Money money money!!! Commercial media is everywhere and its main focus is churning up the big bucks to keep the top dogs driving Bentley's and cruising their yachts on the Riviera. Commercial media is seen as a platform for advertisers to reach the biggest scope of users/viewers/listeners possible. It is passionately argued that corporations such as FairFax, News Limited, Nine and APN sacrifice quality for profit when they whack a huge chunk of ads in between your favourite show. For this reason, I hardly ever watch TV. I can't stand ads! I especially hate how the volume mysteriously turns itself up when it's time for an ad break. I much prefer to watch my favourite show online. That way, you only have to endure one or two ads. Success in commercial media is not measured by the quality or social importance of the content, but sadly on the amount of profit generated. With commercial media ruling so much of what we see and hear, the issue is raised on the dumbing down of society. In the future we can expect to have what we see and hear so tailored to our needs and interests that we could perhaps miss a lot of other relevant information. This hyperlocalisation can have an alarming brainwash effect on the way people vote, believe, and form opinions. We then have the public media sphere which consists of ABC TV and radio and SBS. These are government funded and therefore have a much higher regard to the interest and wellbeing of the public. We can only hope that the majority of society is educated enough to know what commercial media is all about. Professor Michael Bromley sums it up perfectly. "...One thing stands out above all others - the view that the very nature of the commercial equates to a corruption of the social. In other words, as media become more commercial, they do so at the expense of their social function. This is seen as a zero-sum game. Profits come before quality." Food for thought.
Possibly one of my favourite films this year, The Sapphires was effervescent, exciting and emotional. Set in the 60's, three sisters and their cousin from outback Australia are desperate for fame. Their chance comes when they enter a talent quest where they meet their future manager, Dave, a boozy irishman. They come across a classified ad calling for wartime entertainers and in no time Dave has secured the girls an audition in Melbourne. Before they know it they're performing for troops all over Vietnam. Their tale of self discovery, triumph and success is heartwarming and powerful. Not to mention the fabulous soul music. The Sapphires will have you tapping your feet and humming to your favourite blues beats.
"A picture has no meaning at all if it can't tell a story." - Eetu Silanpaa The idea of journalism without pictures is fairly bleak. I don't think for a second I would be as interested in this field if it wasn't for the pictures. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy writing, but the visual aspect is very significant for me. Photos have an ability to move people, to evoke emotions and to really have an effect in a way that words don't quite have. Technology has evolved at an astonishing pace and given us as citizens the ability to capture anything at anytime with our pocket sized cameras. Not all photos tell a story though. Framing (the rule of thirds), exposure, focus, angle, point of view and timing are all crucial elements that need to be considered when capturing that great shot. A great photographer captures a moment with a story behind it. Throughout history, pictures have always been a vital communicative tool when people couldn't read of write. From ancient Egypt to the bible, using photos to convey meaning and express emotion has been paramount. As our world has evolved, this concept is still very relevant. In modern society a picture can literally 'tell a thousand words' and we can do all of this so easily at anytime of the day. Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying that all pictures are works of art...those gifted people out there who know what they're doing are the ones who hold the key. We can only learn from them and hope we can emulate the brilliance they have been creating all this time. While I can't claim to be as good as these talented people, here's my attempt anyway. My favourite subject in the world to capture...my dog.
Whenever I tell people I grew up on the Gold Coast most people immediately assume I'm a pro surfer, a ripping skateboarder and generally just an all round beach babe. Mmmm - couldn't be further from the truth. So this summer I have a plan. I am going to learn to surf and skate so I can live up to my prescribed stereotype! There are plenty of people to teach me so there's really no excuse! Lily x
Last Sunday I decided to do something different. Instead of waking up with the usual hangover, I wanted to make the most of my day. I recruited a friend and we woke up early to drive to Mt Warning in Northern NSW. We're both fairly competitive and neither of us wanted to 'stroll' so we took on the climb with a fair bit of pace. The return journey is predicted to take 4-5 hours but we smashed it in 2.5 hours. Mind you, I'm aching now. I highly recommend it to any adventure seekers out there. It's a beautiful walk and when you're nearly at the top you have to climb a vertical rock wall (with a chain to help). You're then rewarded with breathtaking views of NSW. Don't forget your water bottle though...it's thirsty work!
I've got a new addiction! For the past few sundays, my friends and I have been heading down to Burleigh beach to enjoy the sunset and play around on skateboards and dabble with fire twirling. Then last week, one of the guys brought down a slack line. It's basically a really long, elastic line about 10cms wide and you tie it to two trees and walk across it. Sounds easy right? That's what I thought. Then I hopped on and fell straight back off! It's like walking on a tight rope. It's such a good ab workout and great for your balance! We spend the afternoon trying to walk from one end to the other without falling off. I'm a far cry from these guys, but check them out...
Richard Fidler Richard's 'telling stories with sound' radio show was very much focussed on how different the three main journalistic mediums are. Television, radio and print are so unique in their own rights and he really emphasised the fact that the content isn't simply interchangeable. He mentioned that you can't just get tv and stick it on radio, nor can you get radio and stick it on tv. It just doesn't work. In my view, radio is the most difficult of all three. You only have your voice. The listener doesn't have any visual stimulus to compliment the story so how you present successfully on radio can be a very niche skill to hone. Enunciation is somewhat of a touchy topic for him. He reiterated how crucial it was speak clearly and articulately in radio or the listeners won't engage with the content. Richard also believes that audience participation and involvement is essential in engaging an audience. This is why he breaks his show into three segments: talk back, entertainment and intimacy. This ensures a diversity throughout his show which he has found successful in keeping his listeners entertained. I found it so interesting how Richard 'fell into' radio. He didn't have a degree, he didn't plan on being a radio presenter...it just happened. Richard says that the most important components of a good radio story are being human and searching or exploring for the full gamut of human experience.
