Week 6: Project 2 Proposal

Introduction
The concept of the video will be the notion of hyper-surveillance, with a specific focus on the issue of privacy. Other areas of discussion will include references to Legislation, the Bill of Rights, and the current-day similarities to George Orwell's 1984.

Concept
The video podcast will focus on how privacy is infringed upon in many areas of one's daily life and activities. Throughout the course of our research for this podcast, as well as in the presentation of the podcast itself, we intend to answer the following question regarding surveillance and breaches of privacy: How far is too far? Our intention is to convey the concerns and precautions that one must take when it comes to their personal privacy, not only online, but with any technologically related medium. An important issue is that in today's surveillance society, one is constantly being watched, but if we are doing nothing wrong, then should there be a reason to worry? Nearly all of the technologies in today’s society consequently also have methods of surveillance. Cellular phone conversations can be overheard, instant messaging conversations are routinely archived, and built in webcams on personal laptop computers can be controlled remotely. The methods by which our actions can be recorded are endless, and it is our goal through the video podcast to bring attention to these methods.

Also, corporations such as Facebook, Google, and Microsoft often take great lengths to obtain our personal information, but what guarantees do we have that this information is dealt with accordingly? It may be possible that Facebook sells our information (such as who we talk to, our relationship status, etc) to advertising companies. Google always crawls the web to capture any information it can, but just how powerful are their web crawlers? Microsoft requires personal information for most installations, and with the introduction of ActiveX, are there any more barriers to that information? These topics as well will be covered by our video podcast.

Research Approach
The basis of our research will involve a combination of field research and a variety of conventional research to further support our arguments. We will include live interviews with random subjects and incorporate supporting evidence from scholarly journals and other personal blogs or video podcasts to show opposing views about the issue. Some of the video podcast we will be using will be taken from www.current.com. One of the main articles that we will focus on is “public surveillance functions of private security” by Alison Wakefield. We would also be looking at different articles on the infringement of privacy involving internet. Lastly, we would also assess different major corporations and their methods of gathering data.

Treatment
The podcast will incorporate a hit television show ‘24’ type theme, where multiple segments of events are happening at once during a specific duration. The camera will play a neutral roll, capturing our interaction with each other. Many shots will be filmed from the shoulder to not only capture dramatics, but also carry good audio quality. The type of atmosphere we are trying to generate would be action pact and adventurous to draw the attention of the audience as well as keeping it formal to come off as factual.

Our footage would contain research that will be placed in dialogue, which is backed up by visual aids. Interviews of individuals as well as other extended metaphors will be placed to further emphasis our story. Much effort will be placed on ‘what makes a good blog’ by including comic relief and emotion.

Week 5: My Team

Team name: The A-Team

Team members: Clarianne Asuncion, James Purdy, Mark Shannon, Victoria Wighton

The initial concept for our video podcast is regarding Google and its relation to privacy in the online world. Features such as Google Analytics and Googlebots pry into the darkest corners of a website, and quite possibly, password protected information such as bank accounts and secure web sites.

Also, we will speak about privacy in regard to other applications which have yet to be determined, but may include cell phone conversations and ATMs.

Week 4: "Siren Of Art" Review

"Siren of Art" tells the story of Tara McPherson, an illustrator from Brooklyn, New York, who has created posters and album covers for many notable bands. In this podcast, she speaks about working as a freelance artist and the methods by which she creates her art.

A combination of her loves for both music and art, McPherson believes that her unique style is what makes it stand out from others. Poster art has largely become a popular genre, so she has been fortunate by the large interest in her work. Her illustrations are not created on purpose - that is, the design is not thought out, researched, or studied - but rather she sees it as a natural evolution. McPherson draws what comes naturally to her, however, being a female is an added benefit to someone in her field. Although she is the minority gender in what she does, it may also be what has made her so successful.

Despite her success, McPherson finds it necessary to push herself past her comfort zone at times to capture what others cannot. As a freelancer in her field, she finds it is more difficult than if she were an hourly employee. Since there are no strict deadlines, she often must push herself to complete a work by a certain time in order to have it ready for the client.

Overall, the podcast is well filmed, edited, and presented, however there are areas that either succeed more than others or simply do not work for the story being told. Of note is the background music that is chosen, as it is quite reminiscent of a dark or gloomy tale. What sounds like long precise strokes on a violin or similar bowed instrument complements not only the art-centric story being told, but also the appearance and personality of the subject, Tara McPherson. This seemingly small detail plays a large part in tying the visual images of the story together.

Although the profile is only slightly longer than three minutes, it is presented in such a way to make it appear longer than it actually is. Under normal circumstances, this would not prove to be a good thing, however, in this case, it is reminiscent of a half hour documentary program. It opens on a brief cinematic piece out the window of a car, then visuals meet voice to introduce the subject of the profile. Within the story itself, there are several instances where the main narrative breaks off to explain the artists process of creation, or to simply showcase her art. These segues work wonderfully to keep the viewer engaged.

A negative aspect to the method of filming, however, is something that works in one situation, but not in another. The extreme closeups of the artists hands while she works on a piece conveys a feeling of involvement to the viewer. When this is done on the artists face, however, it simply appears in an awkward manner, and this would benefit more from a wider lens choice.

The podcast is wonderfully produced to show that even the least likely hobby can turn into a profession, and as McPherson says, "It's really easy to just do what you want to do to follow your dreams". This story is truth of this. No matter how daunting it may seem, a good story can come from something as simple as the drawings of an artist in Brooklyn.