I don't know if you know this, but my degree is in multimedia-- I went to film school, but the projects I did for my degree included things like running a MOO and building two video games. I also wrote a hyperfiction novella. So this is a conversation I was not only introduced to, but pretty much immersed in for three years, and I don't think most people are ever exposed to it, so I would still be patient with people who aren't understanding how you're perceiving your entries.
So, yeah, I always like to discuss this stuff, so absolutely!
I think the one entry of yours that I would have criticized as not really holding up in the competition was the one with the sneaker photo, before you added a video. It's not so much that it's not writing, but that it is one photo with one line of text and no additional context. A lot of people in the competition are doing and have done some pretty sophisticated photo essays, so one image with one line of text doesn't really live up to readers' expectations here. To see some examples from last season, I'll point you toward This entry (http://rattsu.livejournal.com/100366.html#cutid1) by rattsu or this entry (http://hug-machine.livejournal.com/66293.html#cutid1) by hug_machine. Notice, I'm not saying you necessarily need to do something as narrative as what they're doing, but to look at this as far a a guide to the amount of content that people might expect if that's the direction you're going to take with future entries.
I also do think that while, say, fifteen photos in succession with no text can be seen as a narrative or essay and hold up in people's minds as a piece of writing (I did this last season (http://zia-narratora.livejournal.com/600893.html#cutid1)), one image juxtaposed with one line of text really falls more on the "visual art" side of things. Yes, it has some text, and it has a message, but I don't think there's quite enough there for an audience to parse it as reading so much as viewing, and that, to me, is what defines something as writing versus visual art. There is a line, not every piece of visual art or multimedia can also be defined as writing, and I do think that figuring out where that line is is going to be part of what you'll need to be doing in your entries. I think it's important to push that line, but part of pushing boundaries means sometimes not quite succeeding.
I also wonder if part of the disconnect between your intent and others' perception is the context of your very detailed introductions as compared to the rest of your entry: do they see the introduction as the "writing" you are putting forward as your entry?
You are also going to be facing people's very valid concerns about not being able to view your entries at all. I wanted to mention this because I do think you should reconsider presenting multimedia with such limited readable text in the context of your privilege to do so. It's not a question of saying you shouldn't do this because you have privilege; there are a lot of privileges that genuinely create positive things, but it's also important to recognize that if someone objects because they are blind or because they simply can't watch a video or it is difficult to them to watch a video, they are not trying to put down your work, and if you want to be a strong competitor in this particular contest overall, you may need to figure out how to create entries that are accessible to every reader, not just the ones who have sight and good internet connections. Readers are going to get frustrated if they can't see your entries every single week.
I think that's all my thoughts right now, so I'll leave off there!
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Date: 2010-11-28 09:45 pm (UTC)So, yeah, I always like to discuss this stuff, so absolutely!
I think the one entry of yours that I would have criticized as not really holding up in the competition was the one with the sneaker photo, before you added a video. It's not so much that it's not writing, but that it is one photo with one line of text and no additional context. A lot of people in the competition are doing and have done some pretty sophisticated photo essays, so one image with one line of text doesn't really live up to readers' expectations here. To see some examples from last season, I'll point you toward This entry (http://rattsu.livejournal.com/100366.html#cutid1) by
I also do think that while, say, fifteen photos in succession with no text can be seen as a narrative or essay and hold up in people's minds as a piece of writing (I did this last season (http://zia-narratora.livejournal.com/600893.html#cutid1)), one image juxtaposed with one line of text really falls more on the "visual art" side of things. Yes, it has some text, and it has a message, but I don't think there's quite enough there for an audience to parse it as reading so much as viewing, and that, to me, is what defines something as writing versus visual art. There is a line, not every piece of visual art or multimedia can also be defined as writing, and I do think that figuring out where that line is is going to be part of what you'll need to be doing in your entries. I think it's important to push that line, but part of pushing boundaries means sometimes not quite succeeding.
I also wonder if part of the disconnect between your intent and others' perception is the context of your very detailed introductions as compared to the rest of your entry: do they see the introduction as the "writing" you are putting forward as your entry?
You are also going to be facing people's very valid concerns about not being able to view your entries at all. I wanted to mention this because I do think you should reconsider presenting multimedia with such limited readable text in the context of your privilege to do so. It's not a question of saying you shouldn't do this because you have privilege; there are a lot of privileges that genuinely create positive things, but it's also important to recognize that if someone objects because they are blind or because they simply can't watch a video or it is difficult to them to watch a video, they are not trying to put down your work, and if you want to be a strong competitor in this particular contest overall, you may need to figure out how to create entries that are accessible to every reader, not just the ones who have sight and good internet connections. Readers are going to get frustrated if they can't see your entries every single week.
I think that's all my thoughts right now, so I'll leave off there!