“Words or Visuals: Which Speaks Louder?”
by Jennifer Heater | Xchanges 8.2
Tables
TABLE 2: INTERPERSONAL METAFUNCTIONS BASIC FEATURES AND FEATURE PROCESSES
| Features | Feature Processes |
|---|---|
| Image Act and Gaze: The act of the eye line of the RPs in relation to the viewer. | *Demand: If the RP is looking directly at the viewer, there is a strong engagement between the RP and viewer. *Offer: If the RP is looking outside the image or at something within the image, there is less engagement. |
| Social Distance and Intimacy: The distance is determined by how close the RPs in an image are to the viewer. | *Intimate distance: Image of head and face only *Close personal distance: Image from the waist up *Close social distance: Image of the whole figure *Far social distance: Whole figure with space around it *Public distance: Image of torsos of several people |
| Perspective — Horizontal Angle and Involvement: The angle between the RPs and the viewer. | *Frontal angle: Stronger involvement between RP and viewer *Oblique angle: Greater detachment between RP and viewer |
| Perspective — Vertical Angle and Power: Relationship between the RPs and the viewer. | *High angle: RP looking down creates superior power *Medium angle: RP looking horizontally creates equal power *Low angle: RP looking up creates less power of the RP |
Compositional Metafunction
Harrison defines compositional metafunction as answering the question, “How do the representational and interpersonal metafunctions relate to each other and integrate into a meaningful whole” (55). Readers need to recognize that images have elements such as informational value, salience, and framing. Figure 5 from Flickr, taken at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England, is a conceptual structure with analytical processes. The picture as a whole is a person constructed of the attributes of letters and numbers. The compositional metafunction tells us that the RP is the nucleus since it is centered and has greater salience due to its size. Table 3 below outlines the basic systems and elements for compositional metafunctions.
TABLE 3: COMPOSITIONAL METAFUNCTIONS BASIC SYSTEMS AND ELEMENTS
| System | Elements |
|---|---|
| Informational Value: The placement of RPs within an image allows them to take on different informative roles. | *Left/Right: Left RPs have value of “given” knowledge; right RPs have value of “new” knowledge *Top/Bottom: Top RPs are “ideal” (sensitive/imaginary); bottom RPs are “real” (factual/informative) *Center/Margin: RPs in the center provide a nucleus of information |
| Salience: The ability to catch the viewer’s attention. | *Size: The larger the RP, the greater the salience *Sharpness of focus: More focused = greater salience *Tonal Contrast: Higher contrast = greater salience *Color contrast: Stronger saturated colors = greater salience *Foreground/Background: RPs in forefront have greater salience |
| Framing: The framing of the RPs affects whether they appear connected or separated. | *Framelines: Lines within the image either divide or hold together the RPs *Pictorial framing: Stronger lines around an image = stronger connection |