The Screen Has Become the Queen

Let's face it, in today's electronically driven world, the screen -whether it be movie, television, or computer- dominates the way we view and receive information and entertainment. We watch movies in 3D, catch up on our favorite TV shows on computer websites like Hulu, and read our books on screened devices like the Nook or the Kindle.

While it seems pretty apparent to the average viewer that watching a program or movie on a screen is definitely different than looking at the real world around us, it may not be obvious all the ways in which the screen defines how the image or show appears in our eyes. The article, The Two-Dimensional Field: Forces Within the Screen, clearly and plainly lays out for us the six major types of field forces that influences the way images and shows appear within the confines of a screen. While the article discusses all six - main directions, magnetism of the frame and attraction of mass, asymmetry of the frame, figure and ground, psychological closure, and vectors- I found the rules for figure and ground to be the most fascinating and will talk about them here.

The article states that figure and ground is "one of the most elemental structural forces operating within the screen". I took this to mean that it is important for us to know what the figure is and where the ground is located in an image in order for us to establish the certain breaks in object and ground within the screen. To help differentiate the object from the ground, the article lists these 5 easy steps to keeping to all clear.

• The object is thinglike. 
• The figure lies in the front of the ground.
• The line that separates the figure from the ground is part of the figure, not the ground.
• The figure is less stable than the ground; the figure is more likely to be moved. 
• The ground seems to continue behind the figure.

These are all important tips as either a viewer or a creator of screened images and shows. I now know that when uploading pictures to the internet that I want viewer to perceive in a certain way, I can change the perception of ground and object to read however I want, even blending the two together or creating different grounds/objects when looked at two different ways, such as with the images below. By using placement of the object and ground as well as movement and ground, I can make the viewer perceive things of the image even if they are not necessarily true. 

What images/advertisements can you think of that blur the lines of object/ground? Are they effective in drawing you in? How would you use image/ground to lead an audience to a certain perception?