In my recent project, I was comparing Cath Kinston to the idea of 'Britishness', doing so multiple times without ever really considering exactly what this 'Britishness' means. After being prompt to doing so by my lecturer, I have really been comparing the 'then' and 'now' of a British identity. 

I think Britain has never been able to shake the 1950's 'cheerio'stereotypes of Brits all being related to the queen somehow and all avid tea drinkers. I really think that Brits and Britain have changed, this was my argument on why no one rates Cath Kinston anymore. We are more diverse, more aware and much more travelled nowadays, we have all seen the world and the mix of diversity means that British culture no longer just 'white British' identity. 

Instead, when I meet people from other countries and they ask me about how it feels to be British, the queen and castles are no longer the first things I am asked about. Instead, they ask about the British Grime scene, street style fashions, Oxford Street and my accent. It feels like Britain now has earned its place, rather than when it just went to countries and demanded it. Grime especially has blown up in these past few years and is known internationally.

I would definitely say I am proud to be British when it is put this way, when people talk about my British heritage I am very grateful for my background and the upbringing that being British has allowed me to have. That is why I get aggravated when people from other countries ask me about Kate Middleton's children as if I personally knew them (?)

I found that deeply considering the term "Britishness" really helped me into the context stage of my project, now I know my feelings on the term I could see how to develop this.

I was never one for watching the TV, but since the TV became accessible through  the internet I have developed an unhealthy addiction. I have watched countless programmes, some awful and some brilliant but none have ever stuck with me the way Black Mirror does. It is so hard to attach a genre to it but it does have underlying tones of horror, shocking its audience with its intelligence every single episode.
I began watching it on Channel 4, done through recommendation by my brother as he told me mad plot points that sounded too explicit and simply too mad for television. He was certainly correct and I became hooked from that first satirical, dark and twisted episode- for all those who watched it I'm sure you've never looked at the Prime Minister nor a pig the same. The writers were not shy and went further than anyone ever had to portray interesting messages to the audience.



Since Netflix's takeover, the only change has seen the show become even more high resolution, more Americanised and higher budgeted. It sees a few well known names join the cast as they continue to play out complex and thought provoking episodes. This recent series has received huge media attention for attacking such big problems such as parents policing their children through technology and what happens when technology advances, will it get so far that one coder could be in complete control of lives? It is the topics that makes the show what it is, everyone can relate to a story in one way or another or has questioned a similar topic that the show tackles. 



If you have never watched the show I hope this has helped to convince you to try it.

If you have watched it, what do you think?

Our task this week was all about the final outcomes of the FCP process, the outcome is the final product once we have followed all the steps up to that. This was the final week my group would be working together so we were excited to put all out work to a final conclusive end. 
The project was to plan a photoshoot based on the 5 key words we identified from the Trans-Siberian express vogue shoot- Authentic, Exploration, Intimate, Perspective, Enigmatic.
After sourcing 5 key words, we created a series of images focused on the idea of the lens. Our images have an aspect of realism, following the female subject through an unclear but unsettling narrative- evoking a question for the viewer. Who is she waiting for? What is happening?  Who is behind the lens? 
The images have an untouched and very natural manipulation, used only to enhance the pictures to their full quality. This coupled with the use of a location and natural lighting makes the image appear completely authentic, using the model’s house allowed for this too. The light and smooth colouring gives the images a harmony that is at times contrasted with the harsh, intense black tones.
The fashion accessory featured was jewellery, we used this in a very subtle and understated way so it didn’t overpower or become the key theme of the image.  This went along nicely with the laid back styling and dark clothing so that the images were more about the overall theme.
The images convey themes of nostalgia, intimacy and also perspective.­­
We received some really positive feedback for the project and I thoroughly enjoyed working with my group through each stage towards this final outcome.

Hi again,

This week we were set the task to carry out a gold themed photoshoot. My partner, Steph, and I decided that we wanted to talk about the permanent attraction of gold and how people find it impossible to resist, linking slightly to the story of Midas who wished that everything he touched turned to gold. Although this seems like a good thing, it had downsides such as not being able to touch loved ones.

Our original idea was to have a collection of gold things and a single hand reaching to grab them. We decided to expand this idea slightly after having a look at Pintrest, deciding to add a golden triangle of wrapping paper to the background which set the line our arm would follow.

We were very pleased with our final images and how they turned out, we feel our message on the attraction of gold is very clear, this is highlighted again by the gold chain that is acting to drag the hand closer to the golden things. Here are a selection of the favourite images.

Red

Is it the new seasons black?