Readings
“Today we are in the middle of a new media revolution— the shift of all culture to computer-mediated forms of production, distribution, and communication.” – Manovich (2001)
It is stated that the new media differs from the traditional form as it consists of sets of numbers stored in computer, which is considered as materiality. A variety of art forms are produced, distributed and communicated through a series of numbers/codes/data instead of the works itself.
The materiality also applies to our project. For example, a edited video file was saved and stored in school’s computer at first. However, for continuous improvements in editing, it was sent to our personal laptop via airdrop later on.
According to Manovich (2001), there are some key characteristics in terms of the identification of media:
- Numerical Representation
- Modularity
- Automation
- Variability
- Transcoding
Among these, modularity and automation will be discussed in detail specifically.
Modularity
“fractal structure of new media.” – Manovich (2001)
“Media elements, be they images, sounds, shapes, or behaviors, are represented as collections of discrete samples (pixels, polygons, voxels, characters, scripts). These elements are assembled into larger-scale objects but continue to maintain their separate identities. The objects themselves can be combined into even larger ob- jects—again, without losing their independence.” – Manovich (2001)
It is suggested that online media productions can function together officially and make sense individually at the same time. Everything online remain separated/parts/fragments, which adheres to our studio title. Also, it is mentioned to focus on individual part rather than thinking about how a part contributes to a whole. This statement connects with our project because of that our project is made up of a series of sounds, images and videos. Every posts can be considered as independent stories, however, they can also be connected to create a mysterious/suspenseful mood without a completed narrative in some extent.
Automation
“The numerical coding of media (principle 1) and the modular structure of a media object (principle 2) allow for the automation of many operations involved in media creation, manipulation, and access.” – Manovich (2001)
The development of technology enables computer to serve us. It is more convenient for beginners to create, manipulate and access media. As our project consists of some photographs, it is necessary to use Photoshop or other similar softwares to beautify those photos. Nevertheless, both of us are beginners of Photoshop. Hence, it is helpful for us to use auto function in Photoshop, auto exposure in particular, to correct our images.
In conclusion, the emerge of new media and advancement in technology make media more accessible, diverse, and convenient in regard to various relevant processes, such as production, distribution, communication and manipulation.
Reference:
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. The MIT Press, 2001. pp. 18-31
Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media. The MIT Press, 2001. pp. 32-48