Monday, 14 January 2019

Finished Practical Outcome


I really love the finished video. I think it works really well as a response to my essay question, where visual design raises awareness of toxic masculinity, looking at different cultural ideals to understand a more complex, socially constructed definition. I feel the backgrounds further aid visual prompt indicating 'manly' stereotypes (aggression, wealth, sex...) The final line I find quite chilling, a quote from Rocky 3 "for the first time in my life I'm afraid" I edited so it sounded like it was spoken through a phone which I felt might be more relatable to Millennials, as we find it hard to talk about our emotions it may be more anonymous, less scary over the phone; as this video is designed to raise awareness through social media it's only natural people would be on their phones.

If I had more time I would've liked to have coloured in the animation (the monster) digitally I feel it would've looked more complete, or perhaps it was better as it, not too much to take it visually? I feel this medium was good as the married styles of digital and analogue suggest a fusion also of cultures, ideologies and perceptions. I feel it adds a more personal touch which is essential for a controversial topic, it hints at stripping back these notions which are harmful, which we ourselves have constructed.

Production

I made the animation in Photoshop, after finishing the initial drawing stage, I scanned in all the illustrations creating layers. I thought it would be even more relevant to my essay having either colour or imagery tying in different cultures. However I realised adding colour to 56 slide would take too long, the idea of having flashing backgrounds also felt right as it would add to the intensity of the topic, seeing fleeting images entwined almost feels like an argument between different concepts, each slide only has so long to set out their view and before you know it's gone, metaphorically highlighting that you can never really have a clear understanding of the definition of "masculinity".

Initial ideas for backgrounds:


^ I later edited this background to have a red hue



I realised having tested these out it's best to have an all over coloured background, for example with the image of muscles above there's too much going on in the frame, it would distract too much from the animation which should always be the focal point.


Initially I tried it out having a different background per frame but it was way too intense; I then changed it so that every third frame the background image changed, it's still rapid but not too fast that you cannot make out the imagery.



In order to use the backgrounds I spent days using selection tools on Photoshop, in order to get the most precise defined edges, I needed to ensure all the drawn lines were still visible in the cutouts so the character wouldn't get lost into the background. This was incredibly time consuming but seemed to be the neatest way (lucky I'm very patient!). I had initially tried different techniques like image trace on Illustrator but I never managed to get a clean edge with all the lines it and by the time I edited it it took longer than using the magnetic selection tool.

56 cut outs later...



Ensuring the frames were consistent I used rulers and guides to keep the masculine monster in check.

Title sequence Outro

I taught myself through tutorials how to make a glitchy text gif on Photoshop as I feel this hints at the shift in opinion of masculinity, mirrored through the hashtag.



I rendered and exported the animation from Photoshop into iMovie to add the audio. 

Saturday, 12 January 2019

Animation Audio Track: samples


I played around with the sound levels until they balanced out, their wasn't much in the way of method to the madness as I wanted to keep it hectic, mirroring the state of masculinity and it's ever changing state throughout time and culture. I incorporated samples from films I had studied throughout researching for my essay (Die Hard & Enter The Dragon) as well as one from Elvis explaining how he's "the king of the jungle... tiger man". I feel the last quote from Rocky really brings home the beginning of change as he expresses he's afraid "for the first time in my life I'm afraid". I feel this ties in well with the glitchy end title sequence, indicating a distortion or shift.

List of samples used and relevance:


  • 1950's shaving advert "Twice as big, twice as powerful!"
  • "You should be stronger than me" Amy Whinehouse T-Menace remix (gender assumptions, fast paced d&b also sets off the frantic tone, catches attention as these first few seconds are vital with grabbing people's attention as they're scrolling through social media) 
  • "The manly song" lyrics include : "we're men among men men men men men we're manly men"... 
  • "Big strong definitely hairy" - from a youtube video (by alpha m.) entitled "10 SURPRISING Things Women Think Are MANLY! Traits Women Find Attractive", a youtuber on a sexist rant, championing masculine stereotypes 
  • Bank Account by 21 Savage (song): Repeating bank account, highlighting men's desire for money, which can sometimes create intense pressures to unhealthy levels, a man is expected traditionally to provide for the family unit
  • "YOU ARE NOT A MAN!" quote from That 70s Show, referencing one of the characters not being able to perform sexually, causing paranoia in himself and his peers make a mockery of him for not "being a man."
  • "They're not masculine enough" Youtube video by PragerU: "Make Men Masculine Again" argues men should be championed for their masculine traits, her argument is obnoxious. 
  • "Yippee Ki Yay Motherf***er!!" from Die Hard (as referenced in my essay)
  • Elvis Presley: "Tiger Man" The King, a masculine icon (as referenced in my essay)
  • Tame Impala (song) "Cus I'm a man woman, don't always think before I do..."
  • Male suicide rate statistics on the Fox Business Youtube channel from the video"Study: Suicide rate among white males increasing" Some reporters argue it's more then just the financial state Millennials face that is the issue
  • Bruce Lee Wu Tang sample referencing martial arts, the Wu principle, physical prowess (as referenced in my essay) 
  • Rocky 3 "I'm afraid" quote ending the video to highlight even a man of such strength can express his emotions and should, showing emotional strength.




Monday, 31 December 2018

Practical Outcome Visual Mock ups


A very rough guide to aid my drawing

Gathering imagery from tribal ideals of masculinity (spear holding hand), Western ideals (body building, hairy & muscly body), and Chinese masculinity ideals (the head Confucius, a representative of Wen principle: literary & scholarly pursuits).

Sketching 



Having the first and last slide as this I feel confident I've conveyed a message about the state of toxic masculinity, highlighted through the imperfectness of the scanned background and the incomplete sketch, this being drawn as the slides go on I feel is a metaphor alluding to the fact that masculinity itself is a social construction, much like the fact that the drawing is only there because I am drawing it, I am creating it on the page where there was nothing, much like the way societies have constructed something out of thin air. Furthermore the hand drawn feel I think will cut through the ever increasing rise of clean digital design. This trend is so samey, whereas a more handmade approach I feel will not only stand out, but bring things back to a more personal level, connecting with people on a deeper level as it will hopefully visually stick with them, especially with an audience of Millennials who have become so accustom to digital animation.



After visualising the story board I have a lot clearer direction and feel able to start drawing as this is going to be a lengthly process. 

Drawing

 

(Excuse the poor quality due to the effect when taking pictures of a light box apparently)

I've ordered my own light box so I can continue this during the evenings as I know this will take up some time, luckily I find drawing very therapeutic! I'm using layout paper to draw all the frames on, which enables me to trace and adjust the image by centimetres each time, creating a stop motion animation effect.








Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Animation: Drawing process complete!


Having finished the initial drawing process, I can now review how to adapt it so it's more obvious what its about, from the feedback I received at the last peer crit, they were confused on the subject matter which makes sense as it seems to just be a strange man with multiple limbs falling off...

Reviewing the feedback I got I want to make an audio track to better explain the topic, furthermore giving context visually ties in with my essay title which I will do through use of different backgrounds behind the animation. I want to include colour theory so black, symbolising little boys in Chinese culture and blues in Western and so on, as well as different cultural ideals of masculinity that I have explored in my essay, literary and scholarly pursuits, physical prowess and aggression.

The audio track is similarly going to link my research more to my practical, I plan to take samples from the films I've written about (Die Hard and Enter The Dragon) as well as music from Elvis and Jagger. 

I'm really pleased with the fluidity of the animation so far and quality of drawings, it's a step up in terms of accuracy thanks to using fine liner. Previously I've used black biro as I've always been so used to drawing with it but in order to colour digitally which I've only recently started doing it makes sense to have cleaner more defined lines. It furthermore doesn't smudge at all which is useful as I am very prone to being clumsy.

Thursday, 29 November 2018

Visual Research



Lynx's "Is it ok for guys..." Campaign shows masculinity in todays society, a new generation of man who wears pink, shows his emotions, be a virgin, experiment with guys and so forth. The tagline it ends with being "Is it okay to be yourself?" typed into a google search bar, I find this really powerful especially for the Millennial generation, who relies a lot on the internet as a diagnosis for their illnesses, an information point and general agony aunt, through fear of actually opening up to other people.

Lynx's audience targets young men, which is perfect as they seek to educate about a new age of masculinity, a man can do all these things. Throughout the video there are serious notes for example "Is it okay to be depressed", alongside more light hearted humorous anecdotes "Is it okay for me to be the little spoon?" I want to harness this use of humour in my visual outcome, as I feel often people especially of my generation, would rather watch a funny viral video than one with dark or serious undertones.

I feel the crudeness (increasingly large phallic imagery) in my animation is justified and will appeal to a Millennial audience, as a funny video, the serious undertones are more accessible and light hearted.


CALM campaign 84 I actually looked into for last years cop, it's as relevant as I'm also looking at how social media platforms can boost awareness. The striking heart-wrenching visual of the sculptures is a perfect example of how the visual is so much stronger than words.

CALM's other campaign #ChangeThePicture proves how the visual and written communicate well together, furthermore trying to deconstruct this facade of perfect lives on social media.


Colour theory suggests that in China black is the colour for little boys, in Western circles black is more representative of darkness, death and something sinister. It seems only right therefore that black is used as the contrast to the bright vibrant imagery alongside it, this stark visual symbolism speaks volumes as the images juxtapose the text so much. 

 

Delving more into colour theory, for the essay I want to compare film posters. The first being Die Hard (1988), a hollywood hit starring Bruce Willis who embodies the perfect Western man, harnessing ideals of masculinity through his physical and mental strength, he plays the aggressive hero. Contrasting this is Enter the Dragon, this is actually part aWestern film where Bruce Lee is made to be more 'appealing' to a Western audience, as it was produced by Hong Kong and American cinema. Director Robert Clouse attempts to "kick the strut out of Lee", alluding to a dilution of culture, the film furthermore combines martial arts cinema with an emerging sub genre 'Blaxploitation':

"Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The films, though receiving backlash for stereotypical characters, are among the first in which black characters and communities are the heroes and subjects of film and television, rather than sidekicks or victims of brutality. The genre's inception coincides with the rethinking of race relations in the 1970s." 
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaxploitation]

It's interesting how culturally the men are placed, the black 'stud' character goes with many women and doesn't survive until the end while the Chinese character has the 'strut' taken out of him to appeal to Western audiences while the white male protagonist goes with the white women who is in charge.