An Introduction to Visual Emotioneering

It's the subject of my book, "Creating Emotion in Games," and of this website.

But there's a whole other side of Emotioneering, one I've rarely discussed. It's "Visual Emotioneering" -- ways of making imagery emotionally engaging without words.

It has broad application in game design, film, advertising, photography, architecture, and even landscape architecture.

I've given just one talk on it, to a group of about 100 concept artists, at an art symposium in San Francisco hosted by the outsourcing art group, Massive Black.

The following is a small taste -- an introduction.

It will make the most sense to those of you who have either taken "Beyond Structure" (my screenwriting workshop -- the largest in L.A., offered at Universal Pictures, and also presented elsewhere in the world), or to those of you who have read my book.

Below I borrow some terminology from the class and book. Specifically, I discuss making things "interesting" vs. making things "deep". ("Deep" means profound, or emotionally or psychologically layered, or having a feeling of depth.)

The Image

This discussion will focus on the picture by Stephen Martiniere.

The picture is captivating but why?

The World has a Diamond

(When you give a character a "Diamond," that means that you give him or her 3, 4, or 5 distinct personality traits, hopefully put together in a non-cliché combination. It's called a "Diamond" because 4 traits is common.)

But a world can have a "Diamond" as well.

The Traits of this world are:

High tech: (Note the city beneath the dome; also, they have the ability to live in an underwater city.)

Low tech: In this high-tech world, there's still a place for (or need for) low tech: note the ship.
Harmony with nature: The bubbled city, though high-tech, seems to be harmony with the sea; but so does the low-tech ship. Also, the lower sails of the boat have a shape very close to the fins of the sea creatures. Use the pictures called "sail" and "fin."

Aesthetic: (the boat's design)

Raw, untamed, and powerful: Here I'm referring to nature in the (1) clouds, (2) sea, and (3) those sea animals with fins sticking out of the water.

The World has a Feeling of Emotional "Depth"
Due to 6 "Deepening Techniques":

Irony: "High Tech" and "Low Tech" are opposites, so it's ironic that both the high-tech city and the low-tech boat both feel to be in harmony with nature here.
Aesthetic: (the boat)

You'll note that this also appears as one of the "corners" of the world's "Diamond." If one of the traits that defines the "personality" of a world is also a Deepening Technique, then it serves too functions (making the world interesting and deep) as it does here.
Ambivalence #1: Are those shark-like creatures around the boat friend or foe?

Ambivalence #2: Are those clouds threatening, or is this kind of weather something the boat can easily handle?
The dream of adventure: (Evoked by the boat.) It adds an emotional "layer" -- for in our minds, we layer the dream of what might be on top of the reality of what is. (Whenever you create layers in a character, scene, or even a line of dialogue, you create the feeling of depth.)
Mystery: Why would a world that can build underwater cities still have use for low-tech, wind powered ships?

(It's an interesting question as to why the above 6 qualities are among the 110 or so I'm aware of that contribute to a feeling of "depth". Unfortunately, explaining that would take more time than I have to write and probably more time than you have to read.)

"Interesting" Techniques

(These are techniques which make the world interesting. Just as is true for a character, the world's "Diamond" is the primary thing that makes it interesting. But there are other techniques at work here to which contribute to the interesting nature of the world.)

Suspense #1: Is the boat in danger or under control?
Suspense #2: Is a storm about to break?
Intrigue: Where is the ship going?

Note: You could say that "intrigue" and "mystery" are the same. So why is "mystery" a "Deepening Technique" (see 6 above) and why do I place "intrigue" here, as an "Interesting Technique"?

It's because (6) above refers to a mystery about the world itself. However, the question as to where the ship is going is like dropping in on a little slice of a story. The intrigue doesn't pull us into the overall world, but into this story about the boat. Once the boat reaches its destination, the intrigue would end but the sense of mystery would remain.

However, the "mystery" in (6) above would remain, as to why a high-tech world also uses, or incorporates, low-tech boats. Even if this question was "answered," it wouldn't deflate the mystery. A parallel in our world might be certain elements of Celtic culture: In the Judeo Christian culture, sex and spirituality are usually a duality. Yet some Celtic ballads easily mix romance and spirituality together.

Try as one might to explain it away, it has the same mysterious effect as the low-tech boat and the high-tech city. Ditto for the world of "Bladerunner." I hear Hong Kong is like this too.

Tying it Together

Add up everything above and you see that at least 13 Visual Emotioneering elements contribute to making the image captivating.

The visual application of Beyond Structure techniques can be used to create a world of interest and depth without words. (Not that I dislike words. I am a writer, after all.)

David Freeman
david@freemangames.com

PS: If the above was of any interest, you might enjoy an on my Beyond Structure website called Visual Storytelling in 'Batman Begins,' It deals with completely different concepts than those addressed here, and you might find the article more easily approachable. The article, although about a film, has quite a bit of relevance for games.