Assignment 2- Review
Name: Jack Fahey s3382553
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-and-facilities/student-support/equitable-learning-services
Blog reflections:
Week 3 (Session 5) – Henri Cartier-Bresson | Place De L’Europe Gare Saint Lazare
Week 3 (Session 6) – Nam June Paik | Robot K-456
Week 4 (Session 7) – Beeple | Teslar Lunar Ocean
Week 4 (Session 8) – Randy Cano | Justice – Helix
Review (1229 words)
How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are authored, published and distributed in the network?
a. Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.
Analogue photography is a physical, non-electrical method of capturing images that requires some form of chemical process to print / retain an image. Analogue photography uses light sensitive particles (often silver) to react to and capture incoming light through the lens. This form of photography requires the film to be loaded into the camera before use and cannot store photos internally within the hardware. Prior to the digital revolution, in order to be distributed to the public, analogue photography needed to be printed into a tertiary form of media, whether that be newspapers, magazines, books or even posters.
b. Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Analogue video is a form of video recording that uses a continuous analogue signal. The electronic signal is derived from a voltage that changes depending on the amount of light present in the image that is being shot with the video camera. This form of media is often much more prone to disruptions when compared to more modern forms of video recording. This is due to the conversion process that analogue video capture necessitates. Analogue video takes light, sound etc and converts it into a separate, unique physical form (i.e. wave forms). During this process, interference can easily occur, resulting in white noise or loss of quality (especially if re-recording).
c. Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
Networked photography is the process of producing image based content that has been uploaded to and shared on an online medium (Instagram, Facebook, twitter etc). Networked media has no real rules concerning the production of the photographic content. A networked image or photo could be a single frame taken from a video and heavily edited, it could be an analogue film photo uploaded online or it could be a digital photo taken with a DSLR. So long as the content is uploaded and shared on social media or in some sort of online network it has become “networked” photography. This means there is an incredible amount of content creators that are practicing art within this medium, Instagram alone is home to thousands of networked photography creators.
d. Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Networked video, similarly to networked photography, is a video that has been uploaded and shared on an online network, social media, or video hosting site. It is different, however, to networked photography in that the content cannot be a still photo, but rather a moving image. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a film, long video, or even have sound, but it does have to be some form of moving image. Networked video media ranges from entire cinematic films ,to web based episodic shows, to vlogs and even animated gifs.
e. Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring is the process of creating an idea and then capturing, recording or otherwise transcribing it into some form of media. It requires a tool or implement in order to either physically or digitally capture the object/subject of the media either in a single moment or some fixed period of time. An example of authoring would be the initial instance where Carter-Bresson captured the photo of the french worker jumping across a pool of water.
Publishing is the act of choosing the medium that a photo, video or other kind of media is uploaded to, printed on or displayed within. This often influences an artist’s authoring as different publishing forms can often impose constraints upon the original piece of media. An example of publishing would be Beeple uploading one of his 3D rendered images to Instagram.
Distribution is the procedure by which a piece of media is disseminated to the intended audience. In the digital age, distribution can happen in waves, whereby the initial video is published by the creator and then constantly re-uploaded and re-published by the audience onto different mediums or websites in order to be shared with their own friends or viewers. An example of distribution could be Nam June Paik’s Robot being involved in his various street performances or gallery showings.
f. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
There are many similarities between analogue and networked photos. The main being that, at their core, both forms of photographs are still moments captured in time, usually with the express purpose to be displayed/shared with an audience (though not always). The biggest difference between the two is that analogue photography produces a physical image while networked photography can be entirely digital.
In terms of authorship, they both require an artist to choose a moment and subsequently capture it with whatever photographic tool he/she is using. The biggest difference between the two is the enormous increase in available forms of media at the disposal of networked photography.
Both networked and analogue photographs have certain constraints applied to them by whatever form of media is chosen for publishing. One example of this could be size/dimensions for analogue media or file size for networked media. The biggest difference is that analogue photography is most commonly published via some form of printing (whether into a book, a magazine or onto canvas) while networked photography by its very nature necessitates some form of online upload/networked sharing.
When distributing, both forms of photographic media are shared via a form of media that will reach the biggest intended audience. Often, both forms of photography will be distributed in some kind of collation, collection or album of similar photos (whether they are grouped thematically, by author or some other link). One difference is the reach that networked photography can have when compared with traditional distribution of analogue photographs. Networked photographs can reach millions of people in an instant, and then be subsequently and immediately shared with millions more, while analogue photography is usually only distributed to those that have access to the book, newspaper or magazine it is printed in.
g. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?
Both analogue and networked videos have one central similarity, they are attempting to capture and reproduce a moving image. They do however differ from each other in that analogue videos attempt to capture a moment in real life and transcribe it into wave forms, while networked video can come in an incredibly array of media forms (animation, film, digital etc).
Analogue and networked videos are both very similar when it comes to authorship. They both require some kind capturing of visual images that progress linearly through time. The means by which they are authored however differ greatly, analogue video is captured physically with wave forms denoting the amount of light and colour in a given image at any point within the video while networked video has no real restrictions or formal requirements. Networked media can be authored by DSLR, cinema camera, an animation program such as Houdini or any other means that can capture/produce a moving image.
When publishing, both analogue and networked videos require some form of video producing/hosting software or hardware. The difference being that analogue video requires a play back device (namely a television screen and either aerial or VHS player) and a networked video is uploaded and hosted on a website (YouTube, for example).
In distribution, analogue video is sent to its audience via traditional broadcasting means, Television, cinemas, etc. Networked video on the other hand is distributed via any means of online networking or sharing. This could be YouTube subscribers seeing the video uploaded and in their notification box, or perhaps getting a video shared to them via Instagram or Facebook messenger. They are similar, however, in that in both forms of video media are created with the express purpose for distribution to a desired audience.
References:
Kamila K & Zylinska J, (eds) 2016 Photomediations: A Reader. Open Humanities Press, viewed 2 February 2018
Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York. (Section: 1.2.1 Digital pp. 16-21)
Lombana, A. (2020). The Aesthetics of Networked Photography. [online] vVvAlog. Available at: http://andreslombana.net/blog/2016/12/04/networked-photography-and-the-meaning-of-the-selfie/ [Accessed 16 Feb. 2020].
Niederer, S. (2018). Networked images: visual methodologies for the digital age. Amsterdam: Amsterdam
University of Applied Sciences. (pp. 1-2)
PCMAG. (2020). Definition of analog video. [online] Available at: https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/analog-video [Accessed 16 Feb. 2020].
Yourdictionary.com. (2020). Analog video dictionary definition | analog video defined. [online] Available at: https://www.yourdictionary.com/analog-video [Accessed 16 Feb. 2020].