Media: Images and Videos
People record images and moments through photography and videography. Media can always be considered a primary source because these were created in time, unless a historian or artists compiles a media document with various historical media and places his/her own interpretation on it.
Question for analysis:
- Who are the subjects in this video? What is their agenda/goal for participating?
- What was the purpose of this motion picture or image? Is it informative, promotional, or propagandist?
- Who are the people who appear in it? What is their role as stakeholders?
- Do you think it was filmed on location, or was there a stage set? How does this affect the validity of the message?
- Who do you think was the intended audience?
- What feelings or ideas do you think its creators wanted to communicate?
The analysis questions were adopted from the Library of Congress. More information about lesson plans can be drawn from the website:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/resources/Analyzing_Motion_Pictures.pdf