Magen Thornhill
Blog 15: The Future of Animation
I think that the lecture on video games was probably my favorite. I’ve played a lot of video games so it was really nice to go over them in class. I really liked the documentary on how Nintendo and the development of Mario. I never knew how Mario came to be. I do think games are a lot like film and Mario is a great character. He’s in so much and I still love playing all the Mario games that come out.
It’s really interesting to compare what games were like in the 80’s to what they’re like now. They’re so realistic and I really like the character development that goes into them. Some of the characters are so complex like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII. Some of the story lines for me or just like watching a movie or reading a book I don’t really play violent video games although I have before. Really the only first person shooter games I’ve played belong to the Resident Evil series. While this can be violent it still has a very in depth story. It involves zombies so if they took out all the violence it wouldn’t have the same effect to the storyline.
Games like Grand Theft Auto, I just kind of ignore since I’m not interested in them. I think it was strange how the army was using a game for training after America was saying violent games were a problem. It was very contradictory. I don’t think games are the problem and it’s more that society generates a lot of fear. We are not the only country that has these types of games. I learned that in one of my media classes that critics are usually over the age of 40 and not video game natives. I really think it’s up to the parents to regulate what their kids can play.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Gaming
Magen Thornhill
Blog 14: Gaming
The reading on Lara describes her as being an object for the male gaze. The reading compares her to a Barbie doll and says her body image can give a false impression to boys about the female body. While I do agree that Lara was designed for the male gaze, I don’t have a problem with it. I’ve played a lot of video games and I’ve seen several characters with unrealistic body images both male and female. I view video games as being more fantasy where normal rules don’t apply. There are also characters designed for the female gaze so I think it works both ways. For instance, I played Final Fantasy Crisis Core. There is this one part where the protagonist, Zack is out on the beach stretching with just his swim trunks on.
The reading describes Lara as being one of the first female heroines in video games. I really think that’s grown. There’s Blood Rayne, Parasite Eve, and Silent Hill 3 to name a few. I’m drawn to action/adventure games or role playing games. I wish there was more of an attempt to market them to girls. Since as the reading described games that involve things such as fashion and cooking are often marketed to girls. They didn’t have these games out when I was a kid but I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have been interested in them.
The reading on Inventing Space looks at the development of video games such as the uses of space. It also compares video games to film. I really like this comparison since I do view video games sometimes as a film or book. The stories lines can be so amazing and I find myself trying to quickly get through the next task just so I can get to the cut scene. Cut scenes are also becoming more developed and can even be over a half hour long as in Metal Gear Solid 4.
I really liked the section on Pixar. It was interesting to see how it developed and took off. I did see Avatar and the imagery was really amazing although I didn’t care much for the storyline. I always did think facial expressions looked a bit plastic in CGI so it’s nice to see that’s its changing. It’s also nice to see that Pixar is moving away from more traditional Disney and coming up with new storylines like Up instead of the common the prince saves the princess.
Blog 14: Gaming
The reading on Lara describes her as being an object for the male gaze. The reading compares her to a Barbie doll and says her body image can give a false impression to boys about the female body. While I do agree that Lara was designed for the male gaze, I don’t have a problem with it. I’ve played a lot of video games and I’ve seen several characters with unrealistic body images both male and female. I view video games as being more fantasy where normal rules don’t apply. There are also characters designed for the female gaze so I think it works both ways. For instance, I played Final Fantasy Crisis Core. There is this one part where the protagonist, Zack is out on the beach stretching with just his swim trunks on.
The reading describes Lara as being one of the first female heroines in video games. I really think that’s grown. There’s Blood Rayne, Parasite Eve, and Silent Hill 3 to name a few. I’m drawn to action/adventure games or role playing games. I wish there was more of an attempt to market them to girls. Since as the reading described games that involve things such as fashion and cooking are often marketed to girls. They didn’t have these games out when I was a kid but I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t have been interested in them.
The reading on Inventing Space looks at the development of video games such as the uses of space. It also compares video games to film. I really like this comparison since I do view video games sometimes as a film or book. The stories lines can be so amazing and I find myself trying to quickly get through the next task just so I can get to the cut scene. Cut scenes are also becoming more developed and can even be over a half hour long as in Metal Gear Solid 4.
I really liked the section on Pixar. It was interesting to see how it developed and took off. I did see Avatar and the imagery was really amazing although I didn’t care much for the storyline. I always did think facial expressions looked a bit plastic in CGI so it’s nice to see that’s its changing. It’s also nice to see that Pixar is moving away from more traditional Disney and coming up with new storylines like Up instead of the common the prince saves the princess.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Computer Revolution and Pixtar: Blog 13
Magen Thornhill
The Computer Revolution and Pixtar: Blog 13
I can really see where Fritz the Cat lead to adult animation such as shows like South Park and the stuff on Adult Swim. It dealt with world issues, issues of sexuality, race, and religion. The one thing I didn’t see too much of was intertextuality. Although I may have over looked it, I just didn’t recognize any. Shows like the Simpsons though and South Park have so much of it.
I really liked this weeks reading since I could think of a lot of examples of what they were talking about. It dealt with how live action and animation are two separate things. It is not impossible for animation to completely simulate the real but it can look very realistic. It can be photo realistic or provide learning models. It’s also gotten to look more real over the years.
I can really see this in Final Fantasy. I played Final Fantasy VII that came out in 1997. The graphics are not very good. The characters look box like, have defined polygons, no facial expressions, and there is not any voice acting. However, a game now such as Final Fantasy XIII looks amazing. The characters are so life like and the backgrounds are so in depth and stunning. I can also think of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within which I saw in theaters. I think it was the first movie to have realistic computer generated characters.
Here’s a link that compares the opening of Final Fantasy VII to what it would look like now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAs5B-BMB8
The Computer Revolution and Pixtar: Blog 13
I can really see where Fritz the Cat lead to adult animation such as shows like South Park and the stuff on Adult Swim. It dealt with world issues, issues of sexuality, race, and religion. The one thing I didn’t see too much of was intertextuality. Although I may have over looked it, I just didn’t recognize any. Shows like the Simpsons though and South Park have so much of it.
I really liked this weeks reading since I could think of a lot of examples of what they were talking about. It dealt with how live action and animation are two separate things. It is not impossible for animation to completely simulate the real but it can look very realistic. It can be photo realistic or provide learning models. It’s also gotten to look more real over the years.
I can really see this in Final Fantasy. I played Final Fantasy VII that came out in 1997. The graphics are not very good. The characters look box like, have defined polygons, no facial expressions, and there is not any voice acting. However, a game now such as Final Fantasy XIII looks amazing. The characters are so life like and the backgrounds are so in depth and stunning. I can also think of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within which I saw in theaters. I think it was the first movie to have realistic computer generated characters.
Here’s a link that compares the opening of Final Fantasy VII to what it would look like now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVAs5B-BMB8
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Magen Thornhill
Animation for Adults: Blog 12
I really liked the look of the puppet animation. The use of puppets as in the Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Coraline give the films a surreal feeling. They appear darker and a bit more shocking than if they would have been made with live action or 2D animation. The background and the characters also have a distinct look and look more in-depth. Their faces are distorted and certain attributes are pointed out such as eyes. However this gives them a more individual and real look or even a scarier look. Even the short with the dog puppet looked more realistic to me.
I’ve never seen Wallace and Gromit since I don’t watch that much clay animation but it was a lot better than I was expecting. I want to watch the rest of the series now. The reading mostly dealt with audience and spectatorship. I don’t remember watching too many adult related shows when I was a kid except for Ren and Stimpy. I really don’t think I was interested in them but I did like more in depth story lines.
Except for anime I really don’t watch them much now either. I never really got into to South Park, Family Guy, or the Boondocks. I’ll watch them if they’re on but I don’t go out of my way to watch them. I do like the Oblongs though and Robot Chicken. Robot Chicken also uses stop animation, animating dolls. It makes fun of a lot things such as Harry Potter and My Little Pony.
Here’s a link with Apocalypse Pony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJ9DA8w3I4
Overall I think this is a really interesting subject and I’m really looking forward to class on Monday.
Animation for Adults: Blog 12
I really liked the look of the puppet animation. The use of puppets as in the Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Coraline give the films a surreal feeling. They appear darker and a bit more shocking than if they would have been made with live action or 2D animation. The background and the characters also have a distinct look and look more in-depth. Their faces are distorted and certain attributes are pointed out such as eyes. However this gives them a more individual and real look or even a scarier look. Even the short with the dog puppet looked more realistic to me.
I’ve never seen Wallace and Gromit since I don’t watch that much clay animation but it was a lot better than I was expecting. I want to watch the rest of the series now. The reading mostly dealt with audience and spectatorship. I don’t remember watching too many adult related shows when I was a kid except for Ren and Stimpy. I really don’t think I was interested in them but I did like more in depth story lines.
Except for anime I really don’t watch them much now either. I never really got into to South Park, Family Guy, or the Boondocks. I’ll watch them if they’re on but I don’t go out of my way to watch them. I do like the Oblongs though and Robot Chicken. Robot Chicken also uses stop animation, animating dolls. It makes fun of a lot things such as Harry Potter and My Little Pony.
Here’s a link with Apocalypse Pony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrJ9DA8w3I4
Overall I think this is a really interesting subject and I’m really looking forward to class on Monday.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Blog 11: 100 years of Puppet and Claymation
Magen Thornhill
Blog 11: 100 years of Puppet and Claymation
This weeks reading was about stop motion and pixilation. Both are very time consuming. The reading talks about all the detail that goes into a frame. I’ve have an idea on how much work is involved from my own stop motion animation and that was only a few seconds. The use of clay must be especially difficult since it’s so easy to move the wrong way or leave a thumbprint. I really like the use of puppets in stop animation. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline all felt very surreal. They had their own look which really added to the feeling of the story. The plots are very in depth and the scenery changes naturally with attention to detail. Stop motion and puppets are also used a lot in kid’s shows.
Pixilation is amazing since it involves real actors. I don’t know how someone would be able to keep so still or hold an exact pose for an undetermined amount of time. Pixilation is more common than I thought. I don’t think I’ve paid that much attention to it before but now that I think about I can recall examples from commercials and TV. I would really like to see some more feature length stop motion in theaters since it’s so in depth and it’s an experience to watch.
This isn’t stop animation but it’s still done with puppets and I thought the creators did a very good with this so I wanted to point it out.
Harry Potter and The Mysterious Ticking Noise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4
I really liked the section on anime. I’ve watched Ghost in the Shell when they had the TV series on Cartoon Network but I’ve never watched the movie all the way through. It reminded me a lot of Blade Runner since I just saw it in film theory. I’ve also seen all of Neon Genesis, including the two movies and Cowboy Bebop. Neon Genesis was just strange and all the characters had psychological problems. Half the time I wasn’t even sure what was going on in the series. I still loved it and I can definitely see why it would be revolutionary.
Blog 11: 100 years of Puppet and Claymation
This weeks reading was about stop motion and pixilation. Both are very time consuming. The reading talks about all the detail that goes into a frame. I’ve have an idea on how much work is involved from my own stop motion animation and that was only a few seconds. The use of clay must be especially difficult since it’s so easy to move the wrong way or leave a thumbprint. I really like the use of puppets in stop animation. The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Coraline all felt very surreal. They had their own look which really added to the feeling of the story. The plots are very in depth and the scenery changes naturally with attention to detail. Stop motion and puppets are also used a lot in kid’s shows.
Pixilation is amazing since it involves real actors. I don’t know how someone would be able to keep so still or hold an exact pose for an undetermined amount of time. Pixilation is more common than I thought. I don’t think I’ve paid that much attention to it before but now that I think about I can recall examples from commercials and TV. I would really like to see some more feature length stop motion in theaters since it’s so in depth and it’s an experience to watch.
This isn’t stop animation but it’s still done with puppets and I thought the creators did a very good with this so I wanted to point it out.
Harry Potter and The Mysterious Ticking Noise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4
I really liked the section on anime. I’ve watched Ghost in the Shell when they had the TV series on Cartoon Network but I’ve never watched the movie all the way through. It reminded me a lot of Blade Runner since I just saw it in film theory. I’ve also seen all of Neon Genesis, including the two movies and Cowboy Bebop. Neon Genesis was just strange and all the characters had psychological problems. Half the time I wasn’t even sure what was going on in the series. I still loved it and I can definitely see why it would be revolutionary.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Anime changes the face of animation
Anime changes the face of animation: Blog 10
I really agree with the reading by Luca Raffaeli on that the characters in anime are so much more relatable. They have in-depth personalities and one can become very attached to them. The reading talked about how Disney follows clear cut rules and always has a happy ending. Though they try for realism they always have a routine plot. It also talked about the lack of a father figure in Disney and how a lot the kids in anime are orphans. Anime is about overcoming hardship, believing in yourself, and hanging on.
I have to say I’m a huge anime fan and I’ve seen many different series. I started out watching Tenchi Muyo on cartoon network and ever since then I can’t get enough. The reading by Brian Ruh talked about the growth of anime especially in the United States. I really liked seeing how it developed with Astro Boy. One thing it talked about was censorship. I’ve noticed this in a lot of series like One Piece and Sailor Moon. In Sailor Moon there is lesbian couple which is completely censored out. I also knew a lot of the things in Pokemon were censored. It’s really not the same story. I started watching One Piece when it first aired but it was so heavily edited that I stopped. Adult Swim and other networks like Funimation or so much better so I mainly watch anime from there.
Now that I think about it a lot of series I watch do have orphaned protagonists or the parents seem to be nonexistent. In Full Metal Alchemist, Edward’s father left him and his mother died. In Higurashi, the main character finds himself in this twisted town. He is fighting for his life and even though his parents are there they don’t know what’s going on and don’t try to help him. I believe anime shows so much more emotion than Disney and Raffaeli nailed that it’s mostly about struggle. There are exceptions like in Death Note. The protagonist Light is a serial killer. His father is a police chief and influential in his life while is mother is caring. The series follows Light as he becomes more and more twisted. The audience may even grow to hate him. Things for Light also turn out tragic.
Here’s a link to part of a Death Note episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4soWFqvJTCs
Magen Thornhill
I really agree with the reading by Luca Raffaeli on that the characters in anime are so much more relatable. They have in-depth personalities and one can become very attached to them. The reading talked about how Disney follows clear cut rules and always has a happy ending. Though they try for realism they always have a routine plot. It also talked about the lack of a father figure in Disney and how a lot the kids in anime are orphans. Anime is about overcoming hardship, believing in yourself, and hanging on.
I have to say I’m a huge anime fan and I’ve seen many different series. I started out watching Tenchi Muyo on cartoon network and ever since then I can’t get enough. The reading by Brian Ruh talked about the growth of anime especially in the United States. I really liked seeing how it developed with Astro Boy. One thing it talked about was censorship. I’ve noticed this in a lot of series like One Piece and Sailor Moon. In Sailor Moon there is lesbian couple which is completely censored out. I also knew a lot of the things in Pokemon were censored. It’s really not the same story. I started watching One Piece when it first aired but it was so heavily edited that I stopped. Adult Swim and other networks like Funimation or so much better so I mainly watch anime from there.
Now that I think about it a lot of series I watch do have orphaned protagonists or the parents seem to be nonexistent. In Full Metal Alchemist, Edward’s father left him and his mother died. In Higurashi, the main character finds himself in this twisted town. He is fighting for his life and even though his parents are there they don’t know what’s going on and don’t try to help him. I believe anime shows so much more emotion than Disney and Raffaeli nailed that it’s mostly about struggle. There are exceptions like in Death Note. The protagonist Light is a serial killer. His father is a police chief and influential in his life while is mother is caring. The series follows Light as he becomes more and more twisted. The audience may even grow to hate him. Things for Light also turn out tragic.
Here’s a link to part of a Death Note episode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4soWFqvJTCs
Magen Thornhill
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Stop motion
Here is my stop motion project. It is a my little pony going up in a balloon.
Magen Thornhill
Magen Thornhill
Friday, March 19, 2010
Animating the Boob-Tube Blog 9
Animating the Boob-Tube Blog 9
This week’s reading deals with how animation grew. I especially liked the article on Ren & Stimpy. I remember watching it when I was a kid although I didn’t it like too much since I thought it was kind of gross. Although now I love it since it really stands out from the norm. The article talked about the show being geared to children and adults which I already knew. This goes with a lot of shows such as Rugrats. I also knew that some of Ren & Stimpy had been edited. I am kind of surprised Nickelodeon agreed to show it in the first place due to a lot of the humor. I can really see why it was so popular among young adults and did so well on MTV. The article also talked about fan culture or animatophilia. It kind of reminded me of the whole anime fan base.
I don’t agree with the only main animation American audiences know is humor. There is a lot of drama in series such X-men, Teen Titans, Gargoyles, and Aeon Flux. Anime is a very good example of in depth story lines and characters. I wish American cartoons would take more elements from anime.
The other article talked mostly about Gumby. It was interesting to learn about Gumby’s creator since I never thought about him before. The characters always did seem simplistic to me in looks and personality. I understand now why the creator wanted it this way. I also liked reading of how children’s television spread and how The Mickey Mouse Club led to this. There are a lot of kids so it’s a large market and it’s hard to imagine when kids didn’t have toys of their favorite cartoon characters. Furniss’s chapter seven goes more into what the articles covered. Since it’s mainly about the appeal of animation and its history on TV.
For last week’s lecture I liked the experimental section a lot better than I thought I would. The music video for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds felt very surreal and was very well done. I never knew about Oskar Fischinger but he did some things that were very revolutionary. I liked his Fantasia piece but he had other work just as inspiring. A lot of the experimentals felt psychedelic and I could see a connection with forms and shapes in experimental over the years. I especially liked the last segment we watched in class with the digital media. It was so colorful and had kind of a magical feeling.
Magen Thornhill
This week’s reading deals with how animation grew. I especially liked the article on Ren & Stimpy. I remember watching it when I was a kid although I didn’t it like too much since I thought it was kind of gross. Although now I love it since it really stands out from the norm. The article talked about the show being geared to children and adults which I already knew. This goes with a lot of shows such as Rugrats. I also knew that some of Ren & Stimpy had been edited. I am kind of surprised Nickelodeon agreed to show it in the first place due to a lot of the humor. I can really see why it was so popular among young adults and did so well on MTV. The article also talked about fan culture or animatophilia. It kind of reminded me of the whole anime fan base.
I don’t agree with the only main animation American audiences know is humor. There is a lot of drama in series such X-men, Teen Titans, Gargoyles, and Aeon Flux. Anime is a very good example of in depth story lines and characters. I wish American cartoons would take more elements from anime.
The other article talked mostly about Gumby. It was interesting to learn about Gumby’s creator since I never thought about him before. The characters always did seem simplistic to me in looks and personality. I understand now why the creator wanted it this way. I also liked reading of how children’s television spread and how The Mickey Mouse Club led to this. There are a lot of kids so it’s a large market and it’s hard to imagine when kids didn’t have toys of their favorite cartoon characters. Furniss’s chapter seven goes more into what the articles covered. Since it’s mainly about the appeal of animation and its history on TV.
For last week’s lecture I liked the experimental section a lot better than I thought I would. The music video for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds felt very surreal and was very well done. I never knew about Oskar Fischinger but he did some things that were very revolutionary. I liked his Fantasia piece but he had other work just as inspiring. A lot of the experimentals felt psychedelic and I could see a connection with forms and shapes in experimental over the years. I especially liked the last segment we watched in class with the digital media. It was so colorful and had kind of a magical feeling.
Magen Thornhill
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Disneyfication of Animation Blog 8
Blog 8
I always liked reading about Disney since there are so many takes on it. As mentioned in class I also grew up with it. It’s really interesting to think where Disney obtains its stories. If you count their major motion pictures such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Hercules, and The Princes and Frog, they all come from legends and folktales. Also if you think about it the female characters are usually the protagonists. Although with some exceptions such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Hercules.
I feel for the most part Disney does a good job of showing the female character’s point of view. Alice goes on an adventure in Alice in Wonderland, Belle dreams of getting away from her small town life in Beauty and the Beast, Ariel explores sunken ships in The Little Mermaid, and Mulan goes to war in Mulan.
The Lion King also resembles Kimba the White Lion. The names are very similar as well as the plot line. For instance both lion cubs lose their fathers and hesitate with becoming king. This link compares them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0nnCTlcIM
Art in Motion talked some about censorship and promotional strategies. I think Disney’s done a fairly good job of staying family orientated although they may have jokes that go over the kids heads. They also market themselves to the point where I get tired of seeing so many adds and previews. Although, it would be hard to imagine Disney not being apart of my life.
Magen Thornhill
I always liked reading about Disney since there are so many takes on it. As mentioned in class I also grew up with it. It’s really interesting to think where Disney obtains its stories. If you count their major motion pictures such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Hercules, and The Princes and Frog, they all come from legends and folktales. Also if you think about it the female characters are usually the protagonists. Although with some exceptions such as The Lion King, Aladdin, and Hercules.
I feel for the most part Disney does a good job of showing the female character’s point of view. Alice goes on an adventure in Alice in Wonderland, Belle dreams of getting away from her small town life in Beauty and the Beast, Ariel explores sunken ships in The Little Mermaid, and Mulan goes to war in Mulan.
The Lion King also resembles Kimba the White Lion. The names are very similar as well as the plot line. For instance both lion cubs lose their fathers and hesitate with becoming king. This link compares them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S0nnCTlcIM
Art in Motion talked some about censorship and promotional strategies. I think Disney’s done a fairly good job of staying family orientated although they may have jokes that go over the kids heads. They also market themselves to the point where I get tired of seeing so many adds and previews. Although, it would be hard to imagine Disney not being apart of my life.
Magen Thornhill
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Issues of Representation Post 7
I really liked this week’s reading. I never thought of the role of gender in representation but Paul Wells had some very good examples. Some I was more familiar with than others. There are a lot of powerful female characters in cartoons. Such as Aeon Flux, She-Ra, Wonder Woman, the Powerpuff girls, Raven in Teen Titans, and the women in X-Men. In anime it’s very noticeable. There are several examples but I’m only going to name a few. Lucy in Elfen Lied. Lucy has mental abilities and breaks out of a top secret laboratory killing everyone. In Higurashi, Shion goes insane and murders her friends. In Gunslinger Girl little girls are trained to be ruthless killers.
Here’s a trailer from Elfen Lied, although warnings since it’s very violent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RLN42dWLsY
Sometimes female characters don’t have the same roles as their male counterparts and are kept in the background. For instance Sakura in Naruto, Supergirl, Catwoman, Kagome in Inu-Yasha, ect.
I also see the role of gender bending and cross dressing a lot in anime. For instance in Ouran High School Host Club a girl dresses up as a boy to entertain other girls so she can pay off a debt. In Strawberry Eggs a man dresses up a woman so he can teach at a school that only hires female teachers. In Sailor Moon males can even change into females. The best example I can think of in American cartoons is Bugs and others cross dressing. Maureen draws some of the same ideas but he goes into a more cultural view point.
I think the role of cross species comes up best when live action is crossed with animation. Such as in Who Framed Rogger Rabbit with Jessica and Donald and the girl in Three Caballeros. I have to say I loved the Three Caballeros, it was very entertaining and I liked the animation style. The Disney lecture was really interesting. Disney has a market on so much. Although it seems like they haven’t been paying so much attention to animation. The Disney channel is mostly tween shows. I saw The Princess and the Frog. It was mainly a kid’s movie but it had a good storyline and I’m glad Disney got back to some traditional animation.
Here’s a trailer from Elfen Lied, although warnings since it’s very violent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RLN42dWLsY
Sometimes female characters don’t have the same roles as their male counterparts and are kept in the background. For instance Sakura in Naruto, Supergirl, Catwoman, Kagome in Inu-Yasha, ect.
I also see the role of gender bending and cross dressing a lot in anime. For instance in Ouran High School Host Club a girl dresses up as a boy to entertain other girls so she can pay off a debt. In Strawberry Eggs a man dresses up a woman so he can teach at a school that only hires female teachers. In Sailor Moon males can even change into females. The best example I can think of in American cartoons is Bugs and others cross dressing. Maureen draws some of the same ideas but he goes into a more cultural view point.
I think the role of cross species comes up best when live action is crossed with animation. Such as in Who Framed Rogger Rabbit with Jessica and Donald and the girl in Three Caballeros. I have to say I loved the Three Caballeros, it was very entertaining and I liked the animation style. The Disney lecture was really interesting. Disney has a market on so much. Although it seems like they haven’t been paying so much attention to animation. The Disney channel is mostly tween shows. I saw The Princess and the Frog. It was mainly a kid’s movie but it had a good storyline and I’m glad Disney got back to some traditional animation.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Experimental
Experimental
Post 6
The readings for this week were about experimental animation. I never cared much for experimental animation since I prefer something with a narrative. Although what I got from the book was that a viewer can take away different meanings from experimental animation. I agree some of it is very well done. It can be very beautiful visually. I really think it’s up to the viewer to consider what experimental means to them.
I think a lot of experimental animation has a lot to do with sound. It helps to give an impression like in The Boy Who Goes Boing. The visuals and sound usually go together very well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
This isn’t experimental but it’s an example of how visuals and sounds go together. There’s no dialogue and it’s a student project, using Maya about a kiwi bird. I’ve just always loved the piece since it conveys so much emotion.
The reading also talked about how the brain worked which was interesting since I found a lot of it related to me. Such as when I’m working for awhile I’ll start daydreaming. The readings also mentioned mandalas and Pythagoras which also adds importance to sound in animation. Sound can be technical and have its own rhythm. However, it can also be relaxing and have a mystical feeling.
Post 6
The readings for this week were about experimental animation. I never cared much for experimental animation since I prefer something with a narrative. Although what I got from the book was that a viewer can take away different meanings from experimental animation. I agree some of it is very well done. It can be very beautiful visually. I really think it’s up to the viewer to consider what experimental means to them.
I think a lot of experimental animation has a lot to do with sound. It helps to give an impression like in The Boy Who Goes Boing. The visuals and sound usually go together very well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs
This isn’t experimental but it’s an example of how visuals and sounds go together. There’s no dialogue and it’s a student project, using Maya about a kiwi bird. I’ve just always loved the piece since it conveys so much emotion.
The reading also talked about how the brain worked which was interesting since I found a lot of it related to me. Such as when I’m working for awhile I’ll start daydreaming. The readings also mentioned mandalas and Pythagoras which also adds importance to sound in animation. Sound can be technical and have its own rhythm. However, it can also be relaxing and have a mystical feeling.
Narrative Strategies Continued
Narrative Strategies Continued
Post 5
I really liked the lecture on narrative. Now that I think about it I see metamorphosis in several animations. I’ve also seen it in anime. Although, with anime I think it more has to do with the characters’ expressions. With anime that’s supposed to be realistic I don’t see it as much. I was surprised by the Betty Boop cartoons. I’ve seen a couple of them in the past but it was such a long time ago I don’t remember too much about them. It just seemed the cartoons pushed boundaries especially for the time period.
I’ve seen elliptical cuts before. I think they go along with condensation in order to give a lot of information in little time. With series I don’t see it as much but it’s really common in shorter animation or if maybe a cartoon has a fifteen minute episode and the story doesn’t carry over. For instance Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy. Each episode is short, to the point, and non continuous. There is also a lot of fabrication.
I really liked the concept of showing animation to make a statement as in Jumping. It felt very surreal, made a powerful statement, and had a variety of deeper meanings. The Hand used symbolism and metaphor to make a statement. I was very into the story and hoping the main character was able to break away from the hand. I feel it’s really amazing what animation is able to get across.
I’ve never seen Who Framed Rogger Rabbit before but now I just may have to check it out. The animation and live action worked very well together. Although now there’s films like Avatar where the animation is virtually undetectable. Jessica really embodies human characteristics and the film combined several different elements such as acting, performance, the uncanny, and the choreography was very well done.
Penetration in animation, I think would be a lot easier to do than in live action. It’s easy for animation to draw someone into a different world and make an impression. For instance Silent Hill when the protagonist has to deal with a disturbed little girl. Sound really helps to get the story across in animation. It can set the mood as in The Boy Who Goes Boing. I also think sound can go with acting and performance due to voice acting.
Post 5
I really liked the lecture on narrative. Now that I think about it I see metamorphosis in several animations. I’ve also seen it in anime. Although, with anime I think it more has to do with the characters’ expressions. With anime that’s supposed to be realistic I don’t see it as much. I was surprised by the Betty Boop cartoons. I’ve seen a couple of them in the past but it was such a long time ago I don’t remember too much about them. It just seemed the cartoons pushed boundaries especially for the time period.
I’ve seen elliptical cuts before. I think they go along with condensation in order to give a lot of information in little time. With series I don’t see it as much but it’s really common in shorter animation or if maybe a cartoon has a fifteen minute episode and the story doesn’t carry over. For instance Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy. Each episode is short, to the point, and non continuous. There is also a lot of fabrication.
I really liked the concept of showing animation to make a statement as in Jumping. It felt very surreal, made a powerful statement, and had a variety of deeper meanings. The Hand used symbolism and metaphor to make a statement. I was very into the story and hoping the main character was able to break away from the hand. I feel it’s really amazing what animation is able to get across.
I’ve never seen Who Framed Rogger Rabbit before but now I just may have to check it out. The animation and live action worked very well together. Although now there’s films like Avatar where the animation is virtually undetectable. Jessica really embodies human characteristics and the film combined several different elements such as acting, performance, the uncanny, and the choreography was very well done.
Penetration in animation, I think would be a lot easier to do than in live action. It’s easy for animation to draw someone into a different world and make an impression. For instance Silent Hill when the protagonist has to deal with a disturbed little girl. Sound really helps to get the story across in animation. It can set the mood as in The Boy Who Goes Boing. I also think sound can go with acting and performance due to voice acting.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Narrative Strategies
Post 4
Well’s chapter three looked at different aspects of narrative. He described symbolism and what relates to a world of story. He described sound, character traits, and how characters function. He also looked at metamorphosis in a story. I feel animation can be classified as many things and can branch out in different areas. I like that animation can go against the norm and be unrealistic. Some of the clips we saw from previous classes prove this such as Duck Amuck and Gertie the Dinosaur.
I’ve gone over some of these or similar narrative strategies in film analysis and film theory. It made me think of a few live action movies that share these elements such as the symbolism in Fight Club.
Animation is very good at breaking the fourth wall or have real people interacting with an animated character. Video games also break the fourth wall since in some cases a person can interact with a character, such as in Nintendogs where you take care of a pet dog and it responds to you.
I love to read and write. I’ve noticed there can be reoccurring themes in a piece of work but it also has individual traits. I don’t think it’s bad to classify something as just one thing but it would probably be hard to do.
Everyone has their own view about what they think of a piece of work. I feel Wells looks at animation as a whole. He does a fairly good job of breaking it down into components. However, I feel a certain style can have several layers as there might be more to a hero, villain, or someone in distress. Or there might be more than a standard beginning, middle, and end. Disney’s Fantasia would be hard to fit into a narrative category. It tells a story but not in a traditional way and has separate segments.
Well’s chapter three looked at different aspects of narrative. He described symbolism and what relates to a world of story. He described sound, character traits, and how characters function. He also looked at metamorphosis in a story. I feel animation can be classified as many things and can branch out in different areas. I like that animation can go against the norm and be unrealistic. Some of the clips we saw from previous classes prove this such as Duck Amuck and Gertie the Dinosaur.
I’ve gone over some of these or similar narrative strategies in film analysis and film theory. It made me think of a few live action movies that share these elements such as the symbolism in Fight Club.
Animation is very good at breaking the fourth wall or have real people interacting with an animated character. Video games also break the fourth wall since in some cases a person can interact with a character, such as in Nintendogs where you take care of a pet dog and it responds to you.
I love to read and write. I’ve noticed there can be reoccurring themes in a piece of work but it also has individual traits. I don’t think it’s bad to classify something as just one thing but it would probably be hard to do.
Everyone has their own view about what they think of a piece of work. I feel Wells looks at animation as a whole. He does a fairly good job of breaking it down into components. However, I feel a certain style can have several layers as there might be more to a hero, villain, or someone in distress. Or there might be more than a standard beginning, middle, and end. Disney’s Fantasia would be hard to fit into a narrative category. It tells a story but not in a traditional way and has separate segments.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
In The Early Days
In The Early Days
Post 3
The reading From Comic Strip and Blackboard to Screen focused on how comics related to animated film. Comics gave narrative and some had reoccurring characters. They were also easy to put on screen. The reading claimed that comics had great people working on them who made leaps in animation such as Blackton. I couldn’t agree with this more. Blackton was very amazing. The Enchanted Drawing and Humorous Phases of Funny Faces were both very imaginative.
This is what the reading referred to as Lightening Sketches or drawings that come to life. There was also the presence of the filmmaker. This made me think of experimental animation and Duck Amuck. This goes with McCay’s earlier work, Gertie the Dinosaur, and Alice’s Wonderland since the artists interact with animated characters. Gertie reminded me of a comic book character since she had personality.
I thought it was really amazing what some of these people were able to accomplish. I especially liked Melies’s Cook in Trouble. All of it was done in camera and it must have taken a lot of planning and work to get the right effect. The Cameraman’s Revenge must have been very tedious but the effect was great.
Reiniger’s work was wonderful. It’s hard to imagine the time she must have spent working on Prince Achemd. Paper is very thin and the characters moved very fluently. The whole thing was beautifully done especially the backgrounds. The reading Some Critical Perspectives on Lotte Reiniger looked as Reiniger’s life and how she got into animation. She dealt with some very complex issues in her work such as women’s rights and homosexuality. I agree that her ideas were thought provoking. Her work is classic and can be admired by all ages. I like how she used silhouettes and I agree with the reading that silhouettes can be very beautiful or very scary since they give a certain element of mystery.
Post 3
The reading From Comic Strip and Blackboard to Screen focused on how comics related to animated film. Comics gave narrative and some had reoccurring characters. They were also easy to put on screen. The reading claimed that comics had great people working on them who made leaps in animation such as Blackton. I couldn’t agree with this more. Blackton was very amazing. The Enchanted Drawing and Humorous Phases of Funny Faces were both very imaginative.
This is what the reading referred to as Lightening Sketches or drawings that come to life. There was also the presence of the filmmaker. This made me think of experimental animation and Duck Amuck. This goes with McCay’s earlier work, Gertie the Dinosaur, and Alice’s Wonderland since the artists interact with animated characters. Gertie reminded me of a comic book character since she had personality.
I thought it was really amazing what some of these people were able to accomplish. I especially liked Melies’s Cook in Trouble. All of it was done in camera and it must have taken a lot of planning and work to get the right effect. The Cameraman’s Revenge must have been very tedious but the effect was great.
Reiniger’s work was wonderful. It’s hard to imagine the time she must have spent working on Prince Achemd. Paper is very thin and the characters moved very fluently. The whole thing was beautifully done especially the backgrounds. The reading Some Critical Perspectives on Lotte Reiniger looked as Reiniger’s life and how she got into animation. She dealt with some very complex issues in her work such as women’s rights and homosexuality. I agree that her ideas were thought provoking. Her work is classic and can be admired by all ages. I like how she used silhouettes and I agree with the reading that silhouettes can be very beautiful or very scary since they give a certain element of mystery.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Theories of Animation and Animation Aesthetics
Theories of Animation and Animation Aesthetics
Post 2
I had seen Duck Amuck in a couple of other classes. I really think it’s in a class by itself. As described in the reading, it undoes the orthodox approach. The sequence of the three acts is out of order since the end comes at the middle. There is incongruity with the sounds and the background constantly changes. There is also the presence of the artist. The ending implies that Bugs and Daffy are fighting with each other but it also makes one think about the person who is actually in charge. I would classify Duck Amuck as developmental since there are orthodox methods such as the dialogue and the characters have human like characteristics. Creature Comforts can be classified in much the same way. It’s based on real interviews and there is the presence of the artist, but it’s driven by dialogue and keeps a consistent style.
It was interesting to see 101 Dalmatians as experimental cell animation. The movie itself is orthodox since the characters are in their own world and the viewer doesn’t have any problems identifying with them. They know what drives Cruella and they feel sorry for the dogs. This was much like The Ant Bully in that one can identify with the characters, there’s unity, and three acts. This is very different when compared to something like The Nose. I watched some experimental animation in my film analysis class. It was made from different colored lines scratched onto film so I kept thinking about it when we were going over experimental in class.
I found a video on youtube that’s kind of similar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5_KPdwQp0o
I liked the take on experimental animation since I’ve never thought about it too much. Dreamscape was beautiful since there were so many things going on in the frame. I’ve never heard of a pin board before but it really makes me wonder how much time was spent to complete this. I have thought of animation being able to do things live action cannot. It makes sense that people would be able to get away with more in animation when relating to Propaganda. Animation is less threatening and the example we watched in class really shows this. The people were unrealistic looking, had big mouths, and moving eyes.
Magen Thornhill
Post 2
I had seen Duck Amuck in a couple of other classes. I really think it’s in a class by itself. As described in the reading, it undoes the orthodox approach. The sequence of the three acts is out of order since the end comes at the middle. There is incongruity with the sounds and the background constantly changes. There is also the presence of the artist. The ending implies that Bugs and Daffy are fighting with each other but it also makes one think about the person who is actually in charge. I would classify Duck Amuck as developmental since there are orthodox methods such as the dialogue and the characters have human like characteristics. Creature Comforts can be classified in much the same way. It’s based on real interviews and there is the presence of the artist, but it’s driven by dialogue and keeps a consistent style.
It was interesting to see 101 Dalmatians as experimental cell animation. The movie itself is orthodox since the characters are in their own world and the viewer doesn’t have any problems identifying with them. They know what drives Cruella and they feel sorry for the dogs. This was much like The Ant Bully in that one can identify with the characters, there’s unity, and three acts. This is very different when compared to something like The Nose. I watched some experimental animation in my film analysis class. It was made from different colored lines scratched onto film so I kept thinking about it when we were going over experimental in class.
I found a video on youtube that’s kind of similar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5_KPdwQp0o
I liked the take on experimental animation since I’ve never thought about it too much. Dreamscape was beautiful since there were so many things going on in the frame. I’ve never heard of a pin board before but it really makes me wonder how much time was spent to complete this. I have thought of animation being able to do things live action cannot. It makes sense that people would be able to get away with more in animation when relating to Propaganda. Animation is less threatening and the example we watched in class really shows this. The people were unrealistic looking, had big mouths, and moving eyes.
Magen Thornhill
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
What is animation
What is animation Blog 1
Post 1
Paul Wells describes animation as giving life to movement and describes more of what goes into animation. He covered some of the early technology we covered in class. This really gives me an appreciation of the work that goes into animation. He touched somewhat on comics such as Yellow Kid. I never thought of this in relation to the Simpsons but it makes a lot of sense. I liked how he described the types of humor that go into comics such as sight gags and role reversals. He focused a lot on the realism of animation such as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This can also be referred to as hyper-realism.
Maureen Furniss claimed that people may have different interpretations of animation and also touched on realism. There is the claim that the more realistic animation is the more adult it becomes. I can really see this. It has been my experience that something more abstract such as Blue’s Clues is more light hearted and made for kids. Something that’s made to look real as in Death Note deals with very in-depth characters and may have a darker story. For instance, Death Note is about a serial killer trying to change the world.
The comparison of Silly Symphonies and Sleeping Beauty also shows these elements. Silly Symphonies is more suited for kids and the storyline is simple. Sleeping Beauty pays more attention to characters and plot. In addition, it’s a good example of how animation has evolved. Both are cell animation but in Silly Symphonies, the movements are jerky and the background is lacking in some areas. In Sleeping Beauty, the movements are fluid, based on human movement, and the background is more in-depth.
Picture of Death Note
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/8/6/-/-/DeathNote_Anime_Cast_500.jpg&imgrefurl=http://manga.about.com/od/imagegalleries/ig/Death-Note-Gallery/Death-Note-Anime.htm&usg=__yMoATsy-PTNEznqb_7gkvHq2FWU=&h=500&w=500&sz=44&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=4pibG_uYPhO9CM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddeath%2Bnote%2Bpictures%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGWYE,GWYE:2009-50,GWYE:en%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
Picture of Blue’s Clues
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/8/6/-/-/DeathNote_Anime_Cast_500.jpg&imgrefurl=http://manga.about.com/od/imagegalleries/ig/Death-Note-Gallery/Death-Note-Anime.htm&usg=__yMoATsy-PTNEznqb_7gkvHq2FWU=&h=500&w=500&sz=44&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=4pibG_uYPhO9CM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddeath%2Bnote%2Bpictures%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGWYE,GWYE:2009-50,GWYE:en%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
Magen Thornhill
Post 1
Paul Wells describes animation as giving life to movement and describes more of what goes into animation. He covered some of the early technology we covered in class. This really gives me an appreciation of the work that goes into animation. He touched somewhat on comics such as Yellow Kid. I never thought of this in relation to the Simpsons but it makes a lot of sense. I liked how he described the types of humor that go into comics such as sight gags and role reversals. He focused a lot on the realism of animation such as in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This can also be referred to as hyper-realism.
Maureen Furniss claimed that people may have different interpretations of animation and also touched on realism. There is the claim that the more realistic animation is the more adult it becomes. I can really see this. It has been my experience that something more abstract such as Blue’s Clues is more light hearted and made for kids. Something that’s made to look real as in Death Note deals with very in-depth characters and may have a darker story. For instance, Death Note is about a serial killer trying to change the world.
The comparison of Silly Symphonies and Sleeping Beauty also shows these elements. Silly Symphonies is more suited for kids and the storyline is simple. Sleeping Beauty pays more attention to characters and plot. In addition, it’s a good example of how animation has evolved. Both are cell animation but in Silly Symphonies, the movements are jerky and the background is lacking in some areas. In Sleeping Beauty, the movements are fluid, based on human movement, and the background is more in-depth.
Picture of Death Note
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/8/6/-/-/DeathNote_Anime_Cast_500.jpg&imgrefurl=http://manga.about.com/od/imagegalleries/ig/Death-Note-Gallery/Death-Note-Anime.htm&usg=__yMoATsy-PTNEznqb_7gkvHq2FWU=&h=500&w=500&sz=44&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=4pibG_uYPhO9CM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddeath%2Bnote%2Bpictures%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGWYE,GWYE:2009-50,GWYE:en%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
Picture of Blue’s Clues
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/manga/1/0/8/6/-/-/DeathNote_Anime_Cast_500.jpg&imgrefurl=http://manga.about.com/od/imagegalleries/ig/Death-Note-Gallery/Death-Note-Anime.htm&usg=__yMoATsy-PTNEznqb_7gkvHq2FWU=&h=500&w=500&sz=44&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=4pibG_uYPhO9CM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddeath%2Bnote%2Bpictures%26hl%3Den%26rls%3DGWYE,GWYE:2009-50,GWYE:en%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1
Magen Thornhill
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