Reflection

This is a a final reflection that explore and analyse my own overall experience in Media and Communications this year, exploring what I have learned about both media and myself

Media Creation

This year, M&C allowed me to experiment with many different media products and types, but I expressed my creativity mostly through the film poster and podcast assessment task as well as my media vlog. The poster gave me a lot of freedom. I was able to design and use codes visually the way I wanted to express the genres. I enjoyed applying the codes and conventions to shape meanings and genre, and I felt challenged to design a poster that can both show the genre and the story of the film. I was able to experiment creating several different designs before finally picking one, and from this I noticed how I have lots and lots of ideas on how I wanted the poster to be. If I were to redo it, I would change some of the codes and adjust several conventions to communicate more of the drama aspect, since the final poster leaned slightly towards romance musicals.

My media vlog also helped me express myself because I genuinely enjoy recording and editing videos into short vlogs. Even though it was not assessed, I still put a lot of effort into organising the clips and editing to make the flow good. This was the task I enjoyed most I have to admit, as this type of creativity is something I naturally do outside of school. The podcast was also one of the tasks where I expressed myself most. I shared opinions freely with my group members, reacted to theirs as well, and even gained new perspectives from my group. Personally, I used to hate differing opinions, but this assessment made me think differently. Although having different opinions made the group work somewhat harder, it also made it more enjoyable and great as we were able to express ourselves more due to the presence of different opinions.

These projects made me discover a strength I didn’t realise I had. I found that I really enjoy making videos and editing. Initially I only did it casually, but now I would like to keep on developing the skill. I also improved in photography. I learned about angles, shot sizes, breathing space, negative/positive space, mise en scene, and composition, which are very useful not only in photography but also to interpret media products I see, Now, I even consider framing when taking photos and turned on the grid for rule of thirds to help with positioning. The poster task also improved my skill to read and analyse visual media, now I notice how codes and conventions can be interpreted. These helped build my confidence and I hope to continue developing these skills of media creation in the future.

Personal Growth

I experienced significant personal growth this year, especially in communication, group collaboration skills, and media awareness. At the start of the year, group work was challenging, especially when we have cultural backgrounds. At times, I felt stressed because casual conversations and group discussions didn’t go well. However, as time went by, I became more comfortable with initiating discussions, sharing ideas, and even reaching out. During the newsroom assessment task, I was able to form new friendships that made discussions inside and outside the classroom easier and more enjoyable. I learned that starting a conversation is not scary, and it often helps to make progress in group discussions.

I also struggled at first with being more critical and cautious when it comes to interacting with the media. Back then, I would just accept any information I read from the media. However, I slowly improved by starting to look for opinions that are different from my own and comparing them. This helped me avoid believing information immediately and forced me to think deeper before concluding something. This relates to Potter’s ideas about increasing media awareness of exposure patterns. Now I noticed that most of the time, the media would just provide what you want to see and not be neutral all the time, so you have to be cautious and aware of it. Overall, these taught me to be more confident when it comes to sharing ideas and be more open to different perspectives, as well as being more aware of how I engage with the media. In the future, I want to keep applying these habits I formed as I know it would be very helpful in a university environment as you will be exposed to more people to work together with or more information from the media.

Media Consumption and Understanding

At the start of the year, I did not realise how huge the role media played in my life. Since I started learning about it in MC classes, I now see why we have to think critically when it comes to media and not just consume passively. I learned how media messages are constructed through several forms and codes, how journalists shape stories, and also how film features can lead to different interpretations. I’ve been watching several films from different eras that were given as recommendations in the lectures (French New Wave, blockbusters, new hollywood, etc.) and these helped me appreciate how the production, features, sfx/technologies, genre, plot, and mise en scene evolved. Personally, I used to think that old films would be boring, but ever since I started analysing them while watching, I became more interested as comparing them to modern films is very fun.

Not only that, I also realised that the media is always targeted. Back then, I would assume that media were made for everyone, but now I understand that most of the media we see are designed for specific audiences. I noticed this from doing the tasks in class. When I designed my theatrical poster, article, podcast, PR task, I had to think carefully about who I wanted to communicate these media products with and how to engage them. This made me realise that I am also part of those target audiences and the media I consume might not be the same as what others see which would lead to people having different opinions. So, I learned that it is good to be aware of it so that I would not be stuck in that specific algorithm and can explore different viewpoints.

I learned about these mostly from Potter’s Media Literacy strategies, especially about being aware of exposure patterns, examining opinions, and also applying it to daily life. I now noticed that I analyse media automatically without noticing. For example, when watching a movie, I would just analyse the codes and elements like framing, lighting, colours, etc and how those can attract audiences attention and interest. I’ve also become more aware of my own biases when it comes to looking up for information from the media. I now try to look for opposing viewpoints as I come to notice a lot of knowledge gaps I have after reading different information and viewpoints.

In the future, I will continue applying these skills of thinking critically, being aware of information from the media, and staying open to different opinions.