How do you tell a story with a single frame?

Linwelly

Telling a story is something I do try most of the times, succeeding is a different one. I like a lot of the things mentioned here and thanks a lot for that link to the "incredibles"  cenematography, @grinch2901 that is just incredible..

Reducing it to the necessary is one thing I'm still working on, I guess the render I was most sucessful to tell my story yet was this one http://linwelly.deviantart.com/art/Trapped-654334167 (not daz appropriate so a link)

I think a good title is often a tool, like a key to an image, if it works without, even better.

 

Exeter

I don't try to tell a complete story, but try to give a sense of continuity in an ongoing story. One example is this image I posted here awhile back. It had good responses here, some very negative reactions from a few people who saw it RL and knew it was mine. It depended on how the viewer precieved the situation, which required them to imagine a story around it.

Taoz

avxp said:

 

 

Taoz: "They say that a picture tells more than a thousand words, if that's true, why do they use speech bubbles in almost every picture in a cartoon?"

I didn't take this as a serious question when I first saw it posted, but since it's here languishing, I might as well.

Firstly, you probably need to be more specific with the word "cartoon".

Cartoons are usually an illustrated joke or a political poke. The meat is the (con)text. You react to the text, not the image.

Books have covers, which, when they rely more on your imagination i.e. the "image in your mind" they use an image to spark interest.

Thus, the more removed the content is from cold facts and a document-style-format, the more the illustrations play a role.

"Textbooks" with their very deliberate name, usually use symbols and icons on the cover.- not images that tell a story. lol

There's also the 'Easter Egg' approach where little, hidden details give clues.

For the image above, it might be the badge on his beret/ uniform/suit is a hint. The building/rubble might be someplace recognizable etc.

Quite rightly, I was just joking. And I do agree with your comments, it all depends on the context.

Chezjuan

DaWaterRat said:

I always think in terms of story.  Even when doing character snapshots for RPG's, I take the character's background into account and try to hint at it through little elements.  I don't always make pictures that have story per se...

...I also don't try to cram an entire story into one frame.  Just enough of one that people can infer the rest (as they please.  avxp's example of a soldier lighting a cigarette surrounded by dead bodies - did he kill them, or was he the only survivor?  The scene can be read either way, and I'd leave it to the viewer, myself)...

This is what I generally do with my renders. I'm always thinking about the character's motivation, background, and to some extent the broader world in which the render takes place. Where possible, I like to post a line or two that suggests a story, but I also leave enough ambiguity that the viewer can fill in the blanks.

I recently did a render of a robot (using the Droid figure) waiting for it's arm to be fixed. It started as me playing around with d-formers. While the render and a small tagline (which is probably redundant) give an idea of the story to the viewer, I have a much larger backstory. I know how the arm got damaged, where the parts room is in relation to the repair bench, what kind of factory it is, and other details that never make it into the render, but that help me come up with details that I wouldn't necessarily think of if I was just dropping a figure into a scene for fun.  

Griffin Avid

Now I feel foolish going into all of that.

You got me. lol

exstarsis

I find myself doing a lot of 'story' scenes but I hadn't ever internalized how I was doing it so this thread is really exciting.

This is my favorite attempt. I am amused to see, in fact, all the bodies I put in the background.

BlueIrene

I'd like to think this one tells a story, at least sufficiently to give anyone seeing it enough of an outline to fill in their own blanks. The camera angle says that it's being viewed from the ground, so she's definitely got the upper hand here, the blood spatters say what she's been up to and the expression on her face says she's been at it because she's an unhinged lunatic rather than a terrified victim who has resorted to violence in self-defence. I'm not rigidly into the 'rule of thirds' thing, but I think the position of the axe head says that it's probably commanding more attention from the person on the ground than her facial expression is! Having hopefully established that we're looking at the villain of the piece, the image still leaves enough room not to give away the ending of the story or for the viewer to make up their own. Does the blood on her dress belong to the person on the ground, or to another victim? Is this the last thing the person on the ground will ever see, or is he about to get a last minute reprieve from a third party with a gun and a good aim? Etc.

You can do a lot with one person and a prop, and sometimes more is just a distraction.

algovincian

sriesch said:

  I'm busy working on my next contest entry render, by which I mean I got all excited about an idea and put together a scene and rendered it, then took a step back and thought... "who cares? nobody will even know what's going on in here" and I now stare blankly at it while occasionally adding something, fiddling with it for a few hours, then deleting it.

  That got me wondering, how does everybody else cram an entire story into a single frame?  What things do you do differently than you would for an image that just "looks good" but isn't supposed to tell a story?   What things have you tried to do that failed horribly that one shouldn't try?    Thoughts?  Idle rantings on this subject?  Do you have extra random extraneous lolcats that have nothing to do with this post?  Has anybody gone from animation or writing books to single image based art and contemplated this?  Should I try to cheat by adding clues when naming the render?   Over at DSA one is encouraged to write a short blurb explaining the render, something I haven't tried yet that would assist in this area, but of course that won't work when using galleries at other sites where adding text isn't an option, and half the time I only have story fragments that might not work well when put into words.  Hmmm.

I'm not big on hard/fast rules for composition (like the rule of thirds), but I do believe that the flow of a composition can help lead a viewer from one area of an image to another in a sequence. This can help a single still image tell a story. Here's one of my attempts:

Obviously, the lighting, atmosphere, expressions, poses, etc. help, too.

Personally, I prefer an image stand on its own without need for any narration, if possible. But again, not a hard/fast rule.

- Greg

algovincian

dreamfarmer said:

I find myself doing a lot of 'story' scenes but I hadn't ever internalized how I was doing it so this thread is really exciting.

This is my favorite attempt. I am amused to see, in fact, all the bodies I put in the background.

Great image, Dreamfarmer! I see fear in the full-grown guy leaning up against the wall, and hesitation to take the hand of the seemingly harmless innocent young girl. In contrast, her expression conveys a confidence and wonderful nonchalance. 

I also like the subtle touch you included in the window, along with more obvious elements.

The indications of what happened previously are there, too. Your treatment of time in the image is another excellent way to tell a story in a single still image. The viewer sees what is happening presently, and what has already happened. It all leads the viewer to wonder what will happen next, which is a good thing. Has he lifted his mask because, unlike his friends, he has been enlightnened? Or will he suffer the same fate as the others?

Your role reversal also makes the image interesting. Although much simpler, I used a similar tactic in this image:

Anyway, I'll stop babbling now. Fantastic image - thanks for sharing!

- Greg

algovincian

Astracadia said:

I'd like to think this one tells a story, at least sufficiently to give anyone seeing it enough of an outline to fill in their own blanks. The camera angle says that it's being viewed from the ground, so she's definitely got the upper hand here, the blood spatters say what she's been up to and the expression on her face says she's been at it because she's an unhinged lunatic rather than a terrified victim who has resorted to violence in self-defence. I'm not rigidly into the 'rule of thirds' thing, but I think the position of the axe head says that it's probably commanding more attention from the person on the ground than her facial expression is! Having hopefully established that we're looking at the villain of the piece, the image still leaves enough room not to give away the ending of the story or for the viewer to make up their own. Does the blood on her dress belong to the person on the ground, or to another victim? Is this the last thing the person on the ground will ever see, or is he about to get a last minute reprieve from a third party with a gun and a good aim? Etc.

You can do a lot with one person and a prop, and sometimes more is just a distraction.

Excellent example of how important the viewer's POV is, Astracadia!

- Greg

Ostadan

I think there's a continuum of 'story'.  A portrait of a woman, neutral background.  The same portrait, but now she's wearing an apron and workaday clothes.  The same portrait, but now the background is a kitchen.  Pull back a bit, and now she's looking down as her hands are preparing food.   Now add a propped-up cookbook, some additional counter mess, and a worried expression.  And, when in doubt, add a cat.

 

CypherFOX

Greetings,

Ostadan said:

And, when in doubt, add a cat.

It sounds flippant, but it's not.  Not just a cat, per se, but a pet or other animal can be the 'voice' of the illustrator, either guiding the eye or providing wordless commentary on the image.  Or just humanizing (ironically enough) something that otherwise feels too bare or cold.  Kids can do this too, in the right circumstances.

I'm loving this thread also, by the way.

--  Morgan

 

Chohole

Add a cat,  the cat can even tell the story.  This is a photo, not a render.  My son told me my desk needed tidying up.  My cat didn't say anything  but his opinion is quite clear and really tells the story

 

nonesuch00

Ostadan said:

I think there's a continuum of 'story'.  A portrait of a woman, neutral background.  The same portrait, but now she's wearing an apron and workaday clothes.  The same portrait, but now the background is a kitchen.  Pull back a bit, and now she's looking down as her hands are preparing food.   Now add a propped-up cookbook, some additional counter mess, and a worried expression.  And, when in doubt, add a cat.

 

Good progressive sequence there.

JOdel

I usually do illustrations rather than portraits. And I've taken part in a number of fanfic exchanges or fests as an artist. For those you are assigned a prompt and need to build your illustration to fit it.

Of course sometimes I've provided my own priompt and submitted something to the exchange as a gift to the community.

Here are a few of those:

http://www.redhen-publications.com/problematic.html           http://www.redhen-publications.com/staffroom.html

http://www.redhen-publications.com/outing.html                http://www.redhen-publications.com/1999.html

And of course there is the Tarot deck. Since it's a straightforward Rider/Waite/Smith homage, everyone already knows the "story", but it's still told in single panels. This is the opening page to that collection.

http://www.redhen-publications.com/tarot-intro.html

nonesuch00

those are nice

Ivy

Chohole said:

Add a cat,  the cat can even tell the story.  This is a photo, not a render.  My son told me my desk needed tidying up.  My cat didn't say anything  but his opinion is quite clear and really tells the story

 

is licking ass TOS friendly?

JOdel

Thanks!

algovincian

Ivy said:

Chohole said:

Add a cat,  the cat can even tell the story.  This is a photo, not a render.  My son told me my desk needed tidying up.  My cat didn't say anything  but his opinion is quite clear and really tells the story

 

is licking ass TOS friendly?

LMAO! I needed a good laugh, so thanks for that, Ivy!

How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a  . . . oh nevermind.

- Greg

Ivy

algovincian said:

Ivy said:

Chohole said:

Add a cat,  the cat can even tell the story.  This is a photo, not a render.  My son told me my desk needed tidying up.  My cat didn't say anything  but his opinion is quite clear and really tells the story

 

is licking ass TOS friendly?

LMAO! I needed a good laugh, so thanks for that, Ivy!

How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a  . . . oh nevermind.

- Greg

Eww ..lol 

Daywalker Designs

Sometimes just a title like this one has, and a snippet of conversation between characers.

Judgement without cause

IceScribe

Great topic!  I think posing and lighting contribute to a story in an image. Is the main character in the dark and the scene in light? Is the scene dark and perhaps forboding, and the character has some light? Are their eyes just gazing or are they looking at or for something intently, fearfully, quizzically? Is their neck craned, back bent, knees crooked, that kind of thing. The other character is what they are reacting to or acting on. What is it? What is the action between the antogonists to be? Wary? Friendly? Aggresive? Body language in poses tell these things.  I always shop for interesting poses, as they help my renders be hopefully, more interesting. Putting a spotlight on the face with some contrasting darkness shows off even slight expressions. Skies echo the mood. Fiery? Stormy? Balmy? Dank? Well, that's my approach.

mal3Imagery

How I tell a story in a single frame is through lighting, composition, time of day, posing, character's clothing, environment, expressions.  Here is one of my early render with all the above things combined.