Advertising Narratives (from 2.4)

Much like the programs we enjoy on TV, the unappreciated commercial advertisement can provide a narrative structure much like the shows they interrupt. An ad I remember seeing recently is a rather humorous Planet Fitness commercial. In more conventional advertising, the gym itself would be the focus of the video, however it is a comical anecdote which occurs within the gym that we witness for the ad's duration. A Planet Fitness employee is welcoming their newest member, a large imposing man that would put Charles Atlas to shame. The employee attempts to be social with the man and asks him what he's interested in to which the meathead responds (in heavy Germanic accent) "I like to lift things up and put them down." The employee decides to ask a different question but receives the exact same response. Realizing the futility of a coherent answer, the employee points out various equipment the gym has available to others (this is a moment that in traditional advertising would be expanded. Sort of like, "we got you on the hook with a quick joke..now let's get to the nitty gritty of what we are about). The athletic man interrupts him to reiterate his previous statement. The employee tries to show him around a bit more but he is unable to even speak before the classic line is uttered.

Finally we see the employee opening a side door commenting on the gym's stretching area, however from the bright rays of light beyond the door we are fully aware that this is the fire exit to the outside. The athletic man utters his repeated dialogue "I like to lift things up..." before the door is shut behind him affectively disrupting the comical but irritating dialogue. A quick text with the title Planet Fitness and it's mission statement below "a judgement free zone" appear before the ad comes to an end. This is the perfect example of traditional storytelling except on a microscopic level. We have a protagonist (gym employee) who must overcome some obstacle, and we see the staff member choose a creative approach to solve the problem. We are given a situation based on a realistic problem, in this case a group member who clearly does not fit the mission statement, yet it is humorous because while it is realistic, it is exaggerated and features a character who does not adhere to what we perceive to be a normal human.

The commercial succeeds in proving their point while at the same time offering a bit of entertainment instead of simply projecting their product or establishment and highlighting it's benefits. This kind of advertising is very creative because the commercial speaks for itself. Because we are given a narrative based on a realistic situation and we see a problem solved we can piece together the rest. By witnessing the characters interactions we know that the gym is a place for any ordinary person not just an athlete who is obsessive, and that the staff are there to ensure that such an environment is nurtured and protected. That's in a way what story-telling is at it's most basic level, providing valuable information in an entertaining way.

Animation Manipulation (based on 2.6)

One of the benefits of animated series and films as opposed to live-action is what Matt Groening calls the "rubber-band reality." This refers to the fact that animated stories can alter people, places, or things within a show that you simply cannot do in live-action. For example, if the episode calls for Homer and Marge to be awaken from their slumber because they hear something in the closet directly adjacent to their bed, the animators simply draw a closet in their bedroom in a spot where in other episodes there was just a blank wall. Typically in live-action films and tv series, once something is established, it must remain consistent throughout. The exaggerated universe that exists in animated shows allows for more flexibility in the way events unfold even though the material covered within the narrative is usually based in reality.

The same is true for the South Park television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. For the most part, much of the show focuses on everyday issues (in particular contemporary politics) but because of the nature of it's unrealistic animation style, the show will veer off into fantastical situations such as interactions with a morally ambiguous Satan, etc. There is an episode in which the four main characters find martial arts weapons and decide to take on ninja personas. The idea itself, (young boys pretending to be warriors) is based in reality, however because the series is animated, the Parker and Stone can get away with having their characters injure their friend Butters to the point where a jagged metal shuriken is lodged in the young boys eye. This is certainly not something that can be portrayed on a live-action show with the same level of casualness that the animators implement (the boy clearly suffers and yet all the characters around him attempt to hide his serious injury, but because we are aware of the fact that this is animation, we find this incredibly funny). What is also interesting about the episode is that much of the humor derives from the transformation in animation style once the boys don their warrior personas (references to Japanese anime), humor that can only exist within the realm of an animated show.

This seems to not be the case with animated films such as The Incredibles. Because much of the film's publicity rests on the star power voicing the characters, the zaniness is toned down a bit. We are aware that behind the characters are our favorite actors, people based in reality, so we are not completely removed from our real world. The animated characters may still find themselves in fantastical situations, however it generally seems that such animated movies cannot abuse their characters to the extremities often displayed in South Park (sure these are fictional characters far removed from reality...but Brad Pitt voiced him! We can't hurt Brad Pitt). This is my reasoning as to why animated series have a certain level of ease when it comes to shifting from reality to surreality and finally to the absurd.

Second Animation assignment

The second assignment for my animation class involves a drawing in illustrator of some kind of environment whether it be realistic or other-worldly. I chose to make my environment drawing of a red rock desert at sunset. The scene was inspired by the famous Monument Valley (http://elmarto.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/monument_valley_mittens_sunset.jpg) located on the border between Utah and Arizona . The main reason I chose this as my environment is because of my love of western films. Monument Valley was used in countless Hollywood westerns, in particular those of the film maker John Ford who depicted the area in classics such as The Searchers, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Cheyenne Autumn. I recall the professor saying that we may use our environment drawings for future projects. Perhaps I will consider some kind of western animation, as I have already worked on a western period live-action short (shameless self-promotion: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1974394/) and could use it's story and/or characters.

Intro to Animation

This semester I have chosen to take the Intro to Animation course as my elective class. I decided to take Animation as I once dreamed of being a cartoonist and drew several comic books while in middle school. Before my interest in film sparked a change of career choice, I had wanted to work for either Nickelodeon or Adult Swim. The class will prove to be interesting and above all challenging as I am not familiar with the Illustrator and Flash programs, however I do learn fast with computer programs. Our first assignment was a small flipbook that we would create in order to get an idea of the most basic principle of animation (motion imagery comprises of a collection of still images that when shown in rapid succession creates the illusion of motion). The point is that we will take this premise and apply it to vector-based drawings to create a new type of animation the likes of which pioneers like Walt Disney could not have foreseen.