George Moore - Media Studies and Visual Cultures

Media In Practice Assignment

2009-05-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

MSVC 206: Media in Practice

George Moore

St07002094

Words 3406

Reflective Diary

Over the course of the module we have encountered employees form the media and careers advice to enable us to create a better picture of what we want to do when we finish the course next year. I found the sessions to be informative and interesting, yet confusing when I tried to apply them to my own interests, desires and aspirations. I will now review the usefulness of each session and explain how it related to my own career ideas.

Our fist guest speaker was Es George a careers adviser who asked us about different careers we were interested in and offered personal career interviews which I have not yet signed up for but am planning to in the future when I have a better idea of what I want to do, or research into. We went over a few different careers and explored some of the skills needed for these roles. Make up artistry was an example used, and the exercise showed us there is a lot more to a career than there may seem on the surface. For example the glamorous side of Makeup Artistry is only shown on the face of the model and the work carried out by the actual artist is busy, stressful and without glamour. I have noticed this to have become a re-occurring theme in the module, where the job criterion is in depth and stringent than originally thought. Es also gave us the address of a website (prospects.ac.uk) that has proved helpful to view possible positions and graduate schemes which I am currently considering applying for. Finally in this first session we learned the value of setting goals and planning in terms of career which I am still yet to implement but am realising the value of this tactic.

The next session was also with Es George, and I found the fact we can sort out work experience placement through Es to be a valuable option. The rest if the session helped me greatly as I was currently attempting to re-write my C.V and Es taught us how to structure this properly whilst clearing up any other doubts I faced, answering all questions, such as the need for all your educational qualifications and achievements. The use of a cover sheet on a C.V had never occurred to me, and the fact you may need to adjust your C.V depending on the type of job you are applying for. I cited the skills and tips she gave me as reasons why I was unsuccessful with previous applications for employment. I have now re-written my C.V and believe it to be of a higher quality, clearer and more informative, and will now see if Es’s tips, such as to target the employer, have paid off.

In week 4 we had a guest speaker from advertising company ‘Ogilvy’ which had a positive effect on me. I have never been keen on working in the media since I have progressed in the course, yet advertising has become an attractive proposition after this session and further research. I particularly found the summer school training course to be an easy way to learn new skills and train with other people. Also the fact there is a high number of applicants but only a few places encouraged me to research further as competing against other fuels my desire to work further. The competitive nature of the work itself is also another attraction. I would most like to work in the creative side of advertising as I believe this would be the most rewarding, and allow me to use my imagination and turn ideas into a piece of work. I enjoyed the laid back approach of the speaker and his personal history which demonstrated the role to not require someone of a highly academic, well spoken background.

During the next session a group from the course visited the Media Wales building in Cardiff to see how newspapers and journalism function in a work environment. The rows and rows of computers in a massive open plan office on every floor immediately had a negative effect on me, considering when I first joined the course I wanted to be a journalist. I felt I learned little from the trip yet the experience of seeing a recording room with a green screen was enjoyable and different. There were five floors in the building yet every floor in the building appeared the same, just with a different clientele of people, yet the monotonous feel of the building was enough to put me off journalism or any type of work which requires your person to be contained in an office environment. There is always the chance to work freelance, and I have decided to always continue to write, whether they are stories, reviews or reports. This mainly for pleasure and skill building purposes yet I always have the option to try and get things published, whilst keeping a record of all my writings will help if I ever need to construct a portfolio for a relevant position.

A small number of our course also visited Glamorgan radio station which I found to be a more worthwhile and enjoyable experience. I have always considered the possibility of working in radio and after visiting I can imagine myself being interested and engaged in such a position. The demonstration of how music and programmes are lined up on the system and played out across the radio was very straight forward and offered confidence to myself as I know I would be able to learn the basics so quickly. The difficulty in getting work for the radio, away from local stations is a reason for not researching further, yet working from the bottom is essential in most jobs so I still consider the possibility however a radio station is still an office environment, yet the studio itself has a glamorous feel inside. More research is needed into radio as a professional career however I feel less inclined to take this research on as I desire a different type of employment in the future, but I may consider applying for work experience at a radio station, to add to my C.V, and essentially to try different things.

The final session I was present for, which had a considerable impact on me was the visit of guest speaker Paul Smith who came to talk about his work as film publicist. The travelling aspect to his work immediately attracted me to the position. Also similarly to advertising the main priority to the job is to target an audience and persuade them, an aspect of the media I feel drawn towards. I believe myself to have good communication skills which would be needed for a position such as this. Attempting to generate interest in people though could be difficult and boring especially if your product is dull and uninspiring. I found more interest within the film critic position Paul described to us, which would enable me to use my skills as a writer and combine this with my love of film. I will strive to write mini-reviews to keep this area of employment a possibility even if I don’t act on it straight away, building a portfolio of pieces of writing.

Having reviewed each session of our ‘Media in Practice’ module I will now begin my self evaluation describing how I have developed as a student and a person since coming to university along my aspirations for year 3 and the future.

Firstly I will state what I have enjoyed most about the course so far. This would have to be any work focused around the topic of film in particular year one with Andrea where I was able to further my textual analysis skills and learn to read films in more depth. This was my favourite activity at A Level and a main reason I chose to do media as a degree. I was disappointed to have fewer assignments based solely around textual analysis and film as the need for wider theory and culture is often confusing to me, yet as I have progressed further theory has become easier to apply, and the relevance of films to culture is something to have struck me over the duration of the course heightening my already apparent interest in films. Another main enjoyment from the course would have to be the gender and sexuality module mainly the work focusing on masculinity as it applies to segments of my own identity. Other work on femininity and sexuality in the module was also of interest to me as my friend’s identities are invaluable to the construction my own. Work on representation of sub-ordinate groups within the media showed us that it is still not at a satisfactory level, for example homosexuals are still portrayed in an in-accurate light, and women are excluded from many genres such as computer games. This has surprised me as I thought equality was being sought after, yet the media can still portray things inaccurately and still get away with it. A fair and accurate portrayal of things is always what I will strive to create in any aspect of life or work now after learning what I have. Finally research projects have been satisfying and pleasurable as they enable me to pick a topic I have a passion for which means I remain interested throughout and feel more engaged with my work. For example my assignment on Eminem fandom not only re-kindled my love for the star yet it was a highly enjoyable and nostalgic experience getting to talk to fellow fans and interviewing friends.

Secondly I will review ways in which I believe myself to have changed since coming to university. On a personal note, I still struggle financially and find it difficult to stick to a budget. But compared to the amount of disposable income I had before I went to university, I think I have learned the true value of objects and money, becoming less wasteful with my purchases and going the extra distance to seek out those bargains. Academically I think I have developed my reading and writing skills, in particular learning how to structure my essays thanks to a session with Lucy English on essay writing held last term. By breaking down work into sections, word counts seem less daunting, and my work reads more clearly. I have always been good at signposting my cogency my written work is fine but by employing structure techniques I believe I have raised my writing to a higher level. Additionally my confidence has been improved during public speaking mainly form practice and further planning and research going into my presentations. I seem not to suffer from the same nervousness I faced in the first year, and believe I can carry this attribute forwards and increase my spoken vocabulary to make this a primary skill. These academic developments above also would be my main skills in relation to my degree with the addition of creative writing skills which have always been apparent to me, and have helped me whilst learning to write academically.

Issues which have hampered my learning are mainly down to my motivation, negativity and time keeping skills. I have difficulty in motivating myself to read fictional books that are of a genuine interest to me, so attempting to read long winded academic texts that have little interest to me, let alone entertainment value is often hard. I have improved in the amount I read but recent assignment deadlines have shown me this is still nowhere near enough if I want to further improve my skills to the level I desire. The planning side to my essays requires more work, as I often feel there is a missing link between my text and theory. I must find a way of taking notes without copying quotes, instead attempting to make links between different theories of culture making sure I note them down on the way. Finally timekeeping is the main problem I have had during my time at university. Deadlines seem further away than they actually are and the pressure never seems to take hold till the last week or so. I must learn to begin research for my assignments early, which I have done to some extent this year and reaped the benefits when it has come to the writing stage. With the dissertation imminent I believe staring research early to be unavoidable so my third year should be better planned and therefore produce a higher standard of work.

So as mentioned above my first goal for next year will be to start research and reading for my assignments as soon as the brief is handed out, doing a little work every week rather than rushing last minute. To achieve this I will ensure I spend a few hours in the campus every weekday outside of lecture times to enable me to work without pressure in a controlled and relaxed way, building notes and progressing every week. Secondly I will aim to read every day, not just academic texts but for pleasure also as I believe this will increase my vocabulary and general English skills, and I feel my lack of reading has hampered these skills and sent me backwards in some respects. Finally I am going to aim to improve my general health and wellbeing by going o bed at a reasonable time and getting up in the morning every week day, as this will actually give me the time to get to university as oppose to spending most mornings in bed. To do this however I will need to exercise more regularly, and eat at the correct times of the day, implementing more structure in to my life will be key if I wish to succeed to the standard I desire.

During the final section of my reflective diary I have chosen to research into advertising as an area of employment, more specifically the planning role with advertising as this contains the greatest chance for creative output from my person. I believe myself to have certain skills that would be applicable to this area. The guest speaker from Ogilvy also influenced my decision to choose this type employment, mainly due to the freedom aspect described by Tom, travelling perks and the notion of working under pressure also attracts me to the position. I visited the Ogilvy website to learn more about the kinds of skills and qualifications needed to earn a place with the company and more importantly to discover which sector of the company I like to work for. The design and creative side is the most attractive to me as I enjoy using my imagination, and constantly have ideas about various things, yet have no medium or reason to portray them. The website however only described the company as a whole and was not specific about the types of roles available only leaving a contact e-mail to send a C.V stating which type of work the applicant was looking for and contained little information on skills needed stating only that the work would be challenging and rewarding. I e-mailed the head of the advertising sector but never received a reply.

So to outline exactly what the job entails, someone working in the planning side of advertising basically receives a brief from the company who which to sell the product. It is then the creator’s job to come up with how to execute the brief adding their own creative flair and input whilst sticking to the criteria outlined in the brief. Many companies can be stringent with their criteria meaningless freedom for the designer/creator yet I believe to have skills which enable me to take an idea and adjust it slightly to make it my own, meaning I could be suited to the role. My imagination requires a spark, therefore receiving specific criteria from a company wishing to sell a product would ignite this spark, basically from my point of view the planning and legwork is all there provided for you – they know if they want a poster, they know the name of the product, and which celebrity to use, so bringing all these elements together would be a rewarding and creative process which I believe I could achieve. In other cases the company will have very little criteria meaning greater freedom. Here working as a part of a team would be key, and is a skill which I feel comfortable with, whilst the freedom to work to your own ideas creates pleasure and excitement. Once formulated the plan will be moved up to the next level of the company where the advert will be produced and locations will then be decided by the marketing a sales department, who decide where and when the advert will be shown if this is not included in the criteria offered by the company selling the product.

Having outlined what a planner for advertising company entails, I will now briefly review reasons why I originally felt drawn towards advertising. The Ogilvy website offers a number of different tips to aid yourself if you wish to work in advertising one of which is being creative. They state many of their employees do various creative activities, which I also participate in during my spare time, for example I try to write short songs or poems for fun, draw pictures and create sculptures with strange materials, and make short videos. Other skills and tips on their list include what they call to ‘love your internet self’ basically meaning to keep building a profile online, which I regularly take part in though many different mediums including my you tube account where I upload many videos, my face book account, and my academic blog. I will now build my online profile to a higher standard after realising this may be applicable to my career one day, and will try to implement a certain level of pride to my videos and online diary’s attempting a move towards professional whilst remaining witty and fun. My I.T skills are already of a high standard and improving all the time which is greatly important in any aspect of modern work, yet particularly in advertising. My love of advertising itself as a medium would have to be another reason for choosing this area of employment to research. I pay attention to adverts I find interesting or inspiring and have a strange ability to memorise taglines, or notice the product merely form the style or look of the advert. I also have an issue with what I view as poor advertising, those which are uninspiring or boring attempting only to offer fact in order to draw the consumer. I believe advertising to be moving forward away from boring traditional adverts, in a new direction, for viral videos have become centralised for many products due to their ability to reach so many people, whist entertaining and informing, as well as selling. I want to be a part of a new form of advertising, come up with weird and diverse ways to sell to the masses, attempting to stand out, which will aid me in my goal to become an independent individual.

I further researched into the Ogilvy website finding information regarding their fellowship scheme where applicants spend a summer learning and training to work in advertising. The guest speaker was a member of this fellowship scheme and his story exemplified the freedom to change within the world of advertising, a main reason I found this type of work to be attractive. He changed from being a planner during the scheme, and then when actually reaching level of employment he was re-assigned to the publicising department where he was found to have more skills and therefore raise the company as a whole. My uncertainty surrounding my own career choice found a level of reassurance when viewing a training scheme such as this one, where the applicant is not tied down to a specific position and has the option to change and try something new if their skills are not best suited.

In conclusion I believe myself to be the type of person who is unsure of their own skills, therefore entering a training scheme like the Ogilvy fellowship scheme or something similar would be extremely beneficial to me as potential would be able to discover where my skills lie and decide which position I would be best suited to.

Bibliography

http://www.ogilvy.co.uk/ogilvy-advertising/

http://www.ogilvyfellowship.co.uk/getting-into-advertising/

2009-03-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

Content Analysis : Female Sexuality in Grand Theft Auto IV

Why Computer Games?

Easy to count!
Pause Function
Unexplored area personally despite interest
Under representation of Female
New literature available around subject

Hunch

Representations of female sexuality in computer games are often constructed from the perspective of the male gaze, therefore inaccurate and furthering the male dominance within gaming culture.

Worth Researching?

Recent efforts to make games more accessible to a female audience - is this apparent?
Masculine dominated genre
GTA IV - up to date game from groundbreaking series, targeted at males, reflection of society, based on NYC - Realism

Coding Categories

Appearance - Body Size, Hair, Clothing, Flesh exposure
Speech - None, flirtatious, aggressive, neutral, bussiness
Location - Poor/Rich/Industrial, Venues - Bar, Bowling alley, Strip Club

Problems Faced so far

Began counting 'pedestrians' (randomly genrated)
Playing linear aspect of game to view actual charcters
Missing results
Scale

Ideas that exist already

Already know women are underepresented: 'Bryce and Rutter' - content analysis
'Theorists have argued that representational factors . . . are partially responsible for alienating women from computer games' (163:2006)
Can an avatar even assume a gender? - 'it would be difficult to establish at this point, if the object on screen evoking recognition in this way even has to be humanoid - let alone representative of any gender' (164:2006)
Seperation of gaming from thoeries surrounding film culture, however in GTA women cannot be described as 'avatars' as they are fixed characters, cannot be controlled by the user.
Journal: 'From Barbie to Mortal Kombat' (Cassel and Jenkins) - Violent games tend to exclude women - Quake (female avatars)
Girls Game Movement - www.womengamers.com - 'Digital women critique'

Consumerism Module - Product Comparison - Tesco

2008-10-09T02:49:00.000-07:00

We were set the task of buying two products from a supermarket of our choice. One from a low price range and then the same product from their higher price range to compare packaging and other differences. One thing i found just on browsing through products online is the number of same products. Certian items have around 4 different types of the same product, something i belive to be relatively new and increasing. I chose to to look at Tesco's range of Cola.

This image shows the lowest priced cola Tesco has to offer. It is priced at 18p. Its packaging features include the familiar Tesco value logo with the blue stripes and red font. The coloring here is basic with most of the label with no colour meaning minimal production costs. Font also takes a basic form whilst the words used are also minamal giving no more infomation than needed. The Tesco value range is available for a large number of products and its interesting that the same font, logo and colour scheme is used throughout. This allows the consumer to identify these products easily. The type of consumer to buy this cola product would be interested in more value products as thier priority is cost rather than quality. The finest products do have thier own logo which is found on all types of product, yet are more individually packaged with different colour schemes to reflect what type of product is being sold and differentiate themselves from the rest. The extra packaging often cotains an image which is trying to tempt the consumer as we can see below.

The main difference here can be identified by the image of a glass of cola on the front which has been photographed whilst the cola is splasing into the glass making it more appealing through hightening the consumers senses and replicating the visual of pouring a glass of cola, which reminds the consumer of sensations experiened whilst drinking cola. This item in particular doesn't contain the 'finest' logo earlier mentioned and shows another high brow price range from Tesco which they have called 'premium'. The product is more than 4 times more expensive than value cola. They still both have the focal point of the word 'Cola' although the visual overshadows this on the premium product. Whilst browsing these products online i found it interesting how when you select a particular product it gives you the option of viewing a cheaper alternative which gives the consumer a heightend sense of autonomy. For tesco however this allows them to offer thier products alongside branded items giving them more independance as a supermarket.

My holiday - Innovation in the Sun 2008

2008-07-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we didn't have the money to go into Barcelona to experience some architecture and art and other forms of culture. The holiday is essentially a 7 day clubbing holiday and we were situated in a 4 star hotel where some of the artists performing in the club were also staying. The town where we were situated was obviously driven by tourism with examples of globalisation round every corner with a limited number of Spanish shops and restaurants. Spain also won the Euro 2008 trophy whilst we were staying there which was an experience to see so many people dancing in the street. i noticed a difference between how seriously English culture considers football whilst the Spanish seemed more chilled out towards the sport. I think it would have been a greater celebration in England. Just because we invented the sport i think we feel like we need to prove something! Just a couple of pictures i got from my stay -

End of Year Review

2008-05-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have returned home for summer after completing my first year as a student. Overall i think i could have performed better than i did with my academic studies but the mistakes i did make can be acted upon and changed to start with a clear outlook in year 2. I had to do a couple of re-sits due to failure to meet deadlines meaning i must improve on time management next year. My priority for the summer is to find a job, and save money for my holiday in June and festivals later in the summer. I will publish some photos of my summer adventures on here when i have some!

MSVC 105: Celbrities and Stardom

2008-04-20T12:42:00.000-07:00

For this assignment i chose the following essay question -

A star image ‘speaks to us in terms we can understand about things that are important to us’ (Dyer)
With reference to specific examples suggest how audiences ‘use’ stars.
I decided to anaylse the fans of stars particularly hip hop fans, and discover what different ways audiences interact with stars and for what reasons.

Read my assignment HERE

MSVC 104: Genre: Assignment

2008-03-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

For this assignment we had to chose one genre to analyse, and attempt to uncover factors which make up that genre through deconstruction of a chosen text, for example iconography and narrative. I chose the gangster film genre and my text was Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995).
Read my assignment HERE

MSVC 102 Postmodernism Literature Review

2007-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

We had to pick one theoretical area to write abut from the ones we having been studying. I chose postmodernism as i felt i needed to read more around the subject as i wasn't sure about the concept . I was pleased with how this assignment went and feel i am regaining my essay writing skills slowly!

Read my assignment HERE

MSVC 103: Assignment 1

2007-11-25T11:13:00.000-08:00

This was the text i chose for the close textual analysis. Apart from being one of my favorite films, it was also shot in Cardiff so i felt it to be quite topical and interesting to watch it again now i actually live here! Justin Kerrigan directs and gives an fair social commentary of British youth culture in the 90's.

Read my assignment HERE

Curriculum Vittae

2007-11-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

Qualifications

GCSE
Mathematics B
English Literature A
English Language B
Science (Double Award) C
German C
Art C
Geography C
Information Technology C
Design Technology E

AS Levels
Geography C
Media Studies C
English Literature C

A Level
Geography C
Media Studies C
English Literature D

Non Examination Subjects

Philosophy, Religion, Ethics and Citizenship, Physical Education

Commendations

Information Technology
English
Geography
Science
2001 Bronze Award for outstanding all round achievement

Special Academic Awards & Achievements

June 2001 Bronze Award, UK Maths Challenge

Employment
Position/Location/Date

Kitchen Porter / The Stags Head / May 2003 - Jan 2004
Kitchen Porter / Dunster Castle Hotel / May 2004 - Feb 2005
Food Production and sales / Shepherds Plaice / Nov 2005 Aug 2006
Plastics Engineer / Deso Engineering / August 2006 - September 2007
Barman / The Quay Inn / May 2008 - Present

Extra Curricular Activities / Skills

I have been a keen surfer since 1995, growing in confidence and skill each season. I also enjoy playing basketball, and twice attended Milfield Basketball Camp, allowing me to increase my ability. I am a keen football fan, supporting West Ham United and enjoy attending both home and away fixtures. I have a deep interest in film, keeping up with the latest releases, and have the beginnings of a varied DVD collection of both modern and classic films. am a fast learner and a dedicated worker with experience of full time employment for a successful company.

Personal Progress Entry

2007-11-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I have just completed my first assignment and feel relieved to have done so. I will be publishing a version of my analysis on here in due course. It felt good to actually have something to tune my brain into and am eagerly anticipating feedback. I found the analysis difficult in certain areas, i found i was repeating myself and had to make some adjustments after proof reading my work. I'm not sure why this was the case. If it was the fact i ran out of points to make because of my choice in sequence and frame or because of detail and depth of my analysis. But i'm sure this will become clear after we receive feedback.

Text in The City

2007-10-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

We were set the task to take pictures of different forms of visual media texts that represented different forms of culture within our new home Cardiff. These are what we came up with.

This image represents to me the vast range of restaurants available in Cardiff. Cardiff offers a extensive collection of restaurants offering food from different cultures. The sign is bright and bold, and is also illuminated as are many signs in Cardiff. This draws the eye and gives the city a modern feel. This text signifies to me Cardiff has a wide choice of food from different cultures, also representing the different cultures that live within the city. This was an attraction of city life to me as this choice was never readily available to me before!

This image is an advertisement found outside a beauty salon. It shows the culture of the people of Cardiff, focusing on women in particular. I thought this was an interesting image as in coincided with discussions in our lectures relating to the representation of women within the media. This text is built up of several images showing different representations of women either receiving beauty treatment or simply looking good. This highlights an ideology that people have a need to look beautiful which is becoming more apparent in modern society especially among women. We were discussing how representations of women within magazines have added to this idea.

This text shows the wales millennium center. The writing on the building is in welsh, signifying the countries language. In modern welsh society, Cardiff in particular, only a small percentage of the population speak welsh. This and many other texts around Cardiff show a sense of pride in maintaining the use of the language. The letters are large and illuminated, which give breathe life and color into a building which has established its reputation as one of the World`s iconic arts and cultural destinations. This shows Cardiff's efforts to strive forward as a major European city.

Personal Progress Entry

2007-10-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

University life has been a little hard since my last entry. I am having trouble with independent study, as i have always found it difficult. I think the fact i had a gap year in between my A levels and coming to uni, where i worked full time doing manual work and barley read a book let alone write anything, has diminished my skills some what! I used to be able to see media texts in a different way during the time i studied media at A level especially film and t.v. I feel now i am unable to spot as many things within texts as before but the more work im doing the more its coming back to me. Slowly but surely at the moment but now im sure i will make quicker progress as long as keep at it!

Also i need to cut down on my nights out mainly because of my financial situation, another thing im having trouble with. I haven't had to budget my money before and its hard to learn! But i have had some good nights out. The best nights had to be the drum and bass events in Cardiff, with my fave DJ Andy C coming to Cardiff!

I am going home for the first time this weekend. Cardiff doesn't feel like home yet and i don't think it will for a while! I think another reason im struggling with certain things is its taking a long time to settle in but again im sure all i got to do is stick at it and things will get easier.

First Post!

2007-10-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hello, people this is my first time creating a blog and i feel rather clueless as what to tell you! I have just started my first year at UWIC studying Media Studies and Visual Cultures. I love my new home that is Cardiff! Whoop! Nightlife is amazing, and so are the people. I come from quite a small community in somerset, where everybody knows every ones business. So it feels refreshing to meet so many people with such a wide range of personalities and backgrounds. My main passion in life is music. Not that i can play an instrument or create my own, i just think its the single greatest thing on the planet. I enjoy many genres of music but my favorite would have to be drum and bass, among other types of dance, but the beat has to be hard and fast! I regularly attend dance events and festivals, most notably global gathering 2006, my first global but definitely not my last!

Other interests of mine include film, video games (PlayStation 3 owner, Xbox suck!), and socialising and drinking with friends, or anyone i can find! I chose to do media studies as it was the most interesting subject at a level mainly due to my love of film and other forms of media. I enjoy breaking texts down and looking at why texts are presented in certain ways. It helps you understand the construction of a wide ranges of texts and is not a dos course!!!!

Well that's my first post complete, more to follow but for now, that's all folks!