Visual Rhetoric – Ryan Veltman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrh6SElujUs

  • The setting of the video takes place in what appears to be an elementary school cafeteria.  The video begins with the camera filming the backs of 5 individuals who appear to be waiting in line to receive their food from two cafeteria workers. Four of the individuals are very short and young looking, implying that they are elementary school students.  The individual in the middle of this shot is a female who is significantly taller and is dressed in much more formal attire than the others, indicating that she is a teacher or possibly a parent.
  • The camera flips to the other side to face a few of the individuals waiting in line, revealing that they are, in fact, children who are probably in elementary school.
  • The camera focuses on a young boy who is approaching the end of the lunch line.  The lunch lady reaches to give him a serving of vegetables, but he smiles and shakes his head “no”.  It is difficult to see what exactly is already on his tray, but it is clear he does have a chocolate milk, which may mean that he does not care for things that do not taste good. After he expresses his disapproval of the vegetables, he leaves the lunch line. The camera then shows the lunch lady, who is still smiling. It appears she is unphased by the child’s neglect of healthy nutrition.
  • The lunch lady then offers a serving of vegetables to the next child in line, but his response is the same as the last one’s.
  • The next person in line is the adult woman. She smiles as she looks at the lunch lady and gives a slight nod to indicate that she would like a serving of vegetables.
  • As the lunch lady gives the woman a serving of vegetables, the last young boy who denied the vegetables sees this.  He looks at the vegetables on the woman’s tray, then up at the woman, then at the vegetables that are being served, and finally at the lunch lady. He smiles and nods at the lunch lady, indicating that he has changed his mind and would now like a serving of vegetables. His sudden behavioral change seems sincere because it happened after seeing the adult woman choose to take a serving of vegetables, indicating that he looks up to her and attempts to emulate her character. His sudden change of mind also shows just how quickly children can be influenced by the characteristics of their elders.
  • The young boy and the adult woman now leave the lunch line. The next two young girls in the line also smile and nod at the lunch lady, happily accepting the vegetables that they are being served.  It seem as though the adult woman set the trend for eating healthy and now the kids are following her example. It is also possible that these girls’ decisions were also influenced by the boy before them who also changed his mind. Perhaps they saw one of their peers do something that was rather out of the ordinary, and now wanted to do what he was doing.
  • While this is happening, a narrator comes on and says, “Kids follow the lead of the adults they see everyday. So please remember healthy choices start with you.” The narrator then appears on screen (ironically overweight) and is seen sitting down and eating lunch with the students. The text “healthy choices start with you” then appears on screen with an apple at the end of it. presumably to illustrate “health”.
  • The overall point of this video is to show that children follow the example set forth by adults. Thus, adults should make healthy choices so that children will, in turn, do the same. This concept is conveyed effectively because the video itself is short and simple in conveying its point. The setting of the video and the sequence of events that occur are plain and straight-forward, making it very easy for the viewer to understand the cause and effect relationship that is being expressed about the decisions of adults and how quickly and effectively they can influence those of children.
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2 Responses to Visual Rhetoric – Ryan Veltman

  1. veltmanr0's avatar veltmanr0 says:

    Could I get some feedback on this please?

    Feedback provided. —DSH

  2. davidbdale's avatar davidbdale says:

    Ryan, admittedly, there’s not much artistry to this piece for you to analyze, so why not approach it from a different angle? Instead of telling us what occurred, tell us whether the argument is made effectively or not. Can you imagine a better version? What would you improve to deliver the message more effectively? Can you refute the argument offered here?

    Is the boy’s sudden change of heart in any way convincing? And what of the girls who follow; is it at all reasonable that they would pick up this behavior cue instantaneously? When we watch a video so patently unrealistic, does it sell the message, or do we resist the message because it’s delivered so artlessly?

    What would you do differently? If the argument can’t be made realistically in 30 seconds, should the attempt be made, or should the creator try a less realistic approach? Humor? Downright silliness? (Most likely, the group that had the money to spend thought serious was the right approach, but . . . . did they get their money’s worth?)

    Grade recorded.
    Improvable as it moves into your Portfolio.

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