Lecture Five: Picture Stories

 

1991 Pulitzer Prize Winner: Perfect example of ‘capturing the moment’

Picture stories are not a new concept. In fact Aboriginal cave paintings date back thousands of years. Since then we’ve seen picture stories pop up everywhere including T.V, photos (who’d have thought?), games, advertising, graffiti and even the humble five dollar note.

Still images are just as effective at telling a story as an entire feature length film or a news article. The key is ensuring that the framing, angle, focus, exposure, timing and skill of “capturing the moment” are all in sync. This, I’m afraid, is easier said than done. The photo we were shown of Jonathon Thurston at his uncle’s funeral did manage to have all of these elements. What’s more is it was taken on a Samsung phone, eliminating the myth that you need hi-tech equipment to take an amazing photo. I could feel the emotion that must have been at the funeral just by looking at the photo.

Moving pictures are a relatively new way to tell a story. The first movie was shot in the late 1800’s and is one of the most popular ways of storytelling. Imagine having to go to the cinema just so you could your fix of the daily news. Well that’s what they did ‘back in the day’. Now, thanks to the invention of television, Internet, social media and use of eye witness video, we have access to the news 24/7. There are more citizen journalists than ever before as a result of the mobile phone features now containing a video camera. The London Bombings in 2005 proved to be the catalyst for citizen journos providing footage. Video journalists can whip out their camera or phone, film their story and upload the footage straight away. The world is now a very convenient place if you have the right tools.

A picture can tell 1000 words if you happen to capture it perfectly. Let’s be honest, perfection is hard to come by. Pictures can break down cultural barriers as they often don’t require words to interpret. For journalists today, they are pretty darn important. Now, because I’m pretty deep and full of wisdom I’ll leave you with a quote that sums it up perfectly. “If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture.”