Visual Rewrite-Phillyfan321

Visual Analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFXD_4rDZj0

0:00-0:02 A pick-up truck is dragging a boat and whatever is dragging the boat appears to be making sparks on the ground. The scenery is a type of forest because there are large trees in the background. The man can be described as middle aged, brown hair and brown beard with a camouflage hat. He is wearing an orange colored coat and gloves that someone who works outside would wear. This location could be anywhere where there is a forest.

0:03-0:06 The next scene is of the man bent over looking a the chains that were causing the sparks. The man must have exited his car, but this is not shown. Perhaps he is trying to see why his car chains were creating sparks. There is a flashlight on the ground, which is turned on.

0:06-0:11 While the man is still  trying to do something to the dragging the chains, the angle of the video appears to be high up and looking down at him. This could possibly mean that someone or something is looking down at him from  a tall tree. The angle shown is about twenty to thirty high.

0:11-0:14 The man is still trying to fix his chains that were causing sparks. He is still bent over doing something to his car. The man seems to be moving around the chains upward. This could mean that he is fixing the dragging chains that were causing the sparks.

0:15 The man stands up and a very large figure can be seen. This figure has no head shown but is covered in brown fur. The figure is clearly not a human but it is standing on two legs. The man is not yet aware of the figure behind him because he has no new facial expression.

0:16-0:18 The man turns around and comes face to face with this figure which seems to be a bear.  The man looks up at the bear and the man’s face cannot be clearly seen in this shot.The bear is much taller than the man and is wearing a park ranger type hat with only the two letters “sm” visible from this scene.

0:18-0:22 The bear seems to be Smokey the Bear. I recognized this because I have seen other public service ads to prevent wildfires with Smokey the bear. Smokey the bear then gives the man a big hug. Smokey seems to be doing this as a thank you for picking the chains that were causing sparks. I already knew that sparks can create fires. It can now be inferred that this an announcement is about preventing forest fires.

0:22-0:26 Smokey the bear and the man give each other a long stare. Smokey then pats the man on the shoulder multiple times. This seems to show that Smokey approved of the man for picking up the chains because he could have started a forest fire if he did not. Smokey the bear has been a figure for forest fire prevention for a long time.

0:26-0:30 Smokey then starts to walk away from the man. The man waves multiple times at the Smokey. Then the screen says in bold white letters “Only YOU Can Prevent Wildfires.” This  is obviously public safety announcement to prevent forest fires. The purpose of this video was to inform people how they can accidentally cause forest fires and educate them on what not to do. This is also letting people know that sparks from dragging chains can cause forest fires. Also,  #SmokeyBearHug is written on the bottom right corner of the screen and on the left there are three logos. The first says Ad Council, the second is of a tree, and the third is a logo shaped like a police badge that has a U, then a tree and then an A.

2 thoughts on “Visual Rewrite-Phillyfan321”

  2. PhillyFan, I don’t usually compare earlier versions with the one before me, but in this case, since I don’t have much experience with your work, I decided to see how much work you did between your original post and your Rewrite.

    The Original Post:
    0:00-0:02 A pick-up truck is dragging a boat and whatever is dragging the boat appears to be making sparks on the ground. The scenery is a type of forest because there are large trees in the background. The man can be described as middle aged, brown hair and brown beard with a camouflage hat.

    The Rewrite:
    0:00-0:02 A pick-up truck is dragging a boat and whatever is dragging the boat appears to be making sparks on the ground. The scenery is a type of forest because there are large trees in the background. The man can be described as middle aged, brown hair and brown beard with a camouflage hat. He is wearing an orange colored coat and gloves that someone who works outside would wear.

    I’m glad you added the comment about the coat and gloves; it indicates that you’re doing more than merely identify the clothing of the character in the video: you’re drawing conclusions about him and sharing your impressions with your readers. Maybe you’ve spent some time at the Lectures on this topic:

    https://rowancounterintuitive.com/lectures/revision-group/revision-visual-analysis/

    https://rowancounterintuitive.com/lectures/revision-moving-image/

    I haven’t looked at the video yet, but I will do so now to see if there’s anything more to say about the first two seconds.

    0:00–0:02 It is nighttime in a deep pine woods. A late-model pickup truck, shiny and well-maintained, is pulling a good-looking boat along a paved road. We can tell the road is asphalt by the obvious and telltale crack patterns in the road surface. On the other hand, the far side of the road is so covered with pine needles that if we didn’t know better, we’d think the truck was about to travel down an uncleared dirt path.

    The condition of the truck and boat indicate the prosperity of the driver. The vehicle is being operated at a reasonable speed for the conditions. We have no reason to think the driver is being irresponsible. On the other hand, a very noticeable spray of sparks is coming from somewhere under the rear wheels of the truck. Its origin is out of view, but the sparks are being thrown in the direction of the boat. The effect is dramatic, like a 4th of July sparkler behind the truck. Something is clearly wrong. The light given off is enough to illuminate the underside of the bow of the boat. This would be seen by the driver if he’s looking.

    We notice that the driver’s window is open. The driver’s arm is resting on the windowsill. He turns (we guess he’s male by the billed khaki cap he’s wearing) in the direction of the sparks, twice in quick succession. It’s possible he’s heard a sound (we’re not listening so we don’t know), or that he’s noticed the glow under the boat in his rear-view mirror. Following his second look back, he removes his hand from the steering wheel and, we conclude, puts the truck in park. He has pulled to a stop.

    The place looks very remote. We’ve seen no evidence of other vehicles in the “setup” to this scene. If he’s having a serious mechanical problem, he might be here awhile waiting for help. On the other hand, the sparks stopped as soon as the truck stopped moving. So maybe the trouble is related to forward motion. Problems like these have doomed countless movie characters to mayhem at the hands of psychotic inbred cannibals. He should be a little worried.

    Sure, I’m probably overdoing things a bit, PhillyFan, but I don’t think I’m over-concluding. Everything I’ve mentioned is suggested by the visuals in the first two seconds of the film. Whatever conclusions we draw from the images are being urged on us by the filmmakers. Your job is to recognize and describe all the “arguments” they are making.

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