(answer below)
Did you rely more on syllables, words, ideas, or a combination of all of them?
In the example above, I relied on emojis in a linear sequence to convey character and events of a TV show rather than using them to convey syllables or words, which would be much more challenging and require more than a standard set of emojis. It was challenging to select individual emojis to convey the exact idea for each character or plot point, so I selected emojis as a form of shorthand where each emoji suggested an idea, which then required the readers’ guesswork and intuition to understand the implicit connection between each of the emojis.
Three predicates might help readers interpret my sequence of emojis correctly:
- If they knew the emojis depicted a fictional TV show;
- If they were highly familiar with the show I was depicting;
- If they knew I was depicting the broad plot points of the show rather than abstract ideas.
If readers who had the advantage of the above three predicates were still unable to guess the name of the show I was depicting, I might have to create a much longer sequence of emojis so that the visual symbolism could closely signify what I was trying to convey. The main challenge in this task was the limited number of standard emojis to select; if there were thousands of variations of emoji images to choose, the emoji sequence might be longer but might also become more literal.
Did you start with the title? Why? Why not?
No. A title is a convention of written text so it would be challenging to find emojis that would not only convey the title words but also convey that it was metatext to indicate that it was a title rather than part of the plot description. As well, I wanted to see if people could recognize the plot without trying to communicate the title, which could obfuscate the meaning of the sequence.
Did you choose the work based on how easy it would be to visualize?
Yes, I felt that that most of the main plot points could be expressed visually with a series of icons that portrayed characters and their actions without needing to depict complex interior, psychological or abstract concepts. It is possible to broadly interpret or decode the emoji sequence as a combination of characters and events, but by conveying the TV show with a few simple emojis, there is minimal detail, almost no complexity and a total absence of emotion, personality, environment and drama.
Answer: Season 1 of Wednesday, a Netflix series. A scary family drives their reluctant and rebellious daughter to a private school where she meets other students, has a fencing match, wins a rowing race, plays music, makes new friends, gets involved in a mystery, investigates murders, gets in trouble and needs help, then makes a close friend and leaves the school.
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