The Sun's Always Shining!: Social Media Adaption

An adaption of the novel THE GIVER, by Lois Lowry

Adapted by: Cassandra Mullins, Gina Thompson, Jordan Kartchner, and Kirstin Anderson

Follow Jonas' journey on Instagram! @ReceiverJonas

Or click the links in the order below:

http://instagram.com/p/Q019MvOpOY/

For our social media adaption, we chose to portray The Giver through Instagram. Because this book focuses heavily on visual elements and is written from Jonas' perspective, we felt pictures would be a great way to tell such a story. We chose to use Instagram because it allows Jonas to take spontaneous snapshots of the world around him. We never see his face because the book is told through his perspective, and so too are the pictures. This point of view allows for us to show how Jonas' world changes as the story progresses, because if it was from anyone else's perspective, nothing would change.

This first person view of the story is similar to the interactive artistic collaboration known as The Infinite Oz. The Infinite Oz leads us through several landscapes as if we are seeing them through Dorothy’s eyes. Each new artistic landscape considers something different in her journey, just as each picture in Jonas’s Instagram account tells us something new about what he is experiencing. Furthermore, all the characters in both Jonas's and Dorothy's stories are stuck in their respective areas of the world except Jonas and Dorothy who move beyond what's considered normal. So although the media methods differ, there are some definite parallels between the two, which allow us to experience the journey as if we are alongside them.

Perhaps the most important element for adapting our pictures dealt with the portrayal of color. In the beginning of the book, the reader realizes that the society in which they live is black and white, and all color has been removed. We chose to use black and white photos early on because Jonas also saw in black and white. However, he begins to see glimpses of red as the story progresses. We used photos of specific events, like when Jonas saw his friend Fiona's hair change and turn red. As the story progresses, the Giver gives Jonas memories with color, and this is also reflected in our images.

Similarly to our use of color, we wanted to reflect how we felt society would look. Our adaption shows the sterile society they live in. The pictures in the beginning are completely clear and shallow. They highlight structure to emphasize that there is little depth and excitement to life. As time goes on, and Jonas learns more about the world he is living in, he sees more depth of field and more angles.

In Harper's Magazine, Jonathan Lether wrote the article, "The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism." He speaks of Bob Dylan and the influence his music has had on society. He says how "Dylan's art offers a paradox: while it famously urges us not to look back, it also encodes a knowledge of past sources that might otherwise have little home in contemporary culture." This is very characteristic of The Giver because the entire society is created to avoid and forget the past. The society relies upon a single person to hold the burdens of the past.

The Sun's Always Shining!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Social Media Adaption

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