Character Evolution

The main example of character development over time that I will be discussing in my essay is the development of Danger Mouse. The visual changes to his design will have been added for a number of reasons.



His features have been made much sharper, and his overall build much longer and slimmer. Some of the reasons for these alterations will have been to do with "keeping up with the times." Children nowadays will most likely find it easier to grow a liking to a more up to date and modern looking character. This would link back to the main question of my essay, because in this case, the design of his character would possibly enable a viewer to become more involved with the storyline of that particular episode.

However, even today, the same aspects will be what makes viewers of an older generation love the original episodes, because the original design will be familiar and nostalgic.

In my essay I will discuss reasonings for these developments, such as

• Technological evolution
• New Designers
• Modernisation
• Trying to keep character appeal

Tutorial Time

For this tutorial, I had gotten as far as collecting some quotes together from a range of books and papers, as well as written down the possible visual examples I could refer to for my question.

This tutorial was really helpful because I came out with a much more specific idea of what to discuss, such as:

• Analysing the difference between Toy Story 1 and 3
• Consider how evolution of technology has effected the design of character over time
• Discuss character "appeal"
• Consider time and cost of production 
• The development of specific characters over time, such as Danger Mouse and why they have been developed. 

Now I have these points to also consider, I will be able to refer these back to my main question. I will link some of these points back to the specific animation that I want to discuss. 

Coraline 

I want to include Coraline in my essay because this is such a character driven animation, and it is so visually unique as an animation, with a fantastic story. However I want to address the possibility of the story not being so catching if it weren't for the extensive visual designs that went into this production, and weather or not the designs of the character have an influence on the delivery of the story. This will be a good opportunity to then reffer back to some of the supporting quotes I have researched. 

 Toy Story 1 and 3

The reason I want to discuss the development between these two films, is because they are both extremely popular, however it is clear to see that the more recent film is much more evolved on the technological side. The human characters in the first film, are stuck somewhere in the uncanny valley, but this doesn't seem to have impacted upon the actual story in a negative way.
Clearly at the time of the first film's release, we
hadn't seen anything like it, so it would have been incredibly impressive at the time, however this was the first full length animated 3D film to be released. In my essay I want to discuss the possibility of the storyline of an animated narrative being more important than the visual design. Because this is an example of an animated film that is loved for it's story, even now many years later. It can be argued that nostalgia can take precedence over the visuals.

The reason I would like to use WALLE as another example is because this is an animation with very little dialogue, so it has to be driven by its visual and audio side. This is a good example of the use of character appeal, because in this case, the character appeal of WALLE allows the viewers to feel sorry for him, and would therefore draw them into the story more. Aspects of his design, such as his small size, oversized eyes, and his ability to get on with his job despite being in a post-apocalyptic surrounding, all one, automatically makes the viewer route for him. 

Writing a Plan - Seminar

The nest step was to create a plan to go off when writing my essay. During one of our seminars we were given help with the best way to structure our essay. It was made clear what needed to be included in our introduction and how long it should be, as well as how to lay out the main body of our essay, and to make sure that we linked our question back to the topic of animation.

I had a rough idea of how to structure my essay because I had already selected several resources from which I was getting evidence and quotes from,

but I was unsure on the exact order to write everything. 

I began by writing out all of the points I wanted to consider, including animations and text based sources. 

I wanted to consider mention examples of animations that are very strongly character driven, as well as some examples that are perhaps not quite as advanced, or as renowned for their use of character design. 

I also wanted to bring the topic back to basics, such as mentioning the use of character drive in story books for children, and how important this can be. 

Seminar - Establishing An Essay Question

This seminar was focused around making sure an essay question was decided upon, so that I could crack on with research and writing out a plan.

For my essay question, I knew that I wanted to focus in some way on the topic of character design because this in one of the main areas of pre-production that I'm interested in. I focused a lot last year on the area of gender representation, so I wanted to look more into the link between character designs and how they effect the delivery of an animated narrative instead because I liked the idea of focusing on something slightly broader.

I was unsure which would be the best way to word the question, so jotted down a few potential phrasings and then passed them onto one of my piers and asked them to play around with wording and to let me now which one made the most sense.

The question that I settled on after much consideration was "How does the delivery of a character effect the delivery of an animated narrative?"

I managed to gather 4 book sources for research as well as 4 online scholarly papers, all of which I think will provide me with a lot of information that I can use as research and reference.

After getting a pier to look through the ideas I had already gathered and my potential question, I asked for some feedback on what could possibly make it better.



The points that have been given to me to help improve my research are:

• Looking at character design theory
• the message behind different shapes
• Looking at the use of character sexualtisation. 

These are all really helpful, interesting points that I will be sure to refer to in my essay!


In the next seminar we were given the time to throw together a map for our essay, so that when I come to begin writing, I don't just stare at a blank page for an hour!





Examples to Discuss

In my essay I will also use non text examples, these being examples of specific animation where the use of Character Design really helped to drive the story, and some possible examples of times where the story itself is just as good regardless of the Design of the characters.

Seminar -The Death of The Author

This text is one that definitely took me a while to understand, it often takes me a while to get my head around any text that is written in this sort of way. The text addresses the topic of interpretation, and the fact that we as individuals should be able to interpret a text in our own way, with out feeling obliged to see things from the author's point of view. Barthes believes that "...culmination of capitalist ideology, which has attached the greatest importance to the "person" of the author..."  (Barthes. R, 1968, p. 143) which consequently leads to the reader trying to understand the work from the perspective of the author, instead of trying to make their own sense of it, because the author is the creator and "...still reigns in histories of literature, biographies of writers, interviews, magazines..." (Barthes. R, 1968 p. 143) This suggests that the receivers of the text, the readers, are in some ways insignificant. The memory of the author will, or should, continue and be recognised over time, therefore it is their intentions that stem from the text that are of the upmost importance. This belief, especially nowadays is clearly seen as a much more stubborn way of thinking, because over time people have become more and more open minded when it comes to interoperating creative work individually.

The work of the author can be seen as just the beginning of something, which then leads to other people having the opportunity to make of it what they will. After all "...it is language which speaks, not the author..." (Barthes. R, 1968, p. 143) meaning that once an individual has hold of the author's work, the author is no longer present and cannot direct that reader's thoughts, but must allow the reader to be influenced by the words and the language in their own way. This argument can be applied to the world of animation because, once an animation is released, the creative individual of group behind it, have to allow viewers to react in their individual way to it and see it in their way. Barthes also addresses the fact that nothing is ever completely original in the first place; "...the writer can only imitate a gesture that is always anterior, never original..." (Barthes. R, 1968, p. 146) which suggests that nobody should place all of their belief and faith into what the author says, because more often than not, the author themselves have been influenced by somebody else earlier down the line. Again this links back to animation, one creative should never put another creative on to high of a pedestal, because we are all inspired by different aspects f the world therefore nothing is completely original.



Barthes, R. (1968) "Death of the Author" in Image Music Text, (1977), London, Fontana Press

Landow, G.P. (1992) "Re-configuring the Author" in Hypertext: The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press.

COP1 Seminar - Propaganda

This seminar was about the use of propaganda, especially during the war and how it effected people's views of other races at this time. One example we looked at was Donald Duck in his Nazi Episode. This animation highlights the stereotypical way certain races were seen, for example Japanese.

This animation makes us see things in the way it wants is to see, not what we should see. It was interesting to think about how especially in war time, propaganda played a huge part in influencing peoples beliefs and decisions.

Extra 500 words - Gender in animation

Further Thoughts

I have a particular interest in this topic, because I think gender representation is is an issue which is not only extremely prominent but has also changed dramatically over the years, particularly in animation. Many examples of old artwork used for different purposes, and examples of animations have all represented women in a range of ways. More traditional animations have definitely represented women as these domestic figures, who know their place and do what they are told. I have noticed this when watching older disney adaptation such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella. 

I think there is an issue when it comes to the representation of men in animation, in traditional and contemporary examples. There is often a lack of a male role until he is needed to save the woman which I think waters down the characterisation of the man. The attempt of making the woman the leading role often results in the lack of the other sex being incorporated into a large chunk of the story. Also, in more modern day animations, the females are often made to seem like the more likeable characters, this is sometimes achieved by the men being created as quite bone idol or less likeable. However when we think about it, there isn't always anything that special about the women, they just seem so likeable because of how they are compared to other characters. 

I think it is important to remember that when it comes to the issue of sexualization of women, it doesn't always apply to just the leading role. Sexual appeal is often given to the less friendly female roles, because it not only allows them to look distinct in their won way, but lets face it - their attractiveness makes us love them just as much. With both Villains and good characters, certain aspects are often exaggerated to the point where they are completely unrealistic. For example, the use of overly enlarged eyes, voluptuous or petite bodies - both extremes add to the character appeal. I think when watching a film and being hooked to the what your watching, it is easy to forget how unrealistically drawn these characters are. The male characters are often a lot more well proportioned, which again just highlights the issue of the attractiveness of the female roles. 

In my opinion, Studio Ghibli provides a much more realistic and equal representation of gender in comparison to areas such as Disney. Not just visually but also when it comes to the personalities of its characters. Men and women seem to be much more on a par with one another, intact that are more cases where the higher authority is given to the female roles. 

I think as a future designer it is my responsibility to show variation in my work. I have quite a distinct style which I am trying not to brand myself with. I think it is important to show a a range of characteristics and appearances in my future work. I don't want my work to influence people in the negative way that some recent animations have.

COP1 Lecture - Modernism

This lecture was based on modernism and the way it is moved in art. Modernism was a movement which stepped away from the traditional forms of art, and it was designed to contradict. Examples of modernist artists are Picasso, Matisse and Mondrain.

I do sometimes find it hard to understand modernism, I can't always tell if a piece if work, weather it be a painting or a building, is modernist piece. I sometimes find it harder to relate to in comparison to more realist work.

COP1 Lecture - Photography

This lecture was about the use of photography and how it has been used over the years. Not how it has been used for propaganda, but for educational purses and how this has changed peoples perception of photography.

In the photography produced by Lewis Hine, the people shown are of what seems to be a lower class, however the contradictory thing about these photos are, the people in them do not look unhappy, they look proud. This lecture was interesting because it covered the topic of how Photography can be used  for educational purses to inform, and not aways to persuade, for example through the use of propaganda. 

COP1 Lecture - Communication and Mass Media

This lecture was about the use of communication to a large extent through a range of techniques, such as illustration, graphic design and fine art. It was interesting because it addressed the topic of how one example of art can be seen in one way, and then through changes it is seen in a completely different way.

It was really interesting to think about how easily we are convinced when it comes to the use of advertisement or propaganda through art. Things can be communicated across the world in a short space of time through something as simple as an advertisement which has derived from a painting (For example the advertisement for Pears Soap)

COP1 Lecture - Postmodernism

Some people have argued that postmodernism which is the idea that there is no really truth, only what we decide to believe.  It was a late 20th century movement away from modernism which effected the arts and architecture. It highlights the idea that the earth does not get any better, it does change, however there is nothing to say weather or not it has improved over time.

COP 1 Lecture - Animation

This animation was a rundown of how animation has chained and been used over the years. Animation has been on the screen for about 100 years, however it has been created in other forms for much longer. Sequential drawings were created on cave walls up to thousands of years ago.

It was interesting to see how the different ways in which animation can be created has developed so vastly over the years, to the point of CGI and 3D animation.

COP1 Lecture - Advertising

This lecture talked about the use of advertising and how it influences us. It is something which has influenced our perceptions of what we need and what we want, and how we often get there two mixed up. One example of effective advertisement "Coca Cola" The colour red is often related to this subconsciously because it has been advertised so well.

This lecture was interesting because the power of advertisement is sometimes underestimated, especially when just seen on a flyer or on the TV, because we can't always see the global influence it has.

COP1 Seminar - Animation in the Commercial Realm

This seminar started off by highlighting the fact that animation os one of the most auteurist practices of film making, because it is something that somebody can not only do as part of a team or artists, but also individually.

We talked about how the aim of a Graphic Designer is not to advertise. Advertisement is in some ways seen as a way of tricking us to spend and consume, often on things that are not essential in our everyday lives. Graphic Design is often a way of communicating ideas visually, not advertising. They are two very different things. We talked about some different animations that have been used in a commercial way. One of these examples was "Matches - An Appeal" which was created by Arthur Melbourne Cooper in 1899. This stop motion animation was created for the purpose of allowing donations to be made so that matches could be supplied to troops fighting over seas. This is so impressive because animation is often associated with simply just entertainment, and this example shows that since the start it has bee used for other , more influentail purposes.

I found this one really interesting and impressive because it would have taken so long to create, and at its time of production the facilities we have today would not have been available. 

Another example we discussed was the animation used in Nintendo's "Animal Crossing" Although this game is supposed to be or entertainment it has some deeper influences on its young targets.

This game is given its attractive colours such as loveable characters, bright colours and a friendly environment, as well as the fact that its generally just a very reading game. However it does represent values which are important, such as working for a living, payment, mortgages, building friendships. These are all aspects of life which will influence peoples lives, so it could be argues that this game actually makes good use of this, and influences younger generations in a positive way. However there is the possible issue of the fact that it could be seen as misleading and unrealistic due to how overly friendly the games environment is. 

COP1 Seminar - Gender in animation

This seminar wasn't focusing on representation of gender in animation specifically, but also in other forms of art. There were other elects considered too such as feminist responses to this art, as well as how women are represented in animation. Something that was brought to our attention first was that there are examples of work which is dedicated for just the work of female artists. This was something which jumped out at me, because I found saw it as a positive thing, however it was interesting. This is because, if a book was based only for the work of male artists, it may not be taken in the same respect.

 

It got my thinking why this would be. The constant of discrimination towards women over the years, has lead to a constant vulnerability and awareness that men are the more dominant sex and have always been. It is only recently that this division has started to slowly disappear. If one was to see a book named "Male Artists" their first thought is quite likely to think it sexist. However "Women Artists" gives off a big sense of empowerment, because for so many years there have been these constraints over women and limitations to what they can achieve purely because of the traditional expectations placed on them. 

We looked at a range of examples of art work from different artists, for example "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli from 1482. Personally I think this has quite a positive female representation, and although the man woman in the painting is naked, I don't think it is overly sexual. The visual interoperation of her looks healthy and realistic, which is more than can be said for a lot of the more modern day female representations in art.

Through out the seminar we talked about the issue of the female image and how this can be overpowering to other qualities a woman could have. For example one of the images shown was of an attractive woman in her underwear, and the caption reads "I can't cook, who cares?" This image was one which sparked off a lot of thoughts. There is a lot of pressure on women when it comes to appearance and sometimes this is seen as more important than other abilities, for example weather it not she can cook, weather she is interesting, funny, clever or talented.

Jenny Saville

During the seminar we looked at some of the paintings produced by Jenny Saville. I found these really intriguing, because she has taken a completely different turn on the way in which women can be represented. I think its really refreshing to see that somebody has taken this different approach at showing visually. This work is very raw and literal which I think is what makes it so effective. Some may argue that they thin the work in unpleasant to look at, but to me, it is a realistic female representation, because it isn't fake or manipulated. Also, it doesn't relate to just women, but both sexes. Its sort of a reminder that people can be made to look a certain way to please others, but at the end of the day, each to their own. 

COP1 Seminar - GENRE (its time to get dramatic ya'll)

Today we looked at Genre Presentation and Genre in animation, something which I've realised I could go on and on about, so please DONT stop me if you've heard this one before.

What is Genre?

Its what is seen as the categorisation of music and filming, but can often be contradictory. We typically imagine that "Horror" and "Romance" would be for adults and Cartoons to be for younger people. HOWEVER don't be so quick to judge poppet!

Grizzly Tales For Gruesome Kids

After watching this Episode I was taken back to my childhood and reminded how much this terrified me to my very core when I was younger. This is an example of the fact that even animations that are made for children can still be frightening by their standards! Even watching it now as an adult, its still a pretty disturbing concept.. 

The Happy Moose (Please excuse the language..)

This 1995 animation surprised me quite a lot. A lot of people might assume that due to the name of the style of the animation that it would most likely be for kids. Well, erm no it isn't. Im not going to lie, I laughed pretty hard at this one. One of the things that makes it so funny is how contradictory it is. It is a 2D animation which starts of nice and sweet and then..it becomes clear that it is NOT for baby humans at all. This is an example of some of the exceptions made when it comes to drama, not everything that we watch is easy to pin point straight away.

We also looked at Paul Well's Generic Plots which are Maturation / Redemption / Punitive / Testing / Education/ Disillusionment. There are however, exceptions to these. We also looked at his, 7 Genres of Animation Film which are Formal / Deconstructive / Political / Abstract / Re - Narration / Paradigmatic / Primal. I like the fact that looking at these aspects got us all talking and dishing out our opinions on how films are judged based on their Genre.

For example, "The Hunger Games" was originally going to be reeled as a SiFy movie but instead it was changed to, Fantasy. This was because it was more likely to be more appealing. There is a lot of stereotypical connotations when it comes to genre, so a lot of people might be put of a SyFy movie because of the "geeky" or "lame" types of people that are into that stuff. Another example of this is "Chick Flicks" Its pretty typical for a lad to refuse to watch one of these with his girlfriend, but why is that? These types of films have been associated with women and teenage girls. Its not a bad thing but they are definitely less popular with the gents (..or so they claim)

There was also a lot of talk about the fact that SyFy is typically associated with men more than women. However we all luckily agreed that was a sort of unnecessary point and that it is irrelevant, at least to us lot anyway! 

Why I did I Design them this way?

When design these two characters, I was trying to represent the different, typical ways females are represented through their physical appearance in animation, and how this can alter people's opinions of them before they are fully introduced to the character. This is why, when designing Sythe, I gave her certain features which enhanced her physical attractiveness, such as larger breasts and an  unrealistically small waist with extremely large hips. Aside from the fact that she is designed to not look entirely human, I have still given her these features because she needs to have an element of attractiveness in order to make her more appealing. The is something which has been done with many other female villain characters, for example, Cruella De Ville was given a similar, exaggerated model like body shape and made to be much taller than other characters. Maleficent's body shape was not a prominent factor due to her cape, however the delicateness of her hands and the fluidity of her movements made her very appealing because it was so frighting but beautiful at the same time.

When designing Peach, I was particularly inspired by Victoria Everglott, from Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. She is given a very small rounded face, with extremely large eyes which makes her look slightly vulnerable but beautiful at the same time. This is what I wanted to go for with my own character design. I gave her a typically small frame because in comparison with Sythe, I wanted her to seem more delicate.

I understand that these features I have given to these characters are not a realistic interpretation of the way women look in real life. I have simply been trying to show my representation of the way in which women's physical appearances are changed and exaggerated purely for purposes of appeal and sexual attractiveness, no mater how subtle. I have treated these characters as though their physical appearance is the only thing we have to go off for the time being, because I think it is important to think about how the attractiveness or unattractiveness of a female character can alter the first impressions we have on them .

Peach - Final Design

I have named this good character "Peach" because I wanted to go with a name that gives off happy vibes! I haven't made her as voluptuous or as obviously attractive as Scythe because I wanted this to be more subtle. I have kept her frame quite petite, firstly because this reflects her what would be a very gentle character, but also because I wanted to put emphasis on some of the other features such as her eyes, and clothing because these are also big factors when it comes to making a character physically attractive. I have given her abnormally large eyes because this gives her quite a youthful look, which is a factor that is used often when designing good female characters. I have given her quite a different stye of clothing, I went with this because I thought the oddness off what she is wearing would actually give her more character appeal, also I wanted to stray away from the typical dress. This is the same reason for me giving her boots instead of dainty shoes, I wanted to give her quite a unique style. I have however still considered physical aspects such as a small waist, slim arms and legs. Even though she isn't a particularly revealing character I have still given her quite a considerable sized chest because her waist is pretty small. I have used my chosen colours for the clothing because I knew that I wanted to give her a normal skin tone. I went with these shades of blue because in comparison with the hair and skin colour, they look quite friendly and appealing. Another aspect I have considered in the body language, I wanted her to look quite modest, which is why I have drawn her feet facing slightly inwards, because this is something we often see children do. I thought making her look slightly youthful would add to her appeal because that way she wouldn't be seen as intimidating.

Scythe - Final Design

When drawing this final design I took other aspects into consideration too, such as a name for this villain and the use of colour. I decided to name her "Scythe" because this is a word which is associated with cutting and ripping things apart, however it doesn't sound too over the top, and when it is said outside it sounds quite intimidating , but not to the point where it looses its effect. I chose to make the main colour scheme for her clothes red and black because these are two very intimidating colours. Also, a lot of well known villains are given black as their main colour for clothing. I thought if I made the dress red, it would  be intimidating in contrast with the black, but it would also add to the attractiveness f the way she looks. (When trying to decide on the colour, the image of Jessica Rabbit came into my head) The redness adds femininity as well as authority. I thought the head piece and hair should be black because the contrast works well. The head piece sort of relates to armour, so it gives off the impression that she is a strong character. I decided not to give her the normal skin colour, I think the blue gives off the impression that she is not entirely human, as does the exaggerated muscle and rib cage. Even though I have tried to make her sexually appealing, I wanted her to not look friendly. I want her to seem like quite a graceful character, who moves around well because I think this adds to the authority she would have, so I have tried to make her look as fluid as I can in this drawing. 

Although she is supposed to be a villain, I have tried to give her an element of physical attractiveness that would make her more appealing at a first glance, because when designing these characters I have been focusing on the assumption people will make of them before they get to know them properly, that is why I have been focusing on the physical appearance of them because this is what influences our interpretations of characters. 

Designing

For this villain I wanted her to look feminine and attractive but intimidating at the same time. I have added certain features such as the small waist and large rounded hips, as well as the slit up the dress because it does in some ways make her seem sexually appealing, which is a trait given to a lot of female characters in animation, good and bad.



I have chosen to give her this head piece because I think it makes her look significantly more intimidating. It also makes her look like she's ready for anything..

The head piece was influenced by Maleficent, because the horns on Maleficent's head is what makes her individual and what makes her scary, so I wanted to give something to this character that makes her different to other Villains.

When designing this good character I knew that I wanted her to be attractive but in a more subtle way than the villain. I didn't want her to be as voluptuous. I kept her frame quite petite and put a lot more emphasis on her clothing and facial features, because this is often a high contributor when it comes to making female characters appealing.

 I gave her particularly larger eyes because after my research I realised how often the facial features of female characters are either exaggerated or toned down in order to make them look more attractive.

Villain experimentation

 I wanted to experiment withdrawing face shapes and eyes for my evil character. I have always enjoyed drawing darker characters so this was particularly enjoyable for me. Again, a lot of the face shapes I have drawn have been inspired by some specific examples, such as Cruella De Ville and Maudeline Everglot.

I think a lot of the characterisation is placed in the eyes, so I wanted to have a play around with drawing some different examples. However I still want her to look feminine and have an element of attractiveness to her, even though she will be evil.

I knew that I would want this villain to be physically attractive at the same time as being "bad". I want to go for the kind of body shape which emphasises certain bodily aspects such as the breast and hips, which will make her appealing. However I want her to look like she is not completely human, so I will probably emphasise certain areas such as muscles and enhance the rib cage which could make her seem slightly more alien like, which is what I would want.

Experimentation time!

I started drawing some different examples of eyes that could make the good characters more attractive and appealing. After research and playing around it became more and more apparent to me, that larger eyes are much more appealing because they add an element of cuteness and youthfulness to them. Especially with abnormally large lashes, they look extremely feminine and typically "attractive" in the animation world.

I drew a range of face shapes with different noses and lips, to get an idea of what would go well together. Some of them are inspired by specific characters, such as Pocahontas and Victoria Everglot. I liked the idea of using quite a well rounded face, because again I think this will create quite a youthful look, and it will be the opposite of intimidating. I want to keep the nose quite small, because I want the emphasis to be more on the eyes and lips.

I did some drawings to get an idea of the different hair styles which make a female character appealing. I tried to show examples of a big range of styles because all of the different female leading roles vary hugely when it comes to appearance and one of the things that makes them individual is their hair.

One of the most important factors that needs to be considered when designing characters, is their physical shape, weather they are tall, small, rounded or skinny. I drew some different examples and each time I played around with the physical appearance. I altered things like the breast size, hip width, height  and the prominence of muscles. I know that I need my design to be physically attractive so that she is appealing. I have decided that I want her frame to be quite petite, because I want to exaggerate other features such as her eyes. Also because her clothes will play a big part in making her appealing and interesting.

Further mind mapping

Before I began drawing for the designs of my 2 characters, I threw together two mind maps which gathered together the different typical traits that are given to female "goodies" and female Villains. I gave a lot of consideration to some of the examples of research I had already carried out. All of these aspects considered will influence my designs.

Slight change in idea

Mind map

As talked about in this mind map above, my first idea was to create two contrasting female characters, one representing the typically attractive stereotype on animation, the other a more realistic interoperation of the female anatomy. However after a discussion with my tutor and after some further research I have decided that I want to still create two female characters, however one being a villain and one being a good character.

Female Villains

After a discussion with my tutor, I decided it would be really interesting to have a look into the physical appearance of some female characters who are not represented in a friendly way, and the way in which their appearance reflects their temperament.

Cruella Deville

Disney's 101 Dalmatians was real eased in 1961, and it introduced who I can only describe as one of the scariest animated, female villains, well for me anyway. There are many visual aspects to her appearance which make her intimidating. Firstly, she is so unbelievably skinny and pale, she look ill. This is made worse by her tall yet skinny frame being covered in that huge fur coat. Her face is painfully skinny, her cheekbones are literally spikes sticking out of her face, and underneath that mad array of hair, it doesn't look any less intimidating.. It is intended that she look frightening, and significantly taller than the other characters in order to give her a sense of authority. Before the viewer even know that she loves killing puppies in order to kill them, they will probably feel a bit hostile towards her. The way to look at it is this, if we saw a real life person who was the skinny, we would be worried. However there is no denying that if it wasn't for her slightly afflicted loping appearance, she wouldn't be half as scary. 

Maleficent 

Disney's Sleeping Beauty was released in 1959, its female Villain Maleficent was, and still is my favourite Villain (not just with in Disney) She is probably one of the most frightening Villains created, however this is for different reasons as to why Cruella is so intimidating. First of all, she is actually not all that bad to look at. The main aspect which makes her so scary is what she is wearing. the jet black gown which covers her makes her stand out to the rest of the characters and against the backgrounds. her horns on her head are what makes her individual out of all the other Disney villains, because it makes her look demonic, which relates to how evil she is. Event hough she has green skin, it can still be argued that she isn't exactly ugly; she is very tall and slender and moves very gracefully , which I think allows her to be taken quite seriously and to be feared more, but not in an aggressive way. The fact that she has a black crow who does quite a lot of her dirty work for her allows it to seem like she has the ability to be manipulative which is another quality people fear. Despite her very bony face, she has still been given features to make her attractive such as the red lips, and well defined eyebrows which stand out. In her first appearance, she comes across as subtly terrifying before she has even said anything. The attention has been drawn away from her figure as a whole, and been placed on her smaller features such as her hand and face, which proves that sometimes, less is more. 

The Other Mother

In 2009's Coraline, the Other Mother is supposed to be a representation of the opposite to her normal mother, in a parallel world. She begins off as a kind character (even though it its hard to tell there is something odd about her) however as she becomes more and more hair-raising her appearance changes, she grows until she is abnormally tall and gets much skinner through out. Her rib cage becomes overly prominent and her neck extends to the point where is is almost as long as her fore arm. Extreme boniness and elongation of limbs is a quality that some people find very unsettling, so it is no surprise that she has been given this image. Some people could argue that this figure is not a good image to be putting across, however it is quite obvious that it is a deliberate, exaggeration of certain extremes in order to make the viewers feel a certain way. Aside from the obvious a aspect of her having buttons for eyes (which is what defines her as not being from the normal world) her face gradually becomes extremely bony. Over all she looks withered and unrealistic, however this is what makes her so frightening. It gives off the impression that she is not human and that she is something else entirely. 

mind mapping!

I have had too main ideas for how I could go about this response. I know that I would like to use stop motion because this is something I'm not experienced with but an area which I am very interested in.

My two idea re quite similar in the sense that I want to create a character, or two, that are exaggerated representations of what can be seen as attractive in the animate world. I know that I want this to be quite a sarcastic animation, and weather I use one singular or two characters, I want this to be focused on the influences of character appearances, so I don't plan on having any dialog between characters. I may however, use signs or text in some parts. 

Mood Board

After carrying out research on specific female characters which I was particularly inspired by, I have come to the decision that my visual response will focus on the influences certain visual representations can have upon the audience, before they have even been familiarised with the characters' personality. I have put together a mood board of a range of different character designs which have all been given certain extremes in order to make them seem more attractive and appealing aside from their temperament.

There are a range of women here, some look completely different to another. They may vary in size, height, colourings, styles , some even look rather unkind.  It is important to note that here there is a range of "goodies" and "baddies", but they have all been given their own individual assets which make them attractive. 

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

I have chosen to use this animation for inspiration because it is another example which shows a variation of exaggerated female appearances and personalities, all of which represent women in a slightly unique way.

Emily 

One of the main character's in this animation, Emily, is a young woman who is unfortunately no longer living and living in the world of the dead.  One of the aims is for the audience to feel sorry for her and the situation she is in, the situation being that she is lonely and wants somebody to spend eternity with. Apart from her being slightly domineering and rather terrifying at times, she does end up being a very genuine character. The visual side of her is an interesting one, because although she dead and her body is half rotted with an arm that likes to become detached from her body and walk about, she is still probably one of Tim Burton's most attractive female characters. This is clearly because of that teeny tiny waist with hardly enough room for a rib cage, a wedding dress which brings a lot of attention to her chest area and those facial features. This is probably one of the most clever character designs I have seen because even though she isn't supposed to look pleasant, she is still quite soft on the eyes. Her slender face and large eyes instantly make her more likeable because I think it adds to the emotional appeal. Again the fact that she is dead relates to why she has blue hair and blue skin, but the colour contrast gives her a more unique comparison with the rest of the characters. The role she has is very significant, because she goes from the mindset of being dependant on a man and feeling victimised, to letting all that go which shows there is a lot more to her character in the end. 

Victoria

Victoria is a character who also meets the expectations of what can be seen as attractive in the stop motion world. Her body shape is very similar to that of Emily's, only this time she is alive.. and is wearing a much more modest dress. She is a very timid and gentle character who can attract a range of reactions, some may find her very likeable and some may find her completely uninteresting (considering the fact that the main body of the story is based around Emily) Again, her face is small and slender, only this time she has a much more plain complexion. This is obviously a deliberate contrast that has been made giving the fact these two women are from two very different backgrounds. Although most of her body is covered with clothing, it isn't hard to ignore the fact that emphasis has still been put on her certain areas of her body. Again, have tiny, slender arms and hands, an almost non existent waist, and a rather large chest. This is something which I think would have been an important part of the making of this character, because we don't get to see a great deal of her personality, so her attractiveness is something that would need to be taken into account. 

Mauderline Everglot

This is one of my favourite stop motion character designs, because she is pretty scary. Mauderline is Victoria's controlling mother and she is not a pleasant person. However she is still somewhat appealing and likeable due to how intimidating she is, and her amplified features. Once again she has a very long, slender frame which makes her somewhat attractive, despite her being terrifying from the neck up! The first time I saw this time I was so gripped by this character because she looked constantly angry. Her overdone hair, gives her even more height which I think gives her more authority. Although her chin is massive, and we know this would look ridiculous in real life, it reflects the sharpness of her character and makes her much more memorable. Also, in comparison with her daughter she looks much more threatening, I really think they do each other justice! 

Nell Van Dort

Nell Van Dort, Victor's mother does contradict the typical way the women are seen in this animation. She is a much more loving character and is seen as a "mother hen" sort of figure. Her physical appearance is exaggerated, but in a different way. Her face is almost like an upside down heart and she is much more voluptuous than the rest of the women. There is even a scene in the film that makes appoint of how big she is, because she is unable to fit into the carriage! Despite her not looking like the other characters, she still has a very womanly figure, which adds to her attractiveness along side her her personality, which breaks a lot of the tension during the film. 

Further Research

For my visual response I have had the idea of designing two female characters who differ in appearance. One of them will replicate the typical features a lot of female character designs possess (small waist, slender figure, exaggerated facial features) and the other will be used to contradict this and show a more believable and realistic interpretation of how a woman can look.


Miss Spink and Miss Forcible


 Coraline was Directed by Henry Selick and Produced by Laika in 2009. This is a film which always stood out for me because of its slightly disturbing storyline and use of use of character design. However it includes what is for me, two of the best female representations. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are two elderly women who live together, who used to perform together as young women. As they have gotten older it is clear these characters have gained weight, which is actually quite a realistic change that comes with age. They still however, have their assets which are clear to see. For example, large chests, striking facial features and the fact that they still care greatly for their appearance! When these two women become young again, we see long slender arm and legs, minuscule waists and two very petite body frames. They may not be seen as the most successful or realistic, however the aim with this was to show a strong juxtaposition between the two pairs of women at different points in their life. One of the aspects which has been kept up, is the  attractiveness of them. This has been achieved in two very different ways, we have the young pair who fall into the typical category of what some animators might see as the "ideal body"with their 0% body fat. Then we have the tow of them reaching their old age, only this time they have suddenly grown enormous boobs and a bit of extra weight. These exaggerations go from one extreme to the other. These two pairs will be attractive to different audiences for different reasons, but it is safe to say, they have kept their character appeal due to their appearance! Lets not forget they are a very funny pair too, so this goes hand in hand with their design.

This example has made me think about how the exaggeration of body parts, big or small, as well as the over all appearance of female characters, can have a massive effect on how the audience sees that character. It is very easy for somebody to make an assumption about a character before any dialog even takes place, which is sometimes why the physical appearance of characters, especially females, can be so extreme on one sense or another.