Category: Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language

During my 1-2-1 tutorial with Nigel, he clarified and explained some aspects to the brief that up until now I had misunderstood. I thought this critical report would be a predecessor to the thesis and as such I was trying to focus my critical report topic within the scope of what I wanted to explore in my later wider research. Nigel explained that while we could do this, it would be more effective for us to move onto a different topic for the thesis, especially with the limited word count of the critical report.

Since the 1-2-1 I’ve been considering alternative topics for the critical report, and I think I would like to explore how digital media can specifically help the healing process of viewers struggling with mental illness. While I have seen a lot of research on the general effects to mental health across the board, and on representation of mental illness within digital media, I haven’t seen specific research on my specific desired topic. I do think I would be able to find a lot of interesting research supporting the topic, yet I would be curious to know how well documented it is considering the ethical implications of conducting a study on such a topic when, unlike more traditional treatment methods, I assume it doesn’t have a viable basis as a potential treatment method depending on the outcome of such a study.

If I were to research this topic, I think it would also be useful supporting research to have examples of digital media specifically centred around exploring mental illness in a respectful yet accurate/realistic way. The first two examples that come to mind are Joker (2019), and Russian Doll (2019).

With the Joker, I found the depiction of a man being let down by the mental health treatment system very profound in a time where many are experiencing the same thing. I have seen some criticise the movie based on the idea that mental illness is being depicted as the reason for the main character’s violence, but I personally consider it a (perhaps extreme but still realistic) example of how mentally ill people can suffer and cause suffering when the system they ask for help fails them repeatedly.

As for Russian Doll, I see the series as a raw and honest journey from the point of suffering with mental illness and trauma to finally being ready to start healing. Both characters Nadia and Alan are forced by the narrative to acknowledge their mental health issues, with the narrative both punishing them when partaking in toxic and unhealthy coping strategies, and only progressing as they choose to take the difficult steps towards healing.

While I think the Joker could be an interesting way to explore how difficult the healing process can be without the proper help from the health system, I feel Russian Doll would offer a more clear and concise narrative to explore such a topic with.

Narrative Structure and Character Role

This week we looked at different use cases of narrative structure and, going back to last weeks lecture, how Mise-en-Scène is used to convey narrative. For example, we were shown a chase scene where the characters are always crossing the scene from left to right, to convey the chase continuing even as the setting and time changes (aka, narrative continuity).

We also looked at editing, and how there isn’t as much (at least not in the same sense) editing in animation vs live acton, since animation shots are often much more pre planned down to the frame length, whereas live action cameras can keep rolling after the shot end time which the director may choose to do for various reasons.

This lecture was another great source of language and research for my own topic, since narrative structures have always been fascinating to me and I would love to focus on researching the use of them within my topic.

This week we looked at the importance of Mise-en-Scène, and how powerful just the staging of a scene can be in conveying a lot of information to the viewer. I myself love dissecting cinema to what may seem its unimportant features, so this lecture was very enjoyable to me and gave me new language to use when analysing such content. I also was reminded of a few breakdowns of recent cinema and tv series that were met with negative reviews, and how a common question when breaking down specific scenes and aspects was “Why is this even there?”. While I’m sure it isn’t a new thing by any means, it is interesting that, even to many on a subconscious level, the lack of thought put into the Mise-en-Scène can convey a messy and empty narrative.

One of the series I’m considering researching, Andor (2022) is often compared with its close predecessor in the Disney+ Star Wars series collection, Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022). While many different people have compared the two in many different ways, the key theme everyone seems to land on is that Andor goes above and beyond with its Mise-en-Scène. Every element of every shot feels deliberate and immaculately crafted to convey the vast complexities of the story without needing to hand feed the viewer the information on a metaphorical platter. Obi-Wan Kenobi on the other hand is heavily criticised both for its hand feeding narrative style, and the senseless elements to most if not all of the scenes, both pulling the viewer from any potential immersion in the story.

A wonderful, and quite simple in how specific it is, example of this I found was in a YouTube video I watched a while ago by ‘Master Samwise’, who does commentary on many different series and movies. In his video titled ‘Andor vs Obi-Wan Kenobi – A Scene Comparison (Part 1: Action)’, he breaks down the reasons why the two fighting scenes from both series feel so different. From Andor, he focuses on a scene from episode 6. He breaks down how every small movement during the fight from all characters, whether the main character or background characters we’ve never met, makes perfect sense for how these characters would act in such a perilous situation. There was a specific moment that, when rewatching the video after this weeks lecture, struck me as astounding Mise-en-Scène. In a shot that doesn’t hold a huge weight in such a hectic scene, one of the characters draws back into cover, there’s a short pause, and then a blaster shot hit where he was out of cover previously. This attention to detail is what subconsciously mounts in the viewer’s mind, growing into anticipation and suspense, because we see all of these small details that tell us this is a real fight with real consequences. We see a character realistically, with his background, reacting to a threat as if it is such. I don’t believe the creator of the video mentions it at any point, but I can almost envision the creators of Andor literally mapping this scene out for every single character we see on screen, and planning their movements according to how a fight like the one we’re shown would realistically go down. They had some characters with a backstory and personalities, and each acted within those confines, for some leading to their deaths.

While I don’t think it would be fair to say Obi-Wan Kenobi didn’t have such planning, it either wasn’t done equally to all characters shown on screen (leaving a feeling of “untouchable main character”), or it wasn’t done effectively. I can also see the potential that the lack of attention to the background characters was purposeful in an attempt to make the main characters look cool and make the viewer feel excited, an attempt at, as the video creator perfectly labels it, sceptical. Yet by not giving those enemy character’s actions weight, as Andor does so well in this scene and across the series, it doesn’t give the payoff they might have been hoping for in Obi-Wan Kenobi for many members of it’s audience.

Social and Political Commentary Through Animation

This week we examined how animation has been used as commentary on social and political topics. Within these topics, messages can be delivered through moving image as things such as propaganda, subliminal messaging, documentaries, personal experiences, etc.

Activity

Our task for this week: 

Research and present an argument for an animated work you consider tackles any issues of equality, diversity or social injustice (150-200 words)

I decided to do this research on the Netflix series Arcane. The article by Perdhana and Kusuma (2023) highlights how various characters in Arcane struggle, benefit from, and work through social injustice, by closely examining various frames from the episodes. Yet I realised quickly that the, arguably, main two characters of Arcane weren’t discussed directly at all, Vi and Jinx. Within the story, they are the two characters immediately introduced as victims of the social injustice against the lower class of Piltover, suffering the loss of their parents and forever traumatised. They continue to suffer within the system of social injustice throughout the story. While every other character is explored through how they interact with the inequality, many even enforcing it for their own benefit, Vi and Jinx’s stories are the most profound because they are the most realistic depictions of victims of the system throughout the series. They care not for the system they are victims of. They show little interest in fighting against it or using it for their own benefit. Vi wants to save her sister and regain some of her lost childhood. Jinx in the first season wants to find reassurance that she isn’t broken, and in the second wants to walk away from her broken self. Even when pushed to interact with the social injustice they live in, they either reject it or merely go along with what the narrative forces them into.

Perdhana, P.D, Kusuma, A.S. (2023) ‘Representation of Social Inequality in the Netflix Series Arcane (Semiotic Analysis of Roland Barthes Model)’, Proceeding ISETH (International Summit on Science, Technology, and Humanity), pp. 1654–1668. Available at: https://proceedings.ums.ac.id/iseth/article/view/4558.

This week we looked at ‘auteurs’, a descriptor developed by critics within the study of cinema. We learnt the history of the term, and how it considers the wider range of people involved in the production process when critiquing cinema rather than one singular member. However it can still be reduced to a small part of the production process, or even a single person who pushes and ties together the specific theme(s). On the other end of the scale, we could argue huge entities such as Disney are auteurs.

I would argue that Walt Disney himself was an auteur because of his attention to detail and desire to ensure every part of the production process met his standards. I found this blog post by Barry L. Linetsky, which spoke of some interesting insight into how much Disney oversaw and managed each creative decision on his films, ensuring they were the creative, magical artforms that are still beloved to this day. While the blog post also notes he withdrew from his on the floor approach to management in later years, I would also argue by then his vision had been poured so deeply into the foundations of the Disney company that, even with a more hands off approach, his earlier efforts meant his vision was still being meticulously crafted to his intentions. And therefore, I would also argue that even after Walt Disney’s death, the corporation still carries that intention.

Formative vs Conceptual Abstraction

This week we were exploring the history of experimental and abstract animation, and within this the difference between Formative and Conceptual abstraction.

From my understanding, formative abstraction refers to the visual language and aesthetics, whereas conceptual abstraction refers to the narrative and storytelling methods. With both, it is important to consider why and how something might be abstract.

Activity

An activity for this lesson was to choose a short film we think is experimental, and consider how we might argue for it being either or both formatively and conceptually abstract.

I chose the short film ‘Scavengers’ (2016), later turned into the series ‘Scavenger’s Reign’ (2023). I would argue that while it feels different, the narrative isn’t actually abstract or experiential. While the environment of both the short film and series, planet ‘VESTA – 1’, can be considered a character in its own right by the narrative, this isn’t a new or rare concept to see. I would look at iconic films and series to draw examples of this, where the way the characters interact and are impacted by the environment present the environment as a character itself.

Instead of being Conceptually Abstract, I would argue that the film is a piece of Formative Abstraction that is so successful it transforms the audience reaction to the narrative and tricks the viewer into thinking the narrative is unique. With the short film, we are repeatedly shown brutal and visually uncomfortable behaviours from the humans towards the planet, all so they can experience a moment of the feeling of their home planet. The visuals are like that of a nature documentary, holding on to the details and causing discomfort and sorrow for the planet and its creatures as they suffer the brutality of its own existence and the further impact of its human invaders.

The genre of “Scavengers” would traditionally be science fiction, however as previously mentioned the visuals represent that of a documentary, following both the planet and how it copes and suffers and adapts to the humans. In “Scavenger’s Reign”, this is explored further and we see how, in turn, the human characters react to the planet. I feel the focus on the planet being at mercy to the humans in the short film is representative of how the series as a whole explores the environmental character first and the human characters second. I would argue that the short film isn’t science fiction at all, it is a visually experimental, explorative, documentary of what lengths humans will go to survive and cope with their surroundings, and how in turn the environment suffers from these lengths when the environment isn’t considered as its own being to be respected.

My Research Topic

An activity for this lesson was to choose a short film we think is experimental, and consider how we might argue for it being either or both formatively and conceptually abstract.

I chose the short film ‘Scavengers’ (2016), later turned into the series ‘Scavenger’s Reign’ (2023). I would argue that while it feels different, the narrative isn’t actually abstract or experiential. While the environment of both the short film and series, planet ‘VESTA – 1’, can be considered a character in its own right by the narrative, this isn’t a new or rare concept to see. I would look at iconic films and series to draw examples of this, where the way the characters interact and are impacted by the environment present the environment as a character itself.

Instead of being Conceptually Abstract, I would argue that the film is a piece of Formative Abstraction that is so successful it transforms the audience reaction to the narrative and tricks the viewer into thinking the narrative is unique. With the short film, we are repeatedly shown brutal and visually uncomfortable behaviours from the humans towards the planet, all so they can experience a moment of the feeling of their home planet. The visuals are like that of a nature documentary, holding on to the details and causing discomfort and sorrow for the planet and its creatures as they suffer the brutality of its own existence and the further impact of its human invaders.

The genre of “Scavengers” would traditionally be science fiction, however as previously mentioned the visuals represent that of a documentary, following both the planet and how it copes and suffers and adapts to the humans. In “Scavenger’s Reign”, this is explored further and we see how, in turn, the human characters react to the planet. I feel the focus on the planet being at mercy to the humans in the short film is representative of how the series as a whole explores the environmental character first and the human characters second. I would argue that the short film isn’t science fiction at all, it is a visually experimental, explorative, documentary of what lengths humans will go to survive and cope with their surroundings, and how in turn the environment suffers from these lengths when the environment isn’t considered as its own being to be respected.