opinion
Animals are the way to go
7
Panther Prowler • Jan. 22, 2021
Carter Castillo Features Editor Animation is a medium that inherently promotes and enables creativity otherwise impossible in a live-action equivalent. It is through this suspension of reality that people are able to immerse themselves into a story and relate to the characters regardless of what life they may lead in the real world. This is what makes animation a truly unique art form; through the use of anthropomorphized characters animators are able to create fictional characters that are universally relatable. Diversity is a problem in modern media, with a lack of animated films containing BIPOC in significant roles, and while this is getting better with the release of movies like “Soul,” the beauty of anthropomorphized characters is that they do not abide by the same societal standards of race as humans do. A key example of this in action is Disney’s “Zootopia,” which utilizes its bipedal animal characters to emulate modern day issues about race. While the message the movie is trying to convey is clear, the fact that the characters are animals allows them to be separated from society’s social
constructs. It is inherently easier for any person to watch the movie and relate to say, Nick Wilde, than to Tom Hanks. Another paramount piece of media is the recent Netflix TV show “Beastars,” another medium that utilizes anthropomorphic animals. The use of animals as the titular characters serves as a way to create more universal relatability. The conflicts of the story are driven and characterized by the fact that everyone is an animal. Further, the animals serve as characterization. We stereotype a rat as shrewd and scummy while a fox is charismatic and sly. However, what makes “Beastars” a masterclass in the art of animation is the subversion of these assumed stereotypes. The wolf is a socially awkward loner, the rabbit is strongwilled and determined and the deer ambitious and a natural leader. Animation serves as a testament to how anthropomorphic creatures can enrich a story with thematic messaging and create more universally relatable characters.
“Loving Vincent” showcases creativity
Prasheetha Karthikeyan Sports Editor
It is more common than ever for people to complain about the lack of creativity in the movie industry. The incessant grumbling about how no one can make an “original movie” is in itself a monologue that is overused, although it is not unwarranted; the majority of 21st century movies (especially rom coms, action and horror movies) not only have the same basic storyline, but also basically look the same. If you watched one and switched it out for another halfway through, you’d barely recognize a difference. Although it seems as though human existence has gone through every possible movie idea at least once, the movie “Loving Vincent” proves that there is much more potential we have yet to unlock. “Loving Vincent,” quite literally, is a work of art. The movie was independently released in 2017 and can now be found on Hulu. It features over 65,000 frames of oil paintings, painted by over 100 painters on over 1,000 canvases digitally sewn together and voiced over to create its own class of “animated” film. The scenes were first shot with a normal camera, then sent to the artists, who broke it up into the frames and used individual canvases for each scene. The movie is, as its website claims, the world’s first ever fully painted film. The filmmakers saw it as essential to create the movie in this way, citing that “you cannot truly tell Vincent’s story without his paintings, so we needed to bring his paintings to life.” The movie is an astounding, visual masterpiece. Words can barely describe how truly remarkable the movie’s artistry is. Even the trailer does not do it justice, so I implore you to check it out. Plotwise, the movie uses an interesting perspective, albeit a little slow paced. The son of a postman,
Emerson Fuentes-Alabanza/Prowler
Armand, must hand deliver a letter to Vincent Van Gogh’s brother and simultaneously documents the little known intricacies involving Van Gogh’s death. Although it has been officially ruled a suicide, the movie explores the minute details through Armand’s eyes that don’t seem to add up. Ironically, when discussing the concept of creativity, it is nearly impossible to avoid bringing up Van Gogh. Van Gogh’s legacy as a creative, unorthodox artist can serve as inspiration in any artistic endeavor, including filmmaking. His surpassing of the artistic boundaries during his time truly allows “Loving Vincent” to be the perfect representation of the creative potential the movie industry still has. “Loving Vincent” undoubtedly dismantles the notion that the movie industry has run out of ideas. The movie has broken boundaries, and despite its award nominations at a variety of film festivals, deserves much more recognition than it has. The independent group that created “Loving Vincent” constructed a film of mind-blowing creativity for a budget of 5.5 million dollars. In contrast, a typical blockbuster movie has a budget of about 65 million dollars on average, not to mention a wider variety of resources. Creativity is not dead. Movie studios and its directors can do better, instead of rotating through the same five movie tropes. “Loving Vincent” is proof of this, and again, there is no one better than Van Gogh to express the importance of creativity: “Normality is a paved road: It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.”
Biden voters, don’t be apathetic Abby Gorman Editorial Editor Hearing that Joe Biden would be the 46th president of the United States felt like a breath of fresh air for millions of Americans - and don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say I didn’t feel the same. The last four years have undoubtedly been some of the most polarizing and tumultuous in our history, ending with a heavily disputed election that came far too close for comfort. It’s okay to feel relieved. A Democratic president, Senate and House majority certainly allow for the platform to implement serious systemic change for the next two years. No longer do we have a president whose destructive carelessness left us constantly on the edge of our seats. However, far too many will take this opportunity to return to “normal.” However, we cannot view these next four years as a break from advocating about important issues, misnconstrued by the belief that just because Trump is no longer in office, all these big social issues will handle themselves. This is the root of the problem: complacency. Complacency in the Biden voters who loudly expressed their discontent for Trump on social media, but will comfortably continue their lives unaffected once these issues aren’t trending anymore. Complacency in the Republican politicians who spoke out against Trump in recent months, but will now fade out of the limelight and remain complicit as their party passes harmful legislation. So, to those who believe now is the time to relax: Biden’s win does not mean you have a four-year pass of staying silent on the issues you have advocated so strongly for during the past administration. Whatever returning to “normal” means to you is not enough. Your BIPOC, poor, immigrant, disabled and LGBTQ+ friends, family, peers and coworkers do not have this choice. Having the privilege to ignore these problems until they were trending on Twitter - and to forget them after - is why the United States fails to progress. These systemic failings didn’t just disappear on Jan. 20. Bigotry lives on in the millions of Americans who voted for Trump, including the thousands of domestic terrorists seen storming the Capitol on Jan. 6. At the end of the day, we must remember what Biden represents above all: safety. His staunch neutrality on issues that could drive away moderate voters is the reason he was selected as the Democratic candidate in the first place. Rather than his campaign being driven by his own policies,
it focused on one thing; the fact that he isn’t Trump. Although Trump may not be in a recognized office any longer, the rhetoric he amplified is not new. Biden is not going to solve the deep-rooted issues of American culture single-handedly. For progress to be made, we must continue to put pressure on our representatives to advocate for the issues we feel strongly about. The Trump administration encouraged many who were not previously politically active to get more involved, and now is not the time to stop. These issues will continue to exist, and now, cannot be dismissed by merely expressing your disdain for Trump. Continue to speak up on issues that you are passionate about. Now is not the time to remain complicit.
Car
ter
Cas
tillo
/Pro
wle
r
