Week 2

VIDEO: HOW ART MADE THE WORLD...ONCE UPON A TIME

http://www.downturk.info/B/Bbc+How+Art+Made+The+World.html

Film, a series of images that tell a story, where did it originate from? 


Seven billion people pay to go to the cinemas to watch a string of pictures that is separate from reality. A good film engages the viewer and captivates our emotions. Ancient ancestors tried to tell stories and make them come alive. This film investigates history of a 'story' and where the modern film makers got the basis for a fascinating film.


First ever recorded story was found by a British excavator Austen Henry Layard, who found 25000 broken clay tablets that were thought to be court records but established it was a story. Stories from the past revealed a typical 'hero' that we know so well these days. This universal 'hero' concept has been tracked throughout history. Such as the story from Budac, Southern Iraq where a hero, King Banesh fought and concurred a series of battles. This story is varied but throughout many cultures. Many people were unable to read so a King decided to show the story in images (carved onto walls/with him as the hero), originally painted in bright colours in his thrown room. Therefore everyone was able to experience the story, although today the graphics aren't of much interest to us, it fails to engage emotions form the viewer. 

http://www.superstock.com/stock-photos-images/442-2572

The foundations were laid out for modern directors; the ancient stories developed a universal 'hero' that people could relate to; the tales got more complex with a beginning, middle, end and also a subplot; the Greeks enhanced the experience further with real life sculptures in caves of characters from their myths; being able to identify with the characters is essential to a good story. Finally 100 years after the Birth of Christ, story tellers joined plot and 'hero' to emotions. This is the Trajan Column which is 35metres high and has a story carved into the sides, the story spirals around 23 times and anticipated film techniques like dividing scenes and birds eye view. 

http://www.the-romans.co.uk/sculpture.htm

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/katiephelps/1/1244779200/trajan-column-cast.jpg/tpod.html

THE NARRATIVE IN VISUAL COMMUNICATION
     - Materiality
     - Connotation
     - Denotation

MIND MAP

TWO METHODS OF STUDYING VISUAL COMMUNICATION
     Process theory:
                                  - Information source -> client, designer
                                  - Transmitter -> design
                                  - Receiver -> magazine
                                  - Destination -> reader
     Semiotics theory:
                                  - Linguistic model -> deciphering meaning
                                  - Denoted
                                  - Connoted
                                  - Signs and Symbols

MIND MAP

LINGUISTICS

      - views communication as the production of meaning and suggests that one message is going to mean different things to different people depending on different factors.

      - it focuses on the reciever and the social, political and economic environment in which they live.

      - this theoretical approach to design applies not only to graphic design but fashion designers, product designers, illustrators, architects, etc.

RECORDING VISUAL MESSAGES

Adding one symbol to another will paint a message for the viewer.

CLASS NOTES

CULTURE AS GOODS OR AS TOOLS

The values of any culture are incorporated into the sign systems we use.

HOMEWORK: Meaning of Paradigm

       - a typical example or pattern of something: a model

      - a set of linguistic items that form mutually exclusive choices in particular syntactic roles.

      - Thesaurus - model, pattern, example, exemplar, template, standard, prototype, archetype.