




There are many ways to tell a story and one of them is through visual texts. Some viewers would prefer a visual text to a written text because their brain functions better when they can see things explained or portrayed by actions rather than words. In the movie Pulp Fiction, the director can use a few different techniques to try and change the way the viewer perceives the movie, such as different camera angles or repeated words. In the scene “Big Kahuna Burger”, the two main characters walk into a room and start talking to three guys. One of the things that sticks out in this scene is that the camera angles are very different depending on what is happening during the scene. Also, there are a lot of sound effects that do not make sense when the viewer is watching the movie. While Samuel Jackson is talking to the man about the burger you can hear John Travolta banging around pans. For the sound of the pans to be heard through the conversation of the other two is quite strange. Different camera angles, certain diction, and sounds being very loud created a depiction that shows Jackson and Travolta being better than everyone else. A camera angle can change the way a viewer sees a scene.

Throughout the “Big Kahuna Burger” scene the camera work changes depending on who is talking or where the action is happening. While Jackson is eating the burger, the camera angle zooms in very close to his face so that we can see him eating the burger. As if this camera angle gives off the idea Jackson kind of teasing the man he took the burger from. Saying something like, “Wow this burger is good if only you could try it.” Also during this same conversation, every time Jackson is talking the camera angle changes to where the viewer now believes they see from the other man’s perspective. This creates a superior image of Jackson because now we believe that he is better than this man solely since the man must look upwards at Jackson during the conversation. From this scene, we do not know much about the three men that live in this apartment other than the fact that they have a briefcase that Jackson and Travolta want. If the camera angle were to be at eye level of Jackson the story would be completely changed because then the two men would be on even playing ground. When the camera is on the man sitting in the chair, it does not come from the angle of Jackson’s eyes but rather from the angle of the man’s eyes. So the viewer sees the legs of Jackson and the man. This angle perceives another interesting point of view because it depicts an image of the man being lesser than Jackson by a lot that the angle does not deserve to be coming down on him from Jackson’s eyes. Even though this scene is very quick the camera angles tell a lot about the overall movie and the characters. Also during this scene, the sound effects are very interesting.

The way someone says something in a movie can tell a lot about what is going on. If the character speaks with a lot of emotion or little emotion the scene might be happy or sad. Emotion ties in with speech because for the speaker to bring his speech to life they need to emphasize certain parts. In this scene from Pulp Fiction there are a few sounds and diction from the characters that add effect to the story. Jackson’s diction during this scene portrays the idea that the men he is visiting are stupid and of no power, so the way that he talks to them is very comical. He will repeat things to reiterate to the men something he wants to make sure they know. He states the obvious throughout the scene as though it helps calm down the men while they are being questioned. Jackson also tries to crack jokes to lighten the mood so that the men feel more comfortable around him (Miramax 1:05). But instead this just makes the viewer laugh because of how unnecessary it is for Jackson to say half the things he says. 

Sound is also very important when it comes to a creating a visual text that can tell a story. If the sounds in the visual text do not make sense, then only half of the story is being told. If the viewer is only able to look rather than seeing and hearing, then the text is not a complete visual text since this text is a video. The sounds made in the scene are also tied into the idea of being over the top to try and make the scene seem intriguing. When Jackson bites in the burger (Miramax 1:35), the viewer can hear the teeth clamping down onto the burger as well as the lettuce crunching. The crunch becomes very loud and so the audience can hear Jackson chewing on this burger. Which is not what the audience wants to hear in a movie, it is gross and makes the character seem like they have no manners. But in this case Jackson is trying to make a point, he wants the man to know he is better than him because he can take what he wants. The sound can tell a lot about certain aspects of the text that may be over looked if there was not a clear sound there to help guide the viewer. 

A visual text has many dimensions to it, especially when you expand the field to videos and movies because then sound and other aspects add to the text. In this case Pulp Fiction has a lot of things that contribute to the creation and depiction of the story such as: character’s diction, sound effects, and certain camera angles. Each of these aspects contributes a little bit of the whole to create a visual text that will entice viewers as well as tell a great story. The use of different camera angles, certain diction, and sounds being very loud created a depiction that shows Jackson and Travolta being better than everyone else.



