Hands in pockets = Scene of dialog.
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This site is a little project that lets me make fun of some things and sense of others. I use it to think a little more relationally without resorting to doing actual math.

You, too can earn a living with visuals.
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April 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 am
I’m sorry– I just don’t like this one. It feel gratuitously violent, and there is already so much violence in the world. Also, it seems to somehow normalize the kind of brutal violence committed against human beings when others torture.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
Amanda what the hell are you talking about
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:50 am
Sorry Amanda, but I love this one. If you think of it more deeply, it’s not violent at all. It’s an accurate observation of formulaic cinematic devices. These are commonly seen on screen, and we have been conditioned to respond emotionally to the intersection of hands on doorknobs or near garbage disposals. We know what’s coming. It creates “cinematic tension” as the sketch suggests. Yet, Hollywood continues to use these devices. And we fall for them. Over and over again.
Well done, Indexed. Even your title fits the bill.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:28 am
@Phylan - +1
Amanda, I think you’re missing the point in a big way.
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Hi, I found this site recently and I love it! I feel compelled to post an illustration of today’s diagram in action. It is NOT for everyone! I’m going to say it’s probably rated R for bloody violence (sorry Amanda). But, if you have a certain sense of humor, and are a fan of the horror genre, it’s really funny!
It’s called “Disposer” and it’s about 2 minutes long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8C_TelTfYg
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Amanda is what’s referred to as a ‘troll’. The best thing to do in those situations is to ignore them and move on.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I was thinking “troll,” too.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I’m sorry, I just don’t like this one. It feels gratuitously violent. Also, it seems to somehow normalize the kind of brutal violence committed against human beings by garbage disposals.
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Mmm… troll hands near door knob or garbage disposal!
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I forgot to add, lol.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
@jamie–
Hah.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
It’s a shame how the first moron to make a comment can ruin the feel of the whole thing.
I like it. I got a sense of anxiety just looking at it. Bravo!
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
It’s not about the actual grinding of the hand. It’s about the feeling when you see someone reaching down a garbage disposal (to recover a dropped ring) in a film. You know something is about to happen — and the same feeling happens whenever the director emphasizes the hand on the doorknob — something big is going to happen as they go through the door.
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
I wanna lower the doorknob in the garbage disposal. Is that so wrong?
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:48 pm
“Hands in pockets = Scene of dialog.”
Depends on what channel you’re watching or what type of movie theater you’re in….
April 22nd, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Ummm… I’m not a troll, ya’ll. I love this site, and I read it first thing every day. I’m a bit saddened to see that someone who reads the post differently than most visitors is automatically assumed to be a “troll.” You can all love this post as much as you want– it just gave me a pit in my stomach.
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:26 am
It does make sense. If you think that we can’t have a scene with <> in a porno movie consequently we don’t have dialogs. Quite true.
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:27 am
Sorry, I had “hands in pockets in the thing. The website magically erased it. (I ussed double )
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:10 am
Having pulled a greenie out of the garbage disposal a few days ago, I am keenly aware of the tension…even though I pulled the plug, it’s still freaky.
Amanda’s not a troll, lay off. She just had a different reaction to it, that’s all. It’s a big world.
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Well done Jessica - I think this is possibly the first ever instace of a Venn diagram being called ‘gratuitously violent’!
Amanda: Not a criticism but - you reacted badly to the tension implicit in the diagram due to your tv/film viewing experiences. Do you see that this is not the diagram but you? I had no indication of human/human violence until I read your comment.
April 24th, 2009 at 7:43 am
First, this post is obviously not talking about human violence. It’s about film creators or the film industry.
Second, I’m not implying anything but attending a website regulary doesn’t mean you’re not a troll. Not talking about someone specific, just for your general knowledge.
Third, I really liked that one.
April 26th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I love the title: it spins it so that any character with something to say *must* go to great lengths to keep his or her hands away from *and* out of view near (treacherous) disposals and doorknobs.
April 27th, 2009 at 1:00 am
i find amanda’s comment silly, and that we are sadly awash in this kind of hypersensitivity, but we are also beset with misuse and abuse of language; case in point the over-used and distorted-beyond-recognition-from-original-use-and-meaning word, troll.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I just love discussing Amanda right now!
April 28th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
I don’t care what anybody says. I fell in love with you when I saw this one. It is no less than splendid.
If I were single and heterosexual, I would totally try and date you. Being gay married, I’ll merely sigh and smile wanly from afar.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I find it amusing when people ascribe their own emotions onto something else. For instance, Amanda says this post “… feel[s] gratuitously violent, and there is already so much violence in the world. Also, it seems to somehow normalize the kind of brutal violence committed against human beings when others torture.” To which I say: um, wow. Perhaps it might be clearer to say, “I feel uncomfortable seeing this” rather than “this feels gratuitously violent”? I call ‘reaching’ to say this post ‘normalizes violence.’ I agree fully, Amanda: there is way too much violence in this world. People are flocking to movies where there is a lot of graphically depicted torture going on, which is a trend I find very unsettling. But let’s step back a moment. This graph shows how a director uses proximity of objects to imply tension.
May 3rd, 2009 at 8:20 pm
It’s funny. Move on everyone.
May 7th, 2009 at 2:20 am
Um - we did. You’re late.
May 12th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Just found this site via Creativeprose (creativepro.com’s weekly newsletter). I clicked on this particular card as it looked perfect to share with my students. It illustrates multiple points, what I like to call feeding two birds with one seed. So, for me, this is actually a non-violent educational opportunity.
Am looking forward to exploring in depth, adding this to my daily routine, and sending students your way, Jessica. Just a wonderfully creative idea! Thanks!