Words Hurt: The Effect Of Verbal Bullying On People

The short video “Words Hurt” accurately showed how verbal bullying affects people. It demonstrations a common knowledge that words do hurt and presents it in a way that makes it easy to put yourself in the victim’s shoes as you watch the video. For certain people, it is obvious that one of the most significant and prominent stages in life is throughout their school years. From the start of kindergarten up to the end at graduate school, it is a period of academic and personal growth. However, for others, school is the foundation of a mental trauma that stays with them, for a long time. Nobody wants to be bullied, yet bullying is not an unfamiliar problem encountered in schools nowadays. Regardless of the fact that it is an issue taught to students time after time, not a lot really understand the lasting effects, whether it is emotionally, mentally, or socially.

What makes the film “Words Hurt” unique compared to other bullying films is the fact that the words were shown to physically hurt the victim. The idea that words can truly cause pain is visually showed all through the video. With every unkind thing said about the main character, it hit her, leaving her helpless and frightened. A girl who seems to be in middle school walks to a water fountain in the hallway. As she is about to take a sip, she hears whispers in the background from a group of girls talking behind her back. She feels uncomfortable and attempts to leave the situation; but, the group of girls say a multiple of rude things in front of her such as “geek and loser. ” Every rude said to the girl physically hits her making her crash against lockers and drop to the ground. The three bullies giggle at the discomfort and panic the victim is feeling, then with a finishing word “get lost” from one of the bullies, the film ends with the two words chasing her out of the situation. The setting takes place in what appears to be a middle school, based on the girls in the films ages and the hallway with lockers on each side. The ceiling wall is the only source of light, but it is dull giving a gloomy atmosphere.

The video starts in quietness, which creates an additional exhilarating mood signifying that a problem or conflict is going to take place. The setting certainly plays a significant part in the video as it is the place where the message of verbal bullying is presented. The acting is well played as it can simply be understood and related to the ordinary school victim and bullies alike. Every part in the video is carefully planned and simply distinguishable which makes the whole video more effective in getting the message out. But, the acting wasn’t capable of being as effective without the simple, yet influential script. Regardless of the fact that there is not much speaking through in the video, every word the bullies say leaves a long-lasting impression, sticking on to the viewer’s mind, and with the advantage of sound effects, it enforced the message of the video even more. Though there’s no music in the video, sound effects are used to display the victim crashing against lockers and getting hit with the rude words spoken by the bullies. Echoing sound effects are also used when the bullies laugh at the victim, indicating how easy it is for words to affect a person. Furthermore, special effects are used in the video to shoot the words the bullies say at the main character. Though it is impossible in reality, the texts “hitting” victim helps the viewers understand the message and purpose the video is trying to portray: that words really hurt. Sound and special effects used to form a more intense and dramatic atmosphere, but at the same time, it demonstrations the significance of verbal abuse in schools. It allowed the complete film to flow smoothly and form a better interest on the general topic. There aren’t impressive lighting or camera angles since it is about a normal school situation.

The angles of the camera change from wide-frame shots that display the setting of the video, to close-up character shots to display the facial expressions of the actors. No props or costumes are presented either. The clothes worn in the video is what students would wear on a normal school day. The props being used are school books which is what the victim carries with her. In conclusion, the message the film is trying to portray is: “words hurt”, as stated in the title. The sound effects used totally helps to understand the idea for some people, to others it might have been a little exaggerated and thus, the message is taken less seriously. But, ultimately, it was a well-presented film that presented the fact that words really hurt.