Week 7, Feb. 21, 2011

I need to catch up with technology, but is that even possible? For my Online Journalism class, we’re taking a few weeks to learn to upload our video creations to various online sites and formats. Linking and embedding them to blogs was easy since I’ve already done it, so that wasn’t a problem. As a class we’re pretty familiar with YouTube, so the next step in preparation for our final (which is a live newscasting) was to create our own channel on Livestream.com and manage our videos there.

Now uploading videos of others is one thing, but recording myself online LIVE is another! Luckily our assignment was just a simple 5 minute interview with someone else over any topic, so we could focus more on creating the storyboard and messing around with the various options Livestream Studio offers. Thank goodness for tutorials. At first glance I was extremely confused with all the options and gadgets, (like how to turn the camera off) but continual attempts at creating a webcast proved to be successful.

I can see how this would be handy for tutorials or webcasts within a classroom and can be easily incorporated into Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I don’t know how interesting my own channel would be, but learning a new skill is always helpful. After watching some extra tutorials on YouTube I realized that I’m far from knowing all types of technology and as soon as I learn one program, there’s another one to replace it!

Click on the Livestream.com to link you to their site. I hope to get a link to my own channel set up here soon.
* Photo from mashable.com

Week 6, Feb. 17, 2011

Last Tuesday I was able to go to a public screening of an upcoming documentary called “Abused” by Luis Argueta. The film covers the close to home Postville, Iowa incident in 2008 where 389 undocumented workers were arrested. The film covers the past two years and follows the individuals as they go through trial, imprisonment and the journey of returning to their home countries.

It was an emotional showing and the film proved to be an intense viewing of these worker’s lives. Though often in Spanish, their stories told of the frustration and unfair treatment they were receiving while working as well as after the raid. It was sad to see them uprooted as many had children born in the U.S. and had acclimated to life here. In an interview of a woman sent back to Guatemala, she mentioned her daughter didn’t grow any more since there was no milk to drink there as she did in Iowa.

The film’s two year span shows the before and after effects of the raid and where the workers and Postville, Iowa are today. I appreciated the extent that the director went to to follow up with these individuals. Argueta noted that he’d been back to Iowa 30 times since the raid and that he called it his second home despite of what happened here.

I think it’s an important film to watch that covers the issue of illegal immigration but also the families behind it. I’ll leave the link to the film’s website here: www.abusedthepostvilleraid.com

*Photos were taken from the Abused promotion pamphlet.

Aha Blog #2: Killing Us Softly 3

In my Visual Literacy class we recently watched the short film ‘Killing Us Softly 3’ by Jean Kilbourne. After watching this intense short film I found myself questioning the advertisements I see everyday but don’t pay much attention to. I realized just how much we are being bombarded with images- and how many of them I don’t seem to notice! I think now is a time when we’re having an overload of images thrown at us.
Part of the statement made in the film was that society doesn’t see these images as harmful because we’re not thinking about it. We’re not focusing on the message behind the ad, but looking for the next image to come our way.

I found an interesting article through the New York Times by Louise Story called: 'Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an Ad' explaining “sensory overload” and where that’s taking the marketing industry. The article discusses that now there are more ways in which products can be advertised (ie: the internet, to small children, cell phones and through product placement). It made me realize that while reducing the number of images I see everyday may not be in my control, I can
be more mindful of what I’m watching or reading and learn to decipher these messages.

*Image from imdb.com

Week 3, Jan 30, 2011

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

I was recently introduced to a video that gave me a different perspective not only on how to find visuals in everyday objects or architecture, but also the art of creating a visual story through various materials. Its a video essentially of a video camera capturing light, motion, and shapes in new ways through the lens. When first watching it, I was totally captivated by the angles and perspectives in which the artist uses ordinary objects to show details and still life. For instance, the photographs suspended by clothespins are an ordinary event in a darkroom, but the closeness and detail the artist focuses on changes the perspective in which the audience sees it. He is in charge of what we’re looking at and we’re decoding his message.

I think one of the most outstanding things about this video is that its not really a video at all. It was done almost completely with computer graphics (and a lot of talent) and in most sections, you can’t even tell. I think this is one example of how graphics and technology has expanded over the last 20 years. Compared to the 1982 movie, “Tron” whose computer graphics were considered great at that time, this 10 minute video greatly surpasses that technology.

Breaking down these elements is teaching me to decipher what the artist is truly intending and how I can apply this to understanding more graphics or visual symbols in society today. I think its definitely important to incorporate an almost deconstruction of the graphic message so that we can experience it from all angles.

Aha Blog #1: Visual Symbols in Daily Life

Visual symbols appear all around us whether we notice them or not. From street signs to jewelry, we are constantly being bombarded with them. As I spent time critiquing what I saw on a daily basis, I realized that visual symbols were more of a part of my life than I had thought. I believe the way we choose to interpret these symbols is many times chosen for us by society and the media, and its important that we learn to recognize their impact on our lives. I thought of a few specific examples that I see daily to help myself decipher this concept.

One type of visual symbol I hadn't thought of before was the body. Tattoos and henna tattoos are a form of self-expression or cultural celebration through body art visuals. I think of such markings as tattoos and piercings as more obvious examples of visual symbols, but body language and hand signals represent attitudes and expressions as well. When you think about it, these signals have strong nonverbal messages when used by themselves.

Visual symbols are found in jewelry and body art as well. Wedding rings, cross necklaces, and yin yang or peace signs are several popular symbols made into jewelry pieces that I've noticed. I know I tend to associate certain religious or personal beliefs to people by what they choose to wear or use to define themselves.

Many visuals I see daily come from products in stores. I can recognize these just by their logos. Products like Pepsi, Chevy, and Nike all use their logos in place of their names at times. Consumers learn to recognize these symbols, making them a powerful marketing tool. An example of logo symbols I've recognized is clothing. Clothing visuals affect us daily by brand recognition. People often associate these with status as a means of social acceptance- all because your shirt has a tiger vs. an eagle on it. I think this is just what the clothing brands are looking for to push up their popularity and sales.

Stopping to look at these examples of visual symbols I see daily, I became aware that I use them without thinking about it. I see a Pepsi logo and I want a Pepsi. I see a shirt and become jealous its not mine. I think there are definitely positive reasons for utilizing symbols visually in our society, but I became aware of my own negative associations and presumptions when I took a deeper look at my daily interactions with them. I've definitely opened my eyes to my daily intake of visuals and can differentiate a little better between what the symbols are really telling me.

*Images by Meghan White