Kylie's Analysis of Scholes's Article

Kylie Garrison
Writing Response #3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wowJsEM7Blk

Visual/Video Criticism

Robert Scholes points out that video text greatly enhances our viewing experience through close-up positioning and slow-motion, often set to music. Video text combats the boredom many face when reading a long book or essay. Scholes strongly suggests that visual text grabs the viewer’s attention and holds it much easier than the written media of times past. Visual text not only extends our power to see but it can also tell us how to see. Scholes gives the video text example of the Budweiser commercial. In this video, a poor black man, who’s been an umpire in the minor leagues, gets his chance to “make it big” in his profession. He is tested when he has to make a very important “close” call on a play in a Big League game. Following the call, the losing teams’ manager shows strong disapproval with his body language but the umpire stands his ground. A later scene in the video shows this manager raising his glass (of Budweiser- of course) in a show of respect to this formerly insignificant black man. We assume that this man has now “made it” and will live a happy successful life. From these few scenes, a narrator’s brief voice over, and some inspirational music, our minds construct a whole life story for this man. Scholes asserts that…“In processing a narrative text we actually construct a story, bringing a vast repertory of cultural knowledge to bear upon the text that we are contemplating…By ‘getting’ the story, we prove our competence and demonstrate our membership in a cultural community.” In the Budweiser video text, it is common knowledge that in the year the video is portraying black men were not as respected and did not have the opportunities to “rise to the top” of their professions like they do now. The show of respect from the opposing manager suggests to the viewer that the black man has now been accepted and has “made it”. Because most viewers have cultural knowledge of the history of blacks in America, the high points of the story can be shown and the average viewer can fill in the blanks and understand what is implied.

I chose the visual text Trigon Bluecross Blueshield that shows two adorable colored kids discussing carrots and spinach being good for you. The little girl is giggly and both kids are mispronouncing words. The kids are so sweet and innocent and trigger a warm protective feeling from the viewer. Children are very precious and cared for in our culture. The smile that this video promotes with viewers is a shared love and protectiveness of children in our culture and assures the viewer that he or she belongs to this cultural membership. In the same way, the Budweiser commercial assumes the viewer is aware of the cultural lack of opportunities for blacks in America in years past. The raising of the glass of beer by the manager signifies respect and viewers share that cultural understanding. In the Trigon Bluecross Blueshield commercial, adorable children discussing healthy foods and humor are used to create a sense of belonging culturally and sell their product which is health insurance.