Lev Manovich's book, The Language of New Media from 2001, has a specific angle when looking at new media. Manovich looks at new media through the lens of visuals and cinematic code: "the visual culture of a computer age is cinematographic in its appearance". Manovich uses the term “language” to describe “emergent conventions, design patterns and key forms of new media” (Manovich, 2001, pg. 38). This book focuses on how new media has already developed rather than the future of it.
The book is well written which guides the reader through its dense content but giving short summaries at the end of each chapter. The arguments are backed with a broad range of examples from his own experiences. The book is structured to make six chapters which all deal with particular concepts and problems, from the “material and logical organization” (ibid, pg. 37) of the new medium itself to the effects of the new media away from computer science. His historical approach to study new media sets it apart to other works on new media.
Manovich explains how in the beginning of cinema, the cultural impact cinema had could not be foreseen. Because if this, the transformation and impact was not recorded systematically. With the rise of cinema, a new artistic language was born: cinematography. Even though Manovich criticizes that it was not recorded, we need a form of hindsight to see its importance and its consequences before being able to make an educated judgement about cinematography which will shape the recording of it. Manovich tries to provide “a potential map of what the field could be” (ibid, pg.11) back in 2001. I think that not enough time has passed for him to do so, however he provides a theory that can be built on. He centres his argument on c...
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...ht into the language of new media. However it is limited because of this, it cannot be seen as a “map of the field”. He sees it in layers: cultural interfaces, operations, illusions and forms in new media. I found it difficult to always see the differences between the layers and to see how they affect each other. But the distinction between these layers is not always clear and he fails to show how these layers even if he provided meaningful examples. I felt it was very broad and sometimes superficial. For example, he doesn’t consider interactivity as a factor that influences new media or generalizes quickly. There is an interdisciplinary approach and it isn’t made clear when he is speaking from which field of study, instead he mixes history, art history, literary theory and computer science. Despite my comments, this book provides a distinct theory for new media.
Dizard, Wilson, Jr. Old Media New Media: Mass Communications in The Information Age. New York: Longman, 2000.
Joseph STRAUBHAAR and Robert LaROSE (2001). Media Now. Communications Media in the Information Age. 3rd Edition. Belmont, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
As time and people are continually changing, so is knowledge and information; and in the film industry there are inevitable technological advances necessary to keep the attraction of the public. It is through graphic effects, sounds and visual recordings that all individuals see how we have evolved to present day digital technology; and it is because of the efforts and ideas of the first and latest great innovators of the twentieth century that we have advanced in film and computers.
Internet as a medium has been a thoroughly discussed topic, especially in recent years with the rise of the World Wide Web. Analysis of relevant literature in the topic shows that the internet is not a new medium. This argument can be shown by looking more in depth into what defines a medium and what defines the internet. From that analysis by looking from a historical point of view the internet can be seen as an old medium which uses re-mediation to deliver content to users. The connection between internet and its users has helped the internet influence the way media is viewed today. Although the internet is not a new medium the content it presents is new. The advances in technology have helped the use of the internet reach new heights in terms of interest and it's capabilities are now being utilised by the masses. This rise in popularity has given the implication that the internet is new. These points can be analysed in more depth which has led me to take the stance that the internet is not a new medium.
During the course of this essay it is my intention to discuss the differences between Classical Hollywood and post-Classical Hollywood. Although these terms refer to theoretical movements of which they are not definitive it is my goal to show that they are applicable in a broad way to a cinema tradition that dominated Hollywood production between 1916 and 1960 and which also pervaded Western Mainstream Cinema (Classical Hollywood or Classic Narrative Cinema) and to the movement and changes that came about following this time period (Post-Classical or New Hollywood). I intend to do this by first analysing and defining aspects of Classical Hollywood and having done that, examining post classical at which time the relationship between them will become evident. It is my intention to reference films from both movements and also published texts relative to the subject matter. In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content.
Currently, our society is changing again with the onslaught of electric media, namely computers and the Internet. We must continue to analyze this technology with the realization that the medium is the message, or else we will never fully understand our culture or the effect of technology on it and on our lives.
In this article, Jones discusses the marginalization of motion pictures, yet touches on the great aspects of film, and how these aspects can expect to survive in the future. Major topics that Jones addresses are: developments in video narrative through flawless storytelling, the use of digital tools for film restoration and preservation, and an audience shift from film to digital. These points detail the love and appreciation that goes into filmmaking, and how the narratives, despite having changed formats throughout the years, have been able to survive and appear to be timeless. Jones also further discusses the idea of using audiovisual material to create narratives appealing. He details how the stylistic approach of a film, and the techniques like cinematography and editing, can enhance and provide for a greater narrative. In summary, the sum of the parts of a film are what make the entire experience, which not only makes for a great film, but for a lasting story as
Joseph STRAUBHAAR and Robert LaROSE (2002). Media Now. Communications Media in the Information Age, 3rd edition. Belmont, Wadsworth/Thompson Learning.
‘Then came the films’; writes the German cultural theorist Walter Benjamin, evoking the arrival of a powerful new art form at the end of 19th century. By this statement, he tried to explain that films were not just another visual medium, but it has a clear differentiation from all previous mediums of visual culture.
Many young people today are learning about their world through electronic means – radio, television, video movies, computer games, virtual reality games and the Internet. In particular the visual environment of the electronic media is greatly attracting the print media in all its forms. How many children read comic books these days? Most would rather watch cartoons, or play arcade games or hand-held video games. We will be focusing on cinema and how it has culturally played a role in society.
...ely available and accessible from everywhere. New media has introduced innovative platforms and ways to consume media products, they have been embedded into our social context that we are unaware of the different ways we are constantly relying on technology. This leads us to call for more contemporary studies towards new media audiences for a more in-depth analysis and how they have merged the different contexts of media consumption.
A work of literature is not complete until it is presented and critiqued by the reader. Over the years, the means of presentation of the literature has evolved with the availability of new technologies. One of the single most important developments over the past 100 years is electronic media. Electronic media has allowed for literature to be presented not only though a bound book but also audio and video. Electronic media has also allowed for easier, less time consuming authoring and publishing. This new media is still developing today and will continue at a fast pace as long as new technological breakthroughs occur.
Hence, any debate of the future becoming digital must take into consideration the reaction of the media to the technological innovations of the world, from the Personal Computers (PC) to the smallest Smartphone. Although mass media has increased with technological innovations, what driv...
Newspapers have been around since the early 18th century, gaining prominence after 1790 during the colonial era. Magazines followed right behind newspapers and gained popularity as well, television followed last, booming with popularity in the 1960’s. Television is still the most often used source for news and other information such as the weather. But new forms of mass media are on the rise, such as channels, blogs and podcasts, which have been around since the early 2000’s but are now picking up momentum and gaining prominence as a news source. There are similarities as well as differences between the old media and the new media, and while the new media is more modern and accessible it does not have to push old media out of the picture, the two can be combined for the benefit of the consumers and
The evolution of media has transformed the way we interpret the world around us. It gives us a new perspective by allowing us to interact with one another through the Internet. Media has become much more personal and diverse as user-generated content becomes more prominent in our lives. We are exposed to assorted types of viewpoints that shape our understanding and knowledge of the social world. Moreover, change in technology has brought advancement to transportation methods, which makes it very easy and fast to go long distances than before. It has also brought change in communication, with the development of the mobile phones, where the communication is now more efficient. Technology has also brought changes in education where students can do online courses, take exams, quizzes, do assignments and even discuss with the classmates the related topic of each week as if you were in the actual classroom. The changes of technology play a big part in the media and how it is used. The technological changes made throughout these time periods have made communication and the media widely spread.