Media Journal
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What does Marshall McLuhan mean when
he says that “the medium is the message”?
Aesthetics
Broadcast and Video Production I
Specific Messages
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In everyday life, you exert considerable
influence on how a specific message is
received.
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Ex. Smile/Frown
Marshall McLuhan
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A well-known communications scholar who
said over 40 years ago that “the medium is
the message” (or the massage).
What he meant by this was that the media
occupy as an important position not only in
distributing the message but also in
shaping the message.
Aesthetics

A branch of philosophy that deals with the
perception of beauty and ugliness. It deals
with the question of whether such qualities
actually exist or just exist in the mind of the
person viewing them.
Applied Media Aesthetics
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How media, specifically television and film,
shape the message for a specific viewer
response.
The branch of aesthetics that deals with
sense perception and how to influence
them through image elements, such as light,
space, time/motion, and sound. Focuses on
TV, film, and other electronic audiovisual
media.
Purpose of Applied Media Aesthetics
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Clarify
Intensify
Interpret events for a large audience
Shaping the Message
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Applied media aesthetics places great importance
on the influence of the medium on the message.
The medium itself acts as an integral structural
agent.
The process of clarification, intensification, and
interpretation of events is based on selection and
a specific use of aesthetic elements, the
recipient’s perceptions are indirectly, and more
often, directly manipulated.
Real-Life Application
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When you create a simple commercial, you
are essentially manipulating the feelings,
emotions, and behaviors of your recipients.
Ford Car Commercial Example.mpg
Manipulation
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We may be aware of manipulation when
watching blatantly biased editing, but most
viewers remain largely unsuspecting when
manipulated through subtle means such as
lens distortions or specific lighting effects.
This is why you must make all your
decisions as a producer of media within a
sound ethical context.
Objectives for our Study of Aesthetics
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Recognize, isolate, and evaluate the principles of
media aesthetics within any given audiovisual
text.
Sharpen our ability to think critically about
aesthetic choices used in media production.
Master the knowledge necessary to make
informed aesthetic choices and detailed
production plans for our own audiovisual projects.
Articulate informed opinions regarding the
relationship between media aesthetics and the
culture in which we live.
Inductive Visual Approach
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When you go from details of the event to a
general overview.
You begin a shot sequence with a close-up of a
significant detail. This approach is suited to the
small screen (TV).
On TV, a close-up usually carries more aesthetic
energy than the long shot. This approach allows
the viewer to not only see important event details
but also to feel the full impact of the event.
Deductive Visual Approach

Moving from the general to the specific or from
an overview to event detail.
Reflection
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Which approach did you use in your Stolen Box
Project?
How you could change and use the other
approach?
What impact would it have on the viewer?