1. On page 2, it is said that in the 1950s "over 85% of American households owned at least one television by the end of the decade."This caused different cases of acceptance and rejection throughout society and pushed the boundaries of the American culture. Compare and contrast the way mainstream television and video technology has changed society from the 40's to the 50's and into the 2000's.
2. On page 7, the reading states that "Many of the visual strategies in video of the ‘80s were based on post-production technology, such as multiple camera inputs, fades and wipes, slow motion, collage effects, scrolling text, and animation." Explain how some of these strategies are still used today. Use specific examples.
In the 40s and 50s, I believe the whole idea of 'mainstream television' was just coming into birth. It did not have quite the public stranglehold of 'propaganda' (some perceived) until the early 70s. That was around when folks got a hold of their own way to shoot video, and realized they could do it themselves. I think this ideology still exists in the 2000s, but on a heavily multiplied level. Now it is even to the point where people are creating their own vlogging or 'detournement' on how they really see American culture. Not just how American culture persists through their television set. But more through the internet screen and their own voice.
ReplyDeleteFor a specific example, pertaining to question 2, I might look at Joan Jonas's "Vertical Roll" back in the day. Her face continually comes into the frame and out of the frame so you never truly see her. Today, of course, these techniques are more applicable. For instance, we even had a look at contemporary artist Paul Pfeiffer and his 'erasure' works where with digital technology, he erases altogether the boxers in a boxing match. You 'see them', but literally do not at the same time. To observe, I would say emphasis is much more on post production today when it comes to video art. For two reasons. One : We have more access to it through the advent of programs like After Effects, Flash, and Final Cut Pro. Beforehand, most editing together and effects had to do with analog VHS or film strips. Two : The more we see of video shot anywhere, the more mundane it becomes. And the more mundane it becomes, the more conditioned we are to subvert whatever see shoot 'with' special effects.