Visual Symbols update

So in my first blog I talked about the phrase “visual symbols” and how it affects my life. In the post I talked about how different visual symbols affect my behavior. As I re-read I don’t talk about the media or how the media tricks me into buying product or thinking in some ways.  I talk about the impact biggest day to date is symbols in my car or other people cars. What was I thinking? It’s the media! Open an app on my phone…BOOM advertisement,

(...tricky I see you random sweepstakes...and I'm not falling for you...this time.)

(Look at all those apps...just waiting to spring and ad on me...yikes)

 turn on the tv…BOOM advertisement, or open my web browser…BOOM advertisement. One of the many things I have taken from this class is that I’m hyperaware of what I’m seeing and how it’s shaping my choices. It has made me more of a cynic sadly, but in advertising I tend to be right. 

(...what are you trying to sell? Shoes?...I bet its shoes!)

(Not falling for it! Plus I don't even wear heels!)

I still believe that my car symbols are still there to help keep me safe or at least informed; however, I also that I realized not that those symbols really don’t change my habits. But when I see an M & M advertisement and I find myself wanting M & M’s,  I realize that I’ve been tricked and I tip my hat to M & M’s. What really has changed though is what I do when an advertisement doesn’t work. I find myself asking why didn’t that work and before I know it I’m trying to solve the problem of the advertisement like it was a math problem. Sometimes for hours I’m asking myself if I wasn’t the right demographic, the wrong mood, or simply just a crappy advertisement. 

(Here are a few that still get me.)

(When it makes me make a "yummy" sound.)

(When I think its cool...)

(well... apparently when random things are Pokemon themed...who knew?) 

(DAMN...made a yummy sound...)

AHA 5 The power of a story.

In class, we talked about examples of the strongest, most memorable scenes in your movie watching experience. To me there are two movies that really had an impact on me.  One was when I was a young teen “The Crow” and the other was “SLC Punk”. Both movies are some of the best films ever made and still hold up to this day. I still get the same feeling I had all those years ago when I first saw the movies. The first movie (The Crow) was about getting even and moving on and the second (SLC punk) was really about a man being forced to grow up even though he is fighting it tooth and nail. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEY2ws2lMoA&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DILdeHgWF-U

The Crow was really one of the first movies that made the good guy just as dark as the villains (well…almost as bad.) He wasn’t afraid to give it as bad as he got it and you felt he was justified. I found myself wanting him to punish those things.  I couldn’t call them humans. It was also one of the first movies that really tricked me into believing what the director wanted me to believe. The director (Alex Proyas) did such a good job making you fall in love with the couple (Eric Draven and Shelly Webster) that when they die, you have nothing but HATE for the things that caused their death. He also paints a pretty gritty picture of the villains by themselves.  By the time Eric is brought back, you want nothing but the worst things to happen to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZRJl2R7iI0

I forgot they were humans…again I saw them as things. This doesn’t happen very often but I LOVE it when it does. When I can get SO lost in a story that I forget it isn’t really till the movie, game, or book is over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AfGaAPtf7U&feature=related

AHA 4

In doing the yellow dot project we were told to save the world using nothing but yellow dots. Naturally my group decided to do a zombie apocalypse themed radio broadcast and when you complete this broadcast you get a yellow badge. Zombies are kind of a fad right now in pop culture and seeing that I was part of this “fad” from the beginning (Night of the Living Dead 1968 sew it when I was 8) it pains me and I’m joyful that it’s finally getting the credit it desires.

(The movie feels tame by today but the 8 year old in my was freaked out...)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063350/

I, for the most part, really enjoy all the new amazing (and not so amazing) material coming out. Now the reason I talk about this in my AHA journal is because of an author. Max Brooks is an amazing writer. He wrote several things but what he is famous for his zombie books.

(Handsome right? Son of Mel Brooks...fun fact.)

http://maxbrooks.com/bio.php#

The first was a survival guild and the second is about a reporter who interview survivors after the first wave of a worldwide attack on the planet by zombies.

(Good read right before you put your kids to bed...They need to know these things to...)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400049628?ie=UTF8&tag=randohouseinc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400049628target=

(Yup...I would die...More then likely with in the first few hours...sadface)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307346617?ie=UTF8&tag=randohouseinc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0307346617target=

The audio of the second book is out of the world good! When I read it I loved it but when I listened to it I was truly frightened by it. Maybe it was that I read the second book to fast or I was doing it while I was doing 1000 other things but I never really gave the characters different voice or face in my mind. To me it was Max’s face with my voice but in the book on tape (you can rent it from most libraries or listen to it on youtube) each character has their own voice and it painted a horrifying picture in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ehxx6ivh0

 It was the first time I realized that I wouldn’t likely survive a zombie apocalypse.


This is a fake trailer for the movie that is being made right now. This was made by a fan by mashing up other movies. Its not bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMm4s1268to

Aha! 3

So from working on the midterm I answered the question “Explain how symbols influence communication.  Discuss and provide examples of action language (reflexive actions, conventional signals, appearance, physical attributes, gestures, roles, groups, and space.)” I read through this chapter for class but I didn’t really explore the chapter to deeply or think about all that much after I read it but for the midterm I dug in to the chapter again an found it amazing. It inspired me to do right an aha blog about it. In this blog I will be using pictures of me for examples of the 8 different styles of action language.

Reflexive actions: nonverbal cue beyond voluntary control.

So thing of things like blinking with you gets something in your eye, shivering when you are cold, or the motion to gulp or swallow. These actions are things that we never learned to do but we do them out of reflex. In movies and TV they are used to communicate with the audience without having to work in dialog. It helps set the mood or put the view in the seen

        (motion of gulp or swallowing)

conventional signals: signs that are agreed upon by society or a culture that is normally enforced by law.

I talked about this one quite a bit in my fist blog post about visual symbols in my life.

(Gas gauge)

Appearance:  the act or fact of appearing, as to the eye or mind or before the public.

Physical attributes: refers to the outward phenotype or look of human beings

Roles: the rights, obligations, and expected behaviorpatterns associated with a particular social 

status.

Groups: any collection or assemblage of persons or things; cluster;

(This picture combines appearance (suits), physical attributes (strong jaw lines), Roles (clearly we are all bosses), Groups (self explanatory))

In this action language I combine it with physical attributes, roles, and groups. We use this to group with others like ourselves; attract a mate, or compliant physical attributes. To do this we tend to use clothes and body shaping to change our appearance. We even use our appearance to establish roles inside groups. A combination of all of these symbols to help use communicate how we have defined ourselves

Gestures: a movement or position of the hand, arm, body, head, orface that is 

expressive of an idea, opinion, emotion, etc.

Space: territory and personal

(Gestures (the "mean" face I have on) and Space (clearly getting into my personal space)

The use of gestures and need for space (territory and personal) are the lost forms of action language. Gestures can be involuntary or intentional to prove a point. This can play right into space that all humans need to have. Gestures can tell others to stay way (a mean face or a growl) or beckon a mate to come closer (bedroom eyes or kissy lips). Hall, the author of the silent language, believes that the majority of human history has to do with space. Weather its taking land or keeping what we have safe from outsiders.

Visual Literacy: The power of sound and visuals

So Sunday my lady friend (Cora) couldn’t handle NOT giving me my valentine day gift early. She gets overly excited by this sort of thing (it’s one of the many reasons I like her.) So she made me close my eyes and handed me a box (not wrapping gifts is one of our things.) When I opened my eyes I sew something I offhandedly commented about how cool it would be to have.

                            (Best valentine gift EVER.)                (SO dreamy)

It was a Sony wireless headset (AMAZING!). See I have friends that are all over the U.S. and the easiest way to keep in touch and “hang out” is to game. For it to work well I have to have a headset with a microphone so I can talk to them. My old headset was cheap and bought in hast.

                                          (yuk...)

Well come to find out buying cheap isn’t always better. I constantly had problems with them but nothing that warranted getting a new pair. Once I connected my new headset to my PlayStation/PC I realized what I have been missing.

One of the unexpected bonuses was that the headset simulates surround sound. Now I understand that this class is about visuals but my headset only points out how much sound can enhance visuals. Last year the game “Dead Island” was released by a fairly unknown developer at the time (Deep silver.) Before the release they announced it with a trailer.

Dead Island trailer

(This trailer does have blood and gore. It might not be appropriate for everyone. Be aware there is violence in the trailer.) 

This was one of the most powerful trailers ever made. It is why the game was so successful! Because of the trailer the game pre-orders (people buying the game before it was released) were above 1.5 million copies. They even got a movie deal out of it (BEFORE anyone has even played it!) This was unheard of at the time. I have watched the trailer many times both with sound and without. Without sound it doesn’t hold a lot of weight but with sounds its emotional…terrifying…and sad. Now I own the game and like it. But a lot of people don’t (a lot of mixed reviews online.) I have always wondered if this game would have sold as well if that trailer wouldn’t have combined visuals with sounds.

                                          (Me and my new head set...just a fun shot)

Visual Symbols in My Life

So as I started to think about the phrase “visual symbols” and how it affects my life. The first thing I thought of was my cell phone. When not in use it’s nothing more than a square black brick (lifeless...doesn't even look fun)

I bring everywhere but when someone calls/texts me it lights up like a neon Christmas gift. 

(Just SCREAMS look at me...little gift of words from a friend!)


I have a little party in my head every time I see it light up. Most of the time it is nothing important (friend telling me there late or a random smiley) but it still triggers some kind of positive reaction from me. I feel the biggest thing affected by visual symbols in my day to day life would have to be driving. From the gas gage to the scary service engine light tells the driver what to do.

 (gas gage)                                (The scary service engine sign...yikes)
 You (as the driver) even get to tell others what you’re doing with the power of your turning signals.
(Well...clearly I'm turning right)
If the visual symbol is used properly or will designed it should become universally understood.