TERM 3 Reflection
I started this semester with a different perspective on Art Portfolio because learning from the previous semester prepared me to face another challenge.
I started by being confronted, once again, with a choice between different themes to be able to develop the project of this term. When we haven't tried out all the themes and what's to explore in each of them, we feel we've made the best choice. But it may not be so. It is necessary to experiment with different forms of artistic expression, in this case in animation, to understand what I can do, how far I can go, what I can learn, and how far I can develop my skills in drawing and animation.
This term I was faced with a difficulty, the malfunction of my computer. I spent 3 weeks without it and with a borrowed computer, but it didn't allow me to work as I used to. But I managed, despite some delays, to solve the problems and go on doing and developing the work I proposed.
The theme I chose was Oriental Surprise because I somehow felt identified with this one. And I looked for a comfort zone, meeting a culture that was not completely unknown to me: Japanese. That led me to the anime very quickly. Then I looked for something that I identify with, which is the theme of space. From this brainstorming of ideas, it was just a matter of trying to fix them, thinking of substantiating them through research on the topic.
The first thing I did was draw robots, as the theme I wanted to portray in the anime was space, and try to capture the style of the anime. And I liked the result. So, I started creating my character, who is a robot, and thinking about the space scenario. These first drawings were the birth of the idea, the character, but which still had to undergo changes. I still needed to substantiate it through research and further analysis.
When I thought about the story I would like to tell, I listed three aspects that seemed essential to me: Japanese culture, the theme of the space, and having a manga style. That's how my Hybrid Project was born, which tells a story that takes place in space. And what are we innovative about? the drawings I tried to be different from those I saw about space. The way it's told because I hope to get different angles, a different approach to exploring the setting and character. Another attempt is to explore color, with small notes and highlights, in black and white space.
In the research I did, I tried to focus on the main aspects because the world of Japanese culture, manga, and anime is huge. The richness of what we can find is disturbing. This made it difficult for me to focus on essentials because everything seemed to me to be fantastically rich. I started researching Japanese culture, trying to explore some aspects that, from my point of view, seemed important and interesting to me. If I had to do a full animation, it would help me think of some "episodes" exploring some cultural aspects. But as I'm going to create an animation trailer, showing the main story, this leads me to pay more attention to the drawing so as not to escape the manga style that characterizes what an anime is.
Since I decided that I wanted to focus on the style of the drawing, in order to convey the essence of what a manga drawing is, the Development exercise helped me to explore what I wanted the character to look like. Thus, I outlined a feminine, elegant, delicate, agile, sensual/beautiful character, but who is a robot. I kept some ideas from the anime of robots that look human, like the Astro boy case, but I wanted to do something different. This was one of the reasons that led me to do research on the star boy. First, it's a manga and anime icon, then it's a robot and I wanted to capture something that related to it, albeit in a way that wasn't obvious. I wanted my character, like the star boy, to express emotions, the body was related to a human body and had big eyes.
These drawing exercises also led me to look for real elements to be able to transpose into animation, such as the character's mask and weapon. With the exercises, I had to think about how I wanted to represent the character and add some characteristics related to the story I want to tell.
Another exercise I did was based on research I did about the characters that exist in manga and the type of expressions they explore in their drawings. For this, I researched the work of Japanese animators. Tezuka Osamu, the creator of Astro Boy, was one of the animators that I researched and influenced me with his Astro Boy character (who essentially wanted to capture something for my own character), but I also want to capture his spirit who managed to reconcile a traditional culture with a universal taste and make the Astro boy be seen and known around the world. I want to capture this idea and make my character a genuine manga design, but one that is well accepted anywhere. Hayao Miyazaki was another animator that I researched and what influenced me about him is that he develops a specific type of storyboard. He only draws main scenes that he thinks will be important for the movie. I like this idea, although he ended up doing a more detailed storyboard. But when I did the research, this was one of the things that piqued my curiosity.
In order to develop my drawings, I also focused on the history of Manga and tried to understand its evolution. I understood well what the difference was between manga and anime and their relationship is very close. I also carefully observed the drawings of the different types of anime that exist and their characters and tried to understand their expressions, anatomy, differences, etc. and I improved the details in my drawings. I drew my character from multiple angles, in the same position under different light exposures. I was trying to explore the expressions and anatomy of the character to be able to capture the essence of a character in the context of anime.
One of the things that I consider important for this project and for future projects was the "Primary research - Questionnaire". This is because it helped me to think if my animation was of interest to the public and what changes I could still make taking into account people's expectations. There must always be a "study" to see if people are interested and want to see a certain type of animation. This helps us to reflect and improve or even change a project. But I should go further and explore more how I can see if people are interested in a project and how I can develop it. I was pleased because the people I questioned were interested in the animation I proposed.
An important reflection related to the impact that my project could have in the real world. And it's important because it makes me think about the essentials: what difference do I propose with my animation? In a world where everything seems to be done, everything has already been thought out, how can I be original? Where is "that" that distinguishes me? It's hard and even when I think that's what sets me apart, it might not be that original. But I believe that exploring a robot animation that leads to seeing robots in a positive light and that doesn't once again explore the human vs robot war. I don't want to fall into this "Dejá Vu".
This project was developed gradually and grew throughout this semester. My difficulty was having lost my computer, but I'm recovering. I'll be able to make a trailer of this anime and try to convey in essence what this anime would be in its entirety.
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