Remix Culture

Most people immediately think of music when they hear the word remix, however this is only one type of remix. A remix can be anything that has been altered to give it a new meaning. You can basically remix anything. With the rise of sites such as YouTube, producers are easily able to get their work out to a large audience. This has led to a huge influx of remixes, both serious and parodies. The example below on YouTube is one of my favourites. It is a remix of the popular AC/DC song Thunderstruck but played on Cello’s.

In class we discussed whether remixes are classified as original and if originality is even important. In my opinion nothing is original. Everything has inspiration from somewhere and it is virtually impossible to be truly original. I also don’t believe that being original is important. The video above is clearly inspired by AC/DC so isn’t original, but it is definitely creative, which to me is a whole lot more important.

Sources:

Youtube Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk

 

Annotated Bibliography

Source 1 – http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/category/photography-tips-2/

The page provides tips on photography and information on how to shoot many different types of photos. With our digital artefact heavily involving photography this is an extremely useful source for us. It covers a wide range of different styles of photography and overall provides a large amount of information. I think this is an extremely detailed source and will provide us with some great information on little things we can implement to keep improving our photography and to make it look like it was taken professionally.

Source 2 –  http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2013/08/30/best-photo-editing-tips-for-beginners-18-quick-fixes-to-common-image-problems/

Photo editing is important with our digital artefact as we post solely photos. This page provides 18 tips on editing photos for beginners. Being a beginner in the area of editing photos, this is something that I need to use. The tips are for common image problems which is something that I will likely encounter being a beginner and won’t have the knowledge to fix. The page provides the solution to these problems and explains it in a clear and concise way which makes it easy to read.

Source 3 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqKHo1Q7OMc

This video provides information on how to get started on Photoshop and 10 tips on editing photos with the program. While it is quite a lengthy video, it is very detailed and provides great insight into how Photoshop works and things that beginners such as myself can do with it. Many of the things listed are editing techniques that we can use on our photos for our digital artefact and will provide useful in improving the quality of our artefact, which is just as, if not more important than producing a large quantity.

Source 4 –  http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/3789/abstract-photography-beginniners/

As our digital artefact is primarily taking abstract photos, I found this source useful. It gives tips for beginners on taking abstract photos and what they can do to go in the right direction. I haven’t had much experience in photography at all let alone abstract photography so this source provides useful information for me. It provides good detail of different methods for producing abstract photography however I feel it could go into depth a bit more with some of the tips. It still gives some starting points for us to go with

Source 5 –  http://artunderus.tumblr.com/

This source is a Tumblr page that posts abstract photos taken or uploaded by the user. It has a large amount of photos in a wide variety of settings and with a lot of different focal points. I found many of the photos very interesting and it provided me with a lot of ideas for potential posts that we could make. It also reiterated the point that we need to post often and have a larger amount of content if we want to get a larger following.

Source 6 –  http://scarpgodenot.tumblr.com/

The same as my previous post, this is a Tumblr page that posts abstract photos. The difference with this source is that the user frequently posts and interacts with the audience. This seems to have helped build a bigger audience as this user has a lot more views and followers to each of their posts. Having seen this, it has shown me the importance of interacting with the audience and not just blindly posting content all the time and then ignoring the page. We need to engage the audience. I have also had a few ideas for future photos from looking through this source

Source 7 –https://www.facebook.com/facesofuow/?fref=ts

Faces of UOW is an established page on Facebook that takes pictures of people at UOW and then has about a paragraph of text below with a quote from the person which is usually something interesting about themselves. This appears to have been inspired by the wildly popular blog Human of New York. The page posts on a regular, almost daily basis and constantly interacts with its audience. As of this post, it has 4626 followers which shows that the creators have done a fantastic job building an audience. By following these strategies they use we can hopefully start to build a large audience as well.

Source 8 –  http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/improve-facebook-news-feed-performance/

Our digital artefact uses Facebook as a platform that we promote our artefact on. Therefore it is important utilize Facebook correctly to get the largest amount of views possible. This site provides 18 ways to improve the viewership of your Facebook page. How the Facebook promotion system works is explained and the page actually provides some very useful tips and explains them thoroughly. I found it useful as I didn’t understand how ‘reach’ worked on Facebook and having never had a page on Facebook it helped me understand how we can increase our following.

Source 9 – http://mashable.com/2012/06/03/the-beginners-guide-to-tumblr/

Tumblr is the other major platform we have our digital artefact on. With Tumblr being completely new to me, I need information on how to use it and how to take advantage of the features it possesses. This source provides a beginners guide to Tumblr and information about how to use its features. It is a useful source and while it only covers the basic features of Tumblr I have found it extremely useful in teaching me how to use Tumblr and to now utilise it for the digital artefact.

Source 10 –  http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/get-followers-tumblr/

Similar to my previous source, this one gives tips on how to get more followers and views but this time on Tumblr. Like I stated in my previous source on Tumblr, I have no experience using it so this source was helpful in explaining ways I can attract more followers to the page. I like how it simplifies it down into three steps and then further elaborates on these steps. This source will be great for giving us ideas on how to promote our page and get it out further into the public eye.

Marvel & Transmedia

Dr. Pamela Rutledge describes transmedia as “Transmedia storytelling uses multiple media platforms tell a narrative across time. Each media piece—whether it’s a comic, novels, video games, mobile apps, or a film—functions as a standalone story experience—complete and satisfying. Like a giant puzzle, each piece also contributes to a larger narrative.” This to me is a perfect definition of transmedia.

A great example of this would be the Marvel Universe. Through a wide range of mediums including film, television, comics, games and books, multiple stories are told through different characters that all contribute to the overall story of the Marvel Universe.

954375-36203_20061006170620_large

 

As shown above, the film Captain America: Civil War, the comic book Iron Man and the television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D all each add their own individual piece the Marvel Universe and even connect with each other through crossovers and cameo appearances. Transmedia such as this gives the opportunity to tell a large amount of new stories and keep fans engaged.

Sources:

Transmedia Definition: http://athinklab.com/transmedia-storytelling/what-is-transmedia-storytelling/

Civil War Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKrVegVI0Us

Iron Man Picture: http://comicvine.gamespot.com/iron-man-1-2-amour-in-armor/4000-171042/

Agents of Shield Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerIAuv27SQ

 

Live Game Streaming

http://prezi.com/llizrmsrp0pn/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Earning hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to sit at home and play video games. Doesn’t it sound great? This is a reality for some though as the live streaming gamer becomes more and more popular. The basic premise is that the gamer has a live stream of them playing an online game, allowing the internet to watch, and interacts with the audience through a chat box. They do this through sites such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming. As explained in the IB Times, it is easy and relatively cheap it is to start up one of these live game streams.

The most popular example of this in the world today is PewDiePie. He currently has over 42 million subscribers to his YouTube channel which gives him an extremely wide reach. His earnings in 2015 were in the millions and is the most popular channel on YouTube. His popularity has spawned many others attempting to replicate his efforts with varying degrees of success. One of the most popular in Australia would be xMinks, with over 300000 followers.

With such interest in the live game streaming market, it will be interesting to see where it evolves to and what the next step is.

Sources:

http://www.ibtimes.com/how-live-stream-video-games-twitch-youtube-gaming-any-budget-2160659

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/youtuber-pewdiepie-opens-up-about-his-73-million-earnings-from-playing-video-games-10374402.html

https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie

https://www.twitch.tv/xminks

 

 

 

 

 

Media Convergence

Henry Jenkins (2006) defines media convergence well, “By convergence, I mean the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.” The video below also gives a good description of media convergence.

Media convergence has made our lives easier. One excellent example of this is the smart phone. It is a phone, computer, camera, radio, music player, speaker, audio recorder, video camera, GPS and much more in one. Previously we would have required different products to achieve all of these things, but the media convergence into the smart phone has made it so this is all bundled into one. Many people’s lives revolve around their phones. I know that I spend a lot of my day on my phone for different reasons. Playing music in the car, chatting to friends, checking emails, doing banking, getting directions and making purchases. This one small device does the job of many others and it fits inside my hand.

The rise of media convergence has had a big effect on legacy media. One major effect is on that of print journalism. The fact that most people possess a phone with a camera and access to the internet means that they can report on events and upload images and videos seconds after it happens. Through platforms such as twitter, these ‘citizen journalists’ can report on news much quicker than journalists employed by legacy media outlets and many of these outlets are now choosing to use twitter updates and reports as their sources. This has led to many lost jobs in the print journalism industry, with Fairfax recently planning to cut 120 editorial jobs.

The television and film industry has also been effected by media convergence. The ability of users to now stream television shows and films has led to a reduction in viewership through traditional means of watching television and going to the cinema. This has led to the industries having to adapt and embrace these changes. Many channels now have a streaming ability, which allows the audience to watch the shows online at their own leisure. These legacy media industries will need to keep evolving to keep up with media convergence or risk being left behind.

 

Sources:

Henry Jenkins – http://henryjenkins.org/2006/06/welcome_to_convergence_culture.html

Media Convergence YouTube Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQmspwy4OY

Fairfax Jobs – http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-17/fairfax-staff-strike-in-solidarity-over-job-cuts/7254372

 

Media Ownership

Australia has several major players in the media ownership market as shown in the picture below. Between them, The Murdoch’s, Rupert and Lachlan, James Packer, John Singleton, Gina Rinehart, Bruce Gordon and Kerry Stokes own a very large share of the Australian media market. They cover most of the major papers, Television stations and radio stations in Australia, which means this small group of people control what we hear and see in the media. This can become a problem as most people will have an agenda of some from, and as most of these people are extremely wealthy, their agenda and interest usually revolve around maintaining and increasing their wealth. This can skew the angle at which they report an event which means we are unable to get mostly unbiased media.

The biggest of this group is Rupert Murdoch. He controls News Ltd which has a large number of newspapers and radio stations. It also has a 50% stake in Foxtel, which gives him a 13.84% share in Channel 10. Add to this his sons 7.68% share in Channel Ten and 100% control of Nova Radio and that is a very broad coverage of the media landscape. The problem with one person having this much control is many of his organisations have a less than great record for being unbiased, objective and ethical.

One major example would be the News of the World phone hacking scandal in 2011. The phones of many celebrities, soldiers and victims of crime as well as members of the royal family were hacked and messages from the phones were taken to help investigate stories. This gross abuse of ethics and journalistic standards led to a public outcry and the eventual shutdown of the publication. More about the scandal can be seen in the video below.

While the problem of media ownership diversity is still a big issue, the continuing rise of the internet is slowly making it less of an issue. The internet allows anyone to post content, which means we get access to a wider range of sources and opinions. This means that the audience are starting to become the content producers and through mediums such as Twitter for news and YouTube for video creation, we are seeing the legacy media owners begin to slowly lose power and this will hopefully lead to a more diverse ownership of the media market.

 

Sources:

ACMA Picture – http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/media-interests-snapshot

Phone Hacking Youtube Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT0X1mMUpNo

Media Texts

americanapparalad

This image is an advertisement from American Apparel, a clothing retailer in America. The image immediately attracts attention due to the model wearing nothing but knee high socks. This grabs the interest of the viewer as it is something controversial. The name of the model, Lauren Phoenix, is listed in the bottom right corner and a description which says she is an actor and director. The text also tells the viewer to google the model, not even hiding the fact that she is a pornographic actress. This is furthered by the three boxes on the left which clearly depict the model is in a scene from one of her films, albeit only her face.

While other advertisers try to subtly add in adult themes, American Apparel makes no attempt to hide this. The point of the image is clearly to provoke a reaction and bring attention to the brand. American Apparel has a history of edgy advertisements like this, some of the more controversial ones you can see in the video below.

They do this as it differentiates them from other clothing retailers and causes their market to recognise the name and associate the brand with the advertisements. American Apparel is one of the most well know proponents of this, there are others that do this as well. Another example would be some of the PETA advertisements such as the one below featuring Pamela Anderson.

 

 

The advertisement is about animal rights and raising awareness in regards to that. This one features Pamela Anderson wearing very little clothing in a tactic to grab attention from the audience in a similar way to the American Apparel advertisement. PETA uses controversial images in a lot of their advertisements, some of the most controversial of which you can see here. While many feature celebrities with little clothing, others feature confronting images such as animal cruelty and violence which can be shocking for the viewer.

Both of these examples are both overtly controversial and don’t try to hide their controversial images. However this has a hidden motive as it means both a memorable and stick in the audiences mine. For American Apparel this differentiates them from their competitors and for PETA this means their cause sticks in the public’s mind.

 

Sources

American Apparel Advertisement – http://www.celebitchy.com/10496/woody_allen_sues_american_apparel_for_10_million_for_using_unathorized_image_from_film/

American Apparel YouTube Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NQGAAnMexE&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6NQGAAnMexE&has_verified=1

PETA Advertisement – http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/pamela-anderson-sexy-body-baring-peta-ad-banned-canada-article-1.463753

PETA Link – http://www.businessinsider.com.au/peta-shocking-controversial-ads-2011-10#peta-often-gets-celebs-to-pose-nude-but-this-ad-featuring-joanna-krupa-with-a-crucifix-hit-a-nerve-the-catholic-church-was-outraged-1

The Changing Role of the Audience

The role of the audience has changed from being passive by receiving and accepting the content given to us by the media to an active role where the audience participates in the content creation. Things such as video creation on YouTube and blogs such as this as a place for people to share their opinions and thoughts have become wildly popular. However the most important creation from this change in role of the audience is Twitter.

Twitter has become an instant news source for society. In comparison to legacy media where news can take hours and even days to be reported, twitter reports it within seconds. This has led to a rise in citizen journalism. The audience has become the creator as anyone with a smart phone and a twitter can report on an event instantly. This has led to many legacy media outlets using twitter as their sources rather than sending journalists out to the event. It means that almost anywhere at any time there is someone to report on an event. We have moved from passively accepting whatever the media industry reported to becoming the reporters and being actively involved in the content creation.