Month / August 2018

by amandathai

Week 6: The Hills Are Alive

Image source

I’ve only seen The Sound of Music once, however, it popped into my mind when discussing how the quirks of old video formats can become evident in new media despite the fact that the origin of these quirks no longer exists.

Let me explain through example.

 

Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practicing? What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse? (can you provide a link?)

The Sound of Music was directed and produced by Robert Wise, who practiced between 1934 and 2000. This film was based off the stage musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Though I can’t link the entire film, I can link a trailer.

 

With the photo or video you are examining, when was it produced (date)?

The film was produced in 1965, based off the musical from 1959.

 

How was the photo or video authored?

From a technical standpoint, The Sound of Music was filmed in 70mm and it used DeLuxe Color processing and six-track sound recording.

But that’s not what I’m interested in.

The Sound of Music was based off a musical. Musicals are generally longer than films and hence they have intermissions, because you can’t exactly pause a live performance.

Yet, even when the film was on VHS and DVD, when the power to pause is at our fingertips, intermissions are still included, even though they are no longer required. Preservation of the original at the expense of practicality.

This can be seen everywhere, not just in The Sound of Music. Vintage photo filters, grain on YouTube videos, retro graphics on video games–everywhere, we see digital effects that imitate old physical quirks, or even limitations.

 

How was the photo or video published?

The film was premiered on the 2nd of March, 1965 at the Rivoli Theater in New York City.

 

How was the photo or video distributed?

At release (2nd of March 1965), the only way to see this film was to go to its opening premiere in NYC. Seats were presumably limited and entry exclusive. On 10th of March 1965, it premiered in Los Angeles, again presumably with a similar set up. After that however, it opened at 131 cinemas across the US, then, a few months later, in 261 theaters overseas.

The process of watching this film used to require you to completely transport your physical body to another space, purchase and present a physical ticket and sit in a designated space just to see this film.

Eventually, you could buy it on VHS and take it home.

Then with VHS, you could watch it in the comfort of your own home and in your own time, but you still needed to slot the bulky rectangle tape into the bulkier machine and make sure you rewind it after watching otherwise you won’t be able to watch it straight away next time. Several physical objects and movements are involved. DVD was more or less the same just slimmer, no rewinding required.

But now, in 2018, you can simply stream it or download it online. You don’t have to haul your couch potato body off the couch to put in a disc or tape, all you need is a finger to click the mouse or touch pad.

Now as announced in a YouTube video on the Rodgers and Hammerstein channel, The Sound of Music began touring in 70mm on the 18th of May 2018.

This Saturday, in opposition to single click required to watch films now, you can haul your body over the St Kilda’s Astor Theatre, buy a ticket (physical or digital) and watch The Sound of Music in a cinema.

It’s funny how history comes back around.

by amandathai

Week 5: Jerry Uelsmann’s ‘Untitled’

After looking at the black and white photos of Henri Cartier-Bresson, I was inspired to revisit one of my favourite photos I studied in high school.

Image source

 

Who is the practitioner (what is their name?) and when were they practicing?

This photo was taken by Jerry Uelsmann, an American photographer who used photomontage and darkroom effects to create surrealistic images, like the one above. He practiced from the mid-20th century and still currently practices photography today.

 

What is the title of the photo or video you have chosen to analyse (can you provide a link?)

This photo is untitled, perhaps intentionally, to allow the audience freedom of interpretation. It can be found online here.

 

With the photo or video you are examining when was it produced (date)?

It was produced in 1976.

 

How was the photo or video authored? 

Uelsmann, practising before the era of Photoshop, used composite photography techniques, like multiple negatives and enlargers in a darkroom, to create this surreal image. Here, he combines photos of a study, a sky and a person.

Where Henri Cartier-Bresson took his photos decisively in the present, waiting for that one perfect moment, Uelsmann used a process he called ‘post-visualisation’, composing and creating the perfect image after all its pieces have been photographed, not photographing with an image already in mind.

If we look at photography as the ‘active practice of cutting through the flow of mediation’ (Zylinska 2016, p.13), Uelsmann is making several cuts, then combining them into one new image, ‘stabilising [the] data as images and objects’ (Zylinska 2016, p.13).

 

How was the photo or video published? 

It is difficult to find information on where the photo was originally published, but now, it has been published to both Jerry Uelsmann’s official website and the websites of various art museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Telluride Gallery of Fine Art. This photo was produced in 1976 before the rise of the Internet and back then, it would’ve most likely been presented in one of Uelsmann’s books, or in a gallery as a print, much like a painting.

These days, the fact that the photo is so easily to discover on the Internet, just a Google search away, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows people from a non-photography background, like me, to stumble upon this image and delight in its beauty. On the other, it reduces its uniqueness and allows for replicas and imitations to be made, and even allows for people to illegally profit off his work.

 

How was the photo or video distributed? 

Currently, this photo is distributed to viewers via the Internet via the avenues I listed in the above question. Printed copies can be bought online from places like artnet for prices up to $3000 (currency unknown).

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References

Zylinska, J 2016, ‘Photomediations: An Introduction by Joanna Zylinska’, Photomediations: A Reader, Open Humanities Press, http://www.openhumanitiespress.org/books/ titles/photomediations/.

 

by amandathai

Notes on The Decisive Moment

While watching Henri Cartier Bresson’s The Decisive Moment, I took notes on what interested me in regards to authoring, publishing and distributing photos. What I found particularly intriguing were his approaches to authoring photos, his perspectives and musings on the act of taking a photo and the qualities of the world that make photography so appealing.

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Notes:

  • Photography as a mean of drawing
  • Can’t correct it
  • Life is fluid, once the moment is gone, it’s gone forever
  • Not a reporter
  • Visual pleasure
  • Geometry
  • Sensuous and intellectual pleasure
  • Difference between good and mediocre picture is millimetres
  • Facts are not interesting
  • Portraits are difficult
  • A question mark you put on someone
  • Difference is the fact they agreed to be photographed
  • Like an ‘animal in their habitat’
  • Be like a cat, don’t disturb them
  • Have to try put camera between skin of person and their shirt
  • People act differently in front of the camera
  • Like an animal on prey
  • There are no new ideas in the world, only new arrangements
  • The world is being created every minute and the world is falling to pieces every minute
  • England like watching actors, cannot jump on stage and play with them
  • Some places where the pulse beats more
  • ‘In places where I am all the time, I know too much and not enough’
  • Lucidity
  • Camera as a weapon – a way of shouting the way you feel
  • Camera can be a machine gun, can be a psychoanalytical couch, can be a warm kiss, can be a sketchbook,
  • Photography is ‘yes, yes, yes’
  • No maybes
  • An affirmation
by amandathai

Assignment 1 – Annotated Bibliography

I declare that in submitting all work for this assessment I have read, understood and agree to the content and expectations of the assessment declaration – https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/support-andfacilities/student-support/equitable-learning-services.

 

Blog Posts

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

 

Annotated Bibliography

Miles, A 2006, ‘Blogs in Media Education: A Beginning’, Australian Screen, vol. 41, pp.66-69.

In this article, Miles identifies the qualities of a blog that differentiate it from other publications, particularly print, and emphasise its role as a ‘post-print literacy.’ He discusses the usefulness of blogs as a teaching tool, ways blogging can be implemented in the classroom, and the resulting benefits.

Miles draws off his own teaching experience using blogs with university students and his general observations of them. His writing is fluid, academic enough to provide rich detail and information on this subject, but colloquial enough to be read by a modern media-oriented audience. The article is organised with subheadings like ‘What is a blog?’ and ‘Teaching Strategies’ for easy signposting and navigation. Majority of the article is written text, with page 68 being devoted to a screenshot of Miles’s own blog, which in itself is text-based.

In terms of the course prompt, relating to the affordances of Instagram, this article provides a solid foundation on the pitfalls and benefits of posting online, such as the care and caution required in creating a piece of media intended for public audience and the ability of a blog to allow exploration of online identity. These are issues no more prevalent than in 2018, when the network is centralised and online image potentially more impactful than real life image. Though this article focuses on blogging, the points he raises are equally applicable to posting on 2018 social media platforms like Instagram. Such points include the sense of community that forms when a group of people post the same kind of media and how this can create an interwoven classroom where communication can thrive and learning is enriched by reading the contributions of others. This is relevant to the prompt as it reflects the benefits that can arise from modern centralised social media bringing together people of similar interests, for example, fan communities around Club Penguin, and how their knowledge grows from the sharing of information within the online community. Miles also highlights how the blog can be a place where writers can ‘express doubt and insecurity’ and be a powerful tool for reflection, both of which are qualities that can be found in modern social media platforms. Though this article is addressed to teachers of media education however, as a student, his information still feels relevant.

One potential limitation to this article’s relevance to my study is its age. Because the article was written twelve years ago, it lacks an awareness of the 2018 social media landscape and hence there are nuances of modern social media, like the ever-growing commercialism, that this article fails to encompass. Additionally, it identifies the internet as ‘decentralized’, which twelve years later, is not quite the case. All data used in this article is qualitative, drawn from Miles’s personal research or experience, and though he provides links to other sites at the end of his article, they don’t appear to be referenced, at least not by name, throughout the article. This article deals primarily with blogs and in particular, the text-based element of them. Though his information on the benefits of posting online is relevant, Instagram is a primarily visual-based platform so these elements are left unaddressed by this article.

 

Miles, A 2012, ‘Network Literacy: The New Path to Knowledge’, Soft Cinematic Hypertext (Other Literacies), RMIT University, pp.201-208.

In this article, Miles outlines the concept of network literacy, using the well-known concept of print literacy as a framework for understanding. He relates the implicit knowledge of the workings and elements of a book and a library, to implicit knowledge of the inner workings of the network. He goes on to lay a foundation of knowledge on protocols to underpin the interactions between the network and the network-literate.

Like his other article, Miles draws off his personal experiences as an academic in the field of online media, including anecdotes of his academic work day. His writing is accessible and descriptive, with an extended juxtaposition of books/libraries and the network to bring the foreign topic into familiar ground. As the sections of this article are lengthy, Miles prefaces each section with a subheading such as ‘Network Literacy’. At the end of the article, Miles also includes a reference list and a glossary of terms like CiteULike and RSS to ensure readers do not feel alienated or confused.

Regarding the course prompt of the affordances of Instagram and the authoring, publishing and distributing of photos and videos, this article was relevant to the latter part. Miles defines the concept of network literacy as the ability to participate in the network as a peer. This is relevant to Instagram because it helps explain why immersion in all parts of the platform—authoring, publishing and distributing—and hence sound network literacy, is imperative to successful Instagram usage. Another concept Miles uncaps is the idea of consumption as creation which is relevant to the fact that Instagram fulfils the social, entertainment and even business needs, all in one platform. Hence, this article is relevant as it helps to inform the notion that to make ample use of the affordances of Instagram, one must interact with the platform both as a user and a creator, consumer and advertiser. Miles’s observation that in the network, writing is a form of social collaboration is relevant to the authoring of any online media, from fanfictions and book reviews to the photos and videos that characterise Instagram. His point that the centralisation of the network blurs the line between consumer and creator, supported by the observation that publications can be created by weaving together content from disparate locations is also relevant to the authoring of photos and videos. It helps explain how postmodernist media such as the remix and the meme is enabled by the network, explaining why they are such iconic visual mediums in the 2010s, where the network has become more and more centralised. Overall, Miles provides a solid foundation for network literacy and its relevance to the interwoven interactions of modern networks and its platforms like Instagram.

Miles’s analysis of network literacy rings true to the centralised network of 2018, potentially because the article it more recent, only six years old. A potential limitation of this study could be the amount of references. Miles’s reference list includes only three sources, which could potentially suggest a limited scope, considering most of the article is written from personal knowledge and experience.

 

Siapera, E 2013, Understanding New Media, SAGE Publications, London.

In this book, Siapera illuminates the term ‘new media’ and in particular, the attributes afforded by the naming ‘new media’ as opposed to other names such as ‘digital media’ or ‘online media’. Additionally, she analyses how new media interacts with people and society through examination of the work of four authors: McLuhan, Kittler, Stiegler and Castells.

Siapera uses a wide range of sources, referencing four different authors and their works. These are analysed in detail with ample quotes and referencing, with attention drawn to both their strengths and their limitations. The writing can be dense at times, but through it exists a smooth flow between the terms, the theories and the implications. The sections are lengthy, but they are divided with subheadings like ‘Why New Media?’ with sub-subheadings like ‘Digital Media’ (Siapera 2013, p.3)

In terms of this course’s prompt about Instagram, its affordances, and the authoring, publishing and distributing of photos and videos, Siapera’s text is relevant in its discussion of the constant evolution of new media, the externalisation of human memory, and the social implications of the network. Siapera defines new media as constantly evolving and dynamic, which is relevant to the growing affordances of Instagram and how they keep the platform afloat. Another concept Siapera discusses is the externalisation of human memory, how we are beginning to rely on devices controlled by others for this memory. This is relevant to Instagram’s rise to popularity, as photos and videos become the preferred format for the preservation of memory. This concept of human memory stored in external devices helps illuminate the business side of Instagram, as users can manipulate this external memory to form a new persona for their lives or businesses, and even through the following of trends, set an ideal image of what lives we should be living. An interesting concept analysed by Siapera is the idea of the network replacing social organisation and the idea that we are entering a new era in which time and space become less important. To the prompt, this is relevant to the way Instagram adds features or affordances to their platform to become more than just a place to share photos, to become a centre of modern socialisation.

This article is the most recent of all on this bibliography as it was written in 2013 and hence Siapera is able to draw on many other authors and their studies on media. By analysing the etymology of the term ‘new media’, Siapera demonstrates an awareness of the importance of image to the landscape of the network. The analysis of multiple theories and authors situates the text in the dialogue with other studies on new media, and Siapera’s keen analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each theory provide rich and informed context upon which my study of Instagram and new media can sit. However, one potential limitation is the fact that this text doesn’t include many specifics on photos and videos in particular, rather new media as a collective.

by amandathai

Week 4: Heroes, Villains and Social Media

I often try to ensure these posts have some kind of narrative, some flow or progression. I’m a writer; I build stories out of everything. Over the last year, I have started writing in the form of nonfiction. When writing nonfiction, I’ve noticed that I can take one event and, just by changing the tone or the focus or the language, change its perception. I can turn the villain into the hero. The framing is everything.

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Another medium where framework is everything is social media. In Siapera’s Understanding New Media (2013) she writes that ‘Foucault famously argues that notions, institutions, disciplines and even selves that appear ‘natural’ are in fact all constructed’ (Siapera 2013, p.8). From #nofilter to “no makeup” makeup looks, we are constantly faking authenticity, trying to choreograph day-to-day life to fit an ideal storyline. And now thanks to story features on Snapchat, Instagram and now even Facebook, people can if not live, then at least appear to live these ideal lifestyles. Social media to life is like the framing to nonfiction writing. We can write our own narratives, linear and chronological like a storybook. But why are we drawn to this? What compels people to take the time out of their day to present the world with a perfect snapshot of themselves? It’s exactly as I said earlier. If we write the story, we can turn the villain into the hero. History is written by the victors? No, history is written by those who took the time to put it on Instagram.

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Storytelling on social media goes beyond simply controlling the way our friends perceive us. It can control our values and beliefs. It can condition us to believe that there are only a select few ideal lifestyles and subconsciously shame us when we fail to achieve them. As Siapera notes, ‘humans themselves are led by the media, not realizing the many and varied effects and consequences’ (Siapera 2013, p.8). This new landscape of social control is potentially dangerous, not only for us but for our future generations who will inherit our media practices. Will they intentionally seek the Insta-worthy stories of day-to-day life and forget to appreciate the moments that are not picture-perfect? That are not filtered and edited and interesting enough for the world to see. Will they forget about the little things?

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However, it doesn’t have to be like this. One element Siapera (2013) highlights in new media is the fact that it is constantly changing and evolving. Even from user to user, it evolves. The way we use social media changes it; we contextualise it. A stripper can use Instagram as an advertising platform. A group of students can use Facebook to organise group assignments. A writer can use Twitter as a source of writing prompts and inspiration.

In 2018, what we put online is often more impactful than what we say IRL, and in that outreach there’s a kind of empowerment. Authors have been published from online fanfictions (*cough* E.L. James *cough*), to the point where there are now publishing imprints like Swoon Reads that allow people to post their manuscripts on their website for anyone to read and then publish the most popular ones.

Screenshot from swoonreads.com

Last week, I briefly mentioned that I met one of my best friends on Overwatch. From the first tentative ‘asl?’ in the chat box on Overwatch, I repurposed the platform from just a game, to a central place in my social life. Often when I play with my best friends, it’s less about the game and more about just hanging out with each other. When I started writing reviews on Goodreads, it was less about the fact that other people would read it (though that did improve my writing quality) and more for my own personal reference.

One of my favourite quotes from Siapera’s book is:

‘the bonds between people in the network society are tenuous and temporary, often based on common views and beliefs, uniting people across borders, but equally fragmenting them within given places’ (Siapera 2013, p.15)

The network can bring people together, sometimes quite deeply, like my best friends and I, but it can also give us an excuse not to hang out IRL. Other times, it may temporarily connect us with a community of people, like the subreddit r/breakups or the Twitter conversation on your favourite celebrity’s death, when we need it most.

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So though social media and its ability to construct narratives can be potentially dangerous, indoctrinating the individual with an ideal lifestyle, it can also be anything you want it to be because that’s what makes new media new media–its Pokemon-like ability to evolve.

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References

Siapera, E 2013, Understanding New Media, SAGE Publications, London.