issue7 Camera vs. Books. [Flamy July]

linxzUID: 2225479

TOPIC: ISSUE7 - "The video camera provides such an accurate and convincing
record of contemporary life that it has become a more important form of
documentation than written records."
DATE: 2006-7-6

The speaker asserts that video camera would become a more important form of
documentation that paper records. While in my point of view, either camera or
written records has its position, and a fair judgement shoule rely on a case-by-
case study.

Regarding areas such as the arts, and contemporary event records, video camera
plays a significant role. With its moving pictures and real-time sound, video
camera is capable to render scenes passed by. For example, what else kind of
records could convey every little action of players in the final match of World
Cup 2006? And, what else kind of records could express an Italian opera as it
once was? Of course, a distinguished writter would be able to give a full and
vivid depiction, but the reconstructed scenes in readers' brains, with various
sorts of imaginations, have been largely distracted from the original one.
After all, video camera could be the best choice for descriptive records
concerning vision and sound.

On the other hand, written records are prefered regarding contents such as
abstract and complex concepts, or large scale phenomenon. The inherent
advantages of language are analogy, comparison, deduction, which can actively
interact with readers' personal intellect. Also, written records can be further
simplified by eliminating useless or redundant information, therefore readers
are more easily to grasp the essential. Such significant features would largely
benefit the analysis of sophisticated objectives. Consider, for example, the
procedure of building a house. Viewer might feel boring and confused when
watching a video camera which honesty record every second of the procedure. Yet,
books of architectures with illustrations would help to achieve a complete
comprehension. From this example we can conclude that, writting records furnish
as indispensable means to provide highly generalized and abstract knowledge.

Moreover, either camera video and written records has its special advantages in
carrying information. Camera video records, with the help of magnet or digital
storage media, are enclosed into tiny tapes or disks. They are more easily to
duplicate, to spread and to preserve. While written records, where inforamtion
density are apparently lower, require no extra device to read. What's more,
written records are more easily to index and to cross-reference, which make
information searching feasible. Consider, in a library of art acadamy,
formations of most materials might be video, yet literal records as the index of
such materials are vital.

At the base of reasons above, the conclusion that both camera video and written
records have their own positions in documentation is undeniable. Video records
are crucial when referring to arts, or contemporary events, however, written
records have better performance in the realms of generalized and abstract
concepts and descriptions. In short, the optimal apporach is to use camera and
writting side by side - video records provide us a mass of imagery, along
written records permit us a insightful view on information and imagery.

fmdhezUID: 2218890

can we form a group to amend each other's issue?

fmdhezUID: 2218890

in the last paragraph, "at the base of..."the preposition "at" would better to be changed by "on"