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.