by Allison Kuhn-Talbot
A Look at News, Parody, and the Art of Photographic Manipulation
Teacher Introduction
For a modern planetarium show, Tom Callen, an astronomer/program producer
created a variety of fake UFO images as a way of showing audiences how easily
such photos can be done.
© 2001, Cosmonova. Retrieved from http://www.csicop.org/si/2003-09/faking-ufo-photos.html
Spring Break Invaded by Aliens!
Imagine the photographic image that would accompany this headline! Do your students gossip about celebrity magazines? Go crazy for "airbrushed" photos in fashion ads? "Buy in" to digitally altered advertising without necessarily thinking twice?
This WebQuest will get the analytical wheels turning and the creativity flowing! Students will give thought to how photographic truth that has been stretched, manipulated, and outright fabricated in the commercial arts. Via a journey to discover truth, parody and the law, students will sharpen digital manipulation software tools (Photoshop, GIMP)by creating an image and story for The Shallot, an indie student newspaper of parodies. Their conclusion of where to draw the line will promote critical, creative copyright-related thinking for future professional scenarios.