Emphasis-Contrast-Organization-Alignment-Proximity

 

 

1.      My attention is automatically given to the notepad in the video. Although there are a significant amount of potential distractions in the video, the strategies that the author uses to emphasize the notepad are effective (i.e.: nothing else is moving but the pen, there is enough allotted time to read what each illustration is stating/ portraying, etc.).

2.      The moment when the woman disappears can be classified as emphasis because it stresses the idea that the “process” of the illustrations are over, and now the audience must read them to fully understand what is going on. The two different pages—“Digital Rights Management/ Digital Robbing Maniacs” and “Criminal”— are also the only images with writing, which is a mode of communication that needs to be read, so the stillness and the disappearance of the woman is an effective strategy

3.      The sound on the video goes well with the visuals because it has a mysterious/adventurous feel. For example, the music goes the best with the second illustration, which reads “Criminal”, as the music is something that would be expected to come out of an action film. By appealing to the senses, the composition and emotional emphasis are effective throughout the clip.

 

1.      The text and the background do contrast, as the text is easy to read (very dark background against complementing, light font). Although the man is walking in the background, the use of color saturation was good so that it was not a distraction.

a.       The big square shows the audience that attention should be only on what is in the square

b.      The moving letters force the audience to read the description, because if the audience does not, then they will miss the purpose— to give information and encourage undergraduate students to apply to "The Jump".

2.      Now that the solid background is back, it allows those that are interested in applying to “The Jump” to place all of their energy on the instructions. If the background motions were still included, there would be a greater chance that instructions would not be followed and/or appear confusing. By fully emphasizing the text, the filmmakers are trying to send out clear and direct instructions in a small amount of time.

3.      For a flyer, I would probably do something in the first 20-30 seconds: have a background with a type writer/ journal and maybe Dan. However, that would just be the background and there would be a solid block to contrast it and place all eyes on the block. Inside the block, there would be la description (as short of one as I can) about what the purpose is, instructions and who to speak in person with. if there are social media links, I would provide those as well.

 

 The following photographs have a story, can you tell what it is?

1. At a young age, if we are privileged enough to be part of the education system, we are taught to count, and the power in numbers. At first is just 1+1 = 2

2. As we grow older, we begin to read the meter, and time becomes a priority, we need to know how to count it, and use it well

3. When we enter the workforce, we are introduced to the idea of “modernity”, where we begin to use quantitative and qualitative modes of imperialism, globalization and industrialization

4. We can get so carried away that we ourselves are priced and become capitalist statistics

5. Is this the American way?

 

 

1.      The Alignment of the letters intrigues me to wonder what other scenes will be like in the sequence. Because the letters are dwindling down a dark page, the alignment has a mysterious appeal. In addition, because the words are timed, the reader is forced to read them fast.

2.      The "Earth" scene is consistent in aligning each word and placing them in the same spot. This is a good visual effect as it does not have the audience skim all over the page to see where the next word will be coming from. Some of the elements that I focus on the most are the letters that are in yellow, because I feel that it's odd and there's probably a deeper reason to why some letters are highlighted. The background noise helps pair up visuals with sounds to create a more holistic scene. The upside down mood and color scheme is elements that seem purposefully there. As a result, if those elements were changed, then the alignment of the words would not have the same effect.

3.      Since the lines in the poem are aligned to the left, they give the reader something to follow visually. The importance of this is that the scene opens up with the geese flying atop, but then the words dropping down take ownership of the piece to highlight the poet. Unfortunately, the system is not allowing me to hear the background noise in this scene, so I cannot answer the questions about the audio track.

4.      The curvature of the words make the tears literally drip out of the eye-- the words are the tears. Because the words are coming from the bags of the eyes, it creates a cool visual that also aligns to waves. Again, I cannot hear what the man in the audio track is saying, but the effect that the words make at the end when it turns into the moon make the entire visual. If the words did not fall into the moon, then the reader would question the creative design based on cohesion and logic of how things fit in together.

5.      Because the three scenes are not aligned, the text does not highlight one over the other, nor does it specify in what order to watch the scenes. This alignment puts the audience in power by giving them the option of what they wish to see and when. This may be more appealing because the audience is part of the visual and not just the observer.

 

 

 

 

 

For the book cover to the left, I decided to group like-minded elements typographically, by placing them close together. For example, the title, The Seagull, is in big letters at the top, followed by a subheading, explaining what the text will be about. Directly underneath, there is an actual photograph of a seagull, which just adds to aesthetics. Completely separate, the author’s name is displayed on the center bottom, which creates the distinction between elements. A potential limitation in this cover is the use of space, and the fact that everything is centered. I wonder if further experimentation, where the different corners are used, would create a more effective and pleasing cover.

 

 **all of the section headings were taken from Google Images

 



Chapter 1: What are Multimodal Projects

Hmmm... 

There is a definite difference in the word "multimodal" and "multimedia". For example, when a piece is "multimodal", it means that there were more than one effects (of communication) playing: a photograph (visual) with moving words (text). To distribute this piece, one could use multimedia by creating a video that goes well with the photo and words. The multimedia is more dependent on the person creating the piece, rather than the multimodal piece which is more dependent of the appearance and what it invokes on the given audience. However, this does not mean that "multimodal" and "multimedia" cannot exist together. They are, in fact, independent and interdependent of each other.

Linguistic Mode: 

The word choice in the statement released by the White House is very particular, as the release uses the phrase, "people of Japan", as opposed to, "Japanese". This word choice is due to the organization of the statement. To avoid repetition, the statement precedes by using the phrase, "Japanese friends". This pairing of word choice and organization equate to a coherent message from the White House, where the U.S. reads as genuinely concerned with the events occurring in Japan. Another instance where the statement demonstrates intentional language is through the organization of events: briefing the President on developments and responses, which is directly followed by the President taking action that stands in solidarity with those in Japan. 

Visual Mode:

Analyzing Cheryl E. Ball and Kristin Arola’s twitter, I am drawn to Ball’s more than Arola’s because the colors in Ball’s have a very nice contrast. In addition to this, Arola’s twitter colors are very light and playful, but she has no photo, instead, it is an icon of a panda. In my perspective, Ball’s twitter allows me to automatically connect because I see a face picture. Another important visual is that the dark background allows me to better focus on the tweets and retweets of Ball’s page, but the lighter background in Arola’s does not allow such an easy navigation of the content. I think that a twitter page can give perspective into the personalities of the person behind the screen, especially with the types of pictures tweeted. For example, I would assume that Ball is a serious academic, as the pictures to the left appear to be of conferences/academic spaces. I Arola’s twitter, however, the pictures appear to be comical, hinting a more nonchalant personality. 

Aural Mode: 

The music used in this piece is in the least of words, creative. The use of color allows the eye to follow the story of the green circle and the different things that it can become. As a result, elements on the page are highlighted in relation to others (i.e.: the green circle and the teacher/artist. The tone of the voice is soft without too much silence. I think that the volume of the song may be a bit too high, but it is effective. If the song were changed to a different genre like country music, then the piece would change, as it would most likely be highlighting country music more than open creativity. 

Spatial Mode: 

The Fairfield University webpage uses a well thought out arrangement. For example, the rotating slideshow represents a good use of the space, but there are only 3 photographs being rotated, which may not necessarily take full advantage of the space. However, the person who designed the page was very strategic in sticking to a strict color scheme, whiz is representative of the university, showing consistency and a level of professionalism. The tabs above appear easy to navigate and aesthetically appealing. The two boxes to the right of the webpage highlight important information to two different audiences: prospective students (i.e.: Come for a Campus Visit), and enrolled students (i.e.: my.fairfield mobile box). Below is the "University News" and "Events" list which is smaller, but still important, as they link to other institutional portals. 

Gestural Mode: 

As I was watching, "The President and Vice President Speak on Preventing Sexual Assault" video, I noticed that the VP used his right hand for hand gestures. However, the President continually used both hands. Both hand gestures were effective. I did notice that the President used the "ball" trick, which is a public speaking gem where one pretends to be holding a ball in the hand (i.e.: yoga ball, pebble, basketball). Because the video is televised, it only shows from the head to the chest, but the facial expressions seem serious and professional, which should be expected from the President.