The images for the story called Friday Afternoon Ambience were created to capture some of the excitement and emotion of action research. Images created with a specific didactic intention often take the form of what is commonly called black line masters.
The reason for the simplicity of these images is so that
- the message is kept simple
- they are easy to "read"
- they can double as colouring pages
- to introduce fun into the serious educational matter at hand
Keeping the Message of Didactic Cartooning Simple
The trick with digital imagery is to keep the picture simple and focused. In this example the picture was drawn to illustrate the concept of thinking or class room discussion. The blackboard backdrop has been left blank so that teachers can write the word they would like to "unpack" into the space provided.
Keeping Cartoon Images Easy to Read
There is only one possible message to be interpreted from the cartoon. The teacher has introduced a topic and there is a high degree of enthusiastic participation. The picture could also be used as a colouring page or a sheet where the image is centred so that the student can take notes on it.
This cartoon says a little more. It illustrates the complexities of the reasoning process in a very simple way. The words on the board and the puzzled look on the faces of the mice in the audience as well as the question marks dotted about the picture plane indicate that there is a great deal of mental action taking place.
Using Cartoons the Ensure Didactic Literature is Fun
Action research is not a "fun" topic, and learning how to do it can be quite heavy going. By using cartoons to illustrate points of contention, the serious tone of the learning episode has been lifted. In the story Friday Afternoon Ambience, parents have been invited into the action research process and have suddenly become aware of what they think is a major problem.
In this cartoon there are four main sources of information
- the board to which the facilitator is pointing
- the facilitator
- the mother mouse who looks stunned and puzzled
- the father mouse who looks angry
There are at least some other sources of information
- movement marks
- words
- questions marks
- tails wagging
- finger pointing
- proximity of main players
- distance of facilitator (foreshortening and diminishing)proximity of main players
- even the clothing of the protagonist suggests position
Using Directional Lines to Convey Information
In example three, there is a circle formed by the way the hands and arms of the mice in the foreground are positioned. This circle has mirrored the circularity of the argument, which engages the correspondents in the research process. Direction of gaze and the force of the flow suggest that the father mouse is within the context of this frame the one who is holding the floor in the conversation. The docile pose of the facilitator suggest that he has stepped back from the conversation for at least a while. The mother looks bewildered.
In this picture, the protagonist or facilitator is attempting to input data into a resistant field. Clearly the focal point is a stack of diaries, and a neatly laid out row of pencils. The main idea portrayed to the viewer of the cartoon is that there is a very organised impetuous for activity in front of participants.
Some turn away questioningly. Others look to each other for what is described by Stielstra in PyroMarketing as 'social proof.'
The facilitator is a little docile, but insistent. The action marks are clearly about what the actors on this social stage are "thinking."
There is a lot of implied movement but
- the main idea is still central
- the other ideas contained within the frame flow around
- there is circular motion framing the main idea
Overlapping Causes Confusion in Cartooning
On page 144, of Animation Unleashed, Beven talks about overlapping in cartooning and how placing one image in front of another can cause complexity. Complexity in cartooning can cause confusion for the interpreter of the cartoon. (Link)
The opening cartoon, for the slide show called Friday Afternoon Ambience has intentionally been left rough and ready. In the periphery of the frame, the figures are somewhat in the dark. Dow on the left hand side of the frame, a rough edge to the cartoon has been left to indicate a readiness to "turn the page." I is as though we are taking a peek at something we shouldn't be seeing.
There is an aura of sloppiness, and haphazard confusion. If the reader (and indeed a principle who suddenly walked in) asked "What are these students doing?" it would be hard to give a clear succinct answer. This is not only because they are obviously doing what ever they want. It is also because the cartoonist has overlapped figures and it requires much more of an effort on the part of the viewer to decipher what is really going on.
The way that the frame is dimly lit focuses on the confusion of the teacher and places the behaviour of the students comfortably in the darker outer area. This is still a very basic black and white cartoon but there are subtle movements towards complexity that provide the discerning interpreter cues about "what is going on."
Now that we have looked at these images out of sequence, try reading the Power Point called Friday Afternoon Ambience and see if the written story reads in a way predicted.
Resources:
- Besen,E. & Hallett,B. Animation Unleashed. 100 Principles Every Animator, Comic Book Writer, Film Maker, Video Artist and Game developer Should Know. McNaughton & Gunn. Michigan. 2008
- Murphy,J. Friday Afternoon Ambience. Bright Hub. 2010.
- Staging Action in Animation The Silhouette Used as a Device to Check Maximum Impact per Frame
- Stielstra,G. Pyromarketing. 2005 (last accessed 2011)
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