The show I decided to watch is Betas. This is a new Amazon original television series. I have never watched it or seen previews for it.
The Sound Muted:
In the opening sequence the show introduces several characters in an office. It zooms in on a few, and I am assuming that these are the main characters. Character 1 is working on a computer and looking around at the other characters. From his body language he seems annoyed, because he is being distracted while trying to get work done. A little bit into the show two of the characters leave and get into a car. They are talking to each other and appear to be friends. They are talking in a carefree way with lots of smiles, laughing, and the occasional punch in the shoulder. Both of these characters seem to be friendly and familiar. Throughout the show it jumps around to different scenes, and this may be due to the fact that it is the pilot for the show and they are introducing several people. It was difficult to determine communication between characters as there were a lot of scenes with characters either alone or in a large group. In the large group sequences the communication and body language was hard to decipher, as it changed and the camera jumped around a lot.
What are they feeling and expressing based on the nonverbal behavior you are observing?
The Sound On:
I made many assumptions on this show that were incorrect. I didn’t know that there was a narrator for the show, and he explained a lot about the premise of the show and the background of many of the characters. This would have helped explain some of the exchanges as well as the relationships the characters had. I assumed that the two characters I observed in the car with friends, however after listening to it with the sound I realized they were father and son. This explained some of the touching, and the way the one character reacted to the others words. I also confused annoyance with a person making a plan. The facial expressions and body language seemed to be annoyance, but they were actually showing character 1 being devious.
I made some incorrect assumptions, and some that were correct when watching this show on mute. It is interesting to watch body language and facial expressions. They are so easily confused without knowing what is going on. Had I known the characters and the show I would have known their character. What the character was about, who they related to, what their goals were, etc. This would have helped me decipher their communication better.
Sounds like an interesting show. You made a good effort at trying to figure out the relationships in the show.Although the relationship between father son was incorrect. Your assumptions that they were familiar with one another was correct.
ReplyDeleteHi Amber,
ReplyDeleteGood posting. It is interesting to see and assume that a person is upset or annoy easily from their body language in a nonverbal communication when watching a television episode on mute. I can understand an assumption of a person being annoy while trying to get work done and experiencing a constant interruption. Over while some of your assumptions may have been inaccurate, I have learned from this assignment that it is difficult to interpret a plot and/or understand the role of characters on a television episode that you have not watch before. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It is amazing how many assumptions can so wrong when all the senses, like sight and hearing, aren't being used. I made a lot incorrect assumptions with my show as well. This made me think about how children who aren't able to fully understand us and focus on our non-verbal communication.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
ReplyDeleteI discovered from this exercise that nonverbal communication can be very misleading. I often make assumptions about people based on their body language, but I now realize even more that everything is not always the way it appears to be. It can be very risky judging a person or situations solely based on their nonverbal behaviors.