Wednesday 15 December 2010
I was just mulling over the new media lecture with the thought of superheroes in mind. New media allows you to reinvent yourself. In social networking sites you can be who ever you want to be, (think paedophiles and emo kids.) Iron man literally upgraded himself. Batman just had an ace utility belt. Does this mean theyre really superheroes, or just geeks...
PANIC ON THE STREETS OF HATFIELD.
I thought my blog was mediocre to good, alas, I have just seen a few other blogs. Inadequate springs to mind.
So I thought I'll waffle on a little more....
Bill raised an interesting point about whether violent films/video games. How do we know when something is exploiting violence, or when something is about or questioning violence? Itchy and Scratchy is a good example, because its pretty plain within the context of the Simpsons that it is satire.
It's a bit of a difficult one, and I'm no philiosopher. My favourite film may be Pulp Fiction (average to low violence by todays standards) but I really don't see how people can watch films like the Saw series and say they find them funny!? What on the earth is funny about gratuitous torture and relentless brutality?! Maybe this is just a reaction to my own personal response and average threshold, but I honestly cannot fathom the minds of those that find humour in such things.
Perphaps it relates to the idea that it is easy to watch these things in a safe environment, from a distance. People crave the darker side of humanity, but don't necessarily wish to explore it in their lives, so can live it out in these films and games. Especially the likes of the single view pointer games. They are indeed marketed and the general working population, and always have been ever since the publication of the Wild Boys of London. But there's a certain interest in watching these sorts of things, otherwise sadomasechistic porn wouldnt be such a huge internet hit. I can't count the number of times I've been over at a 'gathering' and someone has logged onto the internet to show us all woman having sex with a horse or pumping a football up in her arse. They watch it through their fingers, but they just love to feel disgusted and repulsed.
I feel like I've tailed off a bit here, so excuse me whilst I review my notes...
Ahem..
I have noted, that there are two ways of seeing things...
1. Identification - to be
2. Object cathaxsis - to possess
This is really interesting and one I can totally identify with. When it came out, I went on a date to see 300 at the Imax (how romantic) and when I came out, I was filled with all the rage of the Spartans. It was a bit bizzare actually. But in a good way. It's the same after watching Walk the Line. Not just because Joaquin Phoenix is positively gorgeous, but you build up a relationship with the character and want to change them and 'posses' them as though you were a part of the story. Actually, speaking of which, in year one of primary school, we had to write a weekly diary of the weeks events. After watching the Little Mermaid, my weekly entry consisted of ...'When I grow up, I want to be a mermaid.'.... along side countless pictures of what can only be described as one legged people. Men get a James Bond complex, but he'd never last 5 minutes in the real world methinks. Far too chauvenistic.
I thought my blog was mediocre to good, alas, I have just seen a few other blogs. Inadequate springs to mind.
So I thought I'll waffle on a little more....
Bill raised an interesting point about whether violent films/video games. How do we know when something is exploiting violence, or when something is about or questioning violence? Itchy and Scratchy is a good example, because its pretty plain within the context of the Simpsons that it is satire.
It's a bit of a difficult one, and I'm no philiosopher. My favourite film may be Pulp Fiction (average to low violence by todays standards) but I really don't see how people can watch films like the Saw series and say they find them funny!? What on the earth is funny about gratuitous torture and relentless brutality?! Maybe this is just a reaction to my own personal response and average threshold, but I honestly cannot fathom the minds of those that find humour in such things.
Perphaps it relates to the idea that it is easy to watch these things in a safe environment, from a distance. People crave the darker side of humanity, but don't necessarily wish to explore it in their lives, so can live it out in these films and games. Especially the likes of the single view pointer games. They are indeed marketed and the general working population, and always have been ever since the publication of the Wild Boys of London. But there's a certain interest in watching these sorts of things, otherwise sadomasechistic porn wouldnt be such a huge internet hit. I can't count the number of times I've been over at a 'gathering' and someone has logged onto the internet to show us all woman having sex with a horse or pumping a football up in her arse. They watch it through their fingers, but they just love to feel disgusted and repulsed.
I feel like I've tailed off a bit here, so excuse me whilst I review my notes...
Ahem..
I have noted, that there are two ways of seeing things...
1. Identification - to be
2. Object cathaxsis - to possess
This is really interesting and one I can totally identify with. When it came out, I went on a date to see 300 at the Imax (how romantic) and when I came out, I was filled with all the rage of the Spartans. It was a bit bizzare actually. But in a good way. It's the same after watching Walk the Line. Not just because Joaquin Phoenix is positively gorgeous, but you build up a relationship with the character and want to change them and 'posses' them as though you were a part of the story. Actually, speaking of which, in year one of primary school, we had to write a weekly diary of the weeks events. After watching the Little Mermaid, my weekly entry consisted of ...'When I grow up, I want to be a mermaid.'.... along side countless pictures of what can only be described as one legged people. Men get a James Bond complex, but he'd never last 5 minutes in the real world methinks. Far too chauvenistic.
Tuesday 14 December 2010
In order to hopfully boost the grade of my abysmal blog, I am going to go over a few of the past lectures, with some additional points I either rendered unnecessary, or could not be arsed to include.
One lecture/seminar that particularly interested me, was the number on violence within the media. Im pretty sure that the most heinous things done to others ect. are done by people in 'real life' not people in films ect. However, when you hear cases like that of Jamie Bulger, you do begin to wonder... I didn't know too much about the Columbine massacre untill today, and it was fairly worrying to hear how obsessed the perpetrators were with the game 'Doom.' Your average people however, do not go out and murder countless innocent people due to an obsession. Its deffinitely too much for me to say how resposible video games were to the loss of these lives, but these were two very obviously sick people.
It's similar to soaps fasing out recreational drinking and smoking because it will normalise it and even glamourise it. This is simply ridiculous.
One lecture/seminar that particularly interested me, was the number on violence within the media. Im pretty sure that the most heinous things done to others ect. are done by people in 'real life' not people in films ect. However, when you hear cases like that of Jamie Bulger, you do begin to wonder... I didn't know too much about the Columbine massacre untill today, and it was fairly worrying to hear how obsessed the perpetrators were with the game 'Doom.' Your average people however, do not go out and murder countless innocent people due to an obsession. Its deffinitely too much for me to say how resposible video games were to the loss of these lives, but these were two very obviously sick people.
It's similar to soaps fasing out recreational drinking and smoking because it will normalise it and even glamourise it. This is simply ridiculous.
Apologies for the rather rude post pertaining to December 5ths post. I was thinking some more about this, and the idea of cartoon characters having the ability to defy gravity was quite an interesting one. Perhaps this is why I look at them with such distaste. I'd like to think of myself as a (wo)man of science. Facts and figures are my thaaang. Not people rushing off cliffs and continuing as if to defy gravity. IT'S NOT RIGHT! That's the beauty and the conundrum of character creation. You have to create these types of spectacle, with all the structral and aesthetical integrity as though to defy gravity etc, yet working with it.
It makes sense to me anyway....
Stop motion animation is another little gem of the modelmakers world. It's such an old, simple process, yet one that people adore, and will always come back to. Its the whole retro fandango. The best bit of Wallace and Gromit is looking for the animators thumbprints upon the models - in Thunderbirds it's seeing the strings that operate the arms and legs of the puppets. Old skooool. It's what we like.
I'm not sure whether this chap is enjoying a cheeky cigarette, or holding a cane. But hey, isn't that the beauty of it all?
It makes sense to me anyway....
Stop motion animation is another little gem of the modelmakers world. It's such an old, simple process, yet one that people adore, and will always come back to. Its the whole retro fandango. The best bit of Wallace and Gromit is looking for the animators thumbprints upon the models - in Thunderbirds it's seeing the strings that operate the arms and legs of the puppets. Old skooool. It's what we like.
I'm not sure whether this chap is enjoying a cheeky cigarette, or holding a cane. But hey, isn't that the beauty of it all?
In my haste to post, I have neglected to say anything informative or interesting. So I shall try to disect my aversion to the Japanese way of animating. It's true that one tends to like the familiar and safe, which is quite possibly why I prefer the Disney visual. I grew up watching the Lion King and Snow White. The manga/anime version such an extreme extrapolation of the human form, that I find it somewhat unsettling. The figues follow too close a formula so that they all have a similar look. Not only this, but the lead protagonist always tends to be a little girl, which I just find a bit weird.
Maybe I'm just out of touch with new trends. The storylines are far more creative, however there's still the old failsafe moral at the end.
Maybe I'm just out of touch with new trends. The storylines are far more creative, however there's still the old failsafe moral at the end.
RE-E-WIND
We're going to take it back a few pegs and do some patch up work for all the inadequate and missing posts of this wonderful blog.
First I shall begin with what I can remember of Bills most recent installment of enlightenment...I vaguely recall that it was themed what I will vaguely refer to as the history of animation/progression of animation technology/east animation versus west.
I've never been a particular fan of oversized heads, enormous mouths and legs eleven. I strongly dislike anime. Very Strongly. The storylines may be interesting, however the graphics leave alot to be desired and I think the surreality in older cartoons, is superior.
Betty Boop creeps me out. Whats with the large head?
Bill finished off by traumatising us all with a clip from Bambi. I've never really paid too much attention to the aesthetics of these films, but thought it would be interesting were the graphics done entirely in the style the background is created in.
We're going to take it back a few pegs and do some patch up work for all the inadequate and missing posts of this wonderful blog.
First I shall begin with what I can remember of Bills most recent installment of enlightenment...I vaguely recall that it was themed what I will vaguely refer to as the history of animation/progression of animation technology/east animation versus west.
I've never been a particular fan of oversized heads, enormous mouths and legs eleven. I strongly dislike anime. Very Strongly. The storylines may be interesting, however the graphics leave alot to be desired and I think the surreality in older cartoons, is superior.
Betty Boop creeps me out. Whats with the large head?
Bill finished off by traumatising us all with a clip from Bambi. I've never really paid too much attention to the aesthetics of these films, but thought it would be interesting were the graphics done entirely in the style the background is created in.
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