“Nah Another Day” follows an individual, who like many, decides to take up a start on becoming a fitter and healthier person. One night he reads up on health advice, workout routines and diet plans, and takes it upon himself to start his fitness journey the following day. With an early wake up, he prepares himself to go for a morning run; the first workout of a healthy lifestyle. The person walks out his front door, then stands and contemplates. The film then cuts straight to him lying down in his couch, on his playstation, eating junk food and ends.
The theme ‘Rebel’ is highlighted in this video through the man’s actions at the very end which contradicts what happens before it. The lead up to the conclusion suggests he has grasped a new focus on living a healthy lifestyle; he researches, makes a plan for his first day, wakes up early, puts on his workout gear, and walks out the front door. However, all this preparation and focus would instantly be eliminated as the man decides to go back inside, turn on his playstation and eat junk food.
Many of us have been in this exact position, not only in fitness, but in many other aspects such as study, working, house chores and other commitments. We have talked and mentally prepared to do something, but when it’s time for talk to become action, there’s always the “Nah another day” option that we are able to fall on, and a lot of the time never end up going through with it. Taking this option is a form of rebellion, that we don’t even really notice.
The music I used in this work is an instrumental of a song I wrote called ‘Heaven Sent’. Simply got my producer to mute the vocals and send me the instrumental.
In this podcast/radio type of approach in the audio platform, the theme of rebel is presented not in a way where what is discussed or recounted is a story of rebellion, but the person being interviewed, is partaking in a rebellious manner. He does not at any point in the 1 minute excerpt give the interviewer an answer that he wants, or adhere to the typical function of the interview. The interviewee doesn’t present a name, doesn’t give an age, and just doesn’t give any answers that would allow the interviewer to get what they want.
The two voices I edited to match the typical sound of a radio/podcast. The presenter is very clear while the interviewee (who is on the phone) is a little bit muffled. I added intro music to lead into the interview. One thing I did which isn’t generally in live podcasts are sound effects which come at comedic parts. These are usually included in sitcoms, however I felt it would add to the interview. I started and ended the podcast with a piece of music which you hear generically in the beginning and ends of podcasts.
The influences for this work are simply interviews you’d see online where the interviewee answers in a comedic manner to antagonise the interviewer. One specific example is this:
The bed, a plain rectangular shaped object that still has a top and a bottom?
Unorthodox? Weird? I still get a good night sleep. Tell me I’m wrong.
3.
Got myself a big, nice, comfortable and fully supported footrest to help me relax while i sit down to watch TV.
A reversed arrangement of furniture. I’m comfortable as hell. Tell me I’m wrong.
4.
The Playstation controller. A carefully constructed, yet linear design for comfort.
I’m still winning. Tell me I’m wrong.
Artist Statement
This photo series highlights rebellious acts of utilising everyday objects which can be found at an everyday home against it’s “normal” use. The photo series ‘Tell me Im wrong’ challenges the ideas of ‘How these objects SHOULD be used” and why it is wrong to use them in different methods. And no matter the argument for how wrong it actually is using these in this manner, if you’re still getting out of it it’s main function. Why is it wrong?
An instruction manual, the name of the object, how the products are advertised, and how the world generally views the purpose of an object; Do these reasons really solidify the way we use these object? And make some methods “Wrong”?. Unless the use completely eradicates any use of the object at all, what is so wrong about sleeping headfirst at the foot of the bed? what is so wrong about sitting on the footrest and using the couch as a footrest? Obviously by design the objects aren’t being used for the intended purpose of the architect, but the same results, while unorthodox, are still into play here.
The inspiration for this work was an article in Good House Keeping of 30 everyday objects you are using wrong. While this article did teach me things I may have been doing wrong, in reflection, if what I’m doing still works, is it still wrong? furthermore if you completely use objects in the most unorthodox and absurd methods, but still achieving desired results. Is it still wrong?
In this photo series I highlighted 4 objects which are used in a strange way; Reversing the footrest and the couch, sleeping at the lower end of the bed, using the playstation controller backwards, and playing the guitar as if it’s a piano. Some of these methods are completely absurd, but the captions to the photos conveys the idea that they are still working to it’s desired intent. And since it is, is the method really wrong?
Upon walking into BCM313 the vibes were already very welcoming and remained that way for the duration of the semester. As I already read the subject outline for the subject before the first class, I was well aware that the content we would learn was going to revolve around the workplace. But as the weeks went by, I realised the subject was more centred on ourselves and the workplace, rather than just the workplace. This was evident through all the activities we did in class.
What surprised me in this subject was the approach the tutor took to how we consumed the information. The theory was provided in a way where we must reflect on ourselves and the other people in our class, rather than just simply having notes wrote up on the wall. In the first class we were asked to ask a family member, a workmate and a friend to choose one word to describe you. other activities also would determine what type of workers we were and focused on how we think/our attitudes. The most fascinating activities were where we were to partner up with someone and tell them a story of our successes, and deconstruct our thinking.
This class was great because we did learn about the workplace and Future of work, but we learnt more about ourselves. And that is something that will always make me remember this subject and will make it stand out. Every other subject I would jot down notes, learn the theory and then apply it in an assignment or exam. But for this subject not only were what we learnt relevant to our jobs, but what we learned about ourselves were relevant to how we would continue to work in the future.
A topic that stuck out to me was the “Absent but implicit” because I never really paid attention to what wasn’t said, but suggested. I realise I learn a significant amount about a person through the absent but implicit. Other topics are negotiations and how we handle a situation where we must consider the best interests. Also how we listen to the stories of others as they are telling it, and deconstruct the ideas that they are presenting, but also through analysing whats’s absent by implicit, the ideas they don’t mention but imply.
The presentation I did on my mate Jarrad who is a YouTuber was quite an experience as well. Having to sit him down and interview him was tough as we both are good mates but we eventually got through it. I learned a lot about him in the interview as well as confirm the things I already know. it was a good time presenting him to the class and I did feel very proud about it!
All in all, through the vibes alone, I could say this was one of my favourite classes in my time at uni. The tutor was by far my favourite tutor I’ve had and the actual things we learnt was relevant to our lives.
My name is Ryan Catbagan, I’m a 21 year old Filipino and I’ve been living in Australia since I was 2 years old. I’ve always felt that my exposure to different cultures has in many ways been both broad and narrow. I have friends of many cultures, and eat many foods of different cultures, and I do know a lot about historical facts of these cultures. But I learnt through being in the subject BCM 320 Future Cultures that really my personal exposure to different cultures is limited to what I listed above. Through watching the original Godzilla movie, to Akira, to State of Play, I slowly became aware of how much I don’t know.
The central media form that I’ve engaged in throughout the years is music. So I feel it’d make sense to me that I immerse myself in the music of a different culture. One culture that I’ve always heard about in regards to music and how great it is, is Korea. So in this blog I will be looking into the music of Korea.
A Musical approach to Auto-ethnography
A musical approach to Auto-ethnography is about deconstructing the endless layers of musical elements in your consciousness. Your experience, the music you currently/used to listen to, your ideology and understanding of theory etc. That is the main components associated with the musical approach to Auto-ethnography. This is supported by this quote:
“Likewise, musicians move back and forth between the different layers of their musical consciousness in the interpretation and creation of musical works. In this creative process they draw on a wide range of musical experiences, memories and reference points, so that distinctions between the personal and musical become entangled.”
-Brydie-Leigh Bartleet (Making Autoethnography Sing/Making Music Personal)
This quote sums up the idea that a music approach to Auto-ethnography is about deconstructing the endless layers of musical elements in your consciousness. Your experience, the music you currently/used to listen to, your ideology and understanding of theory etc.
My exposure to different cultures is extremely limited, however my exposure to every genre of music is extremely wide. This is what makes my auto-ethnographic experience so immersing to me. Many other people who would dive into Korean Music would only be viewing these Korean songs for face value. Before even going into this I knew that the musical elements within these songs would be a large part of how I make sense of this. As it says in the article by Ellis;
“scholars began recognizing that different kinds of people possess different assumptions about the world—a multitude of ways of speaking, writing, valuing and believing—and that conventional ways of doing and thinking about research were narrow, limiting, and parochial.”
What I possess that makes how I make sense of this content unique to me is based on my musical background, and the fact I myself am of an asian background, which leads me to draw comparisons
My Experience with Music
My personal taste in music throughout the years have ranged to the extremes of different genres. I can create a Study playlist with Hardstyle EDM music to Johnny Cash to Drake to Metallica to Parkway Drive to RIhanna to Whitney Houston to The Eagles and much more. I’ve been in rock bands, metal bands, performed jazz music at school, and now I’m singing in a solo RnB/Rap project. My exposure to music of any genres is extremely wide and that’s something I take pride in.
I’ve always been open minded in how I consume music and film, and that’s what has led me to be as creative musically as I am. I am so interested to hear and compare the music of Korea with what I’m already familiar with.
Past Experience with Korean Music
Prior to diving in to Korean Music culture for this project, like a lot of people, my first exposure to Korean music was Gangnam Style by PSY in 2012.
I remember sitting in the library in school, playing video games, and my friend come up to me and saying “You need to watch this!”. It was on the day the video blew up and became no.1 trending video on YouTube. The song itself had very catchy melodies, and though was all in Korean, the chorus of “Oppa Gangnam Style” was instantly memorable. The electronic components also was very familiar and would be a typical sound on an EDM track in western music.
What instantly caught my interest however was the music video and the visuals. I’ll never forget first seeing the video and instantly laughing my head off. It was brilliant. It knew it would go viral. It was goofy to the point where it was impossible to not succeed. It really was amazing, and re-watching it now, it still holds up. And diving in to Korean Music, I do expect to see a bit of what Gangnam style brought us.
Coming into going into Korean Music, a friend of mine who is a big fan of Korean artists said, expect everything to be Over the Top.
Korean Pop
Initially, when one says ‘Korean music’, the first word to come to mind is K-Pop. This is a culture within Korean Music which is the most popular and you would find many of the western population would actually be fans of.
In an online forum “What are the characteristics of K-pop” and one user wrote:
“Idol groups usually have these characteristics:
Minimum of 4 members.
There are roles: leader, vocalist, rapper, dancer, and the prettiest.
Rapper seems mandarory. Girls’ Generation used to not have any rap, but it all changed since 2014.
The members usually undergone some training, such as singing, dancing, and acting. Those who dance well but can’t sing will be rapper. Those who can’t dance and sing but too pretty will be an actress.
Nowadays, cosmetic surgery is a must. Kpop companies take no risk anymore. They’d rather release a group containing 10 member with similar face than making an easy to identify group.
Live singing used to be possible. But now it seems they prefer to present a great choreography with lipsyncing.
Cheesy lyrics.
Idol group usually tries very hard to get some fanatics. A lot of them force themselves to act cute or pretend to be gay towards other member because that’s what the market wants.
The older the group gets, the sexier their concept become. A great example for this is Girl’s Day.
The fanwars. I’m not sure if this is exclusive to kpop, but there are a lot of online fights between fandom. From what i can see, the first was between g.o.d and HOT fandoms, this time between EXO and BTS fandoms.”
In keeping this in mind I looked at a range of K-pop groups such as BTS, Exo, Big Bang, Girls’ Generation, SEVENTEEN, Blackpink (Live reaction video at the top) and Super junior just to name a few.
Every point that was listed above was relevant in almost EVERY SINGLE group I looked at. (Except maybe no.5 and no.9) It was absolutely fascinating watching all these videos and actually seeing these listed features. This made me look back at the boy bands and groups throughout the years that I’ve listened to. Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Boyz II Men and All-4-One. Though Backstreet Boys and Nsync are a different genre to Boyz II men and All-4-One, they all follow characteristics of typical bands of their genre, though more western influenced. The synchronised dancing, the fashion, the lyrics.
My exposure to those bands and groups when I was younger definitely impacted me to how I made sense of these K-Pop groups as while I was watching the videos, particularly those of BTS and Exo, I was just reminded by those bands. Even though the lyrics was in Korean, based on what I was seeing in the cheesy lovey dovey music videos, I always knew the songs were about being in love.
Music Videos and their Features
One thing Korean music videos are known for are their overproduced and very bright videos which feature a large array of colours that standout. As I watched videos of Korean bands in the genre of Pop/Hip Hop/RnB. I definitely saw this in every one. And Over The Top definitely applies here. Here are some examples:
Other characteristics I picked up on are a use of close up shots, and zoom outs as the band begin to dance in sync. The faces of each singer are usually completely over the top covered in make up (Well I assume; just watch the vids). Being a big “film guy” for years, that led me to observing these features.
Compared to Western music videos, Korean production just seems more clean in comparison and more genuine, though more over the top. In many videos I see today, there are multiple things I can pick up on such as quick cheap cuts, cheap effects, poor lighting (Not applicable to all western artists), however it seems all Korean artists have excellent production, and leads to the charm
Korean Rap/Hip Hop
One genre of music I was extremely excited to jump into was Rap/Hip Hop. I was interested to hear how the Korean language would work with the flows you would hear in modern rap. As I speak a second language (tagalog), I’ve heard how rhymes and words that go together in tagalog work in different ways when writing. I was very interested to hear how it would sound in a rap genre.
Rap music in Korea has been around since the 90’s with artists such as Seo Taiji and Boys’ who arguably paved the way in Korean Hip Hop. The genre through the years has slowly been growing and growing with more artists coming along the way including HU57LA, RYNO, JON and more.
Features of Korean Rap
Over the top Style.
As I was watching a range of Korean Rappers, the most prolific aspect was their fashion, and their aesthetics. I believe the fashion and aesthetics of these videos are internally influenced. By that I mean, they do not look at Western artists and copy their style. Watching these music videos I believe that the Korean fashion industry and cultural trends are the main influence.
The theme over the top is one that perfectly encapsulates the aesthetic of Korean rap, but most prominent in rap, and that’s part of the charm. That’s why there is an overseas following growing every year that’s bigger and bigger.
Though Western influence is highly prominent in rap styles as I always found similarities and comparisons to American rappers, Korean rappers integrated their culture into these styles such as fashion, dance moves, brands and more to make it their own.
Live Reaction Vids
The first video I checked out was called Wondaland
Here is my live reaction:
Important points:
Implements english language throughout and uses American pronunciation
Very strong beat
A range of different styled vocals by the different rappers which are influenced by western rappers. One specific part a homage to Eminem.
The next rap artist I looked at was Bobby:
Important Points:
Massive over the top production-typical in Korean music
Strong and memorable melodic instrumental for the hook
Energetic performer
Rap and Language
An important aspect I observed is the relationship between language and rhyme. As I know how to speak a different language (Tagalog) I can tell you that for making words rhyme but also for the sentence to make sense, sometimes the rhyming word would have to be placed to the start of a sentence rather than the end. As I deconstructed these videos as best as I could, and with the help of my Korean mate for phrases, I found that the relationship between the language and rhyme patterns do a points limit structural patterns. This means the use of repetition of phrases and words to make the lyrics both make sense yet flow as well.
Korean Metal
Rock and Metal music has been a love of mine since I first started listening to ACDC, up to when I discovered Metallica, and since then I’ve gotten into so many genres and sub genres of heavy music. I listened to Deathcore, Post Hardcore, Speed Metal and Thrash. I love it all. So this made me very interested to see what Korean music has to offer in the genre of metal.
So I looked into the Korean heavy metal band Crash who are described as pure adultered Thrash metal. Check out my reaction in the video below.
Important points I bring up in this video is that:
Sound is a mix of 90’s Thrash metal and 2000’s Metalcore. Follows generic Metalcore elements with Thrash metal parts
Comparisons can be drawn to Western bands such as Trivium,
Trend of Screamed vocals in verse and Cleanly sung choruses
The most important point I brought up is that this band has a more “truer” metalcore sound than most Western metalcore bands as crash does not stray to mainstream elements that most Western Metalcore bands fall for.
The next Metal band I live reacted to was Diablo which is below
Important points:
Screaming style of vocalist reminiscent of Randy Blythe by Lamb of God and clean singing style sounds like Howard Jones by Killswitch Engage.
Very generic riffs used
The clean sung vocals weren’t overproduced; a more genuine and raw sound which bands of the 2000’s used. Nowadays in Western Metal the vocals are overproduced to the point where the bands fail to capture authenticity
After listening to these two bands as well as more I’ve come to the conclusion that the genre of Metal remains a sound that is very hard to culturally make unique. However it speaks volumes that these bands follow the sound they aim for in a very “true” and genuine sense unlike many Western metal bands who succumb to the pressures of the modern downfall of metal. Essentially what I made sense of the Korean Metal genre is that when they aim for a sound or subgenre (e.g Metalcore, Thrash Metal, Post Hardcore), the music is created in a fashion where is stays true to the elements of that sub-genre as opposed to many western metal bands who identify themselves as a certain styled band, but utilises mainstream or ‘what’s trendy’ components which stains the feel of their music.
In Retrospect
Immersing myself into Korean music, I experienced several epiphanies that impacted how I made sense of the music. I was brought back to my high school music class all throughout as If I didn’t learn the theory, I wouldn’t have heard many things that stood out to me in the reaction videos. Watching the music videos themselves, as someone who’s been into film their whole life, I picked up apart technical elements which led me to the conclusion that their over the top style of production is what leads to the charm and style of Korean music. Such elements are the camera shots, the bright colours, the fashion and more.
I personally loved every single artists I checked out because while western influence was present, though for different genres there’s different levels of influence, they implement their own cultural influence which leads to the charm and uniqueness of these Korean artists.
This week I edited the footage I filmed last week and have eliminated all the audio from it so I am able to do foley work.
Here is the clip
This was my first time editing on Adobe Premiere and all in all I was very happy with the result. The layout took a while to workout but once I figured out the functions it was pretty simple.
Next week I will begin to do the foley work over this film. I will be recording in my room and using garageband. Though Garageband is very basic, I believe with a simple and familiar layout of the app, I can achieve much more rather than having to spend money on a new application which I would also have to learn at the same time
So for BCM313 I got to interview one of my good friends Jarrad Nance. Jarrad is a professional YouTuber known as JarradHD who is most popular for his FIFA rebuild videos. Me and Jarrad have been pretty good friends for about 3 years, which is why it felt very weird having to sit him on a table and conduct a formal interview. I learned things about him that I didn’t previously know, but also confirmed things I did already know.
I look up to Jarrad both in a professional sense, and physically. Have a look at the height difference.
Key Values
“I aim to make content that I am passionate about rather than going for what’s easy views for moneys sake.”
This quote struck out to me because in the field of media content making, knowing what the consumer wants is essential to success. If you know what the consumer wants, and you do it well, you’re well on your way.
“I try to appreciate and interact with my followers on a regular basis as a way to build a community and keep myself grounded.”
This I already knew about him as I have personally witnessed him replying to messages, comments and posts.
Quotes
“Hard work forever pays”
“Every second I’m not working is another second that my competitors are catching up to me.”
“Doing the right thing is always the right thing.”
Jarrad is certainly one of the most hard working guys I know, and he is also very smart in his approach to his work.
A Typical Day at Work
Here is an excerpt from the interview:
“I am basically working from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. A typical day could see me working from when I wake up at 5am until 10 or 11pm. The only times I am not working during the week is for when I am at the gym or having meals. Even on weekends I’m generally spending most of my time working but try to organise social events to break up the week and not to burn myself out.
Throughout the day I am engaged in numerous work-related activities. This includes; recording content for my YouTube channel, editing content for my YouTube channel, researching the market that I create content in to help understand what the consumer is wanting to view, planning upcoming videos, writing scripts for upcoming videos, travelling into the city for business meetings, participating in paid events such as promotional shoots that can range from businesses to sports clubs to bands to athletes.”
So this week I began filming. The location I ended up using was: Sylvania Waters, Kurnell and suburban streets around the shire.
Here are some of the shots
The filming was very straight forward and only took 2 hours (including 30 minutes of lunch). The concept for this part was simple: A man in a hurry running home to only just turn the microwave off. This meant a lot of improvising for these parts. My actor Mitchell made some great suggestions that I didn’t even think of at first; Climbing a fence, a shot of him jumping over me and himself vomiting while he’s running. He also made his running style very humorous as it’s sloppy.
The day we chose to film happened to be a very hot day, and most of the scenes involved frantic running, so we did experience difficulty in the heat with the filming, however, we did have bottles of ice cold water to help us throughout.
Next week I will begin editing this footage so it is ready for foley work to be done.
After the past few weeks working on test footage, ideas and concepts, this week I planned to make a start to developing the final project. Unfortunately my actor couldn’t make it during tutorial so no filming with him could not be made until Thursday, however, during my tutorial time I planned that I would:
Plan Set Locations
Establish a clear narrative
Idea
1-2 minute video. 2 storylines happening at once in 2 screens.
Scene of a film: A man is in a hurry to get to work one day to meet an important deadline, and along the way he faces mishaps and obstacles
Filmmaker of scene: Filmmaker is in a hurry to get the sound FX/Design for a movie scene done to meet an important deadline, and along the way improvises the sound effects as he is low on time and resources
So in the last post for BCM320 I detailed my experience in the subject Digital Asia from an auto-ethnographic approach. To summarise that post I detailed my upbringings as a Filipino Australian and the the cultures and texts I was exposed to as a kid. I believed I was well diversified due to the range of cultures of the people I was friends with, and of my own.
I realised by the time I wrote the last blog post that I had only touched the surface of intercultural experiences. This subject has really opened my eyes and my mind to different cultures.
Personally to me, what draws me to immersing in these cultures is the sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity. During the semester, with every film/video we viewed, first I cling to the elements which are familiar, and this is what produces “epiphanies” (remembered moments perceived to have significantly impacted the trajectory of a person’s life (BOCHNER & ELLIS, 1992; COUSER, 1997; DENZIN, 1989). This is how we process what we are seeing. How we understand what we see in our minds using our own personal experiences.
Then I get drawn to what’s unfamiliar. Or similar way but a tad different… The familiarity within the unfamiliar. The things my mind perceives as familiar within things I find strange, odd, weird, unnatural etc etc. This also triggers epiphanies but in a different way. The mind trying to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense always creates a unique understanding of what is seen. One example of finding familiarity within the unfamiliar was in State of Play.
It followed the lives of professional gamers in Japan. I find video games familiar and I find the competitive mindset commonly found in sport familiar. I used to play video games all the time as a kid, and I’ve watched a range of different sports in my life, now mostly MMA and Boxing. When I watch MMA and Boxing fights and the documentaries behind them I see their competitive mindset. The will to put their lives on the line to win. It’s what I feel is a unique mindset. I myself have been boxing on and off for the past year, haven’t competed yet, though through fighting sparring partners during training, I am aware of the mindset fighters must have.
Now through watching State of Play, I saw this same mindset of risking everything just to win, but instead with Japanese pro gamers. I am aware of the existence of pro gaming, but not to the extent of the one seen in State of Play. I usually envision kids in a quiet room full of heaps of screens when I think of a live pro gaming event. But in State of Play it was like a concert, and the gamers were rockstars. There were massive crowds screaming, and a huge production. The gamers that the film follows themselves were what I found the most strange as they took it so seriously. They sacrificed many things just to excel in this. It’s as if their lives depended on it. Compare these two videos.
Both COMPLETELY different professions. But you can see the same mindset in both the gamers and this professional fighter.
This has led me to gain interest in the Behaviour and Attitudes aspect of Auto Ethnographic studies. In the Ellis Et Al reading this kind of study reflects the form of reflexive auto ethnography.
Digital Artefact
Now for the digital artefact for this subject, me and 2 other students will be delving into the K-Pop Fandom wars. We were planning on doing a reaction video to these fans going crazy for their favourite artists. Because we want this to be authentic in reaction, I will not look into anything related to it until after we react to the video
ryanuow 