Useful Intel For Your Visual Storytelling Toolbox
The Basic Visual Components – An Overview
In every moving picture that you see, whether it be the goodvibe feels of animation or the creative cinematographic pursuits of live action, this list of visual components are found in every moving picture.
Knowledge and Creative Implementation of Knowledge = Visual StoryTelling Power
This overview of basic visual components can give you a starting point of where you can further delineate and delve into a focus of effective and comprehensive visual storytelling tools.
Each element can be exponentially expanded and explored. Here is a springboard primer to get your creative curiosity juices a flowing.
Character Assets/Actors, environments/scenery, locations, props and costume designs are all made of these basic visual components so they offer a UNIVERSALITY that proves useful to have in your visual storytelling repertoire of understanding.
YOUR TOOLBOX LIST OF 6 BASIC VISUAL COMPONENTS
SPACE – LINE & SHAPE – TONE – COLOUR – MOVEMENT – RHYTHM
SPACE
Three kinds of SPACE you can delineate in this basic visual component is not where the space cowboys hang out up in the atmosphere away from Earth.
For our purposes here, there are 3 delineated SPACIAL RELATIONSHIPS that prove useful to be AWARE of.
Awareness expands your repertoire of understanding, so to know, is to grow.
1. The First Spatial Awareness is the Physical Space in Front of the Camera.
When creating for animated film and/or television, this space can be portrayed and delineates in the varying perceptual perspectives available in your drawing toolkit.
See this post here for further expansion.
2. The Second Observation of Relational Space is That as it Appears on the Screen
How you intend something to look and how it actually looks is a good barometer to determining your visual authority and the choices you are delineating to engage and create interest for your audience.
3. The Third Observational Awareness is the Spatial Size and Shape of the Screen Itself.
Aspect ratio determinants enable you to dial in the aforementioned spatial relationships you wish to convey and command to support and propel your visual storytelling throw downs.
LINE AND SHAPE
Line and Shape are intrinsically linked.
The dynamic use of lines create boundaries as well as opportunities for explorative expansion. Shapes appear to be constructed of various lines combined together to create their volume.
How you manage your application of lines and shape are determinant upon your intentional visual image goals.
In storyboarding for 2D animation, your line and shape dynamics read visually so being aware of how to contrast and/or unify them for your audiences perceptual interest.
See this post here for expanded insights on further dialling in your visual storytelling toolkit.
TONE
Tone refers to the vibrance and brightness of objects in reflection of the gray scale.
This is a colour theory tone investment, not the “tone” of a film such as the psychological, emotional or even audible impact tone (treble& base)
Tone is a determining factor in both black and white and colour film and photography.
COLOUR
We are made of colour.
As humans the spectral light of consciousness of which governs our life forces so understanding how to implement colour in your visual storytelling is a visual impact thrive.
There will be a post doing down the pipe for an aptitude of basic colour theory knowledge, so if it pleases your vibe, stay tuned.
The folks over at STUDIO BINDER are in a goodvibe to distill some fun facts on the application of colour. Checking out their supportive film making vibrations can only add fuel to your toolboxes fire.
They offered me a rule whereby you use one main colour for 60 percent of the scene/shot and then 30 percent a secondary colour and then the remaining 10 percent a tertiary colour.
In some implementations of political cartoons, taking cues of such endeavours from the magnificent Walt Disney, you can see the impact this rule offers.
Also, knowing the emotional and psychological impact colour has on the human experience is a good vibe thrive to enable you to make well delineated choices to fully support your visual storytelling throw downs.
Red is the colour the eye retina is able to see the furthest in distance (that is why all emergency signs are usually in red)
Colour is a vibe that thrives and proves to enhance or deplete your visual storytelling end goals and intentional value, so equip yourself with some research and colour key research to throw down your most advantageous implementations of this intrinsic aspect to life creativity.
MOVEMENT
We are creatures of motion and life is always vibrating.
Even still objects in space are full of cellular motion just given the energetic nature of existence.
Movement is the first visual component to attract and then guide the eye. It is implemented using objects, camera and the focus of the audiences eyes as they watch the screen.
Having an awareness of the motion dynamics you compel in your visual stories can make or break the intentional visual impact of which you wish to create and convey.
Keeping this basic visual component in your minds eye whilst in your evolutionary creative is just a goodvibe.
The purposeful directional flow of movement in your scenes and visual frames is a fundamental visual component, as it is fundamental to life creativity and the human experience.
RHYTHM
Rhythm is a natural and primary law in the world, so naturally it will be found in the makings of visual stories.
In visual storytelling, rhythm is demonstrable in stationary objects, moving objects and editing.
Take note.
Rhythm is a dancer so harness that groove.
UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING VISUAL COMPONENTS
Each of these visual components denoted above can expand to further exploration and expansion. This introductory overview enables you, as a visual storyteller, to equip yourself with the myriad of tools available to you as a creative.
That which we invest within in terms of our own creative acumens as naturally creative beings, being human is an investment worth making.
Watching your films and shows that you engage for entertainment with a discerning and delineating focus to see how the most successful and impactful stories come to life enhances your repertoire of understanding.
A checklist for you as a visual storyteller in terms of the tools you have at your disposal as well as how you engage and implement these tools, is solely up to you and your autonomous vibration of the creativity you compel to garner a thrive in the self ownership of your storytelling acumen.
Have Fun & Imagineer Your Creativity To Your Thrive If It So Pleases You To Do So
Afterall, WE ARE MADE OF STORIES
