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CoherenceThe criteria for a message depends on the genre, and comparing work across genres becomes a new source of trouble because different genres are not equally difficult, but there is a level below the message that makes comparing different genres somewhat more straightforward. This level is termed “coherence.” According to Gibson (1986), understanding moving pictures is easier than understanding still images because it is more like our experience of life. On the other hand, the use of the camera to convey that someone has moved from one point to another, for example, poses a greater challenge for the producer than the audience. The creation of understandable moving pictures is viewed as a far less reflexive activity. The coherence of a project is thus defined in terms of these types of movement and the coordination between different images and sounds—different clips—that make a video perceivable. This criteria, also, cannot be equally applied across genres though, and intentional breaks in coherence can occur, but some level of coherence is necessary for an audience to follow any thread of meaning. In fact, the technique of montage (Eisenstein, 1949/1977) creates meaning via the placement of clips in a sequence. To some degree, coherence can be equated to the storyline when such a progression exists. Except for when coherence is intentionally disrupted, which would reflect a particular style, there should be a relative seamlessness to any video. When clips are not tied together, it is apparent: In “The Good, The Bad, And The Techies,” the placement of clips in relation to one another is rarely reflected in the activities or movement through the room. |
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