Kuvareportaasin (r)evoluutio

Abstract

Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan kuvareportaasia tyylin ja rakenteen näkökulmasta. Kehittämäni storyboard-analyysimetodi tarjoaa työkalut kuvareportaasin valokuvien keskinäisten suhteiden arviointiin. Sovellan storyboard-analyysimallia kahteen aineistoon. Perusaineistona on National Geographicin suomenkielinen vuosikerta 2001 ja vertailuaineistona eri aikakauslehdissä 1948-2001 julkaistuja kuvareportaaseja ja verkkoreportaaseja. Tutkimuksessa arvioidaan ennen kaikkea painetun kuvareportaasin kehitystä, evoluutiota. Lisäksi pohditaan sitä, millaisia muutoksia uusi media tuo kuvakerrontaan.

Kuvareportaasia arvioidaan media- ja kuvajournalismitutkimuksen valossa. Kuvareportaasin rakenteita on neljä: klassinen, moderni, galleria- ja multimediarakenne. Tyylin käsitettä tarkastellaan taidehistorian ja valokuvauksen näkökulmasta. Jaan reportaasikuvauksen tyylipaletin neljään kategoriaan: klassiseen, kriittis-realistiseen, moderniin värikuvadokumentaristiseen ja postmoderniin tyyliin.

Storyboardissa analysoidaan kuvareportaasin kontrasteja ja jatkumoita. Kontrasti on kahden kuvan välinen voimakas jännite. Jatkumot sen sijaan luovat reportaasille koheesiota, sidosteisuutta. Jatkumoita on kaikkiaan viisi: samuus, kaltaisuus, yhteenkuuluvuus, aika ja kausaalisuus.

Storyboardien analyysin ja tutkijaluvun perusteella tehty kuvareportaasien vertailu osoittaa keskeiset tutkimustulokset. Tulkintani mukaan National Geographicin (NG) kuvareportaasit edustavat suurimmaksi osaksi modernia rakennetta ja modernia värikuvadokumentaristista tyyliä. Olen tutkinut suurten, ns. valtajulkisuuden lehtien (Life, National Geographic, Helsingin Sanomien kuukausiliite ja Observer) lisäksi kulttuuri- ja mielipide- sekä elämäntapalehtiä (Colors, Image, Ydin ja Citylehti). Ne tarjoavat areenan kuvareportaasin tuoreille ja vaihtoehtoisille kehitysvirtauksille. Molemmat analysoimani verkkoreportaasit edustavat multimediarakennetta, vaikkakaan eivät postmodernia tyyliä. Rakenne ja tyyli eivät kuvareportaasin revoluution näkökulmasta välttämättä vastaa toisiaan.

The research examines photo reportage from the point of view of style and structure. The story board method of analysis, which I have developed, offers tools to investigate the interrelations between pictures in photo reportage. This model of analysis is applied to two data. The basic data consists of the annual volume of the Finnish version of National Geographic in 2001 which is compared with photo reportage and web reportage in different magazines in different time periods. The focus is on the (r)evolution of photo reportage.

The work begins with an analysis of (photo)graphic research (chapters 3 and 4) as a backgrounder for visual communication and photo reportage. Especially the concepts used in the media research of reportage are examined in the theoretical analysis in chapters 6 and 7. The storyboard method of analysis is introduced in chapter 5. It is applied to the analysis of the interrelations between pictures but not very much used to analyse individual pictures. Photo reportage consists of contrasts and continuums. Contrast is the strong tension between two pictures. On the other hand, the continuums create the cohesion in reportage. There are five types of continuums: sameness (the same person), analogy (similar action and/or visual similarity), togetherness (the same theme), time (chronology) and causality (cause and effect). The whole reportage is disassembled as a diagram where the researcher shows how the visual narrative has been structured. In addition, the reportages are illustr! ated as miniature pages.

When the storyboard method is applied to empirical analysis, each picture in the reportage is evaluated as an entity, as a unity of picture and content. The Gypsies reportage in National Geographic makes an exception, however, which is also evaluated from the point of view of graphic continuums. The storyboard method has not been applied to web reportage because that would involve a considerable extension of the storyboard. This method of analysis is also not suitable for the analysis of complete thematic issues (Colors).

In addition to the traditional scientific reading, this research contains a two-part reception study where a group of students evaluated The Gypsies reportage published in National Geographic. The research also contains findings from an interview with the Kurdish student Sadek Kardo-Rubar including the point of view of the photographed person which illuminates the institutional nature of National Geographic as a creator of otherness and imago. The authors of the reportage Markus Jokela and Ilkka Malmberg recount their working method and the so called taking possession method when the different styles of photo reportage are examined in chapter 8.

I have divided the styles of photo reportage into four different categories: the classical, the critical-realistic, the modern colour photo documentary and the postmodern style. The concept of style is examined in the methodology chapter (5 ) mainly in light of Altti Kuusamo's art historical style research. The concept of style is applied to the style palette of photography and photo reportage in chapter 8. The style periods are also defined as periods of time although one has to take into account that styles escape narrow definitions. They can exist side by side or they are periodically reborn as the so called retro styles. The structures of photo reportage are analysed in the story board and meta-reading of the comparative data. Four structures can be found: the classical, the modern, the gallery and the multimedia (chapter 9). This part of the research builds up on the analysis of the narrative structures of Look and Life in chapter 7.

The reportage in both the basic and comparative data are classified in the diagram in the concluding chapter (12) where the co-ordinates are the two variables of the structure of photo reportage and the style of reportage photography. On the basis of the meta-reading that was carried out, it can be concluded that the photo reportage in National Geographic mostly represent the modern structure and the modern colour photo style. Photo reportage dealing with the space and science are both structurally and stylistically different from the basic data in National Geographic. They come close to the postmodern style and the gallery structure. The reportage on natural phenomena resemble classical photo reportage.

The comparative data has been selected to represent different time periods. Pictures taken by the classical photographer of photo journalism W. Eugene Smith in the 1940s and 1950s represent a style and a structure which I define as classical. On the other hand, photo reportage by Markus Jokela and Martin Parr illustrate the structural and stylistic development of modern photo reportage in the 1980s and 1990s. In order to support the representativeness of the comparative and the basic data I have selected magazines with wide circulation (Life, National Geographic and the magazines of Helsingin Sanomat and Observer) as well as culture, independent and lifestyle magazines (Colors, Image, Ydin, Citylehti). They offer an arena for fresh and alternative development trends in photo reportage and are often influenced by the gallery structure. Both of the web reportage that I have analysed represent the multimedia structure although they do not represent the postmodern style. So, from the point of the view of the evolution of photo reportage, structure and style do not necessarily correspond to one another. Instead, the web reportage made in the multimedia structure enabled by the 21st century web media can anachronistically represent the traditional styles of reportage photography.