Week 04: Writing

The reading text for this week entitled, 'Writing' discusses the concept of writing regardless of whether you physically are grasping a pen and jotting down words or not. The suggestion mentions that you could be writing whilst performing daily tasks like swimming or walking to the shops and in this time you could be mentally concluding a paragraph of your last chapter.  Also mentioned in the article is the notion that sometimes the pen takes over and you do not necessarily have to think. 

The text also suggests that by introducing daily practice into your writing (such as riding a bike, cooking, event such as war), you can advance your writing skills and make a piece of text sound more interesting. This can be achieved through the use of metaphors and by adapting the rhythm of your everyday life to the writing piece. 


In the following statement I related the determination and violence of war to a debating situation. 

'It was my turn to take control and steer the ship. This was a challenge that I could not cease unless I provoked the opposition through mentally disabling him. I wanted to leave him defenceless in this war of words. As I stood at the podium, I maintained eye contact with my allies.' 

By comparing the challenge of responding and rebutting in a debate to battling a war, I have attempted to figuratively evoke more of an emotional attachment from the reader. 

I believe the chapter adequately opened up a writing technique that I could implement in my works as it attempted to explain that the writer should always be thinking and that sometimes ideas just flow off the tip of the pen without much thought.


Bibliography:
Game, A. & Metcalfe, A., 1996, 'Writing' in Passionate Sociology, Sage, London, pp 95-105.

Week 03: Reading

The article, ‘Screen Narratives: Traditions and Trends,’ identifies the various ways in which a narrative is presented in film, television and game texts through structure. As mentioned in the reading, films do not necessarily have to be linear and are known as fragmented narrative. Demonstrated in films such as, "Love Actually" whereby the protagonist is omitted from being a single character and the lives of multiple characters are presented. It takes a while for the audience to realise the interlocking of the characters, keeping them questioning the relationship of the individuals. Non sequential timeframes are also used in the film genre for example in Ryan M. Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense." In this film, flashbacks and montages are evident in some of the final scenes to, 'tie all the loose ends' to the first time viewer. This formalist approach of flashbacks act as a tool to creating a meaning in all of Malcolm Crow's actions, conclusively making him a ghost. 


The format of screen media also may signify what style  for example a television soapie like "Neighbours" has multiple storylines and always leave the viewer on a cliffhanger, or asking questions as to what will happen next. This is how viewers are drawn in to watching the next episode. In contrast to a film, a soapie will neglect to portray a clear hero and conclude with a satisfying moment. Furthermore not all narratives are told the same way as they are moulded to structures suitable for the audience, type of format such as a film, series or game of this contemporary age. 


Bibliography
Stadler, J. & McWilliam, K., 2009, ‘Screen Narratives: Traditions and Trends’ in Screen Media: Analysing Film and Television, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, pp. 155-182

Week 02: Looking

This weeks reading was Chapter 1, 'Introduction to Textual Analysis"

which discusses how we interpret media text dependent on a variety of factors. By considering these codes and conventions meaning and an understanding can be non verbally  communicated.

The following is an interpretation of a text using some of the encoding tools found in this weeks reading text. "Lacey, N., 2009, ‘Introduction to Textual Analysis’ (extract) in Image and Representation: key concepts in media studies, 2nd Edition, MacMillan, London, pp 6-33."

I have chosen to use the image in the Daily Telegraph titled, ‘UPSET...Ruth and Bob Pye’ as an example to interpret. This image depicts an elderly couple that are maintaining a fixed stare. Their faces are painted with negativity through the omission of a smile and by lowering the brow. Complementing their facial expression, the subjects have their arms resting on the table whilst leaning forward. Through this non verbal communication, instantly the text can signify to the reader the 'fed-up' response the subjects have on the issue that is shared.  The mise-en-scene captures the couple taking up most of the space with the background of their house. A telephone is placed in the lower third of the frame. A variety of assumptions can be made about this text without reading a headline or the following articles. The context and meaning represented through the text suggests to me that the couple are ‘waiting for answers’ perhaps not satisfied with a phone service. A critical assumption can be made in regards to a mistreatment from a company, disconnection or even a loss of connection with a family member. This can be instigated by looking further into the background, taking note of the picture frame on the wall. This example of text can 'tell a story' about a variety of issues and needs supportive text to communicate specifically what the issue actually is about. Key themes of anger and communication can however be generated by this image yet the full extent and detail is left to the article to convey.

The Daily Telegraph, (2009), UPSET..Ruth and Bob Pye [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/familys-phone-number-nightmare/story-e6frezt9-1111118522742 [Accessed 10 March 11].