15 January 2015
13 January 2015
Reading: Issues of representation - Maureen Furniss
In a brief chapter on the analysis of animation, Furniss dicusses issues of representation within animated film and television. 'Issues concerning representation and cultural diversity are many and varied' (232). She briefly discusses culture and racial representation, but mainly focusses in-depth on female representation and women's issues. This perhaps is because as a woman she feels qualified to speak at length on the subject, or has a vested interest in it; 'recognisiton of one's own values, or the values being employed in writing the study, is impervative' (233)
She speaks mainly from the point of view of not just theorists of animation as an art form, but analysts of the animation industry as a whole. The chapter talks extensively about the industry standards that influenced representation, and marketing practices that coloured the reasons by which animation was historically produced. She shows how privilege and power lead to poor or lack of representation of marginalised groups: 'sometmes, depictions reflect specific agendas' (232).
When talking specifically about lack of representation of women in animation, we learn from her about employment practices in the American animation industry in the early to mis 20th century.Unfortunately, 'in the field of animation ... historically the women had no voice at all' (234) and so could not offer their own points of view or representation. This lack of women animators is problematic, as 'male animation creators and directors usually do not design female characters who have substance and provide strong, positive role models' (240) and either create secondary, objectified and stereotyped characters, or else leave them out all together.
Today the animation industry is 'a system that remains male dominated' (241), but fortunately, especially recently, the role of women has become more important within it and more women are being employed and represented. 'The voice of women in animation has become stronger during the past several years' (234). 'One area of concern for today's animation producers is the way in which women and girls are represented in their productions' (238); this issue has increased by a rise in women demanding fair treatment; an increase in women animators; and an increase in feminist sensibilities amongst male ones.Maany female animators have used the form in recent years to subvert the traditional representations and standards, and some have gona as far as to say that 'animation as a form offers such potential to explore women's issues in a way that simply isn't possible in live-action' (243)
Many of my own favourite animators, and inspirations to me, are female artists. Especially in popular televeision through networks such as Nickelodeon, cartoon Network and Cartoon Hangover, women animators have become much more prominent, and I ahve noticed shows which feature impressive women characters, even ss produced by men. For example, Natasha Allegri has her own show on Cartoon Hangover called Bee and Puppycat which not only is female-produced, but it's main character is a girl.
In my favourite animated TV show, Adventure Time, many strong females are depicted and they are an intrinsic part fot hey show. They were created by Pen Ward, who chose to give time and effort to representing women in a positive and contemporary way.
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). Issues of representation. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.231-246.
She speaks mainly from the point of view of not just theorists of animation as an art form, but analysts of the animation industry as a whole. The chapter talks extensively about the industry standards that influenced representation, and marketing practices that coloured the reasons by which animation was historically produced. She shows how privilege and power lead to poor or lack of representation of marginalised groups: 'sometmes, depictions reflect specific agendas' (232).
When talking specifically about lack of representation of women in animation, we learn from her about employment practices in the American animation industry in the early to mis 20th century.Unfortunately, 'in the field of animation ... historically the women had no voice at all' (234) and so could not offer their own points of view or representation. This lack of women animators is problematic, as 'male animation creators and directors usually do not design female characters who have substance and provide strong, positive role models' (240) and either create secondary, objectified and stereotyped characters, or else leave them out all together.
Today the animation industry is 'a system that remains male dominated' (241), but fortunately, especially recently, the role of women has become more important within it and more women are being employed and represented. 'The voice of women in animation has become stronger during the past several years' (234). 'One area of concern for today's animation producers is the way in which women and girls are represented in their productions' (238); this issue has increased by a rise in women demanding fair treatment; an increase in women animators; and an increase in feminist sensibilities amongst male ones.Maany female animators have used the form in recent years to subvert the traditional representations and standards, and some have gona as far as to say that 'animation as a form offers such potential to explore women's issues in a way that simply isn't possible in live-action' (243)
Many of my own favourite animators, and inspirations to me, are female artists. Especially in popular televeision through networks such as Nickelodeon, cartoon Network and Cartoon Hangover, women animators have become much more prominent, and I ahve noticed shows which feature impressive women characters, even ss produced by men. For example, Natasha Allegri has her own show on Cartoon Hangover called Bee and Puppycat which not only is female-produced, but it's main character is a girl.
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| Bee from Bee and Puppycat |
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| Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time |
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). Issues of representation. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.231-246.
Reading: Mise-en-Scene - Maureen Furniss
'Animation falls in the intersection of many artistic practices' (61). In this chapter, Furniss discusses individual elements in detail of what makes animention aesthetic unique, and what factors influence them.
'Traditions of giving human charactersistsics to animals or inanimate objects have existed since the biginning of humanity, through oracticessuch as animism (the belief that everything on earth possesses a spirit and impacts on human life) and totism (the incorporation of natural entities into ritual behaviours)' (68). My crane is semi-anthropomorphic, and displays or isimbued with animism - she can regognise the woodcutter in her bird form, and displays awareness and intellegence. Think: the dogs in 101 Dalmations.
Colour and Line: The use of colour by animators/artists tends not to adhere to any strict formula, and is instead dependent on personal instinct or inspiration, though some artists still do study colour theory and apply it to their work. 'techincally, black, white and the gradiations of gray are not colours; they are 'values'' (72). They are used to indicate a level of light. Intensity is the colour's saturation on a subject, and how affected it is by dark or light. 'Low intensity is used to describe a relatively grey, or dull colour' (73). Colours also function as warm or cool (warms including yellows, reds, oranges; cools being blue, purple, green). These can have an effect on the viewer to stimulate them or calm then, and make themood happy or sad.
Colour can be used to suggest many things in an animated work - from being light and airy then growing darker and more complex, giving a sense of danger or claustrophobia.
Bold lines tend to be used in the subjects of power and strength (75), fine lines can indicate delicacy.
Movement and Kinetics: 'Objects can move fluidly and rhythmically; in short incremental bursts; slowly and hestitantly; or in a multitude of other ways that all suggest meaning' (76). Many animators use a live-action filminc reference which they will compose drawings from. I think I might maybe try to do this way; just filming myself making some key actions on my phone camera which I can base my poses off in the animation. I don't have confidence enough in my drawing skill to draw solely from imagination. This process is similar to rotoscoping, and creates realistic images. 'Squash and stretch lend a much more cartooy look to a production' (77). This technique 'requires exaggeration' and 'relies heavily on metamorphosis.'
A 'full animation style' requires constant movement of the characters. The ability to employ this is related to economics, as it is 'time consuming and, as a result, costly to render constant movement' (79). Stillness, referred to as 'hold' is used for emphasis; because in real life living things are rarely completely still.
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). General concepts: Mise-en-scene. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.61-81.
'In the original French, mise-en-scene means 'staging an action,' and it was first applied to the practice of directing plays. Film scholars, extening the term to film direction, use the term to signify the director's control over what appears in the film frame. As you would expect from the term's theatrical origins, mise-en-scene includes those aspects of film that overlap with the art of the theatre: setting, lighting, costume, anf the behaviour of the figures. In controlling mise-en-scene, the director stages the event for the camera' - Bordwell and Thompson in Film Art.Image design: In animations, image is split into two categories: characters and backgrounds. 'Audiences generally remember characters the most, but background art greatly impacts the viewer's perception and cannot be overlooked in a discussion of image design' (66) Images can be photorealist (look like real life), iconic (clearly representative), or abstract (suggestion of form). In my own animation, the ideal rendering of images will be 'iconic,' and so look cartoonish/created, but still very obviously be an animated representation of real life. Think Disney; Cartoon Saloon. Iconic designs can be interpreted easily and identifiable with by any audience; it doesn't have to represent a specific.
'Traditions of giving human charactersistsics to animals or inanimate objects have existed since the biginning of humanity, through oracticessuch as animism (the belief that everything on earth possesses a spirit and impacts on human life) and totism (the incorporation of natural entities into ritual behaviours)' (68). My crane is semi-anthropomorphic, and displays or isimbued with animism - she can regognise the woodcutter in her bird form, and displays awareness and intellegence. Think: the dogs in 101 Dalmations.
Colour and Line: The use of colour by animators/artists tends not to adhere to any strict formula, and is instead dependent on personal instinct or inspiration, though some artists still do study colour theory and apply it to their work. 'techincally, black, white and the gradiations of gray are not colours; they are 'values'' (72). They are used to indicate a level of light. Intensity is the colour's saturation on a subject, and how affected it is by dark or light. 'Low intensity is used to describe a relatively grey, or dull colour' (73). Colours also function as warm or cool (warms including yellows, reds, oranges; cools being blue, purple, green). These can have an effect on the viewer to stimulate them or calm then, and make themood happy or sad.
Colour can be used to suggest many things in an animated work - from being light and airy then growing darker and more complex, giving a sense of danger or claustrophobia.
Bold lines tend to be used in the subjects of power and strength (75), fine lines can indicate delicacy.
Movement and Kinetics: 'Objects can move fluidly and rhythmically; in short incremental bursts; slowly and hestitantly; or in a multitude of other ways that all suggest meaning' (76). Many animators use a live-action filminc reference which they will compose drawings from. I think I might maybe try to do this way; just filming myself making some key actions on my phone camera which I can base my poses off in the animation. I don't have confidence enough in my drawing skill to draw solely from imagination. This process is similar to rotoscoping, and creates realistic images. 'Squash and stretch lend a much more cartooy look to a production' (77). This technique 'requires exaggeration' and 'relies heavily on metamorphosis.'
A 'full animation style' requires constant movement of the characters. The ability to employ this is related to economics, as it is 'time consuming and, as a result, costly to render constant movement' (79). Stillness, referred to as 'hold' is used for emphasis; because in real life living things are rarely completely still.
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). General concepts: Mise-en-scene. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.61-81.
12 January 2015
Reading: Disney, Warner Bros. and Japanese Animation - Luca Raffaelli
Disney cartoons and the Japanese cartoon industry are 'two of the most prolific producers,' and 'two animated cartoon worlds which influenced audiences more than any other' (113). In this piece, the period between 1928-1942 at Disney is focussed on, whereas in Japan the 1960's boom in animation is explored. (This essay makes frequent references to childhood, as Raffaelli closely links it to the cartoons' ideal audience.)
Animation has an 'ability to adapt to all forms of language' (114) which is why I think it is the perfect medium with which to tell a japanese-located folk tale and re-locate it to another time period and geographic setting, the form symbolizes the tales ability to traverse space and culture.
Firstly Raffaelli looks at Disney's rise in popularity and its innovation int he animated world. He notes the form of characters drawn - 'an assemblage of rubber-like tubes: two for the legs, two for the arms and a bigger one for the trunk' (114). Rubber-hose characters 'draw upon the conventions of silent film comedy' (114) for their bodily communication. In black and white film of early Disney films, the characters had 'black skin' which 'fascinated the contrast with the lighter background' (114). The film in an hommage to childhood, where objects serve puposes other than their own. The adult 'is represented by the big, vulgar, and evil cat' who works but never plays, like adult responsibility.
Disney was one of the first to subscribe to the idea of making characters that audiences could 'identify' with, and so feel greater loyalty towards: which helped Disney to become unique amongst other animators and amass a following. In order to become even more successful, Disney wanted to break tradition and be innovative, by making more serious works, which eventually led to features such as Snow White. He did away with rubber-hose creatures, creating instead 'expressive and credible characters' (115). 'Disney sought to bring animation to its maturity, to widen its vocabulary, its expressive potential' (115). Though still acting within the playworld of animation, he was now credited and given attention along the lines of 'real' film makers.
Disneyan discourse seems to be both the 'inspiration and the consequence' of the American model (117). It allows the 'exaltation of the individual in the apotheosis of the community' (117). Anything is possible for anyone, as long as they are industrious and jump at our lucky strikes. 'In the feature films the wicked characters are killed' (118). For Disney, everything 'must be maifest, expressed, resolved: there is no room for the unexplored, the obscure' (119). There is no risk that the wicked will ever triumph; no room for subversion. The purpose is to create a sense of comfort and unity in the audience. In this case, itis easy to unite against 'evil.' Disney's films are meant to be viewed as a collective, in a cinema, so viewers 'stimulate one another' (120).
Disney himself maintained a paternal role within the workings of his studio. He rewarded hard work; was stingy with compliments, and acted as supervisor (118-119).
Next is the analysis of Japanese cartoons, distinctly seperate and contrasting to Disney. A prototype and classic of Japanese cartoons, Heidi of the Alps was made in 1974 and was one of the first to be broadcast in Europe. It contains elements that are typical of anime: an orphaned heroine and family-less characters (124). The creators based it on a Swiss novel, but removed any of the religious (christian) themes, 'to make the story comprehensible to audience in their own country' (126).
The first television animated series were based upon manga (comics) from Japan, and influenced by the artwork in these; such aesthetics from Goast Man & Onward to Victory became highly influential to the future of animation (126-127).
The animation industry was born 'the under the influence' of the American (127). Many studios could not imitate the aesthetics nor the success of Disney, so they had to diverge into their own route. This birthed the 'subjectivity' of the Japanese cartoon, which used character's thoughts or a narrator's comments as voice over.
To save money, instead of drawing movements, the drawings were moved (127), and each drawing could be help up to 5 or 6 frames. This gave a less fluid look than the American style. 'Thus, a character gazing at some terrible situation with a terrified look on hisface will have a drop of sweat fixed on his forehead and his mouth wide open for a long time' (127). 'The reason, obviously, is to save time and work' but it has a unique effect on the story. It looks almost like an 'animated comic-strip' (129). 'Japan cartoon uses a different language' of narrative.
Unlike Disney's aim of unifying viewers in cinema environments, the japanese animators went in another direction entirely. The industry became prominent at the same time more people were aquiring home tv-sets, and so they found a market in television shows instead of feature films, and in a solitary audience rather than a collective one (130). They appealed to 'lonely children' with working parents, and so often featured 'stories of orphans and robots' (130).
Unlike Disney, with its safety and comfort offered and presumption that goodness will always triumph, the anime ise a lot more violence, and show more ambiguity about the winners int he struggle of good vs. evil (133-134). Fear in anime is a real, and much relied on concept. Scenes of mass destruction and devestation are common (134).
Reference:
Raffaelli, L. (1997). Disney, Warner Bros. and Japanese Animation. In: J. Pilling, ed., A Reader in Animation Studies, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.112 - 136.
Animation has an 'ability to adapt to all forms of language' (114) which is why I think it is the perfect medium with which to tell a japanese-located folk tale and re-locate it to another time period and geographic setting, the form symbolizes the tales ability to traverse space and culture.
Firstly Raffaelli looks at Disney's rise in popularity and its innovation int he animated world. He notes the form of characters drawn - 'an assemblage of rubber-like tubes: two for the legs, two for the arms and a bigger one for the trunk' (114). Rubber-hose characters 'draw upon the conventions of silent film comedy' (114) for their bodily communication. In black and white film of early Disney films, the characters had 'black skin' which 'fascinated the contrast with the lighter background' (114). The film in an hommage to childhood, where objects serve puposes other than their own. The adult 'is represented by the big, vulgar, and evil cat' who works but never plays, like adult responsibility.
Disney was one of the first to subscribe to the idea of making characters that audiences could 'identify' with, and so feel greater loyalty towards: which helped Disney to become unique amongst other animators and amass a following. In order to become even more successful, Disney wanted to break tradition and be innovative, by making more serious works, which eventually led to features such as Snow White. He did away with rubber-hose creatures, creating instead 'expressive and credible characters' (115). 'Disney sought to bring animation to its maturity, to widen its vocabulary, its expressive potential' (115). Though still acting within the playworld of animation, he was now credited and given attention along the lines of 'real' film makers.
Disneyan discourse seems to be both the 'inspiration and the consequence' of the American model (117). It allows the 'exaltation of the individual in the apotheosis of the community' (117). Anything is possible for anyone, as long as they are industrious and jump at our lucky strikes. 'In the feature films the wicked characters are killed' (118). For Disney, everything 'must be maifest, expressed, resolved: there is no room for the unexplored, the obscure' (119). There is no risk that the wicked will ever triumph; no room for subversion. The purpose is to create a sense of comfort and unity in the audience. In this case, itis easy to unite against 'evil.' Disney's films are meant to be viewed as a collective, in a cinema, so viewers 'stimulate one another' (120).
Disney himself maintained a paternal role within the workings of his studio. He rewarded hard work; was stingy with compliments, and acted as supervisor (118-119).
Next is the analysis of Japanese cartoons, distinctly seperate and contrasting to Disney. A prototype and classic of Japanese cartoons, Heidi of the Alps was made in 1974 and was one of the first to be broadcast in Europe. It contains elements that are typical of anime: an orphaned heroine and family-less characters (124). The creators based it on a Swiss novel, but removed any of the religious (christian) themes, 'to make the story comprehensible to audience in their own country' (126).
The first television animated series were based upon manga (comics) from Japan, and influenced by the artwork in these; such aesthetics from Goast Man & Onward to Victory became highly influential to the future of animation (126-127).
The animation industry was born 'the under the influence' of the American (127). Many studios could not imitate the aesthetics nor the success of Disney, so they had to diverge into their own route. This birthed the 'subjectivity' of the Japanese cartoon, which used character's thoughts or a narrator's comments as voice over.
To save money, instead of drawing movements, the drawings were moved (127), and each drawing could be help up to 5 or 6 frames. This gave a less fluid look than the American style. 'Thus, a character gazing at some terrible situation with a terrified look on hisface will have a drop of sweat fixed on his forehead and his mouth wide open for a long time' (127). 'The reason, obviously, is to save time and work' but it has a unique effect on the story. It looks almost like an 'animated comic-strip' (129). 'Japan cartoon uses a different language' of narrative.
Unlike Disney's aim of unifying viewers in cinema environments, the japanese animators went in another direction entirely. The industry became prominent at the same time more people were aquiring home tv-sets, and so they found a market in television shows instead of feature films, and in a solitary audience rather than a collective one (130). They appealed to 'lonely children' with working parents, and so often featured 'stories of orphans and robots' (130).
Unlike Disney, with its safety and comfort offered and presumption that goodness will always triumph, the anime ise a lot more violence, and show more ambiguity about the winners int he struggle of good vs. evil (133-134). Fear in anime is a real, and much relied on concept. Scenes of mass destruction and devestation are common (134).
Reference:
Raffaelli, L. (1997). Disney, Warner Bros. and Japanese Animation. In: J. Pilling, ed., A Reader in Animation Studies, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.112 - 136.
Reading: Postmodern Fairy Tales - Bacchilega
My most recent reading into fairy-tale adaptation and re-structuring was Bacchilega's 'Postmodern Fairy Tales' (1997). All references in this blog post will refer to the first chapter form this book, titled 'Performing Wonder.' In Bacchilega's own words, 'this book explores the productions of gender, in relation to
narrativity and subjectivity, in classic fairy tales and re-envisioned
in late twentieth-century literature and media for adults.' (4) The first chapter functions as an introduction to her frameworks of analysis, including but not limited to feminism, postmodernism, and semiotics. It paves the way for more detailed analysis of specific fairy tale texts later in the book, which I will not delve in to at this point in time. Citing famous works by the likes of Zipes, Calvino, Carter and Warner; this piece offers an interesting divergence in opinion from other fairy tale theorists, and Bacchilega is not afraid to comment on and criticise the views of her predescessors.
The beginning of the chapter places Bacchilega's understanding of the difference between Zaubermarchen and fairy tales in opposition to my own; she emphasizes their contrast and places more importance on the media they are told through than I think is important: 'the classic fairy tale is a literary appropriation of the older folk tale' (3), which is true to an extent but not of pure vital importance. I personally see fairy tales as being a branch of marchen, or a section within its varied bounds, rather than a seperate but similar entity as Bacchilega seems to. She also focuses on the presumption that fairy tales are written with a child audience in mind, 'serving, more often than not, the civilizing aspirations of adults' (5), which from my previous readings I have found not to be the case. Instead, it seems which fairytales were written and performed for a mature audience, now modern adaptations have re-positioned then in their child-friendly re-workings as for a younger age group instead.
'Fairy stories play a role in education. Not only are children encouraged to retell or dramatize them in schools, but college students encounter them again in across-the-curriculum readers and in courses on children's literature and folklore.' (2) This I do agree with, though again I think it is symptomatic of modern interpretations and retellings rather than based on the original intentions of their writings.
Without specifying any particular adaptations, Bacchilega notes the prominence of appropriation by writers and tellers of fairy tales. 'The fairy tale, which provides well-known material pliable topolitical, erotic, or narrative manipulation. Belittled, yet pervasive and institutionalized, fairy tales are thus produced and consumed to accomplish a variety of social functions in multiple contexts and in more or less explicitly ideological ways.' (3) This is where the postmodernist structure for examining recent fairy tales and tellings comes in; Bacchilega suggests that the dual function of them both analyzes their original intertext's social project, and also re-inscribes them with new semiotic meanings relevant for a modern age (ar at least, this is how I understood her meaning!) In some instances of adaptation, tales 're-place or relocate the fairy tale to multiply its performance potential and denaturalize its institutionalized power' (23). 'Re-vision is not merely an artistic but a social action, suggesting in narrative practice the possibility of cultural transformation' (23)
'the fairy tale magically grants writers/tellers and readers/listeners access to the collective, if fictionalized past of social communing, an access that allows for an aparently limitless, highly idiosyncratic re-creation of that "once there was."' (5) In admiration of Carter's focus on fairy tale telling as a means to subvert opression by opressed peoples, Bacchilega metions the importance of the tale in all social classes as a liberator of expression and opinion: 'the fairy tale proves to be everyone's story, making magic for all' (6). The problem arrises when the writer or narrator does not take responsibility for their personal situation's influence, and instead presumes a 3rd person objective position. Different narratives between folk tellers and fairy tale writers often symbolize 'different needs and aspirations for different social groups' (6) which is important to understand when reading from a diverse group of tales.
A theory suggested in this chapter I find to be particularly interesting, and I have not come across it yet in any form. It is to do with the prominence of a naturalized magic within folk and fairytales which goes unacknowledges by either the characters within a story or the narrators themselves. 'We know that in folk and fairy tales the hero is neither frightened nor surprised when encountering the otherwold, receiving magic gifts, holding conversations with animals,or experiencing miraculous transformations. The numinous is artfully made to appear natural' (9) The question being, is this to disguise its artifice and social project? Bacchilega states the fairy tale is imbued with 'that magic which seeks to conceal the struggling interests which produce it' (7). The wonder of the wonder-tale is accepted by the readers/ listeners with a suspension of disbelief, and its purpose is to disguise the politics of the telling, and also to make the consumer more easily accept it without question, as they do with magic.
Carrying on this line of thought, it is applied to a feminist perspective in Bacchilega's analysis. 'This disguise seems doubly pervasive and dangerous when assumed by tales centering upon the experiences of women.' This is because of a 'long tradition of representing women both as nature and as concealed artifice' (9) like the concealed artifice of magic. It becomes symbolic of the construction of women in fairy tales: to go unquestioned in their representations.
'Women are commonly identified as being closer to nature than to culture, which in a patriarchal system makes them symbolic of an inferior, intermediate order of being'. 'Assosication of woman with nature paradoxically produces the artifice of 'femininity,' both as naturalizing make-up and as representations of womanly 'essence.' (9) Returning here to the idea that for men, the conflict of women's artificiality vs. true nature/form is an often recurring topic within fairy tales and their adaptations (see: Disney's representation of villainous women as made-up, concealed, and fake)
Reference:
Bacchilega, C. (1997). Postmodern fairy tales. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
The beginning of the chapter places Bacchilega's understanding of the difference between Zaubermarchen and fairy tales in opposition to my own; she emphasizes their contrast and places more importance on the media they are told through than I think is important: 'the classic fairy tale is a literary appropriation of the older folk tale' (3), which is true to an extent but not of pure vital importance. I personally see fairy tales as being a branch of marchen, or a section within its varied bounds, rather than a seperate but similar entity as Bacchilega seems to. She also focuses on the presumption that fairy tales are written with a child audience in mind, 'serving, more often than not, the civilizing aspirations of adults' (5), which from my previous readings I have found not to be the case. Instead, it seems which fairytales were written and performed for a mature audience, now modern adaptations have re-positioned then in their child-friendly re-workings as for a younger age group instead.
'Fairy stories play a role in education. Not only are children encouraged to retell or dramatize them in schools, but college students encounter them again in across-the-curriculum readers and in courses on children's literature and folklore.' (2) This I do agree with, though again I think it is symptomatic of modern interpretations and retellings rather than based on the original intentions of their writings.
Without specifying any particular adaptations, Bacchilega notes the prominence of appropriation by writers and tellers of fairy tales. 'The fairy tale, which provides well-known material pliable topolitical, erotic, or narrative manipulation. Belittled, yet pervasive and institutionalized, fairy tales are thus produced and consumed to accomplish a variety of social functions in multiple contexts and in more or less explicitly ideological ways.' (3) This is where the postmodernist structure for examining recent fairy tales and tellings comes in; Bacchilega suggests that the dual function of them both analyzes their original intertext's social project, and also re-inscribes them with new semiotic meanings relevant for a modern age (ar at least, this is how I understood her meaning!) In some instances of adaptation, tales 're-place or relocate the fairy tale to multiply its performance potential and denaturalize its institutionalized power' (23). 'Re-vision is not merely an artistic but a social action, suggesting in narrative practice the possibility of cultural transformation' (23)
'the fairy tale magically grants writers/tellers and readers/listeners access to the collective, if fictionalized past of social communing, an access that allows for an aparently limitless, highly idiosyncratic re-creation of that "once there was."' (5) In admiration of Carter's focus on fairy tale telling as a means to subvert opression by opressed peoples, Bacchilega metions the importance of the tale in all social classes as a liberator of expression and opinion: 'the fairy tale proves to be everyone's story, making magic for all' (6). The problem arrises when the writer or narrator does not take responsibility for their personal situation's influence, and instead presumes a 3rd person objective position. Different narratives between folk tellers and fairy tale writers often symbolize 'different needs and aspirations for different social groups' (6) which is important to understand when reading from a diverse group of tales.
A theory suggested in this chapter I find to be particularly interesting, and I have not come across it yet in any form. It is to do with the prominence of a naturalized magic within folk and fairytales which goes unacknowledges by either the characters within a story or the narrators themselves. 'We know that in folk and fairy tales the hero is neither frightened nor surprised when encountering the otherwold, receiving magic gifts, holding conversations with animals,or experiencing miraculous transformations. The numinous is artfully made to appear natural' (9) The question being, is this to disguise its artifice and social project? Bacchilega states the fairy tale is imbued with 'that magic which seeks to conceal the struggling interests which produce it' (7). The wonder of the wonder-tale is accepted by the readers/ listeners with a suspension of disbelief, and its purpose is to disguise the politics of the telling, and also to make the consumer more easily accept it without question, as they do with magic.
Carrying on this line of thought, it is applied to a feminist perspective in Bacchilega's analysis. 'This disguise seems doubly pervasive and dangerous when assumed by tales centering upon the experiences of women.' This is because of a 'long tradition of representing women both as nature and as concealed artifice' (9) like the concealed artifice of magic. It becomes symbolic of the construction of women in fairy tales: to go unquestioned in their representations.
'Women are commonly identified as being closer to nature than to culture, which in a patriarchal system makes them symbolic of an inferior, intermediate order of being'. 'Assosication of woman with nature paradoxically produces the artifice of 'femininity,' both as naturalizing make-up and as representations of womanly 'essence.' (9) Returning here to the idea that for men, the conflict of women's artificiality vs. true nature/form is an often recurring topic within fairy tales and their adaptations (see: Disney's representation of villainous women as made-up, concealed, and fake)
Reference:
Bacchilega, C. (1997). Postmodern fairy tales. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Inspiration: Random Little YouTube Animation
This video is gorgeous, and the painting looks liek it could have been done by hand in photoshop or something! I love this aesthetic, it looks delicate which contrasts beautifully with the intense action.
Reading: Modes of Animation Production - Maureen Furniss
'Industrially and independently produced animation are not completely separate modes of production, but are in fact interrelated in complex ways' (29)
These two modes cannot be seen as separate entities, but characterised only in relation to each other. This is a similar case to live action films. Furniss creates a table to represent the contrast between the extremes of the two modes (30); I have transcribed this below including only the points which I find relevant to my own current work. The paradigms of the 'independent' column shape my work more.
Traditional/ industrial/ hegemonic:
'Many independent animators have worked as fine artists in various media,' (32) which is how I first discovering my enjoyment of animating; after developing an affinity and talent for art through my teen years. Moving on to animation felt like an extention of this. 'A great many animators who began as artists working in the realms of still drawing or painting have become interested in animation because it offers an opportunity to set their images in motion' (33).
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). Alternatives in Animation Production. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.29-33.
These two modes cannot be seen as separate entities, but characterised only in relation to each other. This is a similar case to live action films. Furniss creates a table to represent the contrast between the extremes of the two modes (30); I have transcribed this below including only the points which I find relevant to my own current work. The paradigms of the 'independent' column shape my work more.
Traditional/ industrial/ hegemonic:
- Big budget
- Made in groups
- Dominated by marketing concerns
- Support dominant beliefs
- Reflect concerns of dominant social groups
- Small budget
- Made by individuals
- Limited to small-scale exhibitions
- Made by marginalised social groups
- Dominated by aesthetic concerns
'Many independent animators have worked as fine artists in various media,' (32) which is how I first discovering my enjoyment of animating; after developing an affinity and talent for art through my teen years. Moving on to animation felt like an extention of this. 'A great many animators who began as artists working in the realms of still drawing or painting have become interested in animation because it offers an opportunity to set their images in motion' (33).
Reference:
Furniss, M. (1998). Alternatives in Animation Production. In: M. Furniss, ed., Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics, 1st ed. Sydney: John Libbey, pp.29-33.
9 January 2015
Reading: Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale (Introduction)
Angela Carter's works, and her philosophy on the appropriation of folktales, has been a huge inspiration to me in my studies and animation work this semester. I picked up a book, entitled Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale (Roemer and Bacchilega, 2001) which originally appeared as a special edition of the paper Marvels & Tales in 1998. I will go into detail in further posts about the individual contributions by various writers to the issue; for now I want to focus solely on the introductory chapter.
'Carter was drawn to the fairy tale as a vehicle of sociopolitical commentary' (Roemer and Bacchilega, 2001)
This chapter sees the authors give a general introduction to the world of Carter's writing, but more interestingly I found, an overview to the genre of folktales. Roemer and Bacchilega discuss the origins of folktales and their development through the years to become the fairy tales and marchen we know and adapt today. The terminology and semiotic differences between all of these terms I have found confusing, and previous explanations have been contradictory, but thankfully I found this piece to clear up the ideas in my mind.
'According to the Grimms' Deutsches Woterbuch, Marchen meant simply a "fictional tale,"' which is how I had come to understand the phrase. I generally lump all of folklore/tales/ fairy tales into this category together, and it seems I haven't been too far wrong: The Grimms placed 'diverse subgroups of folktales within the larger category of Marchen.'
'Marchen was typically rendered as "popular story" "wonder tale" or "fairy tale." Interestingly, the latter term derived not from any Germanic perspective but from the earlier translation into English of the seventeenth century French term conte de fées, which referred to narratives with supernatural beings as characters.' These 'supernatural' being tended towards fairies, hence the name, yet also included characters like beasts, metamorphosing humans, talking animals, etc. This means that tales that didn't include the fairy godmother character can still be included in fairy tale analysis. '[Carter] diffuses terminology by labeling "fairy tale" as a "figure of speech," moreover one used loosely to describe the great mass of infinitely various narrative that was, once upon a time and still is, sometimes, passed on by word of mouth.' All of this explanation provides clarity to me in studying folk and fairy tales. To understand the origin and terminology of these stories to begin with, gives me a better means of socio-politically contextualizing them.
We tend to think of the Grimms' and Perrault's adaptations as coming directly from folklore, as heard from peasant mouths directly. Apparently, they come less directly from the folk classes, and tend to be more attributed to bourgeoisie than supposed. Rather than talking to peasants and working classes to get their stories, the Grimms would work from written sources, journals, reviews etc; The Grimms would 'flesh out these verbal skeletons as their own perspectives inclined them. They reinforced the Christian aspects, the homey sayings, and the violence, while deleting sexual references.' 'The resulting tales were not primarily indicative of peasant values but those of the German middle class.' This was similar to what happened with the French tales in the case of contes de fées. 'The Grimms acted in accordance with the romantic perspectives of their day in focusing on the material rather than taking into account the socioeconomic conditions of the tales' informants.' As Carter has stated, the fairy tale was supposed to be a means of sociopolitical commentary, but in editing these stories in such a way, the Grimms and Perrault took away some of their embedded meanings and the voice away from the lower classes, to adapt it to tell the conditions of the higher classes instead.
'The contes de fées, like the oral tales still being told at salons, had specific sociopolitical functions. Informed by female perspectives and featuring female characters, the contes offered their creators opportunities to critique conditions of the day, particularly the social institution of forced marriage and the general lot of women in a predominantly male-controlled world.' Even though the class issue was being removed from them, they still served as a powerful tool by the 2nd class citizens (women) to provide commentary and criticisms of their situation. Although the now famous writers tend to be men, such as Perrault, in actuality it was the female attendees of the salons who provided the bulk of writing and analysis of fairy tales during the revival of the contes in France.
'The intermixing of folk (however folk may be defined), literary, and, in the twentieth century, mass media versions of fairy tales, sets in motion, in Carter's words, the transnational and "endless recycling process" of storytelling. It is the "user-friendly" nature of the tales which allows them to participate in a powerful "public dream".'
References:
Roemer, D. and Bacchilega, C. (2001). Introduction. In: D. Roemer and C. Bacchilega, ed., Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale, 1st ed. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, pp.8 - 12.
Reflection on Semester's work
I am very disappointed with myself that I haven't been able to get more work done over the Christmas break, and hand in on time rather than relying on the extension I have been given by Sussex Student Support. My thinking had been that I could leave most of the harder, practical work until I went home for the Christmas break; but I should have foreseen that because of the problems my family is experiencing at the moment, it would not be a good environment to work in. I got practically no work done and am really worried that as a result of that I won't be able to hand in a great piece of work for the extended deadline. I have around a fortnight now to collate all of my existing work together and put it in a presentable form; to actually settle on a final story idea and board it; and to start physically animating.
So far, I have been really pleased with the research and concept aspects of the project. I think I have a solid basis for my idea and great theory to back it up. I hope this comes across most strongly in the presentation of this process book. Towards the beginning of the semester, Mary had mentioned that she was unsure my project would make sense or be easy to execute with theoretical backing: I hope now that I will be able to prove that my idea is as strong as anyone else's.
I have enjoyed so much getting to do background painting, character design, and other forms of concept art. I think one of my strengths is my actual artistic talent, which I hope is reflected in this aspect. What I actually aspire to do after university is some form of concept art or development work for animation, so getting this part of the project right has been really valuable and important to me. Regardless of whether it is reflected in my grade, I myself am very proud of the work I have done for this, so am happy either way.
The thing I am most worried about is firstly the pilot material (2 minutes of animation). I am not sure if I am going to be left with enough time at all to create something worth handing in. I have been watching many tutorial videos, learning how to use Toon Boom software; but I just haven't put it into practice enough yet which is silly of me. A few little attempts I made earlier in the semester, for some reason have not exported in any sort of format that I can upload to my process book, so now I have nothing to show for it. I'm very aware of the fact that I might have to abandon this part of the submission in favour of working on the other parts, and forfeit a great deal of marks for it. I suppose I will have to make that instead my main priority for next semester instead.
The story is troubling me also. I have done quite a bit of work on the storyboard already, and I feel confident that I have a strong beginning and ending, but the middle, fleshy bit of the plot concerns me. It is the part I have thought about the least but it is difficult because it contains both the greatest length of time passing within the story, but the least action. I will carry on with perfecting the beginning and end, and if needs be I can leave out the middle for now and revise it with the help of one of my tutors next semester. I am happy at least that I have a good story in general, even if the pieces need to be put together more tightly.
So far, I have been really pleased with the research and concept aspects of the project. I think I have a solid basis for my idea and great theory to back it up. I hope this comes across most strongly in the presentation of this process book. Towards the beginning of the semester, Mary had mentioned that she was unsure my project would make sense or be easy to execute with theoretical backing: I hope now that I will be able to prove that my idea is as strong as anyone else's.
I have enjoyed so much getting to do background painting, character design, and other forms of concept art. I think one of my strengths is my actual artistic talent, which I hope is reflected in this aspect. What I actually aspire to do after university is some form of concept art or development work for animation, so getting this part of the project right has been really valuable and important to me. Regardless of whether it is reflected in my grade, I myself am very proud of the work I have done for this, so am happy either way.
The thing I am most worried about is firstly the pilot material (2 minutes of animation). I am not sure if I am going to be left with enough time at all to create something worth handing in. I have been watching many tutorial videos, learning how to use Toon Boom software; but I just haven't put it into practice enough yet which is silly of me. A few little attempts I made earlier in the semester, for some reason have not exported in any sort of format that I can upload to my process book, so now I have nothing to show for it. I'm very aware of the fact that I might have to abandon this part of the submission in favour of working on the other parts, and forfeit a great deal of marks for it. I suppose I will have to make that instead my main priority for next semester instead.
The story is troubling me also. I have done quite a bit of work on the storyboard already, and I feel confident that I have a strong beginning and ending, but the middle, fleshy bit of the plot concerns me. It is the part I have thought about the least but it is difficult because it contains both the greatest length of time passing within the story, but the least action. I will carry on with perfecting the beginning and end, and if needs be I can leave out the middle for now and revise it with the help of one of my tutors next semester. I am happy at least that I have a good story in general, even if the pieces need to be put together more tightly.
8 January 2015
Reading: Desire and the Female Grotesque in Angela Carter's "Peter and the Wolf" - Betty Moss
I chose this particular chapter as the last to read in the book Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale, (as mentioned before, republished from Marvels & Tales), mainly because of the title. The indication towards the analysis of female metamorphosis and beastliness led me to think that it would serve some useful insight into my own chosen story of The Crane Wife. I have not yet studied Peter and the Wolf, neither the 'original' nor Carter's own version, so thought it might offer some new ideas or means of perspective to me.
'Carter's admiration for, appropriation of, and reinvention of wonder tales demonstrate her regard for realms of the fantastic, a category intrinsically connected with the grotesque.' In wonder tales, such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Bluebeard to name but a few, the grotesque is a common method of featuring metamorphosing characters, unatural presences to our human world. the word 'grotesque' suggests something upsetting and wholy unnatural and undesired.
'The most elemental of the grotesque figures: the part-human, part-animal' such as the mermaid. As well as this, it can occur in anthropomorphic animals or monsters, like Beast. 'The combination of human and animal traits is... one of the most ancient grotesque forms.'
'Carter's wolf narratives both deconstruct received assumptions of gender and desire, and offer alternative possibilities for understanding and constructing desire and sexuality.' By using the grotesque form of the girl-wolf, Carter explores more the reactions of those around her (family, society) than the creature herself. In the way Peter interacts with her, Carter comments more on a larger patriarchal society. This is 'a tale in which the female grotesque, as a representation of otherness or difference, profoundly confuses Peter' which diverts from the typical wonder-tale's method of naturalizing addity and magic/ grotesque, etc. 'In [Peter's] reaction to encounters with the grotesque wolf-human, a girl-child, he subverts prevailing masculine conceptions of desire and sexuality, and offers an initiation story for the adult reader, not the child.'
'The female grotesque- the unfamiliar, the other - shatters his known world and propels him first into fascination, ambivalence, and fear'
'Carter's narrative of Peter and the Wolf depends upon an aesthetic of the grotesque inflected by a feminist desire for transformation ... the female body is a crucial site of transformation' She has a 'feminist position regarding desire and sexuality' which is stated many times over by all theorists of her work. Bell contends that 'the woman writer involved in feminine writing will return to the body which has been more than confiscated from her, which has been turned into the uncanny stranger on display' - 'a display constructed by the male imagination,' as Carter does when she reclaims narrative for her own, and for women in general, from the patriarchal constructions of previous wonder tales. Bell emphasizes that 'as a feminist writer, Carter particularly seeks to expose the constructed character of cultural representations of gender.' In all fairy tales and folk tales, the representations of gender are constructed by an authority, often a male or patriarchally-influenced one. Carter, as a feminine and feminist writer, chages this influence while also using it as a tool for analysis and discussion. 'Carter's appropriation of the wonder tale provides a genre within which she can deconstruct and subvert cultural mythology.' Much of this mythology comes in the form of attitudes to women, as we see. The 'ritualistic capture [of the wolf] hyperbolizes the brutality of masculine containment of the feminine,' as presented in opposition of Peter's subverted male-oriented attitude.
Bell specifies the difference between what constitues a tale (such as fairy, wonder, folk) and a short story. Namely; 'The tale does not log every day experience.' This comes from carter's on thoerisation. 'The tale, as she distinguishes it from the short story, is overtly interpretive, not descriptive of everyday life; it thereby offers and exploration of experience without presuming to convey either a projection or a reflection of lived experience.' Is is marked by the fantastic as opposed to the mundane, set in an imagined world, that none of us can claim to have more experience of than others. 'Carter constructs tales that carry the reader into unfamiliar daily worlds of the marvelous and the fantastic'
Reference:
Moss, B. (1998). Desire and the Female Grotesque in Angela Carter's "Peter and the Wolf". Marvels & Tales, 12(1), pp.175 - 191.
'Carter's admiration for, appropriation of, and reinvention of wonder tales demonstrate her regard for realms of the fantastic, a category intrinsically connected with the grotesque.' In wonder tales, such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Bluebeard to name but a few, the grotesque is a common method of featuring metamorphosing characters, unatural presences to our human world. the word 'grotesque' suggests something upsetting and wholy unnatural and undesired.
'The most elemental of the grotesque figures: the part-human, part-animal' such as the mermaid. As well as this, it can occur in anthropomorphic animals or monsters, like Beast. 'The combination of human and animal traits is... one of the most ancient grotesque forms.'
'Carter's wolf narratives both deconstruct received assumptions of gender and desire, and offer alternative possibilities for understanding and constructing desire and sexuality.' By using the grotesque form of the girl-wolf, Carter explores more the reactions of those around her (family, society) than the creature herself. In the way Peter interacts with her, Carter comments more on a larger patriarchal society. This is 'a tale in which the female grotesque, as a representation of otherness or difference, profoundly confuses Peter' which diverts from the typical wonder-tale's method of naturalizing addity and magic/ grotesque, etc. 'In [Peter's] reaction to encounters with the grotesque wolf-human, a girl-child, he subverts prevailing masculine conceptions of desire and sexuality, and offers an initiation story for the adult reader, not the child.'
'The female grotesque- the unfamiliar, the other - shatters his known world and propels him first into fascination, ambivalence, and fear'
'Carter's narrative of Peter and the Wolf depends upon an aesthetic of the grotesque inflected by a feminist desire for transformation ... the female body is a crucial site of transformation' She has a 'feminist position regarding desire and sexuality' which is stated many times over by all theorists of her work. Bell contends that 'the woman writer involved in feminine writing will return to the body which has been more than confiscated from her, which has been turned into the uncanny stranger on display' - 'a display constructed by the male imagination,' as Carter does when she reclaims narrative for her own, and for women in general, from the patriarchal constructions of previous wonder tales. Bell emphasizes that 'as a feminist writer, Carter particularly seeks to expose the constructed character of cultural representations of gender.' In all fairy tales and folk tales, the representations of gender are constructed by an authority, often a male or patriarchally-influenced one. Carter, as a feminine and feminist writer, chages this influence while also using it as a tool for analysis and discussion. 'Carter's appropriation of the wonder tale provides a genre within which she can deconstruct and subvert cultural mythology.' Much of this mythology comes in the form of attitudes to women, as we see. The 'ritualistic capture [of the wolf] hyperbolizes the brutality of masculine containment of the feminine,' as presented in opposition of Peter's subverted male-oriented attitude.
Bell specifies the difference between what constitues a tale (such as fairy, wonder, folk) and a short story. Namely; 'The tale does not log every day experience.' This comes from carter's on thoerisation. 'The tale, as she distinguishes it from the short story, is overtly interpretive, not descriptive of everyday life; it thereby offers and exploration of experience without presuming to convey either a projection or a reflection of lived experience.' Is is marked by the fantastic as opposed to the mundane, set in an imagined world, that none of us can claim to have more experience of than others. 'Carter constructs tales that carry the reader into unfamiliar daily worlds of the marvelous and the fantastic'
Reference:
Moss, B. (1998). Desire and the Female Grotesque in Angela Carter's "Peter and the Wolf". Marvels & Tales, 12(1), pp.175 - 191.
7 January 2015
Reading: Angela Carter: The Fairy Tale - Lorna Sage
'Fairy-tales are less-than-myths, however. They are volatile, anybody's ... they are part of the historic world' (L. Sage, 1998)This piece, also appearing in the book Angela Carter and the Fairy Tale as well as previously Marvels & Tales, furthers the analysis of Angela Carter's method in her work: what her attitude to the genre of folklore was, and what background led her to become the prominent writer that gained her fame. 'In her work, she valued and sought abstraction as an antidote to the climate of foggy realism' in which she had grown up. Italo Calvino, another writer of short stories/ tales, used revisions of folktales reminiscent, in their fantastical elements, of fairy stories, to gain acclaim and to transport him to different social standing. Carter described that Calvino's story, like her own, 'highlighted the transformative effect of the rediscovery of fairy tales and folktales' not just within the world, but on their individual persons as well.
Carter was drawn to the accessibility of fairy tales. They come originally from peasant classes; the folk of the world, and then made their way in popularity through the ranks of society to the bourgeoisie. Each story contains a unique sociopolitical commentary from its time, location, and author. Folk and fairy tales used to exclusively, and now commonly also can, be heard by word of mouth, making them accessible. They are public territory, with no single authorial voice. 'The fairy tale has a two-faced character. Its promiscuity - the stories are anybody's - means that you do have to understand it historically, as drawn into the sensibility of the times.' Carter analysed at first the rich layers of this genre, then added her own for future generations to consume and analyse.
Carter sees the genre as 'a means by which a writing woman may take flight. Gender-politics don't undo the formal appeal of the fairy tale, though they do mean you have to take a longer detour through cultural history to arrive at lightness.' I found this particular exerpt from the article so interesting, especially in its specific use of 'flight' rhetoric. The story that I am focusing on is one in which the lead female character at the end becomes a bird, and escapes her husband back into the wilderness. She quite literally 'takes flight.' In a women establishing her independence and autonomy through writing of fairy tales, this is mirror by the tales themselves with freedom and escape plots. The symbolism is really powerful in this I think.
It is argued that the magical elements of the wondertale are a method by which social project is imbued and hidden within a story. They are of vital importance to the tale. '[Carter] associated [fairy tale] with a world where our dreads and desires were personified in beings that were non-human without being divine.' This measn they are coded with personal, as well as social, ideals and wishes.
Judith Butler described bodies as 'a field of interpretive possibilities, the locus of a dialectical process of interpreting anew a historical set of interpretations which have become imprinted on the flesh' (Sex and Gender, 1986)
In her three versions of Cinderella, the first, The Mutilated Girls is a tale 'about cutting bits off women, so that they will fit in.' This occurs in the instance of 'The stepmother hacking off her daughters' feet to get them into the slipper.' In a feminist reading of folk tales, we see how women are restriced and policed, both in their bodies (here shown with cutting off of appendages) and in their personalitites and desires. In The Crane Wife, though it is not an actively performed mutilation like the former, the crane is forced to lose her wings, the instrinic signifier of her 'bird-ness,' for the sake of entering human society.
Carter studied and analysed Shakespeare before starting on her own works of crative writing. He has heavily influenced her, as Sage explains. 'Shakespeare, for Carter, looks two ways; his stage was a threshold between worlds, where folk culture was made over into high culture, but never completely.' There is a prevailing attitude that folklore and tales belong to 'low-culture,' being of the common people for the common people.
As well as an influence, Shakespeare provided writing for adaptation by Carter. 'In the Midsummer Night's Dream story she writes that to be lost in the forest is "to be committed against your will- or, worse, your own desire - to a perpetual absence from humanity, an existential catastrophe, for the forest is as infinitely boundless as the human heart"' The setting for my take on The Crane Wife will be in a forest, and this above quote provides resonance and context for the location.
Reference: Sage, L. (1998). Angela Carter: the Fairy Tale. Marvels & Tales : Journal of Fairy Tale Studies, 12(1), pp.52 - 68.
6 January 2015
Designing the Woodcutter's House
I doodled these very roughly with red biro white I experimented with shape and size. I went over them with my black artist's marker, then shaded them with my grey pro marker. I made two main designs, on the left and right hand sides, and on the bottom of the page is each of the two as seen from the side. I think I much prefer the one on the right: it looks more interesting both from the front and the side, and I think the proportions and perspective are a bit easier to draw than the left-hand one.
The next step will be designing the interior, then colouring and texturing!
Reading: 'From the Beast to the Blonde' by Marina Warner
Book: Warner, M. (1995). From the Beast to the Blonde. London: Vintage.
I read one of Warner's (massive) books about folklore and fairy tales, focusing on their adaptation and remediation throughout the years from their humble origins in mainland Europe to Hollywood blockbusters today. It delves into as much study about the tellers of these tales, as of the stories themselves. We learn about the reasons for their invention and the huge popularity of them in the past centuries. Unlike some of the others readings on the subject, I learned less in this book about the modern day consumption of fairy tales, but I did discover a lot about their origins, and societal and academic importance, which has been very interesting to learn about and I hope will help me to have a better understanding of the genre as a whole. I noted the parts which were most concerned with the type of animated tale I will be making, and will discuss them below.
Beardedness signifies strong men. 'Beards were the mark of the goat, and given the goat's lustful and diabolical character, its kinship with satyrs, and the Devil himself...Beards came increasingly to define the male in priapic mode' (pp.242). Beards are given the symbolic value traditionally in story telling, so I want to avoid associating my main character of the Woodcutter with any of these overtly masculine or sexual overtones: I will forgo giving him any type of facial hair, and instead contrast him with a heavily bearded huntsman who represents all the power, cruelty lust and desire that the Woodcutter is not. None of the Disney princes/ heroes have beards, which is significant.
I read one of Warner's (massive) books about folklore and fairy tales, focusing on their adaptation and remediation throughout the years from their humble origins in mainland Europe to Hollywood blockbusters today. It delves into as much study about the tellers of these tales, as of the stories themselves. We learn about the reasons for their invention and the huge popularity of them in the past centuries. Unlike some of the others readings on the subject, I learned less in this book about the modern day consumption of fairy tales, but I did discover a lot about their origins, and societal and academic importance, which has been very interesting to learn about and I hope will help me to have a better understanding of the genre as a whole. I noted the parts which were most concerned with the type of animated tale I will be making, and will discuss them below.
Beardedness signifies strong men. 'Beards were the mark of the goat, and given the goat's lustful and diabolical character, its kinship with satyrs, and the Devil himself...Beards came increasingly to define the male in priapic mode' (pp.242). Beards are given the symbolic value traditionally in story telling, so I want to avoid associating my main character of the Woodcutter with any of these overtly masculine or sexual overtones: I will forgo giving him any type of facial hair, and instead contrast him with a heavily bearded huntsman who represents all the power, cruelty lust and desire that the Woodcutter is not. None of the Disney princes/ heroes have beards, which is significant.
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| Disney's Huntsman from Snow White source: http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net |
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| Manly Dan from Gravity falls source: http://images6.fanpop.com/image |
The book delves into reflection on the prevalence of romances between animals and humans; beasts and beauties as they appear over and again in folk tales. Apuleius' tale of Cupid and Psyche is the first forerunner of these type of tales; Eros being the 'first beast of the west.' The immortal god and the mortal beauty make love, while Psyche is forbidden to look upon her lover. When she can 'resist no longer, and breaks the prohibition, lighting a candle...he vanishes. Psyche's failure to trust, and to obey, has cost her his adorable presence and his love' (pp.273). There is a significant comparison between this tale and that of The Crane Wife, though the roles are gender-bent, which is perhaps more suited to a contemporary, feminist-positive take on the situation. The crane has forbidden her husband to look on her while she weaves, but he grows curious and disobeys her. This too, like Psyche, loses him his lover. Later in this discussion however, Warner observes that the gendered roles in Cupid and Psyche are unusual, instead typically it is 'more common to find knights errant than maidens in pursuit of their lovers' (pp.275)
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| Cupid leaving Psyche, source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons |
In beast/human tales, the beast is 'identified with male sexuality which must be controlled or changed or domesticated through civilité' (pp. 280). This way of thinking existed mainly at a time when animals were thought of as savage, and the stories typically end badly for the beast creature (again, usually presented as the male protagonist or villain). In more recent times, sensibilities have changed and we have 're-evaluated' our stance towards animals. Now 'the beast is perceived as a principle of nature within every human being, male and female, young and old.' My representation of the female protagonist taking the form of a crane is in line with this modern representation. She isn't constructed as harmful or dangerous, but still does need to be domesticated.
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| La Belle et la Bete source: http://blog.felix-culpa.gayattitude.com/picture |
This type of fairy tale also had a popular recurring theme, that the 'beauty is the beast' (pp.283). That is, not only does the beast metamorphose, but the beauty takes advantage of this also, which leads her to an escape from a 'tyrant' father or husband. The beauty here not necessarily being placed opposite a beast, but the theme of the contrast between mortal human (female) and wild animal remains. 'In a female protagonist's case, shape shifting also shifts the conditions of confinement.' For example, in the She-Bear tale, Princess Hawthorn 'acquires more freedom of movement [as a bear] than as a woman, and more freedom of choice.' This is reflected in the independence and freedom of movement granted to the Crane in her bird-form: she literally can move further and faster away by flying, but also, figuratively, can escape from her marriage and return to the magical world away from the domestic confines of her home with the Woodcutter. She does not merely leave her husband, she chooses that for her ultimate freedom she must also change form to do so.
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| A Selkie: a woman who can escape to sea in seal form. Source: http://simonsylvester.files.wordpress.com |
'Whereas male beasts are cursed by some malignant force, the heroines of fairy tales are willingly bound by a spell; they frequently agree with the alacrity to the change of outward form, in order to run away from the sexual advances of a father or would-be seducer' (pp. 353). When we think of cursed heroines, we picture them locked away like Sleeping Beauty, or like Rapunzel, being cursed with long hair. The Beauty and the Beast's prince however, is given animal form. the Frog Prince is forced to become a frog until he finds a princess' love. Even of these two examples, neither are willing. From what shape-shifting females we do know though, they seem to have been born this way or given unknown origins: think of the Little Mermaid, selkies, and The Crane Wife. 'The bodily transformations of female heroines take them across thresholds' (pp. 354). This is the 'phenomenon of liberty' as Warner calls it. The apparent degradation of taking on 'beastly' form works for the heroine, not against her, unlike her male counterpart. She can take 'control of her own identity' and not have it thrust upon her.
Adventure Time - The Art of Ooo 2
Below are a lot of guidelines on the drawing of the main characters; Finn and Jake, by the show's creators. They are used to help the animators keep their work consistent and the look of the show always fluid. I am already totally in love with this book, as it not only shows finished pieces and grabs from the show, but also all of the concept and development art. It discusses the processes the artists had to go through to create and finalize all of their characters and worlds, which is super useful to me!
Adventure Time: The Art of Ooo 1
The two above images are exterior views of the Treehouse, Home to Finn and Jake. It shows the scene during two different times of day: one in the dark of night and one in the soft glow of sunrise. i love how the colours change between the two and give a distinctive mood to each picture.
Storyboarding Tips
In his blog, Seven Camels, the storyboard artist Mark Kennedy gives some tips about directing the viewer's point of focus when developing story. Often, a story sketch will be on screen for a second of screen time (or less) and it is vitally important that the viewer grasps the meaning of what you are trying to say in an instant. So a big part of doing this is knowing how to get the viewer's eye go where you want them to look and not focus on the unimportant parts of the sketch.
'For our first example, I did a quick, crummy drawing of a guy taking a picture of a bird in a forest. I did this sketch with two objects of interest (the guy and the bird), which, by the way, is a big "no no" when you're doing story sketch. One of the cardinal rules of story sketch is that you should only have one idea presented at a time. Each new idea needs a new sketch. Otherwise, the audience is confused and doesn't know where to look.'
Adding detail to an area of a drawing can help draw the viewer's eye to that area of the picture.
The eye will always be drawn to the area of greatest contrast first. The maximum amount of contrast possible in any drawing or painting is absolute black against absolute white. If there's an area with black against white in a picture, the eye will always go there first.
Anything in the frame that contrasts everything else in the frame will do
Just because you create a shot like the one above, and it works as a story sketch, it doesn't mean that it works as a film frame. Once the film is finished, the whole frame will be in full color and the trick above will be useless. If it's important that the audience focus on the man in brown, you have to insert a close up of him first…or start close on him and pull back to this wide shot…or something else that does the job of telling the audience to focus on him.
Consider the lighting when you're boarding a scene, and what will be possible and impossible.
'For our first example, I did a quick, crummy drawing of a guy taking a picture of a bird in a forest. I did this sketch with two objects of interest (the guy and the bird), which, by the way, is a big "no no" when you're doing story sketch. One of the cardinal rules of story sketch is that you should only have one idea presented at a time. Each new idea needs a new sketch. Otherwise, the audience is confused and doesn't know where to look.'
Perspective is always an easy way. If you have strong lines created by the vanishing point of your drawing, use that to point to what we're supposed to be focusing on. Draw everything in a composition to point where you want it to point in order to get the viewer to look at what's important.
Use line weight to minimize confusion and enhance readability.
Depending on the mood you're trying to achieve, a harsh contrasty light might be best (for example, in a scary or dynamic action scene) or a soft, gauzy light might be better (for a romantic or lighter type of moment). All these things should be considered by the storyboard artist as they think about a scene.
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