BlogEnglishThe Complete HSC English Visual Techniques Cheat Sheet
The Complete HSC English Visual Techniques Cheat Sheet
Ever looked at an image and thought: “What am I looking at?” or “What am I supposed to be looking for?”
As a HSC all-rounder, I’ve written this comprehensive guide to visual techniques to help you become an expert at identifying techniques, with visual examples so you know how to effectively tackle unseen texts and film analysis.
From being a tutor, these techniques are the ones student often miss or struggle to remember.
So, why not save yourself the hassle? You can download this and save it for later!
English visual techniques are tools which help convey a certain image. They may be used in any still form of media, including photos, picture books, book covers and posters.
Allusions
References to other images/visual media, including art, films, pop culture, religious icons, etc.
Sometimes in the form of a parody (referencing another image but making it humorous), these usually recontextualise or “change the meaning” of the original media.
Example of Allusion
Left — Vermeer, Johannes.Girl with a Pearl Earring. 1665. Oil on canvas. Mauritshuis Museum, Netherlands.
In his recontextualisation of Vermeer’s masterpiece, Banksy shifts to a contemporary medium
Furthermore, he also redirects the main focal point of the painting to comment on society’s obsession with surveillance, swapping out the lustrous pearl earring with a security alarm box.
Angles/lines
The ‘direction’ of an image based on the angles or lines within it.
Horizontals create a sense of calm, verticals a sense of structure and diagonals a mood of unease or being off balance.
Example of Angles/lines
Munch, Edward. The Scream. 1805. Oil on canvas. The National Museum in Oslo, Norway.
Munch’s iconic work heavily utilises diagonal lines to further emphasise the anxiety and unease the figure is experiencing.
Body Language
Facial expressions, body language and gestures used to show character’s attitudes, moods or personality. Often focussed on overall body movement and positioning.
Example of Body Language
Rimmer, William. The Falling Gladiator. 1907. Bronze. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, United States of America.
The off-balance pose of the statue conveys tension and dramatic emotion. From the strained hand gesture to the position of the gladiator’s legs, Rimmer has captured the warrior’s verge of collapse, evoking an empathic admiration from the viewer.
Colour (Hue/Tones)
Colours are symbolic of different emotions, moods, etc. and are used to evoke corresponding responses in audiences.
For example, purple is a colour of royalty, wealth and luxury whereas red can symbolise lust, passion, anger and so on. Furthermore, you should consider how saturated colours are (are they bright and vivid or dull and desaturated?).
Basic Colour Wheel & Tonal Guides
When an image is purposely made monochrome, there are often two underlying connotations.
The first, outlined by an aim to communicate spiritual purity. By choosing only one colour, an artist can abstract meaning and create a sense of “oneness”.
The second is to entirely focus on a work’s physical elements, whether colour, texture, form, etc. Often, artists use this to unveil parts of their artistic creation.
Example of Colour (Hues/Tones)
Hopper, Edward. Nighthawks. 1942. Oil on canvas. The Art of Institute of Chicago, United States of America.
Hopper masterfully contrasts warm hues and artificial light to the cool and muted tones of the street.
Moreover, he also highlights an idea of isolation and contemplation amidst an urban and supposedly connected setting by applying this contrast to the figures in the painting; the isolated and centre-most figure adopts the colour and tones of the street.
Composition
What an image is made up of — where things are placed, how it is framed, the colour and lighting used, etc. This generally refers to the image as a whole.
In this self portrait, Kahlo utilises an earthy and natural colour palette to underline a connection to nature. The thorn necklace and the dead hummingbird in the lower third of the painting symbolise the suffering Kahlo has endured throughout her life.
Furthermore, she expertly utilises the rule of thirds to create interest throughout the entire painting: A monkey in the middle-left third; her face in the centre; and a black cat in the middle-right third.
Contrast
Placing things that are considered opposite close to each other. Contrasts can be between colours (black and white), sizes (large and small), textures (rough and smooth), etc. to create interest and complexity.
One small contrasting colour/size/shape in an image is also usually highly salient because it stands out.
Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. 1937. Oil on canvas. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Spain.
This photograph shows the immense scale of Picasso’s Guernica in extreme contrast to a child.
Furthermore, this juxtaposition is emphasised through what each symbolise: A child and its innocence, and the painting for its depiction of the atrocities of war.
Framing
The camera shots and angles used in images/films to create different audience reactions and emotions.
These include close-ups, extreme close-ups, mid shots, aerial shots, etc.
Guideline to Basic Framing Shots
Long/Wide Shot
A shot that is made up of a large landscape, cityscape or other kind of scene.
Generally these are used to get across lots of information at once, such as the layout of a room, the location of an event, the number of people around, etc.
Examples of Long Shots
Left — Film: Brad Bird’s Ratatouille, 2007.
The location of the movie is established in this extreme long shot of Paris. Remy’s size is also vastly contrasted to the seemingly infinite streets of the city to outline both a sense of insignificance and longing for purpose.
Right — Film: Dennis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2, 2024.
The film’s protagonists are placed in an ever expansive desert landscape. It successfully establishes a location as well as who the focus will be in succeeding scenes.
Medium Shot
A shot that is approximately half-filled with a figure, object, etc.
Usually these are ‘regular’ shots and are very common for character conversations/interactions or showing a select area or object within an area (a desk, chair, etc.).
Examples of Medium Shots
Left —Film: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, 2023.
Gerwig utilises an over-the-shoulder medium shot to sustain a dialogue between two characters. Additionally, through focus and a wider aperture, viewers are guided on who is speaking or doing an action.
Right — Film: Vincente Minnelli’s Meet Me in St. Louis, 1944.
Similarly, Minelli’s medium close-up shot contains Tootie from shoulder up. Often this is used to capture a character’s reaction to something.
Close-up Shot
When the frame is mostly or entirely filled with a character’s face, an important object, etc.
Used to create viewer focus and show that whatever is being shown is important. Often used on character’s faces in highly emotional images.
Example of Close-up Shots
Left — Film: Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, 2023.
By taking up majority of the space, the focus is tightly aimed at character’s facial expression. In this Saltburn still, Felix’s friendly expression, direct gaze, and upturned smile create a sense of welcomeness.
Right — Book: Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, 2015. Cover Photo by Peter Hujar.
The book cover has been tactfully chosen to convey intense and raw emotion. The black and white reiterates a simplistic yet overwhelming pain and discomfort that perhaps prefaces readers of the novel.
High Angle Shot
A shot taken from slightly above something/someone, looking down on it/them.
Creates a sense of the character being weak, helpless, intimidated, etc. May also be used to represent someone literally looking down at an object/scene (point of view).
Example of High Angle Shot
Film: David Yates’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007.
In this high angle shot, Harry Potter is clearly depicted as weak and intimidated.
Low Angle Shot
A shot taken from slightly below someone/something, used to present them/it as being in a position of power, dominance or control.
May also be used to have someone literally look up at someone/something (point of view).
Example of Low Angle Shot
Michelangelo. David. c. 1501-1504. Marble. Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, Italy.
At 5.17 metres in height, it is quite hard to perceive Michelangelo’s statue as anything but powerful. However, by placing the viewer at the base of the statue, David’s strength and power is only further emphasised.
Gaze
Where a character looks, which then directs the viewer’s eyes. Can also be used to express emotion/intent.
A ‘demand’ gaze involves direct eye contact between a character and the viewer, an ‘offer’ often has the character look at something within the image, drawing the viewer’s eyes there too.
Example of Gaze
Left — Cabanel, Alexandre. The Fallen Angel. 1847. Musée Fabre, France.
The angel in Cabanel’s painting adopts an intense ‘offer’ gaze, expressing a mix of defiance, melancholy, and resentment.
By following his tear-filled eyes, viewers are left to wonder about an absent external entity, which has caused the angel’s inner conflict and fall from grace.
Right — Nash, Graham. Plaza Hotel Mirror. 2021. In his book ‘A Life in Focus’.
In Nash’s photograph, audiences are forced into an extremely intimate scene in the bathroom. The ‘demand’ gaze of the subject conveys both a sense of invasion and curiosity.
Law of Thirds
By dividing an image into equal thirds along the horizontal and vertical axis you can break it into 9 equal sections which each have different connotations.
Movement is expected from the left thirds to the right thirds, otherwise it’s read as moving backwards (literally or figuratively). Characters in the top right third are seen as powerful or in control, while those in the bottom left thirds are weaker or being controlled.
Example of Law of Thirds
Rosenthal, Joe. Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. 1945.
This iconic World War II photograph captures soldiers and the flag at key intersection composition points. A dynamic emphasis on human effort and victory is achieved by following the upward diagonal motion of the rising flagpole.
Lighting
How a shot is lit or not lit.
This includes natural lighting (the sun, open windows, etc.) and man-made lighting (lamps, torches, etc.) as well as feature lighting such as coloured lights, spotlights, moving lights, etc.
Lighting has a major impact on the mood and atmosphere of an image (low light is seedy, harsh light is unnerving, soft light is intimate, etc.).
Example of Lighting
van Honthorst, Gerard. The Matchmaker. 1625. Oil on wood. Centraal Museum, Netherlands.
Lighting is used to enhance painting’s mood and focus. van Honthorst’s use of chiaroscuro (a lighting technique), draws attention, creates intimacy, and simultaneously emphasises the scene’s curious secrecy.
Point of View
How the shot is framed in reference to the viewer or a character.
Does the shot take the character’s point of view (a shot of a character leaning out a window cutting to an aerial shot looking down from a window) or is the audience placed level with, above or below the characters/objects/action?
Example of Point of View
Rockwell, Norman. Freedom from Want. 1943. Oil on canvas. Norman Rockwell Museum, United States of America.
Rockwell’s painting positions the viewer to look over a warm and lively dinner. Furthermore, by having the bottom-right character directly gaze at viewers, we are even acknowledged as being “part of the painting”.
Positioning
Where objects and characters have been placed in correlation to each other.
What is in the foreground, middle ground and background and why have they been placed there?
The main figure of the painting is placed exactly in the centre foreground. The fog and clouds blend in the background to shroud the expansive mountainous landscape.
By having the figure face away from the viewer and instead the landscape, a deep sense of contemplation is established.
Salience
How much any section of an image draws the viewer’s eyes – the most salient feature of an image is whatever/wherever the viewer’s eyes are first drawn when they look at it.
Salience is always deliberate and usually created through contrast, colour, framing and layout.
In this masterpiece, Turner tactfully uses light and contrast to draw the viewer to the ship in the middle-right.
Symbolism
The use of one image/object to represent an idea or concept that is more complex than it is. Religious symbolism, pop culture symbolism and animal symbolism are all very common.
Example of Symbolism
Music Video: Madonna’s, Vogue, 1990. Directed by David Fincher.
From its use of black and white cinematography to it’s direct references to iconic figures like Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich, Madonna’s Vogue takes viewers back to Old Hollywood allure and glamour.
Text
Words used within images to convey a literal or figurative message.
Consider the font, colour, size, weight, etc. of the text, where and how often it has been used and the connotations of the words actually used.
Example of Text
Kruger, Barbara. I shop therefore I am. 1990. Museum of Modern Art, United States of America.
The extremely simple yet profound use of text, becomes an avenue for Kruger’s critique of consumerist societies.
Vectors
The lines or paths the viewer’s eyes follow when looking at an image.
Vectors are often deliberately created to lead the eyes to a focal point or important feature. Because we read left to right we tend to follow vectors in the same direction across an image.
Example of Vectors
Degas, Edgar. The Ballet Class. c. 1871-1874. Musée d’Orsay, France.
The floor and the young dancers, their gestures and gazes, are used to direct viewers to the focal point of the painting: The ballet instructor.
The following visual techniques are nearly exclusively used in film or other video formats.
Aerial Shot
A shot usually taken from a crane or helicopter to show a landscape, city, or many other elements within a single moving shot. Usually these are used to establish settings, large spaces/areas or a sense of scale.
Example of Aerial Shot
Film: Christopher Nolan’s Batman: The Dark Knight, 2008.
Nolan utilises Aerial shots to effectively establish and depict Batman’s Gotham City.
Costuming
The clothes, makeup, hairstyles, accessories, etc. designed to be worn by characters to represent their personality, status, heritage, culture, etc.
Colour symbolism often comes into play here (a character wearing earthy colours may be associated with gardening, plants and nature).
Often character’s clothes will fit within one or two similar colour palettes or tones and use fabrics of similar textures.
Example of Costuming
Film: Gary Ross’ The Hunger Games, 2012.
Here, costuming successfully differentiates the status of two characters. Effie wears a lavish and extravagant purple dress, and along with make up denotes wealth and luxury.
Contrastingly, Katniss’s faded blue attire represents both her lesser social status and heroic innocence.
Cut
The splicing of two shots together so that one seems to instantly move to the other.
There are many different types of cuts – jump cuts are more jagged and create a sense of fast pace or deliberately staggered editing, match cuts involve cutting between two very visually similar shots to create a more seamless flow.
Example of Jump Cut
Film: Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, 1993.
Here jump cuts are used to quickly depict Schindler’s process of picking out a secretary.
Example of Match Cut
Film: Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 2010.
The match cut seamlessly transitions Scott and audiences to a dream-like world through the opening of his eyes, emphasised by the warmer, more intense lighting.
Dialogue
The words spoken by characters. Regular literary techniques are used (metaphor, simile, personification, etc.). But, also consider character vocal inflection, tone, pauses, etc. as well as their vocal range (does the character have a deep voice? A high, feminine voice?).
Example of Dialogue
Film: Michael Curtiz’s Mildred Pierce, 1945.
The dialogue between Veda and Mildred is depicted through a heated argument. Veda’s repetition of “I can get away,” and then her listing of reasons make for a more engaging delivery.
Furthermore, pauses are used effectively at the end of the sequence to further dramatise each character’s action.
Diegetic Sound
The ‘literal sound’ created by the objects and people within a shot – sounds that the character is presumed to be hearing as well.
This includes; character dialogue, fabric rustling, animals, background noise/voices, sounds made by objects (doors closing, rain), etc.
Example of Diegetic Sound
Film: Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, 2002.
First, we are positioned to hear the bustling streets of New York.
A cut into the car muffles the sounds of the street so that we more clearly hear the iconic exchange between Peter and Uncle Ben.
Non-diegetic Sound
The ‘non-literal sound’ that has been added into a shot that the characters cannot hear.
This includes; narration/voice-over, added sound effects, music (that isn’t shown to be produced from an onscreen source such as a tv, dance party, etc.) and the film score/soundtrack.
Example of Non-diegetic Sound
Film: Pete Docter’s Inside Out, 2015.
Joy’s voice-over introduces Disgust.
Digital Effects
Any images, characters, setting and effects added digitally in post-production to add to or alter the original shot.
Remember that all digital effects are deliberate and have been added for a reason – to change the mood of a shot, change character gesture, etc.
Example of Digital Effects
Film: Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once, 2022.
This fight sequence integrates digital effects, from atmospheric distortion to the simple sparks, that along with sound effects create an immensely engaging scene that emphasises the action of each character.
Establishing Shot
The shot at the beginning of a film or scene that gives the basic or introductory information to viewers. Generally includes or introduces the location, characters, etc.
Example of Establishing Shot
Film: Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014.
Anderson’s masterful use of long shots and framing allows for viewers to get a sense of the film’s setting.
Fade In/Out
A transition device whereby a shot fades into or out of black (or another image) at the end or beginning of the shot respectively.
These are generally used to create a sense of slow movement, intimacy or ‘trailing off’ in a shot/scene.
Example of Fade In
Film: Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, 2016.
The iconic Cinemascope title fades into the very first scene of the film.
Montage
The cutting together or several shots that show small pieces of a larger scene or idea to create an overall sense of time passing/something occurring.
Most commonly used in training sequences where a character must become skilled in a task over time. Often consists of many shots of them completing different training exercises which are cut together to create a sense of them improving over time.
Example of Montage
Film: Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, 1941.
This montage showcases the progression of the Kanes’ marriage throughout the years using only a few minutes of the film.
Props
Items and objects used within a shot to create a sense of setting, represent character interests, symbolise something else or be interacted with.
Generally the most important props are those used or seen as important by characters, as well as recurring props that feature in several different scenes/shots throughout the film.
Example of Props
Film: Irvin Kershner’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980.
The iconic lightsabers have been used throughout the entire Star Wars series. Luke’s blue lightsaber is used to symbolise his heroic purpose and loyalty.
While Darth Vader and other antagonists, are portrayed wielding a red lightsaber to symbolise a fallen, or more “evil” path.
Voice-over
Audio narration laid over the top of a shot’s regular soundtrack. Generally voiceover is used to give audiences extra information, additional commentary or character’s specific views/comments on the scene.
Example of Voice-over
Short Film: Eugen Merher’s Dark Red, 2021.
The use of voice-over captures the emotional and important sentiment of the short film.
Film specific techniques are visual tools used to convey messages in films, television episodes, documentaries and other forms of video.
We also have an in-depth guide on analysing visual texts to ace your HSC English Assignments!
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Maddison Leach completed her HSC in 2014, achieving an ATAR of 98.00 and Band 6 in all her subjects. Having tutored privately for two years before joining Art of Smart, she enjoys helping students through the academic and other aspects of school life, even though it sometimes makes her feel old. Maddison has had a passion for writing since her early teens, having had several short stories published before joining the world of blogging. She has completed a Bachelor of Communications at the University of Technology Sydney and is now a Senior Features Writer at Nine.com.au.
