Confucious: Icon of the Wen principle representing literary and scholarly pursuits.
As my outcome is to be a hand drawn-animation, this will take a considerable amount of time so I need to get drawing as soon as I have set out as storyboard and have my visual mood-boards. Here to start of is one of King Wen, King Wu and Confucious (icon of the Wen principle representing literary and scholarly pursuits).
Normally my animations take weeks or months excluding research and planning, so I plan to have this simplified in terms of content, I'd rather the message and quality be to a higher standard regardless of how much this shortens the piece, the detailing particularly on the Chinese drawings and clothes I want to stand out, contrasting the Western ideals with bulky hairy men.
Chinese masculinity Visuals:
I'm in love with the sculpture of Confucious that looks like it's bathing, I could extend this as a metaphor for drowning in toxic masculinity, social pressure quite literally suffocating men as they feel unable to discuss their emotions.
Weaponry
I want to include another form of masculine ideal which has historically championed physical prowess, this being of tribesmen. Whilst researching my essay I found a section in Kam Louie's Chinese Masculinities in a Globalising World discussing different cultures masculine initiation ceremonies, from the Westen public school boy's slightly violent or even sexual initiations which usually was soothed with copious amounts of alcohol, proving you're "a man". Different cultures obviously have different, arguably more worthy initiation tactics surrounding actual survival tactics such as diving for fish, capturing prey for the rest of the tribe. This image of an Indonesian tribe highlights the use of weaponry as an extension of manliness, a tool to enhance their physical threat. It seemed only right this should be included as a hint to weaponry aiding manliness, this also applies to American men owning guns or 'roadmen' with knives, they all use weapons to signify dominance.
Western masculinity visuals:
Examples from Baywatch, Mick Jagger to Elvis. The latter I feature in my essay in quotes commenting on the switch of masculinity through the 50's onwards, as men become sexualised.
I also want to include tattoos, especially tribal tattoos. This introduces cultural appropriation as the latter image shows a Westernised version of traditional tribal tattoos which have historical cultural significance.
The concept of the animation being that the cultural clashes are too intense to the point the 'masculine monster' dies supports this idea then, as the tribal tattoo ink gradually spreads and morphs it's a metaphorical representation of the dilution of cultural significance, as the rest of the world often appropriate sacred meanings, for the sake of fashion and aesthetic.
Looking into masculinity in a visual sense, animated characters throughout Disney films have reinforced this toxic masculinity which is bound to stick with us as a child, we may not notice it but from a young age we've been exposed to masculine and sexist ideals.
Everything from the power men have over sexualised women, to the desired physical embodiment of man is shown. Men are shown to gain power from physical dominance over other men and have to fight for the woman, who again is more of a trophy won over by the most masculine. Other male body types featured in Disney films highlight a kind of heirachy, those without a muscly physique are less important characters, taken less seriously and will never 'get the girl'.
I want to incorporate this stereotypically masculine physique for the Western part of the 'masculine man'. Like a monster, this 'masculine man' will have different body parts directly representing different cultures masculine ideals.
Artist Research for Masculine Monster animation
Cronenberg Rick and Morty animated characters from the popular cartoon Rick and Morty illustrated by James McDermott
Merging different bodies, different alien species results in Cronenberg creatures, I want to create a fused monster that embodies multiple different identities, different cultural ideals represented visually through body parts much like this alien monster only mine will not be able to sustain itself as it's ever changing.
The simple line drawings work well as you can see veins and folds of skin, it would be easier for me to adopt this style as opposed to my usual sketchy style with lots of shading, it will increase smooth transitions especially with something as detailed as I plan to have it as I want to incorporate many different limbs, weapons etc.
The Fly directed by David Cronenberg
Rick and Morty's Cronenberg people were named after this director, as a homage to the first director in the horror genre who played on people's fear of bodily mutations. I've always been fascinated in horror and not easily put off with gore or.. mutations.
The fly is a ridiculous film, it's a laughable concept which I enjoy, I want to inject a hint of humour to keep people's attention as often on social media people are prone to avoid serious or sad things, I know I do rightly or wrongly just scroll until I reach the funny feel good videos. Through the contortion of the fallic imagery I think this will be achieved. The body will mutate, skin tear and so on, like Cronenberg's monster.
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