Assignment 2 - Remeditation!!

So I finished my remediation project. I chose to turn a film clip into a web comic. My song of choice is Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love. Check out the film clip below:

Now check out the remediated form:

 

See the whole set at MY FLICKR .

3.1 Inform me! news media.

So far in the course of this unit, we have looked at the production and distribution of media, as well as the role digital gaming plays in media. Were now up to Module 3 and we are taking a more in depth look at online jounralism. 

Its argued that the profession of journalism is changing for the worse as there is minimal structure in online journalism. In newspaper or television journalism, you have educated journalists writing their stories, and a senior person acting as the editor to oversee all the final decisions and to assist with any discrepancies. The internet cuts it all out. You don't need a degree to contribute to certain sites, and you certainly don't need an editor. The freedom on the internet means that basically anybody can report the news and not necessarily report it correctly. This is not to say that there are not still reputable journalists writing for online publications. Most major credible newspapers also have online counterparts - and I think also that the internet means you can get world breaking, history changing, law making news updates at anytime, any place. I personally enjoy and prefer to read the news online, you just need to know where to read and what to take seriously. Harper (2003) argues that the media, once able to set trends by acting as a "gatekeeper" to news topics, have now lost this control. This may be true to a certain extent, but the media doesn't just control the news. They also control advertising and entertainment which has the ability to set trends just as well as the stories they chose to use for the news. I, for one, don't want to be dictated to as to what the trend in the news is. News is news and I want to know the truth and more importantly, I want to know whats important. What affects my present and future so I can make informed decisions on what choices to make in my life. If I have to trawl the internet to find it, I am ok with that - it means I can weed out the tabloid stories which bear no relevance on my existence (most of the time...)


As I live in the UK, I tend to read and watch the Sky news online. I can watch the headlines and pick and chose which stories I am interested in reading and researching further. I also like to keep in touch with the Australian news but struggle to find a news site as good as the Sky news. The Herald Sun website is good for reading important headlines, but it still lacks the visual experience I get from the Sky news in the UK. 

Harper, C (2003)  Journalism in a digital age. In H. Jenkins  & D. Thorburn (Eds), Democracy and New Media (pp. 271-280). Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.

2.5 All the world’s a game: virtual worlds, interactivity, convergence

This week we are looking at virtual worlds and the way people participate in these worlds. Ornebring's (2007) article on ARG's (Alternate reality games) discusses he way in which people get involved in ARG's through their fandom of the original text. The example used in the article is the television show Alias and the many ARG's set up to market it by the broadcasting companies - plus the fan created ones. The article looks at what ARG's are and what it means to be apart of one. I believe ARG's are an experience rather than a persons inability to detach from a virtual world. These worlds are created by the media and are extended by internet and I don't feel as though they pose a threat to the mental health of individuals using these worlds. A good point made was that ARG's and other fan fiction fill gaps left in storylines and plots by the original texts which helps people who have become huge fans to find a form of closure. 

The second reading for the week looks at the sharing of digital commons. The debate in general is wether or not corporations lose property rights when there is voluntary and outsider input into these commons, which generally generates a more creative and exciting experience for the users. I did stuggle slightly understanding the internet in terms of being a common ground, as the internet is not as tangible as land for example, so I did some more research and found this great vid explaining commons, the way they are run (and should be)  - but more importantly, it helps understand how the internet can be utilised as a common:

I think its important that corporations producing software have rights when it comes to the use and accessibility of their works - but at the same time I feel like we are guided by intense copyrighting laws that there shouldn't be too much of a debate on that. Creative commons licensing is great because it helps these big corporations realise that the outsider input can sometimes assist is the promotion and quality of their products and it gives us the right to do so.

My remediation is almost done. I have used the screen capture function in Windows to capture images from the film clip, now I am working on them in Photoshop - playing around with filters. I have pretty much just used Photoshop for it at this point and am playing around with the tools available on Flickr for the upload. It looks like uploading the images as a set is my best option at this stage.

Coleman, S. & Dyer-Witheford, N (2007) Playing on the digital commons: collectiveities, capital and contestation in videogame culture. Media Culture Society 29: 934

Örnebring, H (2007) Alternate reality gaming and convergence culture: The case of alias. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 10(4): 445-462

2.4 Play with me!: Having fun with media

Its topic 2.4 and we are looking at online games and the impact they have on new media and society. First yp in an article on adult gaming and the definition of a game. According to Thornham (2009) there are many things adults do to legitimise their gaming habits. As discussed on the blackboard, it is common for a child to "play a game"  and not specifically computer games. Therefore when an adult indulges in a bit of game play, they struggle to justify why they do so. As a gamer, I found it entertaining the way in which Thornham (2009) discussed the various excuses adults come up with as to why they own a gaming console - particularly because I recently found myself justifying the same thing by saying that I was happy to get a PS3 because you can watch movie and surf the internet on them too. Really, I just want to play some rad games and those added benefits are just  bonus! I personally think that gaming has a certain stigma to it due to the social history of gaming making gamers out to be work-shy and "nerdy". The matter of fact is, that in this day and age, gaming is so entertaining, interactive and popular it shouldn't just be restricted to kids and teenagers and adult gamers should be able to do so passionately and freely.
 

 I love all types of games - sporting, role playing games and first person shooter games. I find its a great outlet when you need to focus your attention onto something and while not everybody views gaming as something positive, I feel gaming enables me to tweak my problem solving skills and helps keep up with co-ordination. Your not going to get any physical exercise from it (Wii not included) but you will get to exercise your brain and that suits me. I chose to play Plant vs Zombies from the suggested games from the tutor, but I only allowed about 20 minutes in my schedule to try it out. I must play it more, and more, and more...I do like stumbling across a good online game, one of which I found during Net102 in the last study period called Sissy's Magical Ponycorns, which was created by a 5 year old...pretty cool stuff and it just highlight where gaming is going. If a 5 year old can do it, surely so can you?



Remediation is due soon, I have stuck with my idea of turning a music video into a web comic and pretty much completed it. I do wish I had have had more time to possibly do a game but I guess it would have been a very difficult feat if I had chosen that.

Thornham, H (2009) Claiming a Stake in the Videogame. Convergence: The international Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. 15(2), 141-159

2.3 Entertaining the world: using media across cultural boundaries

Another top reading from Henry Jenkins this week! It was all about pop culture surfacing in different societies under the name of "Pop Cosmopolitanism". Jenkins (2006) primarily discussed the eastern influence on American consumerism in terms of food, fashion, music and television. It was interesting to read the examples of Manga, Pokemon, the Iron Chef and Sushi making their way into western culture was considered to have been done so initially through immigration, eventually through media convergence. The Pop Cosmopolitans are the ones that follow these different trends for a variety of reasons - to gain a new cultural experience, to rebel against the norm that is presented to them from their local media and also be different.

In my experience of Pop Cosmopolitanism, specifically speaking about English dubbed Japanese shows, is that they were contextualised in a "piss taking" fashion. I am talking about MXC the Japanese game show which has been dubbed in English. I don't know what the original narrator of the show was saying but the English narrator, while funny, was certainly taking the mickey out of the contestants. Here is a clip below (OK, your allowed to laugh).

My point is that while it is funny, is it not a little disrespectful to lay English sarcasm to reinterpret these shows?? Maybe the Japanese narrator is a funny char actor who makes fun of the contestants too?? I don't know!

The topic of the integration of Eastern culture into American pop culture also raises interesting points about globalisation. For example, Srinivasan (2006), mentions the way in which modern technologies have allowed communities to reveal and share the truths about their modern day realities and future hopes. By sharing the information through the various platforms available such as video, they are able to educate other cultures as well as, in some instances, instigate support for communities that are in need of assistance.

Jenkins, H (2006). Pop cosmospolitanism: Mapping cultural flows in an age of media convergence. In H. Jenkins, Fans, bloggers and gamers: exploring participatory culture (pp 152-172). New York: New York University Press.

Srinivasan, R (2006). Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 497-518. (electronic databases)

TOPIC 2.2 DON'T TOUCH THAT! COPYRIGHT, OWNERSHIP AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTROL

The weeks topic of copyright has seen us looking at the history of technology leading to the current digital age. After watching Lessig’s (2007) lecture on Laws that strangle creativity, used examples of historical technologies and the constant changing laws to keep up with the ever changing nature of technology. We heard about the two different types of content being read only (where the content can only be consumed) and read write content (content that can be consumed and recreated) (Lessig, 2007). This is important to know about for many reasons – one being in this digital age we need to understand our rights when creating content as well as the rights of others when we are using content to recreate (like our remediation assignment for example...). This leads me to the concept of creative commons licensing.

Creative commons licensing is used to help creators protect their content and share for other uses should they choose. The best example of this is the copyrighting on Flickr. You automatically have a creative commons licence when you upload images to Flickr – and have the option to share the content to be reworked. There is alot of content there for reworking – but you will have to trawl! Having access to creative commons licensing is vital in this day and age because the digital culture we live in sees us sharing content more and more each year and the licensing ensures the correct creative respect to the creator as well as the ownership of the original work.

Finally the weeks lecture on copyright delves into the current issues with copyright and sharing – namely in music sharing. We are asked by our tutor to come clean about how our own internet usage affects us and essentially criminalises our generation (McAven, 2011).  Having previously studied the music industry in terms of copyright and the developments in the industry to keep up with the digital age, I can say that while I agree that downloading music from illegal sites is damaging to the industry, the real problem is the music companies and the distribution policies they have in place. With a firm grasp on distribution rights changes need to be made to incorporate the digital age in which we live. I for one do download to sample albums – a try before you buy if you like – which leads to me purchasing the music and inevitably paying to see the music live.

Lessig, L (2007) Laws that choke creativity [lecture] Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/larry_lessig_says_the_law_is_strangling_creativity.html

McAven, E (2011) 2.2 Copyright [lecture] Retrieved from http://lms.curtin.edu.au/

2.1 Entertain Me! Who makes your entertainment? Institutions, audiences and participatory culture

Its week three and we are looking at fans, fan behaviours and the process behind large scale productions in the film industry! Also I very excitedly just watch the remediation lecture and am now bursting with ideas for assignment 2.

After watching the series on vidding, I was amazed at what a pop-culture it is in this day and age. As an avid you-tube user, I have seen many videos but never really stopped to think abo9ut who creates them and why. The best thing I took from the series is how crucial music is to creating a successful vid. I personally use YouTube for music primarily and will pay a little more attention to those home mad fan vids next time! I feel the vidding documentaries reaffirm the concept of participatory culture and show us that fans dominate the culture.

Cucco’s essay on the Hollywood blockbuster seemed a little out of place in the weekly topic, but I now understand it was aimed at helping us consider production and distribution for essay 3! It seems that the industry has changed in terms of production, distribution and marketing on a large scale and for a financial profit. One thing I found interesting in the essay was the concept of what constitutes a blockbuster today. Cucco (2009) mentions that a blockbuster gives a promise of spectacularity – I think this is important to consider when thinking about the remediation assignment – I certainly hope to produce something spectacular. My own blockbuster if you will!

Bye, I’m off to brainstorm assignment 2!

Cucco, M (2009) The promise is great: the blockbuster and the Hollywood economy; Retrieved doi: 10.1177/0163443708100315

TOPIC 1.2 THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE? WHEN THE MEDIA CONVERGE

Yes, I know. Its only early days and I am already two weeks behind. I could babble on about the reasons why and how working full time and studying through the open university is a challenge, but that would be making excuses. Many apologies.

Ahem, now that’s out of the way, in week two’s material, we were asked all sorts of questions by our lovely tutor Leanne – like what is our favourite media text and have we ever done a mash up?? Well, most people referred to television shows and other video and I wanted to be different....I tried! But ...I am obsessed with UK Shameless at the moment and watch it whenever I can – I have knocked out 7 seasons in the last month alone. In my defence, I feel Shameless while entertaining, also highlights various social issues within the british working class society. But that will have to be argued another time.

Also while I have never personally done a mash-up, I am intrigued and thinking I will attempt something along the lines of my favourite mash-up as per below. Please don’t press play if you are offended by sexually vulgar lyrics, but please click play if you wish to see a well executed piece of remediation! Its Peaches - F*$ck the Pain Away, as sung byt the wonderful Miss Piggy.

On a more serious note, it was time to start thinking about participatory culture and convergent culture.  I was able to identify, after the weeks themes lecture (which was great by the way) and watching Jenkins (2009) vid on participatory culture – that participatory culture is the way which consumers use various platforms to create and share information and the convergence is the interaction between the participant and the corporation behind these platforms (we’re talking the big boys – Google, Apple, Facebook ect).

Finally, after the weeks reading “Four Puzzles from Cyberspace” (Lessig, 2006) I got thinking about the participatory culture in terms of online identities and what is possible. I feel all the case studies had a very strong message – “Borders” showed us how living in a virtual life seemingly unlimited with possibilities was guided by moral considerations rather than legal laws and physical restrains we experience in real life. On the other hand, the example of “Jake’s Communities” exploring moral dilemma’s and imposing real life laws on an online identity really hit home that while cyberspace can be used to participate in a world without the offline restrictions we face, it isn’t necessarily all positive and needs to be policed to a certain degree.

Jenkins, H (2009) Henry Jenkins on Transmedia. Retirieved from http://cinematech.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-video-w-henry-jenkins-on.html

Jenkins, H. Purushotma, R. Weigel, M. Clinton, K & Robinson, A.J (2009)  Confronting the challenges of Participatory Culture, Media Education for the 21^st Century. London, UK: MIT Press.

Lessig, L. (2006). Four puzzles from cyber space. Retrieved from https://www.socialtext.net/codev2/four_puzzles_from_cyberspace

1.1 Introduction: How does the media engage you? How do you engage with the media?

Well its the first week of studies in MED104. This week we looked at an interesting short animation educating us on the way modern technology has affected us socially and politically throughout history. Its sad to see some forms of media die out such as newspapers and magazines, kind of the way I feel about having my music digitally and not a large cd or record collection – but we all have to adapt to truly benefit from the advances in technology and the internet so I try to embrace it when I can. An interesting quote from Kurzweilm (2009) was mentioned in the video “So what used to fit in a building now fits in your pocket, what fits in your pocket will fit inside a blood cell in 25 years” I found the concept of the quote both frightening and intriguing and researched where the quote came from. I Kurzweil’s article on “How to Combat Ageing” which is where the quote was taken from which led me onto some interesting articles by scientists basically trying to predict the future based on the current pace of technological advances. Kurzweil (2009) makes a very good argument against some theories that you cannot stop ageing and has some interesting ideas about the future of technology – as per his quote. When we were asked by our tutor to consider the video in terms of the data and connectivity required in modern day life and the people who may not have access to benefit from technologies, the first thing that popped into my head was how it would affect homeless people.

Also, we were asked to assess whether or not we are afraid of the internet this week. After reading a mixture of reactions from my fellow students, I concluded that I fear the overwhelming enormity and opportunity of the internet to a degree but and not anymore fearful of being victimised online than I am offline. I am conscious of my behaviours in both realm’s equally.

I found Jenkins analysis on information studies a little hard to swallow so early in the unit, however I appreciate it was a good way to show us the different topics and arguments that we can draw upon for our own works. I feel the argument Jenkins (2009) makes regarding “Critiquing” free labor was the most valuable for me personally as a designer. The impact of the power WEB2.0 offers us to create and contribute then used to make revenue by certain sites and platforms (ie – your facebook photo’s being used in Facebook advertisments – don’t worry, you agreed to it) is something that can have a negative impact on the industry I hope to make a career out of eventually.

Jenkins, H (2009, April 10) Critical Information Studies for a Participatory Culture (Part Two) [weblog post] Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2009/04/what_went_wrong_with_web_20_cr_1.html

  

Kurzweil, R (2009) Ray Kurzweil on How to Combat Aging, Technology Review. Retrieved from http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/guest/23802/