#visual comm

Hitchcock's Rule - the size of an object in the frame should be related to its importance in the story at that moment. In this case, Tupac Shakur is important throughout the entire movie, in a sense that viewers should pay close attention to him. He is the main antagonist, and he kills several people throughout the film. The eyes of the other characters in the frame are pointed toward Shakur; they are also directing attention towards the front of the frame. They are also watching him as if they should be weary of him, which in fact they should. The gun is the most important piece of Shakur's rampage during the movie. After one of the other characters buys the gun and lets Tupac hold on to it, the lives of the four teens go downhill. By holding it close, Tupac seems to be shielding the gun from the other characters; in one scene of the movie, he actually shoots one of them for trying to take the gun away from him.

Deep Space and Limited Space - "space" refers to the three dimensional  illusion that can be seen on a two dimensional frame. Depth cues help the audience believe they are seeing depth on a two dimensional frame. The top frame is flat, but you can clearly see various depth cues; the row of buildings, cars lining the street until they are out of sight, and people getting smaller as they walk down the street. The closest object in the frame is the top of a mans head, very close to the camera lens. The picture on the bottom is of 3 teenagers standing in front of a brick wall. You cant necessarily tell if there is anything next to them or in front of them; the frame itself and all objects in the frame are two dimensional. They are all the same size and are in clear focus.

The Laws of Grouping (Similarity) - If objects in a photo are similar in some way, you automatically assume the objects are part of one group. The picture on the top is a battalion of Airmen facing outward from a jet hangar. They are all wearing the exact same clothing, boots, hat, and they are all standing in the same stance, hands clasped behind their backs. You assume they are a unit because they are similar in nearly every way. The picture on the bottom is a bit less organized, but the effect remains. These men are Bompton Pirus, members of a street gang that originated in Southern California. Most of them are wearing red, their signature color, and throwing up one or more associated hand signs. They are wearing similar colors and are making the same gestures, therefore you assume they are a unit.

Visual Persuasion through Pathos - emotion appeals used in a persuasive argument. The pictures above are snapshots of  "Feed the Children" commercials, an advertisement for an organization that raises money for starving children around the world.  Before you ask the world for money, however, you must first convince them it is for a great cause. What is a more gruesome sight than seeing children slowly, painfully die of starvation while you enjoy two large pepperoni pizzas at home? The commercials are meant to tug at your heartstrings. Although the message is emotional, the motive may be totally different. The advertisers are specific about the amount of money needed, but never specific about how much of the donated money is actually reaching the kids. In a way, these companies are getting people to buy into their cause through other peoples pain and suffering. Not many people know it takes millions of dollars to constantly show those 5 minute commercials about how the children need money. However, if people give into the message, it has served its purpose.

Interposition - Lining up objects in photos in front of each other, in such a way that creates a distance effect. In this photo, you see a man standing on a hill in front of a snow capped mountain. In the photo, it seems as though the man is very close to these snowy peaks; his head is just centimeters below the bottom of the snow. In fact, this man may be several miles away from that particular mountain. The distance between the man and this land feature allows one to look at them both in unison (one in front of the other) and perceive both objects to be directly in front of them, side by side. Interposition is not defined by long distances. For example, look at the photo on the bottom. There is a giant hand holding a can of Pepsi, and an average sized man is drinking from it. In reality, the "giant hand" is actually a regular sized one, positioned very close to the camera. The man in the photo drinking the soda is perhaps 10 to 15 away.

Refers to the way the setting of a cartoon is drawn. The drawing could be simple or complex. The drawing of the house on the top is very basic. Drawings such as these suggest more innocent times, perhaps a bit of comedy since the setting itself is so simple; it is definitely suited to a younger audience.This drawing is likely to be considered for a children's cartoon.The drawing on the bottom depicts the city of Gotham, the fictional city that provides the setting for the character Batman. Gotham is a lot more detailed, and there is a dark aura about it. The colors and shading is very dark, giving the skies and the buildings a scary or dangerous feel. There are objects in the frame that add to the vibe; the incredibly tall skyscrapers in the background connected by the bridge suggest a massive city, impossible to protect all at once, meaning there is probably much crime going on at once. The gargoyle and eagle statue give that classic, somewhat cliche dark and brooding comic book hero vibe.

Character Assimilation  - referring to how the cartoon character physically looks. A crudely drawn character may suggest a lighter or funnier tone, and an extremely detailed drawing may be seen as serious.  The picture on the top is Dexter, from Dexters Labaratory, a cartoon comedy. As you can see, the lines are pretty simple and straight forward. There isn't much detail put into the character; even his shadow is simple. It's a perfectly round shadow that does not resemble what the shadow would look like if it were a real person. Aquaman, on the other hand, is drawn in much detail. He is a superhero, and is not to be taken lightly, which is suggested in this particular frame. The low angle adds to the sense of power, and the detail lines in the character himself show his strength and seriousness. Even the background behind Aquaman is serious; the back drop is of a large metropolis, more than likely a city the hero protects, again adding to his importance in the frame.

An editing technique that alternates between two sequences of action, shot by shot, that are occurring in different times and places, but are made to seem as though they are both happening at once. Inception has a great scene that depicts this technique. There is a scene in which a man is driving the group around in a van; the squad is asleep in the van in a dream state, trying to complete a mission. The people in the dream state are fighting security guards in a hotel. At the same time, they are being driven around in a van while the van is being shot at. In a way, the two sequences technically are happening at the same time, although they are not (dream state time is exaggerated in the real world, meaning days in dream state could be an hour or so in the real world). The exact moments of dream state, however, may be hard to recognize. There are many instances in which the squad is experiencing a dream within a dream.