Phenomenology and Structuralism

Phenomenological analysis of shots in a film depends largely on actual knowledge of the director. What time did the director live? What were their beliefs on film and cinematography? etc. Without this knowledge, you’re not performing an exclusively phenomenological inquiry.

Structural analysis of film can access a director’s intention, but the intention is inferred through structures of the film and not necessarily your knowledge of the director’s lifeworlds, horizons, etc.

Five Principles of New Media [Manovich]

Numerical Representation

• Media converted to “0”s and “1”s
• Art subject to algorithmic manipulation/programmability
• Ex. Find-Replace in Word, Filters in Photoshop

Modularity

• Media made out of discrete packets
• Easy substitution, deletion and addition
• Ex. RSS feeds in feed reader, mashups

Automation

• Macros, stored combinations of actions, automated tasks
• “Human intentionality can be removed from the creative process, at least in part.” Some agency is provided by the software.
• Ex. Media libraries, searching

Variability

• Media experience is individualized
• Ex. Player path and strategy in a game is different for each player

Transcoding

• Modeling of culture [narrative] via computers/new media [database]
• Databases are part of culture and informing the way in which we construct and share narratives.
• Ex. Cybrogs, cybernetics, non-linearity in narratives