Constructing Reality
Start by having students view the video in the student chapter Media are Constructions or show it in fullscreen.
Stop at the one-minute mark, at the line “Be media smart.”
Ask students:
What were some of the different ways the image of the bicycle was used or changed in the video?
How did those change how we “read” the image (what meaning we think it has?)
If necessary, show the video again so students can watch more closely.
Make sure to point out:
The bicycle is shown in colour and in black and white
The bicycle is used in ads and in public service announcements (“Get Moving”)
It appears in different formats (billboard ad, bus shelter ad, computer
screen, etc.)
Explain to students that media makers make two kinds of choices: what to include in a work and how to frame it.
Framing choices use the medium’s rules of notice to give you clues about how to read what’s included: for instance, looking up at something makes it look more impressive, a close-up tells us something is important, or violin music may tell us that we should feel sad about what we’re looking at.
Framing is what the media makers choose to show us or how they choose to present it.
The specific tools that each medium uses to get and direct your attention.