Time to buy a Refrigerator!

If you want to sell a consumer a kitchen appliance, it's best to put a family in the kitchen. The family starts the day in the kitchen and it's the center of the home. Take a look at these three Ads from different companies.

Moms, dads, children and your fridge. Your appliance is a part of the family!

Photos On The Ledge

I find all sorts of images as I search through magazines. As I do, I see the ways photographers communicate to the reader. I have noticed that some photographers put their subjects on top of a building near the ledge, and some have them walking ON the ledge. Why? It's to convey danger or recklessness. If it's woman on the ledge, it could be to show passion or fearlessness. I think in the case of James McAvoy, shown in the center, It may be just a bad decision. He looks a little scared!

Storytelling Shorthand

Let's say you are trying to sell a kitchen appliance or something like that and you want to show that it's safe or family-friendly?
Add a little girl in the kitchen, preferably a girl with pig tails. Who are we selling to? Moms?
Ovens and mixers can be so mundane, why not add a warm family aspect to it.

You Know It's Noir If...

This is another example of storytelling shorthand, and this clipping has been very useful! If you were going to write a crime story, I bet you would include a bunch of the elements in this article:
A guy drinks whisky (straight) in the day. That's great for establishing your world-weary character! A woman smokes, drinks and sings, all at the same time. Now you know who the femme fatale is! A body lies face down in a pool of blood. What's a crime story without the crime? Got it? Now start writing!

Storytelling Shorthand

James McAvoy is a great young actor! I first saw him in the first Narnia movie and he's been doing a lot since then. I've noticed a little something about the roles he's been playing recently. He's seems to play the attractive and intelligent nerd type and he does so with or without a love interest. I've seen two examples where he shows his smarts and likability, posted below. He plays a game of chess with someone.

The first image is from a movie released 5 or so years ago called 'Penelope', and the second is from the new X-men film, due out this summer.
Coincidence? Maybe. Who knows if the directors or the screenwriters were thinking alike about McAvoy or if this is kind of shorthand used for all kinds of actors. I will keep my eyes open!

Storytelling Shorthand

In Advertising, when you are trying to sell something to a specific group, the Art Director will use a visual cue or image to get the idea across quickly. If you want to show that your product is powerful or heroic, have someone ripping their shirt off and have a logo or a message on your chest. Alex Ross did a Obama painting that got a lot of attention with that idea. These are some more examples.

Storytelling Shorthand

Just like in comics, Film has a way of describing a character at a glance. Is he evil? Give him an eye patch. Use some kind of stereotype and you get the idea. I am posting a new kind of shorthand that I have noticed.
If you want the audience to know that the character is 'Really smart, but really kinda troubled...", put the character on campus under a hundred year old elm/oak tree. It worked with 'A beautiful mind' and it is used in the next Jessica Alba flick.