ARTS2065 Workshop Exercise: Not what you see

This exercise, conducted in my Screen Production II: ARTS2065 class, involves choosing a photo and analyzing its deeper implications without simply describing the scene. The picture and write-up is provided below:

Write-up

What seems like an average couple: a girl elegantly dressed in a sleek black dress and a guy standing beside her, awkwardly stuffed into a cone costume. It might come across as quirky—maybe even cute—to those who don't know better, as though he's simply the type to embrace a joke or go along with her whims.

What appears to be playful fun is, in fact, a mask for something far more insidious. The guy is trapped—emotionally cornered by the girl he loves, but who manipulates him into doing things against his will. Wearing the costume isn’t just for a funny Instagram post; it symbolises her control over him. Her response is cold and calculated whenever he resists or expresses discomfort. She tells him it’s his fault if he feels embarrassed. "If you loved me, you'd do this," she says with an almost practised ease.

"What was once light-hearted compliance has morphed into an unsettling power and control dynamic. Now, he finds himself walking down the cold, windy streets alongside her, dressed in a cone, wondering when he lost the ability to say 'no'.

Insights gained

This exercise highlighted how a single image can encapsulate complex narratives and encouraged me to think more creatively about the stories I want to tell through my own work.