Final Reflection - Digital Tools for Visual Communication

When initially taking this course, I imagined that it would provide us with experience creating our own eportfolio and taking some time to “smell the roses” in terms of the deeper significance behind the way visuals are conceived and executed. I never thought that this class would provide me a passion for understanding more of the underlying factors that could alter the meaning of any given visual, and would necessarily impact the way I go about enacting my own visual communication through the visual content I create. However, to my surprise, there are many insights from this course and trivia tidbits that will likely stick with me as I continue to venture into visual media making.

Before taking this class, as a fan of filmmaking and storytelling through it, I tend to use each chosen frame of work as a way to say something that the audience should pay attention to. This is an ideology I maintained when viewing the visuals created by others to some extent, although this would not be something I was actively engaged in at all times. However, as a result of this class, my ability to analyze and scrutinize the details has expanded in and of itself, and the amount of visuals that I analyze and scrutinize has also increased. While it can be exhausting at times, there is an element of fun to taking a closer look at how small elements could play a bigger part in the story that the image overall is trying to tell viewers. As cliche as it sounds, the class has opened my eyes to wanting to actively explore more than what has been in my comfort zone in recent years - by looking back on some things I am nostalgic of from my creative roots, and taking a fresh look at things I may have once overlooked before. Additionally, I’ve had to create a couple things through this course that I am kind of proud of.

From viewing and analyzing what others have done, I think what has stuck with me the most is the idea of using visual arts of any kind to express and connect a sense of identity or message to others (through principles of cognitive theory for example). Understanding that images might have a built in personal influence into making them how they are is rather profound and also captivating to me. Good art (or visuals attempting to communicate something) should make people feel something in response, and these principles being a part of the production process can largely make or break that pivotal connection to potential viewers. Specifically the way things as simple as logos (the hidden arrow within the FedEx branding) or typeface (how polarizing a font like Helvetica can be according to the documentary we watched) can be made into complex art forms in and of themselves was fascinating to me, and made me have a greater appreciation for them when I encounter them in other parts of my ordinary life or creative process (such as when I design thumbnails for videos or choose fonts for credits). In the class, we looked through the history of a vast majority of visual media and saw how key developments shaped the way visual content affects the world we live in today. Knowing these little fun facts makes me more appreciative of how far society and technology have come when it comes to playing a part in contributing to visual communication content. The histories of film and animation especially in my case were particularly important - as the trailblazers and risk-takers that came before me are the reason why I have the experience and opportunities I do. This history also made us as a class aware of how visual content and ethics are important to consider together - such as when we discussed how propaganda or marketing can sometimes become controversial or divisive, and how there is a sense of responsibility that comes when harnessing visual media to contribute to societal narrative in the context of both fictional and real-world circumstances. If we can help it, whatever visual work we do should either bring good into the world, or bring attention to something that might not be good in order to make it so.

In terms of creating, many of my reflections have allowed me to discover more about my own worldview and the worldview of others as a result of what we portray through our visual communication projects. Most notably, through the photo series, family photo, and comic strip assignments, I was able to explore my own artistic ability as well as my own personal history and how it has made me the person I am today - something I think all of us are fortunate to gain from this course. I didn’t think that introspection would come up as much as it did when seeing how my works reflected key personality traits or interests I had, and it made me more aware of how I communicate myself through what I make - I tell parts of my own story through the visual stories that I tell, and it makes my work all the more important to me and to those who I share it with.

Truth be told, there were far too many new things I learned for me to fit them all in a three page paper. I genuinely felt like this course made me learn about myself and the world in a way that made it very stress-free for the most part, which is all I could ask for in a college class. This was probably my favorite course I took online, since having a somewhat work at your own pace structure but still getting full lectures digitally really helped me balance the rest of my workload. Regardless of where class was in session, I don’t think my learning got hindered the way it potentially could have been. The key takeaway from the course is that it gave visual communication more value to me than I thought possible, and I forget it anytime soon.

~

Creative Assignment #4 - Thinking Outside the Box

While I am in no way a great artist, I’ve been passionate about drawing ever since I was a child. Back then, I would illustrate all kinds of stories filling the pages of every notebook or notepad or even any post-it notes I could get my hands on - some of these would be meta enough to reference pop culture, myself, or my other stories. While I enjoy simplicity like stick figures, there are times where I’m a stickler for the details. My work nowadays can be found in the storyboards I draw up for my film projects, and are typically freehand.

I wanted to tap into a lot of this experience when working on my comic. I wanted it to be funny at first, but dive deeper into something directly connected to me as its creator. I wanted to be cheeky enough to reference something funny in the past that only a few people would get, but at least be funny enough at first for many to smile at. I wanted the comic to break the fourth wall to some extent, which plays a big part in my sense of humor overall. Lastly, I wanted to go a little over the top while also keeping it painfully plain.

On an Intro to Video Production and Editing class quiz last year, one of the questions required us to draw a diagram of the 180-degree rule in filmmaking - naturally, I thought it would be funny if the stick figures in my diagram would acknowledge the fact that the axis of action was more than just an imaginary line, but a literal one in their cartoon world. I wanted this reference to be the endgame of the cartoon I made in this comic strip, as doing something so simple was me thinking outside the box to make something tedious a little bit fun.

I made “thinking outside the box” the theme of the entire cartoon, structuring the rest of the “plot” around it. Why not have a cartoon character literally break the fourth wall of the panel that contains them so they can be free to think outside the box quite literally?

The drawings took a couple of failed attempts, even if I was only using lead pencil. I decided to attach several pieces of paper together to not only make the canvas large enough for my idea, but to also show that each line of panels was breaking into a new level of reality, like inception. A cartoon within a cartoon within a cartoon.

All of this culminated into the cartoon you can see here (that is, if you can read my handwriting).

Film/TV Analysis Paper: One-Take WonDARE (DDS1E2 One-Take Hall Fight)

https://youtu.be/vV1Vzn6xwqQ

When asked to think of a scene that is cinematically innovative or noteworthy, I need not look any further than my favorite television/streaming series; Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix is something that I frequently revisit for creative inspiration, but it also provided inspiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), as well as the streaming, television, and even the movie-making industries. The series starring the man without fear was the first to tackle the concept of the one-take hallway fight scene with a mainstream IP/brand while also on a shorter budget and schedule. This feat of filmmaking only got two days worth of rehearsals before one long shooting day, which consisted of 8-12 recorded takes. It required collaboration between lead actor Charlie Cox, stunt double Chris Brewster, stunt coordinator Phillip J. Silvera, director Phil Abraham, director of photography Matt Lloyd, script writer Drew Goddard, showrunner Steve S. Deknight, and a team of stuntmen and crew to succeed - especially since there were no wipes/cuts throughout the shot. The end result became one of the most talked about technical achievements in TV, a game-changer that sparked a trend of Daredevil featuring a one-take fight scene in its sequel seasons, as well as Hollywood making the idea into a new movie selling point.

This iconic Daredevil scene occurs at the end of S1E2 - after an ambush by the Russian crime syndicate leaves him half-dead in a dumpster, Daredevil spends the episode's duration recovering and preparing for a rematch, in order to save the life of a young boy they kidnapped.

The scene itself reflects the visual style and story of the entire series and protagonist. Through technical elements, it captures a noir aesthetic in a gritty and grimy atmosphere, focusing on a hero rooted in realism and vulnerability - unlike many that viewers frequently encounter on-screen. The compositional elements of the set - a single hallway with three rooms, one on each side wall and one at the end of the hall - factor into how the rest of the scene components work. The lighting style only provides the bare minimum necessary to see the actions of the fighters unfold in the small space, with the light sources coming from fixtures in the hall and rooms. The color scheme is largely influenced by the yellow glow from the lights, bringing out the ugly green of the location, emphasizing the greed of the Russian criminals who dwell in the hallway. The only contrast in this color scheme coming from the lighting style would be two red lights; one emanating from the exit sign at the entrance of the hall where Daredevil enters, and the other being the red light in the room on the opposite side - which marks the distance between Daredevil and his endgame. Since this is a one-take in a tight setting, the shot size or angle cannot change drastically - however, the distance between the camera and the subjects in view allow the scene to shift from close-ups to mediums to wides. There are also no edits or cutaways, so the scene focus is dictated by wherever the camera maneuvers its focus to. The scene rhythm/pacing is determined by the choreo and accompanying musical composition - which uses digital percussion and electric guitar strings at varying volumes and tempos to reflect the speeding up or slowing down of the scene. The acting styles of Cox and Brewster show Daredevil is already disadvantaged by limping and stumbling to the doorways, which mark his progress between the beginning, middle, and end of the fight. His increasing exhaustion becomes a recurring motif, along with his outfit (which starts a bit ripped and gets even worse by the end).

The direction of the scene is immediately immersive for viewers. It begins guiding them through the hall, first showing what and where Daredevil’s objective is (the boy in the red room). It then establishes what and where Daredevil’s obstacles are (ten russian fighters, five in each of the other two rooms). Finally, it shows what and where Daredevil’s starting position is (the other end of the hall, and he is barely in any condition to fight). This clearly sets up the stakes for the fight as an uphill (or uphall) battle for Daredevil - this is made worse if viewers recall the state Daredevil was in at the start of the episode, which was shown after an off-screen altercation. When Daredevil engages the men behind the door, leaving viewers unable to see anything, this showcases Daredevil going in blind (literally and metaphorically), and makes them question if he has the upper hand. When the door gets smashed off its hinges with the goon that the camera followed into the room, as well as when the goon who started the scene gets a microwave chucked at his head, viewers have faith that Daredevil will overcome the odds initially shown. This hope in Daredevil increases and decreases based on his progress going through the hallway. When he has to take a few steps back before he can take a few forward, as well as when he gets sloppy with his technique while his fighting fatigue sets in, it puts viewers anxiously on the edge of their seats. Daredevil finally prevailing is a triumph - but rather than revel in glory, what is shown by the screen and the sound is sincere restraint. Daredevil pulling up his mask so the boy can see his face visually communicates shedding the adrenaline fueled attacker facade he first appeared in the scene with, reminding viewers again that he is more human than he is either a machine or a monster - as if his vulnerable beats during the fight were not enough. Ending with Daredevil carrying the boy through the hall in seconds, after taking minutes to cross it earlier, proves he can (literally) walk away from doing some bad things in order to do some good things.

To view the Daredevil fight scene (if you haven't already), you can click the links above!