Filmmaking fascinates me. The ability to pair amazing words and sounds with remarkable visuals to produce something so moving requires a blend of technical know how and artistry. The other day I got to thinking about the intersection of film and presentation design, two of my favorite things, and that led me to compile the following list of my top ten favorite visual aids from movie history. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching it.

#10 – 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
So you’re a cheeky, high school senior trying to sneak your girlfriend out of school right under the nose of the smarmy principal who wants your hide. How can you possibly pull it off? Guilt your best friend into giving you the keys to his dad’s restored Ferrari (it’s really his dad’s fault: he didn’t lock the garage). Bueller knows that glamorous visuals can distract from a poor or even patently false message, particularly with a dim-witted audience, and takes advantage of the credibility we infer from a beautiful package. Despite his lack of ethics, Bueller’s visual aid makes the list at number 10.

#9 – Flours from Stranger Than Fiction
This is one of my favorite movie puns ever even though I’m sad to say it took a few seconds to fully register the first time I saw it. When socially-inept taxman, Harold Crick, decides to profess his love for the free-spirit baker he’s been auditing, he must make up for many of the awkward things he’s said to her. His gift to her accompanied with the simple explanation of “I brought you flours” leaves her speechless and demonstrates that he is not as cold and unfeeling as he may have initially appeared. The moral for presenters is to let your audience see your human side and never be afraid to open up and be who you really are.

#8 – Duracell D-Cell from The Matrix
I can still remember the ‘Whoa’ moment in my mind as Laurence Fishburne finally delivers the long-awaited answer to the question “What is the Matrix?” It is “a computer-generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this,” he says, holding up a copper-top battery. The visual drives home the point of the montage of imagery of humans being harvested for their energy. Excellent analogy, perfect illustration.

#7 – Charlotte’s Web from Charlotte’s Web
In the cinematic adaptation of a book named for a visual aid, Charlotte, the world’s most beloved public relations arachnid, convinces Farmer Zuckerman, as well as much of the community, of the merits of a little runt pig, Wilbur, through the messages she weaves into her web. Employing the fundamentals of presentation zen, Charlotte’s encapsulates her message into simple, one- or two-word messages. She also recognizes that Wilbur’s main problem lies in his image, effectively helping him reshape his brand in the minds of his audience, a move that eventually leads him to renown at the county fair.

#6 – Iocaine Powder from The Princess Bride
“What you do not smell” is one of the most effective and entertaining mis-directions in cinematic history. Having already bested a swordsman and a giant, the masked Westley shows himself to be a formidable opponent in intellect as well by setting up a “battle of wits” with Vizzini. In the way he presents the choices to the clever Sicilian, Westley effectively distracts him from the fact that there may be a third possibility he has not considered (that both goblets are poisoned). Although I don’t recommend you devote years of your life to developing an immunity to any form of poison, it’s good to note the rhetorical trickery going on here.

#5 – CS-Mark 12 Holoprojector from Return of the Jedi
Proof that Moore’s Law must be accelerated in a galaxy far, far away, the holoprojector used for the briefing before the Death Star battle at the end of Return of the Jedi puts the view screen used before the Battle of Yavin (A New Hope) to some serious shame. Representing the ultimate in big screen, 3-D imaging, the CS-Mark 12 demonstrates that good presenters give thought to the technology behind their visuals. Can you imagine this briefing being nearly as effective with a whiteboard?

#4 – Map Room in Tanis from Raiders of the Lost Ark
I love the set up of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Recovering the headpiece to the Staff of Ra, Belloq’s mistaken interpretation of the burns on Arnold Toht’s hand (the creepy German dude), etc. But my favorite is watching it all come together in the Map Room. What a cool idea. It always seemed a little convenient (to say the least) that Indy just happened to get there on the right day of the year for the effect to work, but still, it’s cool that he even knew what to do in the first place. It’s important to remember that even the best visuals in the world won’t win it for you if you haven’t done your homework ahead of time.

#3 – The Switchblade Knife from 12 Angry Men
Twelve Angry Men features many examples of excellent argumentation, from the examination of the time it would have taken the victim to answer the door, to the marks on the female witness’ nose, to the tirade of Juror #10 exposing the ethnic prejudices in the room. There were many ways Juror Number 8 could have explained the fact that he had seen a knife identical to the one used to kill the defendant’s father in a pawn shop in the defendant’s neighborhood, but no words could have been as effective as pulling the twin knife from his pocket, flicking it open and stabbing it into the table next to the actual murder weapon. Classic movie moment.

#2 – Khartoum’s Head from The Godfather
Even though over 40 or so people are brutally murdered on-screen in Scorcese’s mob classic, the visual that got the most press (and objections) was the one Corleone chose to teach Jack Woltz what happens when you refuse one of his offers. Mr. Corleone, we read you loud and clear.

And the number one movie visual aid:

#1 – Hill Valley Courthouse Square Demonstration Model from Back to the Future
Even though it’s not to scale OR painted, Doc Brown’s remarkably elaborate diorama of downtown Hill Valley remains my all-time favorite movie visual aid. Maybe it’s because Back to the Future is one of the first movies I can remember seeing in my life, or maybe its because the movie’s plot is so complicated that the director thought we needed to see the ending of the film in miniature before hand so we wouldn’t get lost. Either way, this is Christopher Lloyd’s Doctor Brown at his over-the-top best, and his performance up until this point makes the outlandish model town square work. Just another reminder that no matter what form your visual aids take it’s most important that they reflect you and your personality. The audience can always tell when you’re not being genuine.

So what do you think? Agree or disagree? What have I missed? What’s your favorite?