To start today's lecture, we completed a quiz on Disney films, video games, and Tv based questions. There is a lot of underlined subjects that we aren't all aware of when watching animation. We looked at how animation effects us and the theories used to describe it like, theories of play:
- Theories of play: Child Development theories: Started in the 50's. Sigmund Freud focussed on abnormal behaviour, children beyond the norm with delayed ability B.F. Skinner looked at the idea of children's behaviour, determined by its consequences which make it likely that the behaviour would occur again. Thats where we built our understanding. More concerned on the brain.
- Social Development theories: Bowlby - Attachment Theory' Looking at parents and their relationships with their children. Bandura - 'Social Learning Theory' observing and taking on behaviours which reinforces satisfaction in others. Piaget - 'Stages of cognition' mental processing and recognising how children got some understanding to become active learners, they are naturally curious and driven to learn new things for themselves by doing new things. Lev Vygotsky - Sociocultural Theory' looking at imagination, children are unable to do certain things adolescents can e.g. riding a horse. Therefore when children grow older their imagination starts to change and become different. Children can't do things like ride a bike, or fire a gun. They have to rely on imagination. Growing up provides you with the ability to do more things.
Culture and emotion:
- 'Popular culture is a category which floats ambiguously between the anthropological and the aesthetic' - The idea of culture (Terry Eagleton Oxford Prof)
- Goleman 'Emotional Intelligence' - HAPPINESS is a universal positive core emotion
- Kobayashi & Hará ' Facial Recognition' - Surprise/Fear/Disgust/Anger/Happiness/Sadness
- McCloud 'Storytelling and Meaning' Meaningful connections and communication through animation and products
Playful politics:
Reflects what is going on in the society, portraying it in a way that lets the audience know they are joking and having fun. It gets an alternative message across. Playfulness defies the existing narrative, it gives people a chance to change their opinion on things, animation allows others to read another message. The entertainment value also has a purpose. An example of this would by The Recession - 'Top Cat' showed the view of homeless people trying to get through life with less money. Transparent, our defences were down. We were more open to changing our attitudes.
Yogi bear - Used to live on safari park. Steal picnics.
Growing helplessness - Cartoons. We could see it was happening in real life.
Sofa satire - Family guy/ Simpsons
Prime time tv animations. Simpsons very slated in the early days. Learn to embrace homer, learn to use the opposite behaviour.
Girl Culture - All things nice, animations such as My little pony, Dora the explorer, Powerpuff girls and Strawberry Shortcake. Develops a half our advertisement to get the girls to things related to the tv programme, purchasing merchandise such as dolls, horses etc.
Authority - South Park: Touches on subjects no one else wants to touch. Looks into serious issues that have not been looked at in America and turns them into bold subjects that continues to pass the messages on through the audience. Very outcutting. Gay marriage etc.
Us & Them Branding - SpongeBob SquarePants and Fairly Odd Parents cater too all needs and make it something that you can watch repeatedly suggesting that there is something in it for our children to understand and causes adults to look deeper into the show to understand it.
