Topic 2.2: Fan-Created Transmedia Content

1. While film websites are ubiquitous today, what joys and challenges emerged when Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings production embraced official and more importantly, unofficial, websites about their films during production?
2. Are there particular fan websites that you use or have used in the past? What is the relationship between these sites and the official sites for the television show or film in question?

Topic 2.1: Remix // Mashup // Copyright

1. Lessig argues that video, audio and other forms of media should be remixable in the same way that textual sources can be cut-up, such as citations in an essay. Should different media forms have different copyright restrictions; does taking a 10-second 'quote' from a feature film in a remix video equate with quoting 50 words form a published book in an essay or a published article in a journal?
2. If some remixes and mashups should be legal, even using copyrighted works, can we define what's 'remix' and what's just copying? Does remix involve fundamental changes in form, in length, in meaning or something else? If you had to offer a legal boundary between a legitimate remix, and an authorised copy, could you?
3. Should the intention of a remixed work matter? For example, in the US, 'fair use' means that political expression is largely protected, even using material under full copyright. So, for example, the 'prezvids' Tryon discusses are 'legal' as long as their intent (as political expression) is obvious. Australia, however, dosn't recognise the same right of political expression.  Do you think intention matters (and if so, how do you 'prove' the intent of a piece of media)?

1. I  think that different media forms should be subject to differing copyright requirements as each separate form of media creation presents a different form of cultural artifact even if they are converging through similar distribution channels. If you take a quote from a book to use in an essay or in a public journal, or use a 10 second video clip for a video report there are different consequences of the copyrighted contents use – there are economic concerns, gains in reputation and cultural values in question.
   
   If there is a direct economic gain, intended or not, to the creator though the use of copyrighted material then obviously copyright laws should be invoked. However if it is for a cultural purpose only such as an educational purpose where no economic profit is wanted or intended that I think these should be except to encourage production of non-commercial creativity.
   
   There are some grey areas such as the political sphere where the use of copyrighted material in political campaigns do generate economic gains for certain interest groups thus I don’t believe that these should be exempt from copyright laws, but I also believe that the use of such material for parody and satire successfully cover the use of such material and give people the right to express their opinions on political ideals.
   
   I see copyright changing in different ways at the moment, perhaps most interesting to me is the ways YouTube is striking deals with record labels that would mean YouTube pay a fee each time a copyrighted song is used on their website this allowing the users in the YouTube community to create free of the fear of being sued by record labels. It is a sign that perhaps record labels are seeing the value in “remix culture” – especially as it is providing a secondary revenue source paid for by YouTube’s advertising model. A stream of revenue garnered from user promoting their artists for free online at no cost to them.
   
2. If the remix or mashup adds value to the original, or changes its context, than I don’t think it can be classed as copying, as copying to me means being identical or very similar to the original piece of work, with the same intent of the original.
   
   
   
3. I think intent is important. If you intend to use the piece of media to express and idea or concept within a different cultural context, or via a different media format than the original, than this should be allowed as the intent of the ‘new’ piece of media was never intended by the creator of the ‘original’ piece of media (i.e. its an original set thoughts using pre-prepared media artifacts that are re-ordered to create a new context for them to be viewed).
   
   If a creator intends to copy an idea and express no new thought or context than this is unacceptable whether it is for non-profit or not as it adds no value in anyway and thus adds to the ‘noise’ in a time of media abundance.
   
   The only way I can think of to prove the intent of a piece is to either make it freely re-mixable through methods such as Creative Commons thus making it of no value to the creator other than reputation and experience. If a piece of work is intended for financial gains license as so through creative commons so intent can be seen through the licensing terms.

TOPIC 1.4 Photography 

1. Has the process of becoming ubiquitous (ie almost everywhere) made photography in the digital age less important or more important?  How has this change occurred?
2. When a photograph obviously becomes digital information, does that change what photography means, or does lowering the barriers to participation mean most users have a better understanding of what makes a (good) photograph?
3. In the era of Photoshop and filters (such as those in Instagram), how do we decide which photographs to ‘trust’?

TOPIC 1.3 : GAMES

Questions:

1. What makes a game 'social' – is it the type of game, who you play it with, or something else?  (Is there a line between playing and being social, or are they part of the same sort of experience?)
2. Are videogames the first indigenous form of digital media? Are videogames fundamentally different from past games and types of play?
3. Can, as Jane McGonigal suggests, videogames and game players change the (real) world?

A 'social' game is different from the game worlds that is according to Klastrup (2010), social games do not have leveling system but users can personalized their own gaming interface by adding elements such as buildings, and also are allowed to change the program objects. It represents a space for socializing and self representation but unlike game worlds if the person is not interested in building a world of his own this may be boring to him and will revert to the game worlds.

Video games cannot be called indigenous to digital media. Games existed right before the rise of the digital era and have revolutionized within the digital media for example traditional books can be obtained as ebooks in any online library or in apps like kindle. Both are the facets of the analog age which were later on digitized  which pushed analog users to try the new versions of games.
Well this can be a possibility since in games sometimes world issues are being portrayed but in a more dynamic and creative way. Many games have been designed with an objective like to solve some of the world issues it all depends how the audience accepts it. Educational games help to better understand theories! and kids like them also.

TOPIC 1.2 MUSIC

1. On balance, what are the biggest challenges and benefits to the music industries that come from digital communication and distribution?
2. Do current laws adequately address the affordances of digital media (ie do they account for what web media can actually do compared to analog media forms 20 years ago)?
3. Is radio a dying form in the face of iPods, iPhones and a million other devices capable of playing personalised musical playlists?

The biggest challenges to the music industry from digital communication and distribution lie in the protection of its IP from piracy as a result of digital networking tools such as P2P. The culture of file sharing can solved this issue. 

Another challenge could be the reducing cost of music creation and distribution. The lowering cost of entry could enable creators to produce and distribute. The lowering cost of entry enables creators to produce and distribute their music without the support of a label enabling increased creative control and financial returns to the creators. The social networking sites bringing a mass audience to those music industries like file sharing sites where millions of music are being downloaded. The online updates of music industries. 

Current laws do adequately address digital media if they are being commissioned in comparison to the analog era music.

The Radio is still surviving in this digitized world where iPods and other technological gadgets are coming into use. News make radios to still live in people daily lives since along with news they do listen to the music being broadcast. Podcasting is making it more easier for listeners in maintaining their loyalty to radio. That is users can listen to their content anytime which best suits them.  

MODULE 1: DIGITIZATION AND COVERGENCE

TOPIC 1.1: TELEVISION AND FILMS

1. How does time-shifting and recording television alter the viewing experience? Will this destroy the industry if advertisers can't guarantee viewers actually watching (rather than skipping) advertisements?
   
2. Leaver (2008) suggests that the contradictions in current television programming and online extras might be considered a 'tyranny of digital distance'?  What does that mean, and does it matter?
   
3. What television series or films have you watched that include elements of transmedia storytelling? Do you think this approach to engaging with audiences is successful? Have you become more involved with a particular television series, film or set of related films because of the content supplied in other media forms?
   
4. Tryon (2009a) outlines some of the way digital technologies and communications can make filmmaking and distribution easier, but there is also a flipside. What are some of the new challenges that come with digital technologies which movie studios and filmmakers face today? Does Alvarez's success with Panic Attack prove that anyone with a camera and a computer can finally make their way into Hollywood?

Time shifting and recording has alter viewing in terms of television viewing where people are watching movies or series in anytime they want hence not being restricted to a certain time frame. With the advent of time shifting, viewers know how to schedule their viewing and also are not forced to watch to adverts in intervals. Like MyT in Mauritius has provided an option which is the TVOD where even the news bulletin can be watched again. 

It will not destroy the industry since advertisers will come with new strategies in collaboration with digital marketing reaching the mass audience.

The 'tyranny of digital distance' is when certain channels are geo graphically restricted in certain countries. It does matter since many internet users are accessing media around the world for example their favorite bands latest album.

"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" has elements of transmedia story telling. Yes definitely more engaging than the book but indifferent to book worms since those who have passion for books and Jane Austen is a very famous author. But nowadays people are more interested in viewing than reading hence making the movie starring Keira Knightley making the movie even more famous. 

Definitely am involved with television series or films like Games of thrones which is more engaging than the book. The visual effects of dragons and super natural creatures is magical in watching than mere reading.

One of the main challenge is that integrating digital technologies apart of being stand alone they can also add another level of understanding and story telling for film viewres(Tyron, 2009). 

Weekly Readings of Web Media

WEB MEDIA: WEEK ONE

Module 1Digitization and Convergence

TOPIC ONE

QUESTIONS:

1. Jenkin suggests 9 areas where the producers are changing. What are these, which seem most important, and how far have these relationships emerged?
2. Manovich suggests a few areas where the most interesting and innovative responses to social media are being produced. What are they, and how might (or might not) these can be indicative of new forms of creativity unleashed by digitization?