Essay Preparation

For the essay, I have decided to write about fallout 3, and how they portray slavery. And they do portray it extensivly. I to see if they maybe they tailored what they showed, in order not to hurt sensibilities, like they did when they changed the drug names in order not to allure to anything specific.
 To do this Ill do 3 things:
 Ill try to look into some theories on slavery, and maybe compare it to the slaves in-game, and see if it matches up.
 Ill look into some peoples opinions on how some other narratives on slavery were portrayed
 If possible, Ill look into some game theorists, and see if they have anything to say about agency on video-games.

Poster and inspirations

Finished Poster

Inspirations

Looking back on our trip

 I feel that our visits to both, the Arnolfini, and the Watershed, were, overall, a success. We saw what we needed to see. We got the information we wanted. Still, I can't help but think that, if I were to do another site visit, I would like to prepare better. Neither sites were having screenings when we went to them. While this isn't essential for our research or conclusions, it certainly would have helped to see a big chunk of public, but oh well. Maybe next time.

Notes on Week 3 seminar

 Much of what we see today, and take for granted, is actually the result of a relatively new shift in paradigms. Things such as leisure time are fairly ''new'' concepts. This shift in paradigm started with the industrial revolution, whee people started migrating from the country side to the cites. This new allocation of society, paired with the new, rising type of industry, gave birth to consumer culture, as we know it.

 This also started the idea that consuming was a status symbol, and thus, areas were created with sole purpose of consuming and being seen consume. 

 It is also worth noting that in this era of transition, we see for the beginning of childhood as a concept, as well as the alienation of the worker.

Risk Assessment form

Notes from the second lecture

 Looking is a political act; we may agree or desagree with content. 

 Multiple meanings can be taken from a single piece of work, depending on who is seeing it. People who come from different social or temporal contexts may perciever the same thing in different ways( like in the two paintings shown in the power point). 

 There is such a thing as a dominant meaning, and it may even influence how certain things are designed(such as the world map).

 Ideology is the paradigm through which people view the world. Most societies act as if though their ideologies are natural.  But ideologies are not allways received in the ways predicted.

 Sometimes certain groups may apropriate something from another group.

The effects of location on viewer experience

 We were asked to go to a couple of sites and determine how the location's specific qualities might impact a viewers experience of any work being shown there. These are my findings;

 The Arnolfini

 The Arnolfini is an art gallery in the centre of town, which regularly shows motion pictures. If one were to screen work there, the viewing of said work might influenced by various facts, which I am going to list.
 -The audience at the Arnolfini varies greatly, and one might expect that, for any one screening, a wide variety of social and economical backgrounds might be present. Fromm tourists, to students, to families, the Arnolfini is quite a popular place, and as far as audience goes, the viewing of the movie will be affected in many unpredictable ways, but none are the result of one particular perspective of one particular group.
 -Located at the very heart of Bristol, the Arnolfini is quite a convenient place to go to, weather you mean to go there, or if you're simply passing by. Though, admittedly, if one were to be exposed to work, after simply wondering into the facilities, as opposed to going there on purpose, one might not be fully receptive to the works full intended message. It is also worth noting that, although the Arnolfini is the centre, there is no parking nearby, which can also affect viewer experience, especially if it's raining, because I can assure you, I enjoy movies a lot less if I'm drenched.
 -The Arnolfini is very clean in just about every aspect, and though it looks a bit industrial, there are just about no factors about it, or its surroundings that one put one off of seeing a screening, or feeling uncomfortable during one(unless you're afraid of water, at which case the waterfront might make you uneasy). Also, the screening times, as well as gallery times are fairly early in the day, so any potential hazards that come with night-time are virtually eliminated.
 

The watershed

 The watershed is mostly frequented by people of a greater age, as well as mature individuals. Youth and students don't have a lot of interest in it, probably because of it's occasionally obscure programme, so immediately we have something that might condition the experience of the viewing: the viewers are older. This could mean a variety of things, such as, they won't be as receptive to more implausible or violent themes, or they might not connect with Hollywood-like characters, young and full of energy. Of course, this is mere speculation, but it is something to take into account.
 It is handy-cap accessible, in the centre of the city, and the only problem with it is it's proximity to the water. The watershed is very close to the Arnolfini, so essentially it suffers from all it's location flaws as well as benefits. One should also point out that there are street vendors just outside the watershed, which make the likeness of tourist attendance higher.
 The watershed looks very welcoming, and is nicely frequented, so there are really no off-putting qualities to it, that would make one hesitate before going in. It's worth mentioning that there is a restaurant near-by which smells quite nicely, which might be a factor in choosing the place, and make the viewer hungry during the screening, which could potentially break his focus.