Thinking Image First: Visual Storytelling

Show or tell? In all art forms, there's a tension between image (show) and text (tell). Film, television, poetry, plays, and even PowerPoint slideshows are built on this tension. Do you tell the story through dialog, or do you show an image? Do you have the characters speak in facts, or in metaphors? Regardless of your medium or goals, you can learn to harness the power of images in your work.

In this seminar, we'll look at scenes from several films, and discuss the degree to which they show or tell their stories. We'll also talk about which method is better under certain circumstances, and how good artists use both to their advantage.

Then we'll explore some techniques for "working image first" in our own projects. Students are encouraged to bring up projects they're working on so we can discuss them in class.