week 9 tute task

24Sep09

Digital media put the tools of production into the hands of the everyday computer user making it incredibly easy to produce content. These creative skills used to be something that people worked to develop. Now it appears that amateurs can produce content of a fair standard within a relatively short period of time. Where does this leave ‘professionals’ and highly-skilled artists? Choose one area of creativity and discuss some of the challenges facing practitioners vs amateurs in producing digital
content.

The language of new media By Lev Manovich
This book focus on in the first part, the original forms of media ie cinema. It speaks of the current state of film making being because of a digital revolution. It talks of traditional cinema, and obviously the inception of new media is why traditional cinema isn’t as highly regarded anymore. This being the first source I have found, I am not sure if it contains similar information to other sources. This item contributes to my argument by contrasting the new forms of media with old. Showing that before this new technology, professionals were just that and highly skilled artists (directors etc) were given a sort of credit that couldnt be attained easily. And I didnt really see any quotes that would aid my argument.

Masterpieces of modernist cinema By Ted Perry
First of this book talks about what a masterpiece film would be, this would aid be argument as I am arguing that real film makers who really do make masterpieces are being discredited because of the availability and simplicity of being able to create film content through new media technologies. This information was different to the above as it focused on traditional cinema rather than new media. It raised some good points about traditional cinema and film making. There is a good quote in the first paragraph about what a masterpiece film is and also the possibilties of what film could be.

Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution By Sharon Badal
This book explains what it is you are when you utilise the tools of digital media to produce films. It deems you as an independent film maker. The book covers the topic of blurring the lines between elite film makers with years of experience and an amateur film maker who distributes their work through youtube and other outlets like this. What this contributes to my argument is an understanding of those who are the content creators. I have been yet to find any articles or books outlining the challenges facing film making professionals.

Media in the digital age By John Vernon Pavlik
Right away I can see that this source goes into detail about the forms on new digital media. It talks of devices used to create film content and diseminate it through the use of the web. This would re-inforce my argument that the new technology allowing anybody to create film is making the profession of film making are more general crowd and far less elite. It would do this by in detail explaining the devices that this is done with and how it has become so accessible. There is a quote that says “media professionals have seen their almost exclusive dominion over the world of media content errode rapidly” since the 1980s. The information found here is the first of its kind, explaining the actual digital media itself.

The cult of the amateur: how today’s internet is killing our culture By Andrew Keen
This book I found didn’t actually show its content, it only showed a book overview. In the overview it says that our most valued cultural institutions are at risk due to the internet and digital media and what it allows. It touches on the topic of user-generated free content. The author claims that in todays society amateurism is celebrated and anyone with an oppinion,thanks to the internet can create and post a film online. He also said that new digital media fundamentally weakens traditional media and creative institutions. Although I didnt get to view the article itself I can tell from the overiew that it would well reinforce my argument and would be a good source for my essay. I’m going to somehow try to find the full article if possible.

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