Visual Rewrite – l8tersk8ter

0:01 The video starts up-close on a person holding what appears to be a scrapbook. The shirt being worn is baby blue with buttons and some ruffles, like a blouse. The hands are on the smaller side, the nails are well groomed, and we see part of a ring on one of her fingers. These are indicators that this person is most likely a woman (not a young girl due to the blouse). It is also possible the ring is a wedding ring, it appears to be just a band but it is possible the diamond is out of frame, so she could be married now or was married at one point (which means a spouse would have died if she was still wearing it, that is unlikely to happen in a divorce). It seems to be an indoor setting because the lighting is dim and the person is sitting on some kind of furniture. It appears to be a couch because there is room next to her that would allow someone else to sit and there is also one visible pillow. She could have purposely left enough space next to her because she is waiting for someone to join her, maybe even her husband indicated by the ring. Or if she was married (or even if she wasn’t) she could have a child/children that she’s waiting for to join her. She has opened the cover of the scrapbook to reveal the first page. The page is a white background with a protective sleeve, which is probably what allows the pictures to be slid in and held in place. The pictures are not arranged in any particular order bur rather were just placed in so that they are visible but slightly overlapping at some parts. There are 5 pictures. There are also two other things in the page which look like flowers that come in scrapbooking kits to add some decoration. One of the pictures is in the shape of a square and a close up of someone’s face. which means it could have be a polaroid. The other four pictures all have multiple people in them, their ages unidentifiable, and are the rectangles that are common from a digital camera or film camera. The pages are well worn and the plastic seems to be warped along the edges of the pages so the scrapbook is likely old. This is probably a book of photos of the woman’s family from holidays, parties, or maybe just everyday life. It could have been from her childhood or possibly one she made for her own family years ago, which would mean she is older now since scrapbooks are less common in current times with everything stored on smartphones or computers. She could be looking at this because she lost a family member and is reminiscing on memories, or maybe there is a celebration such as a birthday or wedding that she wants to gather some pictures for.

0:02 The scene is now zoomed out and it is confirmed that there is a woman sitting inside on a sofa. It is now seen that she is wearing gray slacks with her blouse. She has one leg tucked under her and the other on the ground. This position suggests she is planning on being settled in there for a little bit to relax and go through the scrapbook. She has blonde hair about shoulder length with wispy straight across bangs. She looks to be in her fifties or sixties. The light gray/beige couch is a three-cushion wide sofa with the last one extended out as a lounger. There are 5 decorative pillows of varying sizes, one of which her arm is rests against. The room is lit a little better than the first shot with light coming in through a glass paned door from the right. The door has long shutter blinds that are open to light the room. There is something in the back corner of the room that sort of looks like a coat rack, but it is hard to clearly see what is on it. Next to that is a cabinet with glass panes, the contents are not visible due to the reflection of the door. Next to that the wall slightly protrudes out and just over the coach on this wall the top of a fireplace is seen. Further to the left there is a tall potted plant in a brown vase with white flowers. This room is likely the living room of a home, probably the woman’s home considering she is alone and comfortably relaxed on the couch. In front of the couch there is a dark leather ottoman. On top of the ottoman is a glass of water and two more scrapbooks. The woman is planning on looking through those scrapbooks as well if she has not already. Her expression is neither one of joy nor sadness, but she rather just looks content as she looks down at the scrapbook she is holding. She is now multiple pages into the book, whether it’s the same one as before or a new one, so some time has passed since the last shot. She must not be in a rush because time has passed and she is still in a relaxed position on the couch.

0:03 The scene is the same as before but this time she has turned her head and focus from the left page to the right. Her mouth seems to be slightly more upturned than before into a small smile. Her left hand is moving across the book towards the right side. She either going to touch a picture, point to one, or turn the page. When she moves her head it is more visible that her hair is wavy and her bangs are fuller than they first appeared to be. Considering her presumed age her hair is probably died to be the blonde color that it is.

0:04 The view is now a close up of the scrapbook that the woman was seen looking at. There is a white background. One central picture is the main focus, but there are the edges of two other pictures on either side. One of the picture edges seems to feature the side of a toilet with either a bucket or trashcan next to it. The other edge of a different picture is what seems to be the pattern of the same couch in the main picture. These pictures were probably all taken in a house and its highly likely all in the same house. The main picture is of a baby, or maybe young toddler probably between one and two years old. The baby is sitting in the corner of a brown and beige plaid patterned couch. This couch reminds you of something you would see in your grandparents house when you were younger, one that isn’t the most fashionable and kind of out of style so the picture is probably older. Next to the couch in the corner of the room is a house plant. The walls are white. The baby is wearing light blue or white pants and a bright blue winter coat. The coat has matching mittens hanging off of the sleeves. The hood is up and it can be seen that the inside is lined with red. It is unclear if the baby is a boy or girl, but it the blue outfit suggests more so a boy. A pair of big black sunglasses are on the baby’s face, which are almost the size of his face so they probably belong to a parent or other adult that was present during the picture. The baby is making no expression so he was probably just placed in that position and told to sit still. He may have been told to smile but can probably not comprehend what that means at his age (or her, it is not confidently determined). Since its more suggested the baby is a boy, he could be the woman’s son which would mean she probably made the scrapbook. It could also possibly be the husband she had/has, or maybe a sibling, but the photo does not seemed aged enough for the picture to be that old. So it can be assumed this child is a son (or daughter). Whoever the child is, the photo was likely taken by their parent, maybe grandparent, when they got a new winter coat or maybe were about to go play in the snow.

0:05-0:06  Now a different photo in the book is shown. There is the same white background has before and once again a centrally focused photo. To the top left there is an edge of another picture, but it is mostly white, kind of resembling a floor, but nothing can be clearly distinguished. To the top right there is the very bottom of a different photo and the only thing that can be identified is some wood surface, either a floor or table probably. The main photo is a little boy, around three to five years old, in a boat. He has dark hair, medium length for a boy, and some hair at the top is sticking up. It is either being blown by just wind or the boat is moving and that is what is causing the wind. He seems to be of an Asian ethnicity due to the shape of his eyes and his slightly darker complexion, but he could also just be squinting due to his smile or being outside. It is warm out where he is, even though the sky seems a little gray, because he is wearing a red t-shirt. He is also wearing a life vest that is lifted off of his shoulders and pressed under his chin, so it is probably a little too big on him. His right hand is holding a lollipop and rested against the boat steering wheel and his other hand is holding the bottom of the wheel. He is smiling but not looking at the camera so the smile is genuine and not forced. He is looking at someone else in front of him or just at wherever the boat is going. In the background there is a small mountain, seemingly green so covered with either trees or grass. There is also a lighter strip along the bottom of the mountains, maybe where they drop off or a small beach. Between the boat and the mountains is a stretch of water. It is likely a lake because there are not waves characteristic of the ocean and it is definitely larger than a pond because the mountains are a good distance away. The boat has a short plastic covering assumed to be the windshield in front of the boy. The boat is a brown color, but the exterior is only slightly seen by the windshield. The seat behind the boy is a white/beige color. There is also a dark spot in the bottom right corner but it is unclear what it is, maybe another shield like the windshield because it is similar in color. The boy is most likely not actually driving the boat because he is so young, so he is just standing there for a picture which was probably taken by a parent. The water must be open with nothing in the way for them to trust only the little boy standing at the steering wheel, or the boat is stopped. The boat does not seem to be anything fancy. It could be owned by the little boys family, a family friend, or maybe even just rented for the day. This little boy is probably the baby in the previous photo.

0:07-0:08 The focus shifts to a new picture so the woman has turned the scrapbook page once again. The centrally focused picture takes up more of the screen than before. The picture is all the way to the right of the page because the end of the plastic is seen out of focus to the right. The white background is less visible, either because this page is more crowded with pictures or because it is closer up than before. To the left the edge of a picture is seen but all that can be told is that it is dark. Overlapping the main photo in the top right corner is another image but not enough is seen to identify anything in it. One person in the photo is a boy around ten years old. His darker complexion, dark eyebrows (his hair is covered with a hat), and his eye shape suggest he is the same boy as the previous photo and most likely as the baby photo. He is wearing a white hat with a black or navy-blue rim and the word “FINALS” in red font across the front. This could be from a sporting event, a team he plays for, or maybe a team he likes. He is wearing a yellow short-sleeve polo and dark pants. Something is on his wrist, it’s a dark band maybe of a watch or just a bracelet. He is smiling, (it looks like a genuine smile but it could also have been just for the photo) and looking at the camera. He is crouched down to match the height of a little girl standing next to him. She is around five or six years old and standing erect with her hands in front of her, one hand grasping the opposite wrist. She is also smiling, but a bit more forced like she is posing, and looking in the direction of the camera, but slightly to the side so maybe someone else was also taking a photo or something else just caught her attention. She is wearing a blue long t-shirt, or maybe it’s a t-shirt dress, with pink flowers all over it in a random pattern. She has blonde shoulder length hair with straight across bangs and has paler skin. This little girl looks more similar to the woman from the begging of the video. They have the same haircut and appear to be the same ethnicity. If they boy is the woman’s son possibly these two kids are siblings and the boy could be adopted, or they could have different dads, or maybe they are just cousins through the moms side. Maybe this little girl was the baby from the first close up picture and there are two children being focused on. Behind them there is a green garland with red berries, like holly, and what seems to be miniature Christmas stockings hanging down, which means the photo was taken in the winter, maybe at a family holiday party. The room behind them is relatively dark, but there is also a visible table blocked mainly by the boy. On it is a red and white tablecloth, also hinting towards Christmas. There are things on the table but they cannot be identified because they are blocked by the boy as well as the overlapping picture. This is an indoor setting because of objects commonly found in a house. This photo further confirms the scrapbook is a family gallery from holidays, gatherings, and everyday life.

0:09 The scene shifts back to the woman from the beginning of the video. It is closer up on her face than any shot before as we see from just below her shoulders and then the top of her head is cut off. She is in the same location, indicated by the fireplace, couch, and so-called coat rack still visible behind and to the sides of her. She is also wearing the same blue blouse and her hair is styled the same as before. She is once again looking down at the scrapbook she has been looking through. Her eyebrows seem darker from this close up, so maybe her hair is not naturally blonde, which would make sense if the young boy that has been in the photos is her son with the dark hair. The corners of her mouth are now definitely upturned into a soft smile. Her nose is slightly crinkled and so are her eyes and around her mouth, which are also indicators of a smiling expression. From this close we can more clearly see the wrinkles on her face and that her skin is aged, confirming that she is older. She looks happy, whatever photo she is looking at brought her joy and reminded her of a good memory, or maybe she is just happy to see a photo of her younger self or someone else that she cares about.

0:10-0:11 The scene shifts to a completely new setting, which is now a classroom. There are three visible rows of chairs, the third (back) one shorter than the other two, that are curved in a semi-circle all facing the same direction. The view is from the side, so the back of the chairs closest to the camera are seen and as the rows curve the front of the chairs become visible. Some chairs are metal bars with blue plastic seats and circular backs. Other chairs are metal bars with tan plastic seats and rectangular/square backs. The floor is blue carpet that from this view appears clean and the walls are white. The room is very dim. The only light is coming in from a large window that is probably floor to ceiling, but the ceiling is not visible so it is taller than in an average room. There is also some light coming in from a set of doors in the far back corner. The lighting being shown in shows that it is daytime. The empty room with lights off means this classroom is not occupied, so school is out of session or this class just doesn’t happen during the current period. There is a feeling of stark emptiness, which with is exaggerated with watching without sound. There is nothing in site making any movement. It seems to suggest something is missing, classrooms are usually bustling with students, and in a music room filled with sound. Through the window there are trees and another building in the distance. Above the doorway is an exit sign and a circular clock that is common to classrooms. In the front of the room, which is the direction the chairs are facing, there is a tall music stand with nothing on it. This is a musical classroom, which makes sense with the ensemble like arrangement of the chairs, and the raised stand is for the teacher/conductor. There are no visible instruments or music stands in front of the rows of chairs so it could be a choir room, or maybe the instruments are stored out of frame, in a different room, or taken home. The ceiling is likely tall for better acoustics. There are multiple bookshelves against the walls semi-filled. They are too far away to clearly identify what the books are or if there are things other than books on the shelves, such as binders common for holding music. There is a long white board along most of the side wall that is in the frame. There is nothing written on it but a paper does appear to be taped up. On the wall above there is a long poster, but it is too far away to read. There are also posters along the back wall which cannot be clearly read either, but a few symbols resembles music notes. There are two more music stands that are at a lower height in the back of the room. There are also two cabinet like things that have no visible shelves. The back wall has long and wide beige jut outs running vertically with little wall space between them. This might be another feature to help with acoustics. There is a cart in front of the whiteboard that has a projector on it, and another cart at the front of the room, but it is not visible what is on this second one. The lack of color in the posters, because they are all mainly white, suggests a music room for older kids, such as in a middle school or high school. This could be where the woman from the beginning teaches, or maybe where the young boy and/or girl from the photographs attended school when they got older.

0:12 The camera switches from looking at one side wall to the other, so it has just moved to the opposite side of the room. The tan and blue chairs are in the semi-circle formation. There is another window seen and it is revealed it does not go all the way to the ceiling but is still very large. The top was likely just barely cut off in the last shot. The shot is from right next to the row of chairs that was originally facing the camera, so now only half of the semi-circle is seen. The jut outs on the back walls are the same posters with the music notes as the last shot. There are two identical closed cabinets, maybe there are instruments stored inside. There is a smaller white board that flips sides and is on wheels instead of attached to the wall. On it are three rows of music staff lines, maybe four or five but the bottom is blocked by the chairs. On the lines are drawn music notes. The lines are not completely filled so it was probably an exercise and not an actual song that was being played or sung. At the very top there is a vent in the wall. The lighting is the same, only coming in from the window, so this shot was taken probably right after the last shot.

0:13 This scene is in a different room, which still seems to be a classroom, but this time bigger. There are chairs that are the same exact ones as the tan chairs in the first classroom, so this is probably the same school or at the very least the same school district. The only lighting is once again coming through an even larger window than in the other room, showing it is still daytime. The room is unoccupied with the lights off. This window appears to have sticky notes sporadically on the lower portions. The top of the windows cannot be seen once again but it is very likely they go almost to the ceiling. Along the back wall there are the same jut outs as before, but they look a little thicker. On them are large letters (one on each) “C-H-O-I” and there is one more that is not fully visible. This room is for choir. The letters are made of multiple colors of paper. Between each jut out are small square windows. There are trees seen out of all of the windows. The chairs are arranged in three sets of rooms forming a version of a semi-circle. The back rows are elevated on stands/risers, it looks like three levels, and then some are also just on the ground in front of the risers, and these chairs have light shining directly on them. The sun is at an angle that suggest it is either still rising or starting to set. In front and to both sides are rows of chairs that are facing each other with empty space in between. Some chairs between the back and side rows are turned to ease the flow between sections. At the front of the room between the side rows of chairs is a semi large empty table. It is just four metal legs with a rectangular top. To the right of the large window there is a clock, identical to the one in the other classroom, as well as papers/posters but they are too far away to be read. There is also a row of cabinets, maybe filing cabinets holding sheet music, with four frames hanging above the row, which contents are not clearly seen. There is one music stand to the left of the table. All the way to the left of the screen, which is the front of the room, the floor looks slightly elevated and what seems to be the very edge of a grand piano. This is likely played in accompaniment with the choir. Next to the risers is another cabinet with shelves of colorful paper on top, which was probably the paper used to create the large letters that spell out “CHOIR.”

0:14-0:15 The video now introduces a new location. This location is immediately identified from the big sign taking up most of the right side of the screen. The sign is circular and raised on a red and yellow thick pole. On the sign in red fond along the edge of the top half is “One Man Band” with blue starts in between each word, and in blue font along the edge of the bottom half is “Diner.” In the middle of these words is a yellow circle with a man dressed in a marching band uniform (single colored long tailed coat, square-ish hat with a feather, and long pants with black shoes) holding a vertical bass drum and drum stick, a trombone by his mouth, a tambourine strapped to the outside ankle, and what seems to be a tambourine on the other outside ankle as well. He is representative of the one-man band from the name of the diner. To the right and slightly lower, but behind, the sign, is a yellow traffic light, and the metal pole of either another traffic light or a streetlight because the pole bends almost 90 degrees and continues out of frame. Also behind the sign is a telephone pole. It is brown and has wires running in one direction out of frame and in the other direction disappearing behind the building in frame. Behind the sign and to the left is an American Flag all the way up a skinny silver flagpole. It is slightly folded at the top right corner and by the left side, so there is probably some wind making it blow. In the distance at the bottom of the screen is the top of a small tree with spread out branches and not overgrown with leaves. In the left frame is the building previously mentioned, which is the diner the sign is advertising. It is white with red trim and a red awning, which appears to have 5 small yellow starts along the edge. This could wither be a rating or just decoration tying in with the stars on the sign. Above the awning on the building is a large clock. The time reads around 5:08, and the sky is pretty well lit so this is in the evening. The left side of the building is slightly cover by the side of tree resembling the other tree, with spread out branches and small leaves. There are no other visible building, so this diner is likely in a rural or suburban location and not in some city.

0:16 The shot has moved inside the diner. The tables all have booths that are double sided she they connect between all of the tables. They are blue and gray sections that are padded and in a vertical ribbed pattern. The first three booths are normal white tables with a booth on each side. To the left of the booths the wall is completely made of windows, as well as the other wall in the frame. It is light outside and this appears to be the main source of lighting. This is likely just following the previous shot, so it is still around five o’clock in the evening. In the far windows there appears to be the back of neon light signs that are characteristically seen in diner windows, usually saying things like “Open” or “Eat,” although the outside of these signs with the phrases are not visible. The furthest visible booth is in the corner, so it has a rounded booth with one opening. There is one visible light that hangs low a few feet above the table and has a wide circular casing. On the booth that connects the last booth seat to the corner booth seat there is something red sticking up. It appears there are purple flowers with long stems sticking out of the this so it is probably a box. Or it could be a divider and the flowers are coming from a pot on the windowsill. It is hard to tell. The corner booth is occupied by two older people with gray hair. The one facing the camera is a woman with long hair disappearing behind her back and wearing a shite shirt or jacket, below her chest disappears behind the table. She appears to be wearing glasses and is smiling looking at the person across from her. She is entertained by her conversation with the other person or maybe is just happy to be there. The other person is a man with his back to the camera and just below his shoulders and down is covered by the booth. He is wearing a red and gray plaid shirt, and it looks like maybe the side of glasses are seen on the side of his head. He appears to be glancing out the window to his left. They are probably an old married couple, or maybe old friends catching up for dinner (based on the time). Along the windowsill in the booth connected to the corner booth, which is unoccupied, is a stack of menus. This, along with the booths and general setup of the restaurant, is an indicator of this being the same diner as advertised before. In the booth closest to the camera, at the left of the screen (the corner booth is the right of the screen) is the upper body and bottom right face of the man sitting in the booth. He is wearing a blue and white plaid shirt with sunglasses hooked at the collar. He seems to have some light gray scruffy hair on his on his face, bug that is all that can really be seen. His arm is positioned to be on the unseen table in front of him, maybe already eating, just resting it there, or holding a menu. In the middle booth of the three standard booths is an older woman sitting in the booth facing the camera. This is the woman from before who was looking at the scrapbook on the couch inside the house. Her blonde hair is now loosely clipped back with her bangs still hanging in front of her forehead. She is glancing out the window to her right. Her expression is unreadable as before but she just seems content, not happy nor sad. She has one visible gold dangling earring and is probably wearing one in the ear we cannot see as well. She is now wearing a red and white plaid shirt, so this is probably not the same day as she was looking at the scrapbooks, because the lighting suggests similar times of the day. Her elbows are on the table, which appears to be empty of any food or drink, and her hands are clasped in front of her just under her face. She is once again alone, unless there is a person across from her blocked by the man in the blue plaid shirt. She is probably looking out the window because she is waiting for someone to show up, maybe the little boy from the photos who is probably no longer a little boy. The other people in the shot may be there to help create the feeling of a public place. This could suggest that whoever she is waiting to meet is not someone she wants to be alone with.

0:17-0:18 It has zoomed in on the blonde woman’s face. The background is blurry and contains just the windows and booths that were previously described and behind her. Her head is either blocking the two people that were in the corner booth or they have left at some point between these two shots. She is still looking in the direction of the window. The shot is from shoulders to the middle of her forehead and then cut off. She is wearing some eye liner and/or mascara. Her eyes are blue. The wrinkles on her face are much more prominent and visible than previously seen. They are especially there around her mouth and on her upper lip. She looks older in this shot than she did before. Her mouth is slightly turned down, but it appears to just be the natural, relaxed position of her mouth. Her expression does seem to be slightly distressed though. She may be nervous about whoever she is waiting for or just has things going on that are stressing her out.

0:19  The view is of the woman’s hands, which can be concluded because the plaid red sleeves from the shirt she is wearing are blurry but visible. Her fingernails are still well-groomed like in the beginning. Her hands are also wrinkly which is expected with age. The hands are in focus and everything surrounding is blurry. In the blurry background there seems to be a black napkin dispenser. She is twiddling her thumbs, which is often a sign of being nervous. The view is from the direction of her looking at them herself, but from her side rather than her eye level. She is definitely nervous anticipating who she is waiting for.

0:20-0:22 Out of focus on the right of the screen is the black of the woman’s head (her blonde pulled back hair) and the top of her red plaid shirt. She is now faced forward at someone moving into frame in front of her. Over these three seconds a male figure comes into the frame, who must have entered from a door out of shot, as he sits down across from her. Behind him is another red box/divider as seen in the corner booth, so it is probably the opposite side of the dinner and another corner booth. The man has dark hair, dark bushy eyebrows and a mustache. His eyes are scrunched as he smiles wide showing almost all the teeth possible to show in a smile. He is wearing a purple button up collared shirt with the top two bottoms undone creating a casual look. He appears to be in his early thirties. His face does not have wrinkles like the woman’s. This is the boy from the pictures with the dark hair, darker complexion, and distinct eye shape. The woman either looked at the pictures and decided to meet up with him, or he reached out to meet up which led her to looking at the pictures. His wide smile shows he is happy to see her, suggesting a positive healthy relationship between the two. They must be people that care for each other. It is likely this is his mom.

0:23 The scene is the exact same as before, but the man has stopped moving and is now fully seated in the booth, still looking at the woman, assumed to be his mom, sitting across from him.

0:24 The shot shifts to a table in the diner. In the background a glass sugar dispenser is seen. The red plaid shirt is in the shot, so it is still the woman that is also now accompanied by the man. They are both reaching halfway across the table and grasping hands. This is an intimate touch that expresses love for the other person. Next to the woman’s hands is a coffee mug with a string hanging over the side, which is probably a tea bag. She has been in the diner waiting for the man long enough to have ordered tea. There is no visible steam so it has also probably been long enough for the tea to cool. Maybe she was getting anxious and looked nervous because she had to wait and was worried he was not going to show up. This could suggest they haven’t seen each other in a while and maybe left off on bad terms. If that is the case the man’s smile and the embrace of their hands definitely tells that all is forgiven and they are happy to be reunited. Maybe the woman was upset with the man prior to this so he looked happy to see her because he was glad that she wanted to see him. It is not clear why they are meeting, but considering it is almost positive it is a mother son relationship they could just be catching up.

0:25 It is once again close up on the woman face, shoulders to forehead. This time she is looking straight forward at the young man sitting across from her. Her eyes are squinted as she has a huge smile on her face. Her cheeks are also lifted as usually happens when someone smiles big. Any nerves she had are gone and she has pure bliss. She is just has happen to see this young man as he is to see her. The corner booth behind her is once again visible and we can see that the couple is still there, so not so much time has passed that other people ate and left while she was still there. She must have been looking at the scrapbooks to recall fond memories in anticipation of seeing this man (it has to be her son, right? It is not confirmed but he will be referred to as that from now on). She may not have seen her son for a while, or they just have a really close relationship, both of which are reasons she would be so happy to see him.

0:26-0:27 The mother and son are now seen from across the diner with the windows to their side now as the background. A new man is brought into frame. He is sitting in a booth across the aisle from the booths that have previously been seen. He has gray hair and is looking down at a menu. He may be there to remind the viewer that they are still in public during the intimate moment they are sharing. The mother and son are still embraced at their hands and are also still looking at each other, she is still smiling, and the side of his mouth seems to be parted, so he is either still smiling or speaking. Through the windows is the pole the holds up the diner sign, which the very bottom of the circle can be seen, but the pole is now yellow and blue striped so this is a different angle than the pole was first shown. This confirms they are in the One Man Band Diner. In the middle of the screen (directly over the bodies of the mom and son, just below their heads/faces) there is a sentence split into two lines of white text. It says, “In 30 states it’s legal to fire, evict, or deny service to LGBT people.” Since the mother and son have been the primary focus of the video, it can be assumed that one of them (or possibly both) is part of the LGBT community. It can also be assumed that one of them has been discriminated against and either fired or evicted due to their sexual orientation. Since the woman has had a child and was wearing what was possibly a wedding band in the beginning, it is safe to assume that she is probably not the one that is LGBT (although it is a possibility, there are many factors that show otherwise). This means the man is probably the one that was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation. Since a classroom was shown earlier, it can be concluded that he was fired from being a choir teacher. Him no longer being welcomed in that classroom explains the uncomfortable emptiness that was felt while the rooms were being shown. This could be the reason they are meeting up, for comfort or guidance or both. The mom could have been looking at the scrapbooks to reminisce on a time when her son did not have to face injustices such as the one he is currently dealing with. She could have been looking distressed earlier because she was thinking about the situation and worried about if he was okay, which is why she looked happy after seeing that he was happy and okay. She is obviously accepting of his sexual orientation and loves him regardless because she is there for him in his time of struggling.

0:28-0:30 The last thing in this video is a grey screen with white font that says “Get the facts at Beyond I Do.org” in the center. The “Beyond I Do.org” is in bolder font than the beginning of the sentence and the “Beyond I Do” is underlined in yellow. At the bottom right there is a symbol, it appears to be a logo, with the words “GillFoundation” to the right of it. At the bottom left there is a white symbol that says, “ad council,” which is who made the video. This as was about LGBT awareness and against the injustices that those in the community face. Their message that acts such as firing, evicted, or discriminating due to sexuality/sexual orientation is effective. They give small peaks into the life of a little boy as he gets older. He is a happy little boy that seems to have a normal, family orientated life. It is somewhat applied that his life was filled with love and happiness growing up. Then it reveals that he is going through a hardship because of people not supporting who he chooses to love and find happiness with. It creates a humanity and empathy for this man who is human just like everyone else. One flaw in this short clip is the classroom appearing randomly with no indicating connection to woman or the kids in the picture is a little random. However, the video with sound could make more sense of those scenes.

This entry was posted in l8tersk8ter, Portfolio L8terSk8ter, Visual Rewrite. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Visual Rewrite – l8tersk8ter

  1. l8tersk8ter says:

    Feedback Please: is my level of detail better? is there enough analysis?

    Like

  2. davidbdale says:

    I got goosebumps reading your description of 0:01.
    Brilliant.
    I’m going back to read the rest. If there’s anything else I need to say, I’ll return, but I sense this is going to be a classic of the Visual Rhetoric genre. Very impressive.

    Like

  3. davidbdale says:

    I was just as impressed all the way through with the thoroughness of your reporting and the simple beauty of your phrasings, l8tersk8ter. I did wonder at times what mood the scenes evoked. As well as I could place the objects in the choir room, for example, I didn’t know whether their emptiness evoked nostalgia, or abandonment, or mere emptiness, or the sort of emptiness that says something is missing that should be here. So I missed understanding the feeling of the scenes. I hadn’t viewed the video, still haven’t, so I was at your mercy and didn’t know what to think. I did wonder (since my contention is that there’s no such thing as “filler,” whether the first diner couple was meant to emphasize “mom’s” aloneness, while the second lone male was meant to emphasize the opposite, that she was now part of a couple while he was there dining alone.

    I’ll watch the video now.

    Like

  4. davidbdale says:

    I watched the video, which left me wondering about several unanswered questions. Why the emphasis on the empty choir room? What’s the connection between the choir room and the One Man Band Diner? These questions are not well answered by the visuals alone. When the “son” slides into the booth, I got the distinct impression that he had been inside the diner. Otherwise, we would have seen him approach. That made me wonder if he might work there or own the place. By accident, I then saw the 1-minute version of this video, which autoplayed after the end of the short version. In that version, the son is shown in a marching band uniform, which connects the son more directly to the diner. Finally, I listened to the audio of the 1-minute version, which put most of the details into context.

    As thorough and beautiful as your work here is, Sk8ter, you could report on whether the 30-second version is too short to adequately tell the story. And certainly you could report whether the video succeeds without sound, or whether it requires the audio track to make its point.

    Like

Leave a comment