Gaming Narrative

This week we were assigned to read the video game novel, You, by Austin Grossman. I found that the way the author jumped around on the timeline was one of the more interesting ways I’ve seen it done. As the reader, we weren’t told when we were going back or forward in time, but had to infer by which video game the main character, Russell, was playing. This got somewhat confusing for me as I’m not a huge gaming person. Another consequence to me not being a gamer was the long, sometimes unnecessary explanations of the more technological aspects of a games creation.

Nowadays I do believe that games are becoming more and more cinematic. For example, I’m currently watching a video game that recently came out called Beyond: Two Souls. In order to create this game they used motion capture, so everything from the people to their environments are extremely realistic.  Even the main characters in the film are well-known Hollywood actors (Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page). The gameplay itself isn’t demanding, you only have to click specific buttons when it tells you to, making it feel more like you’re watching a movie with slight interaction. For this game specifically, I’m finding the story to be very lacking and done-before, so as a literary experience I don’t think it would hold up.

I am also currently watching a game called The Last of Us, convinced after hearing how great it was. The zombie theme in any form has been overdone in so many ways, but this is a completely fresh take on it, and the writing really tugs at your heartstrings. For example, within the first ten minutes, we’re introduced to the main character and his daughter just as the apocalypse is starting. Shortly after, we see the daughter get mercilessly killed, thought to be infected. We follow the main character through this whirlwind of near-death experiences with a young teenager he has to take care of, and it’s never a dull moment. If this were made into a book or graphic novel I would definitely read it. However, as a book, it would be impossible to replicate the stunning visual that hundreds of artists worked on. Then again, maybe if it were a book, the individual reader could imagine something far more complex and imaginative that could be brought up on a screen.

Video games and books are very difficult to compare. I think this is because when you’re experiencing them you’re holding them to different standards. For example, when you play a video game, you’re most likely going to judge if it looks pretty, but with a book that’s not something you have to worry about, aside from descriptions for the viewer. Sometimes people will play a video game even if the story is terrible, but it looks good and vice versa. This could never happen with a novel because we’re relying on solely whether or not the story holds up. I think both mediums are a good way of communicating a story, it just depends what you’re looking for. 

Wes Anderson's Auteurship

For this week’s assignment, I chose to watch three movies by the director, Wes Anderson. Having seen his film Moonrise Kingdom recently, I was quite intrigued by his distinct style of auteurship. All of his movies are extremely aesthetically pleasing, from the sets to the costume designs, which is part of the reason that they’re so fun to watch. He has a keen eye for complimentary colors, and using them to emphasize the parts of the scenes that are important. For example, in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the main characters trademark look is that of a bright orange hat. This seems like a simple costume choice, however he carefully plans all of the backgrounds to be colorful blues and teals, making Zissou even more noticeable and the shot appealing to the eye.

            Another aspect of Anderson’s films that I picked up on that makes them so unique is the storybook feel to his movies. For example, in the beginning of Moonrise Kingdom, the camera pans through the Bishop household, almost as if we are looking at it like we would a doll house. He takes this even farther as the camera then zooms out, showing the rest of the house and making it look very small, as the title sequence plays. Anderson also likes to use camera shots that are very centered, and symmetrical. When he does this, it feels as through I’m opening a children’s book, and I’m filled with child-like wonder. 

            One of my favorite films he’s done has been Fantastic Mr. Fox. As a stop-motion film it’s absolutely incredible, because all of the characters are so unique, and flawed in their own way. Again, in his style, the color palette was very appealing, with lots of orange hues, giving it a very rustic feel, enhancing the story. When you think of today’s animation you think of something smooth, and moves easily, but Anderson took a different route, making the characters a little rough in their movements. In this film, he also panned out, for example when the rodents were digging deeper, to make it look like a doll-house, or we were reading a picture book.

            When you go to the movies to see a Wes Anderson film, you can almost always expect to see some of the same actors, such as Bill Murray or Owen Wilson. I enjoy both actors, and it’s always a good time to see how they handle all of Anderson’s different characters, because they’re usually so strikingly different from one movie to the next.

            Overall I enjoy watching Wes Anderson’s films, and I really appreciate how much care he puts into every aspect of his projects, and look forward to seeing more in the future.

Ghost World Scene

Seymour - Garrett Bouslough

Rebecca - Megan Fisher

*Special thanks to Harrison Stagner for Shooting and Editing!*

Howl - My Generation

Trying to define my generation in only a few works would be very difficult, as it would be for any generation.  My generation, even as babies, has never been in a world without technology. Although they were very simple and much more primitive than they are today, we are the generation where televisions, computers, and mp3 players have always constantly been being upgraded, bringing us into this digital age that we are in now. Because we grew up with this technology around us, and it grew with us, we are accustomed to it, and find it very easy to navigate. Even as a child I remember using the computer to play games on Nickelodeon’s website, based on my favorite shows. Now a days, this is still available to kids, only much faster and in higher definition, meaning the newer generations of children will have even less trouble navigating new technologies than we did. Our generation is different in the way that today, we aren’t as influenced by songs or music as previous generations were, but more so by these technologies.

Since we grew up surrounded by these technologies, there has never been a reason for us to stop. I believe that as a result from using these devices for all of our lives, it has shaped our generation. One way it has molded us is that we are clearly a generation of consumers. Growing up, there were always advertisements for super soakers or stuffed animals on commercials in between my cartoons, and if I wanted to buy them I’d have to beg my parents to take me to a toy store and buy it for me. But now, from canvases to clothes, I have it all at the tip of my fingers. Online shopping is fast, quick, and I don’t even need to leave my room. Because we are used to this privilege, the act of going to a mall and searching through endless piles of clothes is unappealing to most.

If you were to walk down a busy street in Manhattan on a Saturday afternoon, out of all of the people you pass by, over half of them would have their eyes glued to their smartphones. As we grew up, cell phones steadily became more advanced, and as they did, so did its users. Because these phones make it possible to do so many things at once, we have become accustomed to being the generation of multi-taskers. We could be on the phone with someone, whilst looking up reviews to a new movie that just came out. Our minds are always in many different places at once, and the way we use our phones is directly correlated to that. So those people you passed in Manhattan that look like they’re just texting or calling, are probably doing three things at once. However, even though our generation is talented in the aspect of multi-tasking, it isn’t always a good thing. I’m slowly beginning to realize how hard it is for me to put my phone down, and just relax for a minute. I always feel like I need to be doing something, or stimulating my brain somehow. There are so many things I could be browsing on the web, for example, checking my art blog, checking facebook, or checking my email, etc. that I find it difficult to put down my constant flowing source of information and friends, and just be bored for a little while. Because we have these entertainment devices on us most of the time, and we’re used to having them on us, that when we don’t, we as a generation get bored very easily. We’re accustomed to flashy video games, and tv shows that when something feels out of place, we aren’t entertained by it.

Another interesting affect technology has impacted our lives, is social media. In my opinion, social media has one of the biggest effects on our generation and how we have come to be. As a freshman in high school I was first introduced to facebook, and continue to use it to this day. Sometimes I don’t even know why I check it, because I’m not all that interested to see what people I knew years ago are doing on their Tuesday afternoon. These sites have become so popular among our generations, and the ones around ours. I’ve seen children as young as ten are exposed to this type of social contact. We live in a world now where people share even the tiniest pieces of information, and we can constantly be updated with what our favorite celebrities are up to. We are not a private generation; in fact, we’re probably the opposite. Social media breaks boundaries with privacy, and gives users the opportunity to be open about their lives, without saying a word to an actual human being. We are willing to share to the Internet everything we’ve done in a day, even if nobody’s listening. The newer generations on these sites are becoming desensitized to everything much quicker, because everything is so out in the open for them to find out now, which can be pretty scary.

            As for works that describe our generation, there is only one I can think of, and that being the Harry Potter series. Growing up, this series meant a lot to me. My mother would read a couple chapters to my sisters and me before we went to bed each night, because we were too young to read such a long book. We grew up with Harry Potter, and the movies, as well as with the actors that casted them. They’re such a popular series that I think nearly everyone in our generation read and adored them. Not that this book was a ground-breaking piece of literature that stood up for our beliefs as a generation, it was more of a comfort, Harry was almost like a friend, and I always loved listening, and reading to what he would do as he went through his years at Hogwarts. 

          The Medium is the Massage

Continued Page

Girl in Landscape

            Going into reading Girl in Landscape, I had never heard anything about it, or even knew was it was about. Right away, we are submerged into the story, with Pella’s mom, Caitlin, giving us all of the background information we needed to know before sending us on our way in this strange novel through space. I assume the author did not want to spoon feed us information the entire way through the novel, and shortly into the book after setting up the basic premise, Caitlin suddenly passes from a stroke. This was an interesting choice, because right after this traumatic event, Pella’s family is still sent to the far away ‘Planet of the Archbuilders’, a planet that Caitlin was excited to set up home in. However, from a story telling standpoint it makes sense, because now as readers we know just as much about this mysterious planet as the main characters do.  From this point on we have no idea what is right or wrong, and become observers just like Pella. Using this technique, the author really puts the reader into Pella’s shoes, as a confused and uncomfortable newcomer.

            Lethem manages to make us feel uncomfortable throughout the story, because we are on a completely unfamiliar and strange planet, where there aren’t any real rules or leaders. A big example of how I felt uncomfortable in this story was how Pella, only thirteen, was seen as much older, and asked if she was her father’s new wife. Because this new town only had about twenty people in it, there were very few females, so this could very well have been a normal accusation for a citizen that has lived there longer. Another similar example I read was when Pella found her father with another woman. As basic human instinct, we find mates or lovers, and because her father lost his, he was able to find another rather quickly on this new planet, only choosing from a very small variety. 

Although this story is set in the future, the author still has to connect with the reader and his present day thoughts, and he does so in several different ways. Lethem adds real- life places, such as Brooklyn and Coney Island, but describes how much they’ve changed over time. This brings a certain nostalgia to the reader, as most everyone can relate to their favorite childhood escape losing its charm and becoming decrepit as they grow older.  Lethem also brings real-world problems into future-Earth. For example, the reason that Pella and her family are moving is because Earth is becoming unlivable due to climate change. Right now climate change is a big issue for our planet, and we don’t see the big picture enough to realize that it’s slowly destroying Earth, and could make it unlivable one day. Because we are only on Earth for one or two chapters, we don’t get much more information, but Lethem gives us enough for us to realize what is slowly becoming of it.

Nothing More than Murder, A Radio Play

http://megan-rehsif.tumblr.com/post/61315996314

Slapstick, Comics, Film, and Dance - Mickey Mouse Adventures

Far different from reading a book or watching a movie, the act of reading a comic strip is an experience in itself. When watching a movie, it’s spelled out for you on the screen how a scene will play out along with all of the mannerisms of its characters, and in a book, you’re giving almost free rain to determine how or what the characters and scenes look like. As for reading a comic strip, it’s somewhere between the two.  An artist has already depicted the scene and the author the story, but it’s up to the reader to imagine the little things such as voices, sounds, and colors, or what happens between the panels.

            The author and artist are able to bring their strip even more to life by using sound words, or ridiculous words made up in order to heighten the experience for the reader. For example, on page 34 of “Mickey Mouse’s Race to Death Valley”, Pete and Shyster are making their getaway when their tire pops. A “BANG” is written in all caps next to the deflating tire with smoke and dirt flying around. In this particular scene, it probably would have been enough for the artist to leave the image with Pete and Shyster looking shocked and confused with the tire popping. However, I do feel that by adding the onomatopoeia makes it much more dramatic, and brings the reader into the story, as if they themselves were hearing the bang as well.

            Not only is this aspect true for all of the onomatopoeias in the story, but I believe that if you were to take away most of the word bubbles, the reader would still have a good hold on what is happening in the story. For the most part, the speech bubbles that the characters fill are just obvious statements to reinforce what the audience might not have gotten in the panel, or the characters making witty statements to themselves to entertain the audience. Because these strips were supposed to appeal to all ages, I think it enhances the story. These witty statements that the characters make give them personality, and make it appealing for everyone. For example, throughout the strip, Mickey is constantly saying the phrase "durn it". Everyone usually has something they say when they're in a pickle, and knowing Mickey does too makes him more relatable as a character, because we get to know him a little better. In my opinion, without the type in these comic strips the characters would seem very flat, and even though they do a lot of outrageous actions, their dialect is part of what makes them special and brings them to life for all readers.