Tuesday 28 August 2012

JOUR 1111 - Lecture 5

Listening To: Back to Black - Amy Winehouse 
Wise Words: "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Winston Churchill 

This week we talked about how telling stories through images had developed throughout history. Advancements in digital technology have resulted in increase in this form of storytelling, incorporating both still images and video.

"If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that's a good picture."

In order for a picture to tell a good story, it must conjure a certain emotional reaction from the viewer; sadness, happiness, shock, anger, disgust, fear, excitement, anticipation, love. I believe they have a more of an ability to impact an audience than words.The photograph below, taken in Barcelona, Spain on the 27th of May 2011, is a depiction of a police clash with protestors over high unemployment issues throughout the country. The protestor at the centre of attention holds up his hands, covered in the blood of a fellow demonstrator. Within me, this image evokes anger, sadness, fear and I can almost feel the subjects despair.


Videos work in much the same way as still images, however, they have the ability to say so, so much more. With the rise of modern technology, in particular mobile devices, it seems that anyone can be a photo journalist to some degree. In the past few years, some of the most influential news videos have been retrieved from portable recording devices, such as mobile phones. An event that was widely covered by amateur footage was the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Below is compilation video of the amateur footage taken on the day.  


So a picture does really tell a thousand words, and a video tells so, so much more.

Emily

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