Flaws in the media idustry: Poor coverage of important issues

While the media is busy covering sensationalist stories, issues that affect our lives and the world receive little attention. The media industries’ main concern is publicity, some news reporters and journalists tend to play up and dramatize stories that they think will sell.

A good example of this issue in Australia is how the media ignored the protest of thousands of people throughout the country; The protest to maintain the many aboriginal communities that the government was prepared to shut down. This protest gathered thousands people nation wide, and even earned the support of protesters internationally however the media barely paid any attention to the message that more than 12,000 people were trying to spread. Some media attention that rose from the topic was critical, with the Heralds sun newspaper dismissing the protesters and calling the rally a “Selfish Rabble”.

A few weeks after the rallies against the closure of the aboriginal communities another protest called reclaim Australia started. The group held 16 rallies in capital cities speaking out against sharia law, halal certification and Islamic extremism. There’s also a Facebook page supporting the reclaim Australia campaign that posts several biased and discriminating photos/status’. The media gave this topic more coverage than the rally against shutting down the aboriginal communities. I personally believe that both rallies should’ve at least gotten the same amount of media attention, however the media picks and chooses what stories they believe are more likely to sell.

I hope that in the future the media considers important issues to be more sellable, it is the most successful way to spread awareness to a nation left in the dark.

-Ali

Black out: soundscape reflection

Hello again,

Well i said i would post a reflection soon so here it is.

I submitted my soudscape today and I do admit that it wasn’t perfect, to be honest I wish that I spent more time editing rather than procrastinating and letting the sound editing version of writers block get to me. I feel like my overall vision was portrayed in my soundscape however more editing and attention to detail like making sure my fade ins and fade outs were better timed would’ve polished off the overall piece. I am a bit nervous about presenting the final mix to the rest of the class on Monday but i am really happy that I’ve handed it in (a bit late, sorry Mrs Allen). I tried my best to make the story of my soundscape easy to visualize and I am pretty happy with that however the one thing that I struggled most with was not being able to find sound effects that portrayed my vision accurately.

Above all I still believe that the visuals for my soundscape remain the same as the pitch; A blackout, being home alone during a frightening storm and finding someone lurking in the darkness, however i did sort of leave a lot to the audience’s imagination (who/what is lurking in the darkness).

That wraps up my sound editing unit, I’ll keep you updated on the next one.

-Ali

Black out: Soundscape pitch

Hello all,

The unit i have been working on for the past few weeks is called perform basic sound editing and my task is to create a short soundscape using music and sound effects. I have created a 2 minute long soundscape called : Black out and the purpose of this soundscape is to tell a story, a frightening story!

The mood of the soundscape is very eery. Rainfall, creaky doors, crackling thunder and wind chimes blowing in the breeze sets the theme of a late night storm. When people listen to my soundscape i want them to imagine being home alone during a black out and being absolutely terrified by all of the mysterious noises and the possibility that something is out there lurking in the darkness. The eery background music and sounds of creaking doors as well as dogs barking (at something in the shadows) is supposed to make my audience feel uneasy.

I will post a reflection on my soundscape soon and let you know if it is everything i envisioned.

-Ali

Inspiration

Inspiration is no stranger to anyone working in the digital media industry, without inspiration thousands of amazing artworks, productions or momentous creations could of never been created. I believe that many people seek inspiration from people who impact their life personally, now this doesn’t mean that they have to know the person personally. A person can touch your soul and inspire you through the pages of a book, a song or an image that you find on the internet. So who inspires me?

One of my biggest inspirations in the creative industry happens to be the singer/song writter Ed Sheeran, now i know this makes me sound like some lame, obsessed fan but i’m less of a fan and more of a listener. I’ve always loved music and when i listen to it i’m listening to it actively, i hear the music and feel the lyrics, which is why i love Ed’s music. He writes most of his songs himself, and though that may not sound that impressive to other people it is impressive to me because i know how hard creating something out of nothing can be. I’m currently working on a sound scape and it is hard work, it’s hard work because trying to communicate with your audience and project your vision isn’t easy. A lot of things interfere with your vision and so eventually you have to change it, but Ed stays true to himself always.  Another reason i think Ed sheeran is inspiring is because he created something (Meaning an awesome, successful career) out of nothing, he spent every night sleeping on a train or stranger’s couch for years until his music career took off.

I watched Ed Sheeran live a couple of months ago and it was definately one of the best performances that i’ve seen! So many artists use glamorous props and stages to enchant their audience but Ed just used his voice and guitar, that was all, no back up track or fancy props just him and his genuine voice.  That is something that makes him unique.

My favorite songs from Ed are ‘Give me love’ and ‘Thinking out loud’, I do have videos of both these songs that i recorded myself when i saw him perform  live however i can’t upload them because they’re not compatible with wordpress so i will leave you the links to his music videos instead, i hope you enjoy them.

-Ali xx

Hello

To whoever is reading this, i thought that it might be useful to introduce myself. My name is Alicia, i am 17 years old and currently existing in Western Australia, here’s a few fun facts about me:

– I love music

– I’m currently completing my last year of high school..ever!

– I’m also completing three certs, Cert II in creative industries, Visual art and community services

– My favorite color is orange and my favorite TV show is Orange is the new black

– And lastly, this blog is a digital portfolio of all the media that i will produce in my Creative industries class this year.

The purpose of this portfolio is so that i can share my work and network with others, like myself, who are also studying media and creative industries so please feel free to leave me any comments. My favorite thing about creative industries is that it branches out to so many different categories and professions, just the film industry alone has numerous roles and categories. I love the pre-production stage of film making, it’s a lot more hands on and exciting, creating costumes, the set and watching my friends act is probably what i enjoy most.

Now that we know each other a little better i’d like to welcome you to my blog, it may be a little blank at the moment but there’s a lot more to come!

xx