bachelor of communication honours

Home movies have escaped the domestic confines of family gatherings, lounge-room walls and dark cupboards, to enjoy a renaissance within contemporary, image-saturated society. Why this relatively recent shift in attitude and representation of historical home movie footage within media production and archival practice? I'm interested in exploring how home movie footage and aesthetics have been incorporated into Australian screen practice, particularly documentary film and screen-based art, since 1998. By focusing on several case studies and examples of work, I want to see who is telling stories; how they are inserting home movies back into public history and what are the social implications.

Cyber bullying amongst school students has become an increasing issue in how it impacts on young people’s development and education. The problem is important because many educators, students and parents are finding it difficult to identify and prevent cyber bullying. Cyber bullying has become an increasing problem in Australian schools due to the advancement in communication technology and its application in the school environment. The implication of my starting sentence is that it leads to the identification of cyber bullying as an issue and places it within the school context, which sets up the main setting for the thesis.

In 2004, Yasmin Ahmad launched her 2nd film Sepet, which drew much international attention and also eased a previous dearth of authentic Malaysian cinema. Known for her use of evocative storylines and sentimentalist themes, Sepet similarly portrays pristine interracial relationships. Yasmin’s rosy depiction of Malaysia’s diverse and inclusive cultures present Malaysia as an Utopic multicultural society. This thesis seeks to evaluate Malaysia’s New Wave cinema to in turn trace Malaysia’s film history. By analysing Sepet, it will also examine the model of multiculturalism that is employed (or not) in Malaysia as well as the director’s challenge of Malaysia’s national identity. Lastly, this thesis will investigate the use of sentimentalism and adolescence as an overlay to ease the social tensions of interracial relationships.

The pursuit of profit is contributing to a decline in the quality of commercial television news. Existing research attests that this compromises the ability of members of Western liberal democracies, like Australia, to gather the information necessary to make informed and balanced decisions about the way they are governed. This research explores the extent to which Australian commercial television news is comprised of publicity material generated to enhance marketing efforts, and the motivations behind commercial television news in Australia. This is of consequence as it will help reveal how, if at all, these motivations vary from expectations of what the function of news should be.

The Australian landscape has long been subject to extreme weather conditions. The harsh climate of the outback along with dense vegetation and remote rural regions create the ideal setting for bushfires and other such emergencies. One method of minimising the impact of bushfires is the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio and the Victorian Emergency Services. Signed in 2003, the MoU is a statutory agreement that appoints ABC Local Radio in Victoria the official emergency broadcaster. The period between 2003 and 2008 has been a time of immense change through the development of policies and procedures to apply the Memorandum of Understanding within ABC Radio Victoria. This project will seek to answer the question; how effective is the MoU as an emergency broadcasting model, and has ABC Local Radio fulfilled its requirements as prescribed in the MoU. The research will also focus on the effectiveness and appropriateness of the MoU in strengthening community vulnerability towards the adverse effects of bushfires.

The process of “extraordinary rendition”, which is practiced by the CIA, is being sanctioned and accepted by other Western nations around the world, despite the fact that it flies in the face of the Geneva Convention and the Declaration of Human Rights. However, the issue is not widely publicised and many Britons are unaware of the problem. Actors for Human Rights UK aims to tell the stories of men who have been victims of extraordinary rendition, to humanise them in the eyes of the general population, who may not know the human cost of this practice. How can AFHRUK use a viral marketing campaign to further spread its message about the wrongs being done in the name of the War on Terror and, in turn, promote their own programs?

In an era of increasing global competition it is imperative that organisations have well researched communication strategies. To promote a product or service abroad, an organisation should clearly understand the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that may affect the success of the campaign. This report will focus on the PESTLE situational analyses of India and England, further outlining problems, opportunities, critical success factors and appropriate objectives for the launch of the Langley Group’s professional development product, Passport to the World. Through conducting such research and providing appropriate communication advice, an organisation will be able to implement an efficient and effective communications campaign, expanding business opportunities and generating increased brand awareness and revenue in targeted nations.

Michael Mann’s films have taken their place alongside the most dynamic and singular representations of modern urban environments within the cinema.

This thesis analyses Michael Mann’s representation of Los Angeles (LA) within his 2004 film, Collateral.

As a contemporary of post-classical American filmmakers including John Carpenter, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, his films, although the source of considered review and discussion have yet to be the subject of sustained academic investigation.

Centred on Collateral, this thesis argues that although the film is directly related thematically, stylistically, intertextuality and self-referentially to Mann’s previous film set in LA, Heat, he has more than simply reiterated old preoccupations and imagery, rather he has effectively extended his representation and vision of the city.

Collateral represents an important work from one of America’s most highly regarded auteurs, highlighting the city’s exceptionalism and ‘global city’ status in new and interesting ways.

This thesis arrives at the conclusion that Collateral establishes not only an accurate and relevant reflection of contemporary urban LA but that it represents the city in a revelatory way seldom explored within mainstream Hollywood cinema.

Today’s media landscape is heavily infiltrated by advertising with the pressure of branding being virtually inescapable within society. It seems as though everywhere we look we are bombarded with thousands of advertising images and messages per day, all of which provide insight into culture and society. In the past decade celebrity endorsement has been the most prevalent and successful form of advertising. Reason for this is that celebrities are considered to demonstrate a number of dynamic qualities including; credibility, expertise and physical attractiveness, which can be transferred through marketing.

This thesis consists of a textual analysis examining the relationship between celebrities and advertising and its desired effects on consumer behaviour and cultural studies. This issue is worth attention, given the fact that there is limited academic material specifically addressing the proven effectiveness of the use of celebrities in advertising. Hence, the value of celebrity endorsement is recognised but poorly understood in terms of advertising. The purpose of my thesis will be to identify why celebrity endorsement is regarded the most effective form of advertising for certain products. The concept of scandal, social theory, queer theory and transgression in the media and its effects on advertising will also be discussed with reference to two case studies British supermodel Kate Moss and Bollywood film star Shahrukh Khan. The outcome of this thesis will be to identify why consumers are so heavily influenced by the use of celebrity endorsement and what impact this has on cultural studies. This thesis will serve as a collection of academic material specifically addressing the relationship between celebrities and advertising, and is intended for an advertising and cultural studies audience.

Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai describes his two most recent films “In The Mood For Love” (2000) and “2046” (2004) as “two films with two different approaches that act like a mirror for each other”1. This thesis attempts to ascertain in what capacity “2046” can be interpreted as a ‘companion piece’ to “In The Mood For Love”. This thesis intends to examine the nature of the composition of Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘cinematic style’, and to distinguish and explore particular ‘stylistic’ ‘aesthetics’ that are distinct to “In The Mood For Love” and “2046”. The intent of this exploration is to establish the existence of an inherent aesthetic ‘correlation’ (or ‘cross-film sensibility’) between “In The Mood For Love” and “2046” via a comparison and juxtaposition of the elements which comprise Wong Kar-Wai’s ‘cinematic style’.