Visual Rhetoric- PitandThePendulum

0:01- A young, African American man stands at a bar. He is slightly turned around to face the camera/ viewer, holding a drink he presumably just purchased. He is facing two men (both wearing dark t-shirts and holding drinks) who are talking in the foreground of the frame, and are assumably the people he has come to the bar with. The bar is depicted in a hazy orangey-red light, and small glowing lanterns decorate the bar, as well as tea candles and a glowing strip of pale neon. Behind the bar itself, a nook in the wall holds what appears to be a decorative lantern, as well as a plant hanging from the ceiling beside it. Based upon the appearance of the bar, it is safe to assume this is no sports or dive bar, but instead perhaps a bar connected to a restaurant.

0:02- The young man, now centered in the frame between the two talking men in dark shirts, faces the camera. He is holding a whiskey glass filled with a dark liquid (presumably whiskey), and smiles while looking in the direction of the man on the right of the foreground.

0:03- The young man now looks down at the glass in his hand, no longer smiling.

0:04- The scene has now abruptly changed. The camera now focuses on a dazed looking young blond man standing in a backyard during what appears to be a spring or summer barbecue. He is holding a red solo cup, and is facing a man in a blue shirt, who stands, back to the camera, tending to a grill. A woman slightly obscures the young man as the walks across the frame, holding a white disposable paper plate. To the left of the man, a blond woman is sat on a bench at an umbrella-covered patio table, talking with a grey-haired man and a brunette woman, who are both standing with their backs facing the viewer/ camera. On the table there are stacks of unused red solo cups, plates with half eaten food, cups of disposable plastic utensils, and even solo cups that are currently in use.

0:05- The woman holding the disposable plate has slightly moved, and we can see that the young man stands next to the grille, on the side of which has hotdog buns and a bottle of ketchup and mustard.

0:06- The young man, in a similar fashion to the first man, looks down into the contents of his cup.

0:07- The scene changes again. The viewer now sees a man in a red and white baseball tee and jeans, holding a blue plastic cup and sitting on the tailgate of a truck. He smiles at a woman with braided ginger hair, who’s back faces the viewer. A young asian woman, leaning against the side of the truck, faces the ginger woman as well, laughing and holding a clear plastic cup. Behind the ginger woman, a plastic folding table stands open with a bottle of wine, a case of beer, a plate of watermelon, a bowl of barbecue potato chips, and an almost finished clear plastic cup. On the right side of the truck, another table has been set up, this one with a roll of paper towels and what seems to be an open beer bottle. Near that table, a young man and woman are engaged in what seems to be a lively conversation, with the young man gesturing at something with one hand, as his other hand holds an orange cup.

0:08- The young asian woman has turned to face the young man sitting on the tailgate of the truck, and the ginger woman has slightly turned her head towards his direction as well.

0:09- The scene has once again changed back to that of the young black man in the bar, who’s head is tilted downwards. His face is contorted in an expression of what seems to be pain or confusion as he now leans back against the bar counter.

0:10- The young man, head still down with a confused expression, reaches his free hand down into his pocket.

0:11- The scene changes to the young man at the backyard barbecue, who now is without a drink. He too is looking downward with both hands in the pockets of his flannel shirt.

0:12- The young man, having found what he was looking for, tilts his head up slightly. In the palm of his left hand, he holds his keys, while his right hand remains in his pocket.

0:13- The scene again changes to the tailgating man in the red and white shirt. He looks up, squinting, with one hand open, seemingly ready to catch something that is being thrown at him from somewhere off camera

0:14- The man has caught the object being tossed to him. He looks down into his hand in which, he too, holds his keys.

0:15- The scene changes back to the young man at the bar, who is still looking at his keys, but now appears to be deep in thought.

0:16- The young man clenches his hand around the key, looking up and past the camera determinedly at something.

0:17- The young man lowers his hand, and now is looking at something past the camera to his left.

0:18- The scene has changed to the young blond man at the backyard barbecue, who is also looking wistfully at something past the camera to his right.

0:19- The video now shows us the keys in the hand of the first young man. His palm is open and illuminated by a hazy golden light, which could be a clever staging trick, but could also be interpreted as light from the bar setting that he is in.

0:20- At this moment, the scene changes to a hand slipping a blue key being placed into the pocket of a backpack. Based upon the greenery of the background in this scene, it is safe to assume that the hand, key, and backpack all belong to the second young man at the backyard barbecue.

0:21- The scene changes to the man at the tailgate, who’s hand is now in motion once again. He looks off camera at something as a blur of motion leaves his hand. From this still, the viewer can infer that he has tossed the keys back to the individual who first tossed them to him.

0:22- The man in the red and white shirt can now be seen from an outside view sitting in the back seat of a black truck. His window is open, and he is looking down and to his right, presumably to find and put on his seat belt.

0:23- The man in the truck has now is reaching his hand up and pulled his seatbelt across his chest. Across the screen in a white text the words “PLAN AHEAD. CATCH A RIDE SOBER.” appear

0:24-0:29- The same words stay on the screen until the 0:26 mark, during which they change to say “BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING”. This change occurs as the man fully buckles himself into his seat.

This entry was posted in PitAndThePendulum, Visual Rhetoric. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a comment