The average person spends over seven hours a
day interacting with media and is exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages
daily. Think of the last ad you saw. Was it bad for the world? Or good? And how
can you tell?
In the film Beware
of Images filmmaker, Sergio "Topo" Toporek, former graphic
design artist for some of the most prestigious advertising firms, says,
"The only truly dangerous media is the unexamined media.” And in his
upcoming film he does exactly that; examines the media and it’s affects on the
viewers and consumers taking it in.
Beware of Images is a feature-length,
animated documentary about the history of visual representation. The movie
explores the intricate relationship between the technology, regulation and
social effects of media. With if, the filmmakers are hoping to start an
engaging and respectful dialogue around the subject of media literacy. They
want consumers to be able to learn how to take in the images we are bombarded
with everyday and interrupt them ourselves, not as the media wants us to see
them. By doing this, we builder
smart consumers, capable of seeing past the glitz and glam attached to the
media that constantly surrounds us.
Below is the link to the Kickstarter page and promotional video, as well as a quote taken from the Kickstarter page as the reason for
making the film. Enjoy :)
“From tribal pictograms to the
alphabet, from illuminated manuscripts to the printing press, from Renaissance
art to pictorial magazines, and from telegraphic news services to the Internet;
media has played a key role in the development of cultures and hegemonic
structures.
The control over symbols and
their dissemination channels represent power. Religious institutions,
governments and corporations understand this power and have exploited it to
advance their interests. Unfortunately, these practices are at the root of many
of our social, ecological and financial concerns.
While there’s an ongoing debate
about the potentially harmful effects of media technologies to our lives, the
truth is that these technologies are here to stay and will continue to expand. It’s
true that reducing our exposure to some media channels can be beneficial, but
the real power resides in better understanding our media environment. In
fact, the only truly dangerous media, is the unexamined media.
No medium is inherently good or
evil, and all have the potential to be beneficial and constructive cultural
agents. Whether such potential is fulfilled or not, depends greatly on our
understanding of the markets, industries and regulations under which they
operate. Education is the only way we will be able to shift the present
power balance, from corporate interests towards the public good.
Beware of Images will help
viewers gain a better understanding of past media systems, question the current
ones, and shape those which will emerge in the future.”
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/448797059/beware-of-images
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