Assignment 2 – Review
Name: Shaun Rimes s3530111
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 – https://www.rmit.edu.au/students/support-and-facilities/student-support/equitable-learning-services
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)
Word count: 1089 words
1. Provide a definition for ‘analogue photography’.
Analogue is the term used to define the process with which physical properties can be copied and stored onto another physical form (Lister 2009), and in the case of photography, there are a number of physical, mechanical and chemical stages that occur before a photograph is produced.
When a camera captures an image, the shutter opens briefly allowing light in and exposes a film strip to that image. Furthermore, it is magnified through the lens and this exposure burns an imprint of it into the film. That film is then developed into a negative which is projected onto light-sensitive paper and bathed in various chemicals in order to create the photograph (Leibovitz, A 2019).
As this process is very time consuming and requires a photographer to have numerous rolls of film on hand when shooting, artist like Henri Cartier Bresson have tended to be very specific with the images they capture, waiting for just the right moment when something unique happens.
2. Provide a definition for ‘analogue video’.
Analogue video, much like photography uses light in order to capture a physical image and then recreate that same image in a duplicate physical form however in this instance it’s the recreation of moving images (Lister et al. 2009). The process for capturing and displaying analogue video involves a video camera scanning an electron beam onto phosphor and its intensity is determined by the amount of light focused on it by the lens. That beam is then transmitted to either a recording device which records voltage changes of the electron beam onto tape or a display device which converts the voltage back into an electron beam and directs it to another phosphorus surface that the image is recreated on and can then be viewed (Norman 2014). An example of this process can be seen in the works of Num June Paik. His “TV Buddha” for example shows a video camera capturing an image of a wooden buddha using this system and then transmitting a copy on a display monitor.
3. Provide a definition for ‘networked photography’.
Photography has evolved considerably in numerous areas the most notable however would have to be the proliferation of digital camera technology integrated with mobile phones. There are certainly more formal digital cameras out there that physically resemble their analogue predecessors but the introduction of cameras into mobile phones was a catalyst for a cultural phenomenon where everyday people began documenting their own lives unlike ever before and are now the default camera of choice for consumers (Palmer 2014).
A digital image is made up of a grid of pixels, those pixels are allocated with a number which represents the colour and shade of each of them. The image is stored either within a device’s memory or on a removable memory card. Furthermore, it can be electronically transferred from one electronic device to another as a data package via a network. In this digital form the image can be modified in innumerable ways and the author can copy, display, print their work as desired (Cummins 2008).
4. Provide a definition for ‘networked video’.
Networked video is a digital recording of a moving image captured for the purpose of distribution on online network platforms. This form of documentation began in the early 2000 long before YouTube’s launch in 2005 and since that time has proliferated throughout society and become an integral part of the cultural zeitgeist (Berry 2018).
The production of the digital video is much the same as digital photography including the capacity for unlimited variability and manipulation however in this case it is dealing with moving images rather than still (Spielmann 2007). There are some limitations with networked video dependant on which particular site you use to distribute it, for instance Instagram has restrictions on the time limit of videos posted on their service.
5. Provide definitions for the terms ‘authoring’, ‘publishing’ and ‘distributing’.
Authoring refers to how the different forms of media are created. This includes but is not limited to, the creative process, the type of equipment used and elements of the mise en scéne.
Publishing and distribution are the processes that facilitate the particular media creation to reach its intended audience. The medium that is used for this depends on the media form and the artists intent, for example, a photographer can choose to have his work appear on an online network, within a magazine publication, as part of an art exhibit or all of the above.
6. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked photos are authored, published and distributed?
The differences between the way analogue and digital photos are authored, published and distributed are numerous. The process to author analogue photographs is quite complex involving chemicals and requires a level of education to understand the process, furthermore there is a time delay with analogue as photographers cannot be certain of what image they captured until they have processed the film, where as digital cameras afford the author the ability to instantly view their work via display screens (Price & Wells 2015). Before the internet photographs publication and distribution options were limited to that of a physical form such as magazines and art galleries, however once the internet came to be it opened up a multitude of new options for which authors could connect to audiences with their work, additionally with the introduction of camera phones authorship became capable to do so on the move and “are capable not only of recording and displaying images but also instantly sharing them” (Palmer 2014).
Similarities between the way analogue and digital are authored are mise en scéne and the creative forethought that goes into the construction of a shot. Furthermore, light remains to be an integral part of both forms as part of the shot itself and an essential element of both technologies. With regards to publication and distribution mediums such as book and magazine are still widely used by photographers to reach their intended audience as well as displaying their collections as part of art exhibits.
7. What differences and similarities did you discover between the way analogue and networked videos are authored, published and distributed?
The differences between authoring analogue and digital video most obviously is the different types of equipment and technology used to capture the video, additionally with regards to the editing process analogue requires the entire physical object to be altered which is a long drawn out process where as digital remains in a permanent state of flux until its final distribution point allowing innumerable possibilities for fast and easy editing and manipulation (Lister et al. 2009). Publishing and distribution before the digital space was restricted to art galleries, theatres and analogue home entertainment technologies whereas networked video has dissolved the limitations of accessibility due to the nature that it exists on a network rather than having a physical location.
The similarities for authoring these two types of video is that they both still require a physical video camera to capture the footage and light remains to be an essential element for both forms. Commonalities also exist in the way that creators target specific audiences and distribute according to that intent.
References:
Berry, T.B 2018, ‘Videoblogging Before Youtube’, Institute of Network Cultures, Theory on Demand, viewed 3rd May 2020, http://networkcultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Videoblogging-Before-YouTube-web.pdf
Cummins, J 2008, ‘Digital versus Analogue Photography: A Comparative Analysis’, Master Thesis, Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.
Leibovitz, A 2019, Complete Guide to Film Photography: How to Develop Film and Film vs. Digital Photography, Masterclass, viewed 1st May 2020, https://www.masterclass.com/articles/complete-guide-to-film-photography#how-does-film-photography-work
Lister, M, Dovey, J, Giddings, S, Grant, I & Kelly, K 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction, Routledge, New York, pp. 16-21.
Norman, T 2014, Integrated Security Systems Design: Electronics Elements (Detailed Discussion), 2nd edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK.
Palmer, D 2014, ‘Mobile Media Photography’, The Routledge Companion to Mobile Media, Routledge, New York, US.
Price, D & Wells, L 2015, Photography: A Critical Introduction, 5th ed, Routledge, New York, pp. 9-27.
Spielmann, Y 2007, Video: The Reflexive Medium, MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, pp 1-6.