Monday, May 6, 2019
Visual Storytelling Without Dialogue
In a commercial shared in AdAge last Father's Day, I was inspired at how profound a story could be told in just a short 60 second ad. Furthermore, the ad was impressive to me because it told a story using only visuals (aka there was no dialogue at all) and background music. This to me is film making at its finest--the ability to get your audience to feel something without telling them what they need to feel. I believe that this is the ultimate goal behind coming up with something creative. It is to express a message, either from within ourselves or externally, and project it through some kind of medium. Getting our audience to understand the message we are expressing can be a difficult process. We may try one thing and the complete opposite message is received. Figuring out how to do this I think is key to being a great creative.
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Love this! Visual storytelling can be more powerful than dialogue. Off the top of my mind, I'm drawn to the Pixar film The Good Dinosaur. While not nearly one of Pixar's best and maligned for a plot that was way too simplistic for what the studio is usually known for, there's a beautiful gem in there where Arlo and the caveboy are taking shelter from the rain. They are propping up sticks to show how many family members they have, and the caveboy then topples his over, leaving only one standing -- himself. It's a poignant moment of loss and heartache from a little boy that's conveyed so beautifully through visual storytelling. If only the rest of the film had been that ingenious and heartfelt.
ReplyDeleteYesss its so cool how the lack of dialogue can get your brain to work in a different way. This ad is so great!!!
ReplyDeleteI think this is a perfect example of how a picture is worth a million words. When you hear words in a commercial it is almost telling your brain what you are seeing, when there is no dialogue, your brain has to fill in the pieces to process the story. I feel like it is infinitely more powerful because each individual brain is then going to fill it in with things that are meaningful to that person.
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