Rhetorical and Visual Analysis

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Running Head: VISUAL ANALYSIS
Visual Analysis
Joshua Rodriguez
The University of Texas at El Paso

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The video I have selected focuses on the issue of bullying. The title of this video is “Anti
Bullying Animation” This video was produced by two animators John Rae and Malcolm
Morrison. They have both recently completed their HND’s in film craft and animation at
Motherwell College. This is a new anti bullying film that is intended to be shown to students.
The originators of the video hope that this video will provide the incentive for: students,
teachers, and parents to put an end to bullying. The whole story of the video is about a young
student that suffers at the uncaring hands of bullies. It is based on the experiences of young
people with learning disabilities living in Lanarkshire, Scotland whom have suffered from
bullying.
The ethos also known as credibility of this video doesn’t necessarily come from the
creators themselves. It actually comes from statistics and news. The fact that many suicides are
caused by the act of bullying is most definitely this videos greatest ally. Since this video is based
on actual incidences its information is not only accurate but factual. This information strengthens
the credibility of both Malcolm Morrison and John Rae.
The logos also called logic of the clip is another key component in analyzing this video
and its effectiveness. This video was fashioned in a way to display a normal day for someone
who is bullied by his colleagues at school. The supporting evidence of the visual is, as I
mentioned, from outside sources such as: statistics, news articles, and other types of media. The
main logic behind this video was to persuade people to help put an end to bullying. Their
intentions are as clear as day. They try to put an end to bullying by using facts and reality. One
weakness of the film is that they do not have a part in there where the student seeks help.
Although research will show us that most people being bullied do not seek help; it is still
important to add something in there that will help people realize what seeking help can do.
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Alternatively they could have added the student asking for help but not receiving any. This
would most definitely enlighten parents and teachers to be open and encourage children to ask
for help when it is necessary. They could have maybe tried creating different situations for the
student in this video. They could have created one with the student receiving help, and the other
with the same ending as this one. This would have been more effective because people would be
able to compare and contrast the differences between both scenarios.
The pathos otherwise known as the audience of this video is virtually everyone. The
emotion is quite possibly the strongest quality of this clip. This video is intended to show
everyone the dangers of bullying. It plays on our emotion by using something as powerful and as
effective as death. One thing that you will notice of the video in particular is that it is black and
white throughout the whole clip. This color scheme was used for a dark and gloomy scenario to
really magnify the dark sinister side of bullying. It also presents the child’s life as a dark and sad
gloomy life. The main perspective of this video is of a student being bullied by his peers. This
gives its viewers a firsthand viewpoint of someone that is being bullied by his fellow students.
This viewpoint can also be intended to get the attention of those being bullied by their fellow
classmates. It may also help them realize that they need to seek help before the problem becomes
out of control. The All these attributes together combined provide the emotion and severity of
this video.
The interesting part of the video is its strength, both visually and verbally. This video
could easily be interpreted with only the visual element of the clip. It can also easily be
interpreted with only the oral element of the clip. However, I feel as though the verbal element
brings this attention-grabbing component that allows you to feel the emotion of the video. The
speaker talks in a very dark monotone voice that gives this clip added emotion. The words really
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allow you to feel the pain and agony of this young student. The most profound and reflective part
of the video is when the narrator says “So he took just one step and down he fell, he hung right
there in front of his hell.” This part of the video is intended to let students know how people that
are bullied can feel as though they are trapped in misery. That last line is intended to show us all;
bullying people can make them feel as if they are insignificant and useless to defend themselves
against bullies.
The focus of this video seems to be on, not only the visual element, but the oral as well.
These two parts come together and complement each other brilliantly. The oral is a poetic
narration of the visual piece of the clip. None of these two components out performs the other.
The visual presentation gives you the actual scenario and allows you to see the situation as
creators intend it to be seen. It shows the physical characteristics of the child and the bullies. In
the video you will notice that the bullies are much bigger than the student. This is a stereotype
that most people think of when it comes to bullying. The oral component gives you the poetic
description of the scenario and provides the emotion of the clip through his rhetoric. It also gives
you chilling descriptions
Bulling has been a social issue for many years. Malcolm Morrison and John Rae try to
display this problem by creating this video. It is a demonstration of the reality of bullying. It
straightforwardly shows us the same outcome of bullying in this video as it happens in real life.
Through this video they create a basic summary of all the bullying cases that have been going on
for years. They magnify this problem and put the problem before us, literally and figuratively in
black and white for all to see.

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References
"Anti Bullying Animation." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 05 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.youtube.com/>.
Wilson, Caroline. Article: Pupils to Be Shown New Anti-bullying Film. Research - Articles - Journals |
Find Research Fast at HighBeam Research. 21 Sept. 2006. Web. 05 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.highbeam.com>.

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1

Running Head: VISUAL ANALYSIS

The University of Texas at El Paso

the credibility of both Malcolm Morrison and John Rae.

able to compare and contrast the differences between both scenarios.

you chilling descriptions

black and white for all to see.

"Anti Bullying Animation." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 05 Nov. 2010.

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