Media Production History
Media Production
Media production often means making a video. In the past, differences in technology divided film and television in two very different fields. There were films (named because they were recorded on film) and there was television (recorded digitally). Television was broadcast by sending signals through the air from one antenna to another antenna.
Media production is different from "the media" which refers to the news media/journalists.
News & Journalism
Journalism is a professional method to obtain, analyze, elaborate, and disseminate relevant information through the technology available. In the past, the news was presented in a package as part of a product (newspaper, magazine, bulletin, or newscast).
Today's World
Now, in a world of mobile devices, social media, and streaming, the world of media, news, and journalism has converged into a mixture of media with fewer distinctions.
Additionally, anyone with a smartphone has the ability to take videos and share them publicly. Many breaking stories recently have been started by citizen witnesses recording and posting events live.
Platform Use
"News consumption across platforms varies by age, gender, race, ethnicity, educational attainment and political leaning. Americans under 50 are more likely to turn to digital devices and prefer them for getting news than are those 50 and older. Conversely, Americans 50 and older are more likely to turn to and prefer television."
Learn more from the Pew Research News Platform Fact Sheet.
"Instagram is the most popular news source among younger people - used by 29% of teens in 2022 - with TikTok and YouTube close behind."
News Platform Use
Digital Device Platform Use
History of Film Vs. Television
In the past, there were just two audiovisual media: film and television.
Film was used for movies and TV commercials. Film could be recorded on, could produce high-quality images in both black and white and color, and if stored properly can last a century or longer.
Television was used for live broadcasting and was shot electronically. Video cameras existed a couple of decades before videotape. Originally, video cameras could not record.
Time Delay & Kinescope
Because a television camera/video camera could not record, in the beginning, television programs were live broadcasts.
They used a process called Kinescope to be able to time delay their broadcast. Otherwise, if a television program was being produced live in New York City at 8am Eastern Time, it would be airing at 5am in the Pacific Time Zone.
Kinescope is a film recording of a television broadcast. Before television cameras/video cameras could record, they would point a film camera at a television monitor and record the television broadcast on film. They would then quickly develop the film and re-broadcast the film recording, live for the time delay. Unfortunately, the quality of the re-broadcast was lacking.
Evolution of Television
Historical Timeline
1862: a still picture was transmitted through a wire
1927: the first moving images were transmitted via television between Washington DC and New York City
1928: Charles Jenkins was issued a license for the first television station W3XK
1930: Jenkins broadcast the first television commercial
1936: 200 television sets in the United States
1948: 1 million television sets in the United States
1948: Ampex Corporation introduced the first broadcast-quality magnetic tape recording system
1956: ABC's first television broadcast (view video on the right)
1962: Satellite broadcasting introduced
2009: All analog television broadcasts ceased. Everything since has been digital signals
2007: Netflix starts streaming and Facebook introduces video platform
2009-2010: First iPhone with video recording capabilities (iPhone 3GS).
2011-2013: Twitch was started, Snapchat and Instagram add video sharing feature
2017-Present: TikTok was released in markets outside of China, and news outlets start to use it as another mass communication platform
2019-Present: Streaming wars between video streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, and Peacock.)
Video News on Social Media
In the last 10 years with the introduction of video on social media platforms (like Instagram), and social media that is solely focused on video (like Tik Tok), News Agencies and TV Broadcast Companies have slowly but surely started adding their content to the mix.
Timeline (& Examples)
2005: Youtube launched
2005: CNN joined Youtube
2006: Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, New York Times, Washington Post joined Youtube
2007: Facebook added video sharing feature
2011-2013: Twitch introduced, Snapchat and Instagram added video sharing feature
2015: New York Times posts its first video on Instagram
2017: NBC News launched 'Stay Tuned,' on Snapchat
2017: Youtube TV launched, TikTok released in markets outside China
2018: IGTV launched (shut down in 2022)
2019: The Washington Post joined Tik Tok
2020: Instagram Reels launched
2020: Yahoo News joined Tik Tok
2022: The Wall Street Journal joined Tik Tok
TikTok
TikTok is one of the newest and fastest-growing social media platforms. It has robust video and audio editing features. Because it is based in China, the US is still actively researching cybersecurity issues.
To view a running list of journalists/publishers on Tik Tok, check out Francesco Zaffarano's Google Sheet.
