Randar Guy - Reaction fro IIIrd Year students

The guest lecture by Mr.Randar Guy was interesting and informative. He shared his experiences about Hollywood films. He also explained about promotion of the film. Nice experience with him. - DIVYA.E

Randor Guy told us many things about Hollywood films. His talk was very informative to us. We came to know many things from him particularly about the classic Hollywood movies. His session was very interesting.- POOJA GEHLOT

Lecture of Randor Guy was very informative. We got to know about the working condition in Hollywood. He talked about the making of some great movies and he narrated them in a very interesting manner. - LATHIKA.S

The elements of film study session with Mr.Randor Guy was awesome. He talked about his real life brushes with Hollywood. It was such an honour to have a session with a legend like him. We are very thankful for organizing such guest lecture and we are looking forward to have many more session like this.
-NEHA N.M

  The guest lecture who came yesterday, it was awesome experience which he had in his life time. The thoughts of him was mostly based upon Hollywood films.He also explained about the promotion of films. He gave many examples and mind blowing thoughts and ideas of him in both Hollywood and Bollywood films.- SUJITHAMBIKA

The guest showed awesome experience he had in his life time. He gave useful information on ‘elements of film studies. He also explained about the promotion of films. He gave many examples from both Hollywood and Kollywood films. - AMRUTHA.N

The guest lecturer's thoughts and ideas on film making was excellent. He also shared his own experiences which he had in the making of the films. His narration of dialogues from old films was interesting.I liked it much when he shared his experience with great artist “BABU” and many other personalities. On the whole the entire session was awesome.- SOWMYA.N.K

The guest lecture by Randor Guy was interesting. We learned from him many things. It was useful for us. He was telling his experience in Hollywood film. He told about all Hollywood actors in a very nice way. It was a learning exercise.-AISWARYA SARANYA.S

Mr.Randor Guy had immense experience with international cinema.He shared wonderful experience of his instint at Hollywood. It was great time interacting with such a experienced person like Mr Guy. I am inspired to be like him.-HEMALATHA.RB

Mr.Randor Guy has wide knowledge on international cinema. He shared his experience with us. It was very useful.- PAVITHRA.U

Mr.Randor Guy at the of 77 was such a energetic person.We came to know many things about Hollywood and Hollywood films. We feel very proud to attend his lecture. He gave us some names of the Hollywood films that muy be screened in our college. - DIVYABHARATHI.R

Mr.Randor Guy gave lots of information about Hollywood cinema. He also shared his working experience in Tamil cinema industry.The session was useful for us. We feel very proud to attend his guest lecture.-DEVIPRIYA.U

Mr.Randor Guy is a great person. We got lots of knowledge from hearing him. He told us about his history of Hollywood cinema and also about Indian cinema. He shared his experience in Hollywood. We had a great time listening to him. - DEEPIKA.S

The Randor Guy was very amusing person. He has a wonderful sense of humour. He shared lots of experience of his life and times. It was great opportunity to meet him. - KALAIMA.P

The guest lecture by Mr Randor Guy was very informative. He told many things about Hollywood . Ir was interesting to know them from a person who had a personal experience with it. I enjoyed it very much. PREETHI LAKSHMI.D

The session on elements of film studies with Randor Guy was very useful for us. The session was interactive. Mr Randor guy told us about his experience with Hollywood film. He suggested the names of some movies for screening and I want the college to have those movies for our department. I think such types of interaction should be conducted regularly. - RAMYA.T

The guest lecture with a legend Mr.Randor Guy was very useful for the media students. It was very informative and interesting. We came to know a lot about Hollywood cinemas. He also gave us many ideas for our projects. We expect some more such guest lecture in the near future.- NIVEDITHA.C

The session with Mr Randor Guy was very useful for media students. We got some idea about technical side of the film making. We all enjoyed it a lot as his talk made us to think more.- GAYATHRI.P

Mr.Randor Guy lecture was very interesting. It was a great opportunity for us to have him here in our college. We enjoyed this section and we asked him questions regarding Hollywood.- NISHA

 

The speech of Randor Guy was interesting. Mostly the told us about Hollywood cinemas. He shared stories of so many award winning film. He has a great sense of humour . It is a great opportunity to interact with him.- RUDHRAJAYASHREE.S

We came to know a lot about the Hollywood cinemas and also about the top movies of Hollywood. I would like to thank the the college for giving the opportunity to meet Mr Randor Guy.- NIKITHA.S

First of all i must thank our college to give us the opportunity to meet the flim historian Mr Randor Guy. He is a very experienced person. We came to know a lot about Hollywood films. Its very nice and useful session indeed.-AXALIN.S
  

Randor guy session was awesome. The way of his explaining things was superb. His knowledge in the world of cinema is mind blowing. I thoroughly enjoyed this session and loved it completely. More guest lecture like this could be of great use for us.-  SHURTHI SARAGARAJAN

The guest lecture of Randor Guy was very interesting. We came to know more about Hollywood. He gave us lot of information on how the people work in Hollywood and how it got its name. He told us the difference of working in Hollywood and Kollywood film industry. It was a very nice session, we enjoyed it a lot. I thank the college for this.- MONICA.G

Randor Guy- Feedback from the IInd year

• To be born as a human, one should be like Mr. Randor Guy. He is a person who loves multitasking. I’ve always been inspired by his articles. The guest lecture was one of the best moments in my life . I got to meet him in person and listen to his lecture. It was so interesting and so inspiring that I never realized the time fleeing. The facts he gave about Cinema as a whole was very scintillating. His personal experiences with eminent personalities added flavour to his lecture. His sense of wit and humour made the talk even more interesting. I was glued to the talk until it got over. I loved it when he said “The best way to know about Hollywood history is to watch many Hollywood movies”. To be precise, Mr. Randor Guy is certainly a mobile encyclopaedia of cinema. - Sruthi. M

• Mr. Randor Guy has a great exposure in the field of Cinema. His lecture on Hollywood Cinema was inspiring. His jokes and wit added to this inspiration. He took us to a long journey into Hollywood cinema. It was a great exposure.This lecture was the best I have ever heard till date. Mr. Randor Guy is sincerely a great guy. Prasiddha. S

• Randor Guy lecture was really helpful for us to gain knowledge about the origin of Hollywood films. It helped us to know about the famous directors and actors in the Hollywood. - Monica. S

• The session on elements of film studies with film historian Mr. Randor Guy was informative. He gave us a whole lot of information about Hollywood Cinema. The facts that he shared about Hollywood Cinema were amazing. It was a lifetime experience. His lecture was scintillating. We want more such lectures. Gaudhammi. P.N

• Mr. Randor Guy is such an amazing person. He has a great knowledge about Hollywood Cinema. The session with him was a piece of education. It was indeed a great experience to listen him. - Ranjini. Ranganathan

• I really enjoyed the talk of Mr. Guy. He shared many of his experiences. He told us about Hollywood films and Hollywood actors. It was useful for our subject elements of film studies. - Rajashree. D

• Mr. Randor Guy gave very good information about the Hollywood Cinema. He talked about his experience in the Hollywood cinema. How the word Hollywood came into existence , a brief description of some actors, directors and film studios. He told us about the working conditions in the Hollywood. It was a pleasure to hear him. - Falguni Shah

• Mr. Randor Guy gave us a great deal of information about the Hollywood cinemas. It was a very useful lecture for our subject elements of film studies. - Suvetha. J

• The guest lecture held on December, 6, 2011 by Mr. Randor Guy was interactive and informative. He discussed a lot about the Hollywood classics. We got to know through him the finer points of story writing, directing and other departments of cinema. His lecture made us realize that film making is similar exercise, be it Hollywood, Bollywood, Kollywood, etc. Krithika. L

• Mr. Randor Guy who came to our college on 6^th December 2011 was a great speaker. His talk on the history of cinema Hollywood cinema was informative. He knows so much about cinematic history. I admired his knowledge I wish he comes again to give another lecture. - Deepa. G

• The guest lecture held on Hollywood cinema by Randor Guy was an interactive session. He gave a introduction about what film making is all about and how production houses got their name and fame and so on. He also told about his experiences in the Hollywood, the actors with whom he worked with. He also told us about the difference between Hollywood and Kollywood. Listening to him was a great experience. His style of narration was very good. - Anusha. S

• The session by Mr. Randor Guy was interesting. He shared his experience about the days he spent in USA and about his connection with Hollywood cinema. I am glad to have attended the session with Mr Guy. - Akalya. V

• The guest lecture on Hollywood cinema was useful to me. I came to know that there is lot to learn about films. I really thanks Mr. Guy for making my day so special. I want another guest lecture from him.- Sasikala. R

• Mr. Randor Guy gave us a very interesting insight into the classical period of Hollywood cinema. The humour behind few movies, the unknown nuggets of information on film personalities, film-makers and production houses made the session very enjoyable. Mr. Guy is like an encyclopaedia of cinema. It was a delight to interact with him.- Niveda Manohar

• I was really inspired by Mr. Randor Guy’s speech. Apart from the history of Hollywood cinema, he gave us the details about the artists and the technology of Hollywood cinema. We expect more sessions from Mr. Randor guy in future if possible.- Sri Divyalakshmi. K

Randor Guy talk - Reaction from First Year Viscom Students

1- We had great time with Mr Randor Guy. Sir gave us many ideas and huge amount of information. He talked about different form of film making in Hollywood as well as gave examples from Tamil Cinema. We liked it very much - Mahalakshmi

2- It was a beautiful moment interacting with Mr Randor Guy. He is a authority on the history of cinema. I came to know many interesting things from him. He gave many tips on film making. I thank our college for giving us this wonderful opportunity to meet listen and talk to this great person. - Saranya S

3- It was nice to meet a famous and great person like Randor Guy, he talked about his experiences and stories about his life, we expected more content on the cinematic history, he let us down. No offences – Anonymous

4- Mr Randor Guy is a mobile encyclopaedia, we were moved by the amount of information he gave to us. He refereed to Hollywood celebrities as if they are our next door neighbour. His cinematic experience can be measured through his speech/ We felt quite inspired and i am thankful to the management for giving up the opportunity to meet this great personality.- Vaishnavi Krishnan

5- It was a nice opportunity to meet Mr Randor Guy and hear him on the subject Hollywood cinema. Mr Guy seem to be perfect guy to talk to us on this subject. He made us really dream big. In my opinion he may be useful for the students of second year studying elements of film history but he was still good to us well. He gave the names of number of Hollywood classics that i will definitely watch in the days to come. - Porinima
6 - We had a great pleasure to hear a great personality like Mr Randor Guy. His speech was about his experiences with Hollywood cinema. His lecture was awesome. Y. Kavya 
7- I thank the department of Visual Communication for calling Mr Randor Guy and share his experiences of Hollywood cinema. He also share his experiences of Telegue and Tamil cinema. I expected he may be giving some career guidance on how to enter into the flim industry. Any way no regrets it was a great experience. - R Aishwariya 
8- I thank the college for calling Mr Randor Guy. He lecture was very informative. We got some idea about the movie world, mainly about the Hollywood movies. We want more such lectures in future. - Khusboo Kumari   9- It was great thing to meet Mr Randor Guy. He gave us many ideas of the making of the movies. As a viscom student i am greatly benefited from him. I thank the college for calling him. Sasi Kumari 
10- We have definitely improved our knowledge on Hollywood cinema by listening to Mr Randor Guy. I thank the college for giving us this opportunity. It was wonderful experience. - Subasri
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• 11 - After listening to Mr Randor Guy, i am inspired to watch Hollywood movies My interest in cinema and more so in Hollywood cinema is generated after hearing his talk. We had a great time with Mr Guy. I thank the college for giving us this opportunity. - D Preethi

12- Its life time opportunity to meet Mr Randot Guy. He talked about many things and gave us lot of ideas. He talked about different models of film making, his lecture was very informative. - S. Nithya

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13 - It was a very interesting speech, i liked it very much Randor Guy is such a nice guy. We learned a lot hearing his experiences- Revathi

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14 - Mr Randor Guy gave us a great opportunity to have a peep into the Hollywood cinema. His talk was very good. We had great education listening to him. - Vidhya

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15 - Mr Randor Guy is a great personality. He gave us lot of information on Hollywood films. It was a good programme. I thank our college for this. J. Jayashree

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16 - Mr Randor Guy's speech was superb. We learnt a great deal from him. We want him again to talk to us. - Gomathi

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

R.Ramanidharan- Faculty Viscom

Krithi Krithiga 11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga  11 nd yr Viscom

Picture no : 1           Canon 550D                                   1/100s

                                  Focal length 300.0mm                    f/5.6

                                35mm Equivalent :470mm               ISO : 200

Picture no : 2          Canon 550D                                      1/250s

                                 Focal length 90.0mm                         f/8.0

                             35mm Equivalent : 141mm                   ISO : 800

Picture no : 3         Canon 550D                                        1/160s

                                                                                               ISO : 800

                                                                                               F/7.1  

Krithi Krithiga 11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga  11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga 11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga  11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga 11 nd yr Viscom

Krithi Krithiga  11 nd yr Viscom

What is Photography

What is Photography

Photography is the art of using and manipulating the camera and film to produce unique images of reality or formal abstractions. The subject and the stylistic or aesthetic intentions of the photographer will determine the "type" of photography. It is the art or process of making pictures by means of a camera that directs the image of an object into film made sensitive to light. In other words, it is the process of forming and fixing an image of an object or objects by the chemical action of light and other forms of radiant energy on photosensitive surfaces.  It is the art or business of producing and printing photographs. Photographic prints can be made from photographic negatives, positive transparencies, or digital images, and printed on a wide variety of substrates, including photo paper, fine art paper, and canvas According to Gene McSweeney- As we try to grab pieces of our lives, they speed past us. Photographs freeze those pieces and help us remember how we were. We don't know these lost people but if you look around, you'll find someone just like them.

A report by Vaishnavi Krishnan, first year student of Visual Communication

Poem by -Vaishnavi krishnan

LAND OF LOVE- A Poem by -Vaishnavi Krishnan

You're my man, my mighty king,
And I'm the jewel in your crown,
You're the sun so hot and bright,
I'm your light-rays shining down,

You're the sky so vast and blue,
And I'm the white clouds in your chest,
I'm a river clean and pure,
Who in your ocean finds her rest,

You're the mountain huge and high,
I'm the valley green and wide,
You're the body firm and strong,
And I'm a rib bone on your side,

You're an eagle flying high,
I'm your feathers light and brown,
You're my man, my king of kings,
And I'm the jewel in your crown.

-Vaishnavi Krishnan if first year Viscom student

Sruthi Murali's Artworks

Sruthi Murali is in the second year of BSc Visual communication. Here is her few artworks which includes portraits (pencil sketches), line drawing, stipple work & painting.. please leave your comments

Sruthi Murali's Artworks

Sruthi Murali's Artworks

Sruthi Murali's Art Work

Sruthi Murali's Art Work

I Love My India

                     I Love My India

Job opportunities for Visual Communication Students

Job opportunities for Visual Communication Students

The Indian media industry is evolving rapidly and there’s a dearth of skilled people. Acting and direction are the more familiar and popular aspects of media industry. But besides these two, there are several areas in filmmaking and production that can fetch a lucrative job.

Jobs are available at Film Studios, Production Houses, Market Research companies, buying companies, Entertainment Channels, News Channels, Radio stations etc.

A film, news programme or television soap opera, are all collaborative efforts by a team of skilled and talented professionals.  So the opportunities are many.

There are requirement of editors, sound recorders, cameraman, lighting experts, composers, cinematographers, graphics expert, animators, screenplay writers, anchors, set designers, photographers, to mention a few, who work together to make films, serials or information-based programmes.

It’s a vast field and opportunities are immense and the good part is that most of these jobs can be highly remunerative. Earnings vary depending on the chosen field and work experience. The starting salary could range from Rs. 15,000- 60,000.

However, as it is a very competitive industry, one has to be prepared to slog it out. But be prepared to start from the bottom. After that, the only way is up.

“Kaleidoscope 2011”- A Celebration of Creativity

“Kaleidoscope 2011”- A Celebration of Creativity

By Niveda Manohar

“Responsibility and discipline are the eternal values of learning and creativity”, said well known film personality Mr. S.Ve Shekher, in his inaugural speech at “Kaleidoscope 2011”, a two day knowledge and entertainment fest, organized by the Department of Visual Communication of Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women, Chennai on August 11,12, 2011.

Mr. S.Ve Shekher, who began his career as a still photographer and then went on to excel in drama, radio, television and cinema talked about his experiences in various creative disciplines.

“Perseverance and keen desire to learn are the keys to excel in the field of creativity, he said.” Institution’s Secretary Mr Abhay Kumar, Deputy Secretary Mr Gyan Jain and Principal Dr Padma Shankar, were present on the occasion.

An impressive lineup of creative professionals and large number of students gathered to celebrate idea of creativity at the two day information and entertainment extravaganza. 
The seriousness of the inaugural session gave way to fun and frolic. Mr. Harish Kalyan, a young actor lightened up the atmosphere holding interactive session, engaging the students in small skits, to remove the stage fear. He stressed on the points needed for effective acting.  

Immensely popular radio jockeys, RJ Kay Kay and RJ Alocious, from Hello FM were next to hold the floor. They narrated their professional experiences and gave tips to excel in radio broadcasting.

Professor Raviraj, head of the department, Direction, at Chennai Film Institute, gave a talk on the intricacies of making non fictional films. His screened a documentary on 'sewage and drainage system' and narrated the fine aspect of short film making. He screened a foreign short film on “glass making” that was a treat to watch.

Mr. Saravanan, the Filmfare award winner for the best supporting actor for the movie Paruthiveeran (2007) shared his experiences in Tamil Film industry. 
The three time National Award winner, Mr. Srinivas Mohan, the VFX director of Enthiran held a session on the making of the film.  He explained how visual effects can lift a film to dazzling heights. His explanation amazed the students in cinematic knowledge.

Ms. Madumita, an eminent film director who directed ‘Vallamai Tharayo’ and ‘Kola Kolaya Mundhirika’ talked about the working condition for women in Kollywood.

“The working atmosphere in film industry is very congenial for women and there is absolutely no to fear of any sort for fair sexes,” Ms. Madumita, said dispelling the myths about women working in the film industry. Her words inspired many girls to take up a career in film industry.

RJ Gopida of Radio City shared his knowledge on the different aspects of jockeying and demonstrated a few exercises to enhance the voice quality. He had a similar session in Kaleidoscope 2010 as well.

The day two of the Kaleidoscope 2011, kicked off with VTV Ganesh of “Vinnaithandi Varuvaya” fame. It was a perfect start for the day as VTV is immensely popular among the youth.

Director Jananathan, talked about the nuances of film making. He screened certain scenes of his movies “Iyarkai” that won the national award for the best Tamil feature film and explained how each shot was taken.

Popular music director Mr. James Vasanthan who composed many hit songs and who is also a popular television personality, interacted with the students on the technical side of music composition.

Mr. Praveen K.L, spoke about the importance of editing in movies. He screened the trailer of Mankatha and certain scenes from other movies to explain the editing point of view. During the interactive session, he gave music CDs of “Mankatha” to few students whom he found to be keen learners.

Meera Kathiravan who has directed the critically acclaimed movie “Aval Peyar Tamilarasi” gave tips on the art of direction. He was followed by dubbing artist, Mr. Naveen Kumar who enthralled the audience with his mimicry skills. Students requested him to copy the voice of their favorite film stars and the performer did not let anyone down.

The last session was by the crew of “Ambuli,” India’s first stereoscopic 3D movie. Directors Hari Shankar and Haresh Narayan and Cinematographer Satish discussed about the various aspects of 3D movie making. They also screened a few 3D scenes from the movie that the students seem to enjoy.

The closing session saw a performance by Ms. Shweta, III year Visual Communication student, who whistled the tune of two songs and danced on them as well. Then there was ‘adaptune’ competition for the students of other colleges. Prizes were given to those who participated in the competition. 
The “Kaleidoscope 2011” finale was an energetic performance by group of students of the department of Visual Communication dancing on the tune of fusion of songs.

There were sixteen sessions and eighteen guest speakers in the two day festivity. . The session covered a gamut of areas like film direction, acting, video editing, music, radio jockey, dubbing etc.

There were 285 students from more than sixteen colleges that participated in “Kaleidoscope 2011.” All gave positive feedback of the event, calling it inspirational and looked forward for the next edition of this mega event.

The lesson learn from “Kaleidoscope 2011” was; creativity comes slowly and gradually and one has to strive for that and seek inspiration from those who have excelled in different disciplines of creativity.

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This report is prepared by Niveda Manohar, second year student of BSc Visual Communication,of Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women, Chennai.

Tigers are rare Save them says K.V.SWETHA , I yr viscom

Tigers are Rare Save them

I am K.V.SWETHA , First year viscom. I am a passionate photographer . I love to take rare pictures. My hobbies are taking photographs and dancing. My ambition is to become a photo-journalist. Recently, I visited Bnnerghatta Zoo in Banglore and took few pictures of animals there.

All the tigers were really furious except a white tiger which looked like being  tamed.

 Even this black bear was furious pouncing at me. I somehow teased him to pose for my camera.

 

As I love to take pictures of rare things when I found a heart shaped custard apple at the Nilgris super market, i immediately bought it and took its photograph.

Kasthuri charms at Shreyas - Inter-Collegiate Culturals

Kasthuri charms at Shreyas - Inter-Collegiate Culturals

Chennai, September 15, 2011: “Protection of environment is a matter of habit and not a choice, said actress Kasthuri, to large group of college girls that had assembled at Shreyas - Inter-collegiate culturals event at SSS Jain College for Women, Chennai.

Every day when I get up, I segregate my daily household wastes into two bins, non biodegradable and biodegradable, said the model turned actress, giving tips to young girls how to green.

Kasthuri who made a come back in 2010 featuring in a item number in the hit film "Tamil Padam" was at her best in attracting the young girls, as they cheered her speech that was laced with pun and humour.

The actress who has been hosting TV shows, got a very warm response when she asked to students to volunteer for her dream project of building an international quality old age home in the outskirts of the city.

Later, Kasthuri, switched from the dais to sit with the students and the competition, feeling at ease with the students gathered for Shreyas - Inter-collegiate culturals event. 

 The actress who studied at the Ethiraj college, and was a popular figure at the Inter-collegiate culturals event, promised to be the 'quiz-master' in the next edition of the cultural event at the SSS Jain College for Women. 

Kasthuri was a popular south Indian heroine in the 1990s. She had her schooling in Madras and started modelling while in high school. She won the Miss Madras title in 1992.

Subsequently, she got offers to act in films. She debuted as heroine in the Tamil film "Aatha Un Kooyiley" in 1991, and had appear in a number of Tamil fims that imcluded the horror flick "Rasathi Varum Naal", "Government Mappilai",Chinnavarand "Senthamizh Paatu" alongside Prabhu Ganeshan in 1992.

Kasthuri acted in many Telugu films which gained her enough fan following in Andhra Pradesh. After the success of Bharatheeyudu, in which she acted as beloved daughter of Kamal Haasan, she got several opportunities to act opposite top heroes. Films like Soggadi pellam, merupu did give footage to her career.

Kasturi was the subject of a 30-minute documentary film Kasthuri: A South Indian Film star made by Richard Breyer and N. C. Rajamani in 1995.

Kasthuri bowed out of films after her Hindi short film The Bypass in 2003. 

Last year, she made a come back in a item number in the hit film "Tamil Padam."

“A person like Kasthuri can juggle with many roles,” said Dr Padma Shanker, Principal SSS Jain College for Women, Chennai, in her welcome address. 

 

'She is a multi faced personality, a source of inspiration said the dynamic principal of the woman's college.

Shreyas - Inter-collegiate culturals event at SSS Jain College for Women, Chennai is a two day cultural extravaganza, where girl students from thirty colleges are participating at various events to win fabulous prizes.

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This report is prepared by Visual Communication students of SSS Jain College for Women, Chennai.

The Power of Social Media

The Power of Social Media

Clay Shirky, Professor of New Media at New York University and author of the book Cognitive Surplus

Some key points made by Prof Shirky in her article on the power of social media in the Foreign Affairs are -

Since the rise of the Internet in the early 1990s, the world's networked population has grown from the low millions to the low billions. Over the same period, social media have become a fact of life for civil society worldwide, involving many actors -- regular citizens, activists, nongovernmental organizations, telecommunications firms, software providers, governments.

The use of social media tools -- text messaging, e-mail, photo sharing, social networking, and the like -- does not have a single preordained outcome. Therefore, attempts to outline their effects on political action are too often reduced to dueling anecdotes.

New media conducive to fostering participation can indeed increase the freedoms, just as the printing press, the postal service, the telegraph, and the telephone did before.

One complaint about the idea of new media as a political force is that most people simply use these tools for commerce, social life, or self-distraction, but this is common to all forms of media.

The more promising way to think about social media is as long-term tools that can strengthen civil society and the public sphere.

The idea that media play a supporting role in social change by strengthening the public sphere echoes the historical role of the printing press.

The sociologists Elihu Katz and Paul Lazarsfeld discovered that mass media alone do not change people's minds; instead, there is a two-step process. Opinions are first transmitted by the media, and then they get echoed by friends, family members, and colleagues. It is in this second, social step that political opinions are formed. This is the step in which the Internet in general, and social media in particular, can make a difference. As with the printing press, the Internet spreads not just media consumption but media production as well -- it allows people to privately and publicly articulate and debate a welter of conflicting views.

Disciplined and coordinated groups, whether businesses or governments, have always had an advantage over undisciplined ones: they have an easier time engaging in collective action because they have an orderly way of directing the action of their members. Social media can compensate for the disadvantages of undisciplined groups by reducing the costs of coordination.

The dilemma is created by new media that increase public access to speech or assembly; with the spread of such media, whether photocopiers or Web browsers, a state accustomed to having a monopoly on public speech finds itself called to account for anomalies between its view of events and the public's. The two responses to the conservative dilemma are censorship and propaganda. But neither of these is as effective a source of control as the enforced silence of the citizens.

Popular culture also heightens the conservative dilemma by providing cover for more political uses of social media. Tools specifically designed for dissident use are politically easy for the state to shut down, whereas tools in broad use become much harder to censor without risking politicizing the larger group of otherwise apolitical actors.

Full article may be read at

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media?page=show

Category - Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change

Visual Communication an Attractive Course for Girls

Visual Communication an Attractive Course for Girls

Syed Ali Mujtaba

'Visual Communication' or Viscom is a course for those who dare to dream differently. It's pure excitement for the high spirited souls passionate about entering the field of media and entertainment. It's a course where students can specialise in areas such as; Multimedia, Photography, Television, Films, News, Online Media and many more.

Most of the colleges today boasts of a Visual Communication department. The students of Viscom department are the most active lot. They provide vibrancy to campus life by participating in various be it sports, culturals or other extra curricular activities.They win number of prizes at Intra and Inter College culturals.

This is not true for the boys alone even the girls are attracted towards the Visual Communication course in a big way and excelling in many field of activities.

The Visual Communication department of Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women, Chennai, is a shining example of growing interest of girl students in this course. Here over hundred girls are pursuing this course. The College has a state of art facilities and excellent faculty to run this course. The College nurtures the students from hand drawing to computer imagery, still and video images to the level to producing short films.

Highlights of the Course

Film studies is the most attractive feature of the Viscom course. Students are exposed to Film Studies, Cinematography, Audiography, Direction etc. Many directors, cinematographers, sound engineers who are successful in the field today, are Viscom graduates.

Photography is an other impressive element of the course. With user friendly Cameras, Photography is indeed every body's cup of tea. But professional photography is all together a different cup of tea. It needs professional training and practice and Viscom students who have specialized in photography can emerge as great professional photographers.

Ad Agencies are always on the look out for Viscom graduates. Good talents are absorbed instantly. They are taken in the position of Copy writer, Creative Director Visualizer etc.

Myths about Visual Communication

Even though the course has started almost a decade ago, many parents are still reluctant to enroll their daughters into this course. They are scared about the scope of the course, particularly about the future career opportunities. In addition many parents feel that their daughter have to work in a industry which essentially men dominated and have no time schedule. So they feel Viscom may not be a good course for their girl child. These facts however are far from true.

Its proved that women have a better sense for appreciating beauty. These days many companies prefer women Web Designers/Graphic designers for their aesthetic taste. These companies understand the primary responsibilities and the women employ and they are a little liberal when it comes to the work timings. Expecting mothers and mothers with young child are given flexible timings. They even have the option to work from home. So a women can comfortably work in the media field and as well take care of her family.

In India the demand for web designers have been constantly on rise. The Viscom course is designed in such a way that interested students can specialise in Web Designing. Animation is an other crowd pulling aspect of this course. Students are taught the latest software in Animation. There are students who make a good money working part time on Animation projects.

Many parents the girl child are also worried that cinema industry is a men's world. The scenario is fast changing. Many famous directors have at least one woman Assistant Director and many film directors are themselves women.

Similarly, many women directors and producers are ruling the the Television shows. Many TV shows have a big list of women personnel, assistants, associates etc.

Women Ad film makers have set up high standards in the industry and many of them are the natural choice for the corporates.

Newspaper, Magazine, Radio Television News Channels have huge opportunity for women who have a natural flair for writing. They can develop their skills in writing and become journalist. Women these days are joining the profession of journalism in a big way.

The systematic approach of women are appreciated well in media and entertainment industry. The have a natural edge or men in this industry. So there is s a big opportunity that awaits women in media industry. The route to enter this field is through getting a degree in Visual Communication. So the time is now ripe for girls to take up this course and make a mark in the media industry. There is no stopping for those who have the will and inclination to excel in this field. 

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Syed Ali Mujtaba PhD teaches at the department of Visual Communication at Shri Shankarlal Sundarbai Shasun Jain College for Women, Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba@yahoo.com