Informatics 303 has provided me the opportunity to learn a multitude of topics. It has taught me the theory of remediation, along with several other related theories. The subject of the class, Writing Across Media, meant that we learned about remediation and its subsidiary disciplines were taught across several mediums of communication. We learned how to communicate messages through text, images, sound, and video exclusively, along with all of the four combined through a hypermediated medium. Learning how to convey messages through these different facets of communication was not only fun, but also crucial to how we communicate in the future. I was very limited in my views on means through which I would discuss anything. I could only conceive writing a blog. I now know the many vessels I can use to express any ideas, thoughts, or messages I choose.

Toward the beginning of the semester, I felt like all of the writing I did was supplementary work to the projects. They seemed like added work to me. As the semester progressed, I realized what the writing actually was there for. It was a chance for me to personally analyze my work. For the most part, I never looked at my old work past its completion. This class forced me to review my execution by looking at the process I used to complete my projects, examining what I did right, what I did wrong, and determining any other sources of criticism I may have for myself.

While I have benefitted greatly from being in this class in many ways, I was a little disappointed with how few technical skills were gained. I was originally under the impression that along with learning how to communicate message through different media, we would specifically learn how to utilize the programs we used to the fullest. Making videos and podcasts are very simple already, and I assumed we would go in-depth on the method of creating podcasts or videos. I don’t know if I misunderstood the course description, but I feel like that’s how I interpreted it.

Welcome to your introduction to visual studies. Before we get into what Visual Studies are, I thought a little background information would be helpful.

Visual Studies developed from two pre-existing fields of study. The first is Cultural Studies. Beginning in England about 60 years ago, Cultural Studies was a broad study of culture in general. It covered art history, anthropology, sociology, film studies, women’s studies, and other social facets.

Out of Cultural Studies developed the America as the study of Visual Culture. Visual Culture took off in the early 1990’s, and focuses mainly on exactly what its name indicates. It covers contemporary film, television, and images. Not too long after its establishment, Visual Culture spawned the field of Visual Studies.

Visual Studies incorporates a key aspect that Visual Culture does not. It focuses on the analysis of the visual. In other words, it teaches the rhetorical breakdown of visuals, mainly images. Visual Studies emphasizes images as rational expressions of cultural meaning, as opposed to mere aesthetic consideration.

Now that you know a little bit about what Visual Studies are, let’s try to apply it. As stated above, Visual Studies at its base is analyzing images, which means we must apply rhetorical principles to the deconstruction of images. rThe objective of visual rhetoric is to help communicate the message of a visual source, whether it is a simple statement, or an attempt to persuade through language.

There are certain rhetorical tools that can be used not only as a means to communicate a message through textual language, but also through visual interpretation. For instance:

(Boot): Here is an advertisement for Caterpillar, a construction and mining equipment manufacturer, depicting an oversized boot atop two excavators to demonstrate the boot’s strength. Clearly they do not make boots this size; however, exaggerating its size increases the viewer’s perception of its toughness. This is visual hyperbole.

Visual Studies is not limited to rhetorical analysis. It also focuses on analyzing the meaning behind visuals. Here is an ad from Apple that ran during the 1984 Super Bowl:

(Commercial): Apple’s ad depends strongly on the viewer to see it as a metaphor for its emergence into the computer market. The women is shown running into a crowd of seemingly catatonic inmates, listening to a head figure. The big brother character represents the PC and its power and control over the computer market. The inmates represent society and its conformity to a dominant force; The PC. The runner represents the Apple computer, the emergence of something new and unique. Her destruction of the screen renders the inmates stunned, implying that the introduction of the Apple computer rwould free society from the chains of the PC, giving them option to pick an alternative.

Although the idea of working in a group appeals more to me, I feel I am much more successful when doing projects as an individual. Two problems arise with groups. One is I tend to rely on other group members to pick up the slack. The second is that I lose control over the way I want to execute the project. Some of my ideas get lost in brainstorming when I want them to make the final cut.

How do you think aspects of a podcast like inflection influence the overall timbre of a podcast?

Which of the three planes (the sensuous, the expressive, and the sheerly musical) do you think you devote the most attention to. Why? Is it your choice or involuntary?