To begin the brainstorming process, we used a mind map to dissect online skate videos, identifying important elements and start to pull apart what skate videos are as an example of online video practice.

We also brainstormed 6 possible sketches to address particular elements of online skate videos.

After the brainstorming process, we realised that we had restricted our focus to the technical qualities of online skate videos such as the cinematography, editing, etc and not enough exploration of narrative and structure.

We had started to explore the correlations between skate videos and music videos for the atmosphere they create and the emphasise on the music to create the narrative and so this is something I think needs to be further explored in order to analyse what skate videos are as an example of online video practice rather than just there production qualities.

Posting this a little bit late, but Wednesday last week, Errol and I started to brainstorm for project two. Given that project one required each of us to analyse an online video practice individually, in forming pairs we had two presentation ideas to choose from. I had presented project one, discussing a video that addressed skateboard production style and my reason for selecting that is based on my hobby of making bmx videos and getting involved with skate culture. Coincidentally, Errol also makes skate videos and so we were both pretty eager to explore skate video production style for the project as it would be also be fun for both of us. Although Errol’s presentation on interactivity used a really engaging concept and so we wanted to incorporate that as much as possible. This would entail exploring how skateboarders use online networks such as YouTube to interact with each other making skate videos.

There is a skateboarding game called S.K.A.T.E which entails two skateboarders, one performing a stunt that has to be copied by the other. Failure to land the trick results in a letter, and getting the word SKATE results in loss. Similar to DONKEY in basketball. This game is practiced online with members uploading their stunt to YouTube as a video which can then be copied in reply videos. This is an element of skate video interactivity we could explore.

But firstly, back to the brainstorming process, to address the intended focus of the studio as directly as possible we reworded the studio prompt:

How can video, computers and the network be used to redefine online video practices?

To form a concept specific to skate videos (below). Improvements in information technology have changed many elements of skate video as a practice, namely the production has become more cinematic. However this change is not consistent across the entirety of the online video practice. Moreover, less cinematic and more old school (grungy) qualities that were present during the beginning of skate videos, are still present today. So noticing that the practice hasn’t been redefined but more so transformed, we created the concept statement:

How can video, computers and the network reshape skate videos as an online video practice?

For project two, Errol and I took a systematic approach to address skate video practice. We decided to tailor our concept statement specifically to the studio prompt exploring: how has video, computers and the network been used to reshape skate videos as an example of online video practice?

In doing so, an array of potential explorative pathways emerged and we noticed very quickly that this approach to the project broadened the scope too much to the point that we were researching skate video culture in general and comparing historical to contemporary examples, etc. After our discussion with our tutor today, it became immediately clear that although this may be a great research project, it is distanced far outside the scope of the allocated task as it is addressing a much broader issue, when instead the focus of this assignment was to be specific about a particular practice of online video. Therefore, in order to address the given task, the focus had to be transferred to one particular case study and the sketches had to be more defined and explorative of specific, individual attributes noticed in analysis of that one case study.

Concept Statement:

How has video, computers and the network been used to reshape skate videos as an example of online video practice?

Case study: Julian Melanson – Art in The Streets

We aim to analyse the evidence of skate video culture and aspects of skate video as an online practice, within this case study. We will look at the reasons why an array of particular aspects have a place both in the case study and in the conventions of skate videos. We will also experiment with sketches that address these aspects and explore how they work. So that by correlating these discoveries with the presence of video, computers and the network, we can determine how skate videos as an online practice has been reshaped.

Sketch Ideas-

– Production Elements: (4 sketches)

1 Film Burn / General Transitions

2 Fisheye / Low Angle Tracking

3 Slow Motion / Atmospheric Editing

4 (undecided)

– Narrative / Structure: (3 sketches)

1 Editing to the music (music video culture/narrative)

2 Sporadic editing (non-narrative structure)

3 (undecided)

– Form: (3 sketches)

1 Game of S.K.A.T.E (interactivity) ??

2 Brand association and idealisation

3 (undecided)

Narrative is defined as: an account of connected events. In regards to media, I understand narrative as a sequence of connections created between elements of a production. These connections are used to discover meaning (to use the term broadly) behind the organisation of the sequence.  It also occurs to me that humans will naturally create such narratives sequences in every day life, whether sub-conciously or not. This is due to the level at which narrative is ingrained as a culture form. That way, narrative can be seen as a way of organising human experience, by forming connections between elements of our experiences to juxtapose, a potential meaning can be created.

In this weeks reading, particular theories were collated to highlight the decreased prominence of narrative throughout new informational technology. The opposing organisational principle to narrative is called a database. A database is a collection of elements, independent of any narrative ordering. The world wide web and new media, often feature non-linear collections of data, such as blog posts. A series of blogposts thus form a database, without the presence of any narrative sequence associating each blog post with another. This shows the declination of narrative in new media. Moreover, day to day life today is sporadic and discontinuous as we weave in and out of different sites, stop, start, abruptly change direction of thoughts. This indicates that everyday life is becoming more like a database and less like a narrative. However this reading attempts to demonstrate that it’s not about narrative becoming irrelevant in the contemporary world, but that the notion of a narrative is mutating to accommodate the practices of the time. That new forms of narrative practice within informational technologies are established to assemble connections between elements of a database, unrestricted by logic and instead forming an anti-narrative. An anti-narrative presents elements of a narrative in a disconfigured order, therefore removing the ability for conventional juxtapositions to be made to create meaning from the elements. This is a difficult concept for me to wrap my head around, but this reading mainly seems to highlight the evidence of the database in a new, mutated narrative practice online which has created notions of the anti-narrative as a prominent feature in contemporary media.

It seems throughout University there is a clear emphasise on reflective thinking. Reflective thinking can be broken down into 4 separate levels:

Reporting: State what happened and why it is important.

Relating: Make a connection between the issue and your own skills or experience.

Reasoning: Explain significant factors behind the issue and what else is involved.

Reconstructing: Associate the issue with theory and potential future recurrences or outcomes.

By addressing all 4R’s you are giving a tangible purpose to and real world analysis of a given issue.

In the journey that is the creative design process, toward the beginning of the process there are lots of different concepts and ideas that need to be explored. This is where sketches are used, indicating that sketches are minimal, inexpensive, quick and disposable. Whereas further into the design process, the investment into a prototype is much larger than a sketch due to the specificity of the prototype. This demonstrates that there are less prototypes, which are less disposable and take longer to create.

Bill Buxton mainly highlighted that a sketch comes before a prototype in the design process and a sketch is used to inform a prototype. A sketch is not necessarily good quality because concentration on quality at such an early stage in the design process can limit the creative possibilities. A sketch remains non-specific and indirect to encourage reflection focussed improvement or improvement through influence.

After my presentation for project one, I noticed myself interested in the production style of skateboarding videos. After watching a wide variety of skate videos online, it is clearly evident that particular stylistic techniques are commonly repeated in this practice of online video and form part of a skateboarding production style online. To exemplify this point with relevant context, below is a skateboarding video created by the same artist as the piece that I analysed for project one and several stylistic elements are noticeable in contrasting both videos with each other, as well as comparing them to skateboarding videos online.

The most noticeable techniques are:

The use of a film burn or graphic transition.

The use of slow motion.

The use of a fisheye camera lens.

Timing the action in the visual content with prominent beats in the music.

These create part of the non-narrative form of online skateboarding videos, clearly requiring in-depth analysis which presents itself as an option for the second project.

In order for material to be distributed and prevail on television as opposed to online video, it has to meet certain expectations of quality. I am referring to the narrative (or non-narrative) qualities, which have to be succinct and accomplished in order to reach the criteria required. A succinct narrative or non-narrative is tightly edited and well structured. This correlates with the aspects considered emblematic of television in a general sense. For example, television media has to be succinct to create a duration suitable for broadcast space, advertisements have to be succinct for advertisement space, as well as being well structured to entertain the masses.

Upon reflection, my thoughts were premised purely around content that is distributed on popular public broadcasted television channels as opposed to cable television channels. Meaning that more specifically broadcast television has to be of well structured, succinct quality in order to entertain the masses.

Shows are produced for television when they entertain a wide demographic demonstrating the best form of media that television and online have to offer. However, they only survive if they are well produced and retain that originality it possessed when it was first broadcasted. Television success is more sustainable than online success because the online world is infinite and much less restricted than television, meaning something popular can be replaced online instantaneously. Also, generally speaking the aim of online shows is to make it on to television, this indicates that TV is of more superior quality in order to retain its position and survive the vast amount of content in competition. TV is also almost exclusively the distribution platform for news and coverage of events. This demonstrates its importance and empowers TV as something that is generally well made. Finally, although completely generation specific, Television may have a longer and more founded emotional connection with viewers due to its influence on our childhood and the family environment. For this reason as well, viewers will expect certain quality.

I think that an online show’s arrival to television, generally brings with it an improvement of quality and refinement. Whether that be a symptom of increased profit or not, it still helps us to inch forward slightly on the path toward defining online video, as the majority of online video is distinguishable from television in general through this expectation of quality.

Interestingly, since the elderly are the largest demographic of Television watchers, whilst in contrast, the least likely to engage with online video. As time goes on, online video is engaged with more and more. I think that cable television, with it’s narrower audience, has lessened expectation of quality and therefore forms the bridge between broadcast television and online video. In 20 years will the shift in quality have evolved in the opposite direction bringing television to a near extinction with online video being the top of the media chain?

Subsequently, defining online video is a arduous thought to articulate as it is riddled with contractions because of its vast and evolving nature. However, its rawness and accessibility is its most redeeming quality, giving everyone an entrance to the media world; an opportunity that would not be afforded in the exclusivity of the television stations.

This week’s studio explored many areas surrounding the practice of online video in the interest of determining what exactly online video is. I have learnt that it is firstly vital to distinguish online video from other mediums such as television or cinema. The particular aspects that feature the largest differentiation among the mediums are duration, form and interactivity.

Duration is easily the most noticeable distinguishing factor between online video and television. Television programs have to fulfil a duration that is equivalent to the allocated segment of the television schedule and compensate for advertisements, etc. Whereas, although there are no particular duration guidelines or restrictions on online video, it is evident that a video ranging from several minutes to a maximum of about 10 minutes is symbolic of online video. This must relate to a foundation that exists within online video culture. However it is interesting to note that online videos are becoming shorter and shorter with the increased popularity of Vines and Snapchats. This shows the versatility of online video.

Form is another important factor to analyse online video. The form of media includes how stylistic elements are used and how content is structured. I think the most noticeable element of form that could distinguish online video from other forms of media is the presence of mature language or content. Due to the censorship restrictions placed on television media, a contrast can be found within the maturity of content found on television as opposed to online video.

Finally, the interactivity of media refers to how audiences interact with the content or have the potential to interact with the content. The affordances of the internet enable online video to be interacted with in a multitude of different ways and ways in which distinguish online video from other forms of media. For example, the sharing capabilities of the internet allow online video to be distributed within social groups and through niche channels. This means that a particular practice of online video can become part of a large cloud of associated content and surrounding practices formed through the pathways in which it is distributed. This provides the online video practice with pre-determined background or viewer expectations which will alter the effect it has on viewers.

After this studio, I have furthered my distinction of online video content, primarily through finding a distinction between the duration, form and interactivity of video content.