MMCC1015 Media Practice & Production – Lecture 1 Comprehensive Notes

Unit Overview

  • MMCC1015 Media Practice & Production (Macquarie University, Faculty of Arts → Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts)

  • Over-arching focus: noticing, analysing and USING media elements, tools, and skills to MAKE media that “works better.”

  • Core principle: everything you make has form and perspective; form is how you communicate perspective.

  • Lecture 1 agenda

    • What the unit is & what good it will do you

    • Key concepts you need to grasp

    • Logistics: roles of lecturer, tutors, you

    • Technologies you’ll activate creatively

    • Attendance, assessments, questions

Key Concepts: Form, Content, Perspective

  • Form = “the way parts work together to create an overall effect.”

    • From Bordwell, Thompson & Smith (2018: 57):
      > “The emotion felt by the spectator will emerge from formal patterns that she or he perceives in the work.”

  • Content is not separate from form; subject matter & ideas differ because each work deploys the same elements/tools differently.

  • Media object = bridge between maker and audience conveying experience, info, ideas, messages, stories.

  • “Media” (plural of medium)—etymology (Latin medium “middle, midst, center”); also “intermediate agency, channel of communication” since c. 1600c.\,1600.

Elements of Media

  • Three fundamental building blocks you will manipulate:

    1. Image

    2. Sound

    3. Words

  • Practitioner’s job: understand each element separately and in combination; develop effective composition strategies.

Forms, Practices & Productions (Brain-stormed examples)

  • Moving-image: films, TV (broadcast, cable, streaming), TikToks, YouTube, ads, VR/AR, AI-generated clips, news, reality, docs, animation, drama, comedy, children’s, current affairs.

  • Audio: radio, podcasts, soundscapes, soundtracks, installations, architectural atmospheres, spoken word, audiobooks, SoundCloud projects, audio tours.

  • Print & text-based: newspapers, magazines, books, essays, articles, social posts, ads, brochures, speeches.

  • Prompt to students: list additional practices & productions you know.

Reflective Prompt (Lecture 1)

  • “How many media forms have you encountered today?”

  • “How many platforms are within reach right now?” (phone, apps, computer, TV…)

  • “How are they shaping how you feel & think in this moment?”

Weekly Breakdown (Subject to adjustment for learning objectives)

  • Week 1 (today) – Oceans example; seeing how different media representations shift perception, emotion, knowledge.

  • Week 2 – Elements of Image

    • Framing, composition, tone, symbolism, line, colour, shape, texture, space, relationships.

    • Comparative image study (Asako Narahashi’s ocean photos).

  • Week 3 – Elements of Sound

    • Emotional/imagistic power of sound (e.g., gentle waves by Andrew Holman).

    • How sound re-colours an image; headphone-warning example (Jaymie Valentine).

  • Week 4 – Strategies of Juxtaposition

    • Combining image/sound/words to create contrast, comparison, metaphor, causality.

    • Pollution-vs-sea imagery timeline screenshot (editing timeline graphic).

  • Week 5 – Process

    • Workflow & Creative Task 1 preparation (timeline interface shown).

  • Week 6 – Rhythm & Pattern

    • Visual, aural, kinetic rhythm; timing, pacing, phrasing, dynamics (Hokusai’s Great Wave reference).

    • Creative Task 1 due End Week 6 (practice image+sound+juxtaposition+rhythm skills).

  • Week 7 – Performance

    • How people perform selves; how media framings shape perception (M. Hulot’s Holiday example).

  • Week 8 – Creative Task 2 Briefing

    • Two-week mid-semester break → scout ideas, capture image & sound (Anna Ancher painting).

    • Portrait process: choosing subjects, uncovering depth, motivations beneath surface.

  • Week 9 – Voice & Perspective

    • Where you stand, what you say, and how that drives composition strategies.

  • Week 10 – Design Thinking & Editing Thinking

    • “Thinking by doing” → iterative creative problem-solving in edit suite.

Assessments & Weightings

  • Creative Task 1 → 35%35\% (due Week 6)

  • Creative Task 2 → 50%50\% (brief Week 8; final due later; details in iLearn)

  • Remaining 15%15\% typically tutorial participation / quizzes (implied by weekly quizzes & in-class work).

  • All due dates & rubrics posted under Assessment Tasks tab on iLearn.

Roles & Expectations

  • Lecturer (Alicia ?):

    • Weekly Monday lecture 10 am; sets readings, designs content, builds quizzes, answers questions, consultations.

  • Tutors:

    • Bridge between you & content; activate readings; lead practical exercises; give feedback every week.

  • YOU (students):

    • Show up, participate, practice. “What you put in is what you get out.”

    • Get on iLearn every week; observe, frame, shoot, record, design, cut, ask, play, create.

    • Use tutors actively—ask questions, seek feedback.

Professional-Grade Tools (Encouraged)

  • AVID Media Composer | First – industry standard for drama, broadcast, news (free cut-down version).

  • ProTools | First – professional audio editing.

  • Adobe Creative Cloud – Premiere Pro – industry use for corporate, instructional, advertising, personal projects (limited MQ licences; request ASAP).

  • DaVinci Resolve – robust edit platform; free; mimics pro workflows.

  • Links to downloads & training on iLearn → RESOURCES tab.

Phone-Filmmaking How-Tos (Resource list)

  • iPhone audio app tutorial (.docx)

  • Offload video from iPhone to PC / Mac (PDFs)

  • Pro-Movie app guides (shooting & settings)

  • Recording better audio with phone (.docx)

  • Hand-held shot smoothing & stabilisation (.docx)

Composition Strategies to Master (Preview)

  • Framing & shot types

  • Colour, tone, lighting

  • Texture & spatial depth

  • Narrative rhythm, pacing, timing

  • Juxtaposition & montage logic (contrast/compare/metaphor)

  • Sound design (diegetic vs non-diegetic, ambience, fx, music, silence)

  • Voice & perspective—ethical stance, subjectivity, authorial “voice”

  • Performance direction—capturing authentic vs staged behaviour

Ethical, Philosophical & Practical Considerations

  • Representation: composition choices express a voice; ask “What does this form do to the subject being represented?”

  • Media maker responsibility: framing can reveal or obscure “depths, hidden qualities, motivations.”

  • Design-thinking mindset: iterate, prototype, test emotional / intellectual effect on audience.

Immediate Action Items

  1. Create a dedicated desktop folder for MMCC1015 → collect ideas, exercises, inspiration.

  2. Log in to iLearn → review Assessment tab, Resources tab, Discussion Forum.

  3. Download/secure at least one editing platform (Avid First, Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve) & begin tutorials.

  4. Bring phone/camera & headphones to every tutorial for hands-on practice.

  5. Reflect daily on media encountered → note forms, platforms, your responses.

Next Stop

  • Head to your first tutorial → icebreakers, tool orientation, first practical exercises.

  • Questions? Post in General Discussion Forum or ask tutor in class.