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PART I1I SHARING YOUR WORK
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CHAPTER 5: SLIDE SHOWS
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Many elements characterize narrative structure. Most important is that the story line is clear, even if there are jumps in time. Each image is important in building the story. Unless you are getting very artsy, your story should have a begin- ning, middle, and end.
The ten shots seek to establish a sense of place.
Wide shots portray mountains, a river valley, and grazing pastures. The fourth image leads the viewer’s interest into the ranch compound. The sequence establishes buildings (slides 5 through 7) and then moves inside
to look at three shots of cowboy tack. The emphasis throughout is on objects and architecture, not on people or livestock.
artsy/designy structure
The goal is to make a visual connection that does not have to do with content. Here are the formal elements around which each link was made: parallel lines (be- tween slides 1 and 2); matching shapes (between slides 2 and 3); color (shade of blue in slides 3 and 4); form (black arches in slides 4 and 5 and circles in slides 5 and 6); points of stars (slides 6 and 7); gray background (slides 7 and 8); texture (of fabric in slides 8 and 9); and directional lines (slides 9 and 10).
documentary structure
Here structure is about form, not content—how the
pictures appear and not necessarily the content they convey. The constant observation in the mind of the viewer is:
“I never saw it that way!”
In documentary structure the primary criteria for image selec- tion and sequence centers on reporting about a particular place, group, or occurrence (often all three). The constant question in the mind of the viewer is: “What’s going on here?”
This is a world where looks and form are everything. It’s a world of pure design, of being artsy. The best places to look for artsy/designy sequences are music videos, TV spots, and the opening title sequences of feature films.
Examples of discursive structures are abundant: TV news cov- erage, public-affairs documentaries, instructional movies, online tutorials, infomercials, pictorial features in magazines and more. This is the world of magazines and reality programming.
When working with this type of structure, primary atten- tion is toward a look. Story and information take back seats. The media maker should be preoccupied with finding shape, colors, textures, and screen directions—all formal design properties.
When a series of images is thus structured, it tends to flow with heightened intensity and grace. The viewing experi- ence is like that of listening to music or watching dance.
With this type of slide show, the goal is to inform the audi- ence about what’s going on, who the participants are, and what’s at stake.
Such discursive productions often carry an expectation for being dull and predictable. One might appreciate that the piece is about something “important.” There’s a big reward when you reverse expectations.