Communications and Media

As our session comes to a close, it is a great honor to be a part of our virtual team. Along with all the things I have come to learn regarding Australia and the Australian content, it has also been a fulfilling experience to interact with other people from other places and from other cultures. It has been interesting for me to learn about Australia and to visit it. The outback as we all know it, Australia has a rich culture that can reach greater heights in due time. It has even started to penetrate Hollywood by way of its locals such as Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Heath Ledger. While these stars have reached international stardom, Australian movies or its media as a whole has yet to follow their status of international popularity.

Update on My Australia Experience
As a virtual team, we have effectively discussed several topics and consequently, formed various ideas  many came out to be great ideas and arguments (Dekker, 2008) regarding Australian content. For my part in introducing and experiencing Australia, I have posted a topic regarding my experience. The outback was truly an exhilarating experience. Without a gadget as simple as a cell phone, it made me aware of the beauty of the outback of Australia and of the animals around it. Moreover, considering that no gadget was around to occupy my attention, it also became an experience that would allow me to bond with fellow tourists as well as with the locals around. The outback eventually made me think of the place as a good ground for filming. While sometimes the outback is considered as too much of an Australian content and are commonly seen in shows regarding animals, it could be a good ground for filming movies regarding survival, or any other genre that can incorporate the outback location. Since Australian content is hardly removed from the media in Australia, then maybe it would be good to use strengths such as a healthy landscape and animal reservoir in order to showcase a good Australia.

Market Protection
Speaking of the great landscape and outback, Australia has been a favorite shooting place for movies hailing from other countries, most commonly from the United States. An example that was stated on a discussion was The Chronicles of Narnia. So then, the topic on market protection arises. Since Australia cannot produce a large amount of high-quality movies in terms of script, story, etc., should it then allow market protection on foreign films that are shot with in Australia since they provide employment for its people In my opinion, Australia is working hard on preserving Australian content on its media thus protecting foreign movies, most especially of Hollywood will not do good for the development of Australian media. Perhaps the best thing for Australia for now is to put its locations for lease to foreign movie production companies in order to generate income while at the same time, gaining tourist spot status and not necessarily protect these films. If this should be the case, then there is a chance that funds for local movies or local media can be increased.

Funding
With regards to funding, I believe that the Adult Film Commission which is now called Screen Australia has been funding the creation of Australian content for new media during the years and that it allows for a different perspective. The problem then arises that the maintenance of Australian content in movies and in the media seems to prevent Australia from simply making good movies. Besides, Hollywood has far long made a name for itself and conquered almost all topics and genres that an attempt to make something to pit against its movies would be futile. It would only make these movies weak, and thus, funding again becomes an issue. Since the funds for making Australian movies is taken from the government or from peoples taxes, people have become more and more disappointed in seeing Australian movies which have no appeal for the masses thus, most prefer to eliminate or at least minimize Australian content in the media. In my opinion, the use of Australian content has been done for a couple of years already if its strong presence and use in the media is not helping, then maybe its time to diminish its use. Although I would like to be clear that Im not talking about complete eradication since it is a form of showcasing the Australian culture, which is definitely unique to locals as well as to the world. There have also been movies that have caught international attention just like the Mad Max movie however, it may not be the best Australian movie there is. I believe it to be wiser to experiment on other ideas, new and different since only through experimentation and practice that we can come up with a perfect concoction. 

Cultural Diversity
The interesting topic on cultural diversity has led me to think of it as an international phenomenon. Since the discovery of airplanes and ships, the world became a smaller place and thus, it was easier for people to move from one place to another causing a combination of cultures in most places. There could not have been one single place that is not culturally diverse in our time today. My definition of cultural diversity is the differences between cultures, people, and societies around the world. Although these differences are apparent, people learn to co-exist. Through this co-existence, people learn to live with each others cultures. However, in this generation of television, movies, music as well as internet connection, cultural diversity has never become more emphasized.

National Cultural Policy
I am really astonished as to how Australia takes its culture seriously. While they smother Australianness over their movies and their media, it is somehow no longer interesting to some of its people. However, I for one am in awe for the Australian government for maintaining its stance on Australian content amidst the influence of the United States liberal and commercial focus on its movies, talk about cultural diversity. I dont think Australian movies are that bad but maybe the locals deem it too much already. Too much Australian content placed on the media whereas the media is the greatest projectors of culture, it results to culture overload perhaps

The Internet
The internet is perhaps the most influential and most effective projector of culture there is. In a span of minutes, you will be able to chat with people from different countries and therefore, get an idea regarding their culture or way of life. It has also become widely available. From dial-up connections to broadband to wireless connections, the internet has evolved and spread in such a short span of time and why not when the things you can do with an internet connection are boundless. You can read, watch and hear materials that you can access easily, contact people in other places, work at home, study at home, and more An interesting feature of having an internet connection is a persons ability to download material for his or her convenience. To that I would like to note the popularity of porn in the internet.

Porn
A very sensitive subject, that is, porn. Gone are the days when Playboy magazines ruled a mans room. For now, internet is the most relied source of pornography. However, in line with Screen Australias dilemma of a low viewer number of its movies and therefore, low profit, it has been suggested that they go for porn since the demand is high. I agree that a lot of money can be made if they go for porn however I believe that it would be unlikely for them to enter into pornography. Being a government agency, the implications of promoting pornography can become a social dilemma. Even though kids or a certain age group think pornography is cool and that it is a good market, it doesnt mean that the government will get away with funding it. Of course, oppositions especially by religious groups are inevitable.

In the end, the entire course has been a wonderful way to discuss the implications of Australian content on Australian media. In the first module, introductions between the group members were properly done. Strengths and weaknesses were enumerated so as to know who can be relied on for problems in the future. Since I had to be away, I tried to finish all my blog posts in order to help out the group. Our instructor, Kate Bowles made a clear impression on me since she seemed to be an epitome of knowledge which at the end, she proved to be. She was also a great leader and initiator of discussions. With regards to my group members, I found Greg Martin to be impressive due to his location, Peru and to his busy schedule. Though I also multitask, he seems to have a lot of thing going, making me wonder how he could handle all that he is doing and is still able to make the requirements so for that, hats off to him.

In the second module, discussions were very apparent. I believe everyone interacted with each other in order to form ideas helpful for our task. Researches were done, shared and discussed. I believe the group was already able to form teamwork and rapport with each other as evidenced by the discussions and sharing that occurred. At this point, Kim Harlows research seemed to be effective and credible since she was right on the topic. She was also able to present links or references regarding the primary resource needed for the task. Finally, with the last module, it felt like everyone was already trying to do what they can in order to help in the discussions and so, ideas were generated every now and then. I believe that in closing the semester, everyone was already aware of the Australian content and how it is beneficial and also disadvantageous to the Australian community. Overall, I gave my best in being an effective team member. Even though I had trouble joining the discussions during the first weeks, I was able to engage in the conversations over time. I guess one of my contributions was the state of Hollywood in the United States. In the end, as a virtual team member, I think I need to learn how to be more open with my opinions and to manage my time appropriately.

Again, Kate Bowles was a big part of the success of our virtual team. She provided a lot of areas for discussions and opened more. She was very engaging as a team leader and urged her students to join in the discussion or to simply talk about their opinions. Georgia was also a good influence in the team since she was creative with her thinking and upfront with her opinions. I could say this most especially with the subject on porn as an area for Screen Australia to enter. Although I do not believe that it would be possible, I agree with her that the porn industry means a lot of money. I also nominate Kim Harlow and David Ray for having been involved in the discussions quite often and for having a good eye for research.