Three Ways Gore Uses Visual Media in Presentation
When looking at Gore’s presentation, the three ways that Gore enriched his presentation which I noted were by using actual images, by using short animated clips, and by showing statistical images. Many of the actual images that Gore presented were those that showed the environment and how it has been altered by global warming. For instance, he showed images of many different glaciers around the world as they had been prior to the influence of man-induced global warming in comparison with images of these same glaciers as they are seen today. The differences are very significant and this difference weighs heavily on the mind of the viewer. Similarly, images are also shown of major lakes in the world which have greatly diminished in size in recent years because of the problem of global warming. In addition, Gore shows images of humans suffering that were caused by natural disasters influenced to a great extent by global warming. Such images strongly impact the audience, who can sympathize with the suffering of others. In addition, I thought it was effective how Gore uses the image of the globe almost as an anchoring device to constantly reinforce the purpose of his presentation. This image was that of the earth as seen from space. He keeps the central issue in focus throughout the presentation by using this unifying image. The image continuously reminds the audience of what is at stake with in this issue; that is, in a sense, earth’s integrity. The image of the earth reoccurs as Gore moves through the spans of his argument. The first image he presents is the first photograph ever taken of the earth from space. He continues to use the image during the presentation, such as when he shows the changes in the atmosphere occurring in a day. At the end, he effectively concludes his presentation by showing the earth image again, then showing an image of the earth that is taken from way out in space and represents the earth as a tiny speck. He appeals to the audience in this way by stating how man’s entire history has occurred on that tiny speck. In order to maintain it as a home, people need to be more conscious in caring for it.
The animated clips that Gore showed are influential for the audience’s reception of the message. Although I did not particularly like the first cartoon strip he show of the little girl having global warming explained to her, this clip did simplify the explanation and effects of global warming, making them easily grasped by individuals lacking a solid science background. The clip with the swimming polar bear who cannot find an iceberg to rest on is also effective because it is a simple illustration of one of the outcomes resulting from global warming. Many animal lovers have a fondness for polar bears, especially children, so this example affects them. An individual’s knowledge of what it feels like to be swimming around for a long time without a wall to cling to further helps members of the audience to grasp the importance of working to change the global warming problem. Another animated clip that Gore uses for a humorous effect is that of a frog sitting in a boiling pot of water. This clip makes the audience laugh because it seems so silly that a frog would not jump out of the water which has become more and more dangerous to it over time, yet Gore is able to effectively apply this theory to the way people are acting who do not take action on the problem of global warming as it continues to destroy our home.
Gore’s use of statistical images also drives home the seriousness of global warming. He uses various graphs and charts that illustrate aspects of the global warming problem. For instance, he uses a line graph that shows the rise in global temperature across time. Viewers are able to see how relatively constant the line is until it reaches the point in history corresponding to the industrial revolution where it rises dramatically and continues to skyrocket, placing it now at a point on the graph that is so much higher than the others that Gore needs a scissor lift to be able to point to our current position. Furthermore, Gore shows figures such as a pie graph to illustrate the U.S. contribution to the problem in terms of CO2 emissions.
The effect of these visuals was that they gives viewers a clear and comprehensive understanding of the issue, problem, and stakes involved in the topic of global warming. It makes the information easier for viewers to comprehend and thereby put their understanding to use to reach solutions. The way the visual images are used enables the information to hit home with the viewer because they are images that people can easily recognized, remember, and sympathize with. The humor that is incorporated in various places throughout the presentation helps to keep the viewer’s interest and attention. In this way Gore can effectively send his message which has a more serious nature.
