Visual Language Features Flashcards
Costume and Makeup
Denotes different degrees of power, wealth, and social status. Can also symbolise interests, ideologies, values, and beliefs systems
Body Language
Posture of people can signify power and social status and can denote ideas such as strength, dominance, defiance, independence, submission, thoughtfulness, invitation, passivity, and dependence.
Gestures
Gestures can be used to show emotion directed at others as an act of control, defiance or as an attempt to attract others.
Facial Expression
Facial expressions are used to show emotions for others to understand how a person is feeling
Camera Angle
Different camera angles can dictate a character’s personality. Using a shot looking up at the character shows the dominance of the character while a shot looking down at the character shows weakness.
Positioning
Positioning can enable a person in the image to show greater or less relation with the audience or other characters. If their whole body is facing the viewer, it shows great intimacy and invites the viewer to identify or become involved. However, if the character is angled away, it means the characters is detached and influences the viewer to remain detached to them.
Symbolism
Objects shown in an image that can have symbolic meaning
Leading Lines
Lead a viewer’s eye towards the most important elements of an image
Juxtaposition
Putting on thing beside another object in a image to create a particular meaning
Colour
If there is colour, can have emotional impact with the specific colour referring to the specific emotion or feeling
Composition and Framing
The way elements are arranged in the frame. Elements in the middle tend to be more important. However, in Western Culture, elements positioned on the right are to have greater importance.
