So this week is our first 'proper' week as a Features Team. We had a meeting earlier today, and I have really high hopes for some of the ideas that were thrown around as potential ideas.
This semester, every member of the Features Team doubles up as a member of Production, under the control of Ewan, Production Editor. I am really looking forward to getting more involved with Production as well as Features as these are the two areas of WINOL I enjoy the most.
Nathan and Nicola are planning on creating a 'Charity Shop Fashion' style feature for their first submission. They have quite a quirky gizmo in which they aim to buy clothes from Charity Shops spending no more than £15. They want to prove that shopping in Charity Shops can be just as fashionable as shopping in the typical high street stores. Nicola is currently in touch with staff from Winchester School of Art who will hopefully 'judge' them on how successful they have been. I really like this idea and think it is great as a first feature. It is yet to be filmed, and is is just at a 'Paper Cut' stage. Filming will commence on Friday.
Sam has also pitched a really original idea, in which he plans on interviewing some of the many buskers on Winchester High Street. I think this is really unusual and will be really interesting to watch. Winchester is well known for the buskers on the street almost every day, some of them are students so this would work well to help bring in traffic into the WINOL website. This idea developed some what and in the near future, we have hopes of creating a 'talent' contest between the buskers of Winchester. We hope to create an online poll in which the students of Winchester can vote for their favourite which will not only be beneficial for the buskers but will also provide lots of traffic for WINOL from all the people voting. This would take a lot of preparation and we may need other members of WINOL to join in to help pull this off, but I am really keen to get the ball rolling.
On top of this, we have two music features being planned for February so I am feeling really confident in the Features Team this semester. I will provide as much guidance as I am and will contact the Feature Writers regularly to help as much as possible. I hope I can make a good Features Editor and am very excited for the work that will be produced in the future.
Monday 23 January 2012
Sunday 22 January 2012
Back again!
So we're just heading into our second week back at University with our new WINOL roles and I have been fortunate enough to be given the role of Features Editor. I'm really happy with this role, although admittedly a little anxious as I really want to do a good job and keep the 'messing things up' to a minimum.
Last semester, I worked as a Features Writer so it will be really interesting for me to have a role that allows me to see how others are doing and provide guidance where I can. I'm feeling excited and I think the WINOL team as a whole will produce some really good work.
I like Features a lot and I'm starting to think that maybe this is a potential career path for me as I am finding it so enjoyable. Who knows?
Throughout the semester, I will keep my blog updated with new work, primarily Features and will note the progress of the Features Team as a unit.
Very excited.
Last semester, I worked as a Features Writer so it will be really interesting for me to have a role that allows me to see how others are doing and provide guidance where I can. I'm feeling excited and I think the WINOL team as a whole will produce some really good work.
I like Features a lot and I'm starting to think that maybe this is a potential career path for me as I am finding it so enjoyable. Who knows?
Throughout the semester, I will keep my blog updated with new work, primarily Features and will note the progress of the Features Team as a unit.
Very excited.
Saturday 17 December 2011
Existentialism.
This is the term applied to a school of philosophers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Despite the fact they all have different writings, they all share the view that philosophy should start with a human subject.
Unlike Decartes, and his theory of 'I think therefore I am' in order to prove existence, Existentialists believe that mere thinking cannot prove existence. Actually doing things, having emotions and producing actions are the way to test existence. They believe we can choose how/what to think.
This image shows both a rabbit and a duck. We can choose to see either the rabbit or duck but cannot see both at the same time. This helps prove existentialist theories.
Existentialists claim that as children we are all born with an 'Existentialist Attitude' where we experience a series of emotions including confusion and disorientation. This proves our existence, simply because we can feel these emotions. This marks the 'starting point' in life. Most Existentialists claim that previous philosophical theories are too abstract to be applied to human experience. Existentialism became popular during the post-war period as individuality was trying to be re-injected into society.
Unlike Decartes, and his theory of 'I think therefore I am' in order to prove existence, Existentialists believe that mere thinking cannot prove existence. Actually doing things, having emotions and producing actions are the way to test existence. They believe we can choose how/what to think.
Existentialists claim that as children we are all born with an 'Existentialist Attitude' where we experience a series of emotions including confusion and disorientation. This proves our existence, simply because we can feel these emotions. This marks the 'starting point' in life. Most Existentialists claim that previous philosophical theories are too abstract to be applied to human experience. Existentialism became popular during the post-war period as individuality was trying to be re-injected into society.
Kirkegaard is considered to be the father of Existentialism.
Kirkegaard believed that each individual was responsible for their own actions and how they lived their lives, they had the option to choose what their meaning of life was for them. He explained that during life, we are all faced with 'Existentialist Obstacles' and it is our choice how we overcome them. These obstacles are despair, anxiety, absurdity, boredom and alienation. He was a huge believer of Individualism.
Fredrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche agreed with Kirkegaard and focused his work on human experience rather than mathematics and science. He claimed that these natural sciences are too observational to measure human experience. He was interested in the roll of making free choices and how that changes the nature of individuality.
Nietzsche had created a character called 'Ubermensch'. This was meant to represent an idolized individual. An individual who created his own values and decided when and how he excelled them.
Kafka
Kafka wrote a novel called 'The Trial'. In this an individual was sent to court for a crime they were not aware they did, they had no recollection of doing anything wrong. In the courtroom and outside, no one would tell him what crime he had committed. As a result, he drifted away from his family and friends and became alone. He experienced feelings of confusion. This is said to be 'Existentialist Attitude'. Kafka wanted to show how individuals can choose to overcome this.
The key defining point of Existentialism is that existence comes before anything else. What we learn comes next. Even though an individual exists, nothing exists that marks their character. The individual chooses who their character is. Existentialists describe the feeling of abandonment that people feel when they realise they make this decision on their own and that there are no set values within society that we should follow.
Heidegger
Published 'Being and Time' which was another way of explaining human existence. He claimed that we shouldn't consider natural sciences as they absolute truth much like Nietzsche. He claimed that we if start considering sciences as the truth, then this will diminish our confidence in our own intellect.
Husserl
Husserl believed that the meaning of life is subjective. He agreed with Kirkegaard that as humans we have the option to choose who we want to be and what values we follow. He was very much a believer of individualism. He disagreed with Moore's Utopia.
Keynes & Economics
The General Theory of Employment, Money and Interest, written by John Keynes has been considered to be one of the most dangerous books of the eighteenth century.
Keynes was a British economist, he perfected the theory of Macro-Economics. This is all about government expenditure. His writing on this matter, had a huge influence on modern government. He also refined earlier work that focused on business cycles and expenditure within the 'Private Sector.' He wrote at the time of The Great Depression, meaning unemployment rates were high as well as economic downfall.
Keynes created two methods to try and get the country out of the depression, he realised this would not happen completely as like Marx, he believed in the social class structure but he felt as though his methods would help the economic situation of the time. The movements were:
Keynes was a British economist, he perfected the theory of Macro-Economics. This is all about government expenditure. His writing on this matter, had a huge influence on modern government. He also refined earlier work that focused on business cycles and expenditure within the 'Private Sector.' He wrote at the time of The Great Depression, meaning unemployment rates were high as well as economic downfall.
Keynes created two methods to try and get the country out of the depression, he realised this would not happen completely as like Marx, he believed in the social class structure but he felt as though his methods would help the economic situation of the time. The movements were:
- Friscal - Government expenditure and involvement.
- Monetary - Bank and Private Sector's involvement.
His ideas are the basis of economic thought which is now used today and known as the Keynesian School of Thought. Keynes believed that the government should have more involvement and control over spending and less control should be given to private businesses. Investment from the government into the economy would boost spending, creating more jobs and reducing unemployment levels. At the time of writing, Keynes felt that the government was producing below the potential growth rate.
Keynes also mentions Ricardo's Theory of Value in his work. This basically questions the value of objects and we can actually measure this. He uses a Biro vs a piano. The piano costs £5000 and the Biro pen costs £1. How do we actually determine that the piano should cost £5000?
At the time that Keynes was writing, Keynes work was unthinkable. He said he wanted to try and make the unthinkable thinkable.
Totalitarianism/1984
Totalitarianism is a political system that seeks dictatorship . A successful totalitarian regime's perfect result would be world domination.
Nazism and Stalinism are two examples of previous successful totalitarian regimes. Terror is an infamous method of gaining power under these regimes. Forms of terror can vary from speeches right through to genocide.
Totalitarianism is a fictional ideology, or in other words, it it completely original and not based on a prior political system. It tries to eliminate individuality from human kind to leave a 'mass' of people all sharing the same thoughts. Fear is also key. Machiavellian theorists would argue that this a good regime to a certain extent.
However, as Machiavelli once said 'Be feared, but never hated.' There is a huge chance that a totalitarian dictator will be hated, Hitler for example, was hated by the Jewish community.
An example of propaganda used by the Nazi Party to eliminate individuality is shown below. Hitler wanted to create a superior race known as the 'Aryan Race' leaving people with 'pure German blood.'
George Orwell wrote a book called '1984'. This demonstrated how a totalitarian regime can emerge and be successful. It was set in the future, 2050. Winston Smith was the main character.
The leader of Big Brother Party created a new language called 'Newspeak.' This banned anyone was speaking in a negative way about the Big Brother Party and in turn prevented any rebellious groups from forming. Smith was against the regime but due to the laws, he had to write his thoughts down in the form of a diary rather than saying them aloud. This highlights how successful this kind of terror can be in a totalitarian regime can be. People became scared to be against the Big Brother Party, this is similar to the way the Nazi Party frightened the German people.
'Thoughtcrime' became part of society. Smith believed in the formation of 'Brotherhood.' A group of people who all shared the same ideas as him, however, he was lured into a trap and the ever watching Big Brother Party made him think this Brotherhood party existed. He was then captured and tortured with rats until his spirit had been broken. He was then forced to believe in the regime set by the Big Brother Party.
The book highlights how successful a totalitarian regime can be once they have gained power and have used terror against the population.
Nazism and Stalinism are two examples of previous successful totalitarian regimes. Terror is an infamous method of gaining power under these regimes. Forms of terror can vary from speeches right through to genocide.
Totalitarianism is a fictional ideology, or in other words, it it completely original and not based on a prior political system. It tries to eliminate individuality from human kind to leave a 'mass' of people all sharing the same thoughts. Fear is also key. Machiavellian theorists would argue that this a good regime to a certain extent.
However, as Machiavelli once said 'Be feared, but never hated.' There is a huge chance that a totalitarian dictator will be hated, Hitler for example, was hated by the Jewish community.
An example of propaganda used by the Nazi Party to eliminate individuality is shown below. Hitler wanted to create a superior race known as the 'Aryan Race' leaving people with 'pure German blood.'
George Orwell wrote a book called '1984'. This demonstrated how a totalitarian regime can emerge and be successful. It was set in the future, 2050. Winston Smith was the main character.
The leader of Big Brother Party created a new language called 'Newspeak.' This banned anyone was speaking in a negative way about the Big Brother Party and in turn prevented any rebellious groups from forming. Smith was against the regime but due to the laws, he had to write his thoughts down in the form of a diary rather than saying them aloud. This highlights how successful this kind of terror can be in a totalitarian regime can be. People became scared to be against the Big Brother Party, this is similar to the way the Nazi Party frightened the German people.
'Thoughtcrime' became part of society. Smith believed in the formation of 'Brotherhood.' A group of people who all shared the same ideas as him, however, he was lured into a trap and the ever watching Big Brother Party made him think this Brotherhood party existed. He was then captured and tortured with rats until his spirit had been broken. He was then forced to believe in the regime set by the Big Brother Party.
The book highlights how successful a totalitarian regime can be once they have gained power and have used terror against the population.
Sigmund Freud
Freud was an Austrian Philosopher who always expressed an interest in psychology of the human mind.
He is famous for his work on Psycho-Analysis and his theory of Psycho-sexual Development.
He developed theories behind the existence of the unconscious mind. Freud believed that our unconscious mind was responsible for the decisions we make in day to day life. Freud was also interested in the mechanisms behind repression. He created three 'personalities' that he felt our minds were split into. They were:
Freud also discussed dreams. He said that having dreams fulfilled our wishes and desires. Without dreams, Freud claimed we would always be awake. He published his work on dreams in 1899.
He is famous for his work on Psycho-Analysis and his theory of Psycho-sexual Development.
He developed theories behind the existence of the unconscious mind. Freud believed that our unconscious mind was responsible for the decisions we make in day to day life. Freud was also interested in the mechanisms behind repression. He created three 'personalities' that he felt our minds were split into. They were:
- The ID - This part of our mind, we are completely unconscious of. It is a 'child-like' state and seeks immediate gratification and pleasure.
- The Ego - This part of our mind tries to create balance between the impulsive, impatient nature of the ID and the impractical morals of the Super Ego.
- The Super Ego - This is responsible for our morals and what we consider to be the right decision to make in certain situations.
As well as this, Freud created the well know 'Oedipus Complex'. In this, Freud explained that every child is born with this desire for incest, but we are forced to repress this into our unconscious mind. For boys, they are born with a constant love for their mother and a desire to kill their father. This eventually subsides during the five Psycho sexual Stages of development.
- Stage One - The Oral Stage - At this stage, children are pleasured by their mouths. E.g, breastfeeding and putting objects into their mouths to learn what objects are.
- Stage Two - The Anal Stage - Children are pleasured by the need to empty their bowels.
- Stage Three - The Phallic Stage - Children become aware of their genitalia.
- Stage Four - The Latency Stage - This relates to the Oedipus Complex. Children realise that their sexual desire for their parent cannot be pursued so they seek love in another individual of the same gender as their parent.
- Stage Five - The Genital Stage - This stage occurs just before the child hits puberty. They begin to realise they have sexual urges.
An Iceberg model has been created to show how Freud thought the three 'personalties' in our minds were shown.
Freud also discussed dreams. He said that having dreams fulfilled our wishes and desires. Without dreams, Freud claimed we would always be awake. He published his work on dreams in 1899.
Thursday 10 November 2011
Yoga Show
Our first ever feature filmed in London! What an adventure!
One of the things that I am consistently learning each week working on Features, is how essential planning really is and this week was no different. I don't think I've ever sat looking at my email accounts so much in my life! I had arranged 'Press Passes' for Zoe and I this week and at this point, I definitely felt like a true member of the press (although carrying the camera to London was very heavy.)
Yoga is not really my forte, so I knew that walking into the National Hall at Kensington Olympia was going to be a whole new world for me. And yes, yes it was. We walked in with blue wristbands and were surrounded by women in tracksuits carrying 1-2 litre bottles of water. There were hundreds of stalls selling different health products including coconut water and barley grass juice, which Zoe and I happily tried. Yoga classes were being held throughout the day, with a variety of different teachers and teaching styles. Unfortunately, Zoe and I didn't get involved in these, which upon reflection is something we should have definitely done. Involvement in our feature would have improved the quality drastically, and would probably have helped the viewers feel more engaged. That's a lesson for next time!
Due to the fact, that I had never been to any sort of convention like this before, I was slightly unsure as to how to go about filming and what sort of content to include. In the end, we tried to approach it as if we were trying to lose some weight before Christmas. We spent most of our time there filming the many different health products that were available. We also spoke to a variety of different people all trying to tell us that their product was the very best and the one that we should invest in.
I am happy with our finished piece, although we could have improved it by participating in the yoga classes. This is something we will definitely do if we ever attend an event like this in the future.
When editing the footage, I wanted to use music that created a calming, tranquil effect however, I think this backfired slightly and makes the feature appear too slow, perhaps even too calming!
Our feature was used in WINOL Life, Winol's fortnightly chat show. There we met Elizabeth Barnett, Editor of Hampshire Life. This was really helpful and incredibly interesting as she offered valuable feedback. I also taught George a few moves. Take a look:
One of the things that I am consistently learning each week working on Features, is how essential planning really is and this week was no different. I don't think I've ever sat looking at my email accounts so much in my life! I had arranged 'Press Passes' for Zoe and I this week and at this point, I definitely felt like a true member of the press (although carrying the camera to London was very heavy.)
Yoga is not really my forte, so I knew that walking into the National Hall at Kensington Olympia was going to be a whole new world for me. And yes, yes it was. We walked in with blue wristbands and were surrounded by women in tracksuits carrying 1-2 litre bottles of water. There were hundreds of stalls selling different health products including coconut water and barley grass juice, which Zoe and I happily tried. Yoga classes were being held throughout the day, with a variety of different teachers and teaching styles. Unfortunately, Zoe and I didn't get involved in these, which upon reflection is something we should have definitely done. Involvement in our feature would have improved the quality drastically, and would probably have helped the viewers feel more engaged. That's a lesson for next time!
Due to the fact, that I had never been to any sort of convention like this before, I was slightly unsure as to how to go about filming and what sort of content to include. In the end, we tried to approach it as if we were trying to lose some weight before Christmas. We spent most of our time there filming the many different health products that were available. We also spoke to a variety of different people all trying to tell us that their product was the very best and the one that we should invest in.
I am happy with our finished piece, although we could have improved it by participating in the yoga classes. This is something we will definitely do if we ever attend an event like this in the future.
When editing the footage, I wanted to use music that created a calming, tranquil effect however, I think this backfired slightly and makes the feature appear too slow, perhaps even too calming!
Our feature was used in WINOL Life, Winol's fortnightly chat show. There we met Elizabeth Barnett, Editor of Hampshire Life. This was really helpful and incredibly interesting as she offered valuable feedback. I also taught George a few moves. Take a look:
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