ShaneyahG

Welllllllllllll we finally tied up the loose ends from out OTHER project, the media art one (we are soooooo slack...) but there is no way in a million years, well actually we definitely could in a million years, but we have 4 days, which isn't very close to a million anything except maybe seconds, I'm not sure and I'm not planning on counting or working it out anytime soon... uh... right - there is no way that we can finish our doco in time. So we are making it a promo instead so we can get SOME marks from it without having to live at school for the rest of the week and use hand puppets to represent students.

I still have some outcomes to cover but I'll probably be doing that at home because of exam prep and also finishing our wooooork. 

Outcome 3 Aspect 3 - use strategies to investigate and comment on media works and evaluate media productions.  Level 6 - use investigative processes, frameworks and appropriate media language and structure to analyse media works, present ideas and evaluate productions, considering effects of alternative approaches. When analysing films, etc, use media terminology and look at different ways of doing things as well.  

Investigative processes and frameworks are, I suppose, some of the things that we have posted around the classroom and in our folios - SCAMPER, SWAT, PET BAT etc. that just give you a set of questions and considerations that you need to deconstruct meanings and evaluate the process by which we as an audience derive meaning from media works, and the techniques that a producer might use to guide us towards specific messages and impressions. We use these frameworks and processes to decide which techniques will allow us to best present our message to our audience. We have to consider not only the demographics of our intended audience but be aware of alternate messages that we could be presenting to audiences of a different type (cultural, chronological, etc.). Alternate approaches - such as releasing a noir or media art film into the Hollywood sector - can have positive or negative effects, either by being unusual and engaging, or incomprehensible and off-putting for the audience. We made use of media terminology and considered different approaches in the essays we wrote this year, explaining how we had used the frameworks to analyse the films we watched and determine how the process of creating affected the film and how the final product affected both the intended audience and alternate ones. 

Outcome 3 Aspect 2 - understand interrelationships between media works, cultural contexts and audiences. Level 6 - understand that media works, cultural context and audience are interrelated and that a range of cultural factors shapes the readings of alternative media works. Understand that where and when it was made and who it was made for influence show we interpret the film, etc. 

Media works are geared towards what they know that their intended audience will easily understand and will like. However the content of contemporary media works establishes their own trend as to what the culture likes to consume. An audience will follow trends as they lead into each other, determined by what is being produced and how the audience reacts to it. Trends, socio-political and socio-cultural factors, as well as developments in science, technology, religion and moral/ethical issues of the day and the individual tastes determined by subtle shifts in society make for a different ‘flavours' of media works over the years and in different cultures. Something that was popular a few decades ago in one place may become a ‘classic' that communicates over the age gap, or it may become an obsolete relic. Just as something from one side of the world becomes incomprehensible or somehow strikes the chords of universal experience. Interpretation depends on your life experience - your cultural values, your media exposure and expectations, your intellectual and emotional capacities.

In our case, we are creating a film for students by students, but must make it acceptable and palatable to the rest of the community. We endeavour to use contemporary techniques as much as possible and the technology we use is also contemporary - this more out of necessity than a deliberate choice. Because our audience is not going to be just students we had to be careful with what we said and even implied. We do, however, have good background knowledge of our audience since this is a culture that we have all lived in for quite a while!

Outcome 4 Aspect 1 - draw from a range of strategies to investigate and critically evaluate extended challenging media works, communicate opinions and evaluate productions, considering purpose, the impact of specific choices and appeal to intended audience or client Level 6 - understand technologies developed for different purposes and markets bring about change in society, and how a range of controls and constraints impacts on media production and use. Note the changes in society that bring about and come from the use of new technologies and how financial, government and legal controls affect media.

I will use to dissect this outcome a media work I think qualifies as ‘extended and challenging' - the German film Run, Lola, Run. As a feature film it is definitely an ‘extended' work and for an Australian audience it is challenging because of its narrative structure, style and because it is in a foreign language.

To analyse this film you definitely have to have a good working knowledge of codes and conventions, and of media art. You should be able to understand the impact that subtitles have on an audience and be able to compare the reading that the original, intended audience will derive from viewing the film with the reading that an Australian audience will most likely derive.

Outcome 1 Aspect 3 - present ideas, designs and/or production plans. Level 6 - create and present detailed scripts, plans and design proposals that show the development of ideas, and the merits of different options for particular purposes and audiences. Present pros/cons for target audiences and screening target for each idea covered, and all expected paperwork associated with the task.

Yeah I'm not fabricating a bunch of random scripting for this outcome. I've done all of this stuff in exams and previous assignments.

Allllright well seeing as Stuart is currently in his human biology exam and I have a feeling Jackie's gone home... and I can't access any of our footage because its all on Stuart and Damo's accounts... YAY I am going to be productive!... Not... drama exam... brain fizzle...

Ahem. So, I am hoping that I will be able to get Stuart and maybe Jackie to come in on Thursday and/or Friday so we can work on the doco.... unfortunately I have a feeling all the people we were going to interview will not BE there... so I think that all we'll be able to do is get some more B-roll footage, work out what interviews we need to do when we get back to school next term (GULP!) and finish off those last few annoying little bits of our LAST project that we didn't get to do.

Also I have 4 outcomes I haven't dissected yet. Grr.

Outcome 3 Aspect 3 - use strategies to investigate and comment on media works and evaluate media productions.  Level 6 - use investigative processes, frameworks and appropriate media language and structure to analyse media works, present ideas and evaluate productions, considering effects of alternative approaches. When analysing films, etc, use media terminology and look at different ways of doing things as well.

Outcome 3 Aspect 2 - understand interrelationships between media works, cultural contexts and audiences. Level 6 - understand that media works, cultural context and audience are interrelated and that a range of cultural factors shapes the readings of alternative media works. Understand that where and when it was made and who it was made for influenceshow we interpret the film, etc. 

Outcome 4 Aspect 1 - draw from a range of strategies to investigate and critically evaluate extended challenging media works, communicate opinions and evaluate productions , considering purpose, the impact of specific choices and appeal to intended audience or client Level 6 - understand technologies developed for different purposes and markets bring about change in society, and how a range of controls and constraints impacts on media production and use. Note the changes in society that bring about and come from the use of new technologies and how financial, government and legal controls affect media.

Outcome 1 Aspect 3 - present ideas, designs and/or production plans. Level 6 - create and present detailed scripts, plans and design proposals that show the development of ideas, and the merits of different options for particular purposes and audiences. Present pros/cons for target audiences and screening target for each idea covered, and all expected paperwork associated with the task.

...Ooooooh scary!

Anyway there's been LOTS of studying going on, for Media and for other classes, and I'm hoping to be able to come into school or at least grab a computer in between exams to do some catch-up work and assignments for various classes. Gah, so much work to do in so LITTLE time!

Ok so basically revision at this point is just going back over my reports and notes from Run Lola Run and Fahrenheit 9/11 (as much as I never want to be reminded of the latter again, at least it accomplishes a dual purpose - it's English study too!). Remembering to look at the outcomes, work out what I need to know for them, and repeating acronyms such as PET BAT (thanks, Mr. P!) SWAT and the rest... well only those 2 really!

Also very important is analysing and researching stuff to do with the stimulus material - Black Book meaning film noir, femme fatale and foreign films. I also think that Spiderman 3 would be worthwhile to look at, because of the whole 'niche-audience-turned-mainstream' deal. Oh, and can't forget Lacan's psychoanalytical theory!... Which I really really did try to research, but all the psychobabble put me off and I didn't understand ANY of it... plus all the stuff about Oedipal complexes was very scary. All I managed to get, was that Lacan's theories relate to subconcious mental developments throughout early and pivotal stages of life. It seems to be mostly relating to how children process and percieve societal 'laws' and the effect they have on said children's interactions with various other humans. He also bases a lot of his research and theories on those of Freud (yes, as in Freudian slip!)

Anyway... uh, there is lots of sybolism in the trailers and the posters for both of those movies, esp. in the color department. It is possible to draw superficial parallels between Black Book and Run Lola Run because of the importance and heavy use of the color red. Actually come to think of it, Spidey's costume is red! Ooh ah, and so's Mary Jane's hair! Gosh, red is popular! I suppose that's because of its diverse symbolic meaning. Passion, life, love, lust, desire, pain, death, danger, warning, rage... the list goes on!

I think that about covers it - all I'm doing at this stage is reviewing notes, watching the clips and lookin' at the posters while trying to study for my other exams and not go COMPLETELY insane... takin' it one minute at a time!

Okkkkkk Jackie and I escaped to a secluded corner of the media room with a camera and a mic (hmm, that could be taken out of context!...) and did the voice-over recording. Only took a few minutes, Stuart is capturing it now to make sure there wasn't too much background noise. Horrible weather today, raining and cold.

We don't have media tomorrow and we are starting exam prep on Friday (yay)... we got the CDs with the stimulus material for the exam to look at between today and Friday so we can discuss it before the weekend.

Ummmmm I have 3 outcomes still to dissect but it's last period and I'm tired... I really can't be bothered. No more energy.

Welllllllll I backed up my blog entries in a Word doco on my USB and will make another copy on the M drive... half the computers went down mid-entry!

So we didn't do any filming at lunch today, Jackie and I were doing catchup work and Stuart and Damo were elsewhere... I'm staying after school today for about half an hour to do some voice recording. I'm hoping that slotting in the voice-overs and stuff will give us a more concrete idea of the B-roll footage we need. We only have 2 more lessons in-class to before we start revision, a good AND bad thing as we still have a lot of work to do. This means, oh yes, MORE LUNCHTIMES. Also we all have about 4 exams, which means that some of us will probably be at school in-between exams to finish editing etc. I am also going to be putting in as many after-school sessions as possible this week and the 2 days we have next week (eek!)

Ok outcome for this week...

Week 8

Outcome 1 Aspect 2 - explore technologies, codes and conventions to create meaning and develop ideas.

Level 6 - evaluate and adapt technologies, narrative structures, codes and conventions to create meaning and develop ideas that reflect different cultural contexts. Choose and use ways of telling the story that show influences from other times or places or styles.

Well we only have video cameras, still cameras and Premier Pro available to us here, so naturally those are the technologies we will be using. How do we adapt them to reflect our cultural context? Interesting question!... Also very strange question. Moving on!...

I suppose we are using adaptations and imitations of the techniques we saw in Fahrenheit 9/11 (as much as it might pain me to admit it) and also what we saw in Invisible Children (which the rest of our year and the year 11s have started watching in Christian Living, YAY).

They are appropriate to our context because Australia is exposed to and saturated with primarily American products, ideas and influence, under various guises. We are attempting to not imitate them but not be radically different to them either, so that we are able to have a general appeal to an audience of typical Americanised Australians (and no I'm not saying we are all Americanised I'm just saying that most of our media is very American, which you can't disagree with - go to the movies, watch commercials and TV shows and you make a tally of the Aussie accents you hear compared to U.S. ones!).

Ways of telling our story that show influences from other times, places or styles... I don't really see how we are doing this, specifically, nor am I going to attempt to incorporate it in our project right now. Too much else to do! I suppose a different style might be mockumentary, which we are doing a bit of to keep our tone light-hearted. Also I guess we have a bit of silent movie glam with the black and white soundless footage. Most of the speaking in our doco is done by interviewees and the voiceover person (me), there isn't really any background dialogue as of yet.

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Also I caught a glimpse of my Outcome 4 explanation and thought I could clarify a little bit:

Outcome 4 Aspect 2 - understand the influence of social, historical and cultural contexts on media production and use. Level 6 - understand the media shape aspirations and perceptions of the world [as students, we want to get good marks so that we will have more opportunities available to us upon graduation, this is a big factor in why so many people get involved with time-eating, energy-consuming extra-curricular activities], and how social, historical and/or political events bring about changes in media production and use [natural technological evolution led to us using video cameras for this project, I suppose that could be construed as social or maybe historical]. Understand how we view the world is influenced by the media and how events in society are reflected in films, etc, and how people use the media [we are using it to reflect the stress and demand on students - we are reflected the events in our small, exclusive school community or society].