Visual and Communication

Week 12 : Photojournalism

In this week, I wish to write and analyze about photojournalism ethic. The word photojournalism is combination between photography and journalism. Photography and photojournalism has a different meaning. According to Johnson B.M., Mayer R.E. and Schmidt.F(2004), Photojournalists are the observers of people and events who report what is happening in photographs; skilled communicators whose images are transmitted visually via the printed page.(P.93).

Merrill and coauthor Ralph D. Barney noted that "journalisthic ethics ...should set forth guidelines, rules, norms, codes or at least broad principles or maxims that will lead, not force, the journalist to be more humane and not necessarily more human".

As stated by Belsey A & Chadwick R, on a book titled Ethical Issues In Journalism And The Media has said that 'Journalism is an honourable profession, though many of those who should care for it, often including its own professionals, have dishonoured it."(P.1). As a photojournalist, take a good images with issue has become a matter of political controvesy and public concern.



This image has manipulate, for Bush campaign for president election. Image has presuade people how Bush has powerful on political campaign and hegemoney.

The advantages of photography lies in its denotation and its connotation. The denotative side of the argument helps bring the notion of realism in the photojournalism as it “helps to convey the world”. Denotation proves that the photographer was there to witness a particular event or moment, ‘denotative power helps journalists to do their job as journalists”(Zelizer, B, 2005,p.172).

To conclude, images has powerful meaning and can make people believe what they seeing. As photojournalism need to know the ethic as a guide. Photojournalism is a profession that took real photo and not edited images.

References;

~ Belsey A & Chadwick R,(1992), Ethical Issues in Journalism and the Media, London,Routledge

Week 11 : Informational Graphics

In the modern era, informational graphic(infographic) are very useful to visualize and explain an illustration meaning. According to Lennartz s(2001), Creating an effective infographic requires both artistic sense and a clear vision of what to tell the audience. The following are some cool infographics we have collected. Some are colorful, some are simple, but all are informative and visually pleasing. Not only do they provide information in a format that is easy to understand, but they are also artistic creations in their own right.

I wish to argue that newspapers and magazines can presuade readers attention using infographic. Infographic are more effective to accumulate information data and easy for readers to interpret the statistics. Below are two examples of infographic.



Images alone never fully describe a complex process, so words must always be a part of infographic design.(Lester,1990). Two examples of above infographic, look creative and informative that attract attention of the readers. The infographic above simple and effective. Readers can predict through the trend of the graphs.

In conclusion, infographic are very useful in reality life and effective. Infographic has a clear and has specific title that make readers easily to understood.


References.

~Lester, P.M. (1995). Visual communication: Images with messages. USA: Wadsworth Publishing.

Week 10 : Games & Avatars

Do you agree that you are cyborgian in nature?

In the modern era, technologies are important. Everyday, most people using technologies to complete their usual life activities for example is handphone for communication. Games and avatars are interesting and exciting because of imagination and realistic. Games also help you to think and gain knowledge for example pilot simulator. Pilots need to learn simulation first before drive a real aeroplane. Sometimes we can be half human and half cyborg in different context.

As stated by Mcluhan (2001), in his book titled Understanding Media, "Games are popular art, collective, social reactions to the main drive or action of any culture. Games, like institutions, are extensions of social man and of the body politics, as technologies are extensions of the animal organism. Both games and technologies are counter-irritants or ways of adjusting to the stress of the specialized actions that occur in any social group."(p.255).

So, what is avatar?

Among people working on virtual reality and cyberspace interfaces, an avatar is an icon or representation of a user in a shared virtual reality. (retrieved from website, http://www.definethat.com/define/368.htm)





This images is the sims 3, one of the popular games among potential gamers. I wish to argue that the sims is simulation for social life activities as a family. Relationship and family planning is practice in this game. We are the controllers or players and the sims is avatars. We control every movement of the scene.

From my understanding, avatars can be represent into two types:-

1) used at websites, such as on Web exchange boards
2)used in gaming and virtual worlds.

To conclude, games and avatars are technology. We sometimes rely on technology that can reflect us as cyborgs. Technology invented by human that why we can't entirely rely on technology.

References:-

~Mcluhan,(2001), Understanding Media, London: Routeledge

~Lester, P.M(1995). Visual communication: Images with messages. California: Wadsworth Publishing.USA.

Week 9 : Cinema and Television

In this topic I will focus on cultural literacy on the cinema and television. Cultural literacy have mostly different every countries. Hirsch’s definition of Cultural Literacy is “the fund of information possessed by all competent readers belonging to a certain culture.”(Hirsch, 1987). According to Jeff Smith, the importance of Hirsch’s work on cultural literacy is not about the knowledge but rather its ability to able for us to achieve” access to our shared public discourse”(Cook, Paul G., 2009, p.495). I wish to argue cultural literacy in cinema and television represent ethical and culture in different countries.

In this journal, I wish to argue cultural literacy is vital to know in every country social life. I take High School Musical as an example. In this movie,relationship is important as students. Nowadays, musical school is popular among teenage students in United States. Life as students is fun not too pressure. So, dance is one lesson to release tension in high school. Cultural literacy, life as students in United States are enjoy and fun with dance and musical.

As stated by Richard Hoggart, (1990) on his book titled, The Uses of Literacy stated that "....the strongest argument against modern mass entertainments is not that they debase taste - debasement can be alive and active - but that they over - excite it, eventually dull it, and finally kill it....They kill it at the nerve, and yet so bemuse and persuade their audience that the audience is almost entirely unable to look up and say, 'But in fact this cake is made of sawdust'". (p.196-7).

For the conclusion, we need to know every cultural literacy in every country. Peoples will critics if cultural literacy not accepted.

References:

~Turrow, J. (2008), Media today: An introduction to Mass communication. New York: Routledge

~ Hoggart, H. (1990). The Uses of Literacy. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Week 8 : Photography

Photography have a powerful images to persuade audience perception and memorable. Most unique photography have semiotics to explain messages and many stories to tell. As stated by Martin Lester (1999), in his book titled Visual Communication, but

"But one of the most important stories photograph, or any visual message, tells is the one viewer makes up. The way you interpret an image is the story of your life."(p.249)

The question of how our belief in the special veracity and evidential force of the photographic image gets attached to the material image itself can be approached by considering the photographic image in more historical and sociological ways(Tagg 1988: P3-5). Although different individuals have different perception but one images have their own ideologies. I wish to argue that photography can be cultural critique. In this topic, I choose pictures below:-

Tutong Town

The ideology for images above is flash flooding in Tutong Town. Many people are shocked

by flash flooding on the first day of Hari Raya. Tutong Town haven't been flood for over the years. The discourse for flash flooding, I can critics that sewerage system on the Tutong Town unprofessional constructed. Relevan government and non government(NGOs) should be improvise sewerage system. Lack of contingency plan among people around and relevan authorities. Early warning need to announce to makesure people know and ready for any disasters.

In conclusion, every photography has their own critical culture. Individuals have their own interpretion and story behind the images.

References;

~ Lister M.(2004). The Photographic Image in Digital Culture, London, Routeledge.

~ Lister M (1999). Visual Communication, London, Routeldge.

Week 7 : Visual Narrative and Media

From my opinion, narrative is story-telling. Visual narrative can be explain what and how a story is formed. Visual narrative can be pictures or videos with have meaning and story behind it. The purpose of my journal, I wish to argue that structure and post structuralism in narrative are powerful to persuade audiences. As stated by Gillian Rose (2001) in his book titled Visual Methodologies, Narrative
"Narrative. Cowie notes how the story of the film contains a number of wishes for rather conventional kinds of success: erotic success and social success in particular. But the film also presents some more prohibited fantasies."(p.126)

As stated on Branston G. and Stafford R., on the book titled the media students book, "the term narration describes how stories are told, how their material is selected and arranged in order to achieve particular effects with their audiences. This partly involves how much knowledge we are allowed..."(p.49)



The images has narrative, there will be a war. Story telling will be soldiers march to start for war. That why imagination and knowledge plays a very important in making picture narrative.

References:-

~Branston, G. and Stafford, R.(2007), The Media Student's book, London, Routledge.

Week 6 : Rhetoric and Persuasion

WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP 2010 vs DRINK PEPSI????

Can you imagine If you drink PEPSI you will become best football player...huh..?

Ans : NO..

New Pepsi commercial for 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This spot takes a humorous approach with football stars such as Kaka, Drogba and Henry playing soccer in a small African Village. The best part of the video is when a goofy looking Lionel Messi (National Player of Argentina) pops out of a field at the end. It’s hard to believe he is the best player in the world.

REF : http://www.soccermusic.net/2010/04/akons-oh-africa-pepsi-ad-featuring-messi-henry-drogba/

Introduction

For my visual journal week 6, I used an examples an adverts to analyse. An image and a video above are related and have a same meaning of advertisement.If you see the video you will know advertisements for PEPSI but if you see an image above, probably you will find difficulty to interpret what is it all about. Maybe you thing that three people with the same clothes will fight with the African people. I wish to argue that there is a visual rhetoric in advertisements to attract many customers and show the powerful of the company. Image above you can seen three people which using same clothes were football stars. The reason why I want to investigate advertisements because advertisements is a common means used by many organizations or companies all over the world to persuade their quality of products or services not the quantity.


Advertisements above has a visual rhetoric because there is an unstated argument. Probably if you choose PEPSI, you can fly to South Africa to watch FIFA world cup 2010. Big companies or well known companies will sponsored big events to gain big income and big investments for future benefits. This advertisement uses football stars to persuade people. PEPSI is the best choice if you want to be more professional, energytic and relax. This advertisement inserted an enthymeme, An enthymeme is incomplete syllogism. They welcome all people around the world to come to South Africa because people are friendly. PEPSI persuade viewers by sponsoring FIFA world cup tournament to sale their products. The rhetoric was created syntactically and semiotically in the image and video. For example syntactic for rule of third, ball are focus. Semiotically in term of clothes that used by football players, design and attach by PEPSI logo, for examples colours are blue.in term of representation of manner like expression is aggressive.

In conclusion, to design a good adverts, the rhetoric need to inserted. Viewers have they own perception. PEPSI advertise their products on big events to persuade their customers. Big events are the peak time to advert products. Quality of advertisements must created syntactically and semiotically to look more attractive and professional.

References:

~ Robert J.Fogelin.Understanding Arguments:an Introduction To Informal Logic.(1978), United States.

~ Gillian Rose, Visual Methodologie (2001), London, SAGE Publications.

Week 5 : Gestalt effect and schema theory

Gestalt comes from the German noun that mean form or shape. Wertheimer conclude that visual perception was a result of organising elements or form into various group.

Tutorial week 5,

First visual schema,

REF: http://covertress.blogspot.com/2008/10/peanuts-coloring-book-fire-safety.html

Second visual schema,

REF: http://www.smileyme.com/listprod.asp?ptype=119

I choose the two schema images above because in contexts group of children between the ages or 8 - 10 years old. Most children like cartoons and funny presentation to understand them. The two images are interdependence for example ask them to practice and give them tips what they need to do.

This visual images is congrous. Even though the visual requires them to think but it just straight to the point and positive effect like funny and acceptability.

Week 4 : Visual SYNTAX, SEMANTICS & PRAGMANTICS

In visual communication, there are three important rules and dimension:-

1)Syntax
2)Pragmantics
3)Semantics

As stated by Brown.K, Miller.J(2001) in a book "Syntax A Linguistic introduction to sentence structure"Syntax is to resolve (a sentence etc.) into its component parts and describe them grammatically. In linguistic work each of the 'component parts' of a sentence is a 'constituent' and the whole procedure is 'constituent structure analysis'. Syntax also can be consider as grammar in visual. The rule of third which the rock is in the middle of it that where we focus first then to the background, then cows, then fire then smoke. As we can see the rule of contrast the background and foreground match with each other. We can see the background and foreground and where it want to focus clearly. We can also feel the tense of the image".(p.12)


Above image, your eye will start to see from face, then to his hand and texts.


The Egyptian used above images for communication. This image is called hieroglyphs.

As stated by Gorge Yule (1996) in his book titled Pragmatics, "Syntax is the study of the relationship between linguistic forms, how they are arranged in sequence and which sequences are well-formed. This type of study generally takes place without considering any world of reference or any user of the forms. Semantics is the study of the relationship between linguistic forms and entities in the world; that is, how words literally connect to things. Semantics analysis also attempt to establish the relationship between verbal descriptions and states of affairs in the world as accurate (true) or not, regardless of who produces that description. Pragmatics is the study of the relationship between linguistic forms and the users of those forms. In this three-part distinction, only pragmatics allows humans into the analysis." (p.4).

In conclusion, images have structure. Professional photographer need to know rules and dimensions of images.


References:

~Yule, Goerge (1996). Pragmatics. Oxford University Press.

~Brown, Keith & Miller, Jim (1991), Syntax A Introduction To Sentence Structure. London

Week 3 : SeMiOtIcS REVISTED - Study Of Sign

Semiotics

• is a method of analysing texts which are cultural objects, i.e., artefacts.
  
  
• is the study of sign systems and the way they operate in a culture.
  
  
• examines text as collections of signs drawn from a public system of meaning and representing certain cultural ideas and values.
  
  
• is the study of how individuals arrive at the meanings of various symbol systems.

There are various terms that we use when we deconstruct or analyse visual (i.e., video, TV, advertisements, movies, books, radio, posters, music, music videos. We supply the cultural knowledge to make meaning of signs and what they signify.

Semiotics is the study of how we use symbols. For examples are letters and numbers which have meaning between parties.Semiotics (called semiology in Europe) is the study or science of signs.

“The more you know, the more you see”, from the culmination of Aldous Huxley’s anthem.

"Semiotics is concerned with everything that can be taken as a sign. A sign is everything which can be taken as significantly substituting for something else." -- Umberto Eco

Example:-

Signs are the actual objects, sounds, images, that are present in an advertisement. For instance, in PEPSI ad, the signs would include: the PEPSI tin, young adults who have gorgeous bodies and looks, their clothing, skate boards.

Signify - the PEPSI ads signify such things as fun, health, group activity, beauty.

Connotation is the act of interpretation. Thus, the connotation behind the coca cola advertisements is that if you drink PEPSI will enjoy this life style, have fun, be physically healthy and good looking, and belong with the in-crowd.

REF: http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2008/05/27/14-creative-advertisements/

“Reserved for Drunk Drivers” Advertisement

The advertisement could be categorised for drunker who driving his/her own cars. Cark park are available anyway you want for example 'hit the trees'. I choose above image because its semiotic and announce drunker who will driving after drink. List of signs are

• Road
• Card Park line
  
• Border of the road.
• Trees
  

Signify

These signs signify such things as: dangerous, car accident, injured, death.

Connotations

(involved in reserved for drunk drivers)

The advertisement connotes that if you, a drunker driver you might be troublesome or accidentally. Beware and don't drive if you feel dizzy after drunk alcoholic.

Tutorial task,

Images above signify Brunei delicacies. Five signifiers Brunei food delicacies are cincin, penyaram, kelupis, ambuyat and sapit. Picture of mosque connotes Bruneian people are mostly muslim. Map of Brunei and the mosque represent Brunei tradition and cultures. The logo of Brunei tourism as an anchorage and combine the five signifiers of the food delicacies and reflect with the mosque and map of Brunei. This images signifier Brunei Darussalam has uniqueness with label Brunei is unexpected kingdom.

References:

http://www.bruneitourism.travel/ (Surfed on 01 September 2010)

Paul Martin Lester, Visual Communicatio (1995),Wadsworth Publishing Company

Week 2. SEEING AND PERCEPTION. Different people have their own perception.

Don't judge the books by its cover. People have their own sense. Cultural and society also effect how we make perception on what what we see. What you see in this image? What is your perception? From my view on a small image, the first thing I see of an old people face and after I contrast the image, then I can people setting, house, trees and grasses.

The art of seeing, Huxley said that"the more you know, the more you see". We gain more knowledge to get more information. I agree that sensing is not the same as perceiving. The eyes and nervous system do the sensing, Perceiving is related to the individual's experience. Clear seeing is the product of accurate perceiving".(Lester M,2001 p.4)

What your perception on above image?

Superman can fly but Barack Obama can't fly(simple perception). Body language show Barack Obama is strong and powerful. From my view Barack Obama one of the intelligence President of United States America from my knowledge and culture surround.

"In the case of Barack Obama, though, it's just fun. How often do we see a person and that person's politics infiltrate so many aspects of popular culture? Without question, Obama has literally altered the semiotic topography of America and American culture beyond what some have called "the Obama effect."

REF: http://semiobama.blogspot.com/

A current consensus views social perception as a bottom-up process in which the human brain uses social signals to make inferences about another's mental state. Here we propose that, contrary to this model, even the most basic perceptual processing of a social stimulus and closely associated automatic responses are modulated by mental-state attribution. We suggest that social perception is subserved by an interactive bidirectional relationship between the neural mechanisms supporting basic sensory processing of social information and the theory-of-mind system. (Christoph Teufal, 2010)

In conclusion, our perception are build through our sense, knowledge and culture. What we sees have signifier the meaning.

Reference:

~Lester, P.M. (1995). Visual communication: Images with messages. USA: Wadsworth Publishing.