A picture is worth a thousand words, which means a picture divorced from text that places it in its proper context can be exaggerated in the collective consciousness or understanding of an online community. Said another way, if one simply has a picture and does not have text in the form of words to explain the picture, then the events depicted in that picture could either exaggerate what happened or undermine what occurred to those who view it. In addition, because it is understood that individuals bring their own emotional baggage and cultural background to viewing an image, there is always the possibility that what is being presented will be misinterpreted with or without its proper context. This gets complicated even further when one considers how the arrangement of images can alter their meaning. For example, the Kuleshov effect is an editing technique pioneered by Russian filmmaker Lev Kuleshov that demonstrates how an “expressionless” face, when cut together with alternating shots of random objects, can be said to signify different emotions. Look at the photo below. Without text situating it within a proper context, how will you know what to make of it?
Do you think the image without text has a tendency to beg exaggerated any more than a picture with inflammatory text? Anchors are there to tell us what to see in a picture- especially with photographs- but there's no telling whether they're contextualizing correctly (or inflicting the same connotations on the viewer.)
ReplyDeleteAnd, is there an example of the Kuleshov effect in modern cinema anywhere you can share? (More modern than Hitchcock, if possible? Does anyone still play around with it to any good effect?)
Certainly, inflammatory text distorts meaning. Pictures alone, however, do not objectively capture reality and are: a) likely to misinterpreted or, at the very least, b) left open to misinterpretation/exaggeration by the viewer.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Kuleshov effect, I can presently think of two modern films that utilized the technique: Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and, if I am remembering the film correctly, Carl Reiner's "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."