YouTube!

In our last Contemporary Media Issues lesson, we focused on the wonders of YouTube and collective intelligence! The first exercise that we had to do was simply go on to YouTube and search a subject that we were given individually. We had to answer questions on a couple of videos that we found. My subject was Lomography and here are my results:


Lomography by ROCKETBOOM
Views: 91,219
Likes: 1032
Dislikes: 57
Comments: Not about Lomography but about the girl featured in the video
Uploaded: 15/01/2010
Purpose: An introduction to Lomography through a New York company
Global Reach: Yes, I got a sense that the video has an international audience
Community: Not so much as the comments are irrelevant


What is Lomography? by horganator
Views: 63,668
Likes: 238
Dislikes: 14
Comments: Very Lomography orientated, questions and answers
Uploaded: 24/09/2009
Purpose: Laid back, relaxed way of showing the world what Lomography is
Global Reach: Positive feedback from many cultures, so yes it has a global audience
Community: Yes, Lomography itself seems to have a large one


Lomo Documentary Pt. 1 by finagler
Views: 205,977
Likes: 479
Dislikes: 14
Comments: Adding comments has been disabled, suggesting they may have been offensive
Uploaded: 27/11/2006
Purpose: To talk about the uses and styles of Lomography
Global Reach: Many of the people speaking are from all over the globe, so maybe
Community: Not shown through this because comments were disabled


Out of the Box - The Lomography Diana Mini by kaituba
Views: 60,384
Likes: 123
Dislikes: 5
Comments: Question and answer layout
Uploaded: 02/09/2009
Purpose: All about a specific lomo camera - Diana mini
Global Reach: Very much so. Camera includes instructions in several languages
Community: Yes, again a general Lomography community


My conclusions from these results are that people tend to just watch rather than take part in something. This is shown through the amount of people who actually choose to like or dislike the videos. Comparing the amount of views to the likes and dislikes shows how few people actual click the button. Also, it is obvious that sometimes commenting on these videos leads to conversations that are not related to the main subject of the video. This can cause arguments and then commenting on the video could get disabled. The global reach of YouTube videos is evident in the fact that many of the people who comment are from all over the world. The global reach is also shown through the person who uploaded the video and the various languages that videos can be translated in to.


What is YouTube?:

• A quick visual source of information
• A way to upload content to the internet
• A place where you can be opinionated
• A rabbit hole
• Away to get feedback

What is a community?:

• A group of people with common interests
• Sharing/populating a space

What is collective intelligence?:

• Groups of people giving their opinion
• Sharing knowledge
• Sharing different opinions

What is democracy?:

• Freedom of speech
• Alternative view points

YouTube provides a space for sharing and showing common interests and creates a community for people who use the internet. It allows people to express themselves freely; but they can edit what they want to show. It as a sense of collective intelligence, advancing each day. People help each other out. YouTube itself has a structure through playlists, etc.

After we discussed all of this information we then watched this amazing YouTube video giving a detailed insight in to the working of one of the most famous websites in the world.

An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube - Michael Wesch

Speak soon!

Person Profile Update

So for our profile piece we have decided to do the fireman from my dad's fire station. This seemed like the best option because we will be able to get some very interesting and unique shots at the fire station and of the fireman himself.
Basically, Mark is one of my dad's friends and he is a very good speaker. We liked the idea of him speaking about being a fireman and what it is like to have such a dangerous job. I think the reason that we didn't choose my dad is because he doesn't really have anything prominent outside of work that he is interested in. Mark, on the other hand, is very interested in his cycling and so this gives us an extra thread to talk about when interviewing him.
I created a few documents giving the details that I have came up with for the shoot; including a shot list, questions for the interview and also a letter asking for permission to film at the fire station.
We actually do have permission to film at the station now because I have spoke to the station officer and he has give the okay for us to film inside and outside as long as we don't get in the way.
I am excited for the piece and I think that we will get an interesting film at the end of it all!

Speak soon!

It's Liverpool Film!

Take a look at my 'Its Liverpool' location profile film! And why not subscribe to my YouTube channel to see my other films! - Lennon Media Productions




Speak soon!

Production Practice - Editing 'It's Liverpool'

Finally we finished the 'It's Liverpool' film, phew! We edited the film and the final outcome was something that we all thought was really good! Hopefully we will get a good mark at the end of it all but it's personal preference so I don't know! I don't know what will happen with regards to the actual competition but i suppose we could enter, we have nothing to lose after all.
Again, using the Avid software for editing was not ideal because sometimes it just doesn't want to play along. Even when following instructions from websites/guides/technicians; it just acted up all the time! I cant wait to move on to Final Cut because I know that it will just be 10 times better.
Besides this, I like editing because I feel that each time we edit I learn a lot. I have never properly edited a film before (not using advanced software anyway!) so the whole thing is a really wonderful experience for me.
During this particular film, we looked more at sound; so when editing I tried to make the edit of the sound as good as possible, even though it was my first time doing so. I believe that the final edit is a good example of sound being used to enhance a piece of film.
Well I hope that the next film (Person Profile) will be as good as this one!


Speak soon!

Create In Brighton

Okay, so my talented brother Paul Stanton has entered a competition in Brighton/Hove (where he lives). I am encouraging you all to vote for his artwork not only because he is my brother but also because he deserves a place in the final 10! His work is wonderful and I hope you think so too!
You have to go on the the Facebook site for Create In Brighton, you can do this even if you do not have Facebook so don't be alarmed!
Here is the link for the competition page:


https://www.facebook.com/createinbrighton

Please go on to the page and then go to the photo album 'SEMI FINALISTS - VOTE NOW!'
After doing this, go to this image:

This is my brothers artwork, his name is Paul Stanton and it says his name underneath the image. All's you have to do is simply like the image by clicking the LIKE button! You can also leave a comment if you want to! He will appreciate this so much if you support him. If he wins this competition he will win some money and also the chance to showcase all of his art in a gallery!
PLEASE VOTE NOW!

Speak soon!

Film Language - Film Comedy

The latest Film Language lecture was about Film Comedy. Here are the notes that I made in the lecture from the slide and also from the discussions had.

Comedy is the most commercially successful genre. It is seen as entertainment and as neither political or challenging. "Designed to provoke laughter" the genre is determined by the 'emotional reaction' that it provokes and is similar to Horror and Melodrama (the 'weepie') in this sense. (King 2002). Comedy is also defined by having a happy ending, usually represented through a wedding or some sort of occasion.

"Comedy in film, generally, is probably best understood as a mode, rather than a genre. Any genre might be treated as a subject of comedy" (King 2002).

The element of Comedy are as follows:

• Incongruity
• Exaggeration
• Departure from the norm

Theories of Comedy are as follows:

• "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it isn't."
• Safety valve/relief
• Affirmation of superiority
• Parody- repetition with intent to amuse
• Satire - repetition with critical intent
• Play - fiction

Romantic Comedy as a genre is determined by the simple theory of equilibrium. For example:

boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy marries girl. A disruption occurs but is then resolved at the end. As we have previously mention, a wedding is usually the typical ending of such film.

The development of Comedy can be seen through the decades. Each decade brings something different or new to the table. Comedy is constantly developing and reaching new levels. Here is a basic timeline of Comedy:

• Classic Rom-Com (Shakespeare) - Heteronormative
• Screwball Comedies (1930's - 1950's)
• The comedies of remarriage (Caveli)
• Sex Comedy (1960's)
• Nervous/radical Rom-Com (1970's)
• The new romance (1980's - 1990's) - Frank Krutnik
• The neo-traditional romance (2000's) - Tamar Jeffers McDonald

To me, comedy was just a genre; but through this lecture I have learnt a lot more that I previously did not know. I like to know the history of film and this lecture always provides some new enlightenment for me as a student.

We also looked at Bridget Jones' Diary and other romantic comedies to give a sense of what these theories mean.

Speak soon!

Digital Media Tools - Working With HTML

In this Digital Media Tools lesson, we had a tutorial on using HTML coding to create a website. We did this exercise to allow us to see what exactly goes in to making a website. Although we will not need to put all of the HTML coding in to create or sites (as Dreamweaver does most of the work for you) it was good to find out actually how to code. I enjoyed doing the exercise because I learnt a lot about website design; I think having such knowledge will make me pay attention to the finer details when creating my website.
I am excited to start making my own website but I know it is going to be a long process. I have already began research in to what I am going to have my site look like and I am currently working on paper designs for it. I presented my research and plan to my lecturer and he was very impressed. I am glad that I done this extra work because I then received useful feedback which my classmates did not.
I am also currently working on creating a logo for my website to make it look more professional. This will also make my website unique and the work that I do will have this logo on it to link the two pieces of media together. Hopefully I can get my head around Dreamweaver soon so I can get started!

Speak soon!

Google Maps Presentation!

In the last Contemporary Media Issues lesson, we had to present our Google Maps Location Based Narrative to the rest of the class. We shared the reading and all had a turn at speaking about each location that we had used. We also shown the videos and images that we had collected and added to the map. I think it was a successful presentation and people found our story interesting which was the main thing! I have embedded the map on to my blog for you to all see and use! Please take a look around the map and read our story called 'A Drunk Man's Dream'. If it doesn't seem to work then you may have to use Google Maps Itself.

View A drunk mans dream... in a larger map


Speak soon!

Edward De Bono - 6 Thinking Hats

The next creativity and concept lesson was about Edward De Bono's 6 Thinking Hats. Unfortunately I was off ill for the lesson so I have decided to do my own research in to the 6 Thinking Hats. The descriptions that I have found basically say that each coloured hat represents a different way of thinking. Here is a table that I have found describing each of them:

Hopefully we will have another lecture on this technique because the big thing in creativity and concept is actually taking part in the activity. If not, I will gather more information from my lecturers and class mates.

Speak soon!

Image Credit: http://johnkapeleris.com/blog/?p=418

Chinese New Year!

I decided to go to China Town in Liverpool to see their celebrations the day before Chinese New Year. It was amazing how many people had turned out to join in the festivities! They had dragons travelling through China Town, collecting food and money from the top windows. The actual dragons were beautiful! There was also firecrackers making load noises and red smoke all the way down the street. The festivities were happening throughout Liverpool city centre but China town was fantastic! Here are some photographs that I took at China Town.

Here is the link to my photoraphy blog also just so you can see the images in a better quality! Take a look at my other stuff as well (and follow me!)


http://stevies1day1photo.tumblr.com/

Speak soon!