Blog 8B

SUPERHEROES!

I will post my superhero/villain thing here shortly.

Critiques!

Critique #1:

http://cinemareel.blogspot.com/2011/02/super-things.html

Alright, so we have Icarus and Shadow Puppet. I really like this hero/villain combination. I like that you can immediately decipher between the hero and the villain upon first glance at this duo. This has a lot to do with the lighting of the hero and the villain. The drawing of Icarus, the hero, has no shadows at all. This helps paint the picture that he is trustworthy, and "not shady." There is nothing left to the imagination; it is all laid out on the table, giving us a sense of safety and comfort as we look at him. The yellow of Icarus creates a happy mood. His superpowers involve emitting light, which could be symbolism. He is "shedding light" on the world. Lightness is often representative of ease and joy.

Then we have Shadow puppet. Shadow puppet's entire being is a contrast to Icarus. The lighting of the drawing of Shadow Puppet is entirely different. Where Icarus was completely lit and had no shadows, Shadow Puppet is entirely formed from shadows. The entire drawing is dark and dreary, and the villain's form  is ambiguous. This creates a feeling of tension, because we aren't sure exactly what he is, and therefore aren't sure exactly what he is capable of. The night scene may be symbolic of fear and discomfort, as well as the use of the colors dark purple and black. I liked that the two drawings were done in opposite colors, purple and yellow. This may be symbolic of the fact that they stand on "opposite sides" of justice, or something like that.

Critique #2:
http://mdiaessentialsstudentpov.blogspot.com/2011/02/characters.html

There we have Spark and Hotspot. The main difference between these 2 characters is their coloring. First we have Spark, who was drawn entirely of hues of black white and gray. There is very little brightness; the brightest parts of the drawing coming from the lights in the windows of the building behind him, the lightning coming from the sky, and the cloud and lightning on the chest of his super-suit. He is in a very intimidating position with his hand in the air. This is didactically telling us that he is dangerous, and that we should be afraid.

Hotspot is very different from Spark. He is very brightly colored in highly saturated warm hues of red yellow and orange. The brightness of his costume contrasts against the gray background, as well as against the costume of his rival Spark. I really like the coloring and shading used to create Hotspot. I love the combination of red, orange, and yellow, and think that it aids in making him look powerful. Then again it is hard to not look powerful with fireballs sparking out of your hands. I like that the characters are so different from one another, and yet there is an affinity within their superpowers. Both the hero and the villain have powers that have to do with light. One uses lightning, and the other uses fire. Since their powers are so similar, it makes it make sense that they would be rivals. They appear to be equally powerful, but in different ways. This makes me believe that they are pretty equally matched, and wonder who would win in a fight. This makes it more interesting for the viewer, because it creates a sense of uneasiness.

Critique #3:
http://miss-es-place.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-8b-herovillain-animations.html

So my last critique is on the hero/villain combo of Brandi il Mondo and Hipster Man. I really like both of these characters a lot. Both of them have a very specific style that makes them very different from one another.

The animation of Brandi il Mondo is amazing. First of all, I love the music used in the background. I think that it is perfect, because it is sort of acrobat-like music (if that is even a category of music?) but it also has this undertone of mischief, helping build up the idea that she is the villain. I think the animation wonderfully demonstrates the way in which she might interact with the real world if she had the ability to do so. The idea of weight is played with a lot, especially at the very start of the video. The villain swings around a pole, and you get the sense of her weight by the use of momentum, in that it takes her a few wind-ups to finally get around. Parallel movements between the character and the camera help create a very exciting vibe as the camera zooms in right as she starts to flip. The use of overlapping movements helps make her seem more real, as her arms and legs move at the same time. Again the idea of weight is played with as she flips, because you can tell that she is light and acrobatic, but is not weightless as she lands. I love how all of Brandi's movements are exaggerated, to make her seem like a superhero, and not just an absurdly strong woman.

Then we have the animation of Hipster Man, which I also absolutely love. I think that it is very funny and relevant. I again like the music used in the background. It is very clever in setting the perfect scene for Hipster Man, because it is clearly something that he would listen to. Hipster Man's movements are perfectly suited for his character, as they are very slow and effortless. Hipster Man is a complete contrast to Brandi in many ways, but particularly in the way he moves. Brandi moves like she is on speed, always flipping around and acrobatting (not a word) her way through the world. Hipster Man, however, moves in very small increments at a time. He just sort of bops along, waiting for something to happen, and pondering. When Hipster Man walks, there are parallel movements between his arms and his legs, making it realistic. Hipster Man appears to be a lot heavier than Brandi, possibly symbolic of the fact that he is "deeper" and is metaphorically "carrying more weight" as he is suppose to be these pseudo-intellectual. Upon looking at Hipster Man's green outfit, and relaxed gate, the viewer subconsciously feels relaxed, where as the viewer may feel a lot more stressed out upon looking at Brandi, again reinforcing their particular roles of hero and villain.