What I have learned this semester.....

From the first book, “Practices of Looking,” the main theme that I learned is: Do not take any image for granted, and do not believe everything you see. Before this class, I think of images as “visual evidence.” When I hear something strange, I want to see an image of it to determine whether it’s true or not. However, as a viewer, we should question the things we see. Photos, paintings, and films are especially designed to communicate messages. They have a purpose. They can even be manipulated to show one side of the story (as opposed to the universal Truth). So when we try to read images, we should consider the context of the image construction and the underlying meanings of the image. Images can communicate a shared meaning for a group of people. So from an image, we can learn about the culture and history of the group, including both viewers and producers. Images can also have different meanings for each individual. Not everyone from the same culture would interpret an image in the same way. So from one person’s interpretation, we can look into one’s values, background, and psychology. In this book, we also learned about the gaze. For example, Foucault’s notion of surveillance made me realize that humans are not just viewers; we are also objects of the gaze. The gaze is also related to consumer culture. Gazing creates desire. Oftentimes, the purpose of visual communication is to stimulate desire. Ads, movies, TV shows, and so on are all trying to sell a desirable experience that can never been fulfilled. But humans are not just passive receivers of messages. The postmodern paradigm teaches us to create remix and simulation (through digital technology) to challenge the master narrative. In all, by studying images, their meanings, and the system behind their construction and interpretation, we are also learning about the larger society and culture.

The second book, “Reading Images,” is about the grammar and structure of visual design. A lot of my understanding is based on comparing visual structure with language structure. For example, different visual processes are like different sentence patterns. The visual structure can be narrative, conceptual, classificatory, analytical, or symbolic. For each process, there are different elements to look for that can help us make sense of the meaning of the image. From this book, we learned many structures and terminologies useful for analyzing images, such as actor, goal, vector, carrier, attribute, modality, materiality, and image composition. These “grammar” are not only useful for analysis, for also for the production of images. As we work on the class projects, it is necessary to learn the different ways of representing meanings and communicating messages. When I first read the book chapters, it seems very theoretical and confusing. But in class, the examples provided by the professor and classmates really helped me understand the material a lot better.

I also learned a lot from the four sub-projects in class. Actually, my original purpose for taking this class is to learn about visual analysis. I see myself as more of a researcher working on analyzing and interpreting visual data related to tourism, such as photos, brochures, websites, travel documentary, and so on. So usually I’m the receiver, not the producer, in the visual communication process. For me, creating something visually for the projects is difficult. I have to think about what messages I want to deliver and how to present them through visual communication. Although I have a hard time coming up with ideas, I think the actual work is interesting. It’s fun to learn to use the different software. Usually the first workshop of each sub-project is very confusing, and I go home thinking: How in the world am I going to do this? But with the help of many people, and after I become more familiar with the software, it’s fun to work on these projects, not to mention the sense of accomplishment when I “create” something. I’m very glad to have the basic knowledge of Second Life, Photoshop, Movie Maker and Dream Weaver, and I hope I can make use of them in the future.

My website

This is what I have so far.....

http://people.clemson.edu/~WEIJUEH/

Ch 7

This chapter is about the material production of visual messages. The same image can be produced in different forms, such as paintings, photos, films, and websites. When we buy a poster reproduction of a painting, the materiality of the poster and the original painting is very different, and they have different meanings and effects. With modern technology, it is easy to transform an image into different material reproductions. The authors identify this type of technology as “synthesizing technologies which allow the production of digitally synthesized representations” (p. 217). With recording technologies, images are supposed to be a “reference” of the reality. But with synthesizing technologies, the referentiality of images is replaced by representation and signification. I found one website, PhotoFunia ( http://www.photofunia.com/ ), where we can transform photos into different visual effects. I experimented with a photo of a famous Taiwanese baseball player.

This is the original image.


Here is how the photo can be transformed into different materials.
1. “Art painting”

2. “Stencil”

3. “Dorm lights”

Color can also be used as a semiotic mode to communicate different meanings and emotions. Here is the effect of different colors by using PhotoFunia again.
4. “Three colors”

5. “Warhol”



6. “Silhouettes”

In all three images, there is the color blue, but it is used very differently. I am confused about the different features of color, such as value, saturation, purity, modulation, differentiation, and hue. In “Three colors,” the colors are very pure and flat. For me, the blue here is not communicating a message. But in “Silhouettes,” the blue is modulated? differentiated? saturated? I’m not sure how to describe this blue, but the blue makes the image seem sad and serious. And in the “Warhol” image, there are many different shades of blue with different lighting. The individual parts in the image communicate different meanings through the color and lighting. Altogether, the combination of different parts and colors also creates a special effect.

Ch 5 & 6

Ch 5
This chapter is about “modality”—“the truth value or credibility of (linguistically realized) statements about the world” (p. 155). Modality markers are like the little cues that can help us determine whether the messages from texts or images are reliable or not. Verbal modality markers can be auxiliary verbs, such as may, will and must, or adjectives and adverbs, such as possible, probable, certain and so on. Visual modality markers are more complicated. Generally speaking, in terms of color, the more color is reduced, or the more abstract the color, that means the lower the modality. More detailed markers of visual modality include: color saturation, color differentiation, color modulation, contextualization, representation vs. abstraction, depth, illumination, and brightness. What I find interesting is that high modality (=high credibility?) is not necessarily better than low modality. The goal of visual communication is not always to have high modality. In the example of the coffee advertisement (Plate 2), the low modality of the background, through the use of soft focus and soft colors, is meant to represent fantasy and promise. Depending on the message we want to convey, sometimes we may want to have low modality.

The authors also talked about “coding orientation”—the “sets of abstract principles which inform the way in which texts are coded by specific social groups, or within specific institutional contexts” (p. 165). The same level of color saturation can convey high or low modality according to different social groups. The authors identified four coding orientations: scientific/technological, abstract, naturalistic, and sensory. In terms of the coding orientations of different groups, we should think about our target audience when we create images or make films. For example, the principle of modality of horror movies and science fiction would be different from the naturalistic coding orientation. In horror movies, maybe black and white or a dark color tone would have higher modality. In science fiction movies, like when they want to show virtual reality, maybe full color saturation would have higher modality.

Ch 6
This chapter is about image composition and the meanings behind different compositions. Images can be centered or polarized. In horizontally polarized images, the left side is “given” and the right side is “new.” In vertically polarized images, the top section is “ideal” and the bottom section is “real.” In centered images, the center is the focus or the nucleus of information and the margins are subservient. The authors pointed out that the centered composition is relatively uncommon in Western cultures, but more common in Asian cultures. There may be another difference between Eastern and Western cultures in terms of horizontal polarization. Some Asian languages, like Chinese and Japanese, is read from top to bottom, then from right to left, and the book-bindings are on the right side instead of the left. Therefore, in the Asian context, the right side can be the “given” and the left side is the “new.” I have one example from a Chinese/Japanese comic book. The right side is a recap of the previous volume and the left side is the new story.

film project--baseball

Now I have two possible stories for my film project. I have the script for both, but I'm not sure which one to use.

PLOT 1
A guy is invited to a baseball game party but cannot go because of class. He secretly watches the game on the Internet in class. After class, he makes some new friends because of common interest in baseball.

PLOT 2
In the past forty years, baseball has thrived and become the national sport in Taiwan. Due to problems in the baseball system, Taiwanese baseball takes a downfall. With passion and determination, Taiwanese baseball will rise again.

Chapter 3

This chapter is about other types of visual representations besides the narrative structure. Classificational processes show a “kind of” relation—a taxonomy, with Subordinates and Superordinate, and sometimes Interordinates. Participants at the same level are represented as being the same kind. For covert taxonomy, the overarching category is not shown or named; instead, the Superordinate is inferred from the similarities between the subordinates as the viewer may perceive. Therefore, it is necessary to have symmetrical composition to make the subordinates similar, such as using equal distance and same size. I think the interesting thing about classificational process is how the hierarchical tree structure corresponds to the hierarchy of social power. The authors compare taxonomy, flowchart and network to social organizations or activities. The taxonomy is like a static, hierarchical organization with everything in order according to the level of power. The flowchart shows the process of a structured, goal-oriented activity. The network is like a form of social organization which has many complicated, intersecting relations.

The second representational structure in this chapter is the analytical process, with one Carrier (the whole) and any number of Possessive Attributes (the parts). The thing about analytical process is that it shouldn’t go into too much detail. If there are too many attributes, the important attributes—the message we’re trying to show—cannot stand out. The authors also point out that the analytical process is “default.” It is identified through the absence of vector, symmetry, tree structure, and symbolic attributes. So the analytical process is the basic element in images. The third structure is the symbolic process, with one Carrier, who is being represented, and Symbolic Attribute, which represents the meaning or identity. The symbolic process can be symbolic attributive or symbolic suggestive. In the symbolic suggestive process, the meaning is established with no symbolic attributes. The meaning comes from within the qualities of the Carrier itself, rather than from the symbolic attributes. The symbolic suggestive is different from the analytical process, because the detailed attributes of the Carrier is de-emphasized in the symbolic process.

With all these different types of visual structures, is it possible for one image to have more than one representational structure? Or are they all exclusive? For an image with a vector, the individual actor and goal can still have the analytical structure with several possessive attributes. But since the analytical process is the default, the main structure of the image would still be the narrative. Besides the analytical process, other types of representational structure can coexist in the same image as well. When there are more than one representational structures, we have to identify the one that is dominating, and the other processes are embedded, so that we can understand the main message and the minor messages that the image is trying to convey.

Ch 2

Ch 2
This chapter is about the narrative structure of images. Basically visual patterns can be divided into two types: Narrative and Conceptual. Conceptual structures include Classificatory, Analytical, and Symbolic. They are more useful for teaching and explaining something, like in textbooks. This chapter emphasize more on narrative structure: How can an image tell a story?
The narrative structure of images is similar to the linguistic structure of sentences: Subject + Verb + Object. So narrative structure is like trying to describe a picture in one sentence. In images, the subject is called the "participant" or "actor." The verb is called "process," "vector" or "transaction." And the object is the "goal." Not all sentences have the same pattern, and images also have different types of narrative process. Sometimes the "transaction" is obvious, but sometimes it's hard to describe. It’s easier to recognize the action if the participant is human, not an object.

In this chapter, the authors provided six types of narrative process and the different vector and participants involved. I think movie posters should definitely have narrative structure, so I tried to find movie posters for each process.

1. Action process:
Action process can be non-transactional. It can have just actors/participants, and no goal. In the Madagascar poster, the animals are running away. There are several actors in this poster, but no goal.

The action process can also be an "event," with a vector and a goal, but we don't know who or what is the actor. In The Happening poster, something is happening to these people, but we cannot see the cause.

The action process can also be transactional, with two participants: one as the actor and one as the goal. In the 10,000 BC poster, both participants can be either actor or goal. We can say the tiger(?) is trying to eat the man, or the man is trying to kill the tiger. Either way, the process between them is obvious.

2. Reactional process

In the reactional process, there is a "reacter" looking at a "phenomenon." So the reacter must have visible eyes, in order to look at something or someone else. In the Superman Returns poster, Lois Lane is the reacter, looking at Superman.


3. Speech process and mental process

Images can also show speech process and mental process, like the thought and dialogue balloons in comic strips. Both speech and mental process are projective structures, connecting “human” with “content.” The speech process connects the "speaker" with the content of speech. The mental process connects the "senser" with his inner mental thoughts. In The Dark Knight poster, although the Joker wrote "Why so serious?", this line is showing his speech and mental process.

4. Conversion process
The conversion process is a chain of transactional processes, like a relay race, where the action is passed on from one participant to another. Sometimes the conversion process can become a cycle. I couldn't find a good poster that demonstrates the conversion process. The three images of The Reader poster look similar to a communication cycle, but the participants are the same two people.

5. Geometrical symbolism

In geometrical symbolism, there are no participants, only a vector. In The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the poster is showing the passing of time. The action is there, but there's no actor. Or can we say the clock is an actor?


6. Circumstances
In many images, there are also secondary participants, who are not related to the main participant through vector. The secondary participant can be a setting, a tool, or a companion. Although many posters may have these elements, I wanted to find posters where these secondary participants have significant meanings.

a. locative circumstances:

In the Twister poster, the tornado is part of the background, and there are two people running in the foreground. Although the tornado is part of the setting, it almost seems as if the tornado is chasing the two actors. So I think the setting plays an important role in this poster.


b. circumstances of means:
In Confessions of a Shopaholic, shopping bags are the tools that the actor uses in the shopping process. Also, the whole poster is the image of one big shopping bag, showing its significance in the movie.


c. circumstances of accompaniment:

In the Lord of the Rings poster, there are three main participants, but there is no vector between the participants. They are fighting together, accompanying each other. Companionship or fellowship is an important concept in this movie.