Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
This is a direct consequence of the fact that we distinguish between four
hierarchical levels to approach the task of analysis. At the first level, as Figure 4.3
shows and as we have briefly seen in Chapter 2
4
, we distinguish various types of
analysis. One type is mainly concerned with a particular layer of the audiovisual
text. This is the case, for instance, with
audiovisual description* stricto sensu
which
is mainly interested, e.g., in pinpointing the visual or sound shots. Another type is
thematic description*
which is primarily interested in the thematization of a domain
of reference in an audiovisual text or corpus.
Again, certain other types of analysis can be distinguished in relation to the
question of whether we have to take account of the audiovisual text in its entirety, or
just of this-or-that passage, this-or-that sequence.
Still more types of analysis can be distinguished in terms of the level of
specialization envisaged, i.e. in terms of whether an analysis should more closely
resemble a basic description (e.g. with no more than the 15 elements of description
which make up the Dublin Core standard) or is extended in the sense of a genuine
intellectual assessment of the textual object in question.
Choosing one type of analysis over another (level 1 in Figure 4.3) necessarily
entails selecting one or more specific
tasks
of analysis (level 2) and the appropriate
procedures of analysis
(level 3) for each task. Thus, the
paratextual description*
type of analysis is aimed solely - as indeed the name suggests - a
Dublin Core
-type
analysis of the audiovisual object; i.e. an analysis carried out by way of a task
(Figure 4.3) known as
description of the formal identity of the object
. The model of
description for that task is thus made up of a “long” sequence with objects of
analysis specified according to the
DublinCore
standard such as [Author], [Title],
[Rights], [Description], etc. In order to fill in each of these objects of analysis, a
procedure of description (or sometimes two) is associated with them.
As we shall see in Chapters 9 and 10 in particular, we distinguish between two
basic procedures:
freedescription*
and
controlleddescription*
:
- free description
signifies that it is the analyst who, in accordance with his own
habits and preferences (particularly linguistic), chooses a conceptual term (or a set of
conceptual terms) representing the object of analysis;
-
controlled description
, on the other hand, indicates that the analyst uses a
thesaurus to carry out his description.
Each analytical procedure is, in turn, defined by one or more
activities of
analysis*
. As we shall see once more in Chapter 14, we have a rich descriptive
4 For further information, please see [STO 11a].
