The Essence of Indiana State - COMM 435 Digital Storytelling Assignment 4

This project uses a chiasmic structure (A–B–C–C–B–A) to explore tension between presence and absence in campus life, tracing the student experience from isolation through movement and institutional structure into social density, before returning to intentional solitude. Each scene functions as a continuous observation, revealing how space shapes behavior and meaning. Compositional choices act rhetorically, reinforcing each location’s role in the narrative arc.

Location 1: Gillum Hall (A)
Goal: stillness, scale, absence
Gillum serves as the point of departure—an encounter with the institution before individual integration. It reflects administrative systems that operate adjacent to student life. The absence of people and overwhelming scale emphasize indifference. A low angle positions the building as dominant, reinforcing institutional authority.
Technical: low angle, super wide, rule of thirds. The horizontal division stabilizes the frame, mirroring structural rigidity.

Location 2: Pickerl Hall Lobby (B)
Goal: liminality, transition
This space represents passage rather than arrival, reflecting both physical and personal transition. Movement occurs across the frame while the space itself remains unoccupied, emphasizing circulation over dwelling.
Technical: eye level, wide, golden triangle. Diagonal architectural lines divide the frame, directing motion and reinforcing instability.

Location 3: DH 206 (C)
Goal: structure, authority
The classroom formalizes academic life, where behavior becomes regulated. Attention is performative—expressed through posture and gaze. A high angle creates a quasi-authoritative perspective, reinforcing hierarchy.
Technical: high angle, medium, golden ratio. Desk arrangement guides the eye inward, structuring attention.

Location 4: Outside Dreiser Hall (C)
Goal: structure within lived space
This scene mirrors DH 206 but relocates it outdoors. Institutional identity exists within a more organic environment. The viewer notices coexistence between structure and daily life.
Technical: eye level, wide, rule of thirds. The sign and tree balance the frame, reflecting quiet tension between institution and environment.

Location 5: The Commons (B)
Goal: density, social saturation
The Commons acts as a social core, contrasting Pickerl by shifting movement from transitional to layered. Activity overlaps within the frame—conversations, gestures, and sound create collective presence.
Technical: eye level, wide, golden ratio. Layering draws the eye inward, reinforcing the pull of community.

Location 6: The Quad (A)
Goal: release, intentional solitude
The Quad resolves the structure by returning to stillness, now chosen rather than imposed. It represents reflection and individuality within a shared space.
Technical: knee level, medium, rule of thirds. Balanced placement creates openness and agency, contrasting the rigidity of Gillum.

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