Final Self Assessment

Contibution and collaboration

Throughout the process of organizing, my role was to help in the publicity of the seminar. Being an international student who has only been here for the past few months, i made it clear to my group that i did not have many contacts with the people who are in the industry here in Melbourne. Due to that, i dedicated myself into publicizing for the seminar, trying to get people from various universities and people here in RMIT to come for the seminar and also to help in carrying out the actual event on the day.

Stacey and i were in charge of publicity. During our weekly meetings with the group, stacey and i emailed other universities such as Melbourne Uni and Swinburne informing them about the seminar that we are doing and inviting them to join. we also sent an email for Rachel to send out  to the RMIT media student list, reminding them about the seminar and stating some information about what we were going to do and who were some of the guest that we have for that day. we did have some problem locating the person to email in the other universities, but we manage to do some research and finally found the right person to contact in oder to send out invitations for the seminar.

i was also in charge in making the gift card and e-mailing Rachel  on the number of guests that we have so we could get the gifts for them on the seminar day.

throughout the whole organizing process, i think that all of us have worked well together in terms of dividing the tasks and roles for the seminar. meetings were done regularly, and there were only a few times that some people did not turn up due to unexpected circumstances. but this problem was easily solved by having a group in our Facebook message, where everyone can communicate with each other whenever we are not on campus. The facebook message was also a place where everyone could post up updates on what they have done and what could not be done.

Proactive Learning

in terms of proactive learning, i think that we did go to the extend of researching ourselves. the process of arranging and delivering the seminar was done independently by our group as we needed to work fast because we only had 3 weeks to organize the seminar. our tutor was also helpful in guiding and in helping with any problem that arose.

Participation

i am a very particular person in terms of punctuality and attending meetings and classes. i don’t usually miss classes or meetings unless i have a legitimate reason that forces me to miss that particular meeting or class. arriving for meetings and classes on time have always been a priority for me. even on the seminar day, i stuck to the time that we were suppose to meet, in getting the room ready and organized for the event to take place. as for the post production process, i did not hear anything from the group about meeting up, so i did not attend any post production meetings. i think this was because we have already assigned the two people who were in charge of the post production since they did not contribute much during the pre production process.

Connections and intersections

i thought that the seminar was really good in getting to know the industry and the people in it. since our seminar was all about making it in Melbourne, the seminar has definitely provided us with the experience of how the guest lectures made their way into the industry and also providing us on some tips and trick in getting yourself in the industry; if you are planning to pursue a job in melbourne.

i found that communication within the group is an important aspect in organising an event. without constant communication, some people might get left out and would not know what is going on within the group, and that is why i thought the Facebook group message is a good idea in keeping up the communication with each other. organising and attending not only my group’s  seminar, but other as well; have made me realize about some of the things that i would have to get ready as i enter the working world. networking especially, has been one of the most frequent topic being said by the guests that came for the seminar. many of them have achieved their job by knowing someone in the industry, providing you have the talent, passion and skills to be able to handle that job.

i think this course have helped me in developing my interpersonal skills and helped me understand some of the things that i have to be prepared for as i enter the working environment.the seminars together with the personal networking report, i was able to realize that i am capable in doing the jobs that i am interested in and also having the courage to strike up a conversation with people who are already in the industry to widen my networks for the future.

Marks

i think i deserve a HD, as i feel that i have learnt a number of things from it. i also hardly missed class/meetings and have completed my role and tasks that were apprehended to me to my best ability, on time.

Seminar critique 3- Film & TV part 2

The last seminar  for the whole of media industries this semester was rather an amusing one. some guest speakers were bombarding and cutting into each others sentences while others just watched and listened. i couldn’t help but laugh watching them getting so passionate about getting out want they had to say. one guest would say something and another one cuts in and goes back to another; it was like watching a football on television.

Anyway, the team made a good choice when introducing guest to show a clip from them as well. but i do think that since they had slides with the guest names and profile with a picture, the guest should not have been seated on the stage yet, because they were blocking the screen(especially when showing a video clip). besides, i pity the guest having to turn back  to watch the screen; not to mention the distance in which they are watching it from (their eyes must hurt!).

Appropriate questions the moderation and hosting;

well i think the questions brought up were quite helpful compared to many other seminars. i could see that the host was trying really hard to take control of the talk while the guests when on and on on one particular topic. again it was really fun to watch the guest and the host trying to squeeze in a word.

Guests:

i think there were to many guests to be honest, and i think that the organizing team should just have chosen 3-4 instead of 5. 3 of the guest were really strong and dominant speakers, so the other 2 couldn’t say much which i think is a bit unfair. the seminar on the previous week actually had more speakers, but they were smart not to have them all up on the stage. nonetheless, all the guest had different background and different passions, which is a good thing for us student to be exposed to all the different types of film or video.

Quality of seminar facilitation:

i didn’t think the overall seminar facilitation was very good, firstly due to the host’s microphone which ran out of battery after only 15-20 into the seminar (shows that the organizing team was unprepared). i also think that they should have encouraged or navigate the student to fill in the front seats, it does not look very nice, especially to the guests. besides that, i also did not like the idea of putting food on the guests table. it may sound evil, but it looks really bad when one of the guest decides to dig in and munch her food with bright spotlights on her face, in front of all the students(What are breaks for then?).

Seminar content:

putting the facilitation aside, the overall content of the seminar was really good, and i think that the guests really gave us some good advice and tips for the future. i could see that they were passionate about what they are doing, and it helps to open my eyes that if i am passionate enough to do something, i can make it happen.

Seminar Critique 2- Film & TV

The first impression i got from the seminar was from a friend who came out of building 9, looking around for her fellow course mates: not many people turned up. it was actually a pity that not many turned up, it was a really good seminar, which probably means there’s nothing much to critique(complain) about.

Anyway, in terms of ‘ appropriate questions’ in the peer assessment sheet, which includes research, moderation and hosting, i must say that at the beginning of the seminar i thought it would be another boring long talk about their background and history; which has nothing to do with the more interesting topics about the industry. but i was wrong. surprisingly, i really enjoyed the seminar and it didn’t feel very long at all. before i knew it it was break time, and then it was time for the seminar to end. it’s just that, in terms of the hosting of the event, i thought it could have been a bit better if the host was much more confident and smooth in presenting. but other than that, the questions that were asked was good and it really provided us with the relevant information that we needed.

Guest relevance to topic; well like i said before, i think the guests are very much relevant to the topic. they are experienced(i can see) and each has a very diverse background that do not focus on just one certain part of the industry. i like the fact that many of them are not just having one role in the industry(being just a producer, or just a director). Many of them hold many roles: writer, actor and at the same time producer! just WOW! it gives me hope that i could do that when i start working. i love acting, but at the same time i’m organized and i would like to producer, and at the same time as well i would like to explore directing, so knowing that many of the guest lectures that are in film or TV have these many roles really gives me hope in me doing the same as well.

the overall quality of the seminar facilitation was good. i think everything went quite smoothly and was planned well. i also like the fact that there is someone at the door at all times, therefore controlling the traffic. i have experienced previously, people going in out banging the door shut loudly, which is really distracting. publisity could have been better, i didn’t really see as many posters around uni or posters posted up in facebook like they did the previous seminar. this could be due to the overconfidence that people WILL attend just on the fact that it’s on film and TV. the other thing i found quite a bother was not having at some light for us to write down notes; this may be something very minor, but it gets really hard to write in pitch black.

Seminar Critique

Todays seminar was all about Indie online, and the first thing i thought to myself when i entered the room was, “Why is the host sitting in the middle of the table?” i mean, he’s not the centre of attention here so i don’t think he should be sitting in the middle of these guests. the next thing i noticed, was there was food in the middle of a table that was covered with a checkered cloth; kind of looks like their having a picnic rather than anything else. i guess they were trying to be different and all and probably wanting to reserve some food for the guest, but i’m sure they can keep it aside rather than putting it right in the middle of the table which only temps the guest and make them wait till break for them to grab a bite.

putting that aside, i’ll jump into the important stuff (based on the peer assessment sheet). appropriate questions? to be honest, i don’t think i got that much information from the guest regarding working online independently. the questions that the host raised was not in-depth and i feel it could have been more relevant towards the industry and not the individual. the most relevant question i thought was about getting advertisers to invest in their project and how the ads are “the backbone of independent media”(Penny Modra). The video interview that was shown after the break, i think was much more informational and so much better than the discussions they did in person. it was short sweet and relevant to us graduating students about the online media and the opportunities we have through it.

The other thing i had a problem with, was the host not taking control of the discussion. for example, some guest lectures talk more than others, and i think as the host, you should ask more question or move the discussion to the guests who have not had much of a chance to speak.

i terms of the quality of the seminar facilitation, i think they were quite organized. Showing the video interview was also something fresh and different. the leaflet that was on our seats were also something helpful to us, as it gives us an idea and background to the guest lectures. on the other hand, it was quite disappointing that the technical part of it failed when Ron Brown wanted to show a clip in the middle of the discussion. besides that, i think the seminar organizers should also take control of the crowd and not let the student to walk past the front when the guest are speaking. having attended seminars before they should have been ready for that and have the student fill in the front and leave some spaces at the back for late comers.

Overall, i think the seminar was good but could be improved in many ways.

Seminar Day!

Today was our seminar day. i think we did a good job in getting everything organized prior to the event; guests were confirmed, gift cards were handmade, publicity was done, room was set up, equipments to document the event was booked and so on.

Arriving in the seminar room, lollies were divided into cups that were than placed on every seat, and we had a gift pen from channel nine for the people who sat towards the front. this was to encourage more people to sit infront rather than leaving the spaces empty; so we will have at least some places left for late comers to come in and not interrupt the guest talking. Gifts for the guest were ready and the cards that i made was filled in to thank the guest lectures for their time and effort. unfortunately, i only had 5 gift cards instead of 6. i did not know that we would also need to have a thank you card for our host as well. i must say it was my mistake for not thinking of it in the first place and not reading their message in facebook. so even though we got a bottle of wine for the host, we did not have a card for him.

we decided to to divide the food into two so there was some cupcakes and juice towards the front of the room and some coffee and snack place near the entrance. i think the whole idea of doing this was a plus so the crowd would not have to be in one place all at a time. we had a variety of snacks from sweets to sandwiches to chips, and having juice and soda for the people who don’t really drink coffee or tea.

to me the seminar was a success as all the guest gave some relevant information to us student; and instead of just talking, we also had some visuals such as short clips and promotional videos in between so the student would not get bored in the middle of it. i think that having a break in the middle of the seminar was also a good thing, as students could mingle with the guest or  think of questions to ask them after the break. there were lots of questions from the student, which means that they were really interested in knowing more from the guests we brought in and engaged through out the whole seminar.

After the seminar, we stayed back to clean up and put everything back to where it’s suppose to be. everyone helped each other and i think we manage to work together well through out the whole process.

feeling the pressure anyone?

We had another group meeting yesterday, going through what has been done and what needs to be done next. there are a few things that has to be done before the seminar, and emma wrote it down and posted it in facebook for us to see..:

TO DO :
Emma : Slideshow – AV stuff on the day.
Stacey : Email Philippa Brear – AV stuff on the day.
Kat : Stills and Pamphlet
Natasha and Lucia : Catering
Tim and Ash : Filming and Editing
Jess : Chaperone and Name Tags
Natasha : Briefing host.
Liyana : Gifts and Thank You Cards
Maddie : Chaperone on the day

i’ve also volunteered to help jess on that day to organize getting the students in and seated for the event. Going to get some cards for the guests tommorrow and i have emailed Rachel on the gifts for the guest lectures.

i’m not so sure about how many guests are already confirmed for the event, but i’m sure the team has got that covered or i’ll already hear them panic in facebook..

it’s getting closer and closer…

After the previous meeting, our team kept in touch through Facebook message, updating each other on what is happening in their smaller teams and individual. i think this is a good method to continue as everyone logs into their Facebook almost everyday of the week. it is also a plus for people who have blackberry’s or iphone as once the message is posted up, a notification will be sent through.

everyone knew exactly what needs to be done, so everything was pretty much organized. all we had to do when we met up was update each other on what’s happening in their task. in terms of my task, stacey and i decided to stick with the poster that the steering committee has designed. we we’re talking about handing them out to student coming out from lectures that are relevant to the media course but we’re still thinking about that.

Next meeting is on Monday and from there, we’ll only have a few days left to get everything together.