Through this course, I’ve learned about key parts of visual language, Elements and Principles.
For example: color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value are visual elements. Space can guide the viewer’s eye, while texture adds personality and style. Sometimes an artist organizes these elements to create rhythm, movement, or even uses the Golden Ratio (1:1.6). Strong contrast can create powerful visual impact, and blending multiple elements together makes the composition more beautiful.
But actually there is an principles I cannot understand ,is Value, what is the value in visual language? So I find the imformation from teacher give us ducument :” The word “value” is used a lot around this website. And with good reason. Value is one of the seven elements of art. Value deals with the lightness or darkness of a color. ”
Value refers to tone and lightness/darkness. For example, in Léon: The Professional, when Léon and Mathilda first meet in the hallway, light and shadow split them into bright and dark sides. This is not only a visual composition but also a metaphor for their fate and circumstances.
The overall tonal style of a film，such as the Blade Runner 2049， sets its aesthetic and emotional atmosphere. In character portrayal, specific lighting， like the shadows across the face in The Godfather， can shape personality and inner state.
I didn’t read the whole writing but in my understanding《Film Art: An Introduction》 made me realize that film is not just a story presented naturally, but an art form organized through elements such as narrative structure, cinematography, editing, sound, and value. Much of the audience’s understanding and emotional response is actually guided step by step through the arrangement of these formal principles.
Meanwhile, Color Theory: A Critical Introduction taught me that colors do not inherently carry fixed emotions or symbols. Instead, their meanings are constantly shaped within historical, cultural, and power structures. For example, golden yellow symbolized imperial power in ancient China. Our understanding of color often reflects socially constructed experiences and visual cultural norms, rather than pure perception itself.
