Journal Entry – Week 3

Over the years comics were the most popular way to entertain people. Often times they would read comic strips in newspaper and magazines. Comics made a great subject for film due to the readers wanting to know more about the story and what will it lead to in the end. It also gave the artist a chance to push the narrative of the story into film and give the character and other people more roles.

Prompt 2:

• I definitely think that many of the early films were based on print comics because of the fanbase following. Print comics were popular icons that people were familiar with, also the comics were suitable for all ages and usually comical making it associated with positivity. In the past, I think animation was more difficult to produce so what would have been the point to produce something no one had interest in? Having people who knew about characters before hand (regardless of like or dislike to an extent) meant views and likely money. I feel this still is accurate towards anime and some other animations. I think many studios would prefer definite gain/profit rather than guessing whether the animation will make it. Not that there isn’t studios that like to try but I haven’t found something that didn’t or the author didn’t already have a fanbase.

Both early methods of animation, Emile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie (1908) and Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), employ a conventional hand-drawn technique of 2D line animation comprised of hundreds of drawings that portray the art of movement. A distinction from Cohl’s approach is that, rather than compiling each frame and shooting it on negative film, McKay’s animation included background objects and scenery, indicating that he not only considered continuity for something other than his character movement but also took a more mounted approach when adding frames. Fantasmagorie has much more of a faster tempo, displaying much more absurdist movements, whereas Gertie the Dinosaur took a much slower pace, allowing the viewer to settle into the environment while slowly introducing the titular features of Gertie, given that she was a much more realistic character.

Both animations take a novel approach to storytelling, relying on techniques such as interactive storytelling, whether it be interacting with objects on the screen or even with the narrator/audience members themselves. Fantasmagorie features a fast-moving stickman interacting with a few objects, continually shifting and reshaping to fit the new setting. This animation has a familiar feel to it, being originally inspired by the fantasmograph, lanterns that projected shadows onto the walls, which explains the video’s general visual and somber ambiance. Gertie did use a similar method of interacting with her environment, but McCay took a unique approach by having the narrator act as her handler, commanding the puerile Gertie to perform all sorts of tricks and maneuvers, which added a sense of realism to the character, which really convinced you that this 2d creation was a living, breathing organism among us.

Early animated films are seen to be based on print comics due to the fact that many people, especially in the U.S, enjoyed reading comic books. This is because it gave a moment of peace for those who read them as they were in a time that was dealing with war. By creating an animated film based on print comics, it brings an audience that has already familiarized themselves with the characters.

In the modern world it allows for both already existing audience members aware of the story and characters to admire and those who never took interest or heard of the story be able to experience what the story is about. Using what has been written and adapting it into a show and movie all while following exactly how it starts and how it ends, gives a connection between those who worked on it and those who watch it. This is because it’s something the audience can appreciate about the work that has been put into making something they’re able to relish in.

In the early animations of Winsor McCay’s “Gertie the Dinosaur” and Emile Cohl’s “Fantasmagorie”, both have black and white colors and that the main characters use the background for their actions. Gertie uses it for eating and drinking whereas the stick man in “Fantasmagorie” uses it for cosplaying into different people by taking and wearing whatever he is surrounded with. The difference between the two is that the background is white and the lines to be black in “Gertie the Dinosaur” but for “Fantasmarie”, the background is fully black and the lines to be white which means the animation’s background is only objects but not any specific places like for Gertie, where there is a landscape. Another difference is that Gertie has interactions with the animator and the audience but the person in “Fantasmagorie” acts on its own and has makes no difference no matter what the audience’s reactions are. Besides these two differences, the two are pretty much common in all of the styles.

The reason that many early animated films were based on print comics is because comic books were very popular with a lot of people and it was very enjoyable to read comic books at the time. Also, it was relaxing to remove thoughts of problems and times of war like the First World War. Comics used to be on newspapers illustrating comedy or even war comics that had funny political figures. Creating an animated film based on print comics was a brilliant idea because the film is based on comic books that people already recognize through knowing the main characters or superheroes that they like.

Both McCay and Cohl’s animations use the art style of lining and they also have things morphing out of something. The different approaches are that while Cohl’s animation is more fast paced, McCay’s animation is slower because there is more detailed required when it comes to the animation. McCay’s animation is more complex than Cohl’s while Cohl’s is used with mostly shapes and angles to represent most of the characters physical features. McCay uses lines to keep the balance of the picture while Cohl uses the lines as a transition into something else. The background for Cohl’s isn’t used as much. Only to highlight the shapes that are morphing. McCay has a more detailed background that becomes consistent throughout the entire animation. It genuinely plays its part as background. While Cohl just draws his story out without any context words, McCay uses context words, narration, and detailed drawings to help showcase the story.

What’s similar about these 2 films are the low frames rates which kind of break the illusion of movement. Fantasmagorie was created with a solid background so the creator went with a more chaotic approach with his drawing compared to Gertie which has a background. Having a background and dialogue in Gertie helped add context to the story so the artist was able to present his film in a much slower pace.

Prompt 2

We have seen that many early animated films, particularly in the US, were based on print comics. Why do you think that is? What was there about comics that would make them an appropriate subject for a film?

One of the main reasons that people enjoy reading comic books is that they provide an opportunity for escapism. Because these stories aren’t based on true events, readers may completely disconnect from their problems for a bit and focus on something else.

Many animated films were based on print comics because superheroes from comic books are ingrained in American culture. Americans are exposed to superheroes through cartoons, toys, comic books, and other media, and most are familiar with the main characters and their arch-enemies. This provides the filmmakers with a pre-existing audience that most other forms of films lack.

Second, the major DC heroes have existed for more than 70 years. Marvel’s primary heroes have been around for nearly 60 years. Filmmakers have access to a vast library of stories spanning decades. Plot points, supporting characters, and even dialogue lines have previously been planned. Many stories have previously established transitions into new storylines due to the unending storytelling structure of comics. It’s much easier to adapt stories from an existing source than it is to develop them from scratch.

It’s far easier to adapt stories from other sources than it is to produce something entirely from scratch.

And, because of the nature of these existing stories, they have many of the elements that people appreciate in movies. A lot of the action was softened by comedic moments. There are witty one-liners, massive CGI fights, pyrotechnics, and bright outfits, among other things.

Superhero flicks are modern-day Westerns. They’re predictable and based on pre-existing media, and they’re popular because they’re formulaic and based on pre-existing media. While they are significantly more expensive than previous spaghetti westerns, they are the same type of intellectual chain restaurant fare. People are aware of what they will receive and continue to return for more.