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.

Representation, Visual Response!

For this brief, we have been set the task of creating some sort visual response based around one of the chosen titles. Since these titles are all interlinked with the essay questions we have previously been set, it seemed only logical pick the same topic, using some of the research I have already carried out along with more, also I have a particular interest in the representation of gender in animation! I want to focus on the influence the use of appearances can have on an audience, before the character has even been begun to speak.

Research So Far..
Whilst gathering information for my essay, I came across a number of books, films and online papers which addressed the topic of gender representation through out different types of animation. Although its an obvious one, Disney has shown some alterations and similarities in the way they represent men and women. For this animation I want to focus more on the way women can be represented in animation, because I think this has changed more dramatically over the years.

One of the issues which I found quite interesting was the way in which women were portrayed in the older, classic Disney adaptations such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella. These female characters seemed to fit the image of the 
"working woman" a lot more than the modern day Disney heroins, who seem to be much more rebellious and independent. 

However something which has always been given a lot of attention is the visual appearance of these characters, no matter what year the film was produced.There has been a change in the way in which Disney have gone about this.


 For example, Snow White is quite a rounded figure and face and which gives her a youthful and at the same time feminine look. Cinderella however is shown as a slightly more slender character. Both of these women have a huge amount of character appeal about them due to their attractiveness. Even today the classic Disney princesses are still just as popular!


Personally I think that as time has gone on, Disney's female characterisation has changed a lot, not just in image but also in personality too. As well as becoming stronger characters, their bodily proportions have become less and less realistic. For example,  in Hercules, Meg's waist is not far off the width of her tiny arm. I think its safe to say that in reality, that wouldn't be the healthiest of images. Again in Frozen, we constantly see these big puppy dog eyes which nearly fill Elsa's and Anna's face, along with more petite  body frames. Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with petite   figures, but Disney have really gone past what is realistic. I know character appeal is important, but come on, really? Those eyes are pretty much the same size as her boobs.






Another common aspect of female representation which has been noticed especially in video games, is the fact that women are often pinned up as nothing more than sex icons. Although it can be seen as harmless because its not "real life" I think it is interesting to think about how this can, and has effected the minds of the game players, particularly the younger ones. Again, this sexualization is done through the physical appearance of the women due to the fact that most of the time, they don't have much more of a role to play in some cases.