https://www.instagram.com/p/CAUr5LJpyOM/

How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I chose to take a photo of my pantry as I feel it represents bad design. When Donald Norman says:

“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible, serving us without drawing attention to itself. Bad design, on the other hand, screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable.”

I found this to be true as when searching for good designed products around my house it was fairly difficult. However, when looking for an example of poor design around my house it was quite easy and I decided on my pantry within a couple of seconds. The pantry in my kitchen is a very awkward shape. As it is in a corner products on the sides are very accessible, however reaching for products in the centre is very hard as it very deep and things tend to get lost back there. Combine this with the pantry’s height, which means you have to get a chair or stool to reach anything on the top two shelves, makes it a poorly designed pantry and not a great use of space.

I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 on the camera app. Compared to most of my other pictures taken for this assignment, this one was probably the quickest and easiest one. I took the photo by standing against the kitchen bench opposite to the pantry to keep steady and to use as a reference point. I then opened the pantry door and got back against the bench and felt around for the right position as before. I then uploaded both to Instagram without any modifications or editing as I felt the photos didn’t need them.

How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took two photos of the pantry. I didn’t take anymore than the two uploaded as they matched fairly well in terms of staging, meaning that the most noticeable difference is the open door. I added the caption “Bad design screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable”. I then realised later that I forgot to cite Donald Norman for the quote so I went back later and did that. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include any hashtags. I included the location as “My kitchen”, although not an actual location as tag as when you try to press it nothing happens.

How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

Hashtags and location tags help with distribution, however as this post has no hashtags and the location tag doesn’t show the actual location, I expect distribution amongst other users on the network to be low. I also uploaded the images to Twitter and Facebook from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” and “Share to Facebook” options.  This automatically uploads the video to Twitter and Facebook at the same time as Instagram. It doesn’t actually upload the image to Twitter but rather the caption with a link to the Instagram post. However, when you uploaded to Facebook from the Instagram app, it actually uploads the image and caption to your Facebook profile, as if it was uploaded from the Facebook app. The only way to tell it wasn’t uploaded from the Facebook app is that it says “uploaded to Instagram” underneath your name. As Facebook owns Instagram, the integration between the Instagram app and Facebook is better than the integration between the Twitter app and Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMupZGpMJd/

How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I decided to record a video of me using the Buzz Lightyear Star Command pinball machine to compliment the photo of it. I took the video on the camera app of my Google Pixel 2 as the Instagram app requires you to hold down the shutter button to record meaning that I would be able to use the pinball machine with both hands. My phone was attached to a tripod which allowed me to record myself playing with the pinball machine. I left the audio on so you can hear the theme music and sound effects and didn’t include any filters as I thought they were unnecessary for it and didn’t add any value.

How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

Before uploading, I captioned the video “I’m bouncing off the walls in my quarantine arcade!” along with a crazy face emoji and a arcade joystick emoji. I also added the hashtags #arcade and #pinball. I also added the location “Home Sweet Home”. Although not the actual location, the phrase “home sweet home” conjures up nostalgic and happy feelings which I am wanting the audience to feel when they see the image and video.

I then uploaded the video, however I didn’t realise that it took a couple of minutes to finish uploading so I kept refreshing my page trying to see the new video. I couldn’t see it so I went through the entire process again. I selected the same video, added the same caption, added the same emojis, tried to add the same hashtags and location tag however the dropdown menu for the hashtags and location weren’t loading so I skipped adding them. Then when I pressed upload on my second attempt I saw the first post being uploaded with a progress bar that was slowly getting closer to completion so once they were both uploaded I just deleted the second one.

How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

The hashtags #arcade and #pinball help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my video as well as the location tag. I also uploaded the video to Twitter like the last photo. However, this time I did it from the Twitter app rather than from the Instagram app which meant it uploaded the video along with the caption instead of just a caption and a link the the Instagram post. I also uploaded the video to Tik Tok which is known for its short form video content. Although not recorded using the Tik Tok app, I was still able to upload the video however I couldn’t add any clips to it or add a filter which the Tik Tok app affords for videos that recorded from the app.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAMuPoFp1hr/

How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I chose to take a photo of my Buzz Lightyear Star Command pinball machine that I got when I was a kid because I felt it represented good design. Children toys often break and are made cheaply going for a more quantity over quality approach, knowing the usage habits of their intended demographic. However, this machine, even though still made of fairly cheap plastic, has lasted for many years and is still in very good condition (plus I have kept it in it’s box for a couple of years). It also fills quite a unique hole in the pinball market. It’s desk appropriate size situates between ultra cheap handheld pinball machines like these and expensive full size pinball machines like this. Although a desktop pinball machine toy, it still has useful features. On the backboard it has lights, a speaker that plays it’s theme music and sound effects whenever you hit one of the five bumpers and the whole machine is covered in Buzz Lightyear decals which all affords an immersive experience. It also has two-stories for the pinball to travel in and three paddles on each side that are controlled with one button per side. It also has a score reset button and a screen similar to an alarm clock from the 80’s that affords score keeping.

I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 attached to a tripod so I could have my hands in the photo. I took the photo in the camera app so I could put on a timer. Once I pressed the shutter button I had three seconds to shoot the pinball out and get my hands in position. Setting up the shot on a tripod and staging it correctly was similar to other photography I have done, however I was able to do the editing in the Instagram app and on the same device that I took the photo on, which isn’t usually the case with photography. On the Instagram app I changed the structure to 53, which seemed to make the image a little bit grainy which made the photo look as if it was taken on an older camera. I also upped the warmth to 52, saturation to 47 and added a linear tilt shift parallel to the pinball machine. I did these corrections to make the photo seem as if it was actually taken when I was a child and to add a sense of nostalgia, especially with the warmth and saturation corrections.

How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took three photos of the pinball machine but spent a bit of time lining up each shot on the tripod before starting the timer. Out of the three photos I chose this one as I liked the position where my hands were and the motion of the pinball, which you can see towards the top of the machine. I added the caption “High score!” along with the hashtags #pinball and #buzzlightyear as well as an arcade joystick emoji. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include a location.

How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?

The hashtags #pinball and #buzzlightyear help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my image. If I did include a location tag this would also help with distribution. I also uplaoded the image to Reddit and Twitter. On Reddit I uploaded the image to the r/oldschoolcool subreddit with the caption “High score!”  along with the arcade joystick emoji. I decided to upload the image to Twitter from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” option.  This automatically uploads the video to Twitter at the same time as Instagram. It doesn’t actually upload the image but rather the caption with a link to the Instagram post. I believe that this is more of a Twitter issue rather than an Instagram issue and could potentially be done on purpose by Twitter as a way to force users into uploading directly to Twitter rather than using Instagram. Although on Twitter the image is displayed as a link, there are chrome extensions and third party Twitter apps available that allow the image from Instagram to be displayed rather than a link, affording a more streamlined user experience.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHi4JFnzeA/

How did you author video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I decided to record a video of me using the Sansui AU-2900 amplifier with the BIC America speakers to compliment the photo of the amplifier. I did a little montage, filmed on my Google Pixel 2, of me pluging the aux cord into my laptop, turning the amplifier on, turning up the volume, then pressing play on a song in Spotify. I broke the video into different shots by using the ‘start-stop touch’ feature built into the Instagram app. I did think about filming the video on my camera app but decided against it as the ‘start-stop touch’ feature affords filming and stitching together videos. If I shot it on the camera app I would then have to use a software to try and edit all the clips together, however the ‘start-stop touch’ feature allows for the recording and editing to be done almost seamlessly. It does this by recording when you hold down the shutter, then stops recording when you release it before recording the next shot when you hold the shutter again. I left the audio on and didn’t include any filters as I thought they were unnecessary for it and didn’t add any value.

How did you publish video you recorded for upload to Instagram?

Although the ‘start-stop touch’ feature was fairly easy to use, I did have to retake a couple of shots and start the entire process again as I made a few mistakes whilst still getting the familiar with it. I recorded a shot, but didn’t like it so I deleted it, before recording the next shot. However I didn’t realise you had to press the delete button twice for it to delete a shot so upon review before posting, I rewatched the completed sequence and realised my mistake. I then had to restart the entire video as once completed you can’t choose which shots you want to keep or delete, it has to be shot in sequence. This made the ‘start-stop touch’ feature unfavourably noticeable.

Before uploading, I captioned the video “The Sansui AU-2900 with the BIC America speakers in action!” along with a speaker emoji and a milk bottle emoji. I also added the hashtags #speakers #music #pourthemilk, which is the name of the song playing (hence the milk bottle emoji). I also added the location “Deep-House-Lovers”. Although not the actual location, it compliments the video as “deep house” is the genre of the music playing.

How did you distribute video you published on Instagram to other social media services?

The hashtags #speakers #music and #pourthemilk, help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my video as well as the location tag. I also uploaded the video to Twitter like the last photo. However, this time I did it from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” option.  This automatically uploads the video to Twitter at the same time as Instagram. Although this can be useful, it doesn’t actually upload the video to Twitter, rather it just uploads the caption with a link to the Instagram video. This more-or-less renders the feature useless as users on Twitter are more likely to scroll past the post instead of clicking on the link as it means they have to leave Twitter. I know this is my logic when I see posts like these so I assume others do the same. I also uploaded the video to Tik Tok as short form video content is what Tik Tok is known for so the nature of the video really fits that network.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAHHFqnpE3g/

How did you author the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 of my Sansui AU-2900 amplifier. I took the photo of my amplifier as for me it represents good design as it seamlessly compliments my room, in visual aesthetic, function and audio terms. It doesn’t look out of place on my desk and has amazing BIC America speakers connected to it that have great soundscape qualities, making you feel as if the musician is actually in the room with you. Its function is extremely simple yet has quite a few useful features. Although an analogue amplifier from 1976, I have an aux cord connected to it which affords connection to modern devices like my phone or laptop. It also has dials that allow for finer bass, treble and balance adjustment that many modern bluetooth speakers don’t afford.

I took the photo in the camera app on my phone as for some reason when I took the photo on the Instagram app it cropped out half of my amplifier even thought in the viewfinder it was aligned correctly. This may be an android bug as most apps tend to develop for iPhone first. I took the photo in landscape orientation whilst sitting on my desk chair with my elbow propped up by my knee meaning I could get the photo straight. I didn’t use flash however once uploaded to Instagram I moved the contrast up to 52 and the brightness up to 19. I did this to make the photo a overall brighter without losing the darker qualities.

How did you publish the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?

I took three photos of the amplifier but spent a bit of time lining up each shot similarly to how Henri Cartier-Bresson spend a lot of time lining up his shots. Out of the three photos I chose this one as it was most inline with the desk. I added the caption “Sansui AU-2900 amplifier” along with the hashtags #amplifier and #audiophile. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include a location.

How did you distribute the photo you published on Instagram to other social media services?

The hashtags #amplifier and #audiophile help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my image. If I did include a location tag this would also help with distribution. After the photo was edited I did decide to go back and tag @sansuiworld in the hopes that they would see the image then reupload, spreading my image to other users who follow @sansuiworld. This would help get recognition as the users who follow @sansuiworld would likely also be interested in their products giving them an incentive like the photo and potentially follow my page. I also uplaoded the image to Reddit and Twitter. On Reddit I uploaded the image to the r/audiophile subreddit with the caption “Sansui AU-2900 connected to BIC America speakers”. However the post was hidden from other redditors as I violated rule 4 of the subreddit which is “image posts must show functioning/connected gear, and be accompanied by impressions or a review that adds value to the post. The impressions or review do not need to be exhaustive, but they should strive to explain how you feel about the product(s) and why”. I don’t really use Reddit, so this extra level of code of conduct beyond the usual “no violence or nudity” that is expected with most other social media sites was quite different to what I was used to. I believe this makes reddit the least accessible social media network to be apart of. Compare this experience to Twitter, where I encountered no hurdles to jump over before posting which made uploading there very easy.

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

Zach King (born 1990) is an American filmmaker and social media personality known for his digital ‘sleight of hand’ videos. Although his videos initially became popular on Vine, he is now mega popular on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram. He initially began posting Final Cut tutorial videos to his website and YouTube in 2008 after being unable to find any online, although he claims he made his first video at the age of seven. Due to his popularity online he has worked with many celebrities and big companies like Terry Crews, Selena Gomez, Howie Mandel, Gary Vee and many others. I chose Zach King as his videos contain a joyous feeling and are more like watching magic rather than a video. His videos manage to capture the same energy and awe as watching a Disney movie as a child. They are completely free of anything that would offend a viewer and can universally be enjoyed, no matter what race, gender or religion.

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

This piece is titled ‘The Great Escape’

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9CWMT7nAzq/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

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

The video was published onto King’s Instagram account on the 27th of February 2020. However, it is assumed that is was made a lot earlier as there is a lot of effects that need to be done as well King himself mentioning in an interview he uploads three videos a week and has an archive of videos to publish in advanced. King also has many videos he is planning, filming and editing at any one time so it would be almost inconceivable for this to be uploaded on the same day it was produced.

How was the photo or video authored?

Although I don’t know exactly how it was authored, It would have been filmed on a video camera, presumably a preofessional one like a RED or a Blackmagic design camera. Along with professional lights and sounds equipment. For the actual visual effect, I would assume, in my limited visual effects knowledge, that multiple different takes were used. One of King climbing over the wall. Where a cut could be hidden to swap from King’s actual shadow to a stunt double in a green screen suit acting as his shadow to help him climb over. Later in post production the green screen stunt double would have then been turned into a silhouette by removing all colour and lower the opacity to make it look like a shadow as well as removing both King’s and the stunt doubles actual shadows. Then another separate take with the police trying to catch him, that have been stitched together. Although it is just speculation for how this video was made, King has shared that he uses techniques like this with his other videos.

How was the photo or video published?

The video was published onto King’s Instagram account on the 27th of February 2020 where it has 9.3 million views, as well as his Tik Tok account where it has 102.3 million views. It was also published in a compilation titled ‘Best of Zach King Magic Compilation 2020’ to his Facebook page where it has 3.1 million views.

How was the photo or video distributed?

The video was distributed on Instagram with the hashtags #shadow #magic and the location tagged as Folsom, California. Typically when influencers share a post they are littered with hashtags in order to reach a larger audience, however King only used the two, presumably because he is already very popular (with 23.1 million followers just on Instagram) and his videos are highly shareable in nature. Due to the combination of King’s editing magic and the videos often being under 30 seconds in length, they are shared and viewed a lot. When asked in an interview with Larry King (no relation) why his videos are so popular on (then) Vine he said because “there are short attention spans and the audience is so young, but it’s also highly shareable, you can just watch them, consume them very quickly and share them with a friend and it’s relatable, and if not you just keep scrolling down and watch more until you find one that peaks your interest.” Even if you don’t follow King chances are you have seen his videos on your social media feed.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_King

https://www.instagram.com/zachking/

https://zachking.store/pages/about

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

Mathieu Bitton (Born ~1973 in Paris, France) is a multidisciplinary, Grammy award nominated artist, designer, producer, director and also photographer. Bitton has a lifelong passion for history, music, cinema, and arts of the black community which his photos try to showcase often working alongside many famous black musicians, comedians and artists. He has worked with Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Quincy Jones, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and many, many other high profile people and brands. He is the personal photographer to Lenny Kravitz and Dave Chappelle. He is also a Leica camera ambassador.

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

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzy0k6Lj_lm/

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

The photo would’ve been taken between 9th of July – 12th of July 2019 when Dave Chappelle made his Broadway debut performing his comedy special ‘Sticks and Stones’ which was later released on Netflix on the 26th of August that same year.

How was the photo or video authored?

The photo was taken on a Leica SL model digital camera. The Leica SL is a high end 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera.

How was the photo or video published?

After the photo was taken it would’ve been edited in an editing software like Adobe Photoshop, although I don’t know for sure. The photo was published on Bitton’s Instagram account on the 12th of July 2019 as well as his Facebook page and personal website.

How was the photo or video distributed?

It was distributed to his 40 thousand Instagram followers through the platform and it’s algorithm, using the hashtag #LeicaSL, as well as tagging @leica_camera and @leicacamerausa allowing for exposure and distribution to a much larger audience of Instagram who may not have been following him. The photo was also shared (or re-distributed), in Instagram posts and stories by other users that tagged him. The Photo was also used for promotional material on Netflix’s website to advertise Chappelle’s stand up special, meaning it was distributed on another website. Although this photo hasn’t been apart of one yet, Bitton has had many exhibitions showcasing his photography.

References:

Art Director, Designer, Photographer, Director, Producer & Dadaist

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/leica-sl-typ-601

Leaders Speak: Mathieu Bitton On Passion And Craft

https://www.gettyimages.com.au/photos/mathieu-bitton?mediatype=photography&phrase=mathieu%20bitton&sort=mostpopular#

Mathieu Bitton – Darker Than Blue

https://www.playbill.com/production/dave-chappelle-live-on-broadway-2019-2020