The focus of this week's lecture was the style and content of traditional Western animation and those of traditional Japanese animation.
First, we looked at Disney's Bambi, which exemplifies everything Western animation does well. It is considered to be "full" animation, and features very realistic movements for the animal characters, which bring across their characters brilliantly.
We then looked at some traditional Japanese animation, also known as "anime". We focused specifically on animated films by the acclaimed Japanese animator Miyazaki; his work, and anime in general, tends to be far darker and more explicit than western animation, while still being aimed at children. I think this might be because western animation is influenced strongly by Christian values, due to the fact that so many western countries have very deep Christian roots. This results in somewhat tamer material, or at the very least, less explicit.
In general, I am not a big fan of Japanese animation, for two reasons. Firstly, I do not especially like the "partial" animation style, which I find a little dull. Secondly, many Japanese animations are very poorly dubbed, which I think takes away some of the enjoyment I might have had, as I'm sitting thinking "this is poorly dubbed" rather than "what great animation". However, I do appreciate that the storylines in anime are often very interesting and entertaining, particularly the animated film Princess Mononoke.
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
History of Animation
This lecture was all about the history of animation, from it humble beginnings as a personal, small scale art form, to the multi-million dollar industry it has become today.
He talked about the way that the first major animated film, Disney's Snow White was a huge breakthrough in animation; he spoke about the way that the animators had managed to find a way of giving the characters what is known as "life between the frames". I took this to mean that the animators had managed to give the characters life and existence beyond simply what was drawn on each of the film's frames; that they had managed to make an animation that for the first time viewers could relate to the film's protagonists as real people rather than simply as cleverly made drawings.
I found this idea incredibly interesting. Sometimes I watch animated films, and from a technical standpoint, they are excellent. Well keyed animation, smooth movements, good textures etc. But they're lacking something, and this lecture made me realise what it is that they're lacking - characterization, a personality. Its something that I will certainly be looking closely at when I come to make animated shorts in the second and third year, as I think it makes the difference between a good and a great animation.
He talked about the way that the first major animated film, Disney's Snow White was a huge breakthrough in animation; he spoke about the way that the animators had managed to find a way of giving the characters what is known as "life between the frames". I took this to mean that the animators had managed to give the characters life and existence beyond simply what was drawn on each of the film's frames; that they had managed to make an animation that for the first time viewers could relate to the film's protagonists as real people rather than simply as cleverly made drawings.
I found this idea incredibly interesting. Sometimes I watch animated films, and from a technical standpoint, they are excellent. Well keyed animation, smooth movements, good textures etc. But they're lacking something, and this lecture made me realise what it is that they're lacking - characterization, a personality. Its something that I will certainly be looking closely at when I come to make animated shorts in the second and third year, as I think it makes the difference between a good and a great animation.
Screen Violence
Bill's lecture this time around was about screen violence. We watched clips from a variety of films, some of which had more graphically violent content than others. As a games artist, I couldn't help but relate this entire topic back to the games industry.
It made me think of all the controversies that have surrounded video games and the way that violence is portrayed in them. There have been instances in the past where violent video games have been blamed for inciting youths that have played them into committing violent acts against one another; most notable was a case where a teenager murdered somebody, and the video game Manhunt was cited as a factor in the youth developing such psychopathic tendencies. The Columbine murderers were also avid fans of the video game Doom, one of them to the point of utter obsession; there has been a lot of speculation that this may have been a contributing factor to their violent behaviour.
This led me on to thinking about whether violence in video games is necessary, or whether it is simply gratuitous and their for effect. In my opinion, violence, particularly graphic violence, is important in video games, providing the reason for it being there is legitimate. For example, I think graphic violence in a war game is a necessity, because it provides an authentic experience for the player, and helps immerse them into the world. Personally, I believe that violence in war games should be increased to realistic levels in war games rated 18+, so that players can get a truly authentic idea of what war is like, rather than believing that headshots simply make a nice ping sound and the enemy falls asleep.
It made me think of all the controversies that have surrounded video games and the way that violence is portrayed in them. There have been instances in the past where violent video games have been blamed for inciting youths that have played them into committing violent acts against one another; most notable was a case where a teenager murdered somebody, and the video game Manhunt was cited as a factor in the youth developing such psychopathic tendencies. The Columbine murderers were also avid fans of the video game Doom, one of them to the point of utter obsession; there has been a lot of speculation that this may have been a contributing factor to their violent behaviour.
This led me on to thinking about whether violence in video games is necessary, or whether it is simply gratuitous and their for effect. In my opinion, violence, particularly graphic violence, is important in video games, providing the reason for it being there is legitimate. For example, I think graphic violence in a war game is a necessity, because it provides an authentic experience for the player, and helps immerse them into the world. Personally, I believe that violence in war games should be increased to realistic levels in war games rated 18+, so that players can get a truly authentic idea of what war is like, rather than believing that headshots simply make a nice ping sound and the enemy falls asleep.
Science Fiction
In this week's lecture, we took a look at how the Science Fiction genre has evolved over the years. One of sci-fi's main aspects is in portraying futuristic environments and technology. However, its interesting to note the way that perceptions of what these entail have changed in more modern audiences, compared to say, thirty or forty years ago.
A case in point would be when looking at a sci fi series like Doctor Who. In the 70's and 80's for example, the Tardis looked very different to the way it does in the modern version of the show. Back then, it was a very clean, with an extremely soulless look to it. It had a very minimalist and robotic styling to it, which was what the audience expected of a futuristic machine at that time. In the modern day however, as we worry more and more about "going eco" and saving the planet, our perceptions of what is futuristic and technological have changed. This is evident in the styling of the modern Tardis, which has a more organic, natural feel to it, with what look like branches acting as supports. It also has a more autumnal colour scheme, with rustic oranges and greens; these help to enhance this new idea of what the Tardis is, and where sci-fi is heading.
A case in point would be when looking at a sci fi series like Doctor Who. In the 70's and 80's for example, the Tardis looked very different to the way it does in the modern version of the show. Back then, it was a very clean, with an extremely soulless look to it. It had a very minimalist and robotic styling to it, which was what the audience expected of a futuristic machine at that time. In the modern day however, as we worry more and more about "going eco" and saving the planet, our perceptions of what is futuristic and technological have changed. This is evident in the styling of the modern Tardis, which has a more organic, natural feel to it, with what look like branches acting as supports. It also has a more autumnal colour scheme, with rustic oranges and greens; these help to enhance this new idea of what the Tardis is, and where sci-fi is heading.
New Media
This lecture was our first with Bill, and revolved around the idea of new media such as video games and modern films, and how new media forms are influenced by older media forms.
The lecture made me think about Modern Warfare 2 again. As the technology and graphical capability of video game engines has increased, their ability to have epic, cinematic storylines has increased. MW2 took this to whole new level in 2009, with a cinematic campaign with influences from great movies like Red Dawn and war films like Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker. I realised that as we seen this type of thing in more and more newer games, its easy to see how the films of the past are directly influencing the direction that new media such as video games are heading towards.
The lecture made me think about Modern Warfare 2 again. As the technology and graphical capability of video game engines has increased, their ability to have epic, cinematic storylines has increased. MW2 took this to whole new level in 2009, with a cinematic campaign with influences from great movies like Red Dawn and war films like Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker. I realised that as we seen this type of thing in more and more newer games, its easy to see how the films of the past are directly influencing the direction that new media such as video games are heading towards.
Structuralism
So, heres a couple of thoughts on a recent lecture on Structuralism. Structuralism refers to the ideas of binary opposites; for example, good and evil. I struggled a little bit to engage with this lecture, but some concepts that we looked at were interesting. For instance, we were introduced to the idea of the "anomalous zone" which describes the place that exists between the two extreme binary opposites in a given circumstance. For instance, in the original Star Wars trilogy, the two main characters are Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader; at the outset, Luke appears to be pure good, and Vader pure evil. However, through the course of the trilogy, Luke and Vader are, at times, dragged into the anomalous zone as they struggle with the temptations of the other side. This is finally results in Vader's redemption in the final film, as he destroys his evil master before his death.
I found that elements of structuralism tied into something that a guest lecturer, Arno Krimmer, discussed with us. He took us through the idea of the "Hero's Journey", a very common plot line for films. Many ideas related to structuralism are tied into this, because the hero's journey relies upon temptation, the anomalous zone, and conflict between binary opposites of some kind, often good and evil.
I found that elements of structuralism tied into something that a guest lecturer, Arno Krimmer, discussed with us. He took us through the idea of the "Hero's Journey", a very common plot line for films. Many ideas related to structuralism are tied into this, because the hero's journey relies upon temptation, the anomalous zone, and conflict between binary opposites of some kind, often good and evil.
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