course, if there's a photo that's ever perfectly captured the moment, it is, of course, this end of war photograph shot by Alfred Eisenstaedt.

"V-J Day in Times Square"

So from the start of print media to the end, the perfect image will always be valuable. Do you have one?

"If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good picture." Eddie Adams.

Women in Comics

Haha. Aren't comics funny? Especially the old ones!

Well, recently I've been reading a few popular 'adult' graphic novels. And I've detected a common theme amongst those that I've read (Batman, Fly and X-Men): Half-dressed females! It is ridiculous the lack of fabric is alocated to these poor girls to dress themselves for crime fighting!

This is the cover of a comic called 'Fly'. I picked this up the other day, and a friend questioned my sexuality. This got me thinking, "I actually just ignore this now, because I know the story will probably be decent."
Oh dear. I have become so numb to the explicit drawings in these comics, that I just ignore them now!
We are potentially losing all of our self-dignity with images like this floating around.

Unfortunately, I think one of the worst comic book series for this sort of thing is the X-men. With so many different female characters, they seemed to run out of fabric pretty fast! Even when going to google some of the X-men characters, suggestions such as "*character* hot" or "*character* sexy" are showing up. It's so disappointing that these comics are so graphic in more ways than one; but even more so that we simply don't seem to care. 

But, the costume that leaves the least to the memory goes to.......*drumroll*

Poison Ivy! Wearing nothing but leaves, in true Adam and Eve style.

If you would like to read more, here are some good links:

The Problem Of Women In Comics: Where They Are (and Aren't) [Opinion] 

The Big Sexy Problem with Superheroines and Their 'Liberated Sexuality'
Sexy Sexism in Comics

Texting texting? Is this thing on?

This week we focused on text and how it really is evolving and changing and everywhere in our lives

We were told that text is: fast; flexible; controlled; searchable; online. 

For these reason text has been able to evolve over so many centuries to what it is today - a very popular online media. 

Without text, we would have no Facebook (heaven forbid!), no online research, and certainly this blog wouldn't exist! And so we must be grateful for text and appreciate it. 

Especially in the world of a writer, text is a very loyal friend. It is an excellent form of mass communication. 

An excellent use of text recently is the way that online we are able to have conversations or discussion about a certain topic with people from all over the world. While in the conversation we are able to easily locate extra information and simply link people to back up arguments, etc. These technology are seriously pushing us forward through the new age of technology, and hopefully journalists will be able to keep up. 

Having online blogs is one way journalists utilise both text and the online platform. 

Another new form of news text and media is news games! In class we were shown one called 'Cutthroat Capitalism'. It was quite an interesting experience. The game featured around the events of real pirates of the coasts boarding ships and holding crew hostage until they were paid a specific amount. The game allows you to experience this from the pirates' perspective. 

http://www.wired.com/special_multimedia/2009/cutthroatCapitalismTheGame 

I went and further researched other news games that are currently available online and found the following:

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/563589 

http://www.peacemakergame.com/ 

http://tempestincrescentcity.ning.com/game 

And there are heaps more out there if you just google it. It's really quite an amazing way to get an inside view on the news. 

Evolution of web

The topic of the lecture this week was 'New News'. It focused strongly on the different webs and how it is affecting news today.

Web 1.0

Web 1.0 is defined as the information web and focused specifically on companies. It was like a big brochure full of advertising. It was the start of the interwebs generation and was naturally very basic. Personally, I found it highly irritating to use - too many ads (irony?).

Now we have moved into a newer generation of the web. The younger, more-loved sibling of dear, old Web 1.0.

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is the social web that we all know and love today. Obviously it is strongly focused on social groups and mass communication. Today, I find it highly unlikely that any person living in an established country does not use some form of social media from time to time. Even those old grans and pops are logging in to these 'good-for-nothing-computing-machines' to use programs such as Skype to talk to family all over the world. Web 2.0 is also very much focused on 'prod-users' (producer users). It is allowing everyone to be linked to each other, and it creates a network where you can get anything you want out there (good or bad.)

Web 3.0

And now, still newly emerging, we have web 3.0. This brand new web is focusing on the individual specifically and is also known as the "semantic web". It uses metatagging, hyperlocalisation and specific content delivery to help find information that is specifically relevant to the individual alone. However, this has many possible downfalls. Primarily: ignorance! 

Given the opportunity to only choose news which the individual find interesting, there's a very likely chance that ignorance of other important issues, however uninteresting, will grow exponentially. World coverage of news may be quickly forgotten, and only some news will be known to some people who choose to know it. 

Now isn't that a scary possibility?