Journal Entry – Week 5

View the clip of Snow White meeting the seven dwarfs again. Though each of the seven dwarfs are drawn and animated in a similar manner, there are important differences that tell us something about each of their personalities. Pick two of the dwarfs and show how they are distinguished from each other by the way they move, how they are drawn, their voices and any other means used to show their character.

I chose Doc and Dopey, they are animated similarly, but, they have distinctions when it comes to clothes and manners.

The Private Snafu series was designed to instruct GIs in military techniques and behaviors. How do you think Private Snafu – Fighting Tools uses humor to get the point across? Does it use voice, drawing, movement or story? How?

The Private Snafu series, created during World War II, used humor effectively to instruct GIs in military techniques and behaviors. “Private Snafu – Fighting Tools” employed various elements to convey its message in a humorous way. These elements include voice, drawing, movement, and storytelling techniques:

• Voice: The use of exaggerated, comical voices for the characters helped make the instructional content more engaging. The character of Private Snafu himself often had a humorous, bumbling tone in his dialogue. This not only entertained the soldiers but also made the lessons more memorable.
• Drawing: The animation style in the Private Snafu cartoons featured colorful and exaggerated character designs. This helped create a lighthearted and comedic atmosphere, making it easier for the soldiers to relate to the situations presented.
• Movement: The animation in Private Snafu used exaggerated movements, slapstick humor, and physical comedy. This made the instructional content more entertaining and accessible to the audience. For example, Snafu’s clumsiness in handling equipment or the way he exaggeratedly performed various actions served to emphasize the do’s and don’ts of military behavior.
• Storytelling: The cartoons had engaging storylines that revolved around Private Snafu’s misadventures. The character often found himself in comical predicaments due to his lack of military knowledge or adherence to safety rules. These scenarios, while humorous, also served as cautionary tales, teaching soldiers what not to do in similar situations.

The use of humor in these cartoons helped soldiers remember the lessons more effectively. It made the information more relatable, engaging, and easier to internalize, ultimately improving the effectiveness of the training materials. By combining these elements of voice, drawing, movement, and storytelling, the Private Snafu series successfully used humor as an educational tool for GIs during World War II.

“Steamboat Willie” is famous because it used fully synchronized sound. View the film again. How is the sound used to emphasize the action? Give some specific examples. What role does music play in the film? Does the use of sound reveal something about each of the characters? What does it reveal and how is sound used?

“Steamboat Willie” is indeed famous for being one of the earliest cartoons to use synchronized sound, which played a crucial role in the development of animation and cinema in general. Released in 1928, it was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon and was directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Here are some ways in which sound is used to emphasize the action and reveal character traits in the film:

1. Sound Effects:
   • Whistles and bells on the steamboat: The film features several scenes where the steamboat’s whistles and bells are used to create a rhythmic and comedic element, adding emphasis to actions. For example, the steamboat’s whistle is used to signal Mickey’s presence or to punctuate the action as he runs around the boat.
   • Squeaking of the boat’s wheel: The sound of the squeaking wheel helps emphasize the physical effort and struggle involved in operating the steamboat.
2. Music:
   • The film prominently features a synchronized musical score. The music not only provides a lively and energetic backdrop to the action but also plays a role in conveying emotions. For instance, during scenes of chaos or frantic action, the music becomes fast-paced and frenetic, amplifying the sense of urgency. Conversely, during more tender moments, the music softens and becomes more melodic, highlighting the emotions of the characters.
3. Character Traits:
   • Mickey Mouse: Mickey’s character is expressive through his vocalizations and actions. His high-pitched voice, laughs, and whistling display his playful and mischievous nature. When he uses a goat as a makeshift bagpipe, the sounds produced further characterize him as creative and resourceful.
   • Minnie Mouse: Minnie’s character is also revealed through her singing. When she sings, it showcases her talent and adds a touch of sophistication to her character. Her singing contrasts with the chaos around her, symbolizing her ability to maintain composure in stressful situations.
   • Pete (the captain of the steamboat): Pete’s character is characterized by his gruff voice and authoritarian demeanor. He uses his voice and actions to control and discipline the crew and passengers.

Overall, “Steamboat Willie” uses synchronized sound to create a dynamic and immersive experience for the audience. Sound effects emphasize actions and create humor, while the music complements the animation, heightening emotions and setting the tone for each scene. The specific sounds and music choices help reveal the distinct personalities of the characters, making them more relatable and endearing to the audience. This pioneering use of sound in animation was a significant step forward in the history of cinema and contributed to the success of the Walt Disney Company.

Prompt 1

“Steamboat Willie” is famous because it used fully synchronized sound. View the film again. How is the sound used to emphasize the action? Give some specific examples. What role does music play in the film? Does the use of sound reveal something about each of the characters? What does it reveal and how is sound used?

Response:

The famous Disney short film was used to emphasize the action done by the characters and objects during the short animation. An example can be seen at the beginning of the short where Mickey is piloting the steamboat across a body of water, while he’s piloting the boat, he can be seen whistling and turning the steering the wheel left and right. Two sounds play during this scene, the sound of whistling to emphasize that he’s humming a short tune as he steers and creaking sound for whenever he moves the wheel with his hand towards his left and right side. Another example would be when we see a cow standing on a dock for the boat, while there’s no sound that plays when it inhales air to puff itself up; the sound of the cow would be heard as it stretches out to open its mouth to exhale the air; this is to show that it is mooing.

The role that the music has in the short film is to showcase the atmosphere that goes alongside with the animation itself, the music would then change based on what the animation is displaying on the screen like how Minnie Mouse can be seen running quickly to try and reach the steamboat with the music evoking a panicking atmosphere based on the expression that she makes when going to the docks in a hurry.

Yes, sound is able to reveal the personality of a character in the short film! At the beginning of the short film, Mickey is portrayed as a mischievous character through the expressions and sounds that he makes similarly to how Pete is portrayed as a bossy character with the way he expresses himself with sounds. The sounds that Pete makes when scolding Mickey for piloting the steamboat and to return back to work shows his bossy personality, in comparison to Mickey who turns around to leave but blows a raspberry sound at Pete’s back which indicates his mischievous side when the other character isn’t looking at him.

Prompt 2

View the clip of Snow White meeting the seven dwarfs again. Though each of the seven dwarfs are drawn and animated in a similar manner, there are important differences that tell us something about each of their personalities. Pick two of the dwarfs and show how they are distinguished from each other by the way they move, how they are drawn, their voices and any other means used to show their character.

My answer:

For this prompt, I decided to share my observations of the traits that distinguish the dwarf named “Sleepy” from the dwarf named “Happy”. Sleepy is defined as a sleepy character due to the sound of his voice, his actions and way of executing them, the sounds he makes, and his facial language as well – His eyelids are drooping, he is normally slightly slumped over, he stretches dramatically for a long moment and yawns loudly, with his voice sounding low pitched and slurred/in the middle of a yawn when saying “ah, yes” — these are all signs of him being a sleepy character. As for “Happy”, his personality is defined by the following: He laughs heartily at the situation with a joyous smile, his body movement is not the same as Sleepy’s in the way that implies he is fully awake, he swings his body energetically, is constantly smiling throughout the entire scene, he cheerfully introduces himself in a friendly sounding voice (it does not have an irritated inflection like Grumpy who is introduced later, so basically, he does not have sarcastic pauses of a shift in tone), and then he cheerfully introduces “Dopey” for Snow White, taking Dopey’s muteness in stride and making light of it (despite my personal disagreements with this). He also had laughed heartily with the other dwarves at each humorous opportunity. His eyes are always open and wide, his eyebrows are in a relaxed or raised position along with his constant smile. He is also drawn with a fairly full and rounded figure, making him appear more hearty and jolly in accordance with stereotypes of what kind of individual you would see as “jolly” in a tavern. Also, in animation, it’s commonly known that circular shape language is used for friendly and happy/nice characters (whereas the triangle and rectangle mean different things such as intelligence/villainy/cunning versus strong/stiff/protective, etc). These are all signs that represent why Happy is a happy character, using “show, not tell”. Even without Happy’s name having been introduced, we could still see why his name would be something like “Happy”.