I have to admit this article still confuses me a lot. I am not sure whether I understand what Foster tries to convey, because I disagree with some of his points. Foster discusses, “if one uses it as an extension of one’s self rather than as an extension of one’s notions of art, cannot avoid confronting problem areas in communication, information and meaning” (64) I do not quiet follow Foster’s definitions of “one’s self”  and “one’s notions of art”. To me, those two sometimes send the same meaning. Video is created by a person, who is individually different from others according to experience, personality and so on. His or her work, no matter is notions of art or not, definitely develops connection between himself or herself. Therefore, the terms “one’s self” and “one’s notions of art” is inseparable. However, what Foster means here might be, if one only focuses on oneself, such as one’s own perception derived from one’s own conceptual world without any hints or explanation, his or her work tends to become biased and partisan. Notions of art functions as an assistant here; it helps receivers to construct, to better understand artist’s conscious world. 

It reminds me of the film Do the Right Thing, the director Spike Lee vividly depicts a mixed neighborhood based on his own understanding of different culture. He manipulates camera movement in a anti-realist way to convey his meaning. In this circumstance, his dramatic camerawork serves as a notion of art, assisting audience to developed an connection and understanding to the problematic issues Spike Lee raised in the film. It is somehow Brechtian by the way. 

I also confused about the concept of art Foster raised in the last paragraph, his definition of art, and that, it seems to me, still is idle and ambiguous. I consider what he means is the decision of whether it is a piece of art depends on one’s self, it varies according to people’s own perceptions. Yet, it counterposes to what he discuses about “one’s self” and “one’s notions of art”, that if only emphasizes one’s self, it will encounter problems. 

http://www.ubu.com/film/fei_shadow.html