Task 1d: 2d Images

The importance of the use of images and audio-visual in today's world of social media cannot be understated.

Facebook is said to have seen over 25 billion photos uploaded - and counting! The old phrase 'a picture is worth a thousand words' really is an invaluable one. Photos can be treasured memories of a special occasion or an historical event of mass importance. Photos can help in the explanation of an idea or theory, particularly important when the creator of the information will not be there in person, rather like the 'meme' seen in Reader 1. Photos are especially notable in the use of advertising and as a self-employed performer, that is precisely what you need to do. Self-advertise. Greater care must be exercised when working with children or vulnerable adults if the photos to be used contain these groups of individuals. 

I have included the URL links to some photographs I have created on an Instagram account. The pictures are a mixture of my head shot portfolio (copyright (C) Jennie Scott) which I use constantly in the application for auditions. Whether an individual be a singer, dancer, or actor, they should possess a set of images that depict themselves in a favourable but accurate light. Spotlight and Casting-call Pro websites will always display a photograph of the individual in an online CV format, but these should look like the person in reality, for obvious reasons! The rest of the photos contained on the Instagram account are from my teaching employment at a youth theatre school. I went to great lengths to ensure I did this ethically. First of all, the principal of the school obtained written permission from parents of the children in order to be able to photograph them. As she had taken the photos and therefore had the rights to them, I had to ask her permission to be able to submit them for use in this task. I specifically chose photographs that show the pupils from a distance, with no 'head on' shots or featured individuals. However, as an extra precaution, Instagram allows the editing of photographs and as such, I have ensured that I have blurred all of the photographs.

Headshot 1

Headshot 2

Headshot 3

Headshot 4 

Headshot 5

Sorting Costumes

Class Time

Getting ready backstage

Show Rehearsal

I'd be very interested to hear what people think! Thanks :)

Task 1b: Professional Communication Technologies Continued...

Apologies to readers of my blog! No sooner had I posted my recent blogging r.e Web 2.0 etc, did I realise I still have more to say! 

With the rise in the use of the internet seeing many more people becoming the ‘creator’ of information, it is more important than ever to consider the ethical implications of such use and especially for me as a working professional. As a self-employed performer, you become essentially your own management but must also promote yourself and actively advertise your skills and assets at all times. Therefore, it should be considered possible and indeed probable that anything that is said or discussed online could be seen by potential employers and could therefore impact on any jobs that might be of interest to me. It is often discussed in the media that more and more employers are using Facebook as a search engine tool to allow access to photos of potential candidates and more often than not, leads to dismissal or not reaching further stages of application due to incriminating photos of a recent Saturday night out, or a status update detailing how a sick day was ‘actually’ spent. As a self-employed individual, I believe that it is harder to distinguish the lines between business and pleasure and that the lines could, without caution, become blurred. However, it is imperative that this is not allowed to happen as it could impact on future career opportunities.

The copyright and authenticity of ideas is an ethical consideration that many may not consider when using social networking sites. Photos and audio-visual media such as You Tube clips, although on the internet for millions to view, still have rights of ownership and as such, cannot be used or submitted as work of your own - Photographs, YouTube choreography for example. The internet in this sense may make it more difficult to find the true authenticity of ideas/inspiration. Perhaps most importantly for me however, is the issue of confidentiality. I am very eager to continue to further my career in teaching, a profession that is described as the most ‘vulnerable’ in terms of boundaries crossed and as such, extreme caution should be exercised, in the protection of children’s safety and my own personal information remaining as such, personal.

For myself, Web 2.0 is a series of tools that allows myself as a professional to engage with others in my field on forums, in the exchanging of thoughts ideas and theories. Each Web 2.0 app has a set of principles that allows its users to partake, contribute and engage in creativity in an easy but ‘democratic’ way. The rapid evolution of Web 2.0 tools suggests that collective intelligence of many individuals outweighs the thoughts and observations of a select few. This is certainly evident in terms of growth; from 1500 users initially, Facebook now has a massive 1 billion users worldwide. Now that people have been given the power to create their own material and comment on that of others, there most certainly isn't any going back. 

Task 1b: Professional Communication Technologies

Reader 1 certainly gave me food for thought!

Perhaps it is the subject matter that particularly struck me and immediately had me thinking. Technology – and how is has drastically changed the ways we work, learn and engage and communicate with others, especially ‘Web 2.0’ (a concept previously unknown to me) and social networking, blogs, Facebook etc.

At my age, it is hard to think back to how people learnt and communicated without the use of the internet. Using the internet has almost become second nature, a way of life. It is interesting when talking to my Grandma and being reminded of how modern day technologies have shaped communication. The world we live in is in too much of a hurry to sit and wait for a reply to be delivered in the post, or to travel to a library to source information. But both professional and personal relationships today are arguably improved by the resources we now have. However before Reader 1, I hadn’t been aware of how the web has evolved in the ways it supports our learning and the ability to share expertise and knowledge with a wider group of people. But why have we chosen to adapt the ways in which we communicate and share/collaborate information in the way that we have?

Bear with me whilst I attempt to deduce what is meant by ‘Web 2.0.’ This term refers to a second generation (hence the 2, clever eh?!) of communities that are web based. I am familiar with a number of them, having a Facebook/Twitter account as well as having started this blog as part of my degree! They have evolved from sources of one-way communication, similar to that of a television report or newspaper article, where something is ‘created’ by one person or source, and then ‘read’ by many. Web 2.0 allows any of us to become the ‘news reporter’ or the ‘editor’ of what we feel to be important to us. Users now seem to have far more control in the ability to create and delete items and sites are improved with more users. An example of the difference between these first and second generations of web-based communities that I can think of is as follows. I remember being set homework in my earlier school years that required me to research some information. I specifically remember our family owning a selection of Encyclopaedia Britannica on CD ROM format. I had to insert a disc into my computer and read information that someone had created. Websites such as Wikipedia, although controversial as a source of information as it has been hailed as ‘a radical experiment in trust’ by O’Reilly, allow users to post information and for that information to be edited by others in the future. An analogy that O’Reilly makes that really appealed to me was the comparison of synapses in the brain to the web of connections being created online; the growth a result of the collective activity of the web users.

I think, in essence, the element of Web 2.0 that really appeals to users is the power it could provide, the power in becoming a creator. No one can tell you that writing a blog about the latest fashion trends isn’t important, or that updating a Facebook status with the arrival of a new-born isn’t important. Because it will be, to someone. This is evident in sites such as Facebook, where users can ‘like’ posts and users can not only read blogs, but they can also subscribe to receive updates from them. Web 2.0, as well as this course are similar in principles in that they encourage participation. The blogging community that has been created by Middlesex Uni provides us with the ability to interact with each other, to take part in the creating of articles. Participation is made easier in that access to the internet is more often than not, quick and easy. Users feel they are more able to get involved, or perhaps they are more inclined to with the freedom they are given e.g. having the choice in the appearance of their own online space, whose pages to follow and what to download and share with followers regarding their own postings.

Task 1a: Professional Profile

From what I understand of this first part of the module, we are to get started on the profile sections of our blogs. After having looked at my current professional CV, I have written an 'About Me' section and uploaded this which you can (hopefully!) see.

I began by creating a list of bullet points that I knew I definitely wanted to transfer over from my CV e.g. training and qualifications, teaching positions etc and then began writing this into a structure that became my first draft. I think it's an important part to any blog as it gives more of an insight into the person behind the posts and it has been enjoyable to be able to read through the profiles of other people on this course, especially as I am yet to meet anybody having not made the campus session/induction! Comments on how to improve on anything written would be gratefully appreciated! I'd like to continue to write several more drafts to improve it over time, especially as this is a public forum and may be viewed by potential employers and I'd like to present myself in a professional manner.

I have to admit that although the task of writing the text to be used in the 'About Me' section was reasonably simple, I couldn't for the life of me work out how to include it in my blog but not as a post?! Thankfully, a painfully long 8-minute YouTube Clip was there to save the day!
I include the link to my Spotlight online CV, which is a requirement of being on my agent's books as it is a medium of searching for talent that many casting directors/teams use today and contains all of the information/details which I take to auditions/email out to potential employers.

Pip Spalton Spotlight

Blog Number One...Here Goes!

In a world of communication that has become so heavily dominated by the use of social media, I find it odd that I should find the task of writing my first blog a daunting one!

Facebook celebrated it's tenth 'birthday' recently. A website that had its humble beginnings in a college dormitory in America and today boasts a whopping 1.23 BILLION users would incredibly be the third largest country in the world based on it's 'family' of users! It is a website that massively influenced social interaction and connectivity in my final teenage years and has continued to be a big presence in my adult life. Phrases such as 'add me on Facebook' and 'he/she sent me a poke' have found their place in the English language almost overnight. On a site that allows users to update how they are feeling, share thoughts/experiences and express opinions to followers, it is, in essence, another blog, and therefore it seems absurd that I should be so unwilling to take my first blogging leap!

I think it all comes down to the view that other people have on what you post and their possible critique which could be the reason for my hesitance. This is not just another one of my transparent status updates about a successful shopping trip or a great night out. This is linked to my work and University life, something of much greater importance that I really care about and am eager to excel in. I am very much looking forward to sharing ideas and opinions with other people on the BAPP in the same boat as me!

For now though, I need to continue to get my head around this new (to me) phenomenon that is the Blog. I feel like my Dad when he recently ordered himself a new smart phone, completely and utterly helpless! I'm rather hoping that practice makes perfect in this instance.

Here's to my first ever completed Blog (phewf!)