Interpretation
One of the most important features when it comes to interpretation is the 'zeitgeist'. Visual communicator's rely on the spirit and ideas of time for inspiration and for different ways in which to express the same idea. One example of this would be Alice in Wonderland; so many different visual communicator's have produced this film but each version differentiates, whether it's through the film being darker and more sinister or through it being more light hearted and child-like.
Another example of different interpretations is the story of 'Adam and Eve'; as we know, the biblical story of Adam and Eve is all about temptation, with the both of them being told not to eat off of a particular tree, and it ending with the both of them being banished from the garden because they were tempted by a serpent and ended up eating off the tree they were told not to. Different artists have expressed different ways to represent this story. One of the latest examples of this is a film by Justin and Jeff Kanew, titled 'Adam and Eve'.
This film attempts to modernise the story by keeping the moral similar, yet placing it into the world we see today. In this instance we see a bunch of gross male room mates behaving lazily and rather slovenly, in America it would be described as a 'frat boy comedy'. The main principle of the film is that Adam and Eve meet and form a relationship, it turns out that Eve is still a virgin and the film is based on the problems that occur when two people come together but want different things, whilst trying to keep their own principles.
When we compare the modern Adam and Eve to the traditional Adam and Eve, we can see a huge difference in interpretation. In this particular example, we have a painting by Jan Gossaert; we can see where the Kanew's interpretation has derived from regarding clothes, or rather a lack of clothes, but the main difference is the time in which each was produced. The film being produced in 2007, and the painting produced in around 1520, it is clear that interpretation is what has driven the film.
Testing Your Work
It is vital to every visual communicator to test their work and to find out what their specific audience think about that work, most creative's tend to test their work in similar ways, these mainly being:
- publishing work
- appearing in galleries
- creating websites
- forums/feedback pages
Through these different types of platforms, they are able to gain feedback and reactions, which helps to disseminate your own work. One of the easiest ways in which to test your work is to create a website, this enables you to publicise your own work but also for you to give information about yourself and your work; it also gives the public the option to contact you with their thoughts and feedback if they should wish to. An example of a good website is Marcus Walters':
The reason why this is a positive example of a successful website is that the visual hierarchy is clear, we first look at the image, then 'Marcus Walters' as it is bold and underlined in blue, we then look at the links below. This is a very simple example of publicising yourself but that is why it works. Another good feature on this page is that the image we see in the print screen is actually a slide show on the website, this feature works as it gives the audience a quick glimpse of the type of work Marcus Walters produces. Finally, we have the 'Blog' link and the 'Contact' link. Blogs are a good way for the public to get a better understanding of the visual communicator as it is a more personal part of their art. The 'Contact' link enables the audience/reader to get in touch with the visual communicator, whether it is in relevance to feedback or because the viewer wants the creative to produce something for themselves, it is a great way in which to promote themselves.
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