VISUAL STORYTELLING

Hollywood does a great job of making you feel emotions. Not only do they create a story a certain way, but they add to the story by incorporating hints or clues that we automatically recognize and associate with a certain emotion. Sometimes, this recognition can be so natural that we don't even realize it is happening. In Murder Ball, the filmmakers incorporate many extras to add the feeling at the moment. One technique they use is music. For example, I noticed when they were showing Mark and his girlfriend in the pool goofing off, they played cute music you would signify with a cute couple. This was to show that Mark was a normal guy with a normal relationship. Another technique they use is camera positioning. By this I mean where the camera is at a certain time. To explain this better, I can refer to the scene where Kieth is finally coming out of rehabilitation after 10 months. This is a very big day for him. When he is leaving the nurses give him a card. The camera at the moment stays focused on how Kieth is struggling to open the card. It emphasizes how hard recovery can be mentally and stressing here the physical aspect. Lastly, another key example of visual storytelling is showing the guy who has no limbs whatsoever. He is surrounded by kids who are asking him questions of which only kids who don't know any better would ask. This scene is setting up the stage for a triggered emotion within the audience. We as the viewers feel bad for this man not only for his condition, but also the awkward questions he is forced to answer.