Mayumi  Roller  Colby  Caldwell  

ART333  PhotoBook  28  January  2013  

 Reading  2  Response  

 I   am   currently   taking   ART233:   Decoding   the   World   of   Movie  Poster  Design,   taught   by   the   visiting  Artist   in  Residence,   Camilo  Sanin.     When   Camilo   described   the   course   in   his   introductory  remarks  during  the  first  day  of  class,  I  remember  wondering  if  the  production  of  movie  posters  was  becoming  obsolete.    Camilo  was  saying   how   the   design   of   a   movie   poster   is   very   important  because  that’s  what  draws  the  viewer  in  to  see  the  film.    However,  I   started   thinking  about  when  actually  was   the   last   time   I   really  saw  a  movie  poster  was.    I  rarely  go  to  the  movies,  so  I  don’t  see  them   there,   and   I’m  pretty   sure   that  movie  posters   aren’t   really  displayed   anywhere   else.     If   they   are,   I   haven’t   really   noticed  them.     But   I   feel   like   nowadays,   with   the   advent   of   the   movie  preview,   which   can   be   viewed   on   TV,   or   on   YouTube,   nobody  really  looks  at  movie  posters  anymore.    I   thought  back   to   this   after   reading  Craig  Mod’s  Hack  The  Cover.    This   reading   talked   about   how,  with   the   digitalization   of   books,  covers  are  hardly  something  that  someone  sees.    There  are  fewer  and  fewer  numbers  of  bookstores.    When  buying  books  online,  the  covers  are  only  pictured  as  small  thumbnails  that  you  just  quickly  scan  over.    And  when  opening  a  book  on  a  Kindle,  or  other  book  reading  technological  device,  it  just  skips  right  to  the  first  page  of  the  first  chapter.    Right  now  I’m  thinking  about  that  old  saying:  “Don’t  judge  a  book  by  its  cover.”    A  saying  that  I  always  admitted  to  myself  to  be  wise  advice,  but  secretly,  when  my  dad  took  me  to  Dockside  Bookshop  in  Havensight  Mall  on  St.  Thomas,  I  would  judge  the  shit  out  of  all  of  the  books  through  which  my  young,  hungry  eyes  perused.    

             Covers  were  what  drew  me  into  the  book.    Even  though  I  am  sure  that   there   are   many   great   books   that   have   ugly   covers,   I   had  recognized   from   an   early   age   that   the   cover   of   a   book   was   an  important   thing.    Obviously   the  quality  of   the  book   is   important  too,   but   the   cover   really   gave   me   something   to   imagine   and  ponder  over,  before,  during,  and  after  reading  a  book.    But  now,  what  are  we  judging  books  on  since  we  are  experiencing  them  without  their  covers?    How  do  we  decipher  what  we  want  to  read   or   don’t?     Is   it   just   through   hearsay,   from   seeing   a   friend  tweet,   blog,   or   Facebook   about   it?     It   almost   seems   like  we   are  being  cheated  half  of  the  experience  of  choosing  a  book  from  the  vast  selection  that  surrounds  you  in  a  bookstore.    ………………………………………………………………………………………………….    I  don’t  really  have  that  much  to  say  about  Alan  Rapp’s  The  Photo  Book  will   Rise  Again.     I   feel   like   I’m   not   entirely   convinced   that  photo   books  will   ever   be   either   popular   or   profitable,   but  Rapp  seems  to  think  that  independently  published  photo  books  seem  to  be  flourishing.        I’ve  never  owned  a  Kindle,  Nook,  or  iPad.    I  do  have  an  iPhone,  but  I   don’t   ever   use   the   iBooks   application.     I’m   not   sure   if   photo  books  are  available  on  these  various  technological  readers,  but  I  wonder  if  their  availability  will  have  an  effect  on  the  publishing  of  physical  photo  books.  I  wonder,  I  wonder….