MM Design 175 Theory & Practice

This subject has opened my eyes to things i could never see before. In lecture one our class was introduced to our first movie title sequence to the James Bond films. The opening title sequence was created using minimal special effects. One in particular that caught my eye was a projector projecting text onto a girl dancing. It gave a great effect for a minimal cost. Also we were shown a scene of a girl wearing a bikini. I was unaware until Andrew pointed out that this was very out of the ordinary for those days. A female was always to be covered up. Movies allow us to show how history changes.

In lecture two the class was shown pieces of famous art by artists such as Van Gough and Warhol. Andrew explained how design needs crazy art in order to gain new audiences attention etc. He also explained how Art and Design can now be seen in combination with each other as well as separate. We were shown both Kylie Minogues and the white stripes film clips. Each were very different yet both were pieces of art with a lot of design preparation. Kylie's film clip needed to be filmed and timed precisely before she came to set and the white stripes film clip would have taken months to prepare because of the Lego used.

Lecture three consisted of analysing cartoons such as Southpark, the simpsons and disney. Each are cartoons but each have different audiences. The class discussed what was entertaining about each as well as the audiences each would suit. It was made clear that all cartoons are not made for children and that cartoons need to be taken seriously.

Lecture four opened my eyes. I have always been a lover or fan of Disney movies up until now. Disneys "The Lion King" is no more then a rip off of the less famous Leo/White Lion by Tezuka. Tezuka used the technique known as animae. This later influenced many Western Countries future movies and animations. Its just dissapointing to know that a great artist like Tezuka could be under sold and his work taken from him. Other animations that we looked at was Betty Boop, Astro Boy and Mickey Mouse.

During lecture fives class we watched a short film called Cane Toad. In this short film we saw how an artist can still get the same effect or idea across to an audience by omitting small details. This allows a viewer to fill in the blanks and also saves an artist a lot of time.

Lecture six explored different advertising. We looked at adverts such as XXXX, sony erikson, pirelli and one of my favourites odyssey jeans. Each of these adverts are so different from what we see in Australia. They are more like short films then they are advertising. I never really liked adverts but after watching these types i have become interested in finding more. This week we learnt what the meaning of graphic really is.

In Lecture seven the class looked at Hyper realism, animation and motion graphics. Some examples that were discussed were the channel 1o logo, pop eye and the driving school animation. It was interesting to see how a simple animation such as Driving school could create so much entertainment.

Lecture eight started with Andrew making two of the students being put up the front of the lecture with a video game. Each had to work out how to play the game on their own. We then spoke about how video games are second nature to my generation whereas my parents generation have no clue on the basic controls of video games. This is because my generation has had this technology since birth. We have been taught the basics in school etc.

Lecture nine explored the use of music in movies etc. Incidental music and sound effects increase a scenes purpose or effect on the audience. Quick sharp sounds in action scenes help create the drama in a scene. Without the music a scene wouldnt have the effect it does on its viewers.

In lecture ten we were introduced to hi-res (a London based studio who push boundaries). We were also introduced to Graham Miltons work. The class watched both short clips with each companies work (in short clips linked together). I have never heard a class so quiet. It was incredible to see the work that can be achieved with the use of flash and adobe products. It was also interesting to see how quirky and un-conventional ideas can be eye catching and can gain future work. I now know that things don't have to make sense in order to gain attention and gain respect. Many ideas flew to my head for things that i could possibly do for my own future work.

This class has opened my eyes to the world of multimedia. I am now more aware of what a Multimedia Artist can do. Its exciting to see what i will be capable of doing by the end of the course and i cant wait to learn more.

Thanks Andrew, great class with interesting topics that made me want to find out more information about Multimedia Design.

SCOTT McLOUDS UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART

CHAPTER 9


This chapter is a summary of the previous 8 chapters. Each chapter is listed below with a basic summary.

Chapter 1 – Explains how comics are more then cartoons. He also explains how not all comics are for children’s eyes and how more and more comics are for adult audiences (because of the themes etc)

Chapter 2 – Scott discusses sequential art and how simplistic lines can represent a face etc. He explains how these simple lines etc can be interpreted in different ways with different viewers. I

Chapter 3 - This chapter explains how people are made to use their imaginations. Scenes are omitted by an artist for a reason. Not only does it save time for an artist to create but it allows a viewer/reader to fill in the blanks.

Chapter 4 – discusses how time and movement can be shown in comics with the use of lines, captions and frames.

Chapter 5 – Talks of line weights, and how these line weights depict different emotions. For example. Dark bold lines represent anger etc.

Chapter 6 – Explains how comics are not just pictures. Comics can be pictures, words or a combination of both.

Chapter 7 – Describes the six steps to creating a great comic. (Ideas/ Purpose, form, idiom, structure, craft and surface)

Chapter 8 – Discusses how colour has changed the way we look at comics. It also questions comic books content. Would you buy a comic which is colour on the surface with no great content or a plain black and white comic with purpose?

This book has changed the way I look at comics by giving me a better understanding of how they are created and their importance. I was never much of a fan of comics but now I have more respect for them and the artists who create them.

UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART - SCOTT MCLOUD

CHAPTER 8 - A word about Colour

This chapter, as its' title says, is purley about colour in comics. Colour in comics allows a person to feel more emotions or associate particular colours with characters. Colour was first introduced into comics that would appear in newspapers. It was there to draw attention from everything else in the paper and for that it cost more money to print. Thus creating a profit for the papers. So was colour introduced for a readers benefit and better understanding of a comic or purely for making money? I believe it was mainly for making money for comics that did not really get a second look in the paper.

(The above image was taken from blogs.ign.com/.../2008/04/17/87043/Controls/)

(The above image was taken from www.geocities.com/batmanmagazine/nftc8.htm)

Lets use the above two pictures as an example. Ok so if you walked into a comic book shop and you were trying to choose between a the coloured comic and the black and white comic what would you choose? Would you go for content or surface value. Most people would first be drawn to the coloured face comic as it attracts your attention at first glance. I suppose it's just up to a reader to decide what they truely wanting from the comic in question.

This chapter has opened my eyes to a comics true value. If i ever read a comic it always had to have colours in it, to me black and white comics did not exist. Shame on me because the comics that i did read were really poorly written and i had seriously wasted money. From now on i will always look at the content of a comic/video/game before judging it and making my decision.

UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART - SCOTT MCLOUD

CHAPTER 7 - THE SIX STEPS

Scott McLoud speaks of the six steps in comics. These steps are Ideas/purpose, Form, Idiom, Structure, Craft and surface. Basically these steps act as a guide for comic artists and should be followed in order to create a fantastic comic. If you skip steps then things may appear to be fine on the surface but the ideas and form can be miss interpreted.

(The original comic book cover above was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man, the spiderman 3 cover was taken from www.criticsrant.com)

An example of a comic appearing great at first glance is the Spiderman 3 movie, (although this is a movie it still can be used as an example of a good comic gone bad). At first glance a viewer would think this is going to be awesome, another Spiderman movie. But then once a person gets involved into the movie they realise that the movie is more special effects and more about romance then it is about destroying evil villans. Therefor the original "comic" has been changed and its content is not as good as what it used to be.

Why try to fix something or create something from the old, if the old works?

In my opinion a designer should remember these six basic steps for a successful comic. One must remember that although something can look amazing at first glance it doesnt neccessarily make it a great.

CHAPTER 6 - SCOTT McLOUDS UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART

Chapter 6 - Show & Tell

This chapter explains how comics can be pictures, words or a combination of both. Below is a comic that i found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics. I have edited it to show you exactly how the best comics use a combination of both text & pictures.

The comic above shows a picture of a toddler whome we assume is either screaming or sneezing due to the movement drawn in the comic. Though it is unclear exactly what the toddler is doing.

The frames below are the text part of the above comic. We as the reader have to use our imagination to figure out what the words are describing. Although the obvious would be a sneeze as the words that describe the sound of a sneeze are used.

Now when we combine the text and the pictures to form this comic, we get a clear understanding of what the comic is about.

So whilst the combination of words and pictures in comics give us the reader a clear picture of what is actually happening, there are situations where by ommitting either words or text the reader is forced to interperate the comic in their own way. The author is making a user think rather then telling them what to think.

CHAPTER 5 - SCOTT McLOUDS UNDERSTANDING COMICS THE INVISIBLE ART

CHAPTER 5 - Living in Line

After reading this chapter i found that you can express emotions & Actions through the use of line work and symbols.

Generally darker lines represent emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, madness etc whilst soft thin lines represent emotions such as calm, reason, honesty, innocence and youth etc. Below are two examples of different line work. One is darker and the other uses a softer line type.

(Comic taken from http://www.comics.com/)

As you can see this comic comes across as innocent and honest due to the simple drawings and thin lines that have been used. Where as the picture below has bolder lines with a lot more detail which gives off the impression that the comic is probably for older readers and slightly aggressive.

(image taken from http://hem.passagen.se/fm4/sincity.html)

Symbols also play a part in showing emotion. One of the most commonly used symbols would probably be the love heart. It represents love, attraction, lust, happiness etc. Below are some examples of Symbols which are commonly used in comics today.

(The image above was taken from http://www.dreamstime.com/jpeg-comics-symbols.-image4048668)

After reading this chapter it made me realise how important symbols and line weights/types are in the comic world. They really help sell an emotion or a theme to a reader.

CHAPTER FOUR - Scott McLouds Understanding Comics the Invisible Art

Chapter 4 - Timeframes


After reading this chapter I have learnt that time can be shown/represented using a number of techniques. For example silent panels, panels with captions, numerous panels with slightly different movements etc. Time and motion can also be shown through a series of events and frames. Below is an example of motion: The ripple lines represent the character slowly moving into the water. You also know that time has passed because the first panel shows the lady getting into the water where the last frame shows her half way in the water. So you know time has passed for her to walk in.

(Picture was taken from http://www.comics.com/comics/chickweed/index.html)

In this chapter Scott McLoud explains how time can be shown in comics through the use of panels. An example of this is a frame of a stop watch. Then next to it is another frame of a stop watch with time is shown later than the first. This makes us believe that time has passed. Another example of this is shown below.

(This comic was taken from http://www.comics.com/comics/peanuts/)

In this comic time has passed. We know this because of the captions. They use words such as "I throw my marble" then they use another caption a couple of panels later saying "i missed". Also we can tell that he has been hit by the girl because of the caption above saying WHOP and the movement lines around his body.

This chapter has made me realise that there are many different ways to show both time and motion in comics, and you can use more than one technique in a single panel to help give a sense of time and motion.