Visual Literacy

The gift of our senses is as significant as our existence. What we hear, see, smell and perceive is all that makes us. The filmmakers/artists and photographers of all times have been exploiting these senses for good since the 1890s when the first motion picture cameras came into being. Until 1927, motion pictures were produced without sound. Years have passed and just like us, homo sapiens, the magic of filmography has evolved.

From using the most updated techniques to not compromising with the quality, the movie industry is booming with marginal profits and appreciation. Why? The answer isn’t tricky but the techniques definitely are. Our generation is more dependent on pictures than content and the ratio of people reading Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter is less than people who watch the series. We have become so visually contingent that the very thought of reading a black and white book with no pictures and only letters, scares us and thus we escape and look for an alternative that is simple, easy and less time consuming.

Not only does it feel better to watch your favourite character on screen but also amazes you to see how apt and beautiful the direction is. In the present world of advanced technology, 3D movies always have a house full in theatres because we are able to capture every moment as it seems so overwhelmingly realistic. Optical illusions and surrealism are also a big part of visual literacy as they boggle the mind and their creation itself, is a piece of someone’s imagination.

Apart from this, we, ourselves, want our pictures to look great even if it requires using the hardest tools on Photoshop or the easiest Instagram filters. We even edit layers over layers to get more likes and followers on social media. Visual literacy is not only an art but also a psychology. For example, the covers of uncountable magazines of various kinds - fashion, travel, lifestyle, food are beautified into a certain way to grab the consumers' attention. Not only does the whole process involve better contrast and hues but also tons of liquefaction. The blemishes on a model’s face will be blurred so as to promote a product guaranteeing flawless skin, the skies in pictures that promote tourism are made fluffy so as to attract more and more people to visit that certain place, the grotesque picture of all is edited to create something so magnificent that it is difficult for the human eye to not believe.

The world of animation and graphics has also emerged a conquerer; most movies are inspired by childhood reads like The Lion King, Toy Story, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Snow White etc.which really makes all the difference because parents get their infants iPads instead of books now. Gone are the days when kids would sleep off to bedtime stories. The world has been digitalised to an extent that the visuals alone are enough to lure anybody to see what they only imagined. The superheroes and the fairytales that used to exist only in the books are now alive in the form of real life movie characters. Not only are directors inspired from our childhood idols but they also have the techniques to completely create a new one for example Kung Fu Panda or Big Hero 6 or Shrek or the recent love, Minions. Who knew that the virtual world of minions would create a storm in the market. Can you imagine people going gaga over a particular product so much that sellers in the market create various kinds of accessories all round it? For e.g. beds, ear phone plugs, stuffed toys, robots and so much more.

Graphics have also become such an integral part of interiors. Interior designing for homes, bedrooms, restaurants has to be so eye catchy so that the customers or the visitors enjoy the ambience.

To sum it all up, the visual appeal of a person, place, food, product has become so important that people no longer entertain distortment of any kind. The impact is heavy and the work is hard. Welcome to the 21st century folks. Let’s dive into the future. In this war of superficiality and reality, the digital world seems to be winning.

#art #srishti