05/10/17 - Media Theory
Media Theory
Philosophy – morals
Social/political
Cultural impact – on the public
Context behind – all media
Production methods
Film history/cinema
Artistry
P.R – Public relations. They’re behind everything thats put on the media. We have a warped view of the company or the person.
Philosophers relating to this – McLuhan, Chomsky
Media
Film and TV – What else?
Radio, Newspapers, Internet
What is media today? Social media, the internet, phones. Its a buffer between the people
Historical media
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Stained glass windows
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Bible drawings
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Paintings
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Newspapers
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Oral media – word of mouth
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Poems, songs
Media is a way to get information out
Spoken word – gets recorded and uploaded to the internet
Spoken word hasn’t changed and has been happening for hundreds of years. This is the same as written text. Newspapers are now getting mass produced.
3 main medias
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Oral – Spoken word, poetry, speeches
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Print – Written word, paintings
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Electronic – The internet, news reels, filmmaking, devices, radio
Radio can reach millions of people. Podcasts
Internet used to be a utopian idea to bring people together all around the world
Everyone can use social media – government, political campaigns
This American life from Wbez
Why podcasts/radio? Why no visuals?
The visuals are left up to the viewers imagination. Everyone takes something different away from listening to it.
575: Poetry of propaganda
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/575/poetry-of-propaganda
Ira Glass – decoding government propaganda
False advertising dangerous places in Mexico which is known for drug violence and gang violence to be nice and beautiful tourist attractions.
Inflight magazines were showing this. It makes people want to come to these countries because of the beautiful glossy spreads in the magazines when it is a dangerous place.
Negative propaganda – Labour party – negative articles on them put it boosted their polls
Grammy awards – Best artist – Justin Bieber for example
He’s up to so much bad stuff, driving while under the influence but he is still getting awarded. Makes you wonder what the process is behind choosing the winners
Oscar – Doesn’t reflect the best films in the world. Reflects best filming in Hollywood as its the main company
A part in the podcast was about Jon Mooallem daughter taking part in an after school program where they put on a show. The play was extremely adult for 6-year olds.
“San Fransisco where you can afford to dream”
“Whats wrong with selfishness and greed”
Its teaching kids things they don’t need to learn about at such a young age. Teaching them all the wrong things about the world. It teaches them that money is the most important thing. You want to shield your kids from grown up stuff rather than then worrying about things they don’t understand.
Propaganda – using kids to get the message across. Its more powerful when its said by kids as you don’t expect them say things like that
Class Task
Think of a situation in Plymouth and make a propaganda podcast
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Overt
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Subvert
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Something we have to decode
4 sound areas
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Narration
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Dialogue
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Music
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Ambience
1-2 mins
Here is our podcast: https://soundcloud.com/lucie-eckersley/plymouth-pod-cast
12/10/17 - Podcasts
In todays class we shared the podcasts we made with the class.
Kaz then told us that we had to swap podcasts with another group and subvert what their message was, with visuals.
The group I was in was given a film about Brettonside and about music places.
Me Owen and Annie went down to Brettonside to film some location footage while the others stayed back to see if they could find some archive footage and to think of a way to subvert their message. Also, to cut the podcast down to a minute, from 4 minutes.
We all werent too sure what the meaning of the podcast was as it kind of was them rambling on and the sound quality wasn't the best so it was hard to understand what they were really saying. Because of this we decided to quite literally subvert what they said. For example, they say white rabbit, we show a photo of a black rabbit. We incorporated the footage that we shot earlier in the day as well.
Here is the subverted podcast.
19/10/17 - Podcasts 2 + Marshall McLuhan
Marshall McLuhan
-Predicted www in early 1960's
-He divided the media into 2 categories
1. High def media - lots of info
2. Low def media - little info
Lecture Notes
1. High def
Requires less from user
HOT
Low in participation
No response
Media
-Lecture
-Radio
-Newspaper
-Photos
-Films
2. Low def
Requires more from user
COOL
High in participation
You respond - talk back
Media
-Seminar
-Telephone
-Speech
-Cartoons
-TV - remote, you change channel
These in in 1950/60's context
Once media doesnt replace another. - It changes the use. - Another idea - New media changed the use of the previous media.
3 Stages
Alarm - Resistance - Exhaustion
Shock, harder for the older generation -------------------> New media saturates everywhere
Radio ----> TV
Film ----> TV Tv would replace cinema
Cinema used to be a much grander experience - would dress up. Its very different now
News reels before the film.
TV/Cinema ---> Internet - You can now stream films online. Cinema is more social. Big HD screen.
None of the media is extinct
Telephone - You an now Facetime groups of people
Texting
-You don't want to disturb them by calling
-Too much effort
Media is an extension from us, our body
For example, phones. Not part of us but we always check where it is. It’s not attached to us but it may as well be.
Another one of McLuhans ideas is the ‘Global Villiage’.
Tight knit community
Doesn't matter where you are, we are all connected. - Connected electronically.
For example, you can be in England and go on the internet and you can read this mornings paper in India.
Interview abroad? Skype
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Spoken word
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Radio - Sound
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TV/Film - Sight
Marshall McLuhan
The media and his message
Effects of mass media on contemporary life
What effect media has on our lives
“The medium is the message”
The Global Village
Forms of media where people can communicate
Create an alternate conversation
Information war
We can access information ourselves
There’s no privacy
Where is his theory today?
Changing the use of media
Will we ever be satisfied?
Eugeny Morozov
Doesn't think McLuhan’s ideas are correct or vey useful
He doesn’t think that just giving people the tools to communicate across different countries is enough.
“It doesn't just happen overnight”
He thinks that everyone views of the world “Internet” are different. No one has the same idea about what it means and what its for.
Solutionism
The state and government can use all the same social medias
Its a formal tool
Eugeny Morozov - Ted Talk 2009
Connectivity x devices = democracy
Elude the cat - confront the problem or issue. Don’t ignore it. Blocking/deleting the issue prolong the topic being in the spotlight. Looks like you have something to hide then.
02/11/17 - Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky is an American Media Philosopher
PHD in linguistics (studying languages, structure, history)
Left - socialists, communists, anarchists
Media
Language He makes connections with them all
Economics
Politics
Biggest critic of them all
Inequality
American
-Imperialism
-Capitalism
Privatise
Manufacturing consent
Requiem for the American dream 2015
10 principles: Concentration of wealth and power
Elections
Wealth Power
Legislation
The vicious cycle
The vile masters of mankind
1. Reduce democracy
The wealthier men are more responsible
Aristotle: Try and reduce inequality
2. Shape ideology
Liberal internationalists
‘excessive democracy’
Young people are getting too free and independent
3. Redesign the economy
Increase role of financial institutions - banks
General elections make loads more money.
Its not doing any value for the economy
The wealthy and privileged are protected
The workers and labourers are stuck
4. Shift the burden
‘American Dream’
‘The Golden Age’
More people are becoming more wealthy
Plutonomy
Predict - the working people of the world are living precarious lives.
Wealthy and cooperate taxes were higher. That has now changed and wealthier people pay less and poorer people pay more.
No tastes and loads of profit
5. Attack solidarity
Attack on social security
Caring for others. - I pay taxes so the kid across the street can go to school. The school system is under attack
Free public education
Poorer people will be in more debt
6. Run the regulators
Regulatory capture
Wealthy want to be able to run to the tax payers to be bailed out
For less wealthy people the government is the problem. Not the solution.
One set of roles for the rich
One set of roles for the poor
7. Engineer elections
Cost of elections skyrocket
1920’s money is a form of speech
Cooperations are buying elections. They make more money by moving it around
CBS public service - freedom of speech
8. Keep the rabble in line
Protest after protest
Organised protest. Wage labour
Sit down strike =
Inequality of wages Slavery
9. Manufacture consent
You cant control the population by force
The public must be put in its pace. The responsible people make the decisions.
Advertisers fabricate consumers. Control society system to be perfect.
You want things you don't need
In media/advertising
Informed consumers - rational
Uninformed consumers - irrational
Adverts are based on uninformed consumers. This is linked to politics. - They want someone uninformed and irrational.
10. Marginalise the population
Led to an angry public
Want people to only look after themselves.
All for myself, nothing for no one else.
Who wants to live in this society?
Freedom of speech
Womans rights
Black rights
Refused to back down
A lot of this information is based on statistics
For next week:
‘Fight the power’
‘Give peace a chance’
‘Just do it’
‘Don’t leave home without it’
Audio Advert
Choose 2 of the slogans
Use statistics and numbers
For and against
Good and bad
I was working with Matt and Owen.
Don’t leave home without it - Phones
Just do it - Drinking
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Don’t leave home without it
Good
Do you often find yourself reaching your phone when you wake up?
Do you find yourself frantically looking for it when it’s not in the place you think you left it?
Are you a guilty of doing the pocket pat down multiple times throughout the day?
Do you know that over 50% of people feel uneasy when they leave their phone at home?
Save yourself the embarrassment and don’t leave home without it.
Bad
Do you know that the average person checks their mobile phone 110 times a day whilst the more addicted person can check it up to 900 times a day and 75% of these people have admitted to checking it while driving?
Be the better person and make the world a safer place for you and everyone in it
Don’t risk other people’s lives for the sake of checking a notification
Find your humanity and don’t leave home without it.
Just do it
Good
Have you just moved miles away from home, just started uni and have no friends?
Alcohol is hugely known to help you relax and become more sociable.
Do you know that 74% of students have said that alcohol helps break the ice and enhances social activity leading to making friends?
Have you been invited to a house parties and are feeling anxious?
Just do it, have a shot.
Bad
Have you noticed a drop in your grades? Do you spend more time drinking than studying?
1 in 4 students reported that they are struggling with their grades due to missing classes and 62% of students have admitted that they drink alcohol at least twice a week. Are you one of those people?
Don’t throw your life away.
Just do it, pour the drink away.
Find audio adverts here
https://soundcloud.com/lucie-eckersley/audio-adverts
09/11/17 - Jean-Luc Godard
Subvert / contradicting text and visuals
How can you do this?
Series of images
[] [] [] [] —> []
Last one is different to the rest
Can overly images as well
Jean-Luc Godard - 1950’s Paris Cinematheque - He watched dozens everyday.
F.Truffaut - French New Wave
Writing about cinema - Caniz Du Cinema
They came up with the term ‘Film Noir’
Pessimistic and dark. Early 1950s. After the war
Auteur Theory - The driving creative force behind the film —> Director
They then start to make their own films
1959 - Breathless - Godard
1959 - The 400 Blows - Truffaut
Childs perspective
Toughing but bleak
Auto bio
Works with same actor for 20 years. You watch the boy grow up on film.
Breathless - 16mm
Handheld camera shots
Shot on location - Paris
Editing - Jump cuts, seen as quite radical at the time. The audience becomes aware of the edit due to this style of cutting.
Lots of improv. Natural and soft lighting
Referencing the history of cinema, art, music and war.
For a decade Godards films all had narratives. Godard makes references and assume the watcher will understand them. (Similar to essays. They assume you’ve got the knowledge on the topic. That you understand.)
Roberto Rossellini 1947
Germany, Year Zero
Godard references this film a lot.
Shot in Berlin in 1945/46. End of WW2. Berlin is basically destroyed.
Tracking shots.
Location - the actual location as its bombed and destroyed from the war. We understand the concept and nobody has to explain it. Adds authenticity to the film. You can tell its real.
Ici et or Here and Elsewhere - 1974 - Godard
Commissioned by P.L.O
He mixes film and video
‘We shall use this gun to build peace’
This, this, this and this leads to this
War, fighting and guns leads to death
Images of people laughing and people taking photos to a man taking a photo of a dead man. Shows the contrast between these two things.
Armed
Political
Extended war
Victory
The girl reciting the poem, background was destroyed buildings. - Similar to Germany, Year Zero
Revolution
-Politcal
-Social
-Technical, 16mm and video
-Economic
-Visual
Self-reflexive
-Actors
-Artifice
-Behind the scenes
-Narration, Director: Godard
-Theatrical performance from actors
Visual style
-Photos
-Documentary style
-Film
-Video
-Intelectual montage
-Theatrical
-Graphics, text
-Newspapers
-TV
-Visual overlays
Sound
-Narration
-Music
-Dialogue
-Ambience
07/12/17 - Debate
-Logic
-Emotional appeal
-Art of persuasion
-Appear superior
Pro speak first, con after
‘Smartphone technology makes everyone a film maker’ - CON
What does being a filmmaker mean?
What films do you know that are made on smartphones?
Just because you have a smartphone doesn't mean you know how to use it
Drains battery
My point
They aren't cheaper or as convenient. You still need: Audio equipment, steady cams, tripods, lighting.
Cameras and smartphones will require the same equipment and be equally as expensive.
You aren't saving money.
If you’re using a phone as a camera, you might as well use a proper professional camera.
Storage
Phones don’t have enough storage to hold long videos.
Emotional appeal?
-How many times have you had to clear out your phone because it says you have no storage left?
This means you’ll have to buy more storage which is very expensive.
Cheapest one I could find is a hard rive that connects to your phone.
For 64GB its £60.
The cheapest SD card I could find for 64GB is £20. Way cheaper.
You’re a filmmaker because you choose to be. Not because you have a phone.