Comic Transitions: Maus

The six types of comic transitions as explained by Scott McCloud (pg.74) in Understanding Comics are...

1. Moment to Moment

2. Action to Action

3. Subject to Subject

4. Scene to Scene

5. Aspect to Aspect

6. Non Sequitur

In Maus, Art Spiegelman uses moment to moment transition when Vladek is recalling how his father would put him on a diet so that he would appear unhealthy for his army medical examination. (pg.46) Showing his father preventing him from eating so much at the table and then how hungry and exhausted Vladek was and then him being examined by the doctor. 

Use of aspect to aspect with map of Poland to give the reader a better understanding of what Vladak is experiencing as he's recalling memories of traveling during the war. (pg.60)

Spiegelman uses scene to scene transitions each time Vladek begins a story about his past or recalls something about the war. Like when Artie and Vladek are sitting at the table while he is counting all of his pills and medications and he starts to talk about Artie's mother, Mala and then goes into the story about her communist 'boyfriend' before she married him. We shift not only scenes but time periods as well as Vladak tells his story and paints a picture for Artie and us readers. (pg.26-27)

I feel as though Spiegelman uses mostly moment to moment transitions in Maus not only in the memory sequences that Vladek is telling his son Artie about but also in the present day dialogue between characters and their interaction. But scene to scene transitions also are required to tell the story in both present day and past time periods. Each time Vladek recalls his past or starts to tell Artie a new story we as readers must "travel back in time" as Vladek tells the story, changing scenes. 

Color & Motion Graphics

This Starbucks commercial had what I thought was good use of color within a motion graphic video. I've always loved Starbucks' advertising campaigns and the videos they create to go along wit each of them. What I find particularly interesting though, is that very few of their videos feature actual people in them. I believe Starbucks utilizes motion graphics and creates modern and inspiring videos that motivate their audiences and effectively convey their message to the masses. 

In this video there is a reoccurring rainbow color scheme. But it's also done in a somewhat muted color palate, which I think makes the shapes and powerful imagery less threatening and helps create a positive feeling about their message. 

Maus & Understanding Comics

So far in my reading of Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman, I have come across a few concepts that are presented in the first few chapters of our other reading, Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud. What McCloud has done is create an entertaining way of not only teaching his readers about what comics really are, but he does it in a clever way which makes it all the more enlightening. 

By producing just what he's talking about you get a feel for his sense of humor as well as his expertise on comics and communication in somewhat unconventional forms. I first started off reading Understanding of Comics: The Invisible Art, in order to give myself a bit of background and to have in mind a few concepts to look for when I began reading Maus. One of the more apparent concepts I found was in chapter two The Vocabulary of Comics where McCloud discusses how text is a type of icon that we recognize, and it can be used to enhance the meaning of a comic. In Maus, the story is told mostly through the dialogue and conversations between characters with added narration which helps the reader to get a sense of context within each scene. 

Take the scene from page 12 of Maus, the son is trying to convince his father to tell him more about his life and experiences during the war in order to write a book and tell his father's story. The use of narrative in square text boxes versus the conversation in speech bubbles is a contrast that I found helped guide me through story. In my mind I unconsciously read the narration in a different way, as though it had it's own voice (like in a movie). The text throughout the comic also stands to tell us more about the story. The font alone conveys hand-writing, as though the son is writing the entire story down frame by frame of his father's memory. The close up shot framing the son between the father's arms while bringing attention to the numbers on his arm from the war also serve as a type of icon and give meaning without any words. Also, the round frame moves us into the father's memory as he's recalling events from years ago with text in square boxes to narrate this transition. 

After only reading the first few chapters of both of these works, I can already start to get a sense for how complex comics really are and I have a new found appreciation to what goes into these works of art. It's much more than just drawings and speech bubbles, the concepts these writers and artists seek to create in order for us to have an entertaining experience is amazing. 

Design Elements: Starbucks

For this assignment I looked specifically at Starbucks commercials and YouTube videos. I noticed that there is consistent branding throughout all of there advertisements in color scheme as well as similar background textures. The main video I'm going to focus on for it's use of motion graphics, however, is their 2010 advertisement about fair trade coffee.

The use of stick figure-like coffee cup images allows for a simple easy to view graphic that you follow throughout the video. These Starbucks cups are used to show relationships between topics as well as representing individuals and the numbers of people that this issue affects. There are lines in the beginning of the video linking two cups together with the text "have you heard?" meant to represent old fashioned tin cans and string used by children to play telephone. Lines are also present in the way the text is positioned. Stacking of the cups to not only represent individuals but also to serve as lines to lead your eye from one frame to the next help the viewer remain engaged and follow the relationship between issues. The selection of the upbeat, whistling music also serves to create a positive mood while addressing somewhat serious political issues. The background textures and images change during the video, but help to convey their message. For instance, when Starbucks talking about making choices and choosing to purchase fair trade coffee, the background looks almost like math symbols, which for me brought to mind weighing the pros and cons of a situation and calculating the right choice.

For a look at more Starbucks advertisement videos see links below.
Cafe Estima Blend
Are You In? 
Vote
Green Coffee Extract

Baking Beginners

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aspiringmike/2969277593/sizes/m/in/photostream/

One of my many interests and hobbies in life is baking. It is something that I have loved doing since before I can even remember. Spending time with my grandmother in the kitchen as a child making cakes, cookies, and various experimental creations (some of which turned out edible) are my fondest memories. Now while I in no way consider myself to be an expert in the realm of baking, I do enjoy it quite a bit and I believe it is a way for generations to bond through creating and, most importantly, enjoying these sweet treats.

One day I hoped to be as blessed with talent as my grandmother is in the kitchen; making all sorts of elaborate cookies and fruit pies from scratch. But, I have at least found a few ways to somewhat live up to her expectations, by cutting some corners and using store bought ingredients. I realize that not all of us are Top Chefs and some may view the kitchen as a foreign place, this is why I have decided to choose baking as my topic for the semester. As college students and young adults, learning how to not only cook but to bake is a useful skill that I think everyone should have. I plan on putting together simple, beginner level recipes that just about anyone can master, as well as some useful tips for new cooks in the kitchen. 

Copyright

I believe that current copyright laws protect media producers while also encouraging freedom of the press and other individuals to continue to create content for our consumption. We talked in class about how we are now becoming more of a content consuming society rather than one that creates such content. But to create content, we must first be inspired by what we see and experience. Therefore, in order to keep those lines of communication open and enable the exchange of new ideas and theories, we must carefully examine copyright and its protections and limitations.

For instance, making a book or thesis paper available to the masses online for no charge is a way to get the content into hands of others to promote discussion and further development of ideas. But nowhere in that instance is the content not subject to copyright law. My point being, that copyrights protect these creators, inventors, philosophers, etc. And without such protection and ability for these creators to protect their work as well as profit from it, it stops the cycle of production and inspiration.

Current copyright laws enable creators to profit from their original ideas and ensure that their work is protected. In my opinion, this very rarely limits other creators from producing original works themselves.  

Critical Thinking & New Technology

After reading the Critical Thinking & New Technology document, I believe that the Communications Department at Shepherd University is successfully trying to incorporate our every day usage of a variety of technologies into the classroom. From marketing and advertising to graphic design and video and radio production, Shepherd has always covered the basics, but now more than ever I think that teaching website building skills and how to blog and use other forms of social media like LinkedIn and Twitter to network is also a big part of our curriculum. Critical Thinking is also expected of all students, especially those of us who are communication majors. I have seen this through the assignment of projects, which incorporate the use of new technologies like sound editing and web design as well as blogging that all comm students are required to do in almost all classes throughout the department. Even the newly added class rooms and offices at our own university are yet another reminder that the world of communications is always advancing and quickly growing, resulting in constant and new advancements in the classroom to prepare us and keep up with this competitive job market.