Revisiting Wikis

For our latest assignment for Contemporary Media Issues we had to create another group wiki using Wetpaint Central. This time, each group was given a topic and we had to choose one of the five options and write a thread about how social networking has effected our topic. We were given 'Capitalism in Crisis' and I toke the thread 'social networking as a market/distribution mechanism'. Our wiki can be found here: http://contemporarymediaissues.wetpaint.com/page/Capitalism+in+Crisis

Personal Profile

For our Production Practise module we had to film a personal profile about someone who had an interesting story. This assignment was linked to the previous location profile (it's liverpool) which we did. Our profile is of a woman who has a love for Whippets.

One Last Con

Scary, tense and very emotional, that sums up the very last episode of Hustle. Oh, and Pure Brilliance!!

The production crew for Hustle are just great, from the amazing writers and researchers to the incredible editors and if I'd have been in the media industry at the right time then I'd have loved to have been apart of that team. This is one of the programmes that makes me want to go into editing, it really makes the show what it is.

One thing that surprised me, however, in the final episode was the breaking of the fourth wall. Although I do think this was used to great effect, especially for the grifting masterclass from Mickey Stone. Breaking the fourth wall isn't something which you'd expect from a programme like this but when it's done well, it works regardless of the fact that it isn't the norm.

Having only seen series 7 and 8, I really do think I've been missing out on something, so if anyone wants to buy me all 8 box sets...

Goodbye Hustle - I still want to be a grifter though!

Richard & Famous

Having your photo taken with a celebrity isn't always easy, but for Richard Simpkin it's something that he's become practised in over the last 22 years.

What began as a teenage urge to have his photo taken with celebrities when Richard was 15, back in 1989, developed into a lifelong project which has resulted in a collection of over 1,000 photographs. An exhibition at the Open Eye Gallery (Mann Island, Liverpool) is showcasing a selection of these photographs, as curated by Martin Parr. The photos have been arranged along a timeline from 1989 to 2011 and as they progress, they show Richard ageing and fashions changing. The photos also act as a self-portrait of Richard growing up.

All it takes is one Cup of Tea

This morning's Creativity & Concept lecture was a real insight into why we are actually doing this module. After talking to Alex and Gareth (this is where the cup of tea comes in as I happened to be making one at the time) and explaining how a large proportion of the class felt, they realised that they really needed to go back to the beginning and explain to us what this module actually achieves. A lot of people just weren't getting it, part of the reason why only 12 people turned up today.

We really stripped back what we'd done by creating a diagram of how a programme is made. The whole process is 'production' but many of us thought that this more applied in a practical sense of filming and editing when really this only amounts to about 20% of the production process. The other 80% refers to the part that comes up with the ideas and makes them viable. Our module is strongly relating to this part. It's like the 80-20 Rule (Pareto Principle) but reversed.

It was really interesting being shown how the production process is broken down the in the media industry and I could really see how this module was helping us with that. The industry isn't necessarily going to employ you because your the best technically as they can teach that, they want people who can come up with interesting and original ideas. They don't have to be brilliant ideas, as long as you can create them because amongst all those ideas, there could well be one that really stands out.

Having this discussion has made me realise that I could perhaps work in that sector of the industry as coming up with ideas is something that I can do quite easily at times, even if I'm not really realising it at the time.

I think I may need to drink more cups of tea whilst at uni!

Strange Ambitions

At the moment I have an ambition to do 2 things, unfortunately I need a certain type of job to be able to do either of them. Let me explain...

The first ambition is to create a viral marketing campaign for a boxing gym. They better be prepared to clear up a lot of sugar glass from the gym floor though. The second ambition is a direct a music video. This is to do with the fact that I really want to re-do Chase & Status' video for their track 'End Credits' with Plan B.

At the moment I really can't see either of these happening but who's knows what the future holds. Failing that, I want the join the crew on Hustle and become a grifter.

It's Liverpool

For our Production Practise module we had to film a 90 second location profile about Liverpool, focusing on one location in particular. As a group we chose to film down on the Pier Head. It was pretty windy when we went filming but we persevered with the weather and we're all really pleased with the end result, so much so that we have entered it into the 'it's liverpool' film competition. This is the first film competition that I've entered so quite excited about it - we'll just have to wait and see how we get on with it. Please take a look at our film as we need as many views as possible.