SNAPPING REALITY

My feature article tells the story of Natasha Brown, a talented young footballer with hopes of stardom, who suffered a serious knee injury, and had to come to terms with the realisation that she would be out of the game for at least 9 months. I struggled with this particular blogsite to make it look authentic, as you can't do much with the text on here, and I had to leave my captions out because they wouldn't paste here properly. However, the hard copy which I have handed into the faculty office is the correct format and layout, so please bear that in mind.

It was the 89th minute of an important University cup match. I’d shot off down the wing with the ball at my feet and neatly chipped it to our captain, Natasha, who had then lobbed it past their central defender, leaving only the keeper to beat. As she struck a clean shot veering for the top left hand corner of the net she cried out in pain and I heard a gruesome snap. When I looked round I saw that she’d fallen to the floor, and I knew from her screams that she was in some agony. The paramedics were called and we all waited with bated breath. Looking at each other I could tell we were all thinking the same thing; this was our captain, and instead of looking up to her we were now looking down, which could only mean bad news for us. The funny thing was, she’d scored.
Four months on and I’m sat opposite my captain Natasha Brown, in the hopes of finding out a little more about her experiences playing the beautiful game so far, and to relive the day Natasha would face the cruel realisation that her footballing career was to be put on hold due to her Anterior Cruciate Ligament damage (snapping her knee ligament, to us simple folk).

“My personal passion is the enjoyment and satisfaction of taking part, that’s what it’s all about for me.”

“I’ve always been interested in football, I remember playing at school all the time” she smiles, “I played every time we had a break. My teacher recognised this and became my coach; he even bought me an England shirt which I still have today!” She flashes a cheeky grin as she recalls her fond childhood memories of the game, and how from such an early age she knew she was destined for a footballing career.
“My personal passion is the enjoyment and satisfaction of taking part, that’s what it’s all about for me. And the winning, of course, I can’t help being a little competitive’ she laughs at her own understatement.
Natasha enjoys reliving her childhood, and I’m eager to find out where her talent took her up until this point.

“I went on Oxford United football camps and some England camps and played football for as long as I could. Then I played for my team at primary school and by secondary school I’d played a few games for my local team Wantage F.C. They played me upfront and that’s where I’ve continued to play since then” By the time Natasha was at secondary school she had already been elected as Captain for her team, a position which she took very seriously,
“To be elected as captain was an honour; it meant that my teammates must have had the faith in me to lead the team in a successful way. They must respect me as their friend and captain and trust that I’d do well for the team.”

“...it finally dawned on me that going under the knife was the only option I had.”

After reliving fond memories of her footballing career so far, I felt a pang of guilt to have to move onto the present day and the injury she had suffered to her knee.
“I was desperate to try anything other than have the operation, it was the last resort for me, but my ligament was shot and no amounts of strengthening exercises were working, and so it finally dawned on me that going under the knife was the only option I had. I was absolutely gutted, and it’s so frustrating to be stuck on the sidelines knowing that I can’t get back out there for at least 9 months, and even then I’m not sure if my playing days will ever be the same.”
I can hear her stifling her last words as a tear forms in the corner of her eye, and it is at that point I realise just how important this means to her. For Natasha, this wasn’t something she did every Sunday in the park for a bit of exercise, this was her life, and she had no way of telling what was around the corner. I wanted to know where she saw herself in nine months time where, potentially, she could be back on the pitch.



“It’s a goal, no pun intended, that I want to achieve, but obviously I’m not sure how realistic it is. I don’t know how capable I will be and I’ll probably be reluctant to tackle opponents at first. I need to make sure I’m prepared both physically and mentally before I step back out on the pitch, and that’s where the professionals come in. One thing that’s for certain is that I won’t give up, football is my passion, it drives me every day, and if worse comes to worse and I can’t play, I’ll just be the next Hope Powell!”
Natasha’s footballing career goes way beyond my own, but I couldn’t begin to fathom how she must be feeling after experiencing this career crushing injury. I care about her as my captain and also my friend and I feel gutted for her to be stood on the sidelines itching to get back out there. If anything though, this experience has given me a new found respect for her; the way she has handled her injury and the attitude she has shown reminds me exactly why she was elected to lead our team, and although she won’t play again for the University team again, she is, and will continue to be, as tremendous an asset off the pitch as she was on it.

Original Unedited Photographs and Analytical Paragraphs

These are my UNEDITED photos, scroll down to the blog entry underneath for the FINAL EDITED PHOTOGRAPHS WITH CAPTIONS. Click on photographs to enlarge if necessary.



Photo 1: I chose to take a long shot of the fish tank for my first photograph, in order to position the viewer in the scene, and so that they were able to take in the photo as a whole, rather than just showing them a portion of the full view. The idea behind the photographs is that the fish tank was originally murky and dark; therefore I adjusted the colour gradient to make the shot look darker than it originally was, giving more emphasis on the dirtiness of the tank to the viewer. I also used the Photoshop blur tool to make the fish look slightly blurry in order to add to the shock of how dirty the tank is. The photo was also cropped to eliminate insignificant objects that were in the shot when I took it, for example bottles and wires. Finally, I positioned the fish food in the bottom left hand corner of the shot on purpose just to add a little extra into the shot, and I also brightened the pots to make them more prominent to the viewer.



Photo 2: I decided to include this particular photo because I liked the way the water was rippling at the top of the tank, and the detail present at the forefront of the photograph. In order to vary the angle of shots I decided to take a high angle shot to capture the tank from a high point of view. Also, from this angle the viewer can see inside of the tank without the lid on, therefore getting a better view of how dirty the water is, and increasing their empathy towards the fish. The only thing I had to do for this photograph was darken it as a whole; it needed no cropping as I had positioned the camera to my liking at the time of taking the photo.




Photo 3: I chose to have a close up shot of one of the RPSCA ‘team’ members getting to work on cleaning the tank, just so there was a little variation in shots. For this shot there was originally a ‘Tesco’ branded label on the black bucket, so I edited this out as it made the image look a little untidy, and also I wasn’t sure of showing brand names in my photographs. I also smudged out some of the marks on the figure’s hand again to tidy up the image. I cropped the photo also as the jumper being worn in the shot had ‘Winchester’ written on it, and I thought that this might lessen the authenticity of the image.




Photo 4: I wanted to take a close up shot of all three of the fish to show them in detail, and also after the tank had been cleaned so the viewer could see how much clearer the photograph was. The tank still had some water marks showing so I managed to edit these out using the smudge tool on Photoshop, and I also cropped the photo so the image was zoomed in on the fish. The photo is slightly empty apart from the fish however I didn’t see this as a negative thing as I wanted to make it clear what my main focus was for the viewer.



Photo 5: I wanted another close up shot of the fish looking happier after their tank had been cleaned to emphasise the job of the RSPCA and how they’d managed to give them a better life in so short a time. Therefore I included this picture of the three fish looking healthier and happier. Regarding the colour tone, I made the shot lighter as a whole and cropped it to zoom into the subjects. I also attempted to edit out some of the dirt from the tank that is still visible; however I found it fairly difficult to erase most of it.



Photo 6: For the last photo I decided to put some of the fish food into the tank and capture them eating, so that the viewer could get a feel of how hungry they were, adding extra emphasis on the welfare of the fish. I managed to capture this shot of the gold fish swimming upwards to reach the food, and I thought as an image it looked quite powerful, so would be good for the last shot. I thought that the lighting for this shot didn’t need to be changed and so all I did was crop the photo. I thought about editing out the black fish in the background, however I decided against it as I thought it would be good for the viewer to see the fish in the background swimming for food as well.

A Day in the Life of Rescued Fish...

I have chosen to take a selection of photographs which tells the viewer a story about three fish found in an unhealthy condition by the RSPCA. The idea is that the RSPCA have been informed of an abandoned house where there are potentially household pets living inside. The photos will portray the condition of the tank before and after the RSPCA have rescued and cleaned the fish and their habitat. My photographs and captions combined will put the viewer in a position where they feel sympathetic towards the condition that these fish have been left in, and also feel elation towards the RSPCA for rescuing them.
Click on the photographs to enlarge if necessary:




The RSPCA capture this distressing photograph of the fish's living condition just moments after they were found in a derelict home in Winchester



A further image of the tank before the team sets to work



The team must work quickly as they know that the fish are in danger of dying



George (left) Ernie (centre) and Eileen (right), as the team have renamed them, start to look much happier as the tank is being cleaned



George pouts for the camera to show he's alright whilst Eileen and George muscle in on the photo



Eileen frantically swims to the top of the tank to eat the first food they have been given in approximately four months, specialists say

Inception Review

With a 9.4 rating on IMDB and 5 stars from Empire, it’s needless to say that I was greatly looking forward to witnessing Leonardo DiCaprio meddling in the confusing sub consciousness of dreams. Writer and director Christopher Nolan was under some pressure to deliver a third great movie after overindulging our enjoyment thresholds with Batman Begins and the more recent Dark Knight, and I’m sure I can speak for most film lovers when I say that he has well and truly succeeded once again. The film delved into the subconscious minds of actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Ellen Page, on their journey to save the life of Saito (Ken Watanabe) who was caught in dream limbo, and also to uncover the truth about Cobb’s (DiCaprio) estranged wife Mal (Marion Cotillard). The plot allows audiences to be taught the concept of entering dreams and gaining information that is inaccessible through any other method, and we are able to learn along with the other characters; feeling in ourselves a part of the storyline, which is what makes Inception so exciting and enjoyable to watch. Whereas the film can be a little confusing for audiences at times – dreams within dreams within dreams etc – the plot was never going to be a ‘sit back and relax’ one, therefore personally I expected my brain to be active throughout. The only fault I do have (and even then it’s not so much a fault) was the excruciatingly painful-to-watch final scene, in which Nolan teased audiences and left us gasping and yelling ‘Did it?! DID IT?!’ to our neighbours. Chris – why do you torture us so?? Nevertheless a brilliant way to end a brilliant film, and I am thoroughly looking forward to future releases by Nolan the mastermind.

The Social Networking Blockbuster?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnamMtQs1fI

The latest groundbreaking news to come to light is that there is to be a movie dedicated to the widely popular social networking site Facebook. The film will look to take audiences on a journey through the creation and overnight success of the website, which was created in 2004 on the campus of Harvard University. ‘The Social Network’ is due for release late this year, with Jesse Eisenberg (best known for his roles in Zombieland and The Squid and the Whale) playing Facebook’s chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg, and Justin Timberlake appearing as Sean Parker, Facebook’s founding president. When I first heard the idea for the film a flash of words came to mind, none of which were positive, however after seeing the trailer and the way in which the story is portrayed as one of passion, deceit, loss, fame, and all the other typical concoctions of emotions to make the perfect movie, I loosened up about the whole idea. Yes, when you hear ‘a film about Facebook’ it initially seems bizarre, yet when you actually look into the idea and find out that it does dig a little deeper than that, it seems that it could turn out to be a fairly successful blockbuster

Exam time...

So today is the day of the Journo exam, and I thought I'd just blog all my revision notes/key words down here this morning for a bit of extra cramming before writing it all down in the test:

1. WAS NIETZSCHE A NAZI?

- Considering the Nazi movements didn't start until 30 years after Nietzsche had died, you couldn't really say he was a Nazi, but these claimed stemmed from his ANTI-SEMITISM which was already widespread over Europe in Germany, Poland, Russia...
- But, Nietzsche did not like ANY RELIGION; he wanted people to eradicate religion from their lives to become FREE.
- His famous statement 'God is Dead' led, Christians and Jews especially, to think he was a Nazi, but he had no specific racial hatred towards the Jews.
- Nietzsche's main philosophy was EXTREME INDIVIDUALISM; promoting self reliance and independence. In his book 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' he writes about the idea of the 'superman' or 'overman' (Ubermensch)..."I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him?"
- Also the tightrope walker in 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', a fairly obvious metaphor of humanity in the process of transformation from the current stage of consciousness to a more advanced stage.
- Nietzsche referred to Da Vinci, Beethoven and Wagner as 'supermen'

2. WAS MEURSAULT A BAD MAN?

- Existentialism is a key theme cited in Camus' book 'L'Etranger' (The Stranger), written in 1942, however Camus claimed not to be an existentialist, as the content explores other philosophical schools of though, such as ABSURDISM, STOICISM, DETERMINISM, NIHILISM and NATURALISM.
- Existentialism is the idea that we live right now, not yesterday, but here and now, and we are unsure of the future therefore it may not even happen; it's not there.
- "Existence proceeds essence" - Jean Paul Sartre
- Existentialists say there is no purpose in life, and that it has no value because we are all going to die anyway. You could even go as far as to say that they would commit suicide, but that requires effort, and in a pointless world it wouldn't be worth taking your own life. This is referred to as an EXISTENTIAL VOID
- In the book, Meursault kills another person, and previously his mother has died, both of these actions unaffecting Meursault or his feelings, and he ends up in jail

3. TO WHAT EXTENT DOES THE NEW JOURNALISM (TOM WOLFE) REFLECT CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL TRENDS SUCH AS PSYCHOANALYSIS AND THE POLITICS OF THE 'ME GENERATION'?

- New Journalism was introduced as a style of news writing and journalism in the 60s/70s, and used literary techniques which were deemed unconvetional at the time
- Wolfe published a collection of journalism articles in 1973 which codified the current meaning.
- Gonzo Journalism, which branched off of the New Journalism term, is a style of journalism written subjectively, and writes news as though it is fiction. The reporter is included in the story using a first person narrative, and often uses sarcasm, humour, exaggeration and profanity.
- The use of Gonzo journalism can be truthful without striving for objectivity
- The New Journalism was seen as a move from DIEGETIC to MIMETIC (telling/seeing), and nothing is judged, but everything is 'strange' - adopted from EXISTENTIALISM
- Gonzo Journalism is now seen as the normal way of writing, for example The Beatles are the norm when speaking of pop music
- DA Pennebaker 'Don't Look Back'
- Fly on the wall documentary - New Journalism
- Psychoanalysis (The Century of the Self) became popular in this era, and was about listening to people/following them around (gonzo) and analysing them
- Reich and the 'me generation' - INDIVIDUALISM - everyone should be happy, sexual freedom, self fulfilment (Nike - Just Do It) you will become PHYSICALLY ILL if you do not have enough sex

4. WHY MIGHT JOURNALISTS FIND THE LOGICAL POSITIVIST SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY TO BE USEFUL OR APPEALING? WHAT FAULTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE APPROACH OF LOGICAL POSITIVISTS?

- Firstly, logical positivism is a theory which combines empiricism and rationalism
- Grew from a group called the 'First Vienna Circle' and rejects all theories UNLESS they are scientific ones (Moritz Schlick)
- They assert the VERIFICATION PRINCIPLE - if a statement cannot be verified then it is not true, take for example, 'God is Dead', it cannot be verified, therefore it may or may not be true, and is just not discussed by logical positivists
- Appealing to journalists as it is to do with separating COMMENT and FACT (like Journo today, you need to be able to prove what you are writing is true, otherwise it is merely COMMENT)
- FAULTS: Karl Popper introduced the FALSIFICATION THEORY which completely destroyed the verification theory, by him claiming that the theory itself could not be verified. He said that things were only true if their opposites were
- This theory destroys the works of Freud, Hegel and Marx as you cannot verify their findings

5. KEYNES HAS BEEN HAILED AS BOTH THE SAVIOUR AND DESTROYER OF THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM. WHY?

- Keynes rejected all economic theory of the 30s such as the free market. STEINBECK claimed that unemployment was impossible in a free market system
- Today the government give unemployed people benefits, which encourages them to stay unemployed because they are essentially getting FREE MONEY. Instead, the idea is to get them working for money, even if it is digging holes and refilling them, so that they will get salary and spend their money and join this circle of economy
- "Capitalism produces nothing except destruction for themselves"
- Cut wages + remove government spending = cures unemployment
- Even if wages are cut people have to keep spending, because the company will in turn be able to keep their employers, and within time be able to employ even more people, eventually allowing wages to increase. But, if you start cutting spendings then employees are at risk of being fired as there is not enough money in the circulation to pay them.
- Hayek 'Road to Serfdom'

This is an age dominated by visual images amid declining literacy...

D.A. Pennebaker is an American documentary filmmaker and one of the pioneers of Direct Cinema. In the early 1960s he founded Drew Associates, along with Richard Leacock and Robert Drew who later left to found their own production firm. Pennebaker continued and worked with his wife, and founded a new company Pennebaker Hegedus Films, and made a number of influential documentaries. These films were typically shot with an obviously hand-held camera and the use of voice over narration and interviews. Pennebaker went about his documentaries with a simple portrayal of events typical of the cinema ‘verite’ style, which combines naturalistic techniques with stylised cinematic devices of editing and camerawork to provoke subjects.

Pennebaker is quoted as saying “It's possible to go to a situation and simply film what you see there, what happens there, what goes on, and let everybody decide whether it tells them about any of these things. But you don't have to label them, you don't have to have the narration to instruct you so you can be sure and understand that it's good for you to learn.” His documentary ‘Don’t Look Back’ - which celebrates Bob Dylan’s tour of England in 1965 – he claimed was “not a documentary at all by my standards.” Pennebaker claims he does not actually make documentaries, but “records of moments”, “half soap operas”, and “semi-musical reality things.”