Subliminal Messages - Extreme Advertising

One of the topics we faced during our theory module was Subliminal Advertising, a subject I've always found oddly unsettling.

During the lesson we explored various modes of subliminal advertising:
The first is perhaps the most common; the product look uttrely irresistible and induces the viewer to go and purchase said product. Coca-Cola has done this often.

By observing this picture we undertand why and how. The glass is quite large and filled to the brim, the ice makes it look invitingly cold, which is made more effective buy the condensation on the outside of the glass, suggesting that the surroundings are a warm or even hot temperature. The drink is being pourede in such an attractive way, that its almost possible to hear the fizz and the light clink of the ice cubes against the glass.

The second, more sinister, involves inserting certain elements in the adverts itself to render it more memorable withou the viewer noticing. For exhample thsi Heineken image.

As its plainly shown, most of these elements are of a sexual nature, because of course, sex sells.
This technique is mostly used for foods and alcholic drinks, and are normaly in the form of still images.

One of the most well know pieces written about this topic is "Subliminal Seduction" by author Wilson Bryan Key, in which he expalins in depth the tactics used  by companies to sell products and services.

Design Fiction: Visual Styles

In a friday evenig seminar, we briefley spoke about fictinal designs, in particular Steampunk and Cyberpunk; two genres that I found myslef draw to during my school years.

Steampunk:
-Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction or science fantasy that incorporates and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Although its literary origins are sometimes associated with the cyberpunk genre, steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has maintained mainstream usage, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk may, therefore, be described as neo-Victorian. Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art.

Cyberpunk:
Cyberpunk, a subgenre of science fiction in a future setting, tends to focus on the society of the proverbial "high tech low life"; featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as information technology and cybernetics, juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.
Cyberpunk plots often center on conflict among artificial intelligences and among megacorporations, and tend to be set in a future Earth, rather than in the far-future settings or galactic vistas found in novels such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. The settings are usually post-industrial dystopias but tend to feature extraordinary cultural ferment and the use of technology in ways never anticipated by its original inventors ("the street finds its own uses for things"). Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction.

I became interested in Steampunk when I was encouraged to read Phillip Pullman's series "His Dark Materials", a trilogy the soon became one of my favourites. The style of writing is so vibrant that the world painted itself, and the visuals it created have been some of the most influential in my work.

 

Cyberpunk, however, is the style I'm most interested at the moment. I'm fascinated by the aesthetic and the narrative behind most cyberpunk orentated works, one of my favourites being George Orwell's 1984 and Blade Runner.

 

I intend to use this genre in my studio work.

Masks: Rituals and Theatre

As part of a studio project, I took refrence from masks. Coming from italy, masks are an important part of my countries theatrical history. So I decided to briefly research it.

Masks were orginally used for religious rituals since prehistoric times, but as everything else, it evolved into an object rapresentative of the theatre.

 

Masks can be found in every corner of the globe, and are a vital part in its artistic history.

In Europe, mask where first used in greek thetre to both interpet the character and amplify the dialogue so the sound reached every area of the theatre. 

In italian history, a mask originated in every region of the country, and each mask was interpreted as a character in various folkoristic comedies. Some of the most well known masks are Alrecchino (Harlequin) and Pulcinella, originating from Milan and Naples rispectivley.

 

I we move across the globe, we find that masks are more used for traditional purposes, religious events or celebrations, and each continent has its own characteristic mask. 

In sub-saharan Africa, masks ar an essential component in ritualistic dances and religious rituals, most representing humans or animals. Different regions have different styles and meanings.

 

In Asia, masks represent gods and demons, but are mostly used in the theatre, to reinact ancient legends and myths.

 

In America, the natives used masks to speak to animal gods and to perform rituals.

As we can see, masks are and have been a excellent medium to expolore, study and understand a country's history and culture; from religion to entertainment.

Digital Reality: Blurring the lines between nature and codes

While listening to music while drawing, I came accross the music video for David Guetta's "She wolf". Although the music is much to be diesred, I found the video quite interesting.




 

The visuals and tone of the clip, dark and cold, somehow fit very well with the track. But what is perhaps most striking is the relationship between the enviroment and the digital distortions that occur throughout the video.

I searched for articles reggarding the blurring of the lines between nature and digital reality, and surprisingly found very little, but I will carry on in hopes of finding something with an accademic background.

I believe that in a creative setting, this would be a really interseting concept for perhaps a novel or a graphic novel, as it induces to think about the enviroment from a different point of view and forces the creator to think outside the box. I will certainly try to intoduce this in one of my presonal projects.

Japan's Monsters

In this lecture, we spoke of Japanese culture and aesthetic, how its consumerism has affected society and its appeal to western media.
The focus of the lecture was to establish the line between "Cute" and "Monstrous", a line that's very blurred when we look at a piece of animation like my Neghbour Totoro:

 

Although the characters may look soft and with a sunny disposition, they all have certain features that render them slightly morbid and disturbing, like the Catbus as we see above.

The "Giant Monster on the loose" genre is also significant in japanese entertainment, as one of the most famous "Giant Monster" film, Godzilla, now a clut movie, is originally Japanese.

This genre, though, emerged also in american filmaking, as we see with King Kong.

With this in mind, it easy to see the meaning of Geissbhuler's Pease Poster.

Speedpainting

During my struggle to gain interenet visibility, I decided to create a YouTube channel and upload speedpainting videos.I go introduced to speedpainting videos during my early studies and I've always found them an excelent source of inspiration.
A speedpainting is a video in which an artist records themselves creating a digital or traditional drawing or painting, speeding it up and editing the footage, creating a record or their creative process
Here are just a few examples by popular YouTube artists:

SeaSaltShrimp:


                                                                                                                                                                 
Mary Doodles:



                                                                   
Vivziepop:

Animation: a History

"Animation refers to the creation of a sequence of images—drawn, painted, or produced by other artistic methods—that change over time to portray the illusion of motion."
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Zeotrope:
Invented by William Geroge Horner in 1834.
Injected movement into the still image by creating a succession of still onto a round base and, thanks to the fast spinning motion, induced movement, or rather, animation.
The zeotrope allowed a multiple audience.

 

Contemporary zeotropes can be found at Pixars Studios and Studio Ghibli:

Rotoscope:
Invented by Max Fleicher in 1915.
it was a device used to trace live action

 

It was complicated to use due to the speed of the capture; it was also hard to draw smooth and life-like movements.

Research:

Cell Animation:

Invented in 1915.

It was easier to produce with more stable results; fluid animation.

Research: