Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Production Consumption Conjunction (Essay)
The following is my essay in response to topic #3.
“3. Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave 'professionals' and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digitalcontent.”
For the past century film and cinema has been controlled primarily by industries such as Hollywood with Independent filmmakers having to work extra hard to receive recognition. However, in the past decade the production and consumption of films has taken a major turn due to the internet and other digital technology. These new communication technologies are providing unique and effective ways of distributing content turning the entire world of production and consumption upside down.
Within the past few years, the number of videos viewed by the general public has increased drastically and is still on the rise. According to ComScore, in November 2008, America’s online audience had watched 34% more videos than the previous year, with 77% of all US internet users having watched videos (1). All in all, 97 million viewers watched 5.1 billion videos on Youtube alone, averaging in at approximately 52.3 videos per viewer (1). Furthermore, the mobile internet user population is predicted to more than double in this year and has already seen an increase of 74% in videos streamed (2). Thanks to websites like www.youtube.com amateurs, independent filmmakers and businesses can all upload their content regardless of quality and gain publicity. The popularity of these websites guarantee audiences and are changing the way the world of film works. Independent filmmakers are finally able to gain exposure and display their works within the continual onslaught of mainstream drivel.
The general public is wising up to the possibilities of the internet. On November 4th 2009, the U.S. election day, CNN.com gained 21.3 million video streams within the space of nine hours, over four times their previous record of 5 million viewers (3). Speaking in regards to the Obama inauguration, market research analyst Caroline Dangson stated “I think people realized that they had access to this in ways beyond television and traditional media” (3). While the internet is benefiting non mainstream producers and making production and distribution easier, the fact of the matter is consumption. While consumption of content has increased people are still mainly interested in what pop cultures dictates ‘good’ entertainment. The content may be there, but is it being seen? People seem to only be interested in the usual as evidenced by the fact those in Hollywood are losing millions of dollars of profit every year due to piracy over the internet. Anyone with the internet can download any movie released on DVD as well as bootlegs from a filesharing P2P network such as Limewire, Emule, or login to a bittorent network and download the files. Like when TV first emerged, people are beginning to stop going to the cinema and are buying movies less. Why would they bother when they can get them for free from the comfort of their own home? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) conducted a survey of 3600 internet users in eight countries, including Australia with 24% of participants claiming to have downloaded a movie online (5). The change in technology seems to be directly relative, with countries like Korea where 98% of people run broadband, 58% of those surveyed claimed to have downloaded a movie (5). The MPAA estimates that due to this their industry is losing approximately $3 billion annually.
Despite this estimation, and in a time where most professionals are suffering due to the economic crisis, Hollywood seems to actually be doing better than ever with movie ticket sales increasing by 12% compared to last year (6). However independent filmmakers are feeling the heat “I’ve been in the business for seven years, and this is one of the worst times I’ve seen,” says indie filmmaker Rastogi, “films that could be made two years back - you can’t even think about them anymore. The companies we are talking and distributing with, half of them are not even in business right now” (6). These filmmakers are being forced to consider other options, fortunately, they seem to know where to turn “For independent filmmakers like me, we absolutely have to use the Internet,” said Fay Ann Lee, a writer, producer, director and actress who lives in New York. “It’s really the only answer” (6). The biggest innovation, and inspiration, for all independent filmmakers out there comes in the form of a film called Four Eyed Monsters, a film released exclusively and in its entirety on Youtube. Due to a deal with Youtube, the filmmakers make one dollar of profit for every view their video received. Filmmakers Weeks and Caldwell who were struggling to find a film festival to take their film were able to strike a similar deal with Youtube for their film 10 MPH and now receive 55% of the advertising revenues generated by their film (6).
(This is the trailer for the full-length Youtube feature Four Eyed Monsters.)
There are a number of similar opportunities available all across the web nowadays. Organizations like Indieflix is a unique film distribution company that will distribute chosen films across sites such as Hulu and Netflix and make profits for the filmmaker at a 30% commission rate (4). In a similar fashion amazon.com’s createspace.com offers filmmakers the opportunity to sell DVDs and video downloads. This change in the flow of production, distribution and consumption is creating equality amongst artists. People with good ideas finally have the chance to gain exposure when normally they’d have to live in America and work their way into cinema. Anyone around the world with a video camera, a small budget and a creative mind can catch a break nowadays. With technology getting cheaper, and distribution getting easier, everyone is starting to get their say rather than the same old Hollywood numbskulls, over and over again.
The fact is an interest in film is something one develops over the years. Whether or not one is privileged enough to break into mainstream cinema is not a sign of professionalism. The only boundary is the resources and the cost. But with new communication technologies on the rise, getting cheaper and better by the year, the world is entering a new age, where every man and woman can have their say. Whether it’s a phone camera, digital camera or handy cam, anyone can film their thoughts aloud, their actions, a collage of their feelings and place it on the internet for the world to see, react and respond. For all its whining about piracy, Hollywood has little to worry about in the long run, it’s the fact that independent filmmakers may start to outshine them that they should really worry about.
All webpages accessed on the 17th of October (2009).
(1.) http://blog.videoagency.tv/category/internet-video/
(2.) Novarra, 2009 http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=865207&afterinter=true
(3.) Rajagopalan, Pras 2009, Obama Inauguration Puts Online Video Consumption Into Focus, http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/01/21/online-video.html
(4.) Jones, Sean 2009, How Filmmakers Can Beat the Recession, http://www.independent-magazine.org/magazine/06/2009/beattherecession
(5.) Pruitt, Scarlet, 2004, MPAA: Movie Piracy Is the New Plague, http://www.pcworld.com/article/116842/mpaa_movie_piracy_is_the_new_plague.html
(6.) Chow, Denise 2009, Economy Leaves Independent Filmmakers Reeling, http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/pavement/in/economy-leaves-independent-filmmakers-reeling/
“3. Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave 'professionals' and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digitalcontent.”
The Production Consumption Conjunction – The Internet and Film
For the past century film and cinema has been controlled primarily by industries such as Hollywood with Independent filmmakers having to work extra hard to receive recognition. However, in the past decade the production and consumption of films has taken a major turn due to the internet and other digital technology. These new communication technologies are providing unique and effective ways of distributing content turning the entire world of production and consumption upside down.
Within the past few years, the number of videos viewed by the general public has increased drastically and is still on the rise. According to ComScore, in November 2008, America’s online audience had watched 34% more videos than the previous year, with 77% of all US internet users having watched videos (1). All in all, 97 million viewers watched 5.1 billion videos on Youtube alone, averaging in at approximately 52.3 videos per viewer (1). Furthermore, the mobile internet user population is predicted to more than double in this year and has already seen an increase of 74% in videos streamed (2). Thanks to websites like www.youtube.com amateurs, independent filmmakers and businesses can all upload their content regardless of quality and gain publicity. The popularity of these websites guarantee audiences and are changing the way the world of film works. Independent filmmakers are finally able to gain exposure and display their works within the continual onslaught of mainstream drivel.
The general public is wising up to the possibilities of the internet. On November 4th 2009, the U.S. election day, CNN.com gained 21.3 million video streams within the space of nine hours, over four times their previous record of 5 million viewers (3). Speaking in regards to the Obama inauguration, market research analyst Caroline Dangson stated “I think people realized that they had access to this in ways beyond television and traditional media” (3). While the internet is benefiting non mainstream producers and making production and distribution easier, the fact of the matter is consumption. While consumption of content has increased people are still mainly interested in what pop cultures dictates ‘good’ entertainment. The content may be there, but is it being seen? People seem to only be interested in the usual as evidenced by the fact those in Hollywood are losing millions of dollars of profit every year due to piracy over the internet. Anyone with the internet can download any movie released on DVD as well as bootlegs from a filesharing P2P network such as Limewire, Emule, or login to a bittorent network and download the files. Like when TV first emerged, people are beginning to stop going to the cinema and are buying movies less. Why would they bother when they can get them for free from the comfort of their own home? The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) conducted a survey of 3600 internet users in eight countries, including Australia with 24% of participants claiming to have downloaded a movie online (5). The change in technology seems to be directly relative, with countries like Korea where 98% of people run broadband, 58% of those surveyed claimed to have downloaded a movie (5). The MPAA estimates that due to this their industry is losing approximately $3 billion annually.
Despite this estimation, and in a time where most professionals are suffering due to the economic crisis, Hollywood seems to actually be doing better than ever with movie ticket sales increasing by 12% compared to last year (6). However independent filmmakers are feeling the heat “I’ve been in the business for seven years, and this is one of the worst times I’ve seen,” says indie filmmaker Rastogi, “films that could be made two years back - you can’t even think about them anymore. The companies we are talking and distributing with, half of them are not even in business right now” (6). These filmmakers are being forced to consider other options, fortunately, they seem to know where to turn “For independent filmmakers like me, we absolutely have to use the Internet,” said Fay Ann Lee, a writer, producer, director and actress who lives in New York. “It’s really the only answer” (6). The biggest innovation, and inspiration, for all independent filmmakers out there comes in the form of a film called Four Eyed Monsters, a film released exclusively and in its entirety on Youtube. Due to a deal with Youtube, the filmmakers make one dollar of profit for every view their video received. Filmmakers Weeks and Caldwell who were struggling to find a film festival to take their film were able to strike a similar deal with Youtube for their film 10 MPH and now receive 55% of the advertising revenues generated by their film (6).
(This is the trailer for the full-length Youtube feature Four Eyed Monsters.)
There are a number of similar opportunities available all across the web nowadays. Organizations like Indieflix is a unique film distribution company that will distribute chosen films across sites such as Hulu and Netflix and make profits for the filmmaker at a 30% commission rate (4). In a similar fashion amazon.com’s createspace.com offers filmmakers the opportunity to sell DVDs and video downloads. This change in the flow of production, distribution and consumption is creating equality amongst artists. People with good ideas finally have the chance to gain exposure when normally they’d have to live in America and work their way into cinema. Anyone around the world with a video camera, a small budget and a creative mind can catch a break nowadays. With technology getting cheaper, and distribution getting easier, everyone is starting to get their say rather than the same old Hollywood numbskulls, over and over again.
The fact is an interest in film is something one develops over the years. Whether or not one is privileged enough to break into mainstream cinema is not a sign of professionalism. The only boundary is the resources and the cost. But with new communication technologies on the rise, getting cheaper and better by the year, the world is entering a new age, where every man and woman can have their say. Whether it’s a phone camera, digital camera or handy cam, anyone can film their thoughts aloud, their actions, a collage of their feelings and place it on the internet for the world to see, react and respond. For all its whining about piracy, Hollywood has little to worry about in the long run, it’s the fact that independent filmmakers may start to outshine them that they should really worry about.
All webpages accessed on the 17th of October (2009).
(1.) http://blog.videoagency.tv/category/internet-video/
(2.) Novarra, 2009 http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=865207&afterinter=true
(3.) Rajagopalan, Pras 2009, Obama Inauguration Puts Online Video Consumption Into Focus, http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/01/21/online-video.html
(4.) Jones, Sean 2009, How Filmmakers Can Beat the Recession, http://www.independent-magazine.org/magazine/06/2009/beattherecession
(5.) Pruitt, Scarlet, 2004, MPAA: Movie Piracy Is the New Plague, http://www.pcworld.com/article/116842/mpaa_movie_piracy_is_the_new_plague.html
(6.) Chow, Denise 2009, Economy Leaves Independent Filmmakers Reeling, http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/pavement/in/economy-leaves-independent-filmmakers-reeling/
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My Art
Our final task was to show off some 'sexy' (my words not the task) art we had created. Best of all it could be something we'd done previously, so I present, from my 17th birthday... see below, I'll explain what I did first. I uploaded some digital camera photos, opened them all in photoshop, resized the images, chopped off the sides and parts I didn't need and gave them a unique hue. As a finishing touch I nabbed a Reservoir Dogs jpg and combined them all together placing the images of me and my friends on top.
The end result features me and some friends in the form of what I believe an overrated movie. I also included the original images so that it can be seen what was done to them.
Enjoy this bizzare collaboration of images.
The end result features me and some friends in the form of what I believe an overrated movie. I also included the original images so that it can be seen what was done to them.
Enjoy this bizzare collaboration of images.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Lectures 9 & 10 - Learning Software and Video Games
In week 9 our good buddy Jason provided a rushed lecture in which he essentially messed around with the latest version of Adobe Flash. The underlying point was how to teach one's self a new piece of software as even if you think you know something, each version has the possibility of completely changing the program in question.
To put it simply, when using any piece of software you need to find the easiest and simplest way of doing what it is you need to do. Don't waste time trying to figure something out if it doesn't seem to be clicking, mess around with the toolbars and all the available options and be sure to SAVE constantly. Keep different copies of the same project in case you do something irreversible.
Each program is in itself a learning process. When it comes to big programs like Adobe Flash or Photoshop you're going to have to master them over time over many different projects, such things are not designed to be mastered overnight. That is not to say they aren't user friendly, just that they are highly complex toolsets intended to acheive many kinds of outcomes.
Just take it easy and remember your objective and start with the basics. Everyone is familiar with the arrow tool, use it to drag objects, highlight or select an area to work on. Other icons are self explanatory, the paint bucket is a tool most people figure out quickly by colouring an object. Just do the same for every other feature, select it and see what it does.
If you're having troubles, rather than using the help section which isn't intended for beginnersd but rather to guide experienced users through additional features, check out some forums. Consider your wording, work out what you are trying to achieve, google it, and check out forums where users post step by step tutorials.
That's all it takes to teach your self software; patience, perseverance, and a little research.
Our week 10 lecture consisted of the Study of Video Games. Obvious to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past decade, video games have been integrated into our day to day culture and has become commonplace. In the 90s or earlier, video games may have been considered nerdy, with gamers stereotyped as 18 - 25 males who live at home with their parents. In fact, the only study conducted prior to 2005 placed 18 - 25 males equivalent to 80% of the entire video game market and so this stereotype was formed.
Despite the past, stats have changed and sicne 2005 41% of the market is now dominated by females with males still leading by 59%. Whether its due to new diversity in gaming platforms or genre, its clear times have changed, gaming is now socially acceptable as are gamers. This new integration raises many new questions though as gaming exists as an important part of the entertainment industry.
There are three main approaches to the study of gamers: Social Science, Humanities and Industry and Engineering. Social Science exmaines the effect of games on people with the most common complaint being against violence in video games. Now, I personally believe that video games don't create a violent person and that it makes sense that a violent person would be attracted to violent games. The most prominent activist, and often regarded hilarious by the gaming community, is self proclaimed crusader against video game violence Jack Thompson. Thompson has a vendetta against basically any game with even a hint of violence or immorality, his exploits can be viewed here http://www.jackthompson.org/. For a concise list of his cases also visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(activist) complete with sources for each case.
The next field of interest when it comes to video games, Humanities, studies what actually attracts people to video games whether I be the narrative or some other kind of appeal. Humanities aims to study the context in which games take place and how they reflect on the era in which they were created. Humanities regards video games as artifacts of an era and a medium of art.
Finally, the Industry and Engineering approach is often ignored by casual gamers. It is thanks to the demand for video games as a medium of entertainment that other forms of technology are produced, including what reguarly boosts the speed of computers. To make games better, new technology must be produced and so gaming companies are always working away at creating better processors and better systems to enable more speed and better visual presentation.
Lastly, I would like to bitch briefly about Wiifit. Okay, so its no worse than people using a fitness video or something similar, but our lecture actually informed us that they are using these in Gyms in America. That is stupid, the game basically informs you of exercise activities that you could read off of a poster or do on your own, it does not require a game. I know I sound like a technophobe and that this is in fact an innovation, but it takes the fun out of gaming, it isn't really a game. With games becoming commonplace, new developers are messing with the market and piling it with crap. Yes, this does attract a whole new audience to video game consoles opening them up to not only Fitness based programs but a full library of games as well, but it jsut seems wierd that we need a video game console to tell us how to exercise. I guess I'm just having difficulty adapting to the new era of games.
Having always been a fan of game since I was six years old I'm glad to see people are coming around. Back then I never knew anyone to discriminate against gamers, but i would certainyl sya it was still a niche market. Today games ar emore commonplace and it makes it better for us long time fans as we now have more games, and more enthusiasts to interact with.
To put it simply, when using any piece of software you need to find the easiest and simplest way of doing what it is you need to do. Don't waste time trying to figure something out if it doesn't seem to be clicking, mess around with the toolbars and all the available options and be sure to SAVE constantly. Keep different copies of the same project in case you do something irreversible.
Each program is in itself a learning process. When it comes to big programs like Adobe Flash or Photoshop you're going to have to master them over time over many different projects, such things are not designed to be mastered overnight. That is not to say they aren't user friendly, just that they are highly complex toolsets intended to acheive many kinds of outcomes.
Just take it easy and remember your objective and start with the basics. Everyone is familiar with the arrow tool, use it to drag objects, highlight or select an area to work on. Other icons are self explanatory, the paint bucket is a tool most people figure out quickly by colouring an object. Just do the same for every other feature, select it and see what it does.
If you're having troubles, rather than using the help section which isn't intended for beginnersd but rather to guide experienced users through additional features, check out some forums. Consider your wording, work out what you are trying to achieve, google it, and check out forums where users post step by step tutorials.
That's all it takes to teach your self software; patience, perseverance, and a little research.
Our week 10 lecture consisted of the Study of Video Games. Obvious to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past decade, video games have been integrated into our day to day culture and has become commonplace. In the 90s or earlier, video games may have been considered nerdy, with gamers stereotyped as 18 - 25 males who live at home with their parents. In fact, the only study conducted prior to 2005 placed 18 - 25 males equivalent to 80% of the entire video game market and so this stereotype was formed.Despite the past, stats have changed and sicne 2005 41% of the market is now dominated by females with males still leading by 59%. Whether its due to new diversity in gaming platforms or genre, its clear times have changed, gaming is now socially acceptable as are gamers. This new integration raises many new questions though as gaming exists as an important part of the entertainment industry.
There are three main approaches to the study of gamers: Social Science, Humanities and Industry and Engineering. Social Science exmaines the effect of games on people with the most common complaint being against violence in video games. Now, I personally believe that video games don't create a violent person and that it makes sense that a violent person would be attracted to violent games. The most prominent activist, and often regarded hilarious by the gaming community, is self proclaimed crusader against video game violence Jack Thompson. Thompson has a vendetta against basically any game with even a hint of violence or immorality, his exploits can be viewed here http://www.jackthompson.org/. For a concise list of his cases also visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(activist) complete with sources for each case.
The next field of interest when it comes to video games, Humanities, studies what actually attracts people to video games whether I be the narrative or some other kind of appeal. Humanities aims to study the context in which games take place and how they reflect on the era in which they were created. Humanities regards video games as artifacts of an era and a medium of art.
Finally, the Industry and Engineering approach is often ignored by casual gamers. It is thanks to the demand for video games as a medium of entertainment that other forms of technology are produced, including what reguarly boosts the speed of computers. To make games better, new technology must be produced and so gaming companies are always working away at creating better processors and better systems to enable more speed and better visual presentation.
Lastly, I would like to bitch briefly about Wiifit. Okay, so its no worse than people using a fitness video or something similar, but our lecture actually informed us that they are using these in Gyms in America. That is stupid, the game basically informs you of exercise activities that you could read off of a poster or do on your own, it does not require a game. I know I sound like a technophobe and that this is in fact an innovation, but it takes the fun out of gaming, it isn't really a game. With games becoming commonplace, new developers are messing with the market and piling it with crap. Yes, this does attract a whole new audience to video game consoles opening them up to not only Fitness based programs but a full library of games as well, but it jsut seems wierd that we need a video game console to tell us how to exercise. I guess I'm just having difficulty adapting to the new era of games.
Having always been a fan of game since I was six years old I'm glad to see people are coming around. Back then I never knew anyone to discriminate against gamers, but i would certainyl sya it was still a niche market. Today games ar emore commonplace and it makes it better for us long time fans as we now have more games, and more enthusiasts to interact with.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Essay Topic For Week 12
Out of the potential essay topics I have chosen #3.
3. Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave 'professionals' and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digitalcontent.
This is the most applicable to my interests and I intend to follow it up in the near future.
3. Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave 'professionals' and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digitalcontent.
This is the most applicable to my interests and I intend to follow it up in the near future.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Lecture and Tutorial 8 - Politics!!
Today Stephen Stockwell opened the door for us to do some independent research on a topic we often overlook when it comes to our precious New Communication Technologies. I'm talking about politics and how our use of communication technologies has an affect on this. Now, this is not just referring to politicians and the like, but the politics of life and the world in general, so lets keep that in mind (although I will be talking about politicians too).
Of course, as per usual, internet enabled computers allow us to participate globally and share our political and social opinion while engaging in debate. The internet has changed the way political party's handle their campaign's with many politicians nowadays making use of youtube, facebook and twitter in order to gain the support of the new generation. I recall Kevin Rudd doing this back in the day - everyone loved him because he posted a video on youtube and he added anyone who would have him on facebook.
Most of us are what is referred to as part of 'the public sphere' meaning, we don't have a lot more influence than our single vote. However, through media and technology, including: the internet, talk back radio and opinion polls, we all get to have a say and most probably influence many final political outcomes. Regardless of how powerless we may feel, in the long run, if a person has a good opinion and can support it, people are going to notice and agree. The internet is just the resource to make such a statement.
If you look a few posts back, you'll notice the Taylor Swift versus Kanye West debate. Not a situation of great importance, but within hours of it happening the internet was riddled with opinionated video responses, such is its power. The same can be done for any political debate. So if you have a good opinion, go ahead and throw it on youtube, chances are people will listen, even if just a few thousand.
Another attribute of Stephen Stockwell's lecture was his overview of the 'Cyberpunk' genre. Technology influences our culture and times very strongly, with Cyberpunk exploring uses of powerful technologies, including computers, the internet, and ideas of cyberspace all with an underlying theme of anarchy.
There were also a number of great readings offered by the lecture including Mark Poster's 'Cyber Democracy' and also We’re all hackers now: Doing global democracy.
This week for our tutorial we had a number of tasks. Firstly we had to sign an epetition.
Rather than sign one of the many ridiculous petitions located at a site like petitionspot, I opted to sign something that might have actual momentum. So I looked a little deeper and found: whalesrevenge, it already had over one million signatures so I was more than happy to contribute. It also had a little flashgame on the homepage made in the style of 'sinksub' where instead of a submarine you take the role of a whale and shoot high pressure water at the Japanese ships above. A clever and fun game that clearly illustrates the cause and concern in question.
The next task was to find out what U.S. Prime Minister Barack Obama was up to today. I was quick to find a website that enjoys stalking him. While they were yet to update on his activities of the day, although, maybe they had, I'm just not taking into account time difference. The articles go as follows.
"Posted September 15 12:27:51 PM
UPDATED: The event has ended, but we'll have more on the President speech at the AFL-CIO Convention later."
"Posted September 15 5:59:12 PM
Earlier today, the President traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for the annual AFL-CIO convention. He addressed the gather union members, thanking them for their support and laying out his priorities. He spoke about the Recovery Act, his priorities for rebuilding a new, greener economy, and how health insurance reform will help all Americans achieve security and stability when it comes to their medical care. Here are some excerpts from the speech: For over half…"
If you want to stalk Barack Obama too, I recommend www.barackobama.com.
Next I was to respond to a professional blogger at a major news site. I frequent ninemsn news as it pops up every time I log into messenger. I scrolled through some pop culture stories and replied to this one in particular.
http://music.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=486180&showcomments=true
Now I was to find out who my local, state and federal representatives are. This wasn't exactly easy, but after checking a number of government sites I managed to find the people in question.
www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au led me to CR John Wayne of the Gold Coast City Council, my local Helensvale representative. The others were a little easier with my State government representative for Qld being MP Peta-Kaye Croft and my federal representative for Australia being MP Stuart Robert MP. The prior two representatives were derived from these sources:
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/contacts-federal.pdf
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf
My next task instructed me to find out the last time my local member had spoken in parliament and then to let him know what I thought about his speech. I wasn't able to find any info on his parliament speeches, it seems his focus is dedicated to the local community. All for his current exploits can be found here along with an email address (division2@goldcoast.qld.gov.au) at the bottom of the document where I was able to contact him and let him know he was a benefit to our community. If I really wanted I could meet him in person "I am at the Helensvale library to meet with residents on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 9am to 10am. No appointment is necessary."
Finally, with all that said and done, it's time to attack...
THE CLEAN FEED!!!
From the time it was first brought up there has been unanimous disapproval from nearly all Australians except for the evil Minister - Senator Stephen Conroy. My personal thoughts and feelings on censorship were already very strong. I utterly disapprove of censorship of any kind, I see censorship as denying reality and locking the bank of available knowledge. I agree things should be classified in age appropriate categories, that way, the parents and the individual gain the responsibility and the freedom to choose what they can and can't watch, view or interact with. That freedom is what we are about to lose should the evil Minister - Senator Stephen Conroy's plan to censor the world go through. I say this because the majority of all information nowadays comes from the internet. It's the greatest collaboration of human knowledge and creativity on earth and Stephen Conroy seems to be jealous. I am thoroughly against his evil plan.
The website www.nocleanfeed.com says it all in terms of good points. I highly recommend viewing it if you wish to learn more about the Clean Feed and what it means for Australia.
The following facts come from the aforementioned site.
"The filtering will target legal as well as illegal material."
"$44m has been budgeted for the implementation of this scheme so far."
"The clean-feed for children will be opt-out, but a second filter will be mandatory for all Internet users."
"A filter will slow Internet access down by up to 80% according to a Government report."
"Only illegal material published on web sites could be targeted, completely missing other methods of distribution such as BitTorrent."
(Which just happens to be the biggest method of illegal distribution from what I gather and hear from people that use torrents.)
"Most Australians don't want the filter.Support for this overly broad policy is virtually non-existent, even from child-protection organisations. A recent survey shows that 51.5% of Australian net user strongly oppose the plan, while only 2.9% strongly support it."
"The money is better spent elsewhere. The filter will cost tens of millions of dollars to attempt. Yet the Government's own studies admit education is more effective than filtering in protecting children, and that "content risks" are less dangerous than other risks."
It's unclear whether or not this plan is specifically being implemented in order to protect children from content or whether its focused on preventing illegal downloads, however, the very act of such viewership, the responsibility falls on the user themselves, and in the case of children, the parents.
"The protection for children is minor at best, an illusion at worst. The clean-feed does nothing to protect children from real threats like cyber-bullying, online sexual predators, viruses, or the theft of personal information. It may provide a false sense of security to parents, reducing effective monitoring of their children's online activities."
As my favorite quote from nocleanfeed asks "Who decides what material is "appropriate" for Australians to see?" The world is what it is and life would be better spent trying to improve the world directly rather than trying to pretend like certain things don't exist. Plus it's a massive waste of money - trying to spend money denying us the internet! How about spending that money so that people who can barely afford food might be able to eat time to time, let alone have internet.
Jeez, this filter thing has gotten me really worked up.
Craig Out.
Of course, as per usual, internet enabled computers allow us to participate globally and share our political and social opinion while engaging in debate. The internet has changed the way political party's handle their campaign's with many politicians nowadays making use of youtube, facebook and twitter in order to gain the support of the new generation. I recall Kevin Rudd doing this back in the day - everyone loved him because he posted a video on youtube and he added anyone who would have him on facebook.
Most of us are what is referred to as part of 'the public sphere' meaning, we don't have a lot more influence than our single vote. However, through media and technology, including: the internet, talk back radio and opinion polls, we all get to have a say and most probably influence many final political outcomes. Regardless of how powerless we may feel, in the long run, if a person has a good opinion and can support it, people are going to notice and agree. The internet is just the resource to make such a statement.
If you look a few posts back, you'll notice the Taylor Swift versus Kanye West debate. Not a situation of great importance, but within hours of it happening the internet was riddled with opinionated video responses, such is its power. The same can be done for any political debate. So if you have a good opinion, go ahead and throw it on youtube, chances are people will listen, even if just a few thousand.
Another attribute of Stephen Stockwell's lecture was his overview of the 'Cyberpunk' genre. Technology influences our culture and times very strongly, with Cyberpunk exploring uses of powerful technologies, including computers, the internet, and ideas of cyberspace all with an underlying theme of anarchy.
There were also a number of great readings offered by the lecture including Mark Poster's 'Cyber Democracy' and also We’re all hackers now: Doing global democracy.
This week for our tutorial we had a number of tasks. Firstly we had to sign an epetition.
Rather than sign one of the many ridiculous petitions located at a site like petitionspot, I opted to sign something that might have actual momentum. So I looked a little deeper and found: whalesrevenge, it already had over one million signatures so I was more than happy to contribute. It also had a little flashgame on the homepage made in the style of 'sinksub' where instead of a submarine you take the role of a whale and shoot high pressure water at the Japanese ships above. A clever and fun game that clearly illustrates the cause and concern in question.
The next task was to find out what U.S. Prime Minister Barack Obama was up to today. I was quick to find a website that enjoys stalking him. While they were yet to update on his activities of the day, although, maybe they had, I'm just not taking into account time difference. The articles go as follows."Posted September 15 12:27:51 PM
UPDATED: The event has ended, but we'll have more on the President speech at the AFL-CIO Convention later."
"Posted September 15 5:59:12 PM
Earlier today, the President traveled to Pittsburgh, PA for the annual AFL-CIO convention. He addressed the gather union members, thanking them for their support and laying out his priorities. He spoke about the Recovery Act, his priorities for rebuilding a new, greener economy, and how health insurance reform will help all Americans achieve security and stability when it comes to their medical care. Here are some excerpts from the speech: For over half…"
If you want to stalk Barack Obama too, I recommend www.barackobama.com.
Next I was to respond to a professional blogger at a major news site. I frequent ninemsn news as it pops up every time I log into messenger. I scrolled through some pop culture stories and replied to this one in particular.
http://music.ninemsn.com.au/blog.aspx?blogentryid=486180&showcomments=true
Now I was to find out who my local, state and federal representatives are. This wasn't exactly easy, but after checking a number of government sites I managed to find the people in question.
www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au led me to CR John Wayne of the Gold Coast City Council, my local Helensvale representative. The others were a little easier with my State government representative for Qld being MP Peta-Kaye Croft and my federal representative for Australia being MP Stuart Robert MP. The prior two representatives were derived from these sources:
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/contacts-federal.pdf
http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf
My next task instructed me to find out the last time my local member had spoken in parliament and then to let him know what I thought about his speech. I wasn't able to find any info on his parliament speeches, it seems his focus is dedicated to the local community. All for his current exploits can be found here along with an email address (division2@goldcoast.qld.gov.au) at the bottom of the document where I was able to contact him and let him know he was a benefit to our community. If I really wanted I could meet him in person "I am at the Helensvale library to meet with residents on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 9am to 10am. No appointment is necessary."
Finally, with all that said and done, it's time to attack...
THE CLEAN FEED!!!
From the time it was first brought up there has been unanimous disapproval from nearly all Australians except for the evil Minister - Senator Stephen Conroy. My personal thoughts and feelings on censorship were already very strong. I utterly disapprove of censorship of any kind, I see censorship as denying reality and locking the bank of available knowledge. I agree things should be classified in age appropriate categories, that way, the parents and the individual gain the responsibility and the freedom to choose what they can and can't watch, view or interact with. That freedom is what we are about to lose should the evil Minister - Senator Stephen Conroy's plan to censor the world go through. I say this because the majority of all information nowadays comes from the internet. It's the greatest collaboration of human knowledge and creativity on earth and Stephen Conroy seems to be jealous. I am thoroughly against his evil plan.
The website www.nocleanfeed.com says it all in terms of good points. I highly recommend viewing it if you wish to learn more about the Clean Feed and what it means for Australia.
The following facts come from the aforementioned site.
"The filtering will target legal as well as illegal material."
"$44m has been budgeted for the implementation of this scheme so far."
"The clean-feed for children will be opt-out, but a second filter will be mandatory for all Internet users."
"A filter will slow Internet access down by up to 80% according to a Government report."
"Only illegal material published on web sites could be targeted, completely missing other methods of distribution such as BitTorrent."
(Which just happens to be the biggest method of illegal distribution from what I gather and hear from people that use torrents.)
"Most Australians don't want the filter.Support for this overly broad policy is virtually non-existent, even from child-protection organisations. A recent survey shows that 51.5% of Australian net user strongly oppose the plan, while only 2.9% strongly support it."
"The money is better spent elsewhere. The filter will cost tens of millions of dollars to attempt. Yet the Government's own studies admit education is more effective than filtering in protecting children, and that "content risks" are less dangerous than other risks."
It's unclear whether or not this plan is specifically being implemented in order to protect children from content or whether its focused on preventing illegal downloads, however, the very act of such viewership, the responsibility falls on the user themselves, and in the case of children, the parents.
"The protection for children is minor at best, an illusion at worst. The clean-feed does nothing to protect children from real threats like cyber-bullying, online sexual predators, viruses, or the theft of personal information. It may provide a false sense of security to parents, reducing effective monitoring of their children's online activities."
As my favorite quote from nocleanfeed asks "Who decides what material is "appropriate" for Australians to see?" The world is what it is and life would be better spent trying to improve the world directly rather than trying to pretend like certain things don't exist. Plus it's a massive waste of money - trying to spend money denying us the internet! How about spending that money so that people who can barely afford food might be able to eat time to time, let alone have internet.
Jeez, this filter thing has gotten me really worked up.
Craig Out.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
My Freeware Experience
As it turned out when I went to download some freeware programs I was to discover that I was already an avid user of such things
Firstly there was VLC Media Player. This program has always been a pleasant alternative to the default Windows Media Player, allowing different video and audio streams as well as the application of different sets of subtitles. To this day I still don't understand the workings, generally if you can't play a video you simply download a newer codec and that should do the trick, but not always, however, simply with VLC you can play nearly any type of file you desire. I highly recommend this if you're having any troubles in that area.
Yet another example of my already ample use of freeware was Mozilla Firefox which I have been using for years. Simply put, it feels smoother than the standard Internet Explorer, it has the option of downloading applications to make browsing a safer and more pleasurable experience. Such applications include the Video Downloader which allows one to save videos from sites such as youtube for offline viewing. While not too much different to Internet Explorer, the interface is slightly different and just feels more aesthetic, so again, a good recommendation.
Frets on Fire is a more creative application. I had never tried it, but my friend introduced me to the program a few years back and I was impressed. In the style of the popular video game series Guitar Hero, Frets on Fire allows users to take any song and then use their keyboard like a guitar to electronically play the song. This is a greta free program if you're too cheap to dish out for Guitar Hero and if you're not too embarassed about using a keyboard as a guitar. Though you have to program songs that don't automatically come with the program, most songs can be found by users from other sites if you're willing to seek them out.
Ah, and now we come to GIMP, a Godsend for anyone who doesn't happen to have a spare $1000 or so sitting around for something than they more often than not need in a computer class. GIMP is essentially photoshop, while minus a few features, all the essentials are there, including shade and colourization, chopping out backgrounds, multiple layers and plenty more. So don't be a chump and fork out for photoshop, get GIMP.
The world of freeware continues to evolve as wonderful individuals contribute a great array of programs to the already prominent catalogue. There's a bright future in the world of freeware, a world where you don't quite know what's around the corner, but you're sure it'll be good.
Firstly there was VLC Media Player. This program has always been a pleasant alternative to the default Windows Media Player, allowing different video and audio streams as well as the application of different sets of subtitles. To this day I still don't understand the workings, generally if you can't play a video you simply download a newer codec and that should do the trick, but not always, however, simply with VLC you can play nearly any type of file you desire. I highly recommend this if you're having any troubles in that area.
Yet another example of my already ample use of freeware was Mozilla Firefox which I have been using for years. Simply put, it feels smoother than the standard Internet Explorer, it has the option of downloading applications to make browsing a safer and more pleasurable experience. Such applications include the Video Downloader which allows one to save videos from sites such as youtube for offline viewing. While not too much different to Internet Explorer, the interface is slightly different and just feels more aesthetic, so again, a good recommendation.
Frets on Fire is a more creative application. I had never tried it, but my friend introduced me to the program a few years back and I was impressed. In the style of the popular video game series Guitar Hero, Frets on Fire allows users to take any song and then use their keyboard like a guitar to electronically play the song. This is a greta free program if you're too cheap to dish out for Guitar Hero and if you're not too embarassed about using a keyboard as a guitar. Though you have to program songs that don't automatically come with the program, most songs can be found by users from other sites if you're willing to seek them out.
Ah, and now we come to GIMP, a Godsend for anyone who doesn't happen to have a spare $1000 or so sitting around for something than they more often than not need in a computer class. GIMP is essentially photoshop, while minus a few features, all the essentials are there, including shade and colourization, chopping out backgrounds, multiple layers and plenty more. So don't be a chump and fork out for photoshop, get GIMP.
The world of freeware continues to evolve as wonderful individuals contribute a great array of programs to the already prominent catalogue. There's a bright future in the world of freeware, a world where you don't quite know what's around the corner, but you're sure it'll be good.
Taylor Swift versus Kanye West
Kanye West is at it again, stealing the mic from Taylor on stage at the VMAs, and declaring his opinion, that Beyonce should have won the award.
I love Taylor Swift, and I didn't need any extra reason to hate Kayne West. But here it is.
Here are some hilarious responses, an example of people using the internet to express their opinion, whether sincere or ironic.
Hells yeah. I agree with Tyler 100%
Jbigga should marry Kanye West.
Kanye West Fails... Indeed.
I love Taylor Swift, and I didn't need any extra reason to hate Kayne West. But here it is.
Here are some hilarious responses, an example of people using the internet to express their opinion, whether sincere or ironic.
Hells yeah. I agree with Tyler 100%
Jbigga should marry Kanye West.
Kanye West Fails... Indeed.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Lecture 7 -Summary (Open Source Software)
This week we had Jason again.
We checked out what's called Open Source Software. Programs and applications made by users for non-profit purposes, but simply to go against the monopoly held by companies like Microsoft and Abode who charge excessive absorbent prices for necessary software.
Unlike programs made by the evil corporations, Open Source Software, also referred to as Freeware, has open coding, and so other users can edit and evolve the code. Freeware exists in a collaborative environment where everyone freely contributes to create better and better programs for free access.
For people that don't want to fork out hundreds to thousands of dollars for a copy of Photoshop because they need to edit an image as part of their education or work, there exists "Gimp" essentially a recreation of photoshop, except without a few features. Freeware creators start from scratch and produce programs that mimic the necessary features of existing available software and then make it free for the public.
Another feature of freeware, is that often these pieces of software will carry out only small and very specific tasks. Jason mentioned one that would go through and resize a collection of photographs, a great invention as it prevents users from having to individually resize each.
There was an exhaustive extent of available programs. Fortunately, our next task was to download some and check them out. Needless to say, I'm eager to do just that.
Links containing collections of freeware include:
www.portableapps.com
www.freewaregenius.com
http://download.cnet.com
As a sidenote, portableapps has the best overall collection, freewaregenius exists to review rather than distribute the applications, however most reviews have a link to the software in question. Download.cnet does provide some freeware programs, however, there is a downfall. Most programs found there are free trial versions and don't give the user full use of the program and continue to request purchase.
So be warned...
Until next time where I review some freeware applications myself.
We checked out what's called Open Source Software. Programs and applications made by users for non-profit purposes, but simply to go against the monopoly held by companies like Microsoft and Abode who charge excessive absorbent prices for necessary software.
Unlike programs made by the evil corporations, Open Source Software, also referred to as Freeware, has open coding, and so other users can edit and evolve the code. Freeware exists in a collaborative environment where everyone freely contributes to create better and better programs for free access.
For people that don't want to fork out hundreds to thousands of dollars for a copy of Photoshop because they need to edit an image as part of their education or work, there exists "Gimp" essentially a recreation of photoshop, except without a few features. Freeware creators start from scratch and produce programs that mimic the necessary features of existing available software and then make it free for the public.
Another feature of freeware, is that often these pieces of software will carry out only small and very specific tasks. Jason mentioned one that would go through and resize a collection of photographs, a great invention as it prevents users from having to individually resize each.
There was an exhaustive extent of available programs. Fortunately, our next task was to download some and check them out. Needless to say, I'm eager to do just that.
Links containing collections of freeware include:
www.portableapps.com
www.freewaregenius.com
http://download.cnet.com
As a sidenote, portableapps has the best overall collection, freewaregenius exists to review rather than distribute the applications, however most reviews have a link to the software in question. Download.cnet does provide some freeware programs, however, there is a downfall. Most programs found there are free trial versions and don't give the user full use of the program and continue to request purchase.
So be warned...
Until next time where I review some freeware applications myself.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Fake News Report
Here is my fake news report. Shot on digicam and uploaded to www.ireport.com
Unfortunately, had I taken a decent look at the site before hand I would have noticed the tagline "Unediting. Unfiltered. News." It's pretty clear from my video that the shots are staged and that I constructed in brief this fake report with some minor transitions. However, it was simply my understanding that we were desigining a fake report and I was informed we could make some digital edits.
That being the case, I am happy with my, clearly staged (and how) fake news piece.
Hopefully I get some laughs. And hopefully I get some that actually take this seriously.
...I am not sure about the reliability of the uploaded video as it has yet to appear online after a day. As a cautionary, I have uploaded the video directly to this blog.
Unfortunately, had I taken a decent look at the site before hand I would have noticed the tagline "Unediting. Unfiltered. News." It's pretty clear from my video that the shots are staged and that I constructed in brief this fake report with some minor transitions. However, it was simply my understanding that we were desigining a fake report and I was informed we could make some digital edits.
That being the case, I am happy with my, clearly staged (and how) fake news piece.
Hopefully I get some laughs. And hopefully I get some that actually take this seriously.
...I am not sure about the reliability of the uploaded video as it has yet to appear online after a day. As a cautionary, I have uploaded the video directly to this blog.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Lecture 6 - Summary (Production and Consumption)
This week's lecture was essentially a look into how communication has changed production and consumption.
I can't think of a lot to say, so I'll be general. Originally, media and communication was purely a consumption driven industry - people would go to the cinemas to see a film or they'd sit at home and watch their televisions.
Yes, back in the glorious old days, people would take everything and give nothing back. What really changed everything was 'the internet.' The Internet allowed people the opportunity to create and share their own content using computer applications and uploading it to the web. Nowadays with mobile phones, digital cameras and the like, people can not only access the internet 'on the fly' but can also produce and distribute their own content no matter where they are thus contributing to production.
I want to take a look at what I consider 'recycling.' In which a consumer takes content and then produces something using the content itself or the ideas embedded, thus 'recycling.'
We took a look at several sites that illustrate what I'm talking about. The first was thetrailermash where a series of recuts can be found. Essentially, these videos take footage from the movie and then re-edit them, mixing and matching scenes, adding their own special effects and ultimately produce a brand new trailer where the genre has been reversed for comic effect.
I have linked to a video as an example. For those of you who have never seen Mrs. Doubtfire, it's a family comedy, this new trailer is... well, take a look.
The next site was fanfilms.net where people take the ideas of the films they love and recreate them in their own image. Most videos found on the site are spoofs rather than tributes, take a look at what I consider 'Twilight In A Nutshell.'
Basically, in short, the internet has made way for consumers to also become producers as they can openly distribute their own content. What's more, the above videos illustrate how one can consume and then produce or rather "recycle" content.
Now, our next task is to upload a fake news report to www.ireport.com. So consider me out to get my reporting gear.
I can't think of a lot to say, so I'll be general. Originally, media and communication was purely a consumption driven industry - people would go to the cinemas to see a film or they'd sit at home and watch their televisions.
Yes, back in the glorious old days, people would take everything and give nothing back. What really changed everything was 'the internet.' The Internet allowed people the opportunity to create and share their own content using computer applications and uploading it to the web. Nowadays with mobile phones, digital cameras and the like, people can not only access the internet 'on the fly' but can also produce and distribute their own content no matter where they are thus contributing to production.
I want to take a look at what I consider 'recycling.' In which a consumer takes content and then produces something using the content itself or the ideas embedded, thus 'recycling.'
We took a look at several sites that illustrate what I'm talking about. The first was thetrailermash where a series of recuts can be found. Essentially, these videos take footage from the movie and then re-edit them, mixing and matching scenes, adding their own special effects and ultimately produce a brand new trailer where the genre has been reversed for comic effect.
I have linked to a video as an example. For those of you who have never seen Mrs. Doubtfire, it's a family comedy, this new trailer is... well, take a look.
The next site was fanfilms.net where people take the ideas of the films they love and recreate them in their own image. Most videos found on the site are spoofs rather than tributes, take a look at what I consider 'Twilight In A Nutshell.'
Basically, in short, the internet has made way for consumers to also become producers as they can openly distribute their own content. What's more, the above videos illustrate how one can consume and then produce or rather "recycle" content.
Now, our next task is to upload a fake news report to www.ireport.com. So consider me out to get my reporting gear.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Creative And Social Uses Of The Net
Elaborating on the Week 5 tutorial, here is a brief review and discussion of five sites Jason showed us.
Firstly is Polyvore which essentially acts as a dress up game, allowing users to search through an extensive catalogue of clothing and then piece them together to get the right look.
What's more, the site also provides collections of outfits worn by popular celebrities so that users can mimic their favourite look.
This site is both a great social and creative piece, allowing for creative combinations of clothing and for users to get an idea of what they are after instead of having to browse multiple stores.
I constructed a little dress up of my own: man I wish more girls dressed like this (not really).
Next is an interesting site http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php. Essentially, users get a live feed of disasters as they occur around the world. They can see exactly where the disaster is happening and the extent of the situation. The site also keeps information on impending disasters and past disasters for additional reference.
Again, a great social tool for knowing whats going on in the world around us all.
http://www.speedtest.net/index.php?nojs=1 is a site that shows how long it takes for the user's computer to conenct to other servers and computers anywhere around the world, thus visually providing a distinct image of just how simple it is to communicate with someone anywhere around the world. While not a site that keeps you coming back for more, everyone should check it out at least once in order to see the potential of the communication age we live in.
Finally, a list of the numerous social networking sites on the web can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites.
Besides the popular, myspace, facebook and twitter, it is clear there is a number of social networking sites that cater to a particular audience or subculture.
This wikipedia list is a great site by itself as it gives a list of potential hotspots that apply to a specific interest so that people can meet up with others who share the same interests.
One site shown by Jason Elftown goes to show, that subculture is important and perhaps more enjoyable to some people then using myspace or facebook where there is no specific interest toher than sharing assorted information with friends. These smaller social networking communities encourage creativity and allow for users to embrace their particular interests and bask in it together. Quite frankly, the internet needs more sites like this (not about elves though).
The image below is a screenshot of testimonials given by Elftown users. "I use Elftown because...' I found this interesting as it is something you rarely see at sites nowadays. It really gives its users a sense of importance as it displays their input and allows them to express their love for their subculture.
Another social networking site last.fm allows users to add their favourite bands and artists and automatically creates visual representations of data, including top songs, playlists and much more. However, perhaps best of all, it provides band suggestions based on a user's current artists by finding similar groups, thus allowing users to expand their library and also meet peoplle who share the same interest in music.
Here is a visual representation of a small bunch of bands I listen to.
All up there is no limit to the creative and social potential of the internet, and it is clear from all these sites that there are some great ideas out there. Who knows what the future might hold... One thing we can be sure of though, there's always going to be something interesting.
Firstly is Polyvore which essentially acts as a dress up game, allowing users to search through an extensive catalogue of clothing and then piece them together to get the right look.
What's more, the site also provides collections of outfits worn by popular celebrities so that users can mimic their favourite look.
This site is both a great social and creative piece, allowing for creative combinations of clothing and for users to get an idea of what they are after instead of having to browse multiple stores.
I constructed a little dress up of my own: man I wish more girls dressed like this (not really).
Next is an interesting site http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php. Essentially, users get a live feed of disasters as they occur around the world. They can see exactly where the disaster is happening and the extent of the situation. The site also keeps information on impending disasters and past disasters for additional reference.
Again, a great social tool for knowing whats going on in the world around us all.http://www.speedtest.net/index.php?nojs=1 is a site that shows how long it takes for the user's computer to conenct to other servers and computers anywhere around the world, thus visually providing a distinct image of just how simple it is to communicate with someone anywhere around the world. While not a site that keeps you coming back for more, everyone should check it out at least once in order to see the potential of the communication age we live in.
Finally, a list of the numerous social networking sites on the web can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites.
Besides the popular, myspace, facebook and twitter, it is clear there is a number of social networking sites that cater to a particular audience or subculture.
This wikipedia list is a great site by itself as it gives a list of potential hotspots that apply to a specific interest so that people can meet up with others who share the same interests.
One site shown by Jason Elftown goes to show, that subculture is important and perhaps more enjoyable to some people then using myspace or facebook where there is no specific interest toher than sharing assorted information with friends. These smaller social networking communities encourage creativity and allow for users to embrace their particular interests and bask in it together. Quite frankly, the internet needs more sites like this (not about elves though).
The image below is a screenshot of testimonials given by Elftown users. "I use Elftown because...' I found this interesting as it is something you rarely see at sites nowadays. It really gives its users a sense of importance as it displays their input and allows them to express their love for their subculture.
Another social networking site last.fm allows users to add their favourite bands and artists and automatically creates visual representations of data, including top songs, playlists and much more. However, perhaps best of all, it provides band suggestions based on a user's current artists by finding similar groups, thus allowing users to expand their library and also meet peoplle who share the same interest in music.Here is a visual representation of a small bunch of bands I listen to.
All up there is no limit to the creative and social potential of the internet, and it is clear from all these sites that there are some great ideas out there. Who knows what the future might hold... One thing we can be sure of though, there's always going to be something interesting.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Week 6 Tutorial
Courtesy of www.sketchcast.com, a site linked to us by the wonderful Jason, the entire world can now experience my pathetic attempt at sketching. An attempt so pathetic some would consider it funny... here's Gary.
It seems my sketchcast has inexplicably disappeared, so to compensate I have uploaded someone else's sketch in order to show what the site is all about.
...After further study there seems to be an error with sketchcast itself as it won't allow me to embed any sketches, so unfortunately I must leave this out. As an example I have taken a screenshot of the end result of a sketchcast video. The user draws the image and then sketchcast creates a video of the image being drawn.
Also, in order to fulfill this week's requirements, here is a screenshot from the website Personas. Personas is a program that shows a visual representation of the all the data that appears when your name is searched for online and compiles it in a graph.
According to the internet, this is who Craig Thompson is.
It seems my sketchcast has inexplicably disappeared, so to compensate I have uploaded someone else's sketch in order to show what the site is all about.
...After further study there seems to be an error with sketchcast itself as it won't allow me to embed any sketches, so unfortunately I must leave this out. As an example I have taken a screenshot of the end result of a sketchcast video. The user draws the image and then sketchcast creates a video of the image being drawn.
Also, in order to fulfill this week's requirements, here is a screenshot from the website Personas. Personas is a program that shows a visual representation of the all the data that appears when your name is searched for online and compiles it in a graph.
According to the internet, this is who Craig Thompson is.
Google Maps
So I got around to creating my own Google Map. It's pretty aweswome, the idea is its an online address book, but with the cool exception, you can label each address or hotspot, and then download directions to get from where you to where you want to be. I listed some cinemas, restaurants and me and my friend's house to test it out and ultimately I think its a good thing to keep if you've got a lot of places you want to rememebr. Fortunately, it's more convenient for sharing with other people than keeping for yourself. If you like a place, you generally know where it is and how to get there. Nevertheless, take a look at mine if you're curious as to my feeble lack of hotspots.
View Craig Thompson's Hotspots in a larger map
View Craig Thompson's Hotspots in a larger map
Internet Short Films
The following are a set of three internet exclusive short films intended to illustrate the unique opportunities the internet provides people with creative talent, but whom wouldn't originally of had a method of gaining exposure.
The first of my videos is Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout, an episode in a series of 'Angry Video Game Nerd' episodes by internet personality James D. Rolfe. Originally james posted two video game reviews online in a distinct style and the videos became rather popular. James tidied up the production and actually started to produce regular episodes hosting them from his website www.cinemassacre.com. The videos continued to gain popularity to the extent that www.gametrailers.com actually started to sponsor James as a result allowing him to share his films with a broader audience.
I chose this video as it shows how the internet provides a much greater slection of cinematic entertainment as I wait for each new episode how I would wait for a new television show episode. The internet gives a chance for everyone to express theirselves, and the truly talented of the bunch actually can make a career out of their work through sponsorship and brand merchandise.
My second video is an episdoe from a youtube serial created by brothers Remi and Regis Broadway, entitled 'Choose Your Own Tube.' This was the first of a now common technique involving audience participation in youtube videos. At the end of each episode viewers are given a three or four options on what can happen in the following episode. After tallying the votes, the next video reflects the most popular outcome and the series continues as such. While not as successful as some youtube hits, it was the first series to attempt the idea and still exists as a symbol of creative use for youtube and internet video. Regis and Remi created the series as a trial for a potential TV Pilot in order to gauge audience responses, using the idea for audience participation as a hook and means of evaluation.
Unfortunately, the internet isn't necessarily home to unique and interesting video entertainment. This simple snippet of a home video has acquired 9,801,953 views, millions above either of the previous productions. This particuarly goes to prove that the internet isn't only a means of creative expression, but a waste dump for humorous, but redundant material that doesn't serve to do anything but provide a cheap laugh. However, the views alone just go to show, this is the kind of thing people enjoy. While interestingly, this video has likely received no profit and is quickly forgotten about. It's cheap, you see it, laugh, tell your friends, forget about it, and they do the same.
I think together these short films demonstrate the variety of material available on the internet. Anyone can have their 5 seconds of fame here, whether it be through creative expression, creative evaluation, or a cheap gag. All three of these films are entertaining in their own right and do the internet proud.
The first of my videos is Bugs Bunny's Birthday Blowout, an episode in a series of 'Angry Video Game Nerd' episodes by internet personality James D. Rolfe. Originally james posted two video game reviews online in a distinct style and the videos became rather popular. James tidied up the production and actually started to produce regular episodes hosting them from his website www.cinemassacre.com. The videos continued to gain popularity to the extent that www.gametrailers.com actually started to sponsor James as a result allowing him to share his films with a broader audience.
I chose this video as it shows how the internet provides a much greater slection of cinematic entertainment as I wait for each new episode how I would wait for a new television show episode. The internet gives a chance for everyone to express theirselves, and the truly talented of the bunch actually can make a career out of their work through sponsorship and brand merchandise.
My second video is an episdoe from a youtube serial created by brothers Remi and Regis Broadway, entitled 'Choose Your Own Tube.' This was the first of a now common technique involving audience participation in youtube videos. At the end of each episode viewers are given a three or four options on what can happen in the following episode. After tallying the votes, the next video reflects the most popular outcome and the series continues as such. While not as successful as some youtube hits, it was the first series to attempt the idea and still exists as a symbol of creative use for youtube and internet video. Regis and Remi created the series as a trial for a potential TV Pilot in order to gauge audience responses, using the idea for audience participation as a hook and means of evaluation.
Unfortunately, the internet isn't necessarily home to unique and interesting video entertainment. This simple snippet of a home video has acquired 9,801,953 views, millions above either of the previous productions. This particuarly goes to prove that the internet isn't only a means of creative expression, but a waste dump for humorous, but redundant material that doesn't serve to do anything but provide a cheap laugh. However, the views alone just go to show, this is the kind of thing people enjoy. While interestingly, this video has likely received no profit and is quickly forgotten about. It's cheap, you see it, laugh, tell your friends, forget about it, and they do the same.
I think together these short films demonstrate the variety of material available on the internet. Anyone can have their 5 seconds of fame here, whether it be through creative expression, creative evaluation, or a cheap gag. All three of these films are entertaining in their own right and do the internet proud.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I'm Back - Lecture 4 & 5 Summary
Well, after a tough week thanks to having all four of my wisdom teeth removed at once, I'm back to work, filling out my blog.
Since both lectures were a little more basic than previous ones, I decided to include them both here together.
Lecture 4 gave us a great timeline regarding the history of movies, film and television.
Here's the timeline based on what was given in the lecture.
1895 - Birth of cinema (first moving image).
1906 - First feature length narrative film about Ned Kelly.
1927 - First sound film (live music) 'The Jazzsinger.'
1929 - First all colour movie 'On With The Show.'
1933 - Drive in theatre is introduced.
1937 - Disney releases 'Snow White' the first all animated/colour/sound movie.
1939 - TV is introducted at the New York Trade Fair.
1952 - 3D movies are introduced.
1955 - Hollywood sells movies to TV stations and studios.
1956 - Ampex makes first VCR/VTR.
1959 - 'The Tingle' introduces Perceptovision in that audience members receive a mild electrical shock in order to enhance tension. Also Smellovision emerges (also known as Aromarama).
1963 - Ampex releases consumer VCR for only $30, 000.
1967 - Sony introduces VCR and portapack - used to record images with a camera.
1970 - Screens are getting smaller - so IMAX debuts.
1972 - Pay TV is introduced.
1985 - First Blockbuster video shop opens.
1986 - First Fully CGI short 'Luxo, Jr.' by Pixar is made.
1995 - First full length CGI film blockbuster is made, 'Toy Story' by Pixar.
1997 - DVD video is released.
2001 - BMW hires multiplle directors to create short films for a character known as 'The Driver.'
We also watched a humorous parody of both 'Cops' and 'Star Wars' known as 'Troops.'
I have embedded the video below for your enjoyment.
That was basically Lecture 4, next, obviosuly, is Lecture 5.
Lecture 5 consisted mostly of Jason Nelson screwing around.
Firstly he showed us speedtest.net, an interestign look at the time it takes to communicate with computers all around the world.
He then went on to explain the Dot Com Crash which you can read about here Dot Com Crash.
Essentially everyone was putting their money into .com stocks, only to be screwed over in the end when it turned out the internet was not yet a very profitable tool.
Our buddy Jason went on to show us archive.com which takes screenshots of all kinds of major websites over the years to show their visual evolution. Basically we got to see the sad beginnings of myspace in which it looked little more than a boring bland, student project (which it sort of was).
Amusingly, we were told myspace got sold for $1billion only for facebook to supercede it making the buyers very upset. After examining Social Networking trends some more we took a look at some obscure social networking sites such as 'elftown' and the anti 'Twitter' known as 'Woofer.'
Jason then showed us Google Maps and how we could make our maps and pinpoint hotspots, which is in fact a task we have been assigned (I'll get on to it).
Then we got a gander at sketchcast, a tool that converts you and your online drawing into a video - very interesting. In this instance we saw a video of a Lady and a Hotdog.
Finally, we took a look at a popular video known as United Breaks Guitar. I have embedded the video below for your enjoyment. Essentially, this man travelled United Airlines only to have them break his guitar while packing, when they didn't compensate him, he swore vengeance. He made a filmclip, and due to its over 5 million views, actually had an impact on the people travelling United Airlines, and thus the vengeance was succesfful.
That was more or less Jason Nelson's amazing and enjoyable Lecture 5. He showed us so many unique and interesting websites and tools it would be too much to go on about them all. I look forward to any lecture we may have with Jason in the future.
Craig Out.
Since both lectures were a little more basic than previous ones, I decided to include them both here together.
Lecture 4 gave us a great timeline regarding the history of movies, film and television.
Here's the timeline based on what was given in the lecture.
1895 - Birth of cinema (first moving image).
1906 - First feature length narrative film about Ned Kelly.
1927 - First sound film (live music) 'The Jazzsinger.'
1929 - First all colour movie 'On With The Show.'
1933 - Drive in theatre is introduced.
1937 - Disney releases 'Snow White' the first all animated/colour/sound movie.
1939 - TV is introducted at the New York Trade Fair.
1952 - 3D movies are introduced.
1955 - Hollywood sells movies to TV stations and studios.
1956 - Ampex makes first VCR/VTR.
1959 - 'The Tingle' introduces Perceptovision in that audience members receive a mild electrical shock in order to enhance tension. Also Smellovision emerges (also known as Aromarama).
1963 - Ampex releases consumer VCR for only $30, 000.
1967 - Sony introduces VCR and portapack - used to record images with a camera.
1970 - Screens are getting smaller - so IMAX debuts.
1972 - Pay TV is introduced.
1985 - First Blockbuster video shop opens.
1986 - First Fully CGI short 'Luxo, Jr.' by Pixar is made.
1995 - First full length CGI film blockbuster is made, 'Toy Story' by Pixar.
1997 - DVD video is released.
2001 - BMW hires multiplle directors to create short films for a character known as 'The Driver.'
We also watched a humorous parody of both 'Cops' and 'Star Wars' known as 'Troops.'
I have embedded the video below for your enjoyment.
That was basically Lecture 4, next, obviosuly, is Lecture 5.
Lecture 5 consisted mostly of Jason Nelson screwing around.
Firstly he showed us speedtest.net, an interestign look at the time it takes to communicate with computers all around the world.
He then went on to explain the Dot Com Crash which you can read about here Dot Com Crash.
Essentially everyone was putting their money into .com stocks, only to be screwed over in the end when it turned out the internet was not yet a very profitable tool.
Our buddy Jason went on to show us archive.com which takes screenshots of all kinds of major websites over the years to show their visual evolution. Basically we got to see the sad beginnings of myspace in which it looked little more than a boring bland, student project (which it sort of was).
Amusingly, we were told myspace got sold for $1billion only for facebook to supercede it making the buyers very upset. After examining Social Networking trends some more we took a look at some obscure social networking sites such as 'elftown' and the anti 'Twitter' known as 'Woofer.'
Jason then showed us Google Maps and how we could make our maps and pinpoint hotspots, which is in fact a task we have been assigned (I'll get on to it).
Then we got a gander at sketchcast, a tool that converts you and your online drawing into a video - very interesting. In this instance we saw a video of a Lady and a Hotdog.
Finally, we took a look at a popular video known as United Breaks Guitar. I have embedded the video below for your enjoyment. Essentially, this man travelled United Airlines only to have them break his guitar while packing, when they didn't compensate him, he swore vengeance. He made a filmclip, and due to its over 5 million views, actually had an impact on the people travelling United Airlines, and thus the vengeance was succesfful.
That was more or less Jason Nelson's amazing and enjoyable Lecture 5. He showed us so many unique and interesting websites and tools it would be too much to go on about them all. I look forward to any lecture we may have with Jason in the future.
Craig Out.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Research - Tutorial 4
This week we went on an online 'Scavenger Hunt' in search of the answers to obscure questions. The catch? We could not use google or wikipedia. So, instead I opted to use the search engine www.ask.com for the majority of my search.
P.S.
To avoid repetitive referencing, unless otherwise stated, I have in every instance copied the question into the www.ask.com search engine and acquired my answer from the list of results.
1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin? How long did it take to grow?
BigPumpkins.com congratulates Joe Jutras on his 1689 pound pumpkin weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA on September 29, 2007. Joe grew this monster on the 998.6 Pukos 2005 and crossed it with 1225 Jutras 2003. 
Source: Bigpumpkins
"That pumpkin grew in 87 days. It was an average of 20 pounds a day. I went on vacation for three days and came back and it was huge."
Source: Salemnews
2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Lilly Allen?
I asked a girl (who wishes to remain nameless) what the answer was seeing as I was having no luck using www.ask.com. She replied that the easiest way to contact Lilly Allen is via Twitter as she kept hearing on the news and in the media.
And so using my communication skills I acquired the information.
Source: Twitter
3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
Funny enough, the search engine popped up a blog from several years ago that had been given a similiar set of 10 questions, with 3 being identicle. Man I love the stream of information.
Source: Emaleighsblog
"I found on Altavista that an adult giraffe's tongue can be up to 27 inches long. I also found out a theory behind why a giraffe's tongue is black, and that is to prevent it from being sunburned. I also found out that Giraffes sleep no more than 5 to 30 minutes in a 24-hour period. There is so much I didnt know about Giraffes."
4. How would you define the word 'glycomics'? In your own words, what does it really mean ? What does the term 'seagull manager' refer to?
“Glycomics,” the scientific attempt to characterize and study carbohydrates, is a rapidly emerging branch of science, for which informatics is just beginning.
My understanding is that Glycomics wishes to study and define carbohydrates more precisely.
Source: Ploscompbiol
| Definition of Seagull Manager: |
| transient, highly critical manager: a manager whose interaction with the workforce consists in arriving, criticizing everything and everybody harshly, and leaving again ( slang ) |
Source: UKencarta
5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film? Which of his films Had 'Blondie' in it?
The first feature film David directed was 'Transfer; in 1966. The first film he acted in though was 'Into the Night' in 1985. 'Blondie' appeared in a film he directed called 'Videodrome.'
Source: IMDB
6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?
The original Hacker Manifesto was written in 1986 on the 8th of January. It was written by a person via the alias 'The Mentor'.
Source: Mithral
7. Why do phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
The answer lies 30 years ago or more when the use of exchange names as part of the telephone number was still popular in the USA. Dials had letters as well as numbers and the first 3 letters of the exchange name were dialled followed by numbers. An example might be CENtral 78978. You dialled CEN 78978 or, using all numbers, 236 78978.
It so happened that 5 on the dial corresponded with J K and L and you can’t make any English place names using any combination of J, K and L as the first 3 letters. So the 555 code was allocated to service levels such as Directory Assistance, Operator, Repair Service, etc.
Due to the "low fill" of the 555 code, Hollywood was encouraged to quote 555 numbers in their productions to prevent real subscribers being harassed by members of the public trying out the numbers quoted on the screen. Generic and satirical advertisements and commercials often used 555 numbers. In the early days of exchange names the prefix KLondike-5 was used as this exchange did not exist.
Source: Telephone Collecting
8. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Sydney?
$103 travelling Virgin Blue airlines.
Source: Airfaresflights
This is infact the cheapest form of travel as a bus costs $123.
I couldn't narrow it down to a specific week, however I did find this song which topped the Australian Pop Charts back in 1965.
RAY BROWN & THE WHISPERS
Fool, Fool, Fool
(Rudy Clark)
Australia 1965
#1 Sydney #4 Melbourne #2 Brisbane #1 Adelaide #1 Perth
Chart-topping Sydney band that originated in the surf music scene as The Nocturnes. After acquiring Ray Brown as their lead singer, they went on to become one of the most popular Australian bands of the British Invasion era. See full history at Milesago.
Source: Poparchives
10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Stephen Stockwell was in the punk band called "The Black Assasins". This information is from
Source: Bdins2.wordpress
Completing Tasks
As of right now I am posting to catch up on work and show my understanding of the course and the relevant materials.
First up is a youtube video link showcasing a great Griffith Uni related video made by some friends. In this instance I have used the embedding code in order to link to the video.
Secondly I have uploaded a video of my own just to prove I can. In this instance I have uploaded the video directly from my own computer.
A task required us to show before and after images from pictures used in our post on
convergence of devices. However until now I had always been saving pictures I found and
uploading them directly as I often find that pictures you link to can disappear so it is more
sensible to upload them directly yourself.
However, for this task I shall link directly to the 'before' images and upload directly my new
'after' images using entirely new images.
Before
After (I altered the width attribute of the original image, changed the colour hue, and flipped it horizontally, using Macromedia Firefox.)
Before
After (Again I altered the width attribute, decreased the image's size, inversed the colours and added both a blur and a sharpen effect using Macromedia Firefox.)
Lastly, we have a task that requires us to watch a movie or television show and
explain the who, what, where, when, how and why as outlined in Lecture 3.
I decided I would do mine on an episode of Malcolm in the Middle, A - because it was on the computer so I could write as I went, and B - that meant I could also take screenshots in order to
better illustrate my point and finally C - Malcolm in the Middle often manipulates the rules of screen language for comic effect. (Keep reading, you'll see what I mean.)
This episode opens with a Close-Up of Stevie and pans across to Malcolm also using a Close-Up.
The Close-Up, as usual answers the question, who, and the background shows students walking about and sitting, it appears they are also sitting. These general observations suggest they are in school, although one familiar with the series would immediately assume that, but also, the fact they are in school suggests the time of day, the fact they are sitting means it is probably around lunchtime, and so thus where and when are also answered. Malcolm is staring transfixed at a girl, describing her intently, however, as it cuts to her we see neither who or what as there is no focus within the frame.
What we get instead is a Medium Long Shot of various people walking and are left with no idea whom Malcolm is interested in. This goes to show that a Close-Up is infact vital when answering who. However, this is not a result of bad framing, no, this show is hilarious.
This trend continues throughout the episode. Malcolm starts dating the girl he was interested in, he explains how verbally, he simply asked her out. The shots continue though, refusing to show her face leading to an alienation effect as Malcolm becomes more and more paranoid within the relationship, but continues to refer to how beautiful she is.
But we literally never see her face, all we ever get is an angle, and in the one instance where it actually gives us a midshot of her it is only for a fraction of a second and her face is purposely blacked out. Thus the show refuses to answer why Malcolm is attracted to this girl for comic effect.
Perhaps a televison series wasn't the best example, but it goes to prove that most questions who, what, where, when, how and why can be answered through much more than just framing and shots. That being the case, Malcolm in the Middle uses framing and shots to put a focus on bizzare comedy rather than answering questions that we already know the answer to. In that sense it puts more of a focus on creating tension and manipulating dramatic elements than telling a story.
This is the end of my studies for tonight. I hope my work was enjoyable.
First up is a youtube video link showcasing a great Griffith Uni related video made by some friends. In this instance I have used the embedding code in order to link to the video.
Secondly I have uploaded a video of my own just to prove I can. In this instance I have uploaded the video directly from my own computer.
A task required us to show before and after images from pictures used in our post on
convergence of devices. However until now I had always been saving pictures I found and
uploading them directly as I often find that pictures you link to can disappear so it is more
sensible to upload them directly yourself.
However, for this task I shall link directly to the 'before' images and upload directly my new
'after' images using entirely new images.
Before
After (I altered the width attribute of the original image, changed the colour hue, and flipped it horizontally, using Macromedia Firefox.)Before
After (Again I altered the width attribute, decreased the image's size, inversed the colours and added both a blur and a sharpen effect using Macromedia Firefox.)Lastly, we have a task that requires us to watch a movie or television show and
explain the who, what, where, when, how and why as outlined in Lecture 3.
I decided I would do mine on an episode of Malcolm in the Middle, A - because it was on the computer so I could write as I went, and B - that meant I could also take screenshots in order to
better illustrate my point and finally C - Malcolm in the Middle often manipulates the rules of screen language for comic effect. (Keep reading, you'll see what I mean.)
This episode opens with a Close-Up of Stevie and pans across to Malcolm also using a Close-Up.
The Close-Up, as usual answers the question, who, and the background shows students walking about and sitting, it appears they are also sitting. These general observations suggest they are in school, although one familiar with the series would immediately assume that, but also, the fact they are in school suggests the time of day, the fact they are sitting means it is probably around lunchtime, and so thus where and when are also answered. Malcolm is staring transfixed at a girl, describing her intently, however, as it cuts to her we see neither who or what as there is no focus within the frame.
What we get instead is a Medium Long Shot of various people walking and are left with no idea whom Malcolm is interested in. This goes to show that a Close-Up is infact vital when answering who. However, this is not a result of bad framing, no, this show is hilarious.
This trend continues throughout the episode. Malcolm starts dating the girl he was interested in, he explains how verbally, he simply asked her out. The shots continue though, refusing to show her face leading to an alienation effect as Malcolm becomes more and more paranoid within the relationship, but continues to refer to how beautiful she is.
But we literally never see her face, all we ever get is an angle, and in the one instance where it actually gives us a midshot of her it is only for a fraction of a second and her face is purposely blacked out. Thus the show refuses to answer why Malcolm is attracted to this girl for comic effect.
Perhaps a televison series wasn't the best example, but it goes to prove that most questions who, what, where, when, how and why can be answered through much more than just framing and shots. That being the case, Malcolm in the Middle uses framing and shots to put a focus on bizzare comedy rather than answering questions that we already know the answer to. In that sense it puts more of a focus on creating tension and manipulating dramatic elements than telling a story.
This is the end of my studies for tonight. I hope my work was enjoyable.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Lecture 3 - Summary (Cine-Speak)
Our third lecture consisted of an overview of the language of cinema – something we all enjoyed researching the previous day. Now, personally I am a bit of a film expert, I’ve done multiple film classes and I’m a movie buff. Yesterday I didn’t know what I was looking for, but when it was out in the open it was clear I was in the zone.
Our lecture entitled Cine-Speak gave us an overview of all the shot sizes as follows:
VLS/WS: Very Long Shot/Wide Shot
LS: Long Shot
MLS: Medium Long Shot
MS: Mid Shot
MCU: Medium Close Up
CU: Close Up
BCU: Big Close Up
ECU: Extreme Close Up
For a more indepth look into what each shot represents as well as a number of other film definitions, visit the following link.
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~engl377/film.html
Or see http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/ for specifically detailed shot definitions.
Our main focus was on what each individual shot means and what question it serves to answer whether it be who, what, where, when, how or why? Though the relation between shots and questions was liquid it was said that a Close Up indicates who, a Mid Shot explains what, a Long Shot covers where, a Wide Shot or Close Up could indicate when, an Extreme Close Up can explain why by showing us some facial movement, thought or emotion, and finally a Medium Close Up or series of Close Ups can explain how.
While there was accuracy in these relations it was referring to in general. There are rules in cinema but it all comes down to the story a person wishes to tell, and framing shots (like building with lego blocks) is simply the most effective way of achieving the desired result.
The next major consideration in regards to framing was that the subject has enough headroom within the frame. However, it isn’t as simple as simply keeping the subject in the center of the frame without cutting off their head, talking room must also be taken into consideration. Talking room means the subject shouldn’t be too close to either edge of the frame, but in order to look effective should be moved slightly to the right of the center frame. This is so that when the character is speaking it comes across as natural and not as though they are talking to thin air. The rule of thirds also helps us position a subject by fitting the character’s focal points into cross-points within the shot.
Next we went over the 180 degree rule which suggests an invisible line between two subjects that the cameras may not cross between shot to shot without distorting people’s perception of space within the film.
Lastly it was discussed that every shot in a film must be justified, whether it provides additional information in or outside of a scene or whether it drives the narrative forward or not. Unless a shot is answering one of the several questions who, what, where, when, how or why, then it does not belong.
The images provided come from the lecture’s presentation; they illustrate perfectly all the rules described.
I’m looking forward to when we start doing some filming.
Our lecture entitled Cine-Speak gave us an overview of all the shot sizes as follows:
VLS/WS: Very Long Shot/Wide Shot
LS: Long Shot
MLS: Medium Long Shot
MS: Mid Shot
MCU: Medium Close Up
CU: Close Up
BCU: Big Close Up
ECU: Extreme Close Up
For a more indepth look into what each shot represents as well as a number of other film definitions, visit the following link.
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~engl377/film.html
Or see http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/ for specifically detailed shot definitions.
Our main focus was on what each individual shot means and what question it serves to answer whether it be who, what, where, when, how or why? Though the relation between shots and questions was liquid it was said that a Close Up indicates who, a Mid Shot explains what, a Long Shot covers where, a Wide Shot or Close Up could indicate when, an Extreme Close Up can explain why by showing us some facial movement, thought or emotion, and finally a Medium Close Up or series of Close Ups can explain how.
While there was accuracy in these relations it was referring to in general. There are rules in cinema but it all comes down to the story a person wishes to tell, and framing shots (like building with lego blocks) is simply the most effective way of achieving the desired result.
The next major consideration in regards to framing was that the subject has enough headroom within the frame. However, it isn’t as simple as simply keeping the subject in the center of the frame without cutting off their head, talking room must also be taken into consideration. Talking room means the subject shouldn’t be too close to either edge of the frame, but in order to look effective should be moved slightly to the right of the center frame. This is so that when the character is speaking it comes across as natural and not as though they are talking to thin air. The rule of thirds also helps us position a subject by fitting the character’s focal points into cross-points within the shot.
Next we went over the 180 degree rule which suggests an invisible line between two subjects that the cameras may not cross between shot to shot without distorting people’s perception of space within the film.
Lastly it was discussed that every shot in a film must be justified, whether it provides additional information in or outside of a scene or whether it drives the narrative forward or not. Unless a shot is answering one of the several questions who, what, where, when, how or why, then it does not belong.The images provided come from the lecture’s presentation; they illustrate perfectly all the rules described.
I’m looking forward to when we start doing some filming.
Lecture 2 - Summary (A Small History of Computers)
Our second lecture consisted entirely of a historic overview of the most quintessential innovation in technology, the computer. Hosted by none other than Course Convener himself, Dr Stephen Stockwell, the lecture kicked off with a rehash on the conversion of devices. While computers certainly evolve and add new possibilities the way in which they operate does not change.
Back in the 19th century Charles Babbage was the man who started it all by developing a blueprint of how computers would function before creating the computer itself. As it turned out, his design was a perfect prediction. This creation called the Difference Engine made to calculate and print mathematical tables was in fact a computer however it was entirely mechanic possessing no electronic elements.
(Fully operational difference engine at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA)
Something good came out of World War II as Alan Turing rallied a team of professional crossword solvers in order to develop the first functioning computers. Turing himself had a solid background in quantum mechanics and had written a paper examining the computability of numbers that would be key in developing the first computer. While the first developed computer only served to break German code it was simply the beginning, serving as the cornerstone for the computers we all use today.
It wasn’t until the 1950s when a group called IBM decided to release computers commercially. However, people that complain about the size, speed or cost of computers today literally would bash their own heads. These first computers were chunky, slow and all the same luxurious, not affordable by the general public. Fortunately, a man named Gordom Moore predicted that the power of computers would double every eighteen months, a concept that prevails to this very day.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that computers started to become accessible to the general public. In 1975 Bill Gates began to develop the first version of Windows forming the basis of the interface people still use to this day as well as popular software like word, powerpoint, paint and games.
The next big step in computing was the coming together of the Steves. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak met at a Home Brew meeting and teamed up to create Apple. Though they didn’t have much success back then, they survived and eventually came to develop the popular Ipod and the Mac computers that slowly seem to gradually be taking over the world of computers today.
However, back in the dark ages, as computers were still a foreign concept, IBM developed a partnership with Bill Gates who provided the necessary software in order to develop a user friendly computer for use in the home.
Later down the track in 1991, a man named Linus Toryalds also created a homebrew operating system known as Linux and enjoyed some success, but no one ever really talks about Linux and not being a nerd myself I don’t have any friends that use it, so I guess there isn’t a lot to be said about him. The only real interesting aspect about Linus and his exploits is the fact that he offered his operating system for free over the internet and through the collaborative efforts of many people perfected his operating system.
Going back to the past for a moment, the U.S. government wanted to use computers for war and so developed the precursor to the internet and world wide web we all use today. The first creation was email, a means of sending information into cyberspace, these messages could not be intercepted as only someone with the correct password could read the email. This popular war technique caught on so much that we incorporated it into our day to day society.
I guess despite war being a terrible happening, it forces people to get creative. The soldiers may fall, but we get cool new playthings for their trouble, nice.
Thanks to these warmongers efforts we now have things like Instant Messenger, Social Networking Sites, and even Email which is still used to this day. Along with popular forms of computer communication there are also other forms such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) a means of sharing files, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) similar to Instant Messenger but where generally one talks with particular groups of people from all over rather than their select friends, also Discussion Boards and Forums which are like Social Networking Sites too but hold the same principle as IRC where mostly one interacts with strangers from around the world.
So ultimately, anyone who says nothing good comes out of war seriously needs to buy a computer.
For an indepth history of computers with amazing photos, follow the link below.
Computer History
For a simplistic timeline of the history of computers, follow the link below.
Computer History - Timeline
For a simplistic timeline of the history of the internet, follow the link below.
Internet History - Timeline
Back in the 19th century Charles Babbage was the man who started it all by developing a blueprint of how computers would function before creating the computer itself. As it turned out, his design was a perfect prediction. This creation called the Difference Engine made to calculate and print mathematical tables was in fact a computer however it was entirely mechanic possessing no electronic elements.
(Fully operational difference engine at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA)Something good came out of World War II as Alan Turing rallied a team of professional crossword solvers in order to develop the first functioning computers. Turing himself had a solid background in quantum mechanics and had written a paper examining the computability of numbers that would be key in developing the first computer. While the first developed computer only served to break German code it was simply the beginning, serving as the cornerstone for the computers we all use today.
It wasn’t until the 1950s when a group called IBM decided to release computers commercially. However, people that complain about the size, speed or cost of computers today literally would bash their own heads. These first computers were chunky, slow and all the same luxurious, not affordable by the general public. Fortunately, a man named Gordom Moore predicted that the power of computers would double every eighteen months, a concept that prevails to this very day.
It wasn’t until the 1970s that computers started to become accessible to the general public. In 1975 Bill Gates began to develop the first version of Windows forming the basis of the interface people still use to this day as well as popular software like word, powerpoint, paint and games.
The next big step in computing was the coming together of the Steves. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak met at a Home Brew meeting and teamed up to create Apple. Though they didn’t have much success back then, they survived and eventually came to develop the popular Ipod and the Mac computers that slowly seem to gradually be taking over the world of computers today.
However, back in the dark ages, as computers were still a foreign concept, IBM developed a partnership with Bill Gates who provided the necessary software in order to develop a user friendly computer for use in the home.
Later down the track in 1991, a man named Linus Toryalds also created a homebrew operating system known as Linux and enjoyed some success, but no one ever really talks about Linux and not being a nerd myself I don’t have any friends that use it, so I guess there isn’t a lot to be said about him. The only real interesting aspect about Linus and his exploits is the fact that he offered his operating system for free over the internet and through the collaborative efforts of many people perfected his operating system.
Going back to the past for a moment, the U.S. government wanted to use computers for war and so developed the precursor to the internet and world wide web we all use today. The first creation was email, a means of sending information into cyberspace, these messages could not be intercepted as only someone with the correct password could read the email. This popular war technique caught on so much that we incorporated it into our day to day society.
I guess despite war being a terrible happening, it forces people to get creative. The soldiers may fall, but we get cool new playthings for their trouble, nice.
Thanks to these warmongers efforts we now have things like Instant Messenger, Social Networking Sites, and even Email which is still used to this day. Along with popular forms of computer communication there are also other forms such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) a means of sharing files, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) similar to Instant Messenger but where generally one talks with particular groups of people from all over rather than their select friends, also Discussion Boards and Forums which are like Social Networking Sites too but hold the same principle as IRC where mostly one interacts with strangers from around the world.
So ultimately, anyone who says nothing good comes out of war seriously needs to buy a computer.
For an indepth history of computers with amazing photos, follow the link below.
Computer History
For a simplistic timeline of the history of computers, follow the link below.
Computer History - Timeline
For a simplistic timeline of the history of the internet, follow the link below.
Internet History - Timeline
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