The artefact-ridden video feed, and the use of video phones since
Afghanistan, seem to me to communicate something about how the media now
represents war that feels like an attempt to recreate WW1 and 2 newsreels...
The image that is at times almost peversely poor and with jerkiness and
artefacts from the video compression seems to be trying to communicate a
messiness and immediacy of the 'war situation' than pixel perfect video
images do not, that looks like sci-fi war films. An impression that is of
course as constructed as every other impression we have over this situation.
-----Original Message-----
From: Film-Philosophy Salon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Richard Armstrong
Sent: 20 March 2003 20:20
To: Matt Crowder
Subject: Gulf War II
Fuelling, even conspiring with, the perception that contemporary wars are
media wars, Channel 4's coverage of the war in the UK is dubbed 'Gulf War
II'. The nocturnal Baghdad video feed even resembles Blade Runner's LA.
FWIW, the perception borne in on me today is that there are two wars going
on: one between the Allies and the Iraqi armed forces in Iraq and Kuwait,
the
other between the political class and the people in streets and squares from
Sydney to Swansea just down the road from here.
Richard
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