Audio | Westminster World

Mar82021 by Editor2No Comments

Could robots replace human creativity in music?

Audio, Explainer, Explainers, Explainers, Technology, trends

Artificial intelligence systems perform time-consuming tasks quickly and accurately, making it the perfect tool in most situations. But can it make good music? https://youtu.be/uo8IrBsFpnw Is AI the future of music? Can it replace human creativity? Creative industries such as art and music are often thought to be inherently human, connected with emotive expressions of individual personalities. With music- in the words of Billy Joel-being an “explosive expression of humanity,” can robots really compose music that connects with people? Will the music even be good? Abhilash Hareendranathan, Research Associate, University of Alberta, believes AI is capable of making music that is completely indistinguishable as computerised to a human listener. He said: " Would every singl

Jul142020 by Veronica NituNo Comments

Behind the Green Screen: a look at visual effects working practices today

Audio, Breaking News, Radio

Visual effects have become an essential part of filmmaking today, but the artists responsible for creating those effects find themselves underappreciated and undercompensated. Visual effects have been used in films since the inception of cinema, evolving from practical effects like the use of model miniatures and paintings on glass, to the fantastical computer-generated worlds we see in films and TV today. ‘Visual effects’ (or ‘VFX’) is the integration of computer-generated imagery into live action shots. VFX are used to create elements that would otherwise be impossible, expensive or difficult to film in real life, and can be seen in a wide range of movies. Digital artists train for years to be able to work in the visual effects industry, and it takes teams of dozens of arti

Dec92019 by Amy HeatherNo Comments

Are London Students Tactically Voting?

Audio, Breaking News, brexit, London, News, Opinion, ReportingWeek2, Student

Insight into whether or not London students will be tactically voting in the upcoming general election.With the election only three days away, politicians are scrambling to swing the undecided votes in their direction. Labour party member and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell took part in a Q&A this morning, stating that this election is “about saving the NHS”; whilst current Prime Minister, Boris Johnson is visiting four Labour seats to project his trademark "Get Brexit Done" message.Despite the promising efforts from both parties, it seems that some younger individuals are choosing to vote against the Conservatives, rather than for Labour. This is called tactical voting and it’s the selection of a candidate that has a likely chance of unseating another, instead of wh

Apr172019 by ODMNo Comments

Is hip hop losing its vocabulary?

Audio, Entertainment

Hip hop is all around us, on the radio, on TV, in adverts, streaming online, in shops and in films. In 2017, hip hop surpassed rock to become the biggest music genre in terms of total consumption for the first time ever. Eight of the 10 most listened-to artists of the year came from the R&B and Hip hop genre, led by Canadian superstar Drake and L.A. virtuoso Kendrick Lamar. But as the genre has branched out to an ever-wider global audience, has the rise of hip hop over the last few decades come at the expense of the diversity of its lyricism? https://soundcloud.com/user-815393223/is-hip-hop-losing-its-vocabulary

Dec102018 by Matilde AlmeidaNo Comments

“Little Portugal’s” views on Brexit

Audio, brexit, Business, Culture, Explainers, International, May, News, Politics, ReportingWeek2

The Anglo-Portuguese relations have always been strong, from Vauxhall's tube station all the way to Stockwell, you find yourself in the heart of Portuguese restaurants, hairdressers and delicatessens - which have gathered here over the last 30 years, earning the area its nickname - 'Little Portugal'. London attracts young people of working age from abroad, particularly those countries that were affected by the Eurozone crisis. With the influx of arrivals in search of employment, or studies, it's little wonder Brexit is causing so much debate. Goncalo Correia, 23 years old, currently living in the so called "Little Portugal" - has dreamed about his time in London since he was a child and is now afraid of what might happen. Marta Ramos, a 32 year old portuguese, came to Vauxhall in 20

Apr122018 by Spencer Zhang No Comments

Period leave: what is it and do we need it in the UK?

Audio, Business, Gender

Periods, it seems natural for every woman, but based on the data, more than 1in 5 of women suffered from dysmenorrhea and rang from 37 to 91 percent of women may face heavy periods. The painful periods can be as bad as heart attack according to the professor of family planning and productive health department at University College London, Dr. John Guillebaud. Audio Credit: Spencer Zhang What is Period Leave Policy ? To address this particular women issue, many Asian countries including Japan, South Korea, Indonesian and some areas in China applied period leave policy. The regulation allows women have the option to take time off during periods. Coexist, the UK social enterprise company in Bristol has been the pioneer who intro

Dec112017 by Madison Pearce No Comments

Lost music and film history – Where has the memorabilia gone?

Art, Audio, Blogs, Entertainment, Fashion, Film, Music, musicians, Watch, What's Hot

Silently sitting in Mariah Carey’s penthouse, Marilyn Monroe’s white piano is locked away from the world. Sold at a private Christie’s auction in 1999, it is unclear if the public will ever be able to view it again. Is the sale of personal memorabilia threatening the loss of parts of music and film history? However, It’s positive news for auction houses. The popularity of film and music memorabilia has steadily increased over the last decade. Christina Moriame from Ewbank Auction house believes its due to “more activities and awareness of sales in this specialism, marketing and being able to be pushed by valuers” another significant point is that “items are becoming older thus more collectible” she added. Auction houses are now cashing in, generating profits b

Minimalistic Christmas: Value over Materialism

Audio, Environment, Experience, LifeStyle, London, Opinion

With Christmas around the corner, there are a lot bargains to be taken advantage of. It all started in the beginning of the season, which escalated with Black Friday and now everyone is impatiently waiting for the Boxing Day sales. From food to home decor, from electronics to beauty products, everything costs less and people are rushing to the stores, frantically to fill their carts with the discounted stock. Photo credits: Lia Chabane It is evident that one's bank account will be left empty, and materialistic gifts like these cannot satisfy anyone. Christmas is exactly two weeks from now and this is the time to reconsider do we really need all of these purchases. Can we enjoy the winter holidays without getting bankrupted? Is it necessary to bear the weight of Christmas shopping

Oct302017 by Madison PearceNo Comments

Lost music and film history- Where has the memorabilia gone?

Art, Audio, Blogs, Culture, LifeStyle, Media, Opinion, trends, TV, What's Hot

Silently sitting in Mariah Carey’s penthouse, Marilyn Monroe’s white piano is locked away from the world. Sold at a private Christie’s auction in 1999, it is unclear if the public will ever be able to view it again. Is the sale of personal memorabilia threatening the loss of parts of music and film history? However, It’s positive news for auction houses. The popularity of film and music memorabilia have steadily increased over the last decade. Christina Moriame from Ewbank Auction house believes its due to “more activities and awareness of sales in this specialism, marketing and being able to be pushed by valuers” another significant point is that “items are becoming older thus more collectible” she added. Auction houses are now cashing in, generating profits boasting far h

Mar262017 by Marc FarràsNo Comments

London’s independent cinemas: building revolution

Art, Audio, Culture, Film, Media, News, Social media

It’s Saturday evening in Central London. It’s cold outside, and a young student couple fancies a good movie. Their decision will reveal how the cinema business in the capital has evolved to a new paradigm of both management and consumption. It’s mid-March and all the Oscar-award winning films are on screen. She wants to see La la land, but he has already seen it, so it’s going to be Moonlight. They check the screenings on their smartphones. The closest venue is the Curzon in Bloomsbury. 13 pounds. Too much for their short budget. Another option: the Vue in Islington. 11 pounds. Still too expensive. They live in East London, so what about the Hackney Picturehouse? 11,5 pounds, no way. He is about to quit. Wait, she says, let’s check the Genesis in Whitechapel. Look, 7 pounds. Deal. Once