3 Things to Improve Your Visual Storytelling
By Segun Ade-Martins
Sometimes, learning and entertainment go hand-in-hand. I accomplish this by watching movies and TV series (streaming).
Here are the storytelling techniques from exciting shows this year.
We have the layered reveal, “conversational” formatting, and a punchy and slick editing style.
These techniques are not new, but there tends to be an emphasis on a slower and minimal pace of visual storytelling. A style prevalent in many award-winning dramas.
If you want to make your story more exciting without adding violent action or other gimmicks, try revealing a pivotal element in stages and combining how you present the information from that pivotal element.
Dead Boy Detectives
As two male figures run away from a scary figure, we see a shocking and exciting chase scene reminiscent of the Matrix (1999).
Immediately, we are welcomed into a world of ghosts, demons, psychics, witches, magical creatures, the personification of death, and her afterlife administrators.
By the way, it’s the same “Death” from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. It appears we have a mini-ethereal DC/Vertigo universe on Netflix.
The filmmakers mise-en-scene is like having a conversation with the characters or the filmmakers. Character dialogue or action introduces an act break punctuated by a title card.
The effect of one story rolling into another and the blurred delineation between A, B, and C stories are particularly enjoyable.
The triumph of Dead Boy Detectives’ visual storytelling involves almost every moment. The filmmakers take us on a sometimes scary, sometimes disturbing, and always thrilling supernatural ride.
For some of us who may find the programming disturbing and scary, I implore you to jump in. The editing and dialogue work in an expressive way. It’s like scrolling through a meme account on Instagram or Twitter.
The only difference is that the posts in this case are cleverly “designed” to make you see the good side of humanity desperately trying to claw itself out of the darkness surrounding it.
A truly magical show.
The Gentlemen Series
Not always as brutal, very slick, and very stylish upgrade of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.
A soldier (the spare and second son), a dope-fiend screwup (the heir), an aloof daughter, an even more aloof widow, and an astute groundskeeper form this royal household when the Duke of Halstead dies.
The story jumps off when everybody gets shocked at the reading of the will of the Duke. The consequences of this ‘will’ set the chain reaction through this series.
The family has to navigate the criminal underground when they find out they are involved in the multibillion-pound marijuana trade.
Hilarity and, of course, brutality ensue the further this family gets entangled with the underground. Guy Ritchie brings his slick, overlapping editing to pivotal moments, of which there are numerous.
Ritchie leads a group of numerous writers and three other directors. The filmmakers use slick, British dialogue while intercutting relevant images and text as inserts to add emphasis.
At pivotal moments, the action plays out in slow motion while ominous operatic music plays. This operatic music is the theme of the series and enhances the sense of tension and mystery.
There’s more to learn about implementing a slick mise-en-scene because the filmmakers employ layered reveals in different ways to further amplify the mysteries strewn across the series.
Hands down, this is Guy Ritchie’s most recent and best work. The characters and plot progression are exciting, with reasonable twists and turns.
I especially like how the main character is not a superhero type of character. He has flaws and naiveties as well as competencies for navigating the criminal underground as a fish out of water.
Why K-dramas are effectively Enthralling
K-drama series are entertaining and enthralling, but not especially unique from one another. Particularly period-piece K-dramas. Sometimes, actors reprise almost identical roles from one series to another (which have no story connection).
If I had one complaint about K-dramas, it’s this: I don’t feel the strong urge to watch many more because I feel I’ve decoded why they can be so captivating.
Two of the many techniques they use that are key are layered reveals and reversals. In a glossary article, I will define many of these filmmaking terms.
Captivating the King uses twists, which are littered all over its plot. Twists are more effective when you use layered reveals and reversals in tandem.
In this story, the “spare” inherits the throne in an extremely shady way, and that affects a relationship with a cross-dressing noble woman to play Baduk with him. Baduk is an aristocratic board game. (Same as Go)
The Prince (spare) and the cross-dressing noble woman play literal games of baduk and metaphorical games for the throne, mirroring the objective of baduk games. Also, it is established that both are genius-level baduk players.
The manner in which the prince inherits the throne upsets the noble woman, and years later she returns to the capital to get her revenge and justice for others as well.
The power play that ensues between actual baduk games and palace politics is truly breathtaking.
Period piece K-dramas have multi-party conspiracies that loom in the shadows and meet a final confrontation at the end.
In between the story, these parties face numerous reversals of fortune, a.k.a., setbacks to their plans.
The manner in which these setbacks occur stems from the inciting incident—the matters surrounding the king’s death and the prince’s ascension to the throne.
The filmmakers masterfully weave a story that takes each conspiracy to the brink of being encircled by their enemies, using these two major techniques and more.
I never knew political thrillers could elevate my heart rate. It was a truly enjoyable ride. Avoid this and other K-dramas if you are too macho for the romantic bits.
Summary
What I’ve learned from these three exciting stories are powerful storytelling techniques: layered reveal, conversational editing, and maximising the mise-en-scene to heighten the suspense and mystery without relying on violence to entertain.
These stories remind me that violence is jarring and brutal and is best used for those effects, not glamour and fun.
Originally published at http://thestrangejournal.wordpress.com on May 13, 2024.
