Audiovisual Design: Introducing ‘Media Affordances’ as a Relevant Concept for the Development of a New Communication Model

Audiovisual Design is a communication model, represented by a methodology of analysis and development of content that mixes audiovisual elements with interaction software and digital interfaces. This essay introduces the concept of media affordances in Audiovisual Design as a contribution to understanding and planning of actions taken by a person during production and enjoyment of sound and video using the contemporary set of media. The model represents the intersection between Human-Computer Interaction Studies and Media Studies, required to develop audiovisual and sound content today. The present text introduces definitions of Audiovisual Design and outlines the concept of affordances, characteristics of mediatic tools required for an individual to perform an assigned role, or step from one to another. This involves processes of learning and assimilating available affordances in different contexts. Audiovisual producers must be able to understand and predict how Audience, in different levels of engagement or inertia, will react in face of tools available through content and interfaces of distribution.