Photography, art, and illustrations, much like music, have the ability to play to our emotions or even instill feelings that hadn’t been there before. For example, listening to the mellow beats of Fleetwood Mac during the middle of a hectic workday has the power to calm my nerves and bring a sense of inner peace that I thought didn’t exist. Likewise, seeing any form of street art by the artist Banksy can instill feelings of anger, amusement, and sympathy depending on what message he tries to convey in his work. In other words, these small examples help demonstrate the power of visual storytelling. Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré, a writer for Hubspot, describes visual storytelling as “passing on a lot of information through a relatively simple visual aid,” a concept that has been used time and time again for marketing purposes. DeMeré continues, “Perhaps, if anything has changed, it’s what we want from life. That’s where today’s visual storytellers have a chance to not only say ‘Hey, you can get this here!’ but also lead the consumer into a whole new world of possibilities.” A straightforward commercial for a Google video chat feature can suddenly make us feel nostalgia or create a hunger for companionship, while a sports-oriented Tampax ad can make women feel like we can - and will - do anything to succeed. But it’s a great responsibility for artists and other creators to know what story it is they want to share. Bo Bergstrom, author of “Essentials of Visual Communication” writes, “Whatever the medium and storytelling technique, the important thing is always to get the audience involved in the story...The storytelling perspective is crucial in determining how a story is received, steering both text and picture composition” (Bergstrom, 2008, pp. 26). This is what Bergstrom refers to as “horizontal storytelling;” or the idea that the shared, common experiences between an image’s creator and his or her audience creates some level of mutual understanding. Ultimately when it comes to imagery, we can make assumptions about the artist’s intent while the creator may have had a different interpretation all along. However, by using visual clues, we can perhaps inch closer to what the creator hoped to convey. Below, I’ve included a few images that tell a story, even though the entire story may not be included in the frames: 1. “Jurassic Park” Aside from the fact that everyone who has seen the “Jurassic Park” films knows how the movie starts and ends, we have some visual cues that tell us what is to come. Both characters’ eyes are zeroed in on something in the distance (dinosaurs, of course!) and their mouth expressions are positioned in awe. But I also noticed that the two characters aren’t necessarily smiling. While their faces clearly evoke feelings of wonder and amazement, it is almost as if they know (as the audience certainly does) that this great power they’re beholding is also capable of great destruction. However, the bright colors that play off the page, along with the lush green in the background offer a sense of serenity and safety - for now. 2. “The Shining” “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” We can tell by the jagged parts of the door that this man (I’m assuming his name is Johnny? I’ve never actually seen “The Shining”) has broken into a place he has no business being. And of course, the menacing way his teeth are clenched and the way his eyes are looking wildly in one direction indicate that he’s the hunter, keeping a watchful eye on his prey. The sweat glistening on his forehead also hint that this is something he has been pursuing for awhile. “The Shining” arguably utilizes the storytelling strategy that Bergstrom describes as “dramaturgy.” He writes, “Dramaturgy means the art of telling a story so captivatingly that the audience has to follow the story right to the end” (Bergstrom, pp. 27). More specifically, from my knowledge, this film incorporates the use of the dramatic technique, which focuses on the “dramatic triangle” - the pursuit between the victim, their attacker, and the hero. In this case, “Johnny” is the persecutor. 3. “Freedom From Want” by Norman Rockwell The title of the painting is a fitting one. There’s a sense of anticipation in the family’s face as the turkey is set down on the table, particularly for the little girl sitting at the end of the table. We can also tell that this is an upper-middle class family, based on the table settings perhaps even the size of the Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey is the focal point of the image, as there seems to be an invisible line that moves the eye towards the end of the table. The use of cool, calm colors helps set the tone of the painting, as do the jovial faces of all those present. I think it is perhaps most interesting that typical autumn-themed colors (i.e. red, orange, browns, etc.) are not used to highlight the fact that the holiday is Thanksgiving. In my opinion, this challenges viewers to reflect on the celebration conveyed more closely. Perhaps it is the joy of being with family, versus the size of the turkey, that adds to the happy mood of the painting. 4. “I Want YOU!” by James Montgomery Flagg In the introduction to “Visual Storytelling,” Andrew Losowsky argues that the goal of visual storytellers is to marry viewers’ emotional reactions with the narrative context we are given. He states, “The colors, typography, style, balance, format of an image will generate that first instinctive smile or frown, attracting or repelling the gaze for reasons we don’t fully understand; only if the reader’s instincts are sufficiently encouraged to continue focusing on the visual stimuli…” (Losowsky, 2011, pp. 1). Such is the case with this particular image; we as the viewers are expected to immediately capture the wartime patriotism presented. As is the aim of the poster art, Uncle Sam looks intently at the viewer, the objective being to recruit young men to enlist. The intent look in his eyes, the strength of his finger-pointing, and the emphasis of the red, white, and blue colors evoke a strong sense of patriotism and desperation as the U.S. becomes more and more involved in WWII. 5. “Nobody Likes Me” by IHeart If this were a painting of just the crying child, we’d feel a sense of sadness and even empathy for him based on his facial expression. However, the orange like, comment, and follower request bar overhead shows just what the child is upset over - lack of validation from his peers on social media. The bright colors of his turquoise shirt and the Instagram draw attention to the image as a whole. In Uta Russmann and Jakob Svensson’s report “Introduction to Visual Communication in the Age of Social Media: Conceptual, Theoretical and Methodological Challenges,” they touch upon the theme of visuals as forms of commodity and validation: “...given that social media platforms are the prime locus for sociability - at least among young people in the West - this shift towards visuals arguably transforms how we relate to each other and the world around us, as well as how we perceive and construct our sense of self” (Russmann and Svensson, 2017, pp. 1). Especially on visual-heavy social networking platforms like Instagram, the feeling we may get from this image is one of relatability. 6. “Migrant Mother” by Dorthea Lange Losowsky writes that “More than half our brains is dedicated to the processing of visual input, and so pure text and numbers simply cannot convey information in as memorable or digestible a form as that of successful visual-based storytelling” (Losowsky, pp. 1). This may be a reason why this is one of the most iconic photographs depicting the Great Depression. In it, Lange captures the sense of desperation and desolation in the mother’s face and hand position, as well as the overall sadness her children feel as they bury their heads in their mother’s shoulders. The lack of color, which was common not to have in photos at the time, add to the hopelessness. What will happen next? The subjects in the photo seem to find difficulty in answering that. 7. “Stop” by The Spice Girls The dreary, neutral colors of the English town that’s being used as the backdrop of The Spice Girls’ music video is offset by the vibrant colors of the women’s clothing and their happy-go-lucky dance movements. It’s not totally clear what is to come just by looking at this image, but using the aforementioned visual clues, we know that this sight is not typical for this environment. 8. “Stranger Things” The blood dripping down from Eleven’s nose tells us that something bad is about to happen, possibly caused by her. Her shaved head, which would probably be perceived as unusual in the town she’s in, combined with the semi-normal clothes she dons, as well as the intense facial expression she wears tells us that she’s a foreigner and someone who’s seeking vengeance. Much like the “Jurassic Park” example, we’re drawn to the drama in the storytelling. Those who know the series know she is the victim in her own “dramatic triangle.” The intensity of the situation is magnified when we observe the small bit of blood dripping from her nose. 9. “Bionic” Christina Aguilera album cover I would like to think that Christina Aguilera’s 2010 album cover is supposed to represent the duality of being a woman - for her, it may mean representing classically feminine qualities (left side) while keeping her more hardcore, rough-around-the-edges side hidden under her skin (right side). On one side, she looks neutral and “normal” but on the other, we can see that there’s something else going on underneath the surface. Perhaps we can interpret this image as a possible product of social conditioning. The human side reflects everything that women feel we are supposed to be on the outside while the robotic side; the side that has learned to be calculated and not so vulnerable, represents the times we’ve forced ourselves to operate in a way that makes us feel safer and less prone to hurt. 10. “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci
Most portrait paintings during da Vinci’s time showed the subject either in a forward facing position or side profile view. But in this painting, the artist ‘captures’ a more candid view of his subject. The subject’s attention (as well as the weird cat thing’s) may be focused on something else in the room - or another person, perhaps a lover, some historians have argued - but the soft lighting on her face enhances her overall beauty in a way that painting her head-on might not have emphasized as much. Bibliography Aguilera, Christina (2010). Bionic. [Recorded by Christina Aguilera] On Bionic (MP3 file]. RCA Records. Bergstrom, B. (2008). Essentials of Visual Communication (p. 26-27). London: Laurence King Publishing. DeMeré, N. (2015). The Power of Visual Storytelling: 15 Stunning Examples to Inspire You.. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/visual-storytelling-examples Duffer, M., Duffer, R., Ryder, W., Harbour, D., Wolfhard, F., Brown, M. B., Matarazzo, G., ... Netflix (Firm). (2017). Stranger things: Season 1. Flagg, J.M. (1917). I Want You. [Oil on canvas for posters]. Retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/item/93509735/. IHeart (2014). Nobody Likes Me. [Image] Retrieved from https://www.blazenfluff.com/banksy-style-street-art-shows-a-boy-crying-out-for-social-media-attention/4333 Kennedy, K., Molen, G. R., Spielberg, S., Crichton, M., Koepp, D., Neill, S., Dern, L., ... Amblin Entertainment (Film). (2000). Jurassic Park. Universal City, CA: Universal. Kubrick, S., King, S., Johnson, D., & Warner Bros. (1980). The Shining. Lange, Dorthea. (1936). Retrieved from Prints and Photographs Division. Library of Congress. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov Leonardo, ., Grabski, J., Wałek, J., National Gallery of Art (U.S.), & Biblioteka Czartoryskich w Krakowie. (1991). Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519: Lady with an Ermine : from the Czartoryski Collection, National Museum, Cracow. Vienna: IRSA. Lokowsky, A. (2011). Visual Storytelling (p. 1). Berlin: Gestalten. Rockwell. N. (1943). Freedom from want. [Oil on canvas for posters]. Artstor. Retrieved from http://library.artstor.org/#/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000958361 Russmann, U., & Svensson, J. (2017). Introduction to Visual Communication in the Age of Social Media: Conceptual, Theoretical and Methodological Challenges. Media and Communication, 5(4), 1–5. doi: 10/17645/Mac.v5i4.1263 Stop. (1998). [video] Directed by J. Brown. Dublin: Virgin Records.
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9/2/2019 05:11:35 pm
Nice job here! I really loved that mix of stills from movies, photographs, album covers, and paintings. I didn't even think about using something like the "I Want YOU" poster! This is such a great example. The drawing of Uncle Sam pointing at the sign viewers along with the copy tells us that he wants them. The one image that I would replace is the screenshot of the Spice Girls music video. Its a bit blurry which can be considered a bit distracting. I would see if you could find an official photo taken from the music video to get your point across.
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Hi Caitlin,
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