A Picture is Worth 1000 Words, But Sometimes Words are Superior

I was discussing a scene from a videogame with one of my friends who hasn't got to that part yet, (GTA4 if you're curious.) I love telling stories, so I use a lot of vivid images and adjectives, so I described it to him. He said it sounded really epic, so he wanted to go and see the scene. Well, he got to that part, which I won't name because of spoilers, and he said,"That's it? The way you described it was so much better." I guess I let him use his imagination to fill in the blanks. :P

Anyways, my question is, would you rather hear a story, experience, or what have you visually (movie, photograph, etc.), or have it in story form (word of mouth, book, article, etc.)?

First I would want to absorb it all through words then see it in some sort of visual presentation to see how far off my imagination was.

summarize your thread with a picture.CocoMarshmellow

Just give me a second, I have a brilliant idea for a visual/story test.

I would like to experience it visually overall but I do enjoy me some good stories.

[QUOTE="CocoMarshmellow"]summarize your thread with a picture.the_foreign_guy

[QUOTE="CocoMarshmellow"]summarize your thread with a picture.the_foreign_guy

Lies!

That is a picture...With words!

Both experiences can be great, if done correctly.

Visualize. One Time my friend told me how he **** his hot gf. Then afer that they ****** and*****. It sounded really awesome.

Both experiences can be great, if done correctly.

Hallenbeck77

Anyways, my question is, would you rather hear a story, experience, or what have you visually (movie, photograph, etc.), or have it in story form (word of mouth, book, article, etc.)?

the_foreign_guy

I honestly don't have a preference. It just depends on how good the artist is at what they do.

If the wordsmith is a crappy one, then I'd obviously rather see a movie or a picture by a good visual artist.

But if the visual artist sucks, then I'd obviously rather just read the original story by the master wordsmith.

Words are better because pictures can be misleading. They can make a nation turn against their leader.Ghost_702

Words can't be just as (if not more) misleading?

You meanie Coco.

Anyways, I'm going to describe a scene in the movie Resident Evil, then provide the link to the video. You decide for yourself which one is better.

The room wasn't illuminated well. Besides a couple of metal containers and huge wires going around the room, there was only silence. The room had a musty smell, a kind of strange rotting smell that pierced the nostrils. It was also a little chilly. Rain was part of a special tactics team sent for search and extraction. With a submachine gun in hand, she searched the room.

CHING. A sound was heard from across the room. Rain quickly turned her head towards the sound, her submachine gun drawn and pointed in the direction. When she approached, she saw that the sound came from a rolling gas container. Clearly someone was there. She turned around the corner and saw a woman standing there with white, bloody robes and head looking at the floor. Rain lowered her weapon and walked towards the woman, a survivor of the catastrophe. Rain called for JD, another person in her special tactics squad to come over, when suddenly the survivor leaped on top of Rain, growling and clawing at Rain's face. The survivor then bit her hand and a piece of flesh was removed and the crimson red blood oozed out.

JD arrived at the scene and flipped the survivor off of Rain. JD drew out his pistol from his holster at his side as the survivor stood up.The survivor limped closer. JD shot her in the leg, but the survivor limped ever closer and closer. Another shot was given at the leg. The survivor growled even louder and continued. Another pistol shot was unloaded. THEN ANOTHER. Rain gave her a piece of her mind and unloaded a full clip into the rabid psycho. The muzzle flash lit the room and the bullets hit the floor. The survivor flew backwards, landing into a pile of wires.

Link to scene.

Edit: It's a little messy, but only because GS is ruining my paragraphs.

Visuals are much easier to understand

Neither did it for me. I feel like your description would have been better if it was delivered verbally, because the way you say something is just as important if not more than the subject matter. And Michelle Rodriguez is a terrible actress.Mousetaches

Words can paint a picture prettier than anything a camera can capture

[QUOTE="Mousetaches"]Neither did it for me. I feel like your description would have been better if it was delivered verbally, because the way you say something is just as important if not more than the subject matter. And Michelle Rodriguez is a terrible actress.the_foreign_guy

I still liked yours better

But how i pictured it was animated, not like live action

Visuals. I don't hate books/articles though.

Visualize. One Time my friend told me how he **** his hot gf. Then afer that they ****** and*****. It sounded really awesome.

jdiamnz69