Week 6 - Lecture Response and Tute*Spark

Hi,

This weeks lecture was about New Media and Internet Studies. In the lecture we were given a definition of technology, which said it "is the scientific study of mechanical arts and their application to the world."
I think this is partly true, but I still think technology is just the development or use of a tool to get a job done. Does technology have to be mechanical?

We learnt that the word media is plural for the word medium. Personally, when I think of the connotations associated with medium I think of canvas, sculpture etc. I think of it as just average visual art.

We talked about 'virtual community' and 'individual identity'. I think 'virtual community' used to be more common and important a few years ago, when message boards were popular. People were connecting with strangers online. Now, I think 'individual identity' is much more important. It's all about ourselves, the people we know and the things we like. "When I want to impress a guy, I don't get a new haircut, I update my Myspace" - Drew Barrymore in 'He's Just Not That Into You' sums it up perfectly.

There are three categories of Social Media: blogs, social networks and content sharing. I'm addicted to websites that in each of these categories (Twitter, Facebook and Youtube). I actually think it's a real addiction, I have to go on Facebook everyday or I get really really depressed.

We discussed privacy and stuff that we give up when we sign up for websites like Facebook. I personally don't read the terms & conditions. I just click the box and keep on going. I'm not sure if I would feel violated if someone used my information for their own gain. When I was in year 12, my English teacher was also a local radio host. He used the exact words that I said to him in class when talking about social networking. Word for word, and didn't say it was me who said it. I didn't feel betrayed, I was actually excited that what I said was important enough to be broadcast in front of 300,000 people. I remember this massive controversy when a prostitute ad at the back of an American magazine used the image of Disney star Brenda Song. I think something potentially damaging like that would be the only time I would really be upset.

I think there are a lot of negative effects of the modern Internet. I'm on MSN and Facebook all the time, and I've found I've become more shy when talking in real life. I'm scared the Internet is ruining my social skills! There is also a problem with Internet bullying, with one issue becoming so bad I had to get restraining orders against three girls. People feel like they can be keyboard-warriors and say anything they like because the Internet is so anonymous.

The Tute*Spark for this week was to answer the following questions:

Who owns the content you put on various websites?

The website I upload the most information to is Facebook (on Twitter I usually just say things like ''I'm in Canberra''), and I've been reading all the privacy policies on Facebook and I feel pretty safe. They don't give our information to 3rd parties. However, in their terms they say: "you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post". This means if I make up a poem or story, or upload a pretty photo I've taken, Facebook can do whatever they want with it without me getting the credit.

Who has the right to use your creations?

Well if I keep my creations safe and sound, away from Facebook, they're mine. But the moment my creations are uploaded onto Facebook my rights are taken away.

That pretty much sums up my ideas of this weeks lecture, thanks!

Emily

Week 5 - Tute Task Culture Jam

Hi,

For our Culture Jam, we decided to play on the hysteria surrounding global warming. We decided to create a girl, named Jessica Blaas, who was killed at Main Beach by a salt water crocodile (who migrated south due to the warmer waters caused by global warming).

The video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEd2iPLuyT4

Filming took place in Main Beach, and a study room at the university. We got Hilda to speak in Chinese for part of the video, to make it seem like a real tourist video.

We also set up a memorial facebook group, to make it seem more realistic: In Memory of Jessica Blaas. Our group got friends and family to post on the wall of the group.

We also played on the news reports of sightings of crocodiles in the canals in January:
Crocodile mania comes to the Gold Coast
'Crocodile' snapped in Hope Island canal

I think this Culture Jam could be believable, because so many people are in a panic over global warming, and crocodiles have been known to hunt at beaches near rivers and canals. I think the part of the Culture Jam that looks most believable is Hilda's tourist video. The bit of the video where 'Jessica Blaas' goes under is in the background, and could easily be missed. This looks like a real video that just happened to catch a tragedy.

The more I think about it, the more I think it could have been improved. We should have talked about global warming a bit more, and made the news report longer. I think we should have gotten some fake blood as well! I guess it's a learning experience, and I know what I would do different next time.

That's all for this weeks Tute Task, I hope you like it!

Emily

Week 5 - Tute Task

Hi,

This weeks Tute Task was to create a news story. It will be uploaded in the coming weeks.

Emily

Week 5 - Lecture Response and Tute*Spark

Hi!

This weeks lecture was called 'Consumption & Production'. Unfortunately I was in Canberra yesterday so I missed the lecture, but I have the lecture notes here with me so hopefully I can sum it up anyway!

The way we view and consume content can be divided into two sizes of screens (Big and Small Screens). I always thought of the Big Screen as the cinema, and the Small Screen as television however television also falls under Big Screen. Small Screens apply to things like mobile phones and iPods.

A major part of the lecture was the idea of 'Citizen Journalism'. These days it's so easy to pick up a camera or a phone and record something that will get on the news. It's so easy for people to make up stories and have them reach a large number of people. I remember in year 8, I read a story about how someone snuck Green Day's 'American Idiot' album onto George W. Bush's iPod. He was so upset he wanted Green Day banned from America. This was something I totally believed, and I proceeded to tell my whole family and heaps of people from school. I later found out that whole news website just made up article they posted. It's hard for us as consumers to tell the difference between a news story or a piece of fiction, as we rarely check the sources (if any) in the article.

As with last week, the lecture touched base on the idea of an short film made solely for the internet. It seems like this is becoming a massive part of the internet consumerism. I guess it's a cheap, extremely fast way for new and young directors to display their work.

Mobile phones are becoming used in news and entertainment more and more often. Was it Beyonce who last year filmed one of her videos using only camera phones? The quality is still not as good, but now you can get mobile phones with higher camera quality than actual cameras (however cameras still have more options in terms of creativity and technique).

Thanks to the internet, mobile phones, iPod's, iPad's and a variety of other technological devices we can get the news where ever we want and whenever we want (I'm always on PerezHilton.com and Dlisted.com in the lectures). Sometimes I think quality is compromised because everyone wants their news immediately so the journalists don't have the same amount of time to research their leads, check their sources and edit it all together.

That's pretty much what I got from this weeks lecture.

The Tute*Spark for this week is to research 'Culture Jamming', and to find out one of the first Culture Jam is, one of the most influential, and one of the most damaging.

Immediately when I think of the most damaging Culture Jams was the 'Balloon Boy' story. Apparantly, 6 year old Falcon Heene had climbed into a balloon which was then accidentally released into the air. I remember seeing it on the news and watching the live footage, waiting for him to fall out or for the balloon to land. It was later revealed it was all a hoax, and now the parents of Falcon are in prison. This damaged their whole family (not to mention the prospects of a reality TV show I heard they were in talks of starring in), but it also damaged the credibility of the news crews who reported on it. They did not check their sources, they were so eager to get this thrilling news story they let quality fall by the wayside.

One of the most influential Culture Jams that I've seen was when a video was released featuring some guys graffitiing the Air Force 1 plane (aka the plane of the president of the U.S.A). It can be found here. This video went viral, and I remember seeing it on the news. Some people still think it's real with one commenter, just a month ago saying "it ain't fake you dump shit". Hmm. It was actually a hoax created by designer and entrepreneur Marc Ecko. According to Ecko's website, the video began circulating in 2006. The video became so well known, apparently people from the Pentagon were checking just to make sure no one breached their security and actually reached the plane. This was hugely influential and a big success for Ecko.

I couldn't find the FIRST instance of Culture Jamming, but when I started researching about the origins of it I came across this website: www2.inow.com/~sam/cultjam2.html. It said that the idea of Culture Jamming originated in medieval Europe, but the modern Culture Jamming we're talking about didn't start until the late 1970's when Jenny Holzer began flashing shocking messages on things like electronic billboards.

Those are my responses to the three aspects of the Tute*Spark this week.

Thanks for reading,

Emily

Week 4 - Tute Task

Hi,

This weeks Tute Task is answer the following questions:

1. Where and when did usable online video start?

The first online video website was shareyourworld.com, created in 1997 by Chase Norlin. This information was found at: www.beet.tv/2007/07/first-video-sha.html

2. In the lecture we learnt about technological innovations that were used by the studios to lure audiences. (Mostly to combat the popularity of TV) What recent innovations are being used to lure is in the movies? What are they luring us from?

3D and Imax are two innovations that lure people to the movies, even though 3D has been around for 50 years or so. Other things luring us to the cinemas are celebrities, heavy viral advertising (the promotion for Blair Witch lured a heap of people to see it - some of which still think the film is real), and deluxe cinemas with reclining chairs and waiters. They are luring us from our homes, which now often have surround sound, and luring us from the internet. They need to convince us that going to the cinema would be the most satisfying way to view a film.

3. Are short films still being made? Why? Who pays for them to be made?

Yes short films are still being made, as you can see by the annual Tropfest competition. I think short films are good because they show a new filmmakers talent, as well as being more experimental in the portrayal of the meaning or story of the film. Often the filmmakers themselves fund the film to be made, as they are cheaper than full length films.

4. The term viral is thrown about adhoc but what does it mean in film/movie arena?

In the film arena, viral is when a film or video (usually through a social networking website) reaches a large number of people. It spreads like a virus.

5. Online video distribution isn't limited to the short film format. We are now starting to see television styled shows made solely for internet release (webisodes). Find an example of this style of content and discuss how viewing television content in this way can positively and negatively effect the viewers experience.

My favourite webisodes are made by a guy called Fred. He's a six year old with no friends, and lives with his grandma while his mum is in rehab. He likes the 'neighbourhood squirrels' and the 'stray cat'. You can find the youtube.com account here: FRED. I like this because it's low budget, but it's hilarious at the same time. It negatively effects my viewing experience because it's usually just Fred on the show, there aren't many other characters that aren't animals. I think it positively effects my viewing experience because it's free to watch and they're short clips so it buffers really quickly!

That's my response to this weeks Tute Task, thanks for reading!

Emily

Week 4 - Lecture Capture and Tute*Spark

Hi,

In this weeks lecture we learnt about the history of film, which is something I found really interesting. We looked at a timeline of the development of film and technology, I had no idea 3D films existed in the 50's!!

Movies originated in France, however the first full length motion picture was made in Australia in 1906 and called 'The Kelly Gang'. Not much of the film is still surviving, so I can't really compare it to 2003's titled 'Ned Kelly'. The titles do highlight a difference in historical films however: In 1906, the whole gang seemed important and likely to draw cinema-goers, however in 2003 the film focused more on Ned Kelly himself, as in today's society we love a hero and his sidekicks. Also when The Kelly Gang was made, there wasn't much hype about the celebrities performing in films (Mary Pickford is one exception), however in Ned Kelly featured Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Rachel Griffiths and of course Heath Ledger (as the title character). This age of celebrity changes the whole dynamic of a film, and I wonder if 2003's version would have been as successful with unknown actors?

In 1927, films began to have dialogue and became known as the 'talkies'. In 1929 the first Academy Awards were held. 1939 was a massive year for cinema, with TV's appearing and some famous classics were made ('Wizard of Oz'!!).

In 1955, the first films were shown on TV. Now, movies are a pretty much daily fixture on TV (I think I've seen 'Dead Man Walking' on TV a million times in the last six months!). In 1972 pornography was first developed and now they are making historical films on porn stars (Inferno, starring Lindsay Lohan).

These days we can view films on TV, on the internet, at the cinemas, on our phones, and on our iPod's. Although films have only been around for a bit over 100 years, the technology has developed so so much. This technology has helped with the development and distribution of films, and made the viewing of films much more realistic and exciting.

That's pretty much everything I was thinking about in this weeks lecture. Now for the Tute*Spark!

This weeks Tute*Spark was to find three short films designed for internet distribution only.

The first short film I looked at was one I had already seen before: Salad Fingers - Spoons.

I like Salad Fingers because I have a weird sense of humor and I love sad, weird, creepy little things like Salad Fingers. This short film introduces us to Salad Fingers and his passion for spoons. Especially rusty ones. The Salad Fingers series became popular worldwide, this video has over 6,000,000 views! I think it's so popular because it's so different, no one had seen anything like it before. You pay attention to it because it is so random. At the same time as being strangely funny, it's scary and sad as well. It reminds me of other cartoons like Family Guy because it starts off relatively normal but then gets weirder and weirder until it reaches the nth degree.

The second one I'm including is another youtube sensation, and another animated short: Charlie The Unicorn.

This video is even more popular than Salad Fingers, with over 50,000,000 views. Like Salad Fingers, it starts off pretty normal (you know, unicorns just chilling) and then it gets weirder and weirder. I think this video is successful because it has one straight talker (Charlie) and two weirdo's. This makes the way the weird unicorns speak and behave more ridiculous when it's compared to the rational Charlie. We see these kind of characters in other places (like The Big Bang Theory, where Penny is the normal one). Like Salad Fingers, it has random things thrown in (like a liopleurodon).

The third video I chose is one we watched in the lecture, called Troops.

I had never heard of it before the lecture but it's hilarious. I've seen the new Star Wars movies so I had seen those guys in white before, and of course Tatooine. One of my dads favorite shows is Cops so I've seen quite a bit of it. I found it hilarious how he was talking about the small town feel, and asking "Is this your cousin? Oh okay he's your friend?'' because things like that happen on Cops all the time. I think it's popular because both Star Wars and Cops are fixtures in pop culture, and pretty much everyone I know has either seen them or knows of them. I think to enjoy the video you need to have seen Cops, because the behaviors of the Troops and suspects are exactly how people behave on Cops. The Star Wars aspect just makes it a little bit sillier, and helps highlight how ridiculous Cops can be.

Those are three of the funniest and most enjoyable short films I've seen on the internet, and I hope you like them too!

Emily

Week 3 - Tute Task

This weeks Tute Task was to answer the following questions without using Google or Wikipedia. I decided to search on Bing and Yahoo, the only two other search engines I'm familiar with.

1. What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?

I couldn't find the actual biggest machine in the world, but I found this link which shows the worlds biggest machines. All the following machines have different heights and weights, each the biggest of its class:

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-built

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Ozzy Osborne?

Ozzy Osborne's wife is his manager, and she thinks a lot more clearly than he does so I'd recommend contacting him through her. Her contact details are:

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne Management

9292 Civic Center Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Phone: 310-859-7761

(http://famous-relationships.topsynergy.com/Ozzy_Osbourne/Contact.asp)

Probably the most reliable way of contacting him would be seeing him face to face. Here's a picture just in case: (http://akabodian7.pbworks.com/Ozzy-Osborne)

3. When and what was the first example of global digital communication?

The electrical telegraph was patented in 1837, so this was the first form of global digital communication. (http://telecom.tbi.net/history1.html)

4. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?

Yahoo answers informed me: ''Go to the local truck dep and get a lift bro they should be accommodating if you throw a 50 there way" (http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071006025338AApbaud).

Or for an extra 10$ you could snap up a cheap airfare from Tiger, Virgin or Jetstar. (http://www.bug.co.uk/forums/17-transport/4605-cheapest-way-travel-gold-cost-melbourne.html)

5. Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?

She is an animated singer created by the Crypton Future Media. She was released on August 31, 2007 so I guess that's her birthday. (http://vocaloid.wikia.com/wiki/Miku_Hatsune)

6. Find a live webcam in Antarctica. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.

I found an Australian website with a webcam in Antarctica: (http://www.aad.gov.au/asset/webcams/mawson/default.asp)

7. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1980?

Magic by Olivia Newton John was 1# in 1980, as was Sailing by Christopher Cross.
(http://www.80sxchange.com/80s_charts/1980.htm)

8. How would you define the term 'nano technology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?

When I think of nano technology I think of super modern, tiny technology however it is defined as "any technology on the scale of nanometers." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nanotechnology)

9. What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?

The camera used in Google Street View is designed by Immersive Media. A picture and further information can be found here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9724604-1.html

10. Translate these questions into Klingon.

As with any language, there are some words which simply do not translate. I have copied and pasted these questions directly from http://www.mrklingon.org/

1. nuq 'oH [the] [weight] vo' [the] [world’s] [biggest] [machine] chay' 'ar ta'ta' 'oH [cost] Daq chen?

2. nuq 'oH [the] [best] [way] [quickest] HochHom [reliable] Daq [contact] [Ozzy] [Osborne]?

3. ghorgh 'ej nuq ghaHta' [the] wa'DIch [example] vo' [global] [digital] [communication]?

4. nuq 'oH [the] [cheapest] [form] vo' [travel] vo' [the] SuD baS [Coast] Daq [Melbourne]?

5. 'Iv 'oH [Hatsune] [Miku] nuq [company] ta'taH ghaH [belong] Daq nuq 'oH Daj qoS?

6. tu' [a] yIn [webcam] Daq [Antarctica] tu' [a] Daq Daq [stay] Daq [Antarctica]?

7. nuq bom ghaHta' [top] vo' [the] [Australian] [pop] [charts] vam [week] Daq?

8. chay' [would] SoH [define] [the] [term] ['nano] [technology'] Daq lIj ghaj mu'mey nuq ta'taH 'oH [really] [mean]?

9. nuq [type] vo' [camera] 'oH [used] Daq chenmoH [‘Google] [Street] [View’]?

10. [Translate] Dochvammey [questions] Daq tlhIngan

Those are my answers for this weeks Tute Task, thanks for reading!

Emily

Week 3 - Lecture Response and Tute*Spark

Hi,

This weeks lecture learnt about the history of computers and the internet, focusing on digital and analogue technologies. Old fashion cash registers were one of the first forms of digital technology, which was something I never knew before.

The computer itself originated in 'counting machines' or calculators. In the lecture we were told how there were computers as big as the lecture theatre and they wouldn't even have the power of todays average wrist watch.

I never knew before that the World Wide Web only emerged in the 90's, it's been around as long as I remember! I never knew that the internet and the 'web' are two different things. It kind of confused me but one part of the lecture notes cleared it up:

"...we don't see MSN messages in our browser. They're both seperate parts of the same underlying internet.''

In the lecture we were shown a video made by Apple in the 70's. It was a basic, slow loading, dancing man. I could believe in 40 years our technology has developed so much!

Computers have totally changed the way we view films. We can now go on youtube and view trailers and parts from films, or go to webpages like www.sidereel.com to watch TV shows and whole films. We can also use things like Limewire and Kazaar to download films.

That pretty much sums up the lecture for this week for me. A lot of it went over my head, I'm not very computer smart! Hopefully reading all the links available on Learning@Griffith will help me understand better.

This weeks Tute*Spark was to find three examples of digital devices that aren't electronic.

The first thing I came across is the Digital Mechanical Combination Push Button Lock, usually found in retail stores and office buildings. An image example can be found here: http://ep.yimg.cin/ca/I/853111_2115_303479

The second non-electronic digital device I found were smoke signals, because "an analog "carrier" (smoke) is modulated with a blanket to generate a digital signal (puffs) that convey information." (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Digital)

The third non-electronic digital device I found was morse code, which "uses five digital states - dot, dash, short gap (between each letter), medium gap (between words) and long gap (between sentences)" (http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Digital). It can be electronic communication if I used an electrical telegraph, however it isn't electrical if I knock on a wall to a person on the other side.

That's my response to this weeks Tute*Spark, thanks for reading!

Emily

Week 2 - Tute Task

Hi,

This weeks Tute Task was to create a short movie using only photographs taken on our mobile phone. The topic we were given was 'Waiting for Romance'. It can be seen here:

Waiting For Romance

Emily

Week 2 - Lecture Response and Tute*Spark

Hi,
This weeks lecture was all about shots and frames seen in films and television, which I found really fascinating especially when I began relating this information to the epic historical films made of late.

First we learnt about shot sizes, and I immediately recognised the Very Long Shot. It is used in pretty much all films, especially historical films. It helps to set the scene, and gives information to the viewer about the situation or place the protagonists are in. Extreme Close Ups and Big Close ups are not as popular (as far as I've noticed) in modern historical films because the filmmakers often show how large and dramatic battle is, but not nearly as often focus on the inner workings of a character (The Queen is an obvious exception, however the historical films I will generally be discussing are more action and battled based).

In the lecture we learnt about relating shot sizes to words: who, where, what, why, when and how. 'Who', 'where' and 'what' are the most easiest to visualise and they related to the Close Up shot, the Long Shot, and the Mid Shot respectively. 'Why' is generally a Big Close Up, zoning in onto something much more specific about a character or action. 'When' can related to a variety of different shots, as visual representations of time can vary. Often in historical films, there will be a variety of long shots showing a bustling city, party or area where the dress and characteristics of the actors are very different to today. This helps set the time period of the film. In other cases, like the image used in the lecture notes, the filmmaker could use an Extreme Close Up on a clock. 'How' is generally more specific; the shot needs to be at least a Mid Shot, but often a Close Up, to inform and answer questions about 'how'.

We learnt about the 180 degree rule. If you imagine a line between two conversing actors and begin filming from one side of the line, you can not cross the threshold onto the other side of the line. This looks jarring on screen, and makes it hard for the viewer to believe the situation is real.

We also learnt about shots that are put in between action sequences to further provide information. These could be shots of text or items, however they are not usually characters (one notable exception is The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, when Benjamin Buttons is narrating a scene with various inter-connecting characters. The shots regularly cut away from a character and move to another. This continues and repeats itself).

The idea of head room and talking room was also discussed; we need a balanced head room so the character doesn't look too big or small. We need to have a character with an even amount of space while talking to another character, because subconciously, if they are too far away or too close to the edge of the frame, the viewer doesn't believe the character is speaking to someone.

The rule of thirds was something I had heard of, but I never really knew what it was. It's when the frame is divided into thirds horizontally and vertically, resulting in criss-crossing lines. The subject of the frame should overlap one or two of the intersections. This creates a balanced shot.

That pretty much sums up our Week 2 lecture! Our Tute*Spark this week was to discuss how different mediums effect our viewing experiences. We were advised to watch TV and movies and compare how shots and framing varied.

I didn't watch any movies last night, but from what I remember, when the character is right in the middle of the frame, they seem isolated or alone. On television however, we often see news readers and TV hosts right in the middle of the frame. In live television, shot lengths don't have the same amount of variety as films or telivision series'. For example the 7pm Project, apart from an establishing long shot at the beginning of show, and a closing one at the end, is made up of only Mid Shots and Close Ups. Also on TV, I haven't seen many Extreme Close Ups. On shows like Neighbours and Home and Away, 'when' is not an extremely relevant question (who could forget on the Bold and The Beautiful when a character aged 12 years in two months worth of episodes). In films, 'when' is a much more vital question as often the characters are driven to achieve a goal by some sort of deadline (Jack and Rose need to get off Titanic before it sinks!!).

That's my response to this weeks Tute*Spark!

Thanks for reading,

Emily