What benefit does animation have over live action in regards to visual storytelling? CoP3- Proposal
Introduction As a primarily visual storyteller, aesthetics are important to me. The way an animation looks, the art style, the atmosphere, the direction, the cinematography, what the filmmaker trying to communicate visually; all of these things are at the forefront of my mind when consuming animation. Deconstructing the codified semiotics of a piece of visual media can help one better understand the fundamentals needed to create engaging and effective art. For my CoP3 dissertation I intend to explore how the signs and semiotics unique to animation benefit creators in communicating their art over other mediums, specifically Live Action, in a narrative context. To investigate this I will make analytical and critical comparisons between the ways in which filmmakers working in the different mediums communicate similar narrative themes and concepts using the techniques of visual communication in their respected repetoire. As well as secondary research, I also intend on contacting existing artists and practioners I feel specialise in unique styles of visual storytelling in order to garner a greater insight into their creative process and hopefully gain some pointers in which to take my practice moving into my final major project. Visual storytelling in animation is and has always been something which greatly interests me and is an area in which I would like to explore further in my final year on Animation at Leeds College of Art. My intentions with CoP 3 are to provide a framework to work from when it comes to my Extended Practice; a design philosophy from which I will hopefully create a short animation which reflects the core tenants of what makes a strong visual narrative.
McCloud, Scott (2014) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, New York, William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Rolfe Tufte, Edward (2013) Envisioning Information, Cheshire, Graphics Press
Kick, Russ (2014) The Graphic Canon of Children’s Literature, New York, Seven Stories Press
Eisner, Will (2008) Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, London, W.W.Norton & Company
Fiske, John (2011) Introduction to communication studies, London, Routledge
Samurai Jack
Samurai Jack, 2001-2017(TV Series), Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Cartoon Network Studios/Williams Street
The Red Turtle
The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge), 2016 (Film), Wild Bunch, Studio Ghibli/Wild Bunch
Journey
Journey, 2016 (Game), Sony Computer Entertainment, thatgamecompany
Oh Willy
Oh Willy, 2012 (Short Film), France 2, Beast Animation
Edmond
Edmond, 2015 (Short Film), NFTS, Nina Gantz
‘Visual storytelling of one kind or another has been around since cavemen were drawing on the walls.’ -Frank Darabont ‘I watched a couple of really bad directors work, and I saw how they completely botched it up and missed the visual opportunities of the scene when we had put things in front of them as opportunities. Set pieces, props and so on.’ -James Cameron
‘For me, animation is the caricature of life. It’s something that we create, from the ground up.’ -Genndy Tartakovsky ‘Unspoken feelings are unforgettable’ -Andrei Tarkovski ‘There are so many versions of every story because every storyteller tells the story differently.’ -Tomm Moore
Online Resources https://www.youtube.com/user/everyframeapainting http://www.signosemio.com/index-en.asp http://www.shiyoonkim.com/personal-work/ http://www.11secondclub.com/ http://conceptartempire.com/
Reflective Practice Proposals