The Art of Visual Storytelling

1. The Art of Visual Storytelling About the non-verbal communication of a story through basic visual components

2. Your Cast of Visual Characters/Components • The Principle of Contrast and Affinity • Each Visual Component in Detail • Creative Task

3. Which senses do you use most during a dance performance?

6. Visual Components • space • line & shape • tone • color • movement • rhythm

8. With special thanks to: space, line, shape, tone, color, movement and rhythm.

11. The Principle of Contrast and Affinity

12. The Principle of Contrast and Affinity The greater the contrast in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic increases. The greater the affinity in a visual component, the more the visual intensity or dynamic decreases.

13. Contrast: Greater Visual Intensity Affinity: Less Visual Intensity

14. Affinity: Less Visual Intensity Contrast: Greater Visual Intensity

17. 1. Space

18. deep space flat space

19. Deep space is more dramatic then flat space.

20. ambiguous space recognizable space

22. Ambiguous space creates more tension and confusion than recognizable space.

23. open space closed space

25. Closed space can create a sense of entrapment. Open space can generate extreme emotional and muscular response from audiences.

27. 2. Line/Shape

28. Linear Motif Any picture can be reduced to simple lines. This is called a linear motif. A picture’s linear motif can be any combination of circular, straight, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines.

29. Diagonal lines are the most dynamic/intense lines.

30. Vertical lines are less dynamic/intense.

31. Horizontal lines are the least dynamic/intense.

32. Straight lines are often associated with these characteristics: direct, aggressive, bland, honest, industrial, ordered, strong, unnatural, adult, rigid.

33. Curved lines are often associated with these characteristics: indirect, passive, pertaining to nature, childlike, romantic, soft, organic, safe, flexible.

34. Basic Shapes The circle is the most benign of the basic shapes. It has no direction or intrinsic visual dynamic. Circular shapes seem cute and friendly. The triangle is the most dynamic of the three shapes because it contains diagonal lines. It points into a particular direction and has an intrinsic dynamic. Square shapes seem to possess a visual stability and solidity.

35. Anything on stage (e.g. lights, costumes, performers) can be manipulated through controlling all visual components (e.g. shapes).

37. 3. Tone

38. Tone refers to the brightness of objects. The brightest area will usually attract a viewer’s attention first.

39. The more tonal contrast the greater visual intensity.

40. 4. Color

41. Colors often have emotional characteristics associated with them.These can easily lead to stereotypes and hider creative freedom.

42. Audiences can be primed with colors and meanings for each color. Every time the color appears on stage it can create a preset emotional reaction.

43. Colors can be assigned to two different dramatic worlds (or ideas): blues and greens are used to show the abusive world of a trapped housewife (or the idea of imprisonment) whereas reds, yellows and oranges are assigned to her world of adultery (or the idea of freedom).

44. Main characters/groups can be primed with colors: Victims wear red or appear in red light, criminals wear yellow or appear in yellow light etc.

45. A color can be representative for an idea: Red represents conflict.

46. Using similar colors throughout a scene or an entire performance creates affinity and less visual intensity.Using contrasting color schemes will increase the visual intensity.

47. 5. Movement

48. Movement is first: The audience’s attraction will always be drawn to a moving object.Brightness is second: If there is no movement, the viewer’s point of attention will be drawn to the brightest area on stage.

49. Four ways to categorize movement Direction: an object/subject can make horizontal (least dynamic), vertical and diagonal (most dynamic) moves. Quality: the movement of an object/subject can be straight (direct, aggressive, unnatural, etc.) or curved (indirect, passive, organic etc.). Scale: a movement can be big (more intense) or small (less intense). Speed: a high rate of speeds is usually more intense and dynamic than a low rate of speed.

50. The order of visual components that will attract the audience’s attention and guid their eye movement is as follows:1. Movement.2. The brightest object.3. The most saturated color.4. The performers’ eyes.5. The object with the most visual component contrast.