Media - MA Creative Industries // Group 1What is media?
This blog will be following the experiences, critiques, discussions and overall opinions our group (group 1) has on the multiple readings and classes that are given as part of the Media course in the Master´s program of Creative Industries. Our first introductory class tried to grasp the field of media itself, what can be said of media that dabble in different industries, but more importantly: how to place media in our cultural everyday life, who controls media, and of course how to properly read and give structure and place to media.
Media, as such, cannot be defined easily through cultural studies since the term involves a lot of different angles that can be explained separately. The production of media, the audience, the different industries and so forth. Since media studies is such a complex and broad subject, there is a lot of debate presently going on.[1] One of these debates is on how to approach media if we wish to analyze it as such. In Krämer & Bredekamp’s article (2013) the textual approach of analyzing cultural products (so, media) is seen as the classical one.[2] This is a method that depends on the semiotic interpretation of signs, which nowadays can be books as well as for example movies or even music. By studying the semiotics of media in a way as we would with text, we are trying to obtain meaning by putting these signs together. Though we ask ourselves the question: is this method sufficient enough to adequately decipher ‘all’ meaning when in modern times we are increasingly bombarded with a mixture of images, texts and moving pictures? As Krämer & Bredekamp mentions, we have become more aware of different types of discursiveness in signs and references.[3] Foucault, an important thinker in cultural discourse, has laid the way in understanding how language (in text, images, et cetera) can conceal underlying meaning such as power relations.[4] As context is king, what discourse one abides is crucial to the message in the piece of text that is written or in the film that has been filmed and produced. For example, Native Americans will see Terence Malick’s The New World’s (2005) interpretation of the mythical figure of Pocahontas differently than a European Caucasian who might have never invested himself in learning of tribal stories from different times from a non-Western perspective. Of course, this also has to do with hermeneutics, the perspective on things from these different times or backgrounds. [5] Any textual analysis of media has to take the time and date of when it has been made into account, popular opinions or influences at a certain time will always have its effect.
Havens, Lotz & Tinic (2009) importantly takes note of the change on our perspective on media as she paraphrases Eileen Meehan (1994) in saying that studying television is a ‘contradictory’ institution since it is ‘[..] both a site of artistic and social expression as well as a business concerned with the maximization of markets and profits’. [6] Indeed, we must always think of what is at stake by producing a work such as A New World (although this is film, not television). Of course we recognise it has the full potential of being a work of art. But would the film still be a success in Puritan North-America if it was announced at the time of release that the 14-year old actress Q'orianka Kilcher had been involved in filming nude scenes with actor Colin Farrel, which were later cut? Profits would have dramatically been lowered when higher age ratings would be in effect, let alone possible legal problems, although the controversy itself could in fact have the reversed effect. In media, all these factors come into play that may or may not be part of being able to maximize profits of the producers instead of furthering the arts themselves.
Natalie Fenton (2007) wrote a perspective on media relations between producers, the audience and social and economic structures in her article ´Bridging the Mythical Divide: Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of the Media’. [7] At first Fenton sees cultural studies and political economics as two different approaches in order to study media and the message, this changes when Fenton finds that both can be applied simultaneously in a holistic approach.[8] A sociological viewing point is necessary to look at audiences as different people from different social groups, classes and structures. Likewise Fenton proves that media cannot singularly be researched as text alone.
Our first impressions on how to structure and analyze media are diverse. It did became apparent however that we should look with a more critical eye to the production of media, its consequence and effect on audience and in how the message itself is broadcast can be as closely attached to the message itself in that we would almost not recognise the medium or the actors involved. As discussed in class, audience has a big role in studying media as an object. In fact, the type or form of media can not be seen as an object in itself but has to be observed or analysed simultaneously with the effect on its audience.[9] Meaning is then created through the perception of the audience[10] which can at times differ with the preliminary intend of the maker.
Havens, Lotz & Tinic (2009) importantly takes note of the change on our perspective on media as she paraphrases Eileen Meehan (1994) in saying that studying television is a ‘contradictory’ institution since it is ‘[..] both a site of artistic and social expression as well as a business concerned with the maximization of markets and profits’. [6] Indeed, we must always think of what is at stake by producing a work such as A New World (although this is film, not television). Of course we recognise it has the full potential of being a work of art. But would the film still be a success in Puritan North-America if it was announced at the time of release that the 14-year old actress Q'orianka Kilcher had been involved in filming nude scenes with actor Colin Farrel, which were later cut? Profits would have dramatically been lowered when higher age ratings would be in effect, let alone possible legal problems, although the controversy itself could in fact have the reversed effect. In media, all these factors come into play that may or may not be part of being able to maximize profits of the producers instead of furthering the arts themselves.
Natalie Fenton (2007) wrote a perspective on media relations between producers, the audience and social and economic structures in her article ´Bridging the Mythical Divide: Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of the Media’. [7] At first Fenton sees cultural studies and political economics as two different approaches in order to study media and the message, this changes when Fenton finds that both can be applied simultaneously in a holistic approach.[8] A sociological viewing point is necessary to look at audiences as different people from different social groups, classes and structures. Likewise Fenton proves that media cannot singularly be researched as text alone.
Our first impressions on how to structure and analyze media are diverse. It did became apparent however that we should look with a more critical eye to the production of media, its consequence and effect on audience and in how the message itself is broadcast can be as closely attached to the message itself in that we would almost not recognise the medium or the actors involved. As discussed in class, audience has a big role in studying media as an object. In fact, the type or form of media can not be seen as an object in itself but has to be observed or analysed simultaneously with the effect on its audience.[9] Meaning is then created through the perception of the audience[10] which can at times differ with the preliminary intend of the maker.
[1] Stevens, Martijn. Class part of Media Course Creative Industries Radboud University, August 30th 2016.
[2] Sybille Krämer & Horst Bredekamp (2013), ‘Culture, Technology, Cultural Techniques – Moving Beyond Text’, in: Theory, Culture & Society 30 (6): 20-21.
[4] Stevens, Martijn. Class part of Media Course Creative Industries Radboud University, August 30th 2016.
[5] Sybille Krämer & Horst Bredekamp (2013), ‘Culture, Technology, Cultural Techniques – Moving Beyond Text’, in: Theory, Culture & Society 30 (6): 21.
[6] Timothy Havens, Aamanda D. Lotz & Serra Tinic (2009), ‘Critical Media Industry Studies: A Research Approach’, in: Communication, Culture & Critique 2: 249.
[7] Natalie Fenton (2007), ‘Bridging the Mythical Divide: Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of the Media', in: Eoin Devereux (ed.), Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: SAGE, 7-31.
[8] Ibid: 19 + 21.
[9] Stevens, Martijn. Class part of Media Course Creative Industries Radboud University, August 30th 2016.
[10] Natalie Fenton (2007), ‘Bridging the Mythical Divide: Political Economy and Cultural Studies Approaches to the Analysis of the Media', in: Eoin Devereux (ed.), Media Studies: Key Issues and Debates. London: SAGE: 21.
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