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This month I have chosen to take a closer look at the Instagram of Bollywood Tacos and analyze the way they present themselves online as well as consider the visual narrative that they are telling. To make it further March-y, I specifically chose images and captions posted on the Bollywood account this March as examples, as seen above.

It is clear that Bollywood Tacos (BT) is trying to create an online persona to motivate viewers to come eat or drink their products. The feed of @bollywoodtacos consists of vibrant and highly saturated close-up photographs of diverse, seemingly satisfied people, drinks, and food. Looking at the feed from the account profile view, where each image is fit in to a small square, the colors play off of each other due to the abundance of complementary color schemes present. Each photo seems to include a combination of violet and yellow, blue and orange, or red and green, which all viewed together help emphasize and lead the viewers eye to bounce around easily between photos. The images are each accompanied by individual captions that further suggest a playfulness about the experience of eating or drinking at BT. The words anchored (captions) to the already visually interesting images are goofy and relatable. By combining images with words in such a way that is attractive to viewers, the perception is that the Narrator (Bollywood Tacos) is this funny, goofy, almost careless, but likeable persona. This strategic effort by the creative director(s) of BT ultimately develops the narrative that it is an enjoyable and fun place to go to where young people like to eat, drink, and go out.

The narrative of this body of images works because it seems both probable internally and truthful externally, which relates to Walter Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm Probability and Fidelity. Internally the images depict people interacting with the food or drink products of Bollywood Tacos, inside the restaurant Bollywood Tacos. All of the interactions seem probable, though it is clear that some images are more spontaneous while others are definitely posed. The food appears to match the description of the restaurant and the people in the images seem to match the assumptions made by the accompanying words, making the viewer believe that the imagery and perceived persona is logical. Second, externally we know that BT is located in downtown Milledgeville which is right next to multiple college’s, which lends to the external fidelity in the sense that the content BT’s Instagram is proposing does seem consistent with the expectations of the community in which it exists. What we know outside of the narrative that BT has created adds up, therefore making it seem reasonable as well.

Bollywood Tacos Instagram has connected images with words in such a way that tells a persuasive story to online viewers and perspective customers.

For this blog post I have decided to do a more descriptive narrative analysis on my narrative assignment of “The search for the best chicken wings in Milledgeville.”

The images I used were the outer storefronts of the restaurants I had chose to be in my top choices. These were good images to use to show what the outer portion of the restaurants looked like, but a more engaging and better image that could have been used would have been the actual chicken wings. If I had used the images of the chicken wings I was referring to and narrating on, the comparison could have been more understanding and easier to follow. Images of the outside of the certain restaurants are good, but actual chicken wing images in the photography could have been great.

A key reference in Bossen and Freedman’s article was prior research. The first choice in my narrative was Buffingtons. The only reason I even considered going to Buffingtons for their wings when I first started my journey was because of a review I saw online when I was new to the area and looking for somewhere to eat. Yelp reviews and internet searches are good research to do when looking for local venues to eat and visit. I think that research is a good thing to do when using any image as narrative, whether it is a fun thing to narrate on like I chose to do, or a more pressing social issue. Research can help validate and solidify a good argument and story.

I am choosing to tie the next references together: questions and methods. In my narrative assignment I reflected on the questions that made the wings the best in my opinion. What were the size of the wings, amount of meat, sauce options and how was the atmosphere? By going through these questions I was able to methodically rate and rank each of my favorite places to go and eat wings.

Ultimately, the references and terms that were set in the article by Bossen and Freedman were helpful for more serious and research purposes. My narrative was fun and entertaining and I was doing my best to tie in their terms and steps into my previous narrative assignment.

I chose this picture to do a narrative analysis on. Without any prior knowledge about this image, it is clear that these men are working as shoe shiners. The name of the image is “Hard Work in Hong Kong” so viewers know where the image was taken. An ideograph that can be taken away from the photo is, as the image title says, hard work, or dedication or humility. At first glance, I thought the shoe shiners were young boys but after looking deeper in the picture, these are grown men and it can be assumed that this is their primary job, shining shoes for men in Hong Kong. There is a class difference here seen in the way the people in the image are dressed. The men getting their shoes shined are in suits and carry fancy shopping bags and work bags. They are literally (and possibly figuratively) looking down on the shoe shiners. The actual narrative is more emotional from the standpoint of the shoe shiners. They work tirelessly, hunched over, presumably all day shining these men’s shoes, day after day. Since these aren’t young boys, viewers can assume that these men have families that they are working for and that shows the dedication they have for their family. Though it isn’t exactly clear when this image was taken, it seems fairly modern due to the way the men in suits are dressed and the shopping bags they’re carrying are not from long ago. As the image is in black and white, it adds a level of emotion and drama to the image that evokes a sympathy for the shoe shiners. It’s a raw, spontaneous moment caught in their everyday life.

(Just noticed this was in my drafts and never actually posted.)

This mockingjay pin is a well-known symbol in the Hunger Games series, the books and movies. While it was a small token bestowed to the main character, Katniss, it came to mean a lot more to her and the people of Panem. Katniss became a heroine throughout her time in the Hunger Games competition and more so after the competition. Her stance against the Capital gained attention from everyone across Panem and Katniss was from then on seen as the face of hope. This pin became an extension of Katniss and her image of hope. The hope that she was representative of is hope in change against the Capitol and to end the power that it held over Panem and its people.

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The collection of images above encapsulates the basis of my room. The panel of snapshots provided detail what my room looks like when it is at its peak of messiness. It resulted in what I would call “I Spy” worthy pictures. At its fundamentals, my room is a miscellany of stuff. It is scatterbrained. It lacks organization, precepts, and axioms. It does have wear and tear. The photographs bring immediacy, show spontaneousness, and are grounded to reality. Yes I have a bed frame but I am too lazy to set it up because I am moving out soon and don’t sleep there anyways. My room lacks shelving, compartments, and furnishment. This results in a lot of disorder and cluttering of things. One of the tacks on my poster fell off so now it is partly hanging off the wall. However, this cut of images gives a sense of what a college student’s room can look like at its worst.

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For this narrative story, I decided to use “Portfolio Week” aka a Mass Com major’s worst night mare as my inspiration. All of these pictures deal with the approaching deadline of our final Portfolio, which is how professors determine if we graduate. The first picture is of my final portfolio cover, the second is the files on the Mass Com server which everyone that is turning one in will have to submit their final product, the Coke machine is where most of my (and other Mass Com friends’) money has gone, the next is the library where long hours have been spent, the next is of all my struggling mass com friends in the lab, the lab, and then the final directions to turn everything in. It has been such a stressful week, but if you show any one in the major these photos they will ultimately know and understand the collective feeling of stress and anxiety.

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This is my (rather petty) narrative of what it is like to live in my apartment. The story told through these pictures is that despite my roommates and I having a chore chart, which is something that four 20-somethings shouldn’t need, our apartment can be found in this state at any given time of the day, any day of the week. The apartment’s level of dirtiness is something that I personally can not stand so I am typically the one to take the initiative and clean up after their mess. However, after nearly two years of living this way and seeing no change or appreciation, I have stepped back and let them take care of their own messes. The filth is representative of their laziness and quite frankly, lack of respect. This has affected the dynamic within this apartment too, turning a “home” into four silent walls hosting God knows what.

I am a member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministry on this campus and in general a part of the Christian community. These images are highly representative of things that I (and other BCM members) identify with an easily recognize. The house itself and the stage represent a homey- familiar space to come to. The couches are where we all hang out before service or nap on during the week. The orange cooler represents some of the events we do. The open Bible is something that I take very seriously and is the sole purpose of coming to BCM- to learn and study more together. The necklace is representative of Christian culture (“wearing” our faith). And finally, Chick-fil-a is where we (almost) always go before service together and therefore will always be related to ministry in my heart. 

This visual narrative will take you on a journey through the Georgia College radio station, WGUR The Noise on 95.3 FM radio. It is a station that has a wide variety of talk shows and music. The eight photos are put in a specific order that will walk you through a day-in-the-life of a DJ Host for WGUR. The first image is right outside of our studio, indicating what and where our studio is. It is the first thing you see before walking into the studio. The second picture is the first room you see when you walk in and is also where “Couch Concerts” are recorded. The next picture leads you into the studio where me and my friend Sam have our show. The computer is where you choose what music you want to play and the dials are used to control the volume for the mics and the music. The close up of the mic is your point of view when you on air and the last image is from the opposite perspective, looking in on you. Lastly, my visual narrative closes with “on the air” sign to encourage  you to tune in when we are on the air next!

 

This is the narrative about my quest to find the best chicken wings in Milledgeville. Chicken wings are my favorite food in the world, so when I came to Georgia College I began the journey to find the best wings in the area. My conquest took me numerous establishments and these are a few of the restaurants that I tried. I’m going to rank them starting with the worst and work towards my favorite.

One of the first I tried was Buffingtons. From this list, they are the last wings I would want to eat. There were not enough meat on the bone and the sauce options were not too good. 

The next is Amici. The wings aren’t bad, but they are very small.

Third place is Pickle Barrell. I chose Pickle Barrel to be in my top five purely for their sauce. Their islander sauce is SUPERB.

My runner-up option is AJ’s Hot Wings on N. Columbia near Walmart. AJ’s wings just are better. Sauce and chicken completely trump all other chicken wings in the area.

But, the absolute best chicken wings in Milledgeville are AJ’s Hot Wings To-Go on S. Elbert Street. I ate these chicken wings almost every Saturday in the Fall 2017-Spring 2018 school year. They are essentially the same as the original AJ’S, but the To-Go pick up restaurant those wings just do something to me. I think it’s the tradition of eating them every Saturday with my friends and watching sports. We even coined the phrase, “On Saturdays, we eat AJ’s.”