Visual Storytelling Exercise 2

Instructions:

Storyboard with Composition Variations.

Draw a 3-panel story comic (stick figures and simple shapes are fine). Scenario: A person faces a problem and then a solution (could be as simple as "spilled coffee on papers -> friend helps -> all good"). Now create two different compositions of the same scenes: one that emphasizes the conflict dramatically and one that downplays it. For example, in the conflict scene (coffee spill), dramatic version: show the person small surrounded by huge looming coffee spill using a diagonal angle (imbalance, lots of mess, maybe tilted horizon). For a tamer version: maybe a centered, flat angle shot where the spill looks minor. In the resolution scene, dramatic version might center the two friends hugging with lots of whitespace (highlighting them), whereas a less emphatic one might have them off to side with other stuff around. Show how balance, scale, and whitespace choices change the feel: one comic might make the spill seem like a big dramatic deal, the other like a small hiccup. This shows how you, as the "director" of the scene, use composition to either crank up or dial down the perceived intensity of story moments. Discuss which better tells the story you want (if it's meant to be comedic, maybe the over-dramatization helps; if it's a casual slice-of-life, the toned down might fit). This will reinforce the idea that how you show something affects how the audience interprets it.

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For this exercise, I created two three-panel comics based on the same scenario: a female with a flat tire receiving help. The goal was to show how composition changes the emotional tone of the story.

In the Dramatic Version, I used exaggerated elements---such as looming clouds, a tilted horizon, and a heroic pose of the rescuer---to heighten the tension and relief. In the Tamer Version, I presented the scenes with balanced framing and calm expressions, making the situation appear more routine.

The assignment required experimenting with composition to emphasize or downplay conflict, to explore how scale, angles, and whitespace affect the viewer's emotional response.

Small changes in perspective, like camera angles or background elements, significantly influence how intense or relaxed a scene feels. Dramatic framing can make an ordinary problem seem like a major event, while a balanced composition can make the same event feel everyday.

I prefer the Tamer Version because it feels more relatable to real life. While the dramatic style is fun, the calmer depiction matches how most people actually experience and resolve problems. It also aligns with my preference for straightforward storytelling.