When making observations of moving images and real-world events, there are various types of evidence worth paying attention to in order to develop rich analyses and descriptions. Here are some broad categories and specific examples of such types of evidence that were developed for a graduate writing workshop on writing about visual and ephemeral evidence.
- Physical Features/Environments: Size; shape; color; lighting; who/what is depicted or present?; where are objects/people located?; weather
- Interactions Between Objects/People: How are people/things organized into groups/subgroups?; who is responsible for organization?; how long do interactions occur (duration)?; where do they occur?; what is being said/communicated (what types of language are being used)?
- Sensory Perceptions Beyond Sight: What sounds, smells, tastes, and textures characterize the object/event?
- Nonverbal communication: What elements of the object/image/event communicate meaning in non-linguistic ways (e.g., dress, gesture, expression)?
- Notable non-occurrences/absences: What is unexpectedly absent based on your expectations/knowledge of the genre? (Be careful here. Obviously, everything missing is a non-occurrence/absence. Note only those that are relevant data for your analysis.)
- Also bear in mind the broader context of the image/event/object. What publication, community, series, brand, etc. is it a part of? Who is (or was) its intended audience/participant/user? How many people does it (or did it) reach or involve?