Media Product - Extract from script of "The Road Not Taken" by Waseem Ahmed

I have also uploaded this in a Microsoft Word file as it was originally written on, in a link in the comments section below.

Visual Communication

Through the course of this blog I have analysed and commented on visual communication in media products. From every image, painting and publication, I have seen a wide a array of key visual elements and examples which I aim to implement into my media product. I have found that visual communication is not as simple as it may appear to be, careful thought and precision along with effectively mirroring ideas with visual imagery is vital in order to fully transform a vision into a media product. In terms of my media product, I have aimed to implement many of these visual ideas into my script through art direction and have found that along with narrative, visual communication is of equal importance. My media product would be nothing without it's visual imagery and art direction as would all of the products I have shown in this blog.

Waseem Ahmed - Possessionless

Titles "Possessionless" this image is one I created in relation to my media product and portrays many visual ideas and notions which I have implemented into my product. The image is of possessions laying on a dirty and pebbled floor. I aimed to show the contrast between the objects and where they are, similar to Childs' image. The image itself intrigues the viewer and compels them to analyse it further. The objects are possessions of value, however, when put in a scene where they have no owner these possessions become worthless. A watch tells time to a person and glasses provide him with a clearer view, without which he is lost. Through the image of a watch the notion of time passing by is created. The glasses reflect the sky similar to Monet's "Water Lillies" provides the viewer with a view of the surroundings. I coupled polished possessions with dirt and stones to create a stark contrast and create a visual image that intrigues the viewer. In turn this image shows how visual imagery and composition is integral to create a setting.

Waseem Ahmed - Drenched In Red

This image is created by myself titled "Drenched in Red". When taking this image I aimed to show, similar to Picasso's Blue Period paintings how through the use of one colour or tone in the composition of an image, you can effectively evoke emotions in the viewer. The colour red is one that connotes mystery, passion, intrigue, anger and frustration to name a few. In my media product I aim to have red as a prominent colour against the backdrop of a dark and gloomy room similar to this image. The red curtains with surging bright light cover the surroundings and make them secondary, the walls are simply shadows to the viewers eye. In doing this, the prominence of the red and its connotations surpass the viewers own interpretation and the contrast of lines, brightness and darkness transform this image into one of claustrophobia and distress. Thus effectively portraying how the tone of a setting can alter the meanings of a setting.

Pablo Picasso - Femme aux Bras Croisés (Woman with Folded Arms)

This painting was made by Pablo Picasso in  1901. The painting's titled when translated is aptly titled "Woman with Folded Arms". At first sight this image seems rather empty, however by delving into the characteristics of the painting it's evident there is many connotative qualities and in turn is one of my favourite Picasso paintings. The image depicts a woman with her arms folded staring into nothingness. She is the focal point of the image and is rather simply dressed. Her negative body language of folded arms immediately closes her off from analysis rather cleverly. In effect, the viewers eye rests on the composition of the image. Painted during Picasso's "blue period" as it is best known, the image is dominated by shades of blue connoting a sense of sadness, mystery and evokes intrigue. Through using a dominating colour on canvas with little emphasis on any other, Picasso is able to create many emotions simply by the tone of his image. This coupled with the exression of the woman and her body language, all connote a sense of mystery and intrigue. I aim to use these elements in my media product.

Hnery Wallis - The Death of Chatterton

This painting is by Henry Wallis created in 1856 titled "The Death of Chatterton". The painting itself is woven with connotative visual communication and the mise-en-scéne is in direct relation to my media product. Wallis' painting has the image of a hauntingly white Thomas Chatterton lying in a twisted position, with his arm falling to the floor. This broken up almost contortionist-like body languages connotes that the person is in fact dead. The vial on the floor close to his hand shows that he has committed suicide. Surrounding the man are visual elements that portray the man's state of mind, a poet, Chatterton's arm is next to shredded paper, perhaps poems, creating a notion that he was trapped by his work and discerned with it. The window allows brightness into an otherwise dark and shadowed room, acting almost as a metaphor for the viewer, as a window out to the world without sorrow or sadness. Through placing items in the surrounding, Wallis strategically conveys meanings and messages through connotations and denotations.

Waseem Ahmed - Nature VS Human Nature

The title of this image alone is representative of what this image is about. I aimed to portray how visual imagery is able to reflect a whole notion, in this instance of how nature triumphs over human nature. I wanted the bright tree and its flowers to represent nature and the image of the bin to represent human nature of littering and how human activity is ruining the planet. I used the brown bin as this is the bin of recycling garden waste, an act which could potentially save the world from global warming. The beauty of the flower contrasted with the oblong bin evokes a sense of intrigue and in turn creates a notion that the bin doesn't belong in the image. This, when analysed connotes the notion of preserving nature by recycling. This image effectively demonstrates how visual elements when coupled can evoke an emotion in the viewer and to a certain degree question the audience themselves.