Talk I gave in 2006 about relation of blogs to documentary.

1. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & documentary
(all middle)

2. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & doco
blogging as documentary
blogs (at least in my definition of blogs) are documentaries
by ‘personal’ I mean they are
grounded in the life world of the blogger
deal with whatever is of significance to the blogger
and mix text with image, and increasingly video and audio
ozdox | sydney november 2006 | adrian miles

3. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & doco
blogs are distributed
blogs are the first native medium to have emerged on the net
they are made up of small parts (like all AV media) which can
be rejoined
the big difference is this ability to rejoin the small parts is
maintained after publication (and is not only available to the
makers)
and our blogs are made up from parts that are distributed
as a consequence we all become some sort of author or
content creator when we:
blog, tag, comment
ozdox | sydney november 2006 | adrian miles

4. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & doco
what will be (as if it has been)
video online, in blogs and elsewhere, is at the same point that
online text in 1995 was:
potential as a distribution medium
provides access
redefines notions of ‘professional’ practice
shifts ‘ownership’ to a distributed model
yet to discover or embrace what a networked documentary
audiovisual ‘object’ is or could be . . .
ozdox | sydney november 2006 | adrian miles

5. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & doco
thinkin’ out loud
imagine a documentary that is
only ever made up of parts
keeps these parts available, possibly in different places after
‘completion’
is an ongoing work (no longer pre/post production, distribution)
does not have a beginning or an end (is only middle?)
survives and embraces different contexts (remix, syndicated feeds,
dedicated blog)
lets others appropriate the material (to varying extents)
your role is no longer technical expertise, but resides in the quality of
the experience of the material you can provide
ozdox | sydney november 2006 | adrian miles

6. labsome honours research studio
Adrian Miles
blogs & doco
Adrian Miles
adrian.miles@rmit.edu.au
vogmae.net.au