Genius Of Moving Image 3

How did Bjork and Chris collaborate on the 'All is Full of Love' video?

Bjork and Chris had mutual friends in London, and people had suggested that the two should collaborate. Bjork created the music for the video, and decided to create it after her album, so there was no marketing schedule. Bjork wanted a mini- film, and imagined it to be very white, as a kind of heaven. She visualised statues making love, and they would physically melt in the moment.

What techniques were used on the portishead video to create the unusual slow motion effects?

The boy was filmed inside a water tank. The bubbles had been removed digitally, and everything was then digitally inserted into a dark alley in post production.

What other music video directors have gone on to direct feature films? Name two and the feature films they have made.

David Fincher, known for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button  and The Social Network

Michael Bay, known for hit films such as Transformers and Armageddon.

Which famous sci - fi film did Chris Cunningham's work on before he became a director?

Cunningham was working at ”Artificial Intelligence” also known as ”A.I.”.

What makes his work different or original compared to other similar directors?

The most major quality that Chris Cunningham has is that he creates his visual imagery from listening to the music, and generates ideas through sound. He also edits most of his works, and works on the set and visual effects, contributing a lot to the production and post production to get a final film that's close as possible to what he imagined.

Genius Of Moving Image 2

What is the role of the cinematographer in film making?


The role of a cinematographer is to control how the shot looks. The cinematographer is responsible to make the Director's wish happen. This involves choosing equipment such as camera lenses, lighting and creating a visual style for the scene/film being worked on. This also involves directing the angles shot, and the point of view. The cinematographer does not have direct control of the camera, but  they are able to if need be. Cinematography is a communal art and more than one person is involved in the final result.


Why did director Roman Polanski insist on using hand held camera in the film Chinatown?


There is more intimacy with a hand held camera. The viewer can feel part of the scene, from a moving persons perspective, not a still 'god-like' shot. The hand held camera also forces the actors to act spontaneously, and achieve a more realistic environment.


Name two films which use colour in a very symbolic way, and describe what they suggest?


Sin City - Gathered particular recognition for its unique color processing, which rendered most of the film in black and white but retained or added colouring for select objects.  The use of red over black & white emphasised the blood in a shot, and suggests horror and danger.


Godfather - movie had a yelllow/brassy light to it intentionally. This was because the cinematographer thought it looked right but then it was used in the shooting of period movies afterwards for a long time.


In the film Raging Bull why was the fight scene filmed at different speeds?


To make the time that he was away from the action seem unreal and make the fight time more important. Doubling the frame rate also helped speed up the times which weren’t important and concentrate on the important bits.


Who is the cinematographer for the film Apocalypse Now, and what is his philosophy?


Vittorio Storaro was the cinematographer. Storaro believes that photography is a single persons art, while cinematography is communal. 

Genius Of Moving Image 1

List two specific key relationships between Sam Taylor Wood's photography and film work?


Both portray a personal message, and use people to narrate a story.

How does the use of multi-screen instalation in her work reflect narrative?


It shows it is constructed, and allows the audience to piece together their own narrative. Each screen belongs to one character, reflecting their personal space and emotion. As an audience we are able to take sides by focusing on one screen, and relating to the one person. When one crosses into another's screen, we get the impression of invasion on personal space, and a closer connection between two people.

What other photographers use film as an integral part of their work. List two with examples?

Gregory Crewdson, well known for his elaborately staged scenes, which are setup like a film scene, but designed for a single photograph. It is clear to see Crewdson has been inspired by film work in his photographs. An example of his work below.

Another photographer who uses film as an integral part of their work is Tim Walker, creator of 'The Lost Explorer'.

Research three other video artists and explain their working philosophy?


Andy Warhol was an artist who balanced between photography and film. Between 1963 and 1968, he made more than 60 films and 500 short black-and-white "screen test". One of his most famous films is "Sleep" consists of long take footage of his close friend sleeping for 5 hours and 20 minutes. The film was one of Warhol's first experiments with film making, and was created as an "anti-film". His most popular and critically successful film was Chelsea Girls (1966). The film was highly innovative in that it consisted of two 16mm films being projected simultaneously, with two different stories being shown in tandem.



Bill Viola is a contemporary video artist. His works focus on the ideas behind fundamental human experiences such as birth, death and aspects of consciousness. Using the inner language of subjective thoughts and collective memories, his videos communicate to a wide audience, allowing viewers to experience the work directly, and in their own personal way.


Eleanor Antin is an American photographer, author, and artist working with video, film, performance, and drawing. In 1971, Antin created a film called 'Representational Painting' where she recorded herself applying her makeup until she was satisfied with what she looked like to 'face the world'. Here she addresses the pressure society puts on women to look good. A year later in 1972, she produced 'Carving' which consists of a large grid containing 144 Black & White photographs of herself losing weight over a 36 day period of dieting.


Show an example of a specific gallery space or a site specific location where a video artist or film maker has created work specifically for that space and been influenced by it?


Harry Potter was filmed on location at Oxford. The Great hall was replicated in the studios to create Hogwarts Hall. The village itself is ancient and made the perfect setting.

Genius Of Photography Part 6

How many photographs are taken in a year?

around 80 billion photographs.

What is Gregory Crewdsons' modus operandi?

Crewdson uses cinematic lighting to create one single perfect moment, and he is his own camera operator and director of photography. Over an eleven day shoot in a variety of locations, Crewdson team will make a series of multiple exposures which will be digitally combined to make 6 final images; he’ll produce an addition of 6 final prints of each image priced at approximately 60 thousand dollars.

Which prints command the highest price & what are they called?

Prints that command the highest price tags are usually the ones made the photographer themselves; closest to the times the actual picture was taken. These are known as vintage prints.

What is a Fake photograph? Give an example and explain how & why it is fake.

The image of John Kerry and Jane Fonda at a anti-war rally is an example of a fake photograph, the photograph shows John Kerry and Jane Fonda standing together at a podium during a 1970’s anti- war rally was a hoax. As the original unaltered photo of Kerry taken In June 13 1970 documents the Vietnam war, veteran was sitting alone prior to giving a speech at an outdoor rally, and Fonda was photoshopped in at a later date tells about the troublesome combination of Photoshop and the internet than it does about the prospective democratic candidate for president.

Who is Li Zhensheng and what is he famous for?

Li Zhensheng was red army news soldier, he was a photojournalist who in the 1960’s and early 70’s found himself covering the Cultural Revolution.

What is the photographers “holy of holies”?

In 1994 British photographer Martin Parr applied to join photojournalism agency Magnum, a prestigious agency, but Parr had to battle long and hard to bring his distinctive brand of photography into photojournalism’s holy of holies. Parr’s work was very different to Magnum, his photo’s have been said to be meaningless but Magnum has developed a reputation which has become known as the holy of holies of famous photographers such as Ansel Adams and Henri Cartier Bresson.

How does Ben Lewis see Jeff Walls photography?

Ben Lewis thinks that Jeff Wall didn’t invent photography but he took photography back to the 19^th century to painting where everything is creative everything is constructed for a meaning, He fed in a lot of contemporary theoretical concerns , concerns about gender, about how men and women look at each other concerns about racial stereotyping.

Which famous photograph was taken by “Frank Mustard”?

French photographer Camille Silvy created the seemingly realistic photograph called ‘The River France’; it offers master class in 19^th century photographic manipulation. Silvy arranged where the people should stand so the working class people were in the common land on the right of the picture with an artificial sky that he added. But the actual photograph was not taken by Silvy it was taken by Frank Mustard

Genius Of Photography Part 5

Who said “ The camera gave me the license to strip away what you want people to know about you, to reveal what you can’t help people knowing about you”, and when was it said?

Dianne Arbus quoted this statement in the early 1960's.

Do photographers tend to prey on vulnerable people?

Photographers have always sought out some kind of marginalised subjects; it has been a controversy in recent years of the scholarship of photography whether or not photographers tend to prey on vulnerable people, people who are exposed socially, economically, culturally in some way because photographers could get access to these people if they were out on the streets. Their faces reveal the emotions that we feel when someone wants to take our picture. However the person behind the camera can either feel compassion for the subject or are simply driven by their hungry eye.

Who is Colin Wood?

Colin Wood is a 7 year old boy featured in a photograph taken by Dianne Arbus in Central Park. She took many pictures of him that day but chose just one to show. He was a curiosity for her, and captured an aspect of his life when his parents had divorced, but for Arbus she was merely seeking a reflection of herself in the pictures which was her genius.

Why do you think Diane Arbus committed suicide?

Arbus photographed those who showed a genuine awe of those she often referred to as freaks but sometimes called them aristocrats people who in her estimation had already passed their test in life. She was not threatening, she was curious. Her work tied into her mood which came along later, and she desperately wanted to be anybody but herself by trying on everybody else’s skin emphasising the degree of empathy which was rare in any art and described that there was seriously something wrong with our culture. But I think Arbus had gotten too involved with the subject and who she was photographing that her work had portrayed her anxieties and vulnerabilities in her life. Arbus was herself connected to the many of the cities important tastemakers at the time but not everyone was behind her or agreed with her which could have had an effect on her death as well.

Why and how did Larry Clark shoot “Tulsa”?

Larry Clark first published his book ‘Tulsa’ in 1971; he took pictures of his own personal life which involved drugs, sex and violence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was an insider, a photojournalist on himself. in his hands photography became personal, as confessional as a written diary. He had opened up a whole new impolite genre.

Try to explain the concept of “confessional photography”, and what is the “impolite genre”?

Confessional photography is about the truth of real life and the misunderstandings of the world. Intimate scenes and confessions that people ignore, and/or don’t want to know about. Confessional photography is 'to say it how it is'. Impolite genre relates to photographs that are rude, descriptive and exposing something that not everyone feels comfortable looking at. A photograph which may shock, and disturb the viewer.

What will Araki not photograph, and why?

Araki is a promiscuous photographer snapping everything around him, exploiting intimate detailed pictures of his daily life. Araki shoots photography to remember things as it helps you remember, he has come to use photography only to photograph things he wants to remember.

What is the premise of Postmodernism?

The premise of postmodernism is that we now live in a culture so saturated with media imagery and media models of how people live that our initial idea of how one lives one’s life and who one is, is made up of that kind of media myth. In a sense it contradicts the idea of portraiture because the idea that you can dress up and go to a studio and somehow reveal your strength of character or your inherent humanity when that’s not the case. As we don’t have an inherent humanity in the post- modernist analysis of things as we are all these composites of a lot of myths or in other words narratives that are written by other people.

Genius Of Photography Part 4

Why did Garry Winogrand take photographs?

To see what the world looked liked photographed...

Why did 'citizens evolve from blurs to solid flesh'?

Technology advanced, enabling a quicker shutter speed in order to capture moving citizens. Where as in the past, life of the street moved too fast for the long exposure times. The first street scenes showed artfully staged setups, and surreal ghost towns.

What was/is the 'much misunderstood theory'?

Henri Cartier Bresson’s much misunderstood theory was the decisive moment it was explored in photography that once you get the drift of it, the feel the energy of it you want to go back again and again because it’s where life seems to be going. Out on the street being in this river of humanity and seeing unexpected incidents occur makes you grab the moment and put meaning behind it.

Who was the godfather of street photography in the USA?

Gary Winogrand became a pack leader of young street photographers. He was said to be a nervous energy, and things responded to this energy, things were always happening when he was around.

Who was Paul Martin and what did he do?

Paul Martin was a British photographer, in 1896 he went to Great Yarmouth seaside using a camera that he disguised as a brown paper parcel the pictures he took show the magic of the beach at work. 

Who said “When I was growing up photographers were either nerds or pornographers”?

Edward Ruseha had stated that photographers were nerds or pornographers as there was no redeeming social value to somebody who has a camera who takes pictures. They were about things rather than people, surface rather than soul and not the human drama of the street but the taken for granted backdrop against which the drama plays out.

Why does William Eggleston photograph in colour?

Eggleston took colour at face down, because pictures need to be structured but structuring a coloured picture is different because colour is more dominant. Colour can twist the whole content of the picture. 

What is William Eggleston about?

William Eggleston’s pictures contain all the acute observation of a master street photographer like Winogrand, but the brightly coloured surfaces made them unreadable. He called his pictures democratic, that he was at war with the obvious. Wherever he goes the world travels with him.

Genius Of Photography Part 3

What is described as “One of the most familiar concepts in photography”?

In 1933 Henri Cartier Bresson shot a moment that took only a fraction of a second to shoot but came to be known as a ‘decisive moment’ that is the most familiar concept in all of photography. It has become a strategy that has illuminated photography’s potential for everyone. His decisive moments transformed the faces of photography.

Should you trust a photograph?

Trusting a photograph was probably a huge mistake from the beginning, however people still believe photographs.

What was revolutionary about the Leica in 1925?

The Leica was a revolutionary development in camera technology launched in Germany in 1925,  it was a compact, quiet with the latest lens and technology it gave birth to a whole new style of instant photography and allowed you to be present in the moment.

What did George Bernard Shaw say about all the paintings of Christ?

George Bernard Shaw said that he would exchange every painting of Christ for one snapshot, which is what the power of photography is; the reality.

Why were Tony Vaccaros’ negatives destroyed by the army censors?

The ten roles that Vaccaro developed were destroyed by the army censor as they had contained images of dead GI’s that were decisive moments that the world wasn’t yet ready to accept during that time. 

Who was Henryk Ross and what was his job?

Henryk Ross was a photographer who documented the happenings in a nazi ghetto in Woodge, Poland. Ross kept a unique record of what happened there. Among his many duties as the ghetto’s official propaganda photographers Ross had to document the production of goods by the inhabitants of Woodge sold to make money for their captors.

Which show was a “sticking plaster for the wounds of the war”, how many people saw it and what “cliché” did it end on?

The ‘Family of Man’ was an exhibition held in New York in 1955; it was a public statement on behalf of humanity and was photography’s big response to a world rapidly moving from hot to cold war. The show was comprised of over 500 images that were selected from millions of images, from 273 photographers both amateur and professional. The show had over 9 million visitors by 1964; it was a sticking plaster for the wounds of war and represented everything photojournalism’s deity Henri Cartier Bresson stood for. It had concluded with an optimistic cliché that it was the beginning of the sentimental journey through life.

Why did Joel Meyerowitz photograph ground zero in colour?

Because photographing it in black of white would have kept it as a tragedy, because it had a tragic element in photographing not war but the collapse of it, the destruction. He photographed in colour because we see in colour, our memories are in colour, therefore Meyerowitz wanted to match that. 

Genius Of Photography Part 2

What are Typologies?
Typology is the study of types. In photography, typology is a suite of images or related forms, shot in a consistent, repetitive manner. The work is about comparisons, and can only be fully understood when the images are viewed as a complete series. Anna Atkins and Karl Blossfeldt are examples of artists who work with typologies.


What was the 'face of the times'?
August Sander is a commercial portrait photographer who did a typology of people. He published a selection of his portraits onto the all encompassing title ‘The Face of the Times’. By collecting people and fitted them into a frame but photographed them using a method of placing them in various social types such as Farmers, young farmers, Mother and farmer etc.


Which magazine did Rodchenko design?
Rodchenko designed a magazine called 'USSR en construction'. A showcase of political propaganda, glorifying the acheivements of the soviet system. 


What is photo-montage?
Photo-montage is a graphic technique that took its cue from cinema montage, mastered by Rodchenko who had treated photographs as royal footage. By cutting, joining, retouching, and re- photographing them to conjure up dizzying visions of the future. Photomontage shows photographs for what they really are, mute documents whose meaning remains fluid.


Why did Eugene Atget use albumen prints in the 1920's?
Eugene Atget continued to use albumen prints due to his skill in the technique, and found it difficult to use modern materials, as he didn't know how to use them.


What is solarisation and how was it discovered?
Solarisation was discovered by Man Ray in the late 1920’s. He had made the people in his photographs look as though they’re faces are made of aluminium, which gave it a sleek and metallic look that portrayed them as super people, slightly inhuman and robotic. Dark areas appear light or light areas appear dark suggesting that the photographic print is wholly or partially reversed in tone.


What was the relationship between Bernice Abbot and Eugene Atget?
Bernice Abbott was a young American photographer and one of Man-rays many assistants, who pictured Atget as a kind, living, breathing found object in 1927. Abbott became the largest collector of Atget’s work when she purchased his estate, bringing 5000 of Atget’s negatives to America popularising the work.


Why was Walker Evans fired from the FSA?
Walker Evans had been commissioned to produce propaganda images for the Farms Security Agency set up to ease the effects of depression in rural America. Evans’s understanding of documented photography was much more complex, but when Evans readily moulded reality to fit his personal vision he couldn’t make that vision conform to the propaganda requirements of the FSA in 1937 and was therefore fired.

Genius Of Photography Part 1

What is photographys 'true genius'?
Photography transforms what it describes, the art of photography is to control that transformation. Photography has delighted, served, moved, and occasionally dissapointed us, but mainly has intrigued us, by showing the secret strangeness that lies beneath our world of appearances.

Name a proto-photographer?
Henry Fox Talbert

In the 19th century, what term was associated with the daguerreotype?
Mirror with a memory

What is the vernacular?
A genre of photography whereby photographs are not produced as art. For example the amateur/holiday snapshot, documentary works, crime scenes etc.

How do you fix the shadows?
To 'fix the shadows' means to stop the process of exposure before the image is lost and the plate or paper continues to go completely black. Daguerre and Fox-Talbert pioneered processes that 'fixed the shadows' by different methods.

What is the 'carte de visite'?
First commercial innovation. A small portrait photograph, mounted onto card and sent by post over the world. The person was photographed 8 times by a camera with 8 lenses. This idea turned photography into a true industry.

Who was Nadar and why was he so successful?
Nadar was a portrait photographer from france. He photographed artists and up and coming stars with a unique style which people could recognise. He branded his name as Nadar, and signed his photographs in red as a branding technique, due to having red hair. This sitter was photographed as they are, with no use of costume or props, just a plain natural photograph to truly portray their personality.

What is pictorialism? 

A unique style whereby the photograph 'creates' the image rather than records it, typically lack of sharp focus, printed in one or more colours than black and white. It was an attempt to categorise photography as a branch of the fine arts.

Image and Text

My perception and admiration of photography is showing the world through your own eyes, documenting your point of view to others. A photograph however is a still image, and is open to interpretation of what it is, and what its showing. Without text (either on the actual photograph, or a short explanation alongside) the message behind the photograph may not be clear to the viewer, meaning they are free to guess. Different people will have different views and opinions on the same photograph due to several personal aspects. It also depends on how well the photograph works, or how easy it is to read alone. The format of writing is also up to the photographer, whether they are writing to inform, describe, explain etc. This depends on the genre of photography, whether the photo is of people or a landscape, still life or documentary. There are many different ways of expressing your view through text, and making it work with the photo.

The amount of text depends on how much you want to give away, whether the artist wants to leave the photo for the viewer to question, or make a statement. A photograph may just have a title, with no explanatory text. The title of a photograph is usually only one or two words, and could give the first clue as to the intention. Unless of course the title is factual, stating the place in the photo or name of the person. It may also be in the artists’ intention to have text on, or as part of the photograph. This is rarely seen in professionals work however.

Artist Gillian Wearing has used text to allow the people in her portraits to speak. Each portrait shows a person holding up a note which they have written, giving the viewer an insight into their life and/or opinion on something. This is a unique and interesting way of using text, allowing people to speak in a photo. Some of the quotes might contradict the viewers’ thoughts of the person. Text allows the photographer to direct the way the viewer sees the photograph.

Development of Ideas and Structure in Moving Image

Principle 2 – The Hero’s Journey

Joseph Campbell’s monomyth is a very interesting analysis and idea of how the majority of ‘hero’ films follow a certain narrative. When I read the 17 stages, I could instantly refer to several films I have seen which follow a very similar pattern. One in particular, and also one of my favourite movies, is Avatar by James Cameron. This film follows most of the stages evident in the monomyth, but not all particularly in the order set out.

Call to adventure – The main character ‘Jake Sully’ is called on a mission to another planet (Pandora) to take part in a major project to help move the indigenous species away from their home/base to another part of the planet. Jake wasn’t intended for this mission, but due to his brother’s death, he is the only person that can take his place.

Refusal of call – From what we’re shown, there is no refusal of the call.

Supernatural Aid – There is no real supernatural aid in this film, as Jake appears to be a very independent person, and fully believes he is capable of ‘passing a test any man could pass’ alone. However there are a couple of people who make the mission possible and change his heart. Grace is the head scientist in the film, leader of all the avatars, and gives him the chance to do his job, aiding Jake in the real world. Neytiri, one of the indigenous on Pandora who he later falls in love with, aids Jake out in Pandora.

Crossing first threshold – This would be when Jake literally crosses into the new world, and lands on Pandora, where his adventure is about to begin on a whole new planet.

Belly of the whale – ‘final separation from the hero’s known world’. Jake undergoes a scientific transformation whereby he is put in the body of an Avatar. Again a very literal/physical example of how this film follows the monomyth, as the hero has literally travelled to a new world, and put in a new body. Everything is unknown about the planet at this point.

Meeting with the goddess & Atonement with the father- These two elements come hand in hand, as the goddess is the daughter of the father. Also note how these elements come before ‘Road of trials’ and ‘Temptation’ whereas they should come after in the official monomyth. The hero meets with the goddess on his first quest out in the wild of the new planet, and gets taken to the father for assessing. The father allows Jake to stay in their habitat, while he must learn their ways.

Road of Trials – The road of trails is set out by Neytiri (The goddess/fathers daughter) whereby she teaches him the ways of their living: Their language, their environment, the spiritual connections, how to kill, travel and connect with the animals.

Temptation – The hero soon falls in love with his new life on the new planet, and enjoys his time there, rather than completing the task which was set out for him. He falls in love with Neytiri and becomes mated for life. His heart is turned, and he fights for the other side.

Apostasis – Grace, the head scientist (The hero’s aid in the real/original life) dies after being shot, which drives jakes anger for revenge. He now fully understands and believes he is fighting for the right side, for good, and his knowledge about reality and the whole operation is clear.

The Ultimate Boon –The final showdown! When the military come to destroy their habitat, and everything they believe in, it is up to Jake to defend the indigenous and devise a plan to fight back. In accordance to the monomyth, this is the part when the hero achieves the goal of his quest. Although the hero’s attitudes have changed, he is fighting for a new purpose, not what was originally supposed to happen. Except for a few problems, the hero still manages to succeed in defending the majority of the population and environment.

Refusal of Return – Jake doesn’t wish to return to his old life, so instead stays on Pandora as one of the indigenous, along with few others that survived, sending everyone else back home. As the hero refuses to go home, the few remaining elements under ‘return’ aren’t relevant.

Master of two worlds & Freedom to live – These two elements could be applied however. Jakes knowledge and attitude towards life in the real world aided his accomplishment on Pandora. Without the determination and heart Jake gained on earth, he wouldn’t be in the position he is at the end of the film. Having served the population of Pandora, Jake can now live in freedom and be respected by all.

As outlined above, Avatar clearly follows quite precisely the elements of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth, with the slight alterations in sequence and the hero’s quest.

Principal 5

Digital story telling.

Harry potter is an extremely popular and successful film series, based on the novel series by J. K. Rowling. The first film ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was released in 2001, and the last in the series ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2’ released in 2011. This wide spread showing time has kept an active audience for over 10 years, much longer than a single film would. The last movie doesn’t have to mean the end of the magic however, as film is just one of the platforms which this series uses to engage its audience. The following platforms work alongside the film series to engage the audience, and increase popularity.

Harry potter caters for all ages, with a huge following of young and old fans. There is a website for the most recent film (Deathly Hallows – Part 2) with links to photos, videos, and many extras around the film. Almost every film nowadays has a website as a second platform, so this isn’t anything special or unique about Harry Potter. What is special however about adapting over different platforms, is the huge merchandise range that fits with all of the films. Harry Potter has hundreds of merchandise based around the different films, and overall brand. Merchandise includes wands, action figures, clothing/costumes, posters, Lego sets, bedding, sweets and a whole lot more. A lot of these products are ways for the audience to engage with the film, and imagine they can be part of it. The merchandise is aimed more at children, but is still open for the older generation. Selling products such as wands, and clothing which are seen in the film is a very successful way to keep the series remembered and prolong the energy when it’s over, especially with children who enjoy to role play their favourite characters.

Another way for the audience to engage with the film is through computer games. Games for the computer and other consoles allow the audience to be in control of Harry and other characters, one of the most engaging platforms of all. There is also a Lego Harry Potter game for the youngest fans.

Last but definitely not least Harry Potter has its very own world at Universal Orlando resort, designed to make you feel part of the adventure. Harry Potter is sure to never be forgotten with such a huge environment helping to tell the story. March 2012 will see the opening of the Harry Potter studio tour at Warner Bro’s studio in London. This gives the chance for people to have a tour of the official sets where some of the scenes were filmed. Harry Potter has stretched across almost every platform possible in order to efficiently tell its story to millions. The series is one of the most successful in history at doing so, and will live on for years to come.

Production and Outcomes - Influences and Reactions

Principle 2 – Delivery

Peter Lik is my favourite and most inspirational photographer. Born in Australia, Peter has photographed much of the world’s most amazing landscapes, creating surreal panoramic prints. His career began to take off in the 1980’s where he travelled to the United States twice, second time to complete a trip to photograph landscapes of all 50 states. He has displayed his work, and the highlights of this trip in a photo book, ‘Spirit of America’. Since Peter Lik first started as a photographer, he has grown hugely in popularity and price. He has reached his audience over several platforms, from postcards to many of his own galleries. Peter Lik not only delivers his stunning photographs, but also his experience of his travels, and how he got ‘the shot’. In early 2010 Lik signed an agreement to star in an action/adventure reality series, which debuted on ‘The Weather Channel’ on 31^st March 2011. The series is called ‘From the Edge with Peter Lik’ and follows him as he travels across the various landscapes of the United States. This has been used to great effect to aid alongside his photographic work, providing the audience with a wider understanding of our world, and reality to the surreal environments. The show was only aired in America, meaning anyone living outside of America, such as myself, can’t watch it. I have however seen clips of the show, and feel the journey to and around the landscape is as meaningful and powerful as the final photo itself. This is the first I have seen or heard of any photographer using film/video to aid their success and experience, and appreciate what it provides.

From what I have read, one of the first platforms Peter used for his photographs was merchandise – Postcards. Peter opened a postcard stand in Cairns, Queensland in mid 1990’s and soon realized his photographs were extremely popular. Peter then went on to open his own fine art publishing company ‘LIK USA’, as well as his first gallery in his hometown of Cairns. Now based in Las Vegas, Lik’s career continues to grow; he has sold in excess of $200 million of fine art photography, and has 13 galleries of his own spread across the United States. Lik displays his work mostly across 3 platforms: Online, Gallery and Books. Alike many other professional photographers, Lik has his own website. The website is not just used as an online portfolio, but includes a short biography, information on his show and all his galleries, as well as an online shop for people to purchase his books and/or prints. Books are a good source for displaying a set of photographs which portray a story or journey, which Peter has used very well to document his travels across the U.S. Large prints however sell for much larger amounts of money. In early 2011 Lik sold his photograph ‘One’ for $1 million. Using a wide variety of platforms to reach a wider variety of audiences has huge advantages for both gain in popularity, and profit. 

Principle 5 – Working Methodology

When first set the brief and put into a design team, the very first thing I thought to do was to brainstorm all the possible ideas for the magazine. I created a mind map including all the different topics around Birmingham that could go into the magazine. A mind map is a very useful starting point to get down instant thoughts and ideas, and is something I do with most pieces of work. This gave me a wide base to work from, and then narrow down onto the preferences of what I wanted to include, and ignoring the rest.

Next step was to begin the first stage of research. I conduct research all throughout my design process, constantly looking at what already exists, and how I can make my own work unique. I brought several magazines from different stores which I felt were relevant and would be of use to gain ideas and inspiration.  

Once we had decided as a group the type of content and target audience for our magazine, it was easier to decide on a theme and a name. The name ‘Mayhem’ came around soon enough, and opened up a new door of possibilities. New possibilities brought new ideas which meant a new mind map was needed. This time I was able to closer focus my ideas around a more precise subject.

Once I had a general idea on the theme of the magazine, I was able to consider the type of photographs I wanted to take. With these ideas, I explored the city looking for interesting subjects and viewpoints to capture all the mayhem in Birmingham. With all the photos from several trips around the city, I used contact sheets to keep photographs of the same subject together, and displayed these in my RVJ. Contact sheets are a useful way to analyse all the photographs I have, and decide on the best ones to use for the final product. I then analyse my best photographs, considering how to improve them further through editing or different compositions.

 A key quote for my design process for this brief is that I don’t sketch, I photograph! This is because the photos are more of a documentary style, not staged. I never know what to expect from the city, or what I’m going to see. I will do most of my sketching for layout ideas of the magazine, considering different grid layouts and shapes. I also use sketches for collaboration ideas, as it was a joint decision for I and the illustrator in the group to collaborate for a few pages of the magazine. My working methodology is mainly through experimentation with the camera, not the pen.