Interim Crit

Today I showed what work I had done for the responsive brief. I explained to the group that I wanted to create a small 2-D film around 2 minutes in length based on an adventurer exploring an Egyptian tomb. I showed off some of my moodboards for location, the main explorer character and for the Mummy's. I showed off a very rough synopsis of my story in the form of small doodles and I showed off some basic concept sketches for the main character, Mummy's and the location.

One of the main piece of feedback I got was the concern for time. 2 minutes is a long time for frame-by frame animation and that I might struggle to hit the deadline with it. It is definitely going to be intensive   to work on but I thing I will be able to pull it off, so long as my pre-production is finished smoothly and quickly. I have been working with Flash for over 5 years now and I've been able to refine my workflow very well. I understand my pace and I feel that i'll be able to finish it in time. Should it look like I am unable to finish it, I will keep the animation on 2's instead of full 24 FPS animation.

another piece of feedback I received is my backgrounds are a bit lackluster. Obviously this is a very early sketch to just give an idea however I do know where my weaknesses are. I have already asked for help from Lija Jursins for background drawings. In return I will help her in her film project.

I was complimented on my designs for the Mummy's and was suggested to look into Hotel Transylvania for interesting Mummy designs. What I need to work on more in my designs for the main character. Right now I feel that she is too simple looking, I need to look into more realistic proportions and head shapes for the actual animation.

FInally there was some concern about the sound design of my animation. I want the music to match what is happening I the film like a proper soundtrack. Since I have no experience in creating music I will need to look for someone else to produce it. I am planning to create a poster and post it to the local Music College, however that is not a guarantee of acquiring music. if push coms to shove I can commission music online, though my budget is quite small.

The Media's Gaze

Coward (2000 P.33) explains that "The film and television industries are dominated by men, as is the advertising industry." As such it is no surprise that the Media's gaze is so obsessed with the image of women. For decades images of women have been used to sell products advertise other media. It has produced an obsession in western culture in objectifying women and watching recorded images. Coward  (2000 P.33) writes that "The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of male gaze at women on the streets." Through a constant stream of women being objectified in media allow for the continued judgement of women based solely on there looks. While we as a culture like to pride ourselves on 'sexual freedom', it doesn't matter at the media society consume continues to engender the importance of beauty to women. Both Coward (2000 P.34) and Mulvey (2008 p. 204) explain how the Media's gaze promotes voyeurism. Mulvey explains that films "portray a hermetically sealed world which unwinds magically, indifferent to the presence of the audience, producing for them a sense of separation and playing on there voyeuristic phantasy." While Coward talks about how "the profusion of images of women which characterises contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of wome, a form of voyeurism." It could be said that this voyeurism could of formed from male society losing traditional control over females, and by constantly watching recorded images it allows the illusion of control for the people watching, a recording can't talk back. The consistent over sexualisation of females in the media is often explained away as a 'natural appreciation of objective beauty, however this is not the case. Coward (2000 P.34) explains that "The saturation of society with images of women has nothing to do with men's natural appreciation of objective beauty, their aesthetic appreciation and everything to do with recording and use of women's images  in ways which make men comfortable." For over millennia men have been the 'dominant' gender, and this saturation of women's images in the media is another way for men to feel more secure and powerful about themselves. Mulvey (2008 P.202) talks about how classic Psychoanalysis for women revolve around the lack of a penis and castration. She also talks about women being the 'more narcissistic' gender in Pychoanalysis. However this has been fostered by the constant barrage of female images in the media. Coward (2000 P.36) says that "it is often assumed that women identify with these images rather than desire them." That women see these models in magazines as if they are a mirror. Until the industry sees more diversty in gender, it is unlikely that sexualised images of women will be going away any time soon, as Coward (2000 P.39) writes "through this command to meet the ideal, our society writes one message loud and clear across the female body. DO not act. DO not desire. Wait for men's attention."

Cities and there influence in film.

Donald (2010, P.323) writes that cinema in it's early days "was almost exclusively an urban phenomenon." It is natural then that the cityscape would often take up a role in many films and likewise influence other films. Stout (1999 P.147) explains that during the time of modernism there was "a whole new kind of visual culture emerged rooted in the observation of the new urban reality, both social and physical." The city as a new concept proved fascinating for film makers at the time and provided a lot of inspiration for film. More often than not the city is portrayed as a negative space. In the film Metropolis, the massive city is split into the top of buildings with elegent gardens for the rich, while the working class slave away on vast machines at the bottom of the city. Stout (1999, p.150) explains that in Metropolis "we see the modern citadels of faceless power looming over the dehumanizing structures of class segregation and oppression." Similarly in the film Candyman, Donald (2010, P.324) Explains that "The film is punctuated by aerial shots of Chicago's townscapes: the circulation of traffic on freeways, barrack-like housing, monumental but silent amphitheaters. From that God's eye view, the city presents a dehumanized geometry. " Again reflecting the fears of what a Modern city could possibly become or has already become. Seeing this it is clear that a lot of creatives in the 20th century saw the city as a negative thing, often making references to how despite grouping a lot of people together, it manages to isolate us from talking to people. An interesting way that cities are represented in film is that in Detective films. Donald (2010 P.325) explains that "the detective story stages the city as enigma: a dangerous but fascinating network of often subterranean relationships in need of decipherment." This is a very interesting angle as It could be seen that cities with there winding streets and separation of classs in such a dense area can create new legends and stories that a detective character must solve. It provides an interesting snapshot in a creatives mind when the city is framed as a puzzle that needs to be solved. Of course this does not just apply to the time of modernism, Stout (1999 P.150) explains that "The project of comprehending the modern city visually played, and continues to play, a central role in the history of art and consciousness." When looking at films that portray cities of the future it is often bleak. Bladerunner showcases a highly technologically advanced city drowning in filth and pollution. Meanwhile the Total Recall reboot shows a massive divide between the rich and poor, showing both an optimistic and pessimistic view of cities to come. The idea of the city being a negative element in films and other fiction is a popular one that is unlikely to go away anytime soon.

Globalisation, Sustainability and The Media

Censorship and 'Truth'

Communication Theory: Signs and Signification

Identity

Creative Rhetorics

Celebrity Culture

Critical Positions on Popular Culture

Cities and Film

Panopticism

The Gaze and The Media

Psychoanalysis