The Use of Transition in "Maus"

The transition is necessary in the comic world. It allows us passage onto the next scene, the next thought, the next moment that we need in our story. It is the means by which the creator of the story allows us to move forward. In McCloud’s “Understanding Comics” we learn the six types of comic transitions:

1.     “Moment to Moment"

2.     “Action to Action”

3.     “Subject to Subject”

4.     “Scene to Scene”

5.     “Aspect to Aspect”

6.     “Non-Sequitur”

I have identified three types of these transitions in Art Spiegalman’s “Maus.” So far the three types of McCloud’s comic transitions that I will use as examples are: “Action to Action,” “Scene to Scene,” and “Moment to Moment.”

On page thirty-two, the top two panels to show the “Oi!” and the other mice’s reaction to that. I believe that this would be an example of an “Action to Action” transition, because it is showing an action and a reaction to that. 

The second transition I noticed was a “Scene to Scene” transition on page 56. At the bottom row, there are two panels. One is stretched to I think indicate the passage of time that the people were supposed to be working for.

The third transition I observed was on page fifty-seven. The third row of panels down is what I believe could be considered a “Moment to Moment” transition. The characters barely move except for the movement of the subject on the right’s head from one panel to the next. Since the event seems to happen only a moment later I believe this to qualify.

I notice that there seem to be quite a few of the three examples that I chose in the novel. I found either none or very few examples of “Non-Sequitor” or “Subject to Subject.” I think that Spiegelman’s transitions are all relatively similar and I had trouble finding different examples of McCloud's listed transitions to use.

The Persuaders: "Song" Fails To Get Off The Gound

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The film “The Persuaders” was a fascinating look at the world of advertising. In this movie we try and discover how advertisers break through the clutter of millions of other commercials in an attempt to persuade you to look at THEIR product. It’s all about proving that their product is the one that deserves your precious attention (and money.)

Throughout the course of the film, there was focus on a new airline, “Song,” and how it was trying to get off the ground (pun absolutely intended.) I was very interested in the creative (and sometimes silly) ways that the “Song” team tried to market the new airline.

I really enjoyed seeing the footage of the “Song” party. There was one scene where a “Song” commercial was being played on the back of a airline seat because the airline had equipped it’s seats with tiny video monitors on their backs. I also love that one of their main selling points was the different colors that the airlines would be.

            I thought that the silliest thing was the way that the “Song” team tried to make the phrase “That’s so Song” a cool new catchphrase, like it was going to catch on and people were going to seriously be using that to describe something. I loved the interview between with the man and woman who were talking (mostly jokingly) about how “Song” their lives were.

            I enjoy seeing any brainstorming sessions for just about anything. The way that people throw around ideas, some silly, some terrible, some brilliant. I love listening to people creating and building on ideas, or transforming them to make something altogether different. There is an edge here because ideas in these sessions can either build or break a company. They can mean someone’s career.

            What’s interesting, though, is that after seeing ALL of the effort that this team went through to make this airline take off (also totally intended), things still didn’t pan out. “Song” only stayed in business for three years. I had never heard of it before viewing this film. It just shows you that you can put so much effort into cutting through the clutter, but whether it catches on or not is anyone’s guess.

Graphic Novel Reading List Pics

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After scanning the Graphic Novel reading list on the syllabus, I have chosen three graphic novels that I would like to read: “V for Vendetta,” “Watchmen,” and “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” I would like to read new material, look at the art and add these three novels to my list of graphic novels that I have read.

            I am a HUGE fan of the film “V for Vendetta” and would like to read it to see how much the film deviates from the source material. And if it does, will I like the novel as much, if not more, than the film? I’m also a fan of Alan Moore and I could always stand to read more of his work. I think he’s a superb writer who creates complex characters and situations.

            When I was in high school, I was lent a copy of “Watchmen,” but was unable to finish it because I had to return it to my friend before he left for college. I would like to finally finish the book because of how well written it was. I have seen the movie several times and from what I remember of the book, the movie seems to follow the novel faithfully, even down to the Again, huge Alan Moore fan. From what I read of “Watchmen,” I really enjoyed. I have heard that the end of the movie was different than how the novel ended (and has seemed to cause some controversy among fans), so I am curious about that.

            “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” is a graphic novel that I know is very popular in the Batman fandom that I have never read. Being a huge fan of Batman myself, that is a good enough reason for me to want to read it. I fell in love with “Sin City” and have wanted to read more by Frank Miller since.

            The next time that I’m in the bookstore, I’d like to pick up these three so that I can begin to read and analyze them.

Hermeneutics

 We do not just inherently understand everything we encounter in the world, so we must interpret it in some way to give it some meaning. We interpret the world through Hermeneutics, the study of interpretation. The word “Hermeneutics” is derived from the name of the Greek messenger god, Hermes, who could translate the language of the gods so that the humans could understand it.  Hermeneutics are broken up into five different categories. I will explain these different types, how each type works, and provide an example of one in everyday life that a person might encounter (a television show, an ad, etc.)

The five theories of Hermeneutics are: 

-  Natural   

-   Normative 

-   Scientific

-   Philosophical

-   Depth

The first category is “Natural.” This type is the “spontaneous everyday, usually unreflective interpreting we do when intersubjective understanding breaks down.” (K. Williams, 15) I would think that this hermeneutic could apply to just about any movie, television program, commercial, etc., because we are just so bombarded by them that at this point we barely think about interpreting them. It feels spontaneous and "natural."

 The next is Normative Hermeneutics. This hermeneutic is all about text interpretation. Some examples of people who interpret using this type of hermeneutic lawyers, judges, and priests. So this could apply to interpreting a legal document or a scripture. I think perhaps a an example of this might be a show featuring a televangelist, who may present passages from the Bible. The viewer of the show may interpret this text through the show. I also know from first hand experience that, growing up with four lawyers in my life, you can argue with a legal shows, like "Law and Order," when it comes to interpretation.  I'd often hear: "That'd never happen because *LAWYER-SPEAK EXPLANATION*!" They interpret the legal text within the show (and sometimes fight amongst themselves over it.)

The third is Scientific Hermeneutics. This is the category of hermeneutics that is “the foundation discipline of the human or historical sciences (Williams, 17)." An example of an advertisment that I thought applied to this category was this Dyson commercial for it's scientific approach to marketing it's product: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LApWU34o0eY

Then there is the study of Philosophical Hermeneutics. This category of Hermeneutics does not focus on the act of interpreting as the others do, but rather puts emphasis on our role as the interpreter. A category of this found in the media may be the blindfolded taste-test or something that focuses on the person who is interpreting and their reaction rather than how or what they interpret. 

The last category of Hermeneutics is Depth Hermeneutics. These are described as the "Hermeneutics of suspicion." This type is about liberation from "social dogma and oppression." (Williams, 19) Some examples of Depth Hermeneutics may be found in the works of Freud, Lacan and Marx. (20) An example of this may be when interpreting any type of news channel. 

These five categories provide examples as to how we see and understand the world around us. We encounter examples of them in the media that we consume daily. The study of the five types of Hermeneutics (Natural, Normative, Scientific, Philosophical, Depth) help us become more familiar with the different ways we are able to interpret the world around us.

Studio Production: What am I Getting Out of It?

As with any Communications course I have taken in my three semesters of attending Shepherd University, I hope to learn many new things from this course that will aid my journey towards my dream of becoming a video production and film director. I hope to work on new and interesting projects, would like to have a greater knowledge of the technical side of video and film production, be involved in an open, hands-on environment, engage in class discussions, work on set and achieve a greater overall knowledge of studio production. 

At the moment, I don’t feel particularly skilled in the technical aspects of production. I am much better at conceiving ideas, brainstorming, etc. While I think I am decent at the more creative aspects of video and film production, I would like to learn how to be more efficient in the technical realm of production.

I hope to gain some experience with operating cameras, using editing software I have never used before and working with any other equipment that might come in useful on a set (lighting, sound, etc.) Through our projects in the studio, I would like to leave this course with a better understanding of what it is like to work on a film set. 

I am excited to be involved in an environment that “encourages improvement in critical skills” as well as “self-evaluation” and “synthetic skills.” (32) I am also a very visual and hands-on learner. I look forward to time spent engaging in class discussion and writing blogs as well as working in the studio. 

            As I look to work in the field of video and film production, I hope that over the course of this class I gain experience that will come in useful in the future. This summer I am applying for an internship at Motion Masters, a video production company in my hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. I hope that this course will prepare me for possible jobs that I would have on set such as operating a camera or holding a boom. This information and experience will not only benefit me in a possible internship, but will pave the way towards my dream of becoming a film and video production director. 

Applying the concept of Amplification through Simplification in “Maus”

         

          “When we abstract an image through cartooning, we’re not so much eliminating details as we are focusing on specific details. By stripping down an image to it’s essential “meaning,” an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can’t.” – (McCloud, 30)

            In Scott McCloud’s “Understanding Comics,” we begin to understand how and why we comic-readers are drawn to and identify with cartoons and comic art. The concept of “amplification through simplification,” (McCloud, 30) is an idea that I think is applicable to the graphic novel, “Maus,” by Art Spiegelman.

McCloud’s concept is that by making something such as a face (the example used in the book) very simple, the more likely we are to connect mentally with the face of that character and associate ourselves with that character. He explains this is because when while we are always aware of our own faces and expressions, we are likely to think of little more than a vague outline or a “sketchy arrangement.” (McCloud, 36) 

In “Understanding Comics,” McCloud explains that this interest in simplicity may stem from our younger years when we watched cartoons on television or animated movies. (pg. 36) I think that perhaps this influenced Spiegleman’s decision to pick such a simple and child-like style by using the cartoon mice to represent the Jewish people and the villainous-looking cats to represent the Nazis. I think that as an illustrator, he knew that such a deep-seated fascination with simplicity and the need to identify would not only draw readers into the story, but might make them even more sympathetic to the protagonists. The design has made very clear who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are.

            McCloud explains that the simpler the face the more “universal” it’s appeal is. The example of a simple smiley face is rather similar to the faces of the mice in “Maus.” The faces are simple and cartoonish as well as rather uniform (the mice all really look very much the same, even the males and females can only really be distinguished by their clothing.) There are no distinct features to make these characters look too much like anyone. Their simplicity makes them sort of a blank slate upon which we can project ourselves onto. I find myself able to relate to these characters a little more I think perhaps because of their simple style.

What's In It For Me?

            “We must prepare young people for living in a world of powerful images, words, and sounds.” – UNESCO, 1982

            This particular statement from the syllabus struck a cord with me. We live in a world that is indeed ruled with images, words, and sounds. I find myself sometimes feeling overwhelmed and unsure what to make of them, leaving me feeling inadequate and unprepared for a career in the field of communications. From this class I hope to leave with a greater knowledge of media studies and become what I would consider to be more media literate.  

             In the first six chapters of the book we learn about the basics of navigating media and popular culture and how to analyze and understand it. In chapter two of "Cultural Theory and Popular Culture," we learn that mass culture threatens to "land us in irreparable chaos." The book states that to combat this chaos, we must be trained to properly interpret the flow of information. The third chapter teaches about "Culturalism," a word meaning used to "indicate the presence of a body of theoretical concerns connecting the work of three theorists." The fourth chapter focuses on Marxist theories, which state that "texts and practices must be analyzed in relation to historical conditions." The fifth chapter handles the subject of the Freudian psychoanalysis and the sixth on structuralism and post-structuralism.

             I would like to learn more about each of the subjects covered in the book as well as the different aspects of media literacy as broken down in the syllabus (power, analysis, asthetics and interpretation.) At this point in time, I’m afraid that I feel unprepared for working in this world full of powerful images, words, and sounds. I hope to leave this class with a better understanding of these subjects and apply these ideas and concepts to my future career in the field of communications.

Thai Life Insurance: My Favorite Ad Campaign

              

                   I (as well as just about every other person on this planet) live with a constant barrage of advertising pushing and shoving it's way into my senses, peddling Nikes and pouring the promise of delicious fizzy Sprite down my throat (now only HALF the calories!) I find many commercials to be deceptive, off-putting and a bit sleazy. One series of commercials, however, broke through the clutter and struck a cord with me. I find the Thai Life Insurance advertisement campaign that I discovered on Youtube to be the most brilliant I’ve ever come across (and certainly my favorite.)

                  The commercials usually present scenarios involving heartbreaking/heartwarming relationships between family and/or loved ones. I think that the brilliance in these ads is the ability of the content to pull you in so quickly and so strongly that they are not easily forgotten. I have genuinely cried, nay, sobbed, to a few of these commercials. They are masterfully made and come across as short films that just happen to have the company’s logo at the end.

                 These commercials contain a grace and artistry that I have never beheld in a commercial before. Unlike thousands of blaring, in-your-face Mountain Dew commercials I’ve encountered, these commercials resonate with me and are memorable. The ad is not bombarding you with the message of “BUY THIS! BUY THIS!” There are no explosions, no celebrities, no promise of “cleaner, younger-looking skin.” There is a simplicity and subtly behind them that fuels their power and the reality of the situations draw us in. These commercials appeal to the heart and mind, providing me with something much richer and valuable to me than any other commercial I have ever been exposed to. I not only pay attention to these commercials, I re-watch them. That, I think, is truly a feat in itself.