Watkins, Robert. (2006). Words are the ultimate abstraction: Towards using Scott McCloud for teaching visual rhetoric.
http://kairos.technorhetoric.net/12.3/topoi/watkins/index.html
Watching Watkin's video parallels the points I've tried to make with the few videos I've made: What Does Visual Literacy Sound Like? and Graceland. I agree, "multimodality and visual rhetoric are emerging genres of which compositionists should take note" Robert Watkins draws on the "pedagogy of punk = change" movement and notes that writers and compositionists should pay attention to this. In visual rhetoric, there might be the power that can change worlds.
He draws on Keith Kenny who says there are three things we do with visual texts: we identify its function, we access how well that function serves its purpose and we evaluate its legitimacy. We create the meanings from the shapes we use to communicate. This is why I feel Watkins work is important.
Interestingly, Watkins asks, "How do I show visual punctuation?" I would argue it is the same way movie makers have made their points within the cinematic discourses they use and that writers should pay attention to this. Times are exciting, indeed.
Using visuals, spoken word, music and video creates a multimediated text that challenges traditions while upholding them just the same. Written word has a lot of power. But, today, people create "mixes" of different sounds, different genres and with different formats to realign the power they use to argue. "AN ARGUMENT IS AN ARGUMENT. The underground can spew forth amazing pedagogical opportunities. Aren't we all just trying to spread understanding?"
Multimodal communication is another way to understand a multimodal world.
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