Framing and Interpretation

Lev Kuleshov discovered that depending on how shots are assembled the audience will attach a specific meaning or emotion to it. This has become commonly known as the ‘Kuleshov Effect’ and alludes to the power of editing and framing to convey particular messages. We see this commonly in the media and film industry, however it is also a tool heavily utilised for conveying social or political ideologies. Matthew Nisbet inovatively explored this concept, and wrote about the infamous ‘Torches of Freedom” campaign which was a successfully tobacco marketing campaign aimed at women (as seen below).

My remediation is a simple gif which aims to reinforce the importance of our interpretation in deciphering a message. It is essential to remember that the message is being framed for a specific agenda, and it is therefore audiences responsibility to consider the raw message and it’s purpose. As such, I have used the classic ‘glass half full’ debate to demonstrate how all images can be interpreted differently, reflective of the individual and what they see.

iOS v Android; Popular Opinions

I noticed for this week’s topic, regarding the development of hardware systems, many people decided to write about the IOS v Android debate, explaining the function and development of each. This inspired my remediation; a sound composition using popular songs to represent the opinions held about these two systems. Annoyingly so, it was removed from Soundcloud due to copyright reasons. I couldn’t figure out a way around this on Soundcloud, so I have uploaded to Youtube (sorry BCM112 markers) and won’t be surprised if the same thing happens.

It is evident that the abilities of technology are continuing to grow. This generates creativity and competition in the online world. This is essential to ensure new products and platforms are being designed; and so the cycle continues. This is not news, we are all aware of this. that’s why I decided to create a remediation based on the opinion surrounding the hardware, rather than content about the hardware itself.

Transmedia Storytelling and The Lord of The Rings

Henry Jenkins defined transmedia storytelling as “a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience.” This is represented across several industries including  literature, film, television and gaming. Jenkins suggests this concept reflects the economics of media consolidation, and proposes that spreading franchises across a variety of platforms boosts the entertainment market.

As a devoted novel-reading fan, it is often hard to adjust to the news that my favourite book is being re-created as a film. It some circumstances, such as Harry Potter and The Lord of The Rings, I was grateful for the ingenius results. Other attempts, such as The Mortal Instruments; City of Bones, lead to absolute devastation.

My remediation for this topic was inspired by the rather recent, and somewhat concerning news that The Lord of The Rings is now being developed into a television series. Alex Flood wrote, “Amazon Studios are the lucky lot who’ve been tasked with recreating J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary magic for the small screen, with the company signing a reported $250m rights contract in November 2017 with the author’s estate, publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema to produce a multi-season show for television.”

To say I am apprehensive to watch the new series is an understatement, but I am extremely curious to see how they re-create such an epic and innovative text. As such, my remediation is a very simple spin on the common “one does not simply…” meme.

The Lord of The Rings is becoming a tv series, WHAAAAAAT?! Just another example of trans media storytelling… #BCM112 pic.twitter.com/tzPFOObOaU

— Josie Adele (@Josie_Adele12) May 12, 2018

 

 

Copyright law; controlling content always

We all remember Robin Thicke and Pharrell William’s 2013 hit song ‘Blurred Lines’ because, let’s be honest, it was pretty darn catchy. Unfortunately though, it cost them nearly $7.4million in a copyright lawsuit. According to the court, there were similarities in sheet music between their hit song, and a previous song produced by Marvin Gaye in 1977.

I saw this meme on Google, and began to consider all of the industries which are constantly forced to overcome copyright issues. Literature, film, music and memes are all subject to copyright law, and instantly I remembered the case of Blurred Lines. As a result, we have my remix:

So, with centuries of existing content, how does one ensure what they are producing is original? I found this handy article that gives a few tips on how to protect yourself from copyright infringements, because I’m sure we have all received that scary notification in the past, considering we are all producers in the internet age.

The power of meme warfare in a desensitised society…

Are internet memes the result of a desensitised society, or are we becoming more desensitised because of internet memes?

Memes have become an enormously powerful means of propaganda. They can be created and shared by anyone, at any time, on almost any platform. The result is a mass amount of political bias and perspective being satirically portrayed and imprinted into our brains. People love the irony and the sarcasm, they love to mock our governments and the problems they cause. As such, memes are the perfect method for presenting social and political controversies in a way which relates to the online audience and catches their attention.

In 2017, the Australian government announced they were cutting the penalty rates of workers, following the advice of the Fair Work Commission. Naturally, there was an uproar all over social media, people infuriated with yet another unfair, seemingly political decision. With intense criticism, some stated “The unfairness in Australia today is abysmal.” 

The above Gif I have created is one of the many satirical responses to this issue, and there are several other political controversies that are mocked world-wide. The power of memes allows society to do this. They can express concerns and perspectives in a ridiculing way free from severe consequences. The online community has become so immune to these memes that arguably, we have become desensitised to the reality of the issue being mocked. Do we really understand the issue and how it effects us, or do we find it humorous because, LOL Remember that meme about it?!

Society should challenge themselves to consider the origin of the meme they are seeing, and what issue the satirical aspect is highlighting.

 

 

 

The Nature of Distributive Journalism

How has journalism developed over time and what does it mean for the industry?

We have all seen those ancient photographs of the sturdy, reliable typewriters which were once the image of printed journalism. However, as society has developed, the nature of journalism has been drastically altered. Today, with universal access to online resources, it is just to assume that individuals are relying more on the internet and social media platforms for their news consumption. The remediation I have created demonstrates this trend.

This information chart provided by PEW Research Centre demonstrates how viewing habits have changed over one year. From this data, we can expect that the use of online news sources will continue to grow in the future.

As a result of this trend, ‘distributive journalism‘ is a new concept surrounding how journalistic work is produced, shared and interacted with online. This is more commonly known as ‘citizen journalism’, whereby anyone with access to internet and medium for publication can become a journalist, or simply spread the work of others. Arguably, the allowance for any individual to publish information drastically reduces the credibility of sources and the value of consumption. It is also alleged that this ability to distribute news quickly, easily and widely online may contribute to incidents of ‘fake news’.

It is not hard to fathom the idea that the development of societal values, citizen journalism, and fake news are linked together. However, there are many advantages to online journalism too. The ability to interact with content, and easily search for comparative information, is an obvious way in which we can widen credibility. People are enabled to challenge what they read, and the credibility of the source from which it came. Decades ago, when print organisations published articles, they were tainted by political bias and editing. As such, individuals were limited by the information provided and unable to investigate issues further.

My remediation tries to link these ideas together. That is to say, as society has developed, so has the method of communication, but this does not mean the content is vastly corrupted.

How has journalism changed, and what is ‘distributed journalism’? Read my blog to find out! pic.twitter.com/OwNOm8a4Es

— Josie Adele (@Josie_Adele12) May 5, 2018

 

The journey from 3D anaglyph glasses to the advanced virtual reality goggles…

“McCullough (1996) suggests there is a close relationship between digital work and craft practice, arguing that hand and brain activities involved in computer use are analogous with making activities involving personal commitment and tacit knowledge… He argues that computer systems should be developed from the perspective of the user allowing them greater flexibility to work in the computer medium through the use of more refined and sensitive software tools, and eventually through haptic devices and virtual reality.”

My remediation is largely inspired by McCulloughs suggestion, as I believe without the work and skill of a craftsmen, there can be no development of the craft. Now I don’t mean we all need a chisel to carve wood, this practice is ‘ancient’ right? The innovation of technology has allowed us to expand ‘craft’ to reaches we never thought were possible.  We can now utilise technologies such as 3D modelling softwares, and 3D printing (just one example of our computerised world). As such, my remediation is somewhat of a mockery of just how significantly, and rapidly, technology has developed. If we are all able to access such technology, and we are all producers, the opportunities are endless.

Katie Bunnell wrote, “The development of digital technologies in the late 20th Century for both 2D and 3D production has had a huge impact on the economics of customisation, enabling the production of one or many products from digital data, and greater economic flexibility in relation to supply and demand.”

This reminded me of those old red and blue 3D glasses, which were totally out of this century! These glasses were actually developed in the 1950’s, and I remember using them as a kid in the early 2000’s. It amazes me that we now, only two decades later, have virtual reality goggles and other advanced technologies. What more potential does the future hold for the development of these crafts? How will this boost our economy, trade, and communication? What impact will this have on society and media? So many things for us to discover…

 

Making another meme for #BCM112 #MEMES #Kermit pic.twitter.com/LhkUoVtES4

— Josie Adele (@Josie_Adele12) March 23, 2018

 

‘The Medium is the Message’

When you originally hear ‘the medium is the message’, the concept may go straight over your head.

However, after breaking down the components, it is really quite simple to understand. McLuhan was really just trying to indicate that the method or platform which we choose to communicate through may be more significant than the content of the communication itself. Mark Federman wrote an insightful article deconstructing this concept which included the following statements:

‘McLuhan tells us that a “message” is, “the change of scale or pace or pattern” that a new invention or innovation “introduces into human affairs.” For example, the message of a newscast are not the news stories themselves, but a change in the public attitude towards crime, or the creation of a climate of fear.

Subsequently, he tells us that a medium is “any extension of ourselves.” But McLuhan always thought of a medium in the sense of a growing medium, like the fertile potting soil into which a seed is planted, or the agar in a Petri dish.’

The way the article provided examples really helped clear my understanding of ‘the medium is the message’, and so here is the link. 

“You mean, memes aren’t just funny pictures on the internet?” #BCM112 #UOW #MEMES pic.twitter.com/qyx2zpVx9k

— Josie Adele (@Josie_Adele12) March 15, 2018

 

#MEMES #doggos #BCM112 #UOW pic.twitter.com/pf5OPp6RVl

— Josie Adele (@Josie_Adele12) March 15, 2018

 

JRNL102; The Increasing Popularity of Interactive Journalism

Interactive journalism is a contemporary trend in which journalists are able to present complex issues in an innovative and sophisticated manner. The article, ‘Cronulla Riots: The day that shocked the nation’, produced by SBS Online, is a perfect example of how interactive journalism allows us to explore challenging and sensitive subject matters, and communicate them in a way which is appropriate to a modern audience.

The article investigates the horrific, historical event known as the Cronulla Riots, in which the tension between the Australian and Middle Eastern communities escalated to a level of extreme violence. This event occurred in 2005, a time when racism was prominent amongst the white Australian population. What started off as a brawl over race and ethnicity, resulted in thousands of Australians being involved in the mob-mentality behind several brutal attacks upon individuals. However, the article does more than simply recount the historical event. It explores the untold stories of the victims and those personally involved in the event, providing fresh insights and perspectives regarding the significant impact on those affected by the experience.

To convey such a complex issue, the article breaks the content into different themes, such as ‘Police and The Law’, ‘The Shire’, ‘Racism’, and ‘Identity’, allowing the reader to choose the topics they are interested in, and consume the information more easily. Each theme also provides original photographs which are carefully selected to reveal the true nature of the day’s vicious incidents. Not only is the article freely available on SBS Online, it also uses easy to understand language, images, and video documentaries to make it widely accessible and appealing to a broad range of audiences.

HR Morgane argues that one of the most effective tools to be utilised in interactive journalism is the ‘Storymap’. Storymap is useful when telling a story which involves various times and locations, as it “enables the user to visualise very clearly what happened where and is really useful for complex stories.” The Cronulla Riots article incorporates this feature into their work, and allows the audience to unravel the story in a chronological order of the day’s separate events, whilst demonstrating on a map where these events occurred. This is a great visual aid in allowing an audience to link time and place, and gain a deeper understanding of how everything was connected. The Cronulla Riots example is extremely effective as it clearly indicates how the violence escalated and spread throughout the day. This makes it possible to appreciate the relationship between the cause, reaction and consequences of the event, and perhaps allows us to learn from the experience.

The article has been considered so innovative that it was recognised by the Online News Association: Interactive Narratives, and listed as one of the best examples of multimedia storytelling. Furthermore, it received a five-star review and has won several titles such as ‘Multimedia Storytelling’, and ‘Best of Websites; Cultural or Lifestyle’ by Walkley and AIMIA Awards respectively.

The Cronulla Riots article demonstrates the use of several interactive features such as Storymap, documentary, and questionnaire surveys which come together to create an innovative experience for an audience. As such, it is the perfect example of why interactive journalism has become such a popular trend.

Emotional History; Airport Evacuation

 

Josephine Begg; jrnl102, Task One: Emotional History

Link to EH on Soundcloud; https://soundcloud.com/user-311790542

Story Feature: Matt Wright

Emotion: Fear

Intro; Over the university break, nineteen-year-old Matt Wright was travelling to Paris for a family holiday. When he arrived in Paris airport, there was a suspicious suitcase left unattended, causing concern for security. The airport was completely evacuated as they feared it may have been a bomb…

In words; “We arrived at Paris, and spent 2 hours just waiting to get through customs…”

Out words “There are terrorism activities that can just end it all really quickly…”

Duration; 1minute, 58seconds, 1.58