Assignment 2- Review
Name: Wong Wing Nam s3827326
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
Blog reflections
Week 5 – Analogue Photography (practice analysis)
Week 6 – Analogue Video (practice analysis)
Week 7 – Networked Photography (practice analysis)
Week 8 – Networked Video (practice analysis)
The ‘Assignment 2 Review’ has focused on the contextualising the terms ‘photo’ and ‘video’ in the course prompt, through the set readings and analysing examples of practice.
How do the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are authored, published and distributed in the network?
Review
(word count: 1077)
1. Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.
According to Cambridge Dictionary (2020), analogue is ‘something that is similar to or can be used instead of something else’. While photography record people or particular scene and as a repository to corral any information (Kuc & Zylinska, 2016). Woodford (2019) stated images from ‘film camera’ would be captured in a transparent ‘film’ and print put after the chemical process. The picture would be the analogue of what people actually saw. This define ‘analogue photography’ is a continuous recording process medium and its output is corresponding to its input. Despite, it is fairly typical to describe film photograph or other non-digital photography as ‘analogue’(Canon, 2020).
2.Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Spielman (2007) stated ‘video is an electronic medium’ which its origin is depending on the electronic transfer of signal which is generated inside a videocamera that can circulate between recording and reproduction. The signal is the analogue to project the video, as the heights of the continuous waves represent the sound and vision within a video (Techquickie, 2016) which are encoded as the variable voltage of transmission of signals (Lister, et al 2009, p16). Indeed, analogue videos are fixed, it requires to deal with the entire physical object (tape) so as to edit or change (Lister, et al 2009, p19). ‘Analogue video’ is dependent upon the transcriptions from one physical form (lights and sound) to another (cathode ray) then translated to video signals for transmission to the screen.
3.Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
The network allows user-generated content (UGC) to be shared, authorised, published on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Indeed, Lister et. al (2009, p223) mentioned that ‘interactive’ users are constructed as being part of an ever more intimate feedback loop with those media producers. They made used the accessibility of digitalised photography from their smartphone and DSLR cameras that the data of the photography could be easily edited. Yet, the popularity of networked photography is the symbolic means of the age during camera phone and wireless communication, that cultivate us becoming photographers (Kuc K. & Zylinska J., 2016 p.7). ‘Networked photography’ has to be made digitally which could be distributed through networks easily with the users’ social media accounts. Therefore, ‘networked photography’ is mostly UGC and the notion of authorising is heavily users-oriented.
4.Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Since the mid-2000s, the concept of ‘Web 2.0’ hyped up (Berry, T. B 2018, p.13), platforms which allow users to share the video became popular, for example, Youtube hosted over 120 million videos with more than 300 million accounts in 2010 (Berry, T. B 2018, p.9). This proves that videos can be widely distributed in the network. Besides, similarly as analogue video, the recorded audio and visual information is transmitted digitally into ‘0’ and ‘1’ (Techquickie, 2016) so as to deliver it to audiences. With the impact of advanced technology, uploading videos to such platforms become more convenient and accessible, producers can simply use their smartphone to film videos and share them to social media platforms like Youtube and Instagram. Hence, ‘networked video’ is a matter that is efficient and widely distributed in the network digitally that the only thing required producers to do is to fit the constraints prescribed by the platform to publish.
5.Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring: the process of the practitioner creating the content.
Publishing: the way and the destination that the practitioner offer the content to their audiences
Distributing: the access that allows the practitioner’s audiences to reach his/her content and the ability of the content to further itself.
6.What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
Both analogue and networked photography permeate the term ‘aesthetic’ that acts as an ‘extension of painting’ (Kuc, K. and Zylinska, J, 2016, p.8). Indeed, author photos digitally are far more effective than analogue as its data is generated decisively either in the smartphone or a digital camera while capturing. Users could edit with apps and software with the existing data freely and artistically. In contrast, an analogue photograph couldn’t, as the image is the exact reflection of the moment, the only way to edit is to re-take the picture again. Thus, it’s also more authentic than the networked photograph.
Given that the usual purpose of networked photos is gaining awareness and marketing-related, the publication has to consistent authored and published style so that to be more attractive on platforms like Instagram. However, analogue photograph’s authors have so many limitations in publishing as it obligates the work to be appreciated by publishers. Therefore, analogue photographs are usually in printed-form that could be found in exhibitions and museums which allow them to withstand the elapse of time.
Despite, the distribution of it is not as accessible as networked photos but they could last longer when there is conservation, also easier to trace (Kuc, K. and Zylinska, J, 2016, p.15). For networked photos, users often apply ‘hashtags’ to their photo through platforms like Instagram to widen its distribution and the ‘comment’ function also allows users to interact with each other by tagging, whilst re-distributing the photo. Since it’s convenient that everyone could be a photographer, the publication and distribution of it are numerous that cause efforts to research the photo again.
7.What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?
To author videos in an analogue or networked way differ significantly. As analogue video needs data to interfere while networked video uses concrete data (binary) that does not require interference. Similar to the analogue photo, to edit a piece of analogue video, the author have to re-produce the work again unlike networked video that producers could edit the visual and audio separately with the concrete data.
In terms of publishing, both ways have to go through a medium so as to view by other, yet analogue videos have to be saved into a physical medium such as CDs and recording tape, then audiences could approach it through purchasing the medium in a retail store or enjoy the video in a museum. Contrary to networked videos, producers simply publish their work to platforms they desired e.g. Instagram, such act lower the cost and materials to be used to produce a video.
Analogue media is fixed and flux (Lister, M et al 2009, p19) which is not stable and inconvenient, thus, it is no longer common when digital media arise. Networked videos can be distributed stably, shared instantly and viewed by many people at the same time, for example, the Instagram live-stream, it is effortless that only required producer to start the stream then others users can individually engage into it, even it can be worldwide. However, analogue videos are significantly different that people could only share while they are in the same space.
References
Berry, T.B., 2018, ‘Situating Videoblogging’, Institute of Network Cultures, pp. 9–22, viewed 29 April 2020, <http://networkcultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Videoblogging-Before-YouTube-web.pdf >
Canon 2020, ‘Introduction to digital photography: Differences between analogue and digital’, Canon Profession Network, viewed on 28 March 2020, <https://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/introduction_to_digital_photography/differences_between_analogue_and_digital.do>
Cambridge Dictionary 2020, ‘Analogue’, Cambridge Dictionary, viewed on 28 March 2020 <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/analogue>
Kuc, K. and Zylinska, J. 2016, ‘Photomediations: A Reader’, Open Humanities Press, p.7-16, viewed on 28 March 2020, <http://www.openhumanitiespress.org/books/>
Lister, M et al 2009, ‘New Media: A Critical Introduction’, Routledge, New York, pp. 16-21; 221-232
Spielman, Y. 2007, ‘Video: The Reflexive Medium’, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 1-6
Techquickie, 2016, ‘Analogue VS Digital As Fast As Possible’, Youtube, 28 February, viewed on 7 April 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btgAUdbj85E>
Woodford, C. 2019, ‘Analog and digital’, Explain that stuff!, viewed on 28 March 2020 <https://www.explainthatstuff.com/analog-and-digital.html>