JOUR1111: L.Wang's blog: Lecture: Week 5

In week five, we progress in to the most exciting part of journalism-The vision context of it which vividly illustrates our world. Growing up as TV kid and immersing in this world of new media, I always have a curiosity in how our world is constructed around these pictures, be it still or moving. Within this lecture, Dr Redman gave us a peak on the fantastic structure of if by leading us through the development in visual text and the elements that composed an effective production.

l The development of Pictures & Moving pictures

Alongside with the growth of technology, the graphics that are used in journalism had evolved itself from paintings to photograph to video and eventually digital forms online.

· A brief history of pictures:

Painting (Ancient-1879)-black and white photograph for news (1879)-first film (1895) -coloured photograph for news (1936)-

digital photograph/video on the internet: The NOW

The Current Usage of Still Pictures/ Film

Digital Publishing-Within online news context, multiple pictures and videos can be offered to audience within one story via links to photo gallery and embedded videos (hypertext). As a web news reader, I found such digital context of pictures is more accessible than the old media. Firstly, this is because that online photo gallery doesn’t have the limitation of space so more pictures can be covered within one story. Secondly, as the internet environment enabled me to read the text and watch the video on the same platform, it doesn’t require the change of device form newspaper to TV as in the old media setting. As a result, digitally published news offers its audience with richer pictures context and convenience in delivery such context than old media.

Digital manipulation-The digital pictures and film online can be subjected to modifying via graphic software. This is generally done to the pictures that are used for magazine cover and advertisings. Dr Redman also pointed out that celebrities’ publicity photos are often modified to make them look more ‘perfect’ and suggests such picture manipulation may distorts our understanding of beauty. I totally agree with Dr Redman’s point as celebrities are being looked up to as a model in the society, people tend to imitate them. Nonetheless, when their representation in the pictures are modified, people then are looking up to and intending to become an image that is fake and unnatural. From my observation of the friends around us, as they see a digitally modified photo of their idol being ‘super skinny’, they are unaware of that the picture is not how their idol really looks like, they set up a measurement of ‘beauty’ according to that photo and make it an actual goal for their own body shape in the real life. And as their ‘goal’ is indeed unnatural for human, it is hard to achieve, they then go in to radical way to lose weight: only drink protein shake every day or take illegal drugs, which seriously damages their health. Moreover, these audiences’ demand for such ‘beauty’ is fed back to the media (as they want to pick on audience’s interests), they then continue to promote such distorted ‘beauty’. Subsequently, a vicious cycle is formed. As a result, the current usage of digital manipulation on pictures can persuades audience into false understanding that cost inappropriate behaviour which may be damaging to themselves.

Propaganda-propaganda is a way to use media to persuade people to agree with certain interests in a brain washing process; this is particularly being used in politics. According to Dr Redman, the extensive usage of pictures for propaganda can be dated back to the early days when film is first produced. A famous case of such, are the propaganda films that Leni Refienstahl done for the Nazi party. Moreover, even at the present time, North Korea is still using pictures and films as propagandas on national television and newspaper. And the history had shown, such propaganda in pictures form does influentially persuades people as the Nazi party was then winning the election and many people in North Korea still commits themselves to the communists party and see democracy as evil. Nonetheless, as we in the western society mostly only see news pictures that show the positivity of democracy, we might as well be subjected to political persuasion unconsciously as well.

(North Korea propaganda)

· Prevalence of Digital capture and upload-the communication devices for recording, taking photo, editing and connecting to the internet are increasingly advanced and prevailing with the emergent of new media. Many communication devices now are in a portable size (for example, ipad iphone, most of the digital cameras and recorders) and most of them are internet enabled, so the pictures/films that are taken can be straight away/ simultaneously being send out during the shooting. As a result, the news production is more efficient ever in the history.

§ Advanced production from media institution

Subsequently, the news stations nowadays are enabled to deliver news live or 24/7 newscycle. In addition, the crew that is involved in making report is less. Dr Redman reflects that while he first join the TV industry, there used to be teamed up in three people shooting report, but now only one VJ will be send out at a time to his/her own report as now they are enabled to shoot video through satellite and one single device can contain multi-tools that are needed to make a report (laptop/ smart phone).

§ Rise in Citizen Journos

Since smart phones prevail among people nowadays, eyewitness film/video are enabled to be made and send out through internet quickly (especially by social networks).Thus, there is rise in Citizen Journos. Dr Redman recounts that a good example of such is of that the Arab Spring Riots is actually stimulated by such eyewitness films and pictures taken by citizen journos then get spread out through social net work then eventually rally a revolution. As observed, the power and influence of citizen journos is increasing with the portable devices that enhances digital upload.

As seen, pictures can be used in different aspects in journalism with different styles and functions; however, what does it means to be a great picture for news?

l The Golden elements

Dr Redman pointed out that what great pictures means in journalism is its ability to effectively tell a story; and in order to create such production, there is a specific convention of elements that is required.

elements\ context type	pictures	moving pictures (film)
Framing	The rule of thirds (golden mean)	The rule of thirds (golden mean)
Focus	sways audience's attention to the main point	sways audience's attention to the main point
Angle & Point of View (POV)	present the perspective of the audience	present the perspective of the audience
Exposure (or Light)	creating mood/atmosphere	creating mood/atmosphere
Timing	Shutter speed	skills of editing
Capturing “The Story”	Capturing “The Moment”	Capturing “The Scene”
Inclusion of Sound dimension	n/a	to coperate with the progress of the scenes