NTU to offer vegan-only food options from mid-2017 onwards / Fake News Broadcast

NTU pledges to switch up food variety at canteen B to vegan-only options by late quarter of 2017.

NTU pledges to switch up food variety at canteen B to vegan-only options by late quarter of 2017.

Posted by Tania Tay on Thursday, 30 March 2017

The broadcast was filmed with the intention of adopting a formal news cast style, of a top-down approach from a larger organisation in disseminating information. In the interview, the reporter attempts to imbue real facts and organisations (citing Meatless Mondays, Khoo Teck Phuat and Yale-NUS) in order to set a more believable tone.

With the insertion of fake news at the later half, viewers are inclined to continue believing as the tone has already been set earlier. However, the later citing of fictional twitter users with ridiculous names such as Lim Yau Kwee (Yau Kwee means hungry ghost in Hokkien) and Jia Li At (Jialat is used to describe a disastrous situation [Singlish]) with outrageous opinions, while maintaining a news-reportage formal tone start to become puzzling.

Similarly, propaganda can also be used in a similar way to confuse truth and fiction, and some might believe, instead of critiquing and deciding if its true, or false.

On hindsight, I should have used OBS to switch more fluidly between the different screens.

Reference for context: Meatless in Singapore [The Strait Times]
Extended filming script can be found here: FakeBroadcastScript

What Facebook sees at 1129AM / Live Broadcasting: Real Life

Screenshot of video broadcast

Link here.

Summary of my experience:
Earlier, in deciding the placement of the camera, I placed it with careful curation: an area where exposure was limited, and I had complete control over the video frame contents. I anticipated that I would be having viewers, and curated the video contents to hint, rather than explicitly show, what I was doing in real time.

‘While webcams always appear to be casually and innocently positioned, “their field of vision is carefully considered, and behaviour within that field cannot help but anticipate the looming presence of the global viewer.” ‘
– Steve Dixon in “Webcams: The subversion of Surveillance” (2007)

To a certain extent, it was a constrained performance, but at the same time, the contents were not. It was a typical view of what I usually do, banging the keys as I dish out essays after essays. The lines between private and the public have been blurred, as they enter my private space, yet ineffectually through my constructed broadcast.

Another pertinent point which Dixon brought up was rather interesting, that the unrevealed (a la invisible) in fact brings up the visible.

‘Unrevealed offstage action is a standard theatrical narrative device… Similarly, the long periods of time watching empty rooms with no characters within the Jennicam set… presented an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of patterns where, like a Beckett play, like an Eliot stanza, people “come and go”.’
– Steve Dixon in “Webcams: The subversion of Surveillance” (2007)

Through my accidental disappearances in the video – despite it not being intentional nor very much prolonged – along with the restrictive video framing, brought up a second narrative: where did she go, what is she doing now – gone to the toilet or hiding from the camera?

Sources
[i] Dixon, S. (2007) “Webcams: The subversion of Surveillance” (pg. 443-455), Digital Performance, 2007

 

Social Media Sentiments of Young Adults / Live Broadcast: Television Show

View it here.

In this broadcast, I seek out young adults to give their viewpoints on social media, in particular Facebook. What better platform to host it other than Facebook Live itself! However, in Singapore, it seems Fb Live still remains a platform which people know about, but do not use as often as other social media platforms (me included).

I thought that these particular incidents were interesting, where fb users actually took advantage of fb live to broadcast less than desired footage, (and henceforth ignoring the viewers as they remain set on ultimately achieving their goal: the incident of the girl who documented her suicide on fb, and sadly, of two journalists shot dead. It was interesting to note that my two interviewees did not know of these incidents.

This week’s video seemed like a continuation of last week’s – but more in the context of a live television show. I continue to maintain: it is difficult to multitask, to look out for feedback from Fb about my online viewers, and to concentrate in the real space with my kind interviewees. It is obvious in the video where I accidentally placed the people out of shot, and changing the orientation of the film. Granted,  I could have asked a helper to help me hold the camera, but then, it wouldnt be my very own television show anymore.

Lastly, I would like to thank both interviewees for so kindly being willing to be interviewed.

The fishy prisoners / Glitched Aberrations

 

1st glitch
1st glitch
2nd glitch
2nd glitch
3rd glitch
3rd glitch

 

Side by side comparison of glitch:

Original Image

This photograph is of Hong Kong’s goldfish market, where small packets of fishes are arranged neatly in rows on a wall for sale. Trapped within individual pockets of water, the fishes swim circularly, unable to avoid their unknown fate. As the glitch process intensifies, the helpless creatures swirl and descends; their individual fates gradually sinks into a chaotic mess. This riotous disorder channels mix up the infinite possibilities of the fishes’ destiny, yet speaks of the choice-less fate they have to accept despite being in the world with limitless outcomes.

Food makes my heart go be-dok / Pirate Broadcasting as Reportage

Video link: Here

This time round it was a more interactive experience, and in contrast with the previous reportage there were many more others in my vicinity. Hence, there was another set of challenge in how to film and angle the cameras – I was conscious that others might not like having the camera pointed at their face hence at some parts of the video, the angles were off.

Having filmed this with a friend by my side, she was able to better point me to areas of interest as I was pretty occupied with looking at what was being filmed; my attention was everywhere. The few people I interviewed were well-mannered and did not mind sharing their views, but they didn’t realise that they were being filmed live. After all, what I did was not something people usually would film.

The interaction was multiplied in this broadcast – with my friend physically beside me, online, and the strangers I interacted with. Despite there not having anyone online watching it while filming this, I knew that later after the broadcast, others will still be able to rewatch it and experience the market at the time I filmed it.

It was however a fresh new experience in getting to introduce the Bedok interchange market to the Facebook population, and as my friend (who stays in the East area) said, ‘Bedok is famous for its food’.

Cat-talk! An interrogation with the neighbourhood cats / Pirate Broadcasting as Reportage

Video Link: Click here

Initially, the video was named ‘Cat in the hole’, but later renamed to better reflect the video contents. Similarly, in spite of what I thought would happen in the filming as the situation and filming environment was fixed, the footage turned out slightly different from expected and hence the renaming of it.

When broadcasting, there was nary anyone around me, save for the one odd figure who was passing by the area. Despite that, I felt extremely conscious as I dislike posting on social media being a more private person, and that my video had the outreach to the entire Facebook user population. It felt that I had the power and wield to however, make my own voice heard amongst the sea of media.

As it was my second attempt, the first being a video directly filmed before this, the previous video gleaned comments instead of the second one, as it had the first viewer advantage. The few comments mainly commented on the content, basically aww-ing at the cuteness of the cat-objects. However, I opted to post the second video instead as it felt to be more of a reportage.

Screenshot of previous video shot + comments
Screenshot of previous video shot + comments

I disliked the video footage quality as it was pretty grainy thanks to the bad quality camera and weak 4G data connection, but at the same time, it added to the beauty of live recording – the rawness and spontaneity of it.

Kabuto Farming / Blog Narrative (Week 2)

 

So you’re still playing pokemon go? I stopped playing that a long time ago!

Yes, I know, I sighed. Nostalgia, obstinacy, and obsession has fuelled my 5 months of playing the mobile game. I was down to my last few pokemons/game characters to collect, and I was absolutely obsessed with it. Even if it meant travelling across half of Singapore from a lecture theatre in NTU all the way to Labrador Park in the South.

[Pokemon Go is an online mobile game which requires players to physically travel to collect Pokemons, or game characters, at certain locations]

Travel Route from Labrador Park mrt to Labrador Park Image Credit: Google Maps
Travel Route from Labrador Park mrt to Labrador Park
Image Credit: Google Maps
Labrador Park is a 'nest' for the particular species of pokemon that I wanted to collect
Screenshot of sgpokemap: Labrador Park is a ‘nest’ for Kabuto (the particular species of pokemon that I wanted to collect)

It just so happened that Labrador park was a nest which Kabuto (the cockroach-lookalike pokemon) spawned often. Not that it helped that the park was a dear 500 metres away from the MRT. Fine, I could do it, 500 metres is nothing for my beloved cockroaches. Thus, I set out walking from Labrador Park MRT with resolution, despite being only in shorts and a flouncy blouse – not particularly comfort wear for a walk through the forest.

Originally, I was walking along the road, and did think about walking through the forest (which was a hill), as it was a seemingly shorter cut. Along I walked, and spotted a middle aged man jogging along the path, flashing a suspicious look at me. “What in the world is this girl doing here? She’s not even jogging and carrying this huge backpack.” It was obvious what he was thinking, but along he went to jog, as the polite Singaporean man minding his own business.

The signs were lacking, and I continued cutting across the vegetation, walking into a forested area with nary a small staircase. Wildlife was teeming around me, buzzing, and mosquitoes flocked over for a walking meal. I did slap an itch earlier, and was rewarded with a tiny splatter of blood on my palm. Mmmm. Murder was on my mind at that moment.

After walking down a little track, I thought that instead, I should have walked down the concrete pathway. As I walked, I continued catching the many cockroaches. Never knew I could enjoy catching these pests, huh.

Before I knew it, I had reached the end of the path and reached the park area. Yes! Thus, I promptly caught these two:

…and gathered sufficient cockroaches to evolve this Kabutops:

Kabutops: my glory and pride
Kabutops: my glory and pride

With happiness, I turned and resigned myself to resuming the long journey back to the train station. Suddenly, I heard a rustle in the bushes. Thinking that those were probably only monkeys, I walked towards the noise. Looking up, I saw a majestic, mammoth sized ‘pigeon’ roosting on the branches. It was a peacock!

A pair of peacocks roosting on the branches
A pair of peacocks roosting on the branches

The huge bird made nary a movement. It turned, slowly, circling the branch and gave me a free show of its large bottom. Then, it circled back, and continued guarding its regal kingdom.

Slowly edging away from the peacock, and finally leaving them at peace after invading their privacy with the many photos I took, I plodded my way back home, with my own virtual Kabutop and many mosquito bites from this journey out.

Do I regret it? No. Because I got my Kabutops tongue-out