To video or not to video is the question swirlng in my head in preparation for the final project. What is the essential purpose of video? Isn’t it designed to tell a story through moving pictures? If this is true, then what is the purpose of a video interview? How much can a face move while answering a question. How much does a close-up on someone’s nose enhance their expression. Aren’t we interested in his or her words and ideas more than the whiteness of their teeth.
How often is TV news cheapened by sensational images? To see a blazing three alarm fire? To monitor the progress of O.J. Simpson as he flees from Los Angeles police? Or worst of all, the top model explaining tomorrow’s wind gusts. Why can’t they turn a camera on, set it up to a tri-pod, and leave it there…..leave it on. When anyone too lazy to walk outside wants to know the weather, they simply turn on the television and presto-abracadabra they will see how it is outside.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not a neo Luddite, anti-technology hermit. I am proud to say that not even in my idealistic youth did I ever live without a TV. Watching the electric tube and attending movies is one of my favorite therapeutic activites. I can instantly escape from all stresses and worries with “power on” button. Anxiety is almost completely eliminated and death is no longer an issue. Of course the credits eventually roll, the lights turn on, and a man with an industrial broom pushes you out of the theatre, but the time was well spent. I almost always feel better. The same can be said for a double episode showing of ”Two and a Half Men.”
The intoxicating and numbing effects of television and movies are, in my opinion, the ultimate use of television or “moving pictures.” I am wondering if news, in contrast, is better suited for print, radio, and slide shows.
The quick and easy access to television and internet videos is understandably holding the reigns of the chariot these days, but does this necessarily mean we as potential journalists need to follow the norm. For the purposes of paid employment, the answer is probably a resounding yes. For the purposes of our final assignment, there may be more room for experimentation and discussion.
In order to combat existing trends, it would probably be effective to use the same snake the opposition is using. In today’s electronic media culture, it seems that marketing and advertising and reaching the largest possible audience will win readership, loyalty, and ultimately, more time as an effective media outlet.
Was journalsim ever any different? Hasn’t advertising been the key to keeping a newspaper or magazine above water since the dawn of the printing press? I bring it up as a rally cry to avoid the whirlpool of this new hunch on how things are supposed to be. We can still swim upstream if we choose to do so…if we believe in something strong enough. And we can do it while wearing the empire’s clothes.
All this to say that Wednesday’s class on sound slide presentation may be the beginning of a dynasty. The space and silence in between photographs allows the viewer to think and reason and hopefully come up with their own perception. In contrast, the rush hour of images flying across a video screen leave viewers in withdrawal for more.
Steven Myers
