Element

Element: Respond

There are numerous elements that compose a multimodal text. Work through the following questions to consider this short film in which a group of Native Americans read Ryan Red Corn's poem, "Bad Indians." Then “submit” your responses.

As you work through these questions, you will be analyzing the impact of basic design choices—how different elements come together to create a text—and you will evaluate these choices and their effectiveness.

Credit: Thomas Ryan Red Corn, Buffalo Nickel Creative

  1. Question 1

    Watch the first twenty-five seconds of this film (00:00-00:25) and write down all of the major elements you see and hear. Why do you think the author chose this particular font for the opening credits? What effect would it have if this element, the title, were set in a black stencil font, like this:



    image

    or a green comic sans serif font, like this:




    image

  1. Question 2

    If you didn't do so already, pay attention to the sounds you're hearing and write down the major audio elements from the first twenty-five seconds. Why do you think the author chose these aural elements instead of, say, a traditional pow wow song or simply no sound at all?

  1. Question 3

    Now watch the whole video. Describe what elements you feel are the most effective in terms of conveying the purpose of the poem. Make sure to pay special attention to the author's choices in this video: his use of color, people, sound, and any other element that comes to mind.

  1. Question 4

    Choose the element you find the most persuasive or appealing, and describe how you imagine this element affecting an audience very different from yourself. What audience are you imagining? How is this element particularly effective in conveying a message?