What 2020 had made abundantly clear.

Empty. Bay Street in Toronto.

Never had empty been so apparent. Usually when something is missing we simply glance over it. In many cases we rely on a sound, a light, something to indicate a change has occurred, often because the change is so subtle. But what started out at the beginning of the year as bustling, shoulder-room-only gathering spaces, soon became barren crowd-less locales, that photographers and videographers only visited. Definitely not subtle.

The Imagery of Empty

The stay-at-home orders of 2020 that emptied out these areas provided us with some truly captivating imagery. As lockdowns began CNN sent photographers into the wild to capture the hauntingly yet beautiful images of empty landscapes. The New York Times documented the global calamity which “made scarcity the necessary condition of humanity’s survival.” Many other media outlets joined in, documenting the phenomenon that has consumed social media feeds for the majority of 2020. But “empty”, in the sense that we are now all familiar with, did not always constitute a feeling of emptiness: a numbness, an inability to feel anything emotionally, or not having any purpose.

These images of empty spaces, have in fact, done quite the opposite. Perhaps, as one photographer puts it, this is because they (photos) “are empty of people but they’re littered with the traces of human enterprise,” (Photographer Rudy Vanderlans in a previous Fast Company article).

Yet, in all of their barren emptiness some images have been able to evoke feelings of wonder, togetherness, strength. Even when shot in slow motion and paired with delicate piano tones, “emptiness,” was still far down on the list of emotional responses. So why is it that images of empty places can elicit feelings of togetherness or strength?

The New York Times suggests that they (the images) are somewhat hopeful. A product of context. We all know and understand why these places are empty, and we find strength in the, mostly unanimous, decision to comply with public health requests in order to ensure a healthier future. But how does context help guide emotion when images are largely void of any emotional cues?

Negative Space?

In the film/video production and photography world we talk about the use of negative space to channel attention. While the aforementioned images are not truly a use of negative space (as that would require a subject to be somewhere in frame), the “assumed” negative space is made possible by the conditioning provided by our cultural media. We know that these spaces should be full, and therefore their emptiness leads us not to look for a subject, or one focal point, but to search for a feeling. It’s why empty locations in zombie apocalypse movies (“28 Days Later,” for example), evoke feelings of uneasiness and fear. We’re forced to think of the context, or the story, that lead to that image.

An empty or abandoned home elicits feelings of sadness because most of us associate a home with family, and in many cases a happy family. So we look for a story that explains the “why” behind the abandonment. What series of events lead to the now defunct building, no longer a home?

On the flip side, images of empty, sun soaked beaches conjure feelings of happiness and adventure, in the same way that images of empty natural spaces conjure feelings of peace and wellness. What we would expect, based on cultural context. Destination media promotes exploration, solitude, adventure, and environmental media shows us what nature “should” look like and what we “should” do in the great outdoors.

Naturally, mass media would grab on to these new feelings associated with empty, and they did. Almost every publisher/platform released their own empty scene video, and pushed the “in-it-together” narrative. And like every bandwagon ad – it got old quick.

Zagging

Amazon, on the other hand. Did something a little different. They capitalized on this cultural context of “empty” by putting together a commercial promoting their support for small business. In this spot the time of day is assumed, so we would expect an empty building. Paired, as they did, with sounds of machines starting up and the “good morning” welcomes, the overall piece yields a warm, hopeful feel. But because of context (that of the current pandemic) the “empty” scene right at the outset does not immediately yield a warm, hopeful feel. It has the effect of making us think about the current, dire situation that many small businesses are experiencing. Leveraging that initial feeling and flipping 180 to the warm and hopeful immediately makes the overall piece that much more impactful.

Context is everything, but knowing how and when to use that context makes sure your everything is not everyone else’s everything.

In case you missed it