One of my biggest points of contention when starting to produce and develop the audio-visual aspect of Assignment 4 is whether or not to use a phone camera, and if I don’t use one, use a DSLR or a hired camera from RMIT resources. There are pros and cons to each, while the convenient, portable and spontaneous nature of my phone lends itself perfectly to ‘noticing’, the quality of the content I capture, both movement wise and picture quality, wallow in comparison to the steady and crisp footage gained by using a DSLR and tripod. However, the aesthetics of the phone camera add a layer of noticing in itself. So, which do I pick?

While I had been leaning more to the DSLR and tripod side of filmmaking, my opinion changed after reading Aesthetics of Mobile Media Art by Camile Baker, Kasia Molga and considering how much I’ve spoken about him in this assignment already, my idol Max Schleser. This paper published by the trio discusses the history and insane potential for creation that the progression of mobile phones has had on media practitioners, from the now nostalgic pixel quality of primitive phones to the now incredible HD (and now 4k) capabilities of today’s smartphones. The article addresses the pros of smartphone media creation that have been rattling in my mind; its ‘intimacy’ ‘portability factor’ and their ‘predilection for close-ups’.

While being an interesting and engaging read, this academic work by 3 worldly scholars have given me a whole new perspective on how mobile media has been progressing, and their confidence in the platform and its inferior picture quality (in comparison to media specific gear) being portrayed more as an aesthetical choice has given me the confidence to almost certainly use my mobile smartphone as the main filming device for Assignment 4.

Baker, C, Schleser, M. & Molga, K. (2009), ‘Aesthetics of mobile media art’, Journal of Media Practice 10: 2&3, pp. 101-122