Critically Engaging With Natalie Tran – Baby I Know

For those not in the know, Natalie Tran, or communitychannel, is an Australian vlogger who creates short, funny videos usually based on things she notices in life. They usually feature split-screen, where Nat portrays different characters, usually signified by different clothing and hairstyle. Throughout the years, fans of Tran have developed certain tropes in her videos, such as the ‘Porno-music-slash-comment-time’, where she reviews and replies to some of the comments to her previous video, and catchphrases like “Baby I Know” and “Unbohlievable”.

Here is a video she made recently:

In this video, Tran explores the types of people at the movie theater, specifically people with whom she watches movies. She lists why each type is annoying, such as the “I don’t understand” friend, who constantly asks questions about the plot line, or the “IMDb friend”, who always needs to check the names of actors in the film.

The video is very simply structured, with a main point and many little gags in between (“Ah, this is gonna kill me.” “I’m going to kill you.”) Tran’s quick speaking style is used well with the split video effect, and she utilizes timing very effectively, meaning characters rarely talk over each other, and stick to optimum comedic timing. These comedic aesthetics are done well in most of Tran’s videos, and her use of different outfits for different characters mean there is rarely any confusion as to who is whom.

Finally, Tran uses segues to shift into a gag which would otherwise be a non-sequitur (the makeup tutorial gag), however there are times when her cutaway gags don’t have the effect and take away from the overall main point too much. These issues mostly stem from a writing point of view, rather than technical abilities.

Because of her unique style of split-screen dialogue, Tran can create stories with two or more characters without having to do constant camera scene changing. It also creates a comedic situation where the audience is treated to Tran making fun of Tran, and identifying with one Tran over another.

Screen capture of my Skype chat with Julian

As you can see, the pixelation and coloration of the image is noticeably sub-par. The sound quality is rather tinny, however in my experience, the sound did not drop out to the extent that conversation wasn’t coherent. There was a lag in the words being uttered and the sound being heard on the other end, but considering most Skype calls do not take place with participants sitting right next to each other, it should not be a main concern.

Aspects that would affect the quality of the call would be the quality of the internet connection. As Julian and I are both using a public Wifi, in a room where there are at least a dozen people using the same network, it may have attributed to the lower quality of call. If a call conference/interview is conducted via a wired network, using better camera and microphone equipment, as long as the ISP is reliable, the calls should be near perfect.

Using the chat function, we were able to send text messages, as well as links – which open on a separate browser. We were also able to share files stored in our respective computers, and even share with the other what is on our desktop screen. These functions serve to be useful in a collaborative situation, such as IT support or information sharing.

Mark Me Up, Jenny!

When I signed up for a Graduate Diploma in Media with RMIT, it was inevitable that, again, I will be faced with a task where I create my own blog. Thus, all posts categorized by the tag “grad dip”, and categorized under “RMIT” will be posts for marking consideration. Of course, I’ll be adding other appropriate and relevant tags and categories, however, the ones mentioned above are the main ones to look out for. Considering my lack of frequently blogging, there shouldn’t be any confusion when reading from my home page.

And, needless to say, my use of language will be much more formal, and my use of song titles will be noticeably zero.

Currently, I am to share a link to something that interests me. This seems like a very broad requirement, because I can feasibly send a link to tv.com and call it a day. But here is something that really interests me, and may be of interest for the reader, too.

One of my favorite pastimes is to read comics. My favorite series – and the only one which I make sure to buy hard-copy tradebacks for – is Saga, by Brian K Vaughan (also known as that guy who’s writing the television adaptation of Under the Dome), with art by Fiona Staples.

It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite thing – or the “why you should read it too” – of Saga. At a glance, the covers should tell you of Fiona Staples’ prowess in illustrating an expansive and fantastical world. Her mastery over color, even with an art style which calls on more flat colors than gradients, enhances the myriad of species and lights that BKV’s Saga-verse has to offer. When I read the first issue, I was immediately sucked into the dramatic and intricate history of the characters. Despite the slightly obvious Romeo-and-Juliet overtones, that the narrator’s voice comes from the infant child of the main characters denotes a certain “A long, long time ago” feel.

No, I can in fact point at my favorite aspect of Saga: Lying Cat. An interesting creature, the Lying Cat is an unerring lie detector, but also a useful and loyal weapon. Sidekick to the antagonist apparent, a merc named The Will, Lying Cat plays host to many humorous and even tender moments, when the truth – or the absence thereof – is the only thing you can rely on.

So, this is my initial post on something I an interested in, posted on my blog which I set up. What. A. Conclusion.

Alex.

I do not reserve the rights to any of the pages or works to which I’ve linked. Contrary to my wishes, I do not own television, nor do I wish to encroach upon Fiona Staples’ amazing art. I do, however, wish I owned a Lying Cat.