Illustration and Visual Narrative/ Lecture Report Tasks

Leong Jia En (0348366)
Creative Media Design

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lecture Report Tasks 1- Character Design Basics

1. For your study, find one animated cartoon/anime character. 

2. Write a short report (min. 300 words) about how the character design elements works in relation to their personality and story in the media.

3. You can re-use back the points identified in this slides to help you write your report.

4. Post your report into your blog as your weekly entry.

SpongeBob Square Pants

The character that I chose for this report is SpongeBob Square Pants. This cartoon chronicles the adventures of Spongebob and his aquatic friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.

SpongeBob is iconic because the character still looks recognizable even in silhouette which is known as a sign of a strong design. The design of SpongeBob SquarePants also conforms to the elements of simplicity as he is a yellow sponge which makes it easy for the audience to understand that SpongeBob is an aquatic animal that lives underwater. Besides, the unique character stories and personality traits of SpongeBob Square Pants make the characters more relevant and memorable. 

 Silhouette

A lot of successful character designs are made up of simple shapes that are used very effectively, and SpongeBob SquarePants is no exception. SpongeBob SquarePants, as the name suggests, is square which represents his hardworking and persistent personality. He is always on time for work and he loves his job as a fry cook at a fast food restaurant called Krusty Krab. He also goes out of his way to impress others and achieve his goals. Apart from that, SpongeBob SquarePants is friendly, fun-loving and optimistic, and these personalities match with his yellow body and often smiling face. SpongeBob also exaggerates on the emphasis and contrast visual elements in order to make the design stand out. To elaborate, SpongeBob emphasizes yellow tones and his large body is also in sharp contrast with his thin and short arms and legs. Last but not least, all of the elements in SpongeBob SquarePants fit together which can be considered harmony. The characters in SpongeBob SquarePants fit the same theme and aesthetic style. The important point is that even though they consist of different shapes, colors and personalities, each character seem to belong together.

Harmony

Lecture Report Tasks 2- Chiaroscuro

1. Read the web article as attached. 

2. For your study, pick ONE scene from any screen media (movie, drama series, animation) that utilizes chiaroscuro lighting - style that emphasizes shadow and light 

3. Write a short report (min. 500 words) about how the lighting in the movie impacted and accentuate the importance of the particular scene in the narrative.

4. You may re-use back the points identified in the web article to help you write your report. 

5. Post your report into blog your as your weekly entry. 

8 Ways "Barry Lyndon" Emulates Paintings - Neil Oseman

Joker (2019)

“Arthur transformed into a joker, no longer to please others, but for himself.”

Joker

(Warner Bros Studio, 2019)

Synopsis

Joker is a film about Arthur Fleck, a failed comedian who is ignored, bullied, isolated by society, and tries to fit into the streets of Gotham City. He has serious mental and psychological problems, and idealized hallucinations will appear mentally. Arthur plays two roles: his day job as a clown, and his useless attempt to be a part of the world he lives in. This gradually turns him into a lunatic - the criminal mastermind known as Joker.

Chiaroscuro

The overall style of Joker’s film is Chiaroscuro, which is commonly used in repressive films to increase dramatic tension, create sensational effects, attract attention as well as create a tasteful composition. For example, this key scene describes Arthur dancing alone in the bathroom after the subway murder. We can see that the blue light fully covers Arthur, or can be strictly said as the Joker in front of the mirror. The low blue lighting casts the Joker’s face in the contrast with the dark and intense atmosphere to express his thrill of revenge and also inner joy. The key emotional changes of the Joker are effectively conveyed through the Chiaroscuro method. 

Storytelling

In addition, Joker is a visually intense movie where viewers can get a sense of the storyline by watching a series of snapshots from the movie. This is an important scene of the film as dancing has become a symbol of every transition from Arthur to the Joker, who is no longer for the sake of pleasing others, but for himself. As we can see in this scene, the use of mirrors in the movie is able to reflect the two sides of the characters, therefore the initial evolution can be said to be born after the completion of the subway killing.

Color Lighting, Contrast, Camera Composition and Movement

Moving onto another part of aesthetic aspects, the color scheme throughout the movie is green, orange, red, blue, and purple. This adds mystery to the film. Apart from that, the movement and composition of the camera are positioned in certain areas according to the needs of the scene, which successfully creates a connection between the character and the audience. 

Arthur hid in the bathroom after the subway murder. At this time, the Joker in Arthur's ontology appeared. The camera started to shoot from the footsteps, cutting Arthur before and the Joker appeared behind.

Arthur began to dance, and the cameraman followed the actor with his hand in hand, creating an intimate and authentic feeling. Fluorescent lights in the bathroom set the tone of green light throughout.

Shooting of the Joker's upper body dancing and raising his head, the Joker showed unprecedented joy and excited. The cold light of the indoor lamps and the warm light outside the window form a cool and warm contrast.

Finally ends with this shot. At this point, we can see that the Joker in the mirror has been completely shrouded in blue light.

Video of Bathroom Dance's scene

Lecture Report Tasks 3- Visual Shots & Compositions

1. Using your phone camera, take pictures that depict the six different types of composition explained in this lecture.

2. Upload these pictures into your blog.

Extra reading materials/guidance:

https://petapixel.com/2016/09/14/20-composition-techniques-will-improve-photos/

1. Establishing

2. Bird's Eyeview

3. Frame within a frame

4. Medium Shot

5. Close-up

6. Worm's Eyeview

Lecture Report Tasks 4- Fore, Middle and Background

1. From any video,screen capture scenes that portray foreground,middle-ground and background in the story. 

2. Outline areas in the scenes for each grounds. 

3. Upload these pictures into your blog. 

4. Explain what design principles applied for each visual and how it affect the narratives.

The filmmaker used 2D and 3D techniques at the same time, instead of just making a full 3D film.  Putting the traditional 3D character design into the 2D "pop-up" effects is not only conducive to the advancement of the story, but also ensures a stable rhythm, and also helps to enhance the sense of narrative. It also helps guide the audience's attention to the characters and their stories, bringing drama to the short and once again ensuring their message of hope and perseverance is heard loud and clear. Besides, the filmmaker also used the Chiaroscuro technique(strong contrast between light and dark) to deliver a heavy message about social injustice and ridiculous rules that were put in place by the government.

The filmmaker used the wide shot to give viewers a chance to see the entire living room, while still giving them enough information to process what was going on. Besides, the Chiaroscuro technique(strong contrast between light and dark) was applied in order to create depth and drama when one of their sisters died. The warm light was placed in this dark scene to grab the attention of audience, thereby creating a visual hierarchy that guides how the audience perceives the entire message.

The character in this scene was shot with a medium shot, which is one of the standard camera angles used to frame characters. Audiences can deeply feel the joy of the protagonist with this visual shot. In addition, bright warm lighting also creates a happy atmosphere.

Lecture Report Tasks 5- Perspectives 

1. Find visuals from any comic, graphic novel, any visual media that express stories that captures the three different types of perspectives - one-point, two-points, three-points listed in today's lecture.

2. Draw lines to trace on the perspective directions and note on the vanishing points.

3. Upload these pictures into your blog.

Webtoon- Suitor Armor 

- One point perspective 

- Two point perspective 

- Three point perspective