Study Task 4- Introduction

The connection between Character and Background Design in assisting narrative, and the theories behind how their use can evoke greater empathy or interaction from an audience.

I will be exploring the concept that background design is no longer secondary to character design and that by utilising them together, you can create a stronger narrative. In the Art of Howl’s Moving Castle, Michiyo Yasuda says that “to determine colours[...]I always take into consideration the personality and emotional development of each character” which is why even when Sophie becomes young again, her hair remained white, because her character had moved forwards so greatly. This example shows the impact of colour theory, the connection between character and background; but I also intend on considering how different mediums, 2D/3D or technology can either inhibit or benefit their success. The character design in “Feast” is restricted by the rendering of its technology (https://www.awn.com/animationworld/chat-kristina-reed-creating-winston-and-disney-s-feast).

 Collectively, I will be looking at what improves character and background design, in turn strengthening narrative. The theory is that an audience will empathise more with the story if they can believe it could truly exist, meaning the worlds created must be detailed and authentic. Such as in Brave, where technology enhanced the surroundings ten-fold using specific software, returning to the consideration of technology. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgLu48OPI2g  . I am very interested in researching deeper into the idea of creating a believable world, the theory is supported by the assumption that “film protagonists never look into the camera lenses so as to not collapse the viewers ‘identification’ with the camera’s point of view”, p.61, Hyper Narrative Interactive Cinema. 

I believe that I will find a strong link between this theory and design. I suppose it will also follow the route of the ‘suspension of disbelief’, simply accepting a premise is real in order for the narrative to take hold. All these ideas hark back to our history of cave paintings, showing that storytelling and communicating through art is inherent to who we are, as “the caves structure a landscape of dreams” (Animated Landscapes, Chris Pallant) in the same way that animation visualises what once once just an idea. 

Sophie's hair in Howl's Moving Castle

Seminar - Group brainstorming

Articulated thoughts from group brainstorming on the whiteboard

This session was really useful in bouncing ideas off other people to get an idea of whether my initial path of research is one of substance, and it concretes the ideas I already had. Speaking with Dan especially in the group was helpful because our subjects somewhat crossed over in discussing the psychology behind film and narrative where he recommended the book: "Hyper Narrative Interactive cinema".

I feel more assured about developing research on how Character (design) interacts with surroundings and background to further narrative, and evoke empathy from an audience.
The response of style, shape and colour.
Looking at what makes effective narrative- what brings out audience emotion and empathy.
Look at sentient spaces which are perceived in real life for context.

Study Task 3 - Images and Theory

Task 3 - Images and Theory

My research this week included the texts below:

 From Mouse to Mermaid

 Chapter: The Curse of Masculinity, Susan Jeffords

I found this extract very interesting in its analysis; addressing ideas of gender, the values that are attached to the archetype of a ‘hero’ and how contextual events can impact these values portrayed. It is very raw in how it deconstructs the presentation and progression of men between the 80s and 90s in films, drawing reference to race, male fragility and reasoning.

Jeffords poses the idea that the 90s man was shown to need family to be whole (presented in Kindergarten cop) and that violence he may show is him being self destructive and just doing his job; in turn it shows his frailty as family is his resolution of changing. 90s films are allowing them to always react to an outside force, be it jobs, nations or friends which put them in these violent situations, therefore eliminating the idea that the man be blamed for his own internal aggression. Whereas 80s action- adventure films are glorifying scenes of destruction.

I cannot put into any better words than Jeffords on her reading on Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) not being portrayed as lethal, the first shot of him being surrounded by loving family, and the idea that an African- American black man who only kills when provoked is the ideal archetype for a predominantly white audience who do not want to see him oppose US systems. Murtaugh’s “masculinity, has not been taken away from his family, largely because, such films imply, he has not been out saving countries... not, in other words, been carrying the white man’s burden, o, by implication, his masculinity.” This racial subtext is dangerous in ensuring that ideas of heroism and bodily integrity are centered in a white body. These films suggest that if there is a body that has been historically victimized by society, it is not a person of colour but the unloved white man who needs love and attention to reform, not criticism. 

'Masculine' roles played by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Cyborg Cinema, Sue Short

The following text was relevant in how Jeffords looked at the Terminator, and then reading how the archetype was to be perceived by a leading man in the 1980s. Calling it an ‘obsolete model’, this text looks at the success and longevity of the SF genre itself, and looks at the successful qualities for a cyborg, highlighting how female cyborgs are often deemed inhuman and disposed of.

Having a look into a different direction for my research, I began to look at sentient spaces, or how character and background interact together. As a first pit stop I skimmed The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle. This gave me a quick insight in to what I could follow on to in research as it touches on how background colours interact with the emotion and development of a character and the colour cues that we don’t necessarily consciously notice but are placed to aid the narrative and Mitsunori Kataama (Director of Digital Animation) said ‘now I understand what people mean when they praise character depth in a film’ and the importance of strong character design!

Howl's Moving Castle

Study Task 2 - Reading and Understanding Texts

Found text:

Freezing vs Wrecking: Reworking the superhero genre in Disney's Frozen (2013) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Eve Benhamou

I hoped this text would focus more on the archetypal factors of superhero films and their characters and whilst there were some interesting cross comparisons between film, animation and comics it continued in a way which focussed on the obvious gender constructions we see across all. This genre generally maintains the themes of fear, power, spectacle and control where the protagonist explores their powers; but the approaches differ with gender. Benhamou mentions how hyper masculinity and aggression tend to be celebrated in male characters, or used as a comedic tool known as ‘playful knowingness’ e.g. Hancock, to further the narrative. But with female characters the aggression is quickly neutralized, in Frozen it could be speculated that Elsa is domesticated by her Father, symbolising the patriarchy. A wildness cannot better a female character but instead she receives a make-over- her sexualised body create a spectacle, over riding her powers and allowing this change to be ‘a key ritual of female coming into being.’

An interesting point in this article is when it’s postulated that performance of a known actor/singer (in animation in this case), an extratextual element can combine with intertextual elements to add complexity to a character and therefore affect how the audience may perceive them in regards to understanding good and evil.