Video is a powerful form of visual communication that pervades modern society. As a result, it is important for a communicator to know the methods for creating powerful videos. In “The Two-Dimensional Field: Forces Within the Screen,” Zettl discusses the forces that control one’s attention to and interpretation of visual images, both stationary and moving. In chapter 8 of their text “Visual Storytelling,” Osgood and Hinshaw delve into the more detailed processes of video editing.
Field Forces
Zettl describes a number of forces that call our attention when looking at images. He breaks these down into six key categories:
- Main directions
- Magnetism of the frame and attraction of mass
- Asymmetry of the frame
- Figure and ground
- Psychological closure
- Vectors
The category that I found particularly interesting was psychological closure. We recently learned about this same concept in my psychology course – our vision is constantly filling the gaps in images, painting a more full picture based off of our assumptions and prior knowledge. I had never thought about psychological closure in terms of picture quality, though, and how low-definition quality could be used as a rhetorical strategy. As Zettl states, lower quality images can be used to make the viewer more involved in interpreting an image, so that “we no longer remain passive spectators but instead become active, perceptually hardworking participants” (117). The image below illustrates just how big of an impact image quality can have:
The image on the right side of the screen seems to require a lot more focus than the one on the left, since less pixels are used to compose it. Before reading this text I had never considered the practical purposes of low-definition video, always assuming that high-def was best, and it was interesting seeing how psychological closure can actually be used as a rhetorical strategy.
Editing Strategies
I love working with film and video, and editing is probably my favorite part of the process. It is meticulous, detailed, and time-consuming, but extremely gratifying and a lot of fun. Editing gives you power over reality. Time, space, physics – an editor can manipulate these forces, creating a world of their own. Osgood and Hinshaw recognize the power of editing, and in chapter 8 of their text describe many of the tools used to effectively edit video.
Editing is essentially a series of cuts, and the majority of this chapter discusses all of the different cuts available to an editor. All of these cuts can affect continuity, shot sequence, and other key factors. Filters are also an important editing tool, one which is become more prevalent as filtering software becomes more advanced. The image below shows just how much can be changed through filtering:
Although filtering in video is more difficult than in still images, the picture above is a great example of the power of editing. It is exciting to speculate at how much can be done through these tools, but also a little frightening, as the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred by such techniques.
Discussion Questions
- What are some ways low-definition video could be used to persuade or influence a viewer?
- Editing technology is becoming more and more advanced. How might the power of editing technology become a danger in the future?
Information Overload 