Design for Animation, Narrative Structures and Film Language – Lecture Notes and Tasks

Week 3 – Editing, Film Language and Structure

The Rules of Narrative

As to everything, there are some rules and structures to narrative. We have a choice as to follow, completely break or just slightly bend them, but, to achieve a successful design, we have to know and understand their meaning and effects as understanding them, means we learn the basic language used within the industry that then allows us to successfully communicate our idea through the visual medium of moving image. This won’t only allow for a better allocation and presentation of ones ideas but will also allow a deeper understanding of the role of each member of the team in the industry, introducing seamless workflows and transitions between the specialist departments of a studio. It will also allow sufficient understanding for dissection, analysis, evaluation and critique of pre-existing moving image work in turn, allowing further learning and consideration of elements used. 

The structure we use today exists since ancient Greece (theatre), and contains of three parts, (together containing five acts), what makes the difference is how one deals with them (based on understanding how things work). Separate parts discussed on a separate page accessible through the button below.

Whether the characters are human or not (personified animals or objects), they are meant to tell a story of human endeavour. The story is engaging and immersive when we can relate to it and transform ourselves into that situation (imagination), in turn understanding the feelings accompanying the protagonist, then leading to development of feelings towards the character and their behaviour, choices or decisions (sympathy, admiration, dislike, etc.).  

[Wells P. (1998,) Understanding Animation. Routledge. 1. Once upon a time; narrative strategies. Pages 68-125] 

The Language of animation: Editing

Visual Communication – …

Main purposes of editing are: assembling the material into a coherent whole in terms of the narrative progression (placing shots in the order that best tell the story), ending a scene, providing additional detail or pointing to a narrative effect (I.e., close –up to show a reaction) or to simply provide a better point of view to ensure the audience gets the whole of the intended experience.  

In animation, editing allows freedom and experimentation opportunities. If for example the order of material prepared is rearranged, the form of narrative also changes (I.e., to retrospection – the end of the material placed at the beginning and the rest sort of explaining the plot and how it got to that point) and possible different outcomes can be observed. 

Continuity editing is one of couple ways movie shots are arranged and combined to tell a coherent story. It uses smooth transitions between the elements, attempting to hide the editing in terms of making the whole feel like one realistic take. 

Four main types of continuity transitions between shots are discussed on a separate page accessible by the button provided below.

Golden Rules of continuity narratives (smooth, convincing narrative): editing remains invisible, showing only the effect (the best cut is the one you do not see), not allowing the audience to get ahead of the story is essential for a successful work (less is more), the audience should be able to experience, not only watch (emotional engagement etc.). 

Discontinuity editing – Depending on the desired effect, an effect opposing the continuity editing can be chosen.

One of which is Montage Editing, which (1) compresses time to tell a part of a story faster and – in cases – in more dramatic way (‘Up’s’ retrospection to Carl and Elly’s married life, training montages), (2) takes multiple storylines and compress them into a more coherent and understandable whole (‘Donnie Darko’ – Mad World), (3) conveys the disassociation of a character with their reality, often used to portray changes that substance abuse can cause to human consciousness and perception (‘Requiem for a Dream’ – drug montages) as well as changes in perception caused by mental illness, or particular events (dying moments from ‘American Beauty’), (4) introduce ideas or themes in contrast with one another to force the viewer into making a connection between them (called intellectual montage, i.e., ‘The Godfather’ – Baptism montage), (5) in older days it allowed scenes that wouldn’t be possible otherwise (‘Psycho’ murder scene).

The moment of the edit is called the ‘shot transition’ and there are a few common types, that allow the achievement of different effects (discussed further on a separate page accessible through the button below). 

Week 4 – Designing Filmic Experiences

Understanding how the story works, basic principles of narrative and what elements induce what effect on the audience as well as what experiences the creator can introduce with particular stylistic choices, are essential in creating a successful moving image.  

In all moving image branches, consideration is needed for every element shown in the scene. Any element conveys something to the audience, and a slight adjustment of its relation to its setting can completely change its meaning within that particular context. Even colours are used to convey meanings (colour connotations), but where in one context red connotes love and passion in other it can accompany and/or suggest a mild anger, complete rage or other forms of violence like murder (blood). 

The meaning of symbols within shots changes, hence the careful planning and designing of the way shots are meant to work, before the realisation stages of production even begin. Each moving image production (film, games, animation etc.) is accompanied by large numbers of notes, sketches and fully rendered concept art, developing and depicting every detail of the production as this affects the final image greatly (realistic references). In the developments stage every detail needs to be planed and established. The look of things, genre, theme, feeling, atmosphere, the mood etc., everything needs to be considered prior to the start of filming. 

Literary structures (novels, poems or poetry etc.) accompany human existence for a very long time, but at the introduction of theatre, they had to be redesigned or/and adjusted to suit the emerging new medium of (ancient) moving image (theatre performances), to ensure that the story was conveyed sufficiently in the limited time, well as allowing full understanding of the story. The new structure (5 act structure) was discussed above in the second paragraph of the week 3 lecture notes as well as in the link provided there and in the button below. 

Freytag’s Triangle 

Monomyth (intro on main, explain parts on separate), Structure of the monomyth 

Deep structures – placing a work within a category by analysing its content (put down and explain how this shit works) 

Clear narrative vision is needed whether you are the director or junior matchmove artist. Everything done on a movie is meant to progress and aid the narrative, so understanding what is the concept and aim of the production will allow better practical outcomes from the artists. The story and the message are the ultimate goal in moving image work, so if a work (sketch, animation/VFX sequence etc.) doesn’t aid their realisation, it is bound to be unnecessary, and a waste of time, as in many cases it will simply be deleted when there is too much material for the allowed time, or when it becomes confusing or distracting. 

[Nathan Fowkes – research] 

In other words, every action in a movie is there for a reason, and if it doesn’t aid the story, it shouldn’t be there (if stuck, or something is not working, it is worth to think about this) 

Narrative Structure – Key aspects of storytelling 

The narrative structure is at the core of understanding film and attempting interpretation as well as necessary knowledge underlying any critical analysis and evaluation of own work. Some rules for developing narratives exist to guide the filmmaker in making the right decisions and to aid the development of their understanding of the medium and structure they are working with. They will be listed and explained in the link provided below (button).

Composition is essentially organising the work in a creative way, while framing the main elements in a clear and easily understandable way. It aids the narrative by directing the focus and guiding the audience through the space of the scene. Again, every element needs to carry the action, all stylistic decisions affect the narrative in some way and the right stylistic choices will aid in the making of easily readable imagery.

An example of a studio workflow

Week 5

Film Language – Context and Value

Technical

Pacing/Editing

This refers to the amount of time a shot is displayed before the cut and transition. Movies often use an average shot length and anything that largely varies from that base value, will evoke an emotion by changing the pace of the film. Slowing down that average value, will promote the feeling of calmness and possibly anticipation (silence before the storm), whereas increasing the speed of edits, will demonstrate a fast pace environment, promoting change, possibly in a chaotic ways, often used for chase or fight scenes.

Also the way the transition is made or if it is continuous or disrupted will have a huge impact on the story and essentially on the audience.

Composition

Part of Mise-en-scene, but can be treated as a separate one due to the vast extend of its elements and effects it could create.

Every aspect of a frame communicates something connected to the narrative, grasping all that in the given time is the key to understanding the narrative. Composition ensures that all the essential elements are clearly displayed and in purposeful and powerful ways, to make sure nothing escapes the viewers attention. It is sort of laying out information for the audience to absorb, in an artistic and logical way.

Light

The way a scene is perceived is largely dictated by the lighting used, even the most happy and bright scene will look dull and depressing if the light is not used in the right way. Alternatively if a dark themed scene is lit with a sharp white flash, it will appear peculiar and flat.

Light is used to highlight or overshadow the subject bringing the factor of directing the sight and adding effects, such as mystery (silhouettes, barely visible subjects in the shadows etc.).

Aesthetic/Thematic

Mise-en-scene

Is essentially a collective phrase to describe all, that was used to visually communicate to the audience. All we se on the screen was there for a purpose and every element of Mise-en-scene has its place and own meaning and consequence.

Colour

Colour can be used to convey subtle messages as we automatically associate certain colours with emotions or situations (i.e., red – danger). Colour connotation can be used as a subliminal message perceived by the viewer’s subconscious, furthermore it can be used to distinguish between characters, if they are assigned colour associations and it can make understanding relations between such characters much easier.

Many directors decide to stick to a particular colour pallet if it helps their narrative, it can help continuity and help to set the scene within a particular environment (‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ – mainly yellows and browns, to accentuate the post-apocalyptic desert). As colour is associated with meaning, emotion and feeling, desaturating in post is a common practice for period accurate movies (i.e., period drama, war movie) that are meant to imitate the old photograph aesthetic as well as often highlight some dramatic events.

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/mise-en-scene-elements-color-in-film/

Genre

Discussed in detail slightly lower on this page in ‘Week 6’ section.

Rhythm

Rhythm relates to the artistic implications discussed in ‘Pacing/Editing’ section on the beginning of this weeks notes.

Week 6

The implications of genre 

Genre is a constantly changing and evolving canon of film classification, it is based around the general type of media, and to some extend dictates and describes what the audience can expect. Thanks to genre, we have categories allowing to choose from relatively similar movies in terms of theme or effect (funny, scary, informative etc.). Genres don’t need to limit or rule out the filmmaker’s ideas, although they are often used conventions directing many decisions. From the VFX point of view, many of the aesthetic elements and decisions are heavily influenced by genres, as to keep the movie coherent and believable the feel and aesthetic of the whole thing needs to be matching.  

Genre definitions often come from the aesthetic and the narrative styles as well as from the creative decisions of the director.  

Visual codes – A heavy use of a particular type of framing, angle, filming type, shot transition or editing can be a pointer to the emotion the film is trying to evoke, in turn (in cases) – describing the genre (confrontation, loads of two shot and over the shoulder shots can suggest a drama whereas, a chaotic montage of close ups – tight, intense frame – can point towards a horror or a thriller). Extreme close ups are common in horrors or in movies with heightened intensity in general whereas low angles make the subjects appear more powerful and impressive so they are often used in action-adventure type films. Fast camera pans (whip pan), show heightened tension and thrill, used commonly in horrors and action-adventure movies and handled cameras are often used in documentaries to ease of movement. Drama films tend to have a slower pace of editing than for example action-adventure movies (more dramatic and energetic type) also most TV series would use a quick recap on the beginning, which is unique to this type of media. Colours can also suggest a genre; period dramas can be dulled down in post to produce the illusion of an older film (less quality) and an action superhero movie can be colour enhanced to bring back its comic origins. 

Audio codes – music is a crucial element of movies, and since it conveys so much information about the mood and emotion, it can be a clear indication of what type of movie we are working on. Eerie, unsettling music will most definitely accompany a horror film (as well as high paced, loud and tense pieces for the more intense moments). Music can also be very distinctive and recognisable melody used to announce a character or a theme, respectively; James Bond theme and Jaws theme. Another part of audio codes would be sound effects; for example, laser, robot and futuristic engine sounds would signal a science fiction, add the sound of light sabres to it and you most certainly are viewing Star Wars. Hearing a ‘canned laughter’ will accompany some TV comedies and a TV advert would most probably be associated with an exaggerated sound, emphasizing the use of objects advertised (mosquito repellent, fizz of a drink, car engine). The theme of a moving image work can sometimes also be discovered by the presence of jargon used in the setting, the film takes place in (hospital terminology, police jargon, law and forensic terms). The presence of a voiceover can suggest a documentary or a film trailer (D. Attenborough’s documentaries). 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zs8s9qt/revision/4

Week 7

Established and emergent practice 

Established VFX practice refers to the methods and techniques that had been introduced and used in the past. It describes secure, commonly accepted and used ways of doing things that are known to bring the desired effects. They are the foundation of many pipelines and workflows at the top of the industry, as they are proven to work. 

Emergent practice is everything new and experimental that is meant to improve and advance the previously accepted methods. It may be based around the need of a movie or on a software proven to work in another field (games – Unity and Unreal). Emergent practice can also refer to the way of working, before localized workflows were most common, now most big studios are global and moving into virtual pipelines. 

Week 8

Character appeal and the uncanny valley 

Character appeal is comparable with the actor’s charisma and is essential in making convincing characters, otherwise the character will be flat and unrealistic – even if it is an animation and stylised character, their character traits, behaviours, mannerisms and attitude need to all work towards creating a clearly understandable person. Appeal is essential in grabbing audience attention, we tend to understand and sympathise with character traits we know from ourselves and our close ones, this helps increase the engagement of the viewer, as they partially identify themselves with the character and are curious what that ‘person’ on the screen would do in a particular situation. 

Main elements of creating character would be; key aspects (general character group, immature, rebellious, proud etc.), their role in the narrative and the way they communicate (I.e., Minions – Illumination, 2012, ‘Despicable me’), personality as well as their individual trait and skills, attire and their lineage/biography. 

Elements of design or analysis can contain consideration about; 1. what visual aspects may achieve our desired effect (how to visually convey a character), 2. what performance traits would support this (behaviour, attitude), 3. why do we sympathise with a character, what makes us care and 4. how to establish trust and empathy with that character. 

Uncanny valley refers to the feeling we get when something familiar and known to us, feels and appears unfamiliar, something that should be familiar but there is something uncomfortable about it will introduce uncertainty about that character, place or situation.  

It is a relation between the realism of an image and the viewers response to it. If something looks realistic enough, but lacks some human characteristics it creates a subconscious effect of uneasiness and a feeling that something is wrong, breaking the suspension of disbelief and in turn, the immersion and engagement with a piece.  

We see and interact with humans every day, and to be able to communicate and coexist we had learned to subconsciously read human traits, expressions and poses almost instantly after seeing even the tiniest change or adjustment in them, therefore we also instantly pick up the mistakes in the representations of those traits and behaviours in realistic human CG elements. Often, we can’t place what is wrong, but it does not feel right and makes us feel uneasy by that character. The general negative response is amplified by movement, as in moving images, more issues can be picked out as the viewer is given much more information within one scene (than a still image).