Interpretation: How do illustrators amplify the ‘meaning’ within a message?

I have chosen to compare two pieces on the famous story of Cinderella, one being the 1950’s Disney film and the other is a GHD advert 2010. The Disney film has been made specifically for children and so has a very light hearted approach to the original fairy tale, it has also been made in a certain way which is very distinctive of the 50s where colour had only really just started being used widely, it is also post war and so it has been made light hearted in that respect also.

In comparison the new advert in time for Christmas 2010 for GHD shows a new interpretation of Cinderella, it shows her changing her iconic glass slippers for biker boots as she is running away with a ‘man dressed in leather’, this is a very modern take on the romantic story and has given it a darker edge to it, which gets rid of any interpretations people had had after seeing the 1950’s film as a child. This

advert is being directed towards teens and younger woman as it is

trying to appeal to the ‘rebellion’ stage of each teenager’s life.

These are only two examples on the extremely different variations on the classic fairytale that is recognised worldwide by so many people.

Delivery: what are the platforms that illustrators use to affect the communication?

I have chosen to look at window displays and how effective they are. In particular I am focusing on a Harrods window display that was promoting The Wizard of Oz 70^th anniversary; it had been made into almost a piece of theatre or art. As you can see a large replica of the wicked witch’s feet were made and placed out of the building as if the building had squashed her, much like the film. This was absolutely huge and so was a spectacle itself; however the theme had been carried right through the entire window displays even to the extent that the building had been lined with green lights. This kind of window display automatically catches absolutely anyone’s eye as it is so over the top and the effort that had been put into it is stunning.

Incorporating things such as toys and the shops fashion, even gadgets helps this to draw a large number of people in from various ages and interests. High earning retail shops are always able to create exquisite window displays such as Liberty’s and Selfridges as so much money and skill gets put into the putting together of the displays, this helps to appeal to the upper classes.

This shows how knowledge of your target audience and an idea can really develop into something amazing.

Draw. Work by hand.

Drawing is vital to express your thoughts and ideas. Where writing your ideas may help yet visualising them lets your mind free and it becomes almost like automatic drawing as your arm and hand becomes a tool. Being conscious of what you draw limits your ideas and doesn’t let your mind really explore to its full potential, this is why it is so important to relax and not think about what you should be drawing but just enjoy your ideas.

I am looking at Da Vinci’s famous collection of sketches. The one I have chosen for this particular piece shows the process of ideas, starting with a quick sketch to create the basic outline moving right up to a full sketch of the horse. He has also explored the facial expression of the horse thoroughly, and so you can see the development of the idea through drawing and exploring.

Your RVJ is a good way of expressing your ideas and exploring them, it sort of becomes a ‘visual organiser’, along with notes it can help you explore each aspect of your thoughts.

Utilise your creative brain.

Your brain its set into two separate halves, the right side being the creative side and the left is the organiser and the thinker. Understanding how these two halves work and their particular uses is extremely useful as it helps to pick and choose ideas and compositions that may or may not work.

I have chosen to look at this piece of work because it shows the process of both halves of the brain, for example the right side is the drawing which is playful and colour, key signs of the creative right brain. Whereas the left side of the brain which is organising, is shown through the notes alongside the picture, questioning each part which will then go onto to develop the idea even more. This links to ‘cyclic processes’ where you constantly switch between the two to keep developing an idea over and over until it is perfect.

Story development: The three act structure.

I have chosen to explore ‘Paranormal Activity 2’, a film I recently watched at the cinema. You can see a three act sequence in nearly every single movie and program. However when watching the program or film you hardly notice the setup, as it is the norm, but once you start to pick away you can clearly point out the various parts, this being the Beginnin, Middle and End or Establish, Crisis, Resolve.

Paranormal Activity 2 starts in a state of equilibrium, where a new baby named Hunter has just been born into the family. The family made up of father, Daniel, wife to Daniel and step mother to his daughter, Kristie and Daniels daughter Ali. However the equilibrium starts to break as the maid, Martine claims there are bad spirits in the house and is eventually made to leave by Daniel. From this point strange things start to become more and more frequent, for example where it had started with pans in the kitchen falling in the night, to the strange death of the dog and cupboards exploding open spontaneously all at the same time. However Daniel is determined not to believe anything strange is happening although the rest of the family is being heavily affected. This is what we call the crisis or the middle.

The resolution in this film is not a particularly happy one. The demon has been transferred to Kristie’s sister, Katie. However Katie becomes possessed and comes to take the baby and kills the family. This may not be your usual ‘resolution’ but the crisis the family were going through is finally over however it has now been moved over to another family.

Story Development: The Hero’s Journey

I am carrying on with looking at Paranormal Activity 2. However there is not a very clear ‘Hero’s Journey’ yet I have found elements that link to Campbell’s monomyth stages. For example I would call Ali the daughter the ‘Hero’ as she is trying to find the route to the problem. ‘Two Worlds’ could be the human world the family are living in vs. the world which the demon is coming from or Hell.

‘The Mentor’ I feel would be the research on the internet that Ali does to find out more about the strange happenings and what might be causing it, and so it is mentoring her, making her wiser and learning more. ‘The Oracle’ would be Martine the maid, as she had felt bad spirits and almost foretold what may happen to the family. She also could be some kind of mentor as she tries to help the family with her knowledge and faith. ‘The Prophecy’ is the first born male to be taken by the demon.

As you can see you can always find some elements of monomyths in any story no matter how old or new it is.