Media Aesthetics Contextualism in Applied Media Aesthetics
Formal Elements Light Color Motion Sound
You make aesthetic choices everyday that you don’t even realize.
What you wear to school Some things include: Judging the speed of another car by yours Simply saying “I know what I like”
No longer limit aesthetics to traditional understanding of “art” It is a formalist analysis
Formalist analysis = understanding what the context is within the art
Say what?.... No… it’s not an abstract concept. You will use a process to examine a number of media elements and gain your perception of their use
Looking at things like light and picture composition… How they interact and our own perceptual reactions to them. First.
Second. The media (mainly TV and film) are no longer considered a neutral means of messaging
Third. Whereas traditional aesthetics is basically restricted to analysis of existing works of art…
Applied media aesthetics serves synthesis as well
Fourth. You employ formative evaluation You evaluate the relative communication effectiveness step-by-step while it is in progress
Applied Aesthetics Art is part of everyday life; yet is separate from everyday life
It is an experience that is… Clarified Intensified Interpreted
Looking through the viewfinder of a camera, arranging things on a screen or editing a film all engage you in clarifying, intensifying and interpreting
Helpful concept… We focus more on the Form of the message more than its content
Contextual Aesthetics What and how we perceive an event is greatly influenced by its context.
Contextual Aesthetics Also… demonstrates connection of major aesthetic fields Light, space, time/motion and sound.
Contextual Aesthetics Organizes variety of aesthetic element in each field to show relationship with one another
Contextual Perception We understand art on a basis of contextualistic aesthetics and our own understanding
Contextual Perception includes Our need to stabilize the environment Our tendency towards selective perception The associative process of linking certain elements together in a pattern…. Known as CULTURE
Culture is based on SYMBOLS Things that represent something else
Aesthetic context The framework in which we have responses to the aesthetic stimuli presented to us
The framework includes our own previous experience of the world
This is called associative context; our own code we establish that to some extent dictates how you should interpret what you see
Associative context is Culture-bound
Context is important… We respond to certain stimuli in predictable ways even when we know it’s perceptual manipulation
Good example of this Optical Illusions
Because humans respond certain, predictable ways…
We can predict with reasonable accuracy how people will respond to certain specific aesthetic stimuli in our own art
As a creative artist You decide where to place the camera or microphone…
Therefore the viewers have no choice but to share your point of view
Method: Inductive Rather than analyzing existing elements, we seek the 5 fundamental image elements of TV and film
LIGHT
Light Visible radiant energy that effects the way the scene is presented by how the viewer sees the light
Light Manipulates and articulates the perception of our environment Creates specific feeling
Light Reveals surfaces Creates shadows which help to control perception
Light Various formats to consider –Cast or attached shadows –The Falloff –Low key light –High key light –Below eye level light
Attached shadow Can suggest: Relative location or mood
Cast shadow Can suggest: Locale and Mood
Falloff Used to determine –The brightness contrast between the light and shadow sides of an object –The rate of change from light to shadow
Slow- diffused light, little brightness contrast between the two sides and the attached shadows are transparent Falloff rate of change
Fast- big contrast between the light and dark sides without levels in between. Typically has dark, attached shadows
Falloff Fast or slow fall off? Think about: the shadows and contrast!!
Low-key Lighting Leaves background and part of the scene predominantly dark
High Key Lighting Scene has abundance of bright lighting, slow fall-off and a light background
Below Eye-Level When the light source strikes from the bottom, the shadows are opposite of their expected position
Light Use of light can entail setting the mood, creating emotion or suspense, setting the season or time of day, or distinguishing an atmosphere
Structuring the light Example of structures: –Chiaroscuro –Rembrandt –Cameo –Silhouette –Digital
Chiaroscuro Single direction for light source Selective lighting Low key Fast fall off
Chiaroscuro
Rembrandt Selective Low key Fast falloff Dark but not black environment
Rembrandt
Cameo Directional lights Fast falloff Figure lit but background is black
Cameo
Silhouette Evenly lit background No shadows but the figures within the image No illumination on figures Seems as though they are “cut outs”
Silhouette
Digital Edge glows Created by digital means such as special-effects equipment or computer programs Can also be the use of programs to enhance present elements such as contrast or shadows
Digital
Lighting is the deliberate control of light and shadows to fulfill specific aesthetic objectives relating to outer and inner orientation within the medium
Get out a piece of paper… Study the next image, use your notes to describe the use of lighting. Consider things such as the falloff, low or high key use, the structure and shadows. Discuss how the director used the aesthetic element of light to create perception in the aesthetic context of the image.
What is the director trying to convey to you? What do you perceive?