My Evaluation of this Project

During this project, I have felt a varied mixture of emotions. I have felt frustrated, determined and happy when I was finally understanding and getting the workload done. I found the project as a whole helpful and tested my creative abilities, but I felt the project could have been planned and implemented so it was easier to understand.

When the project started, I felt confused as to what it was I was asked to do. But once I figured out what I needed to work on, I tried to isolate what information I wanted to focus on and tried to do research into all the separate issues I was faced with.

I had to write four separate reports about different topics that were discussed in lectures. I feel this was another frustrating point, as we were only given 500 words for each report and I felt I could not delve as deep as I wanted to into each subject. I feel if we were given perhaps 2 reports of 1000 words each, I could have scratched deeper than just the surface knowledge of each issue. I did enjoy learning about all the different points that were raised, however.

During the research and writing of the different reports, I felt my knowledge of the topics I was writing about expanded and I gained a greater understanding of everything I was working with. For example, I had never heard of the Gestalt Theory before, and felt it was an interesting subject to research and try to understand. Other subjects like the gender and bias, character and archetype and anthropomorphism were things I was already familiar with and interested in, so researching for them was quite easy and really made me think of the issues that could be raised in these subjects.

I feel having four different reports also made it slightly harder as my focus was constantly being drawn from one thing to another; it felt as though I could not stay on one subject too long as I had another three to do. This meant I could not focus as much as I wanted on the topics and I wish we could have had more of a chance to concentrate on one or two ideas.

Also, being given such a broad spectrum of things to look at and research into was quite daunting, as I did not really know where to start. I feel if we were given a specific area to look into, I would have been able to focus quicker and easier as I would have had boundaries.

But I also feel my understanding and knowledge on the subjects I researched have made me think about the world differently, especially with subjects like gender and bias and how creating a set of characters is treated by story creators. I will be taking the knowledge I have gained doing this project and will use it towards my future projects. 

Gender and Bias: Different Ratios of Gender

In the media, there is always criticism waiting for anything new that comes out. The way a film is cast is one of the first things to be questioned. I will be exploring the different ratios of gender, where they appear in our society and how they are perceived.

The ‘Smurfette Principle’ is where the main cast is predominantly male, with only one female character. It can also be applied to stories that have a lot more characters, as long as each sub-group has an all-male group except for one female¹. This is prevalent in films such as Transformers², Thor³ and Avengers Assemble⁴. In Transformers, Mikaela is the only main female character. In Thor, Lady Sif is the only female in the band of warriors from Asgard. In Avengers Assemble, Black Widow is the only female superhero on the Avengers team. These women are often thought of as feisty and strong, usually being given roles that are thought of as ‘male roles’: Mikaela is a mechanic, Lady Sif is a warrior, Black Widow is a spy. It makes women look stronger, but usually they are there because of another male. So they are not a ‘self-made woman’⁵, for example, Mikaela is only there because she is Sam’s love interest. Also, a lot of these films try to appeal to a male demographic, so they have strong male characters for males to aspire to and add a female to desire.

Some media producers did try to solve this however, by creating two main female characters in whatever franchise they are working on⁶. This applies to Power Rangers⁷, Yu-gi-oh! (Series one)⁸ and Avengers: Age of Ultron⁹. Usually these two girls will be opposite to each other in terms of personality, one being kind and polite while the other is sarcastic and selfish.  

Then there are casts with equal genders, such as Friends¹⁰, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe¹¹ and Saved by the Bell¹². This is usually done to appeal to all demographics, rather than just appealing to one gender in particular. They usually have a wider cast range and try to add many different personalities too, so a lot more people can relate to the characters.

And finally, an all-female cast. This is shown in Sex and the City¹³, Pretty Little Liars¹⁴ and Mew Mew Power¹⁵, where the main cast is filled with female characters. They also have a more predominant female fan base, with women being much more commonly inclined to watch it than men.

There are a lot more examples of the ‘Smurfette principle’ in the media than any other gender ratio. This leads me to believe that women will be more likely to be interested in a male orientated piece of media, whereas men will be less inclined to be interested a more feminine biased media. This leads to more one-woman programmes to be made, as it pretty much all boils down to the money they can recuperate.

Reference:

   (1)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (2)    Transformers, (2007)

   (3)    Thor, (2011)

   (4)    Avengers Assemble, (2012)

   (5)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (6)    Tv Tropes, (2015)

   (7)    Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, (1993)

   (8)    Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, (2000)

   (9)    Avengers: Age of Ultron, (2015)

   (10)Friends, (1994)

   (11)CS Lewis, (1950)

   (12)Saved by the Bell, (1989)

   (13)Sex and the City, (1998)

   (14)Pretty Little Liars, (2010)

   (15)Mew Mew Power, (2002)

Bibliography:

Avengers Assemble, 2012. [DVD] Joss Whedon, United States: Marvel Studios.

Avengers: Age of Ultron, 2015. [DVD] Joss Whedon, United States: Marvel Studios.

C. S. Lewis, 2002. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1). Edition. London: HarperCollins.

Friends, 1994. [DVD] Gary Halvorson, United States: Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions.

Mew Mew Power, 2002. [DVD] Noriyuki Abe, Japan: Studio Pierrot.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, 1993. [DVD] Terence H. Winkless, United States: Saban Entertainment.

Never a Self-Made Woman - TV Tropes. 2015. Never a Self-Made Woman - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NeverASelfMadeWoman. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Pretty Little Liars, 2010. [DVD] Norman Buckley, United States: Warner Horizon Television.

Saved by the Bell, 1989. [DVD] Don Barnhart, United States: Rysher Entertainment.

Sex and the City, 1998. [DVD] Michael Patrick King, United States: Darren Star Productions.

Smurfette Principle, The - TV Tropes. 2015. The Smurfette Principle - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSmurfettePrinciple. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Thor, 2011. [DVD] Kenneth Branagh, United States: Marvel Studios.

Transformers, 2007. [DVD] Michael Bay, United States: DreamWorks Pictures.

Two Girls to a Team - TV Tropes. 2015. Two Girls to a Team - TV Tropes. [ONLINE] Available at:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwoGirlsToATeam. [Accessed 23 March 2015].

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, 2000. [DVD] Kunihisa Sugishima, Japan: Nickelodeon.

Character and Archetype: The Double Personality

The personality of the protagonist is very important. They are the one you stick with throughout the story, root for when times get tough and provide empathy for when they fall on hard times. But what happens if the main character has more than one personality? This is shown in the TV show Yu-gi-oh!¹ where the main character, Yugi Muto, has a second personality provided by his Millennium Puzzle.

Fig 1, Yugi and Pharaoh Atem character differences

Yugi² is a happy, innocent character, trying to search for the best in people and help out his grandpa. He is kind and thoughtful and gives everyone a second chance. He is also a big advocate for ‘the heart of the cards’ when during a match of Duel Monsters, where he tries to help people believe in themselves as well as their card decks. But he can become quite emotional and usually uses his friendships to guide and strengthen him. Other characters like this are Lucy from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe³ and Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls⁴.

When Yugi fixes his Millennium Puzzle, which is an ancient item from Egypt where the game of Duel Monsters was supposed to have been founded, he unlocked a secret ancient personality embedded into it. That of Pharaoh Atem, also known as Yami Yugi, Yugi’s dark side and the Nameless Pharaoh⁵.

Atem is the anti-hero, a vigilante type character who has his own set of morals and values that differ from Yugi’s. Yugi will think of the safety of others before anything else, whereas Atem would think of the task at hand and doing anything to get the result he wants. Atem is a lot more confident in his abilities and helps to keep Yugi on task, trying to be emotional support for him. He takes control of Yugi’s body and mind when he feels Yugi or one of his friends is in danger. This results in Yugi’s entire character to shift back and forth between the two, and often there are internal battles between the two over what to do about the situation.

The change in character design is subtle but gets the point across. Although the two characters have the same voice actor⁶ he changes the tone of his voice from being quite high pitched and excitable for Yugi, to being deeper and more serious for Atem. They also change his appearance, keeping the same clothes and hairstyle but changing his eyes from being large and childlike to angular and more narrowed, giving him a more matured appearance. They also gave Yugi a bigger head and more clumsy appearance whereas Atem has a smaller head and has a longer, more confident stance.

Although they are both different personalities, you end up rooting for both of them and wanting them to get through to the end of their task, as in the end they just want to make a better world for the human race and that is something they both agree on.

Reference:

   (1)    Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, (2000)

   (2)    Wikia, (2015)

   (3)    CS Lewis, (1950)

   (4)    Powerpuff Girls, (1998)

   (5)    Wikia, (2015)

   (6)    Wikia, (2015)

Bibliography:

C. S. Lewis, 2002. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 1). Edition. London: HarperCollins.

Dan Green - Yu-Gi-Oh!. 2015. Dan Green - Yu-Gi-Oh!. [ONLINE] Available at: http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Dan_Green. [Accessed 22 March 2015].

Powerpuff Girls, The, 1998. [DVD] Craig McCracken, United States: Cartoon Network Studios.

Yami Yugi - Yu-Gi-Oh!. 2015. Yami Yugi - Yu-Gi-Oh!. [ONLINE] Available at: http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yami_Yugi. [Accessed 22 March 2015].

Yugi Muto - Yu-Gi-Oh!. 2015. Yugi Muto - Yu-Gi-Oh!. [ONLINE] Available at:http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Yugi_Muto. [Accessed 22 March 2015].

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, 2000. [DVD] Kunihisa Sugishima, Japan: Nickelodeon.

Gestalt : Figure-Ground and Principles of Grouping

When first tasked with creating a gestalt drawing, I found it difficult to get inspiration. I tried to create an ‘ambiguous figure’ of a breakfast that also doubled as a face, but unfortunately it looked childish and crude as I did not fully understand the concept.

Fig 1, my first ‘Ambiguous Figure’, marker on paper, (2015)

But as I looked into the gestalt theories more, I realised I had more inspiration than I first thought. I did not understand just how many different types of ‘ambiguous figure’s there are, so I did some research of different illustrators who used the guise of ‘negative space’ as a way of creating ‘ambiguous figures’¹. They used the figure-ground and grouping theories to challenge the mind, changing the visual perceptions a person’s mind goes through when viewing a subject. It allows the mind to change its way of seeing, so multiple subjects can be seen in the image but not at the same time as the mind likes to create a figure-ground separation².

Figure-ground pictures are usually created with a figure on top of a ground/background. This is the very basic form of the theory that the mind likes to organise the perception of what the eyes are seeing. It allows us to use little effort to differentiate a figure from the background of an image³.

Pairing this theory with the principles of grouping we get ‘ambiguous figures’. An image can look to be a complete random splatter but due to the way things are grouped on the image, it can produce a figure or figures on top of a background⁴. Usually these images are made in blocks of colour, so different layers can be distinguished easier.

I wanted to create something similar to the work of Noma Bar, so I decided to research his work^5,6 and find an image that inspires me.

Fig 2, Noma Bar’s S.M.L, screenprint, 103(w) x 141(h) cm, (unknown)

I took inspiration from this image, as I felt it was one of the most striking images as well as being quite a simple concept which can be filled in with many different animals or even objects. ‘Noma Bar is a highly prolific artist whose graphic works are celebrated for their impact and simplicity’⁷.

Fig 3, my second attempt at an ambiguous figure, Wolf and Deer, digital, (2015)

I feel this image is so much stronger than my last; it really gets the point across a lot easier and it is much less childlike. Using the digital medium made creating the different blocks of colour easier, and I feel it looks much more in keeping with other negative space illustrations. A negative towards it is that it is not very stylised; it instead is quite realistic but blocked in colour. This could be changed with developing the idea further, with even another animal or some vegetation added to create more of a narrative.

References:

   (1)    Kerrie Hughes and Aaron Kitney, (2014)

   (2)    Ian E. Gordon, (2004) p. 16

   (3)    Ian E. Gordon, (2004) p. 15

   (4)    Ian E. Gordon, (2004) p. 118

   (5)    Ekran, (2012)

   (6)    Dutch Uncle, (Unknown)

   (7)    Eyestorm, (2013)

Bibliography:

Dutch Uncle, unknown. Noma Bar. [Online] [Accessed February 2015] Available from:  http://www.dutchuncle.co.uk/noma-bar

Ekran, 2012. 10 Most Inspiring Illustration Posters by Noma Bar. [Online] [Accessed February 2015] Available from: http://www.themost10.com/inspiring-illustration-posters-by-noma-bar/

Eyestorm, 2013. Noma Bar, S.M.L (Acrylic), 2013. [Online] [Accessed February 2015] Available from: http://www.eyestorm.com/Pages/Product.aspx/Noma_Bar/S.M.L_%28Acrylic%29/4581329

Gordon, Ian E. (2004). Theories of Visual Perception. 3 Edition. Psychology Press.

Kerrie Hughes and Aaron Kitney, 2014. The Art of Negative Space: 25 Amazing Examples. [Online] [Accessed February 2015] Available from: http://www.creativebloq.com/art/art-negative-space-8133765

The Anthropomorphic Scale

Literature for children started changing in the 18^th Century. Animals became more personified, to the point of people giving human emotions to them and relating animal pains to human pain¹. Animals became more and more human, where in this modern society there are many different variants of human-animal hybrids. I will be exploring them in books and films to discover the different junctions between animal and human on the scale of anthropomorphism.

Fig 1, my interpretation of the different stages of anthropomorphism, 2015

On one end of the scale, there are animals who are not given a voice and are treated as animals. Examples of this are Jaws², Beethoven³ and Free Willy⁴.

Further up are animals that are not given a voice, but have personifications. Examples are Maximus from Tangled⁵, Nana from Peter Pan⁶ and Abu from Aladdin⁷. Maximus has a human personality, making him grumpy and able to make human decisions. Nana has a human role in the family, looking after the children and wearing a bonnet. Abu has a waistcoat and a hat, and has the ability of human thought and emotions in decision making.

Here, voices are now given to the animals. They are still in a human society and act like the animals they are, but have a special connection with the viewer so we can understand them. Examples are Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron⁸, Homeward Bound⁹, Watership Down¹⁰, The Plague Dogs¹¹ and The Animals of Farthing Wood¹².

Beatrix Potter tales fit in here, as they are in a human society but are clearly more humanised, with the clothes, emotions and voices of humans, expressed in tales like The Tale of Benjamin Bunny¹³. Another book that also fits here is Fantastic Mr Fox¹⁴ where the clothed animals have their own civilisation, but it’s within the human world as known by Mr Fox’s trips out to the farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean. They are also a lot more human in proportion compared to Beatrix Potter’s characters.

Now we find animals to have an animal culture around them, composed differently to the world we live in. They have their own cities, cars and homes filled with ephemera in a very human manner. They are also much more human in proportions; the way they stand and walk and talk is much more civilised. This is shown in Wind in the Willows¹⁵ and Angelina Ballerina¹⁶.

This next stage is where it gets a lot more human in proportion. Things like Blacksad¹⁷ and Khajiit and Argonians from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim¹⁸ contain much more human proportioned animal characters, where the characters look like they are just human bodies with animal heads and tails. They are also more sexualised, especially the female characters.

The final animal hybrid in this scale are things that are mostly human, but have animal embellishments. Examples include Thumbelina¹⁹, Ariel from The Little Mermaid²⁰ and Tinkerbell²¹.

Then we finally have fully fledged humans, who may exert more animalistic behaviour, but are completely human.

References:

     (1)    Tess Cosslett, (2006) pg. 14

     (2)    Jaws, (1975)

     (3)    Beethoven, (1992)

     (4)    Free Willy, (1993)

     (5)    Tangled, (2010)

     (6)    Peter Pan, (1953) 

     (7)    Aladdin, (1992)

     (8)    Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, (2002)

     (9)    Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, (1993)

     (10)Richard Adams, (1972)

     (11)Richard Adams, (1977)

     (12)Colin Dann, (1979)

     (13)Beatrix Potter, (1904)

     (14)Roald Dahl, (1970)

     (15)Kenneth Grahame, (1908)

     (16)Katharine Holabird, (1983)

     (17)Juan Díaz Canales, (2005)

     (18)Bethesda Game Studios, (2011)

Bibliography:

Aladdin, 1992. [Film] Ron Clements and John Musker, Dir. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.

Beatrix Potter, 1990. Tale Of Benjamin Bunny, The. Edition. London: Frederick Warne & Co

Beethoven, 1992. [Film] Brian Levant, Dir. United States: Universal Pictures.

Colin Dann, 2014. The Animals of Farthing Wood. Edition. Egmont UK.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The (standard version). 2011. Xbox 360 [Game]. Bethesda Game Studios: Maryland.

Free Willy, 1993. [Film] Simon Wincer, Dir. United States: Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, 1993. [Film] Duwayne Dunham, Dir. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.

Jaws, 1975. [Film] Steven Spielberg, Dir. United States: Universal Pictures.

Juan Diaz Canales, 2012. Blacksad: A Silent Hell. First Edition Edition. Dark Horse Originals.

Katharine Holabird, 2007. Angelina's Birthday (Angelina Ballerina). Edition. Viking/Puffin.

Kenneth Grahame, 2001. Wind in the Willows, The-Story Time Classics. Edition. Viking Juvenile.

Peter Pan, 1953. [Film] Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson and Hamilton Luske, Dir.  United States: Walt Disney Productions.

Richard Adams, 1972. Watership Down. 2nd Edition. London: Rex Collings.

Richard Adams, 1977. Plague Dogs. Edition. London: Allen Lane.

Roald Dahl, 1970. Fantastic Mr Fox. Edition. London: George Allen and Unwin.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, 2002. [Film] Kelly Asbury and Lorna Cook, Dir. United States: Dreamworks Pictures.

Tangled, 2010. [Film] Nathan Greno and Byron Howard, Dir. United States: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Tess Cosslett, 2006. Talking Animals in British Children's Fiction 1786-1914 (The Nineteenth Century Series) (The Nineteenth Century Series). Edition. Ashgate Pub Co.