Visual forms of storytelling are more compelling than written forms of

storytelling because it allows the creator to more clearly present objects to

the audience, and thus creators can tell stories more accurately.

In terms of the sheer rate of information, visual forms of storytelling have the
upper hand. Film and television tend to require passive, rather than active
engagement of the reader the way a written story might, meaning the
audience is constantly barraged with information. While the narration of some
books may be so compelling that they become page-turners, it is much
easier for a film to overwhelm the reader with details than relying on the
reader to summon up objects, one by one, in their imagination. Aside from the
narration, dialogue and text that books can provide, the attention of a
filmgoer is drawn to not just what but also how something is communicated.
In Spike Jonzes Her, for example, the defining characteristic of Theodore
Twomblys artificially intelligent OS, Samantha, is its (her) voice. Were Her to
be a written story, Samanthas humanity is gaugeable only mainly through the
content of her speech. Instead, Samantha comes to life through her pleasant
lilt, her breaths between and pauses within each sentence, and even her
shrieks of frustration when Twombly criticizes her human, which indicates to
watchers that she has the self-knowledge (as well as the insecurity) of a
human.

Though the converse may also be true a film can sometimes convey so
much information that it overwhelms watchers and important details are
skimmed over. Indeed, many films have to be seen multiple times to be fully
appreciated, and each time something new is noticed (for example, during the
scene when Amy tells Twombly that she is getting a divorce, a sign that reads
Be Perfect hangs in the background, hinting at how her insecurity hangs
over her) . On the other hand, bookreaders can go at their own pace,
analyzing and absorbing information as required. In Joseph Conrads Heart of
Darkness, an extremely dense story is compacted in 70 pages and is perhaps
Conrads best attempt at giving a realistic account of a journey in the Congo,
although many passages, such as this one, hint at the impossibility of
perfectly sharing your experience with someone:

It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dreammaking a vain attempt, because no

relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity,
surprise, and bewilderment in a tremor of struggling revolt, that notion of being captured
by the incredible which is the very essence of dreams. . . . (Conrad, pg. 49).
The largest diculty in telling a story seems to be choosing the right words,
with all its nuances and connotations to make the audience feel the way the
storyteller would like them to. In Heart of Darkness, the diculty of relaying
Captain Marlows story is amplified through the addition of the unnamed
narrator as a filter in the story. This raises the question: if textually telling a
story is as futile as trying to relay ones feelings while in a dream, can visual
forms of storytelling e.g. films do a better job?

That film has access to a mode of communication that text does not is one of
the main foundations of Her itself. While setting up the OS, Twombly verbally
answers the question are you social or antisocial?, in which the OS can
sense hesitance and evaluate the veracity of his answer. On the other hand,
the idea that purely textual information is in some sense incomplete
underpins Twomblys job he composes heartfelt letters for clients who are
unable to do so themselves to give to their loved ones, which assumes that
the receivers of such letters do not know or do not care that someone else is
writing them. Either way, it seems much easier for people to believe that such
letters are genuine, in the same way it is easier to write a lie than to tell one to
someones face.

Furthermore, in Her, visual imagery is heavily used throughout to enhance the

narrative. The lighting in the film, for example becomes warmer as the
relationship between Twombly and Samantha deepens, while the breakup
occurs in a dim room. Another subtle feature of Hers, visual storytelling is the
direction Twombly walks in Twombly is almost always walking in a direction
opposite to the surrounding crowd, highlighting his status as a social pariah.
Until he meets (purchases) Samantha, Twombly occupies himself with phone
sex and video games at home, while at work he lives vicariously through the
lives of others. There are several critical elements of the story that could be
only expressed visually.

However one scene in Her is unique for its complete lack of visual element
the verbal sexual encounter between Twombly and Samantha, where only
their voices can be heard (part of the reason for this, I assume, is that there is
nothing worthwhile to be seen). One of Samanthas struggles during the film
is her lack of body, meaning that she cannot be seen, only heard, and thus
this scene serves to highlight how important verbal or audial communication
is and how incomplete storytelling can be if they are purely visual (e.g. silent
films or cartoons) or purely textual (e.g. as unsatisfying as this scene would
be if it were not read out). The only medium of communication that both
Twombly and Samantha can use to mutually communicate are their voices.

Nevertheless, there are certain types of storytelling that becomes only

available in written form. Written stories, for example can explicitly invoke
abstract concepts that films cannot, or describe a scene as well as provide a
commentary:

And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me
as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away
of this fantastic invasion. (Conrad, pg. 23)

It is dicult to see how all the nuances of this passage can be translated onto
film, since two highly abstract concepts (evil and truth) are being used to
describe the feeling the environment can has on the narrator. In Her, the
camera is mainly on Twomblys face and upper body throughout his verbal
interactions with Samantha, and although the audience can see a wide range
of emotions such as joy, exasperation, anger, or discomfort, though one of
which could be described with two abstract metaphors (perhaps because it is
not culture-specific).

In the end, it seems as if visual and written forms of storytelling are like two
languages which have their own idiosyncratic features which cannot be
translated properly. While visual storytelling in most occasions allows for a
more accurate representation of the subject matter conveyed (because there
is less reliance on the audiences participation), written stories can sometimes
be more appropriate when trying to describe specific, abstract concepts.

 Works Cited

Conrad, J. (1995). Heart of darkness. In Joseph Conrad: Three Novels (

pp. 1-91). Macmillan Education UK.

Jonze, S. (Director), Ellison, M., & V. (Producers), & Jonze, S. (Writer).

(2013, October 13). Her [film].