The Wake for Death At A Funeral

 

Can a death at an actual funeral steal the show away from the person who is being celebrated? Considering the situational irony of the circumstance, it’s hard to say…however the family sure can.

Death At A Funeral is a 2007 British black comedy film directed by Frank Oz with a screenplay written by Dean Craig. It features an ensemble cast including Peter Dinklage, Alan Tudyk, and starring Matthew Macfadyen as protagonist Daniel. The patriarch of a family has passed and the responsibility of organising his funeral has been bestowed upon his son Daniel. This involves financing it, ensuring all guests arrive (including his late father which is apparently a tall order in its own right according to the undertaker) and containing the chaos that ensues. In the midst of all this responsibility his own insecurities as an aspiring novelist are put to the test as he prepares the eulogy; much to the surprise of friends and relatives as the only contribution his successful novelist brother Robert will be making at all, is a crack at the recently 18 year old daughter of a family friend.

It’s the film where everything could go wrong and it does. Where the worst outcome of a situation is constantly anticipated and unfortunately delivered. Whether it’s Simon, who’s stressed about the approval of his fiancees’ Father, mistakes valium for a hallucinogenic drug in an effort to calm his nerves. Or the germaphobic Howard who has the responsibility of taking care of Daniels senile wheel chair bound Uncle Alfie. Or the mysterious dwarf that nobody seems to know who could quite possibly ruin legacy Daniel is trying so desperately to retain of his father. If this film were an improv class, the funeral ceremony would function as a prop for a group of a inept individuals who keep bouncing the idea of complete chaos off each other. Each of the characters portrayed contribute directly or indirectly to the the disaster looming.

Clearly this funeral was an overnight stay cause it appears every attendee has brought their own baggage to the ceremony. The characters within the film fail to show any remorse or sympathy for the deceased or to those who are effected by it. Any stress or angst induced by the ceremony is out of self-interest – preventing the outcome of their own mistakes.The film is largely contained within a single location – Daniels’ parents house. The single location creates a sense of entrapment, which renders the characters constantly trying to resolve the problems they’ve created with no sure sign of escape. The absurdity of certain scenarios often leaves you wondering where did this all begin?

The films title creates constant speculation for the viewer as to whether which character dies at this funeral or whether the title carries more of an abstract meaning with little literal connection to the events of the film. Irrespective of its apparent foreshadowing of the events within the film, the film title in isolation is ironic and is incredibly fitting considering it is a film within the genre of black comedy. By its nature a black comedy film creates humour out of tragedy and bestows ambivalence upon the audience towards the tragedy that is open to comic interpretation (Schachtman, B.N. pp.167); creating an anxiety in which laughter is the catharsis. It’s this ambivalent nature that is evident in throughout the film as a casket becomes a stage for comedy. Matthew Winston states the genre concerns “horrible events, unhappy people, anarchy and chaos” (Schachtman, B.N. pp.176) and this is what is portrayed within the film. The boundaries of what is socially accepted must be pushed in order to create the type anxiety necessary to create the ambivalence (Schachtman, B.N. pp.176. The defiance of what is socially accepted truly makes for majority of the humour. Funerals formally require significant amounts of sincerity that must be fulfilled. Humour is created through comically exploiting the anxieties that are often faced whilst at a funeral – desperation to create the perfect ceremony that will gracefully preserve the legacy of the deceased with high levels of reverence and sincerity. Because the person of honour is deceased it appears as the only event that cannot afford mistakes, where this reverence cannot be broken. Black comedy allows for the exploration of how a death and by extension a funeral effects everyone, except the person deceased. It bares no apprehension in delving into the honest brutality of life and the inexorability of death, and in-between the farce and absurdity, it makes apparent how self-absorbed people can be, especially when the gritty complexities of inheritance play a part.

The context of a funeral creates so much room and potential for comic pursuit within a genre of film where tragedy is made comedic and considering death is the greatest tragedy there is. However death isn’t the joke, how a death is dealt with is. No one wants to intentionally disrupt the service for comedic effect, fulfilling the ceremony is relatively in the best interest of everyone the comedic effect is a consequence of circumstances beyond control.

The climax of the film is met with a collision of events that have gradually escalated over the film and any attempt to cover up anything that will interfere with the sanctity of the ceremony is laid bare. It is in this moment that Daniel delivers his eulogy extending this sentiment of honesty, which was the only thing that worked to protect his fathers legacy.

This film is very enjoyable to watch. Its ability to create anticipation of the events to follow will maintain audience captivation. In and around the absurdity and improbable scenarios are certain truths about grieving that are dismissed through death. Fast paced and an easy watch.

Rated 5/6 Feet Under.

Benjamin Nathan Schachtman (2005) “Black comedy” in Comedy: A geographic and historical guide, Volume I ed. Maurice Charney, Westport CT.: Greenwood Publishing.

Death At A Funeral 2007, Stan streaming service, Verve Pictures UK, directed by Frank OZ

Zoller Seitz, M (2007). ‘Death ‘n’ Yucks, Hallucinogens ‘n’ Stiff Upper Lips. The New York Times, Viewed 30 September 2017, <http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/17/movies/17fune.html&gt;

 

September 30, 2017October 4, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

Nigerian Cinema: (satu)rated 10/10

Nollywood is a term that refers to the film industry of Nigeria. Its name is a portmanteau arguably derived from the combination of Nigeria and Hollywood. It’s the 3rd largest film industry, however the phenomenon largely rooted towards the absence of foreign investment or government aid supporting this $11.5 million gross box office, as of 2016. Each week upwards of 50 films are produced and distributed each week in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria and West Africa. It has fostered over a million jobs and is one of of the largest contributors to Nigeria’s economy.

Nigerian films can be produced and cut with a budget of just $10,000 with a 7 day turn around time. This fosters rapid content generation and it begs to question with such an abundance of content, how is this industry so lucrative? Surely with such a heavily saturated market and with competition simply flourishing, it would be impossible to create any form of box office let alone be the third largest film industry. The films by their design allow for this. They are “films for the masses” not the elite, and this ethos is executed through all aspects of production, from the narrative to the cinematography. The community is completely involved and it “looks inward and not outward” (Okome, O 2007) and what separates it from its contemporaries is that it doesn’t have the opportunities for training and operation financing.

Furthermore the incredibly low budget creates certain restrictions for filmmakers and few liberties can be taken when executing a shot. The limitations imposed worked favourably and fostered the type of creativity that is revered in this cinema. In order to work around these inherent limitations each decision is precise and aware of its boundaries and require a lot of improvisation. Costumes are ‘thrown together’, props and set pieces are personally invested and special effects, such as ‘gun shots’ are heavily reliant on the technical ability of amateur pyrotechnics as well as the risk accepting actors. The stories are centred around street level Nigerian issues which is what garnered mass appeal. Nollywood shifted the film discourse from post-colonial Africa towards  Its contemporaries focus on post-colonial Africa as an outlet for assigning blame, Nigeria focus on stories within their communities with centred themes on the “magic of the city” and police corruption.

The films are commercially-savvy which is only indicative of its success because it vlaues the entertainment of its clientele. “The entertainment bit is primary to the mode of representation in the industry, yet in that pursuit, one cannot forget its sense of mission, which is to produce culture from the bottom of the street”(Okome, O 2007). In post-colonial Africa, there are a lot of diaspora communities which benefit from the cultural significance of this grass-rooted export.

Audience consideration is heavily paramount and a top consideration during production. Quality isn’t as prioritised because the society they permeate, certain inhabitants survive off a $1 a day and which form a part of the 90% of the population that watch these films. As a result, these films harbour incredibly social utility and should function as a vehicle for education or a message. Their audiences are captivated and possibly may be the only real exposure to a positive influence.

 

http://www.djembecommunications.com/language/en/nollywood-a-closer-look-into-the-worlds-3rd-largest-film-industry/

Nollywood is giving the world a taste of true African glamour

August 18, 2017August 27, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

English proficiency VISA-vis making the most of international study in Australia

Studying internationally is an incredibly opportunity to experience and learn to understand another culture external from your own. As a uni student from Sydney Australia, studying at the University of Wollongong the opportunity to study in another country is readily accessible. Although I can’t say I’m fortunate to have experienced student exchange myself, the notion of internationl studying is something that cannot be escaped. Whether friends of mine have left Australia to study overseas or international students pursue a semester of exchange at UOW, it’s incredibly pervasive and seems to be an unsung integral part of uni. inhabiting a new culture is a daunting task and often requires conjuring immense amounts of independence. After returning home from a 6 month cultural eyeopening experience at the University of North Carolina, students are worldly seasoned enough to warrant an update of their Instagram bio from ‘Jake|22|Sydney|Snap: jakeyboy’ to ‘wanderlust’.

However, what if you spend your entire degree, from start to finish, in a foreign country? Not to diminish the length of time that 6 months is away from home, however entire degrees would be considerably intense to pursue considering a minimum completion of a degree is 3 years and those years are some of your most formative of your life. However starting university is a blank slate for everyone is a platform for forming social connections. However what if this foreign country that you’re studying within, also speaks a language that is foreign to your own? This experience is one that is not foreign to many international students studying in Australia. In 2015, over 600,000 international students were enrolled in education programs in Australia. Nearly 300,000 of these international students were enrolled in the higher education. (Department of Education and Training 2015). It’s easy to feel ostracised in a society where vernacular is heavily embedded in their sense of identity and comradery.

The study of conducted by Peter Kell and Gillian Vlog identified that the hybridity nature of the Australian vernacular is complex and composed of multiple Englishes as well as the relationship “between international students successful negotiation of these Englishes and their well-being.” (Kell & Vlog 2006). Kell and Vlog conduce that success is not only measured through academic achievement, it is also indicative of cultural and social adjustment. There is often a tendency to view international students as a homogenous group, this perception is a product of consistent difficulties faced by them. They are inherently heterogenous, however this common ground found with uncertainty and unfamiliarity in a new environment may force this occurrence. However, it’s not necessarily the language barrier that causes this ostracisation. The prospect of international study encourages learning other languages such as English in preparation for a new country. However this alone, doesn’t cover certain cultural quirks inherent in a particular countries vernacular and students arrive “unaware of the extent to which local accents, fast speech and Australian colloquialisms are going to reduce their ability to speak and understand English in Australia” (Kell & Vlog 2006).

The main barrier between international students connecting with Australians was said to be a combination of confidence in speaking and how receptive Australian students were to meeting new people of a different culture. The same type of homogeny may exist for Australian uni students, in what is a very heterogenous society – they may be starting university for the first time as well, and naturally find comfort in familiarity and common ground. International students found creating an environment where you’re comfortably around the culture increased “proficiency in speaking and listening to English” (Kell & Vlog 2006). Acquiring Australian room mates, watching Australian films and TV shows with subtitles on as well as interacting with Australians how you can, will create a foot in the door. Alternatively, here’s the crash course.

Kell, P and Vogl, G (2007) ‘International Students: Negotiating life and study in Australia through Australian Englishes’, Everyday Multiculturalism Conference Proceedings, Macquarie University, 28-29 September 2006.

 

August 18, 2017August 29, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

Global in a China Shop

‘Globalisation’ is a concept that is often so immersive it is consequently taken for granted. The text ‘Globalisation’, Media and Society’ (O’Shaughnessy, M and Stadler, J) define Globalisation as worldwide communication that transcends space and time whilst characterised by its instantaneity, interconnectedness and interdependence. This type of communication forms the international community influenced by the technological developments as well as economic, political and military interests. The parameters of geographical borders have been dissolved and the immediacy of communication is an inherent expectation. Humanity can witness a hurricane unfold before their eyes in the comfort of their living room, miles away from any instance of imminent danger – even on the other side of the globe. The global media can provide coverage of the disaster and indirectly create a platform for altruism. The level of resilience a place can have after such an event is dependant on the resources available. Certain countries may not have the infrastructure to foster support. Globalisation creates opportunity to reach out and extend help beyond what is only capable through the limitations of proximity. It’s evident that the use of twitter as a communication tool, harbours greater social utility beyond its application as a social media platform. Facebook similarly employs this with the emergency check-ins function.

Despite being an “agent of empowerment, education, democracy and equality” (O’Shaughnessy, M and Stadler, J) the consequences of globalisation and their effect on society harbours polarised opinions. ‘The Global village’ is a phrase that forms the utopian view of globalisation as a catalyst for bringing humanity closer together. Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase in order to describe a ‘utopia’ where the means of global communication is completely democratised and freely accessed by everyone, whilst transcendant of nation-state interference. Dystopian views suggest that the notion of a global village is overly optimistic because it only reflects those who have access to it. A global cottage is suggested to be more of a faithful representation of the globalised reality we communicate within; a reality that isn’t compatible with the ethos of globalisation due to a debilitating digital divide.

Although, globalisation does create a platform for the cultural exchange, cultural imperialism is a side effect. Culture of the united states is incredibly pervasive in a country such as Australia which is so geographically removed from it. Cultural Imperialism is where a culture is permeated through other cultures through cultural products. Australian media is laced with Americana flavour. Entertainment is one of America’s greatest export and it is incredibly popular. Film, television and music are heavily demanded in Australia. 

This screen shot depicts the top 10 most popular tracks in Australia according to the Aria Charts and feature not one single Australia artists. Loss of cultural identity is the biggest risk as an external culture permeates through an existing one, and although music appears to be largely dominated by the united states television in Australia really holds its own being completely abundant with home grown Australian content. Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules, The Bachelor are shows highly popular and revered. However this is bound within TV as a legacy media model which is slowly declining as a medium for consuming content. Can cultural identity remain intact when the way content is primarily consumed through streaming services? Netflix’s former monopoly in Australia features content that is external to Australia. However Stan has risen to the occasion as a competitive streaming service with its pursuit of producing top contending Australian original programs, which have the ability to defend Australian cultural borders from this cultural invasion.

Mills, Alexander; Chen, Rui; Lee, JinKyu; Rao, H. Raghav (2009). “Web 2.0 Emergency Applications: How Useful Can Twitter Be for Emergency Response?” (PDF). Twitter for Emergency Management and Mitigation: 3. Retrieved November 20, 2016.

O’Shaughnessy, M and Stadler, J (2008) ‘Globalisation’, Media and Society (fifth edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 458-471.

http://www.ariacharts.com.au/charts/singles-chart

August 11, 2017August 26, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

Username Cheques Out

 

One thing I have learnt from immediately completing my digital artefact, is hand-holding is the worst approach to user interface design. iMovie has never contended more with my frustration than any software I’ve experienced using – shoutouts at least for Audacity, and no not iMovie’s boldness in screwing with my sanity.

This software made recording the voice over of my digital artefact, a task met with ease, unlike creating image overlay upon a video and maintaining cropping integrity whilst in iMovie. Have to give credit where it is due, it is very easy software to use, it was just that its limitations were more apparent with what I wanted to achieve. I didn’t want to make a video with a voice over, I wanted to create a video essay.

Video essay’s have grown in popularity within the last year as a way of engaging with an audience that demand content beyond that stimulates interest. It isn’t a matter of talking to the viewer, it is about speaking to them. It extends beyond a vlog as presenting a personal opinion on an issue, but rather creates a format of presenting a concept objectively with the aim of meeting a ‘thesis’. I’ve been inspired particularly by the kaptainkristian youtube channel. He approaches topic that meet my interest, but I value his work primarily due to the way its present. Both image and sound work intertwined in a sort of dance to deliver a point, – either of which one doesn’t triumph the other, they both with together in synergy to achieve its means.

My frustration with iMovie was largely due to the fact it could not meet my ambition. My comfortable medium as a student of graphic design, is largely stagnant. I’ve had some experience in video editing before, however a video essay demands so much more than side sweeps or dissolves. Therefore, my digital artefact is very ‘jerky’ in the sense of its flow. I’m proud with what I managed to achieve however, I envisioned greater fluidity between frames. I had to know and understand where the limits of iMovie exist and leverage them to meet half-way what I wanted to achieve. I used largely in alignment, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to work around the limitations of iMovie text overlay’s and other graphic demanding aspects. Huge shoutout to Quicktime Player for screen captured recording, which is a heavy and strong feat. throughout my video essay.

Stepping away from the technical process, unpacking the concept I was presenting was incredibly difficult to achieve and I found to be the largest bottle neck of this entire assignment. Because username squatting isn’t an actual coined term, it was very difficult to find any sources that I could draw from. My information was largely sourced from issues of trademark infringement on social media, domain squatting as a form of cybercrime, trademark regulation, the limited (yet very helpful in adding validity to my case study) insight provided by Flight Facilities manager on their experience of username squatting, as well as my own observation and knowledge on branding/marketing. With all this in mind it largely came down to my own interpretation and I believe that truly compliments the video essay format, because although it is the presentation of facts and objectivity as artefacts, it all comes down to a thesis, which you use these artefacts as tools to justify it. Furthermore it is a largely unexplored area because it is largely kept internal. It’s not something that publicised significantly. Domain squatting is still an issue that occurs and because domains cost money and social media is free it is more prevalent, and brands on social media haven’t lost anything necessarily – apart from the use and complete control of their brand name.

I’m content with what I achieved and despite some frustration and many times getting bogged down with the direction I should take a concept or what to include or not, I enjoyed making a video essay, and hope to do it again soon. I would also like to redo this video and try it with more intermediate software such as Premier Pro or Final Cut Pro.

Transcript:

Branding is an incredibly powerful tool, it is the representation of an organisation without its needed physical presence – a brand is a proxy. A brand desires immediate association with its represented entities. Logo, colour, value, and most importantly brand name. These artefacts are heavily funded and invested in because a brand is intangible. You can’t keep intellectual property locked away in a safe to prevent unauthorised use of it – the only method of protection is a trademark.

It’s evident that a brand manifests in a multitude of different ways. Living in the digital age we do, brands have achieved greater ubiquity than ever before, however as a result,   access to Intellectual Property has never been more achievable. A single person can’t claim a Coca-Cola billboard as their own, yet the same person can create a twitter account under the guise of Coca-Cola.

Therefore it’s incredibly frustrating for a brand when their trademarked name is already taken on Social Media. This referred to as username squatting, a derivative of domain squatting which is a legislated form of cybercrime in which a trademarked name is registered without authorisation as a username on a social media platform – in order to leverage its value and extort the owner of the trademark. Brands must be fully aware of this because username entitlement doesn’t fall within the parameters of a trademark (find evidence)

Instagram, like other social media platforms, when it comes to registering a trademark as a username, it functions through a first-come, first served basis. In order to secure a trademark as a username, brands must be quick-to-act when a new social media platform emerges. Which creates issues of resource allocation when there should be a regulatory framework to delegate this responsibility to.

Flight Facilities are an Australian electronic music duo that achieved break through success in 2010 with their track ‘Crave You’. Their popularity grew almost simultaneously with Instagram’s proliferate use as a favoured social media platform. When the boys ‘took to the skies’ mid 2012 and created an official Flight Facilities Instagram account, they were met at a halt when their trademarked brand name had already been taken as a username. With no other option they settled out of convenience and necessity for its colloquial abbreviation.

Full aware of the risk of alienating prospective fans who might not be completely familiar with their ‘pseudonym’, the ‘pilots’ Jimmy and Hugo launched their Instagram account and cultivated their social media presence under this moniker with @flightfacilities co-existing in the background.

However Flight Facilities are a trademarked company, and the presence of this account is clearly evidence of trademark infringement as it is an unauthorised use of a brand name. According to Instagram, trademark infringement is only met when trademarked brands are fraudulently represented on social media channels. There is no infringement if the account simply occupies the trademarked name. This is why I haven’t been caught up in a litigious pursuit by gluten free food manufacturer, Silly Yaks. However this doesn’t necessarily provide justice to the brands, public figures and organisations that have earned the inherent equity and value of their name. It’s only provided a loophole for username scalpers to extort brand owners, whilst their social media activity remains superficially innocuous micro-blogging. If extortion isn’t an aim, self-gratification could fuel their pursuit through capitalising on the existing popularity of the name in order to attract a large traffic of followers. In the instance that the trademark is already taken as a username, Instagram recommend choosing closely related alternatives. It might not make a difference to the flow of follower traffic to include underscores, an alphanumeric iteration or a close abbreviation,

However, this additional Flight Facilities account still exists despite yielding elements of their brand identity. Doesn’t this conflict with what Instagram constitutes as trademark infringement on social media? Well this is because it functions as a holding account for flight facilities. The username was previously used by another account. Eventually it was abandoned allegedly due to the popularity of the official Flight Facilities account. There was no value occupying anymore, that @flightfac had held its own and translated the flight facilities brand on social media effectively gaining nearly 60,000 followers. Flight Facilities were then able to retrieve the squatted username and re-register it under an additional account, which now functions as a holding page, to redirect traffic back to the official Flight Facilities accounts and to prevent anyone else from occupying it.

To further combat the issue of authenticity, the introduction of the blue check resolves this within the platform, however it doesn’t resolve the issue as a whole. It’s merely fixing a tattered shirt with a sewing patc h, instead just buying a new shirt.

Although this matter may seem trivial, you have to consider the inherent sentimental value of a name. For brand such as flight faciltities, they operate within the heavily cut throat music industry, one that is often hard to make a living of. Where as larger organisations can afford to expend re-directed follower traffic with their social media presence. For an upcoming band who might not have the following to warrant a blue check or expend followers, everything is worth its weight in gold. The correct name is as crucial as anything. It could mean all the difference in the world between sustaining a living from a pursuit of passion and being forced to give it all up to make-ends-meet.

People don’t purchase Apple Ltd products, they buy Apple products. Apple wouldn’t harbour the same value it does if the Apple insignia included an underscore and a succession of numbers.

Name shouldn’t be a representation of the brand, but rather the presence of the brand.

 

 

References:

https://revisionlegal.com/trademark-attorney/trademark-my-instagram-username/

https://help.instagram.com/101826856646059?helpref=search&sr=7&query=username

Sam Beck – Flight Facilities management

http://www.commonplaces.com/blog/what-is-a-verified-social-media-account-and-why-does-it-matter/

https://hstalks-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/t/2964/branding-how-it-works-and-why-it-matters/?business

https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trade-marks/understanding-trade-marks/trade-mark-costs

https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/trade-marks/managing-your-trade-mark/maintaining-your-trade-mark/renewing-your-trade-mark

http://www.adweek.com/digital/heres-how-many-people-are-on-facebook-instagram-twitter-other-big-social-networks/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_Facilities

May 30, 2017June 4, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

Black Fish? or Cat Fish?: Anthropomorphism in film

Anthropomorphism is the process of assigning human attributes such as emotions and intentions to non-human entities. It’s commonly used in fiction, in-particularly animation. The reason for the medium is because it resonates effectively with the target audience, children. However, it is not limited or exclusive to children, but rather ‘families’, which broadens the audience and makes it palatable to a cross-section of ages. Anthropomorphism is an effective vessel for education, or persuasion. However this can often be used to fuel an agenda. In works of fiction, we empathise where empathy is demanded or allowed for it, and this is all curated and controlled through the way things are edited.

Generally where animals are anthropomorphised in fiction, the humans are portrayed as the antagonists. This is evident in films such as Ferngully or Ant Bully. The common thread with these films is that the human characters are forced out of their own world into the world of Animals. The human archetype follows a similar trope: ignorance of their destructive actions forces them to confront its repercussions and change and rectify. However this generally is only achieved through being brought to the level or ‘perspective’ of animals – physical empathy. The other ‘humans’ are still going about their ways, which compels the human character with their new found perspective to make a difference. The character is meant to represent the audience, to take this perspective with them and make the difference they can. You often find yourself channeling strong dislike for humans. This is made particularly interesting in the film Finding Nemo, where quotidian industries such as fishing or pet distribution, are portrayed in certain way that is completely unquestionable and unethical. However this anguish is just a sensationalisation of the plot. You’re not angry at the industry, you’re angry at the antagonist and their effect on the things you care about – the characters, not the fish. It’s a transient and falsified emotional pursuit because over a decade from its 2003 release, the fishing industry hasn’t dipped and in fact the film ironically fuelled demand for commercial sales of clown fish at pet retailers.

What anthropomorphism achieves is empathy with something we do not as humans understand – animals. This empathy is false however, because we’re not empathising with the animals, we have no way of understanding how they feel, or what they feel. We are projecting our own values of what we believe to be right upon the animals in ways we understand. We are more so empathising with the story writers, and by extension their views, manifested through decisive editing.

Much like my transient anger conjured during Finding Nemo and channelled towards the fishing industry and humanities desire for exotic fish pets, I couldn’t help but experience a similar anguish whilst watching Black Fish. The film unpacks the atrocity that occurred at Sea World in 2010 where trainer Dawn Brancheau was attacked by a contained Orca.

I draw parallels purely because of the way an antagonist force is portrayed. The ‘fishing net rescue‘ scene portrays humans as a single background entity; you never closely see their face which completely abstracts their identity/humanity. They are meant to take the form of the fishing industry at large. Because of this, it completely removed the ability to empathise with them in order to consider their angle or motive; designed with intention to force the audience into siding with the fish rendering their actions of fishing in our perception completely ‘wrong’. The editing in Black Fish created a similar effect upon the viewers. Sea World as a corporation is never present to provide their angle and any reference to made to the organisation is laced with disdain or criticism. They were this background figure that blame was completely assigned to. If Sea World is representative of the fishing boat, then Tilikum the orca and the trainers are representative of the fish – the victims.

Anthropomorphism allows humans to empathise with a species we have no means of communicating with. This is extremely evident in the opening scene with Finding Nemo. The barracuda was not anthropomorphised, therefore ‘blame’ was assigned to an external non-present entity, its nature as a predator (circumstance). The viewer is forced to weep for the tragedy created at the hands of the barracuda. Before watching Black Fish, I had no prior conception of the documentaries synopsis, so I was learning the events of the incident as they were portrayed to unfold. This obviously skewed the way I would distinguish facts from plot points. However, because Tilikum was anthropomorphised through his displayed relationships with his trainers, when the incident happened, the blame was never primarily assigned to the orca, it was delegated to his circumstance and back story, and by extension Sea World. The tragedy similarly presented in Finding Nemo, we feel shock and sorrow for the tragedy inflicted on Dawn Brancheau that was created at the hands of Tilikum, however we feel sorrow for Tilikum, yet we don’t feel sorrow at all for the Barracuda. That’s because the audience is made to be completely removed from forming any connection with the Barracuda. This is indicative of how editing can persuade. Of course Finding Nemo is an animation, the creators have complete control in the way their story is created and manifested. Nature however cannot follow a script, the only way you can write a script for nature is through editing. Editing by its function is omissive, because you are removing from view what actually existed. Therefore its intention is to create an intended way of perceiving something. This the foundation of the documentary film genre, which is extracting reality and curating it coherently in order to inform about an issue. However editing can only achieve so much. No matter how something is depicted, narrative is crucial to projecting a message and anthropomorphising is merely an effective tool for creating voice for something that has none. However we should be aware that what is created is not an animal, but rather a character and our focus should lie outside the frame.

 

March 25, 2017April 1, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: BCM310 Leave a comment

“Who drew the short straw?” “I Druitt”

 

My upbringing is the furthest thing from any struggle. If there ever was a form of struggle, it was always relative to my circumstance – because every one experiences it at times. However to live in struggle as the people depicted on the show Struggle Street do so everyday, is something unimaginable until you see it manifested in a SBS documentary series.

The only time I’ve ever been exposed to anything akin to what is depicted on the show was when I worked for over a year in Bondi Junction, which is heavily populated with homeless people. One thing I did notice was regulars had the place they would habitually go to, and almost without significant thought, these spots scattered throughout the junction, I unintentionally labelled them as homes. Then I noticed that where I knew one particular homeless person to stay, one day another one took their spot. It suddenly became apparent that they aren’t in possession of locations. ‘their spot’ implies possession and this is something couldn’t be further from the truth. They were almost like stations, and that there was clear evidence of rotation, if there even was one. My first work week, I found the 30 second transit from Bondi Junction station to oxford street a confronting pursuit. The confrontation exacerbated as each shift passed through my week because it became most apparent that this was a heavily engrained part of the junction. Naturally, as weeks turned around, I found myself settling into acceptance and soon it became something I would look right past. Because my shifts ended around 7pm, I would never see what happens at night, subconsciously I assumed they would retire to their refuge, however I knew this wasn’t the case at all.

There’s no point in denying that I do take what I have for granted. Not in a way thats exploitive, but rather in a way that I would often remind myself that I am lucky to be born into a home that is supported not just by bricks and mortar, but rather by my parents. This realisation only manifests when I’m exposed to instances where this type of living is absent. It’s dichotomy that allows us to gain holistic perspective. How do we know what is good when we don’t know what is bad? Without exposure to a lower standard of living, we would only see what is good and what could be better, as opposed to what I have suffices. Poverty porn is a quite disparaging term to describe the window into a lower socio-economic society. However the term is adept, if the intention from creating programs as such is to make you ‘feel superficially good’; that what you have is ‘superficially good’. However this is at the expense of the lives portrayed in shows such as Struggle Street, where the ‘absurdity’ of their standard of living is exploited, for the benefit of this realisation. It was almost a knee jerk reaction that I believed the show initially was parodising a stereotype purely because of its narration, editing and absurd scenarios – it screamed fabrication. However stereotypes have a root, and perhaps this was where the seed is planted.

Television shows such as Struggle Can help us appreciate what we do know and possess, but are these people just a tool or catalyst for our own benefit, so we don’t take things for granted. It really dehumanises them. The effect that it can have is almost comparative to a work of fiction – as a tool for education. However we learn things from everywhere. Are the people depicted on the show a vessel for change? Poverty is an inter-generational issue and an absence of awareness of it is the reason why change isn’t as progressive. The exploitation of these individuals lives for entertainment pose as a sacrifice, in a bid to reduce poverty and break the cycle. Consider them not impoverished, but rather martyrs.

March 18, 2017April 2, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: BCM310 Leave a comment

Sell-Fee’s: tender for social currency

Selfie ubiquity was primarily achieved through the proliferation of smart phones with front facing camera. It is so far engrained in culture that it’s the term even Apple have assigned to the action of taking a photo of yourself with the front-facing camera. The image depicts the ‘selfie’ button presented on an iPhone. A term, which could appear too casual for a device with such high prestige.

However the ubiquity of the selfie has construed and split its meaning beyond a photograph of yourself. When the selfie is bound to context, its meaning is inherently influenced. The essay, What Does the Selfie Say? Investigating the Global Phenomenon, unpacks from a plethora of different angles the many implications of a selfie, and how its meaning is represented across different schools of thought as the selfie creates a lens for viewing a form of reality. The selfie is defined and its parameters are established. “It is a photographic object that initiates the transmission of human feeling in the form of a relationship”. This relationship takes the form of a complex string of links between extending beyond viewer and viewer. It includes, photographer and viewers, users of social media platforms and the image, the image and the way it is filtered through the platform is presented upon. However one relationship stands out and forms the bed for the entire ethos of the selfie: the photographer and photographed; yourself and yourself; or more so yourself and the way you present yourself– your identity). It is a gesture of self and can encode a multitude of different messages, targeted at different audiences. However, it is perceived as decadent due to its alleged advocacy of perpetuating narcissism and vapid behaviour or obsession. It would be insular to pigeon hole it to such narrow parameters. The selfie is a polysemic complex social apparatus that shouldn’t necessarily be the subject for disdain.

The concept of selfie as agency for exploration of human identity is what appeared consistent throughout the essay. What the selfie primarily achieves is intimacy and authenticity – because you are the subject of the image, you’re subject to a great level of vulnerability which can result in you appearing more approachable, or even confident and bold. It is considered a ‘gestural image’ (page 8), and this is due to the way it is constructed. The outstretched arm, the eye-to-eye gaze between the photographer and your own POV, encourages you to gaze at the image – to which has been argued as an act of voyeurism. Paul Frosh rejects this notion saying it’s not aloof observing, but rather an invitation to engage with the image. It’s not just ‘see this, here now’ but also, ‘see me showing you’ encouraging reflection upon the viewer what the ‘self’ in selfies is depicting (page 8). It is far beyond the image of the self as a representation of body; but rather the image of the self as agency for identity.

What forms an identity is an aggregation of experiences, and selfies can add value to the identity you wish to create. In a realm where author is heavily speculated due to the ease of access in reproducing work through the form of ‘reposts’, sure breadcrumbs are left, however authors are robbed of the social currency; likes, comments, retweets, reposts, which motivates the poster. The selfie prevents this because your face has more copy right weight than a signature or patent can allow. Authorship and selfies “notions of witnessing” – the selfie manifests as a watermark of an image, you are credited inherently because you are the subject of the image. It is a stage for the self, a platform where the value of the circumstance depicted in the image, is attributed to you (the photographer).

This stage is constructed through ‘selfie assemblage’, which as Aaron Hess states possesses 5 overlapping elements:

• The human selves who engage in acts
• The images produced and consumed
• The physical space in which representation and spectatorship transpire
• The devices used
• The networks through which materials circulate

The immediacy of social media, allows individuals to document and curate experiences that can extend beyond what is considered quotidian. People encounter storms, historical events and interactions with celebrities. However what remains consistent with the selfie, is the self.

 

References:

Copyright © 2015 (Theresa M. Senft, tms2080@nyu.edu; Nancy K. Baym, baym@microsoft.com). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at http://ijoc.org.

March 11, 2017March 31, 2017 by sillyyaks Categories: BCM310 Leave a comment

Views: The Story Behind Snap Story – Reflective Essay

Snap Story was a feature released in an update to the app Snapchat on October 3^rd, 2013. It gave users the ability to increase the longevity of their Snapchat’s, whilst simultaneously rendering the ‘send to all’ contact selection completely redundant. Snapchat on their website describe stories to “honor the true nature of storytelling – Snaps appear in chronological order with a beginning, middle and end.” The inherent narrative properties of Snapchat allow for complete viewer orientation. This by-product fascinated me. My interest lied around the automation of this process. That discrete and completel unrelated snaps, compiled together can generate coherency – and this is achieved without a conscious effort of the Snapchatter. It is the complete aggregation of this content that creates contextual understanding, and I basically wanted to explore this, and simultaneously achieve this for viewers viewing my own Snapstory/documentary.

The app inherently features limitations and the 10-second window recordings proved difficult in generating coherent answers to the questions I was asking my subjects. It required incredibly succinct answers, almost placing too much pressure on interviewees. I also experienced difficulty exporting the stories. Because Snapchat exists as an app on my iPhone, I had to work around the inherent limitations of my device. I have low storage capacity and found it difficult to export the videos creating the arduous task of utilising intermediaries such as Facebook Messenger in order to send videos straight between apps to provide access for downloading onto my laptop. I initially intended to film the entire documentary on Snapchat and have the story function as my final version. However it appeared incredibly raw and incoherent. I was coerced to use iMovie as a result to edit the film. Within Snapchat, you are simultaneously the editor and director. The extent of your control in terms of trimming clips, is how long you film for which requires a delicate amount of precision – you have to know exactly what the snap will contain and how long to film for. This proves incredibly problematic considering you are interviewing which is heavily reliant on the content generated by your subjects, conflicting with your direction of the snap. If film editing involves ‘trimming the fat’, Snapchat videos have zero fat to trim – it’s all lean. Ironically, with the amount of narrative planning I coordinated for this documentary about Snapchat and Narration, it didn’t feel as an authentic story with the ideal sense of flow and fluidity with progression, compared with genuine Snap Stories, which are inherently unplanned. Stylistic consistency is also harder to achieve because the way each Snap is filmed requires consideration for previous Snap’s within the story, as well as, the ones to follow. Another issue I found present within this approach was the confliction with the properties of conducting an interview, and the 10-second limit on videos. Asking the questions within the videos would take up too much time, therefore I had to present the question as a text overlay. Often I would forget to do this before publishing the Snap to Story requiring me to add a text overlay later via iMovie.

I would have ideally preferred to use the app alone to create the documentary and leverage its features and tropes in order to, akin to actual Snap Story’s, fill in expositional voids. However the task proved significantly more cumbersome to execute. No doubt, with greater preparation and planning, that this could be genuinely achieved. It’s been demonstrated in action through David Choe’s public Snapchat account. He is filming a documentary of himself hitch-hiking across the United States, all executed through his Snap Story. The app totally has the capacity to be utilised this way, however requires significant planning to eliminate redundancies within the 10 second window. I found that majority of each of the snaps taken were ‘unfulfilled’ due to the pressure added by this time constraint. However irrespective of this, it was an enjoyable project to work on, and provided the opportunity to exploit and leverage the limitations of a project of this nature confined within the parameters of the app.

 

October 30, 2016November 1, 2016 by sillyyaks Categories: Uncategorized Leave a comment

The Internet of ‘Stranger’ Things

The concept of ‘smart’ device is a feature within an object that creates access to the internet; generally at face value, where the need for internet compatibility is not at all necessitated by the current use of the object. A mobile telephone functioned solely for telecommunications with simultaneous mobility. When the internet made a mobile phone ‘smart’, it opened the gateway to the possibility of a universe of smart devices. This concept is referred to as ‘the internet of things’. The use of the word ‘things’ in its moniker, sets no parameters or limits to what can be connected with the internet.

This very notion is well underway and has created significant momentum with the mass popularity of fitness and health tracking devices, such as FitBits. The devices track and analyse the way the wearer interacts with an environment, calculating heart rate, steps, quality of sleep and other metrics measurable. This device is generally used in alignment with other app enabled smart devices such as smart phones or tablets. The communication between the two platforms allow for seamless exchange of data where an App may provide deeper insight into the metrics collected. This then provides opportunity for ‘sharing’ on Social Media.

The extent to which objects can be rendered ‘smart’ has no quanitifed limit. Working in a technology retail store, the amount of domestic tools and appiances that previously had zero connectivity, now have the capacity to share the information it can collect. There is an item sold called the Drop Kitchen Scale which connects to a smart device via blue-tooth and provides the specific weight of an ingredient of questionable weight. The Canary All-in-One Home Security System and Camera creates, as the name may have suggested, a home security system. It functions through the use of an app as well. The ‘internet of things’ can also impact environments. The popularisation of ‘Pokémon Go’, illustrates that an environment can foster the capacity for smart enability without the need to retrofit existing infrastructure. The connectivity is threaded through the lens (literal) of a smart phone. The location tracking functions of smart phones allow the Pokémon environment to manifest upon the screen, however relative to the users specific location.

The possibilities are overwhelming to consider, considering the absence of significant limitations. However because of our access to the internet and our ability to connect that with objects, is it totally warranted to generate this smart enabled ecosystem. What are the implications of malfunctioning devices?  We thought we’d see the last of Donna Haraway, we thought wrong. If this ambition perpetuates, the modern day cyborg, where technology is a utilitarian extension upon the user, may in fact become a physical extension.

October 21, 2016October 24, 2016 by sillyyaks Categories: DIGC202 1 Comment