Issues of Representation

Issues of Representation

"Issues of Representation" was the title of the chapters we had to read in both texts. These chapters discussed race and gender and how they are present in animation, but both writers had very different opinions on the subjects.

Furniss talked about the different ways culture is present in animation, and how it was grotesquely skewered. Artists chose to group characters in stereotypical categories. Numerous side characters, back in the day, seemed very one-dimensional and crude. Example: Speedy Gonzalez. So race was heavily featured in films back then, but didn't seem to serve a purpose other than to laugh at other races. Gender was handled just as poorly in these films. The men would seem barbaric, while the women would seem ditzy, usually with the purpose of being looked at.

Wells seemed to stress gender more in his writings, discussing characters and how their images help to tell who they are as people. Men were usually presented as average hardworking people, while women were sex symbols. Wells talked about how female characters should be more than that and how they too can be presented as strong female characters.



Prince Mononoke


I recently watched Princess Mononoke again with some friends, and fell in love with it all over again. The animation, the story, and the characters are all rich and complex. Miyazaki (and his team) have done a terrific job of immersing the audience in the world of Gods, Demons, and Man. Within a two hour span, it feels as though you've spent your whole life in the land and know all of it's folklore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkWWWKKA8jY



Project


The project is going well, as of now I'm constructing the character and sets for my segment of the film. I'm doing cut outs, so I spent the last week researching and now I'm ready to start work.