First essay of the year and interrogation....

Recently within university I have been set essay questions and been interrogated by lectures. All for a good cause though, so its ok.
In the module Digital Media Cultures, the questions to choose from to write a two thousand word essay for one of our final assignments this year have been set. I am to choose from nine questions, all of which are relating to the lectures we have been given since the beginning of the year. The questions took me by surprise to be honest because I found that I could write much more than two thousand words for the majority of each question! This could be a good or bad sign depending on how you look at it. They say if you find something easy, your not doing it right, however I know this is not the case with me.
So I've looked into the questions deeply and given them good thought then narrowed it down to two.
Here are the two questions:

1. Outline and asses the impact Apple has had on the industry.
2. Developments in the digital technology are democratising the media industry, discuss. 

On first inspection I thought that having use mostly Apple products myself I felt I could write a lot about this one and put down my thoughts on how I feel it has taken over the technology industry, although after more research I found that there wasn't much actually on Apple as a company in the library and more on Steve Jobs and the companies history therefore I decided against this question because I know that I need more research sources to gain a high grade for this assignment.

I then decided to choose the second question and so took myself off to the library to begin an essay structure. I feel I've got so much to talk about in this essay and will probably go over two thousand words so structuring an essay plan really helps me, as I'm one of those people that need to write lists and see things in front of me so I know where I am actually up to. In doing this, I was able to get a head start in my essay (as its not due till 3rd December) and was able to write the points down that I would stick to writing about in my essay so I don't go off subject. Some points consist of music and television and how it has digitally developed over the years to democratise the media industry. 

In doing this question for my essay, I know there are many books and other sources I can use to research my question thoroughly. 

I also this week have been to many meetings within my production group to discuss our ideas further for TV Production, and what/who we are going to use for our main subject. I therefore sent out many emails to tattoo artists (as explained in my previous blog post on here) and have received e-mails straight back! Ive been in contact with a tattoo artist that sounds really interested and I've also been in touch with a pin-up alternative model from Cheshire who again, is very interested in us using her too. Both have said to let them know actual filming dates so they are able to plan and get days off work to come down to Liverpool for the shoot. Other members of my group have also been throwing out emails to other companies such as getting a psychic in or paranormal investigators, all of which are great ideas! Hopefully we will hear back soon though because filming is in just over three weeks!....

After this, we all then had a meeting in University with our module leaders Alex and Trevor. We pitched each idea to them (we are getting marked individually on are effort towards the end product) which they seemed to like, but want more, which is understandable i.e. we told them about the tattoo idea but they said they have seen it before and would rather someone was 'modified' rather than tattooed, as in horns implants or something like that. We are still awaiting contact with other potential people, however I have also received an email back from a Psychic who seems quite up for this. He was also a student at our University on our course which is interesting, so watch out, this show MAY be on Channel 4 soon!

Dark Side Of The Noon!

Now that we have completed our exercise in the TV studio that was based on making a paper aeroplanes  the real work starts!

Over the past couple of weeks, amongst the group we have began to research into many ideas that we can use for our 15 - 25 minute pilot television show that will be pitched to Channel 4.
This programme has to be alternative and quirky because it is going against the BBC News as it will be broadcast over the lunchtime hour.

We have decided to go for a 'weird and slightly out there' theme with our television show therefore with it being in the afternoon, we have decided to call it 'Dark Side Of The Noon'. Great hey!

Personally, I love this title for our show because its not like the normal, boring take on a programme such as 'Hollyoaks' or 'Cash in The Attic' so therefore it will catch the audiences eyes.

So in keeping with our 'strange' theme, we have all pitched ideas and have thrown out lots of emails to many companies. We have opted to go for either, a spooky paranormal take where we have found a society in Liverpool that are based around this, a medium/tarot card reader/psychic, The Liverpool Astronomical Society and Tattooing.

I think we all want to go for the tattooing idea because not only is it a very interesting job that people are able to tell deep meaningful stories about, it is also visually captivating and could look beautiful on screen if well lit. Ive sent out emails to tattooist's across Liverpool and the Wirral but not only do we need a tattoo artist, I thought it would look even better if we had a heavily tattooed model that would be able to come in and pretty much show off his/her tattoos! Fortunately, I emailed a model who goes under the name 'Hellcat' and pitched our idea to her. With her being a model I thought that she would hopefully be relaxed on camera as she is used to being in front of them. She said yes!
I also asked her if she would be able to answer some short questions about her tattoo's and her modelling career and if she could bring in archives of her modelling. As it is not set in stone that we are definatley going to go with tattooing having not yet heard back from an artist, I have let 'Hellcat' know the potential dates for filming and she has agreed that I can keep her in mind. Brilliant.

In keeping with the Dark Side Of The Moon theme, we have began upon looking up ideas for the set design and have opted for the set to be beautifully lit using purple lighting. I think its best if we get a definitive interviewee marked down before we discuss this any further.
So the ball has started rolling on this one now, we are just awaiting confirmation from contacts.

Keep coming back to see how I am progressing!

Qualitative and Quantative Research Techniques!

So, I've recently been introduced to qualitative and quantative research techniques in the module Applied Media Research. 

I feel the qualitative type of researching is much more in depth than that of quantitive because it focuses more on the deeper meanings to answers rather than a blunt 'yes' or 'no' answer. At the beginning of this module, we were told to get into groups and within these groups, we were set the challenge of answering the question 'How to market a degree course to potential students'. Quantitive research techniques can be anything from questionnaires to online surveys, voting polls and telephone surveys, all of which I discovered are most definitely not personal in comparison to qualitative research techniques.
Once in groups, we were told to create a questionnaire that we would hand out amongst our class peers and then analyse the data we would gain.
Some of the questions we asked were:

• Would your prefer the course to be more practical than theoretical based?
• Would a course be more appealing to you if it had a percentage of job prospects after completing the degree?
• What would appeal to you more about choosing the right degree from the following:
• Practical work
• Course facilities
• Lectures past experience
• The course' past success rate
• Course hours
• Would the fact that the University is close to the city centre attract you more?

We handed this questionnaire out to the majority of our class and the results we gained were rather interesting. We found that when asked an 'open ended question', many of the students answered the question rather bluntly and some not even at all. We realise that from this, people like to have a tick box or something they can either circle or cross rather than actually having to write an answer. The questionnaire did however prove to be popular amongst our peers as there was only that one open ended question and the rest were answered by circling a number '1 - 5' 1 being least likely, 5 being most likely. I feel that people prefer to be able to almost scan over a questionnaire rather than taking the time to stop and think about what they really are answering. I also feel that people prefer not to give out much personal information when answering a questionnaire but are more than happy to when answering qualitative research questions instead. This is because we asked a simple 'Are you female or male?' and some students didn't even bother to answer that question and so skipped it alltogether!

We were then asked to get back into our groups and compile a qualitative research technique answering the same question as in the quantative technique. 

My group decided a great way of getting good answers from this would be to do a focus group with around five to ten people or an interview where we could compare each technique. We decided this idea would work well because people generally tend to bounce ideas off each other when in groups and speak aloud more, however this could go against us as some people do tend to agree with others and shy away from voicing their own opinion, worried of what others may think.

So, we went ahead with our idea and decided to ask the following questions in a focus group:

• What are your thoughts and feeling toward the course?
• Do you feel as though you have learnt this year?
• Do you feel confident in the fact that when you leave, you will find work?
• Would you recommend the course? Why?
• Do you prefer theoretical or practical based learning? Why?
• Do lectures add or take away from the course?

During the focus group, I found that my theory did prove to be correct because as one member of the focus group would answer, the others would follow, like sheep as the saying goes. Not everyone would agree with each other which is great because we needed different answers, however some members had a tendency to sit back and answer along with others either saying 'yes' or repeating what others had already said. We did however get some good feedback to the questions we asked and much more in depth answers rather than the questionnaire previously used. This type of research is much more personal and reflects on how the person truly feels as you can also tell in body language and facial expressions rather than just reading off a piece of paper i.e, questionnaires. I feel a focus group is a great way of sourcing research to a more personal level and you can gain higher quality and deeper meanings to answers than that of qualitative research. We didn't have time to interview each member of the focus group however if we did, we would ask each question again where I am sure we would have even more in depth answers, as the individuals then would be alone thus the answers would be more personal as they wouldn't have anyone 'judging' them.

First television programme!

Hello there!

In a certain module named 'TV Studio', we have been asked to create a short television programe that we are to present to an audience of seven year olds and under. The brief is 'How to make a paper aeroplane'.

This sounds easier than it actually was.

So, in my group we decided upon our roles and because our group is larger than others, we have two presenters, me being one of them. Im rather stoked as presenting is something I would like to go into in the future. I thought that right from the beginning I would be great however, when it came to putting me infront of three cameras on the actual day, I did forget some lines and I was pretty nervous!

So between the groups we wrote our script. As the programme is only around three minutes long, we didn't have to script much of the show. We decided to opt for a halloween theme with it being October and we were all pleased that during when we were getting our set ready, our lectures Alex and Trevor seemed pleased as they said they hadn't ever had a Halloween theme before! Brilliant! 


So after many rehearsals and getting each camera angle correct, we did our recording. Much of the programme wasn't scripted with it being a very short programme, therefore Michael (the other presenter along side me) and myself were able to add our own humour to the show and make it seem more laid back.
I must say, as it was being cast to young children, I did feel very much out of my comfort zone. I found myself sometimes talking in a slightly patronising voice, almost like how people would talk to toddlers! I realised i was doing this, so to help I just imagined the programme being aimed at young adults instead. After about four rehearsals, I did begin to feel a lot more at ease with talking to the cameras and started to really get into the whole 'filming live on set' atmosphere. Before I knew it, it was time to go home!

Below is a photograph I took of our set on the day of filming. You can really see the 'Halloween' theme we had going on!

I feel in doing this great exercise, it really made the whole group work together well and get to grips with the equipment. We all knew our place and got completely into our roles! Everything ran so smoothly and I'm very much looking forward to filing our actual assignment in a few weeks!

WATCH THIS SPACE! 

Applied Media Research

Today in Applied Media Research, we had a little twist....

We are getting set 3 questions by certain companies that we will be answering using Quantative and Qualitative research techniques.
As it is only early days, I cannot yet let you know which out of the three questions I will be answering and creating a case study on however, I can tell you that the first one does sound rather interesting.
A man named Ian came in to give us a presentation on the company he works for named Digital Fiction Factory. I find this company very interesting as they have a different approach to production. They are only a 10 man/women team and are in creative partnership with the BBC and Channel 4. Something that stood out to me more than most was the fact that they work with new talent in the North, new directors and writers and they are always exploring news ways in which to tell a story.

Heres a link to the website for The Digital Fiction Factory.

The presentation was mainly based on how audiences participate within programmes. This is called multi national platform interaction. The main aim for Digital Fiction Factory is to involve the audience as much as they can using different platforms such as online gaming, social media and live events. They have done this in many ways but the one I found most fascinating was that of a programme created for fourteen - seventeen year olds called 'The Well'. It is a multi platform interactive drama based on a story about 4 friends who discover a Well, within that Well they uncover a story dating back many years ago an what looks to be horrifying. The interesting fact I thought was the audience can actually go online through the particular website and play a game. The game involves the audience being able to walk around a 3D environment which is an exact replica of the house in said drama. In this they can find out what will happen in the next episode amongst many other things. The craziest thing is that in doing this, the audience is then one step ahead of the characters thus one step ahead of the entire programme.

Our question from Digital Fiction Factory is: 
The internet, social media and other open systems have allowed for User Generated Content (UGC), crowd sourcing and other forms of audience participation to prevail in digital media, but how do we translate these features in story telling experiences without treading on the toes of the author?

I feel this seems to be an exiting question to answer for the company and for them to see our data and findings, therefore if the other questions don't live up to expectations then I will be choosing this one.

Photoshop, getting to grips...

Finally I can safely say that I have gotten to grips with Photoshop and feel comfortable to be left alone with the software to explore the tools and manipulate images. Yay!

After a long while, and with the help of a certain 'Ian Gardner', I feel much more at ease with said software. Post production is quite honestly my weakest point in the media. As I have stated many times throughout my blog, I was rather scared and had a tendency to shy away from the many buttons and tools to hand. I know now however, that it is just a case of easing yourself into it at your own pace and really getting to grips in using the software by playing around with it yourself and by also learning through the help of online videos.

As 10% of our final grade for the module 'Beyond The Camera' is to use Photoshop to manipulate a series of images to create an illusion, I therefore created a piece of work on my Mac yesterday that I can honestly say I am very happy with. The funny thing is is that after all this time of panicking and shying away from the software, I found myself not wanting to pull myself away and so wanted to carry on through the night working on more images! Im really happy, even though it may sound ridiculous because lets be honest, it's not rocket science, but I now have the comfort of knowing that when it comes to using After Effects in the next assignment, I will have a much better and clearer understanding of some tools and where to begin!

Have a little look at the image I have manipulated below. It is the image I am using for my assignment.
This took me a few hours as I had to source one image online, the other images I used were all my own. They are ones that I took when out for a walk around the St James' Gardens in Liverpool where I found a wonderful arch that I wanted to use as the 'window' effect. The idea behind the image I have created is that of another world. I wanted to create something that you would look at as if you are looking through a window into a world you would call perfect, or perhaps looking through a window into the past or even a dream. Well, however you want to look at it, here it is.

My finished piece

Josie Webster Photoshop Expert....

Beyond The Camera.

Last year in the module Digital media Tools, we were asked to create our own website using Photoshop and Dreamweaver. I found this module rather challenging as I am much better at Pre Production than I am at Post, however I powered on through and gained a high 2:2 that I was happy with. I analysed my work in a report at the end of the module and detailed what it was I found difficult, such as all the buttons on Photoshop and getting my head around links and HTML. The reason I am writing this is because unfortunatly for me, we have a module this year called Beyond The Camera which is all about Post Production.

Oh dear.

The thought of it having to use all that software again frightens me and knowing we have to create moving images and use After Effects is an even more harrowing thought, however I know that I am getting graded throughout the year therefore I am trying to become much more involved this time around.

Our first assignment is to take a series of images and manipulate them using Photoshop to create a magic and illusion effect. I do go slightly blank when asked to think of a creative approach to something like this. My first thoughts are to think of something like a wonderland; waterfalls, Unicorns, that kind of ridiculous thing however I need to put these thoughts into a more mature approach. So, my idea for this assignment is to have me stood in front of a door and the door frame in shot (I found a great door on the side of the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool) and take this on a rainy, dull day, then to Photoshop a photo that I took when on holiday in Malta this year of the sea and sun into the door and create a depth of field. I want to have the effect of a dull, stormy day in Britain and for me to be peering through the door into a 'wonderland' type of picture. Il be looking at a bright, sunny day in another country. almost like a portal. I will then Photoshop a storm around the door frame.

Im going out today to get my shots and then hopefully using my knowledge, and help from the lectures, Il will be able to create something good. Here goes...