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Anthropological Approach

The Anthropological approach to visual images is similar the audience studies in that they both concern themselves with site of the audience. However, the similarities mostly stop there. The Anthropological approach also address the actual image itself, which is something Audience studies never touch on. Another difference is that anthropology sees images as objects that are constantly moving around and thus the meanings people see in them change depending on where they are. Audience studies never brings that idea into its research, instead it sees the image as a stationary stimulus which different people will find personal meaning in based on their tastes only.

The image of the Army Helicopter is a photograph which Rose says is a prime type of image to use in the Anthropological approach. However, the photo is purely in a digital form, so the idea that photographs are an object does not apply to this image. Regardless, it is possible to think of this image as a printed copy for use in this approach.

The meaning of an object(physical image) is not determined by a pre-existed meaning, but instead by the way it is used at the moment by the viewer. Thus the meaning of this image can change dramatically if it was hanging up in some person bedroom that liked it for the helicopter, if it was used in a motivational poster, or if it was framed by the bedside of the parent of a soldier present in it. Something that also can effect or change the meaning of an object is recontextualization. This is when an object changes meaning as it is passed through different cultures. This object(image) would totally be viewed different by someone in an European country as opposed to an American, even more different would the meaning contrived by a muslim person in the middle east. An American parent with this object framed on his/her bedside would look at this with a totally different perspective than an terrorist in the middle east using it as target practice. This approach by far does the most justice to the images(objects).

2010
12/08
CATEGORY
Uncategorized
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Audience Studies

Call of Duty Back Ops Trailer

Audience Studies is different them the other visual methodologies in this because because the primary focus is the site of the audience as an informal object, something that the methods do not address. For example, compositional interpretation and content analysis are only concerned about what is in the image and from that they determine the meaning. Psychoanalysis and Semiology address the site of audience, but in a way that makes formal decisions about them without including the individuality of a person. An example of this is that Psychoanalysis pretty much says that anybody who watches Hollywood films is masculinized, but that statement is generalized because the researchers did not actually study individuals as they were watching movies to determine if it was actually true for each individual. Audience Studies makes sure that it focuses on the social and individual life of people and how they personally view images.

I believe that audience studies is important to use to determine how people react to certain images, movies, and ideas. The best way to figure out what people think is, of course, to ask them. However, audience studies can only be a part of a larger research since it only is concerned about the site of the audience and nothing else. However, it is possible that this study could replace semiology and most definitely Psychoanalysis is a full blown research. Couple with compositional interpretation and other methods that involve research into the actual image, something that this method never looks at, audience studies could have great purpose in the understanding of an image and how it affects people.

For this blog I picked the Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer. The intended audience of this trailer is most definitely males between the teens and up, depending on the personality of the male. As a male within the intended audience of this game trailer, I am most likely biased in my interpretation of the video and thus the interpretation that I already had does not change in anyway. I believe that is fine, because the trailer was meant to appeal to me and males alike, so in all reality, the only interpretation that matters to the creators is ours. The sense of adrenaline and sheer manliness coming from the video is exactly what they were trying to created.

2010
12/08
CATEGORY
Uncategorized