By-Jane Gana

I’ve always wondered why visual storytelling doesn’t get the attention is deserves in comic book films. That’s not to say that art is no longer appreciated, because it is, and you’ll see many who will point out the beauty in movie shots and the expertise of the coloring, framing, and so on. Though it seems that a large portion of the general audience will rave about the beauty of said shots, they don’t always analyze them for deeper meanings in the way they do with dialogue.

There are some who feel the way a film is shot in a comic book film is not important because they don’t take the medium seriously. To many, a “superhero film” does not need to have a profound story or have multiple layers as long as they have the requisite, fun, humor and explosions. To me, the art of visual storytelling in this medium needs to be given the same kind of attention that compositions in music, pictures, writing, and every other form of expression do.

Let’s take one director for example: Zack Snyder. I understand that some people find him divisive and not all share his vision, but the one thing that is almost universally agreed upon is that he creates fantastic visuals. As someone who enjoys and follows his work, I feel very connected to his style. Zack Snyder, who also happens to be dyslexic, uses visual storytelling and larger than life shots to create a layered meaning, Even in his interviews, he makes wide gestures and movements with his hands, a sign of that he is someone who relies on visually expressing himself and that translates to his films.

Snyder’s ability to craft beautiful, painting-like films reminiscent of the Greco-Roman Hellenistic era is remarkable. You can see that he spends much time and effort crafting his shots, hand drawing each one before it gets shot. After looking at this beauty, one “criticism” that often gets thrown his way is that he is a “style over substance” director. My answer back would be, Why can’t his style be his substance? The point of any art form is to express what you have to say. If Zack expresses the messages of his films through his shots, it is a valid way of doing so. If you don’t agree with what he has to say, that is fair, everyone is entitled to like to dislike something as they please. My overall point is to retort the notion that visual storytelling is not a valid way for a director to express themselves.