Sander Gilman believed “Everyone creates stereotypes. We cannot function in the world without them” (Gilman 1985, p. 15.). When devising the narrative for my animation I considered the stereotypical view on life and how it is idealized. The idea that we cannot function without stereotypes is apparent within my project as without the stereotypical rhythm of life we all aspire for.
I believe my animation will present a romantic ideal of life most people hold and I want to present the idea that an audience member can imprint their life onto my animation through its simplicity. Tom Gunning once suggested, “Mood indicates the way the narrative discourse operates as a sort of screen between reader or spectator and the story as it unfolds” (Gunning 1994, p. 472.). I want to ensure that the mood of my audience is cemented through the narrative discourse of my animation.
Sander Gilman one said, “When systems of representation are used to structure the projections of our anxiety, they are necessarily reductive” (Gilman 1985, p.27.) The suggestion that representations are used as projections of anxieties transfers into Opie’s work through the removal of facial features. The idea that we as individuals can’t read someone facial expressions is an anxiety amongst most as it creates an unnerving atmosphere for the audience. Opie uses the representation in his work to effectively engage his audience; I want to also use the representation of my stereotypical ideology of life to engage my audience.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Further Techincal experiments
The images above show the technical experimentation throughout my project. From the start of my experimentation I decided on a style for my animation. Using the tracing tool and experimenting with the brushes allowed for me to create an Opie style cartoonist hand drawn impression of what I invision for my project.
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Theorizing my project:
Through the introduction of CGI and other effects I believe animation has lost it’s purity. Although some may argue effects like CGI create a more realistic experience for an audience member I believe it in fact makes the experience false and alienates the viewer from the narrative. To take animation back to its most pure form I believe hand drawn cartoonist animations are more realistic and effective in engaging the audience with the story. It engages an audience through creating a story any person can relate to through its simplicity and the use of minimalistic elements.
Technical Experiments:
Throughout researching and blogging my inspirations, research and thoughts I have also being experimenting technically with flash software in order to establish a particular style for myself whilst also including my inspiration within my animations.
The image above is of my title for my animation. I chose a font that has an impact so that when it is animated onto screen it leaves a lasting impression. The title also gives a hint of cartoonist hand drawn qualities, which I believe will work well in introducing the audience into the feel of my animaton.
This experiment shows a character I wish to adapt on when working purely on my characters in later weeks. I experimented with Julian Opie's style of artwork through creating minimal facial features whilst creating a basic outline of the man in black and white. I believe this character I have manipulated will be effective in drawing in audience members as the minimalistic facial features will not alienation my audience but instead make them inquisitive about who they are and their role within the narrative.
The image above is of one of the characters I have been experimenting on. Within the beginning of the narrative I want to use a few characters before they transform into humans and one of the characters I was visioning was a frog. The tester shows a hand drawn quality to the image which i believe works feel and looks effective. It also fits well within my animation and blends in with it instead of standing out and not fitting in which was what my aim was when testing the characters within flash.
When using flash to experiment with different formats and tools to create my characters, I noticed it was hard to create the desired look on my characters face when applying an 'Opie style' on them as the faces looked unsophisticated. So I have decided to apply Opie's styling of the eyes and nose and possibly the mouth but instead creating my own style of other facial features to ensure the characters look good within the animation.
The image above is of my title for my animation. I chose a font that has an impact so that when it is animated onto screen it leaves a lasting impression. The title also gives a hint of cartoonist hand drawn qualities, which I believe will work well in introducing the audience into the feel of my animaton.
This experiment shows a character I wish to adapt on when working purely on my characters in later weeks. I experimented with Julian Opie's style of artwork through creating minimal facial features whilst creating a basic outline of the man in black and white. I believe this character I have manipulated will be effective in drawing in audience members as the minimalistic facial features will not alienation my audience but instead make them inquisitive about who they are and their role within the narrative.
The image above is of one of the characters I have been experimenting on. Within the beginning of the narrative I want to use a few characters before they transform into humans and one of the characters I was visioning was a frog. The tester shows a hand drawn quality to the image which i believe works feel and looks effective. It also fits well within my animation and blends in with it instead of standing out and not fitting in which was what my aim was when testing the characters within flash.
When using flash to experiment with different formats and tools to create my characters, I noticed it was hard to create the desired look on my characters face when applying an 'Opie style' on them as the faces looked unsophisticated. So I have decided to apply Opie's styling of the eyes and nose and possibly the mouth but instead creating my own style of other facial features to ensure the characters look good within the animation.
Research: Julian Opie
The artist ‘Julian Opie’s’ work creates surreal cartoonist artwork. The image below shows a series of faces created by Opie. What I believe is effective about his style of work is the idea that the characters have a certain set structure to their facial expressions.
The image above shows the characters faces are drawn in a minimalistic fashion, and I want to apply a similar technique towards my animations as like Opie I want to allow the audience to be able to relate to characters within the story. It is clear from looking at the image above Opie manipulates the simplicity of the black and white style to allow the viewer to focus on the characters feelings and it is clear that the characterization is achieved by using very few elements.
The image above is a selection of Opie artwork showing a series of faces presented in his famous style. What is truly effective about his artwork is the fact we can see the true elements of what makes a human but the characteristics that makes someone an individual are stripped away and I believe helps allow the audience to relate to his artwork because they can see themselves within his work because of the minimalistic styling.
I have chosen to approach my animation with a simplistic angle whilst also incorporating my research into my chosen style of animation. Opie has particularly inspired my style of character animations, as I believe using a similar technique to Julian Opie would allow my audience to relate to the characters.
The image above shows the characters faces are drawn in a minimalistic fashion, and I want to apply a similar technique towards my animations as like Opie I want to allow the audience to be able to relate to characters within the story. It is clear from looking at the image above Opie manipulates the simplicity of the black and white style to allow the viewer to focus on the characters feelings and it is clear that the characterization is achieved by using very few elements.
The image above is a selection of Opie artwork showing a series of faces presented in his famous style. What is truly effective about his artwork is the fact we can see the true elements of what makes a human but the characteristics that makes someone an individual are stripped away and I believe helps allow the audience to relate to his artwork because they can see themselves within his work because of the minimalistic styling.
I have chosen to approach my animation with a simplistic angle whilst also incorporating my research into my chosen style of animation. Opie has particularly inspired my style of character animations, as I believe using a similar technique to Julian Opie would allow my audience to relate to the characters.
Research: 'Simon's Cat'
After researching an historical example of animation I wanted to try find an example of a present day animation that has a similar style. An inspirational series of animations that have made an impact on me is ‘Simon’s Cat’. The concept of story telling presented in Simon Tofield’s animations is simple and syntagmatic.The simple sketching with minimal features enhances the bold eyes drawn for the characters expressing their emotions in a more vivid fashion for the audience. I believe what makes ‘Simon’s Cat’ so popular is that its structure is engaging for the audience as it strips itself of any complicated effects and story telling and instead focuses on the key points of the narrative.
The series of animations created by Tofield is incredibly popular and studied by many because he finds the balance between using pure hand drawn stylistic techniques with new ideologies within his narratives. I want to incorporate a similar approach with my animation, as I believe the balance between the two will drawn in my audience and allow them to appreciate the juxtaposition between the incorporation of old and new.
The image above is taken from one of Tofield's sketches called 'Let me in'.
The story is simplistic but effective because of its comedic timing and minimal elements. This animation appeals to me because the scene never changes; the background is constantly the same. This is effective because it is simple. The constant changing of scenes does not distract me as an audience member, which allows me to focus on the protagonist’s actions instead. I want to apply this technique to my own three-minute animation so that the audience is drawn into the narrative instead of the background.
The series of animations created by Tofield is incredibly popular and studied by many because he finds the balance between using pure hand drawn stylistic techniques with new ideologies within his narratives. I want to incorporate a similar approach with my animation, as I believe the balance between the two will drawn in my audience and allow them to appreciate the juxtaposition between the incorporation of old and new.
The image above is taken from one of Tofield's sketches called 'Let me in'.
The story is simplistic but effective because of its comedic timing and minimal elements. This animation appeals to me because the scene never changes; the background is constantly the same. This is effective because it is simple. The constant changing of scenes does not distract me as an audience member, which allows me to focus on the protagonist’s actions instead. I want to apply this technique to my own three-minute animation so that the audience is drawn into the narrative instead of the background.
My idea for my animation:
The idea I have chosen to present through my animation is the idea of the ‘rhythm of life’. The ideology of ‘evolution’ is an underlying motif throughout my animation; as the main protagonist evolves into different beings till eventually he falls in love and the two characters ultimately begin the rhythm of life again through having a child. Using the idea of life being a constant rhythm will hopefully allow the narrative to flow successfully throughout each scene and each characters transformation.
I chose to represent the idea of the rhythm of life because I believe everyone has their own rhythm in which they live to. The idea of a human’s evolution throughout their life appeals to everyone and I want to present this idea in its most basic and pure form in order to engage the audience. I believe my animation will present a romantic ideal of life most people hold and I want to present the idea that an audience member can imprint their life onto my animation through its simplicity.
I chose to represent the idea of the rhythm of life because I believe everyone has their own rhythm in which they live to. The idea of a human’s evolution throughout their life appeals to everyone and I want to present this idea in its most basic and pure form in order to engage the audience. I believe my animation will present a romantic ideal of life most people hold and I want to present the idea that an audience member can imprint their life onto my animation through its simplicity.
Historical Research:
The cartoon ‘Steam Boat Willie’ has been highly inspirational because of its simplistic but effective nature. I believe what makes Disney’s early work so successful is the fact the animation is presented in a hand drawn fashion. The style allows the audience to appreciate the unique characters expressions and the simple narrative presented within the story.
‘Steam boat Willie’ was one of the very first animations created, and yet it still has such a huge impact on its audience. I believe the reason why it is so effective is because the simple hand drawn images allow for the animation to be free when presenting its narrative. The way in which the characters are dawn are very naive and simple, Mickey’s big mouse ears and eyes draw in the audience and allow people to engage with the characters shown.
The sound accompanying the piece compliments the tone of the animation well. To describe the music in a word, I would use the term ‘Jolly’. The sound allows for the piece to flow well and allows the narrative to blend well and although the music for the animation is meant for a cartoon animation, I want to use similar sound techniques to help highlight the narrative instead of masking it.
‘Steam boat Willie’ was one of the very first animations created, and yet it still has such a huge impact on its audience. I believe the reason why it is so effective is because the simple hand drawn images allow for the animation to be free when presenting its narrative. The way in which the characters are dawn are very naive and simple, Mickey’s big mouse ears and eyes draw in the audience and allow people to engage with the characters shown.
The sound accompanying the piece compliments the tone of the animation well. To describe the music in a word, I would use the term ‘Jolly’. The sound allows for the piece to flow well and allows the narrative to blend well and although the music for the animation is meant for a cartoon animation, I want to use similar sound techniques to help highlight the narrative instead of masking it.
Inspiration:
The brief I have chosen is to create a three-minute animation. The idea I have chosen to present through my animation is the idea of the ‘rhythm of life’.
The advert “Rhythm of Life – Evolution” by Guinness beer has greatly inspired my ideas when approaching my project.
The advert shows the evolution of life in reverse and presents and innovative way of blending realism and animation together. What particularly interested me in this advert was the idea that modern life could be stripped back to essentials in order for the rhythm of life to begin again. The idea of stripping back the luxuries of animation so for instance, CGI, 3D effects etc. intrigue me as I believe in order to represent an idea of the beat of life and its repetition, the animation I want to produce should be simplicity and minimal in order to present my ideology.
The advert brings a simplistic idea and transforms it into a complicated interesting animation, the CGI used is effective but I want to take the idea and strip it down to its basic elements in order to convey the ideology of the rhythm of life in its most pure form. Although the advert isn’t presented in the style of animation I want to create, the concept of the evolution of life appeals to me because I want to present the simplicity of the rhythm of a characters life.
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