Every Sunday, a video, image or story idea straight to your inbox. You can sign up below.
A confident pig
Last year, this video appeared on TikTok.
You can watch the videos by clicking on the images.
The video shows a pig walking purposefully across a field. With each step, its large body bounces from side to side and its ears flap up and down.
There's something quite comical about the way it moves – which is probably why it was shared in the first place.
Although we might watch a video like this in silence, we are not just passive viewers. Human beings are creatures of semantics and when we engage with a video, we create meaning.
Making meaning often involves asking questions.
- Is this a farm animal or someone’s pet?
- Where is the pig going and what is it thinking?
- What is the pig's story?
Questions don't necessarily stay unanswered. Our imaginations will naturally invent details to fill in the gaps.
Whatever story you imagined, it will probably change when you see this second video of the same pig. This new video was uploaded to Instagram a few days later by the same user (@Angelo_dorny).
The new video reveals a great discovery – that the pig moves perfectly in time to 'Stayin' Alive' – the 1977 pop song that provides the new audio track.
Notice how the music influences the story we create. Suddenly, the pig becomes a strutting, confident character. Perhaps he is heading out for a night on the town. Maybe he's got a date and night of dancing and sweet love lies ahead.
Combined elements
Video combines different elements or 'modes' to create meaning – most commonly, moving images with sound.
In our pig video, the visuals and the music each contribute their own layer of meaning. But together, they create a story greater than either element alone could tell.
This is multimodality at work – the interplay of multiple modes (images, text, and sound, for example) to co-construct meaning.
As a concept, it can apply to a wide range of media including websites, picture books, posters and packaging. But for the purposes of this post, we are going to stick with video.
A self-defeating sheep
Let's switch from pigs to sheep.
In this next video, a helpful boy pulls a sheep out of a ditch. Upon being freed, the sheep runs in a circle then takes a spectacular leap and dives headfirst into the same ditch.
A caption at the top of the video reads, 'Me trying to save my friend from a toxic relationship’.
In this case, it’s the moving images and the text that co-construct meaning.
The moving images provide a strong visual narrative involving a self-defeating sheep. Meanwhile, the caption provides a new context and a clever metaphor for a relatable human situation.
Other ways to create meaning
There are other ways to create meaning in video. Intertextuality refers to how meaning is shaped by connections to other texts.
For example, our pig video invites associations with the song ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ which connects to the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta’s iconic character and disco culture. These references add a playful new layer of meaning to the video.
Similarly, we could talk about how meaning is created through editing. A great example of this is the Kuleshov effect which describes how viewers create meaning by connecting sequential, unrelated shots – as illustrated by this video of an unfortunate duck (sorry vegetarians!)
Teaching English
So how does all of this relate to our profession? Why is multimodality an up-and-coming buzzword in English language teaching? How important is it to teach multimodal literacy? And why should we focus on multimodality over other aspects of visual literacy?
Personally, I am a bit skeptical. As language teachers, we already have enough on our plate. Why add to an ever-growing list of professional responsibilities, especially one that goes beyond just teaching English?
Having said that, recognising how video combines different modes of meaning can help us make better use of it in the classroom – it has some practical implications.
I wonder what you think?
What's happening in LessonStream?
Last week, we launched the LessonStream Video Course for English teachers, trainers and material writers.
This is a course that will show you how to use video to its full potential and create engaging learning experiences to motivate your students. Multimodality is something we will be exploring in more detail.
Why not join us?
Thank you for reading and see you next week 🤗
Jamie
Responses