Mudra Iterations Batch #1

These are my first few iterations of my character of choice Mudra for my group CS project. These would be used for either graphic novel or fantasy style (I will redraw the chosen design for graphic novel). I'm leaning towards the shadow / masked ninja for graphic novel and bone samurai warrior for fantasy. 

In the designs I've incorporated a lot of the elements of the land of Chup and the Chupwalas. The belt made to look like a jaw of sharp teeth is reflective of the deity statue in Chup whose teeth are described to be monsterously large. Some designs feature broken teeth which is symbolic of their oath to speak in silence. 

To incorporate Mudra's true character features I have kept all the designs lightweight so that he would be able to engage in his beautiful combat style. I've thought about the environment he lives in too by introducing some furs to keep him warm. I want to reflect that he speaks predominantly in gesticulation so I have tried to add features to emphasize the shape or movement of his hands. I want to really play around and symbolize his rebelliousness and good nature juxtaposed with his dark past in some more symbolic designs. 

The Man who sold the World

I made a flowchart for the presentation content I will be delivering with my partner Jess. 

Something In the Way

Contextual Studies Entry Ticket 4 - 5 Minute Presentation Task; Slides, Notes and Feedback

Trust I seek and I find in you, everyday for us something new

This was my first sketch of Mudra the Shadow Warrior. Heavily influences by Eastern culture including Japanese Samurai, Persian warriors and also Zant from Twilight Princess. As soon as I read about Mudra I pictured him as some creepy ass samurai with a symbolic mask. I've always loved the design of Zant from Twilight Princess and thought that the long sleeves of his robes would fit Mudra so well as a dancing shadow warrior. I also liked how it fit with the idea that Samurais wore baggy clothes so that their ligaments were never exposed to their opponents. In the pauldrons I have sketched a face with large teeth which is supposed to be representative of the giant ice statue in the land of Chup. Across his armor straps  are teeth that I thought could have been torn from Chupwala's mouths. 

Primadonna. Archetypes vs Sterotypes

Archetypes Vs Stereotypes

In true form I decided to take an extremely methodical approach towards the iteration and development process for my character of choice, Mudra. I found an extremely insightful article on fantasy-fiction.com by Aaron Miles about the differentiation between character archetypes and stereotypes and wanted to implement my new found knowledge into a shorter more concise summary of the article and into the development process of Mudra. There is a blurry line drawn between archetype and stereotype when one describes stereotypes as 'a wildly held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing' and compares it to the vague description of archetypes 'a very typical example or a certain person or thing; types that fit fundamental human motifs'.

Miles's article draws a much more clear distinction between the two. The article is aimed at fantasy fiction writers in particular however I can also decipher the main points and implement it into visual character creation. In the most simple form the article suggests to draw away from stereotype territory by adding unconventional details to your character.

'An archetype is a recurring character type that corresponds to a specific purpose in the story'. Miles's elaborates and explains that archetypes could be considered as base models for the further development of a character. This theory relates to Propp's structuralist perspective on character design. Propp disassociates the character's aesthetics to gain a raw meaning and purpose to the character and from doing this he created several archetypes based on what characters do within stories rather than who they are. Propp's main criticisms were that he oversimplified the archetypes, and although Miles's acknowledges that literary critics had studied strenuously the common traits and patterns of archetypes he continues to state that there is great room for variation. 

Miles identifies why falling into the trap of a character stereotype is bad and states that it can make a story feel flat and derivative. Miles also states, 'The author really needs to be familiar with the development of the genre, so they know what to avoid.' which I can see a direct link with the games industry. I think that it is essential to have a background knowledge in current games to gauge what direction games themselves are going in but also any breakthrough character developments or new archetypes. You don't want to be redesigning an existing character after all. Miles suggests, '..try to spend some time making them original and unique'.

Miles encourages the reader to think about the history of the character and to develop characteristics based on the history and 'feel' of your character. This could be compared to Robert McKee's take on true character and characteristics in his book, Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting, "True character is revealed in the choices a human being makes under pressure - the greater the pressure, the deeper the revelation, the truer the choice to the character's essential nature." Miles encourages to add as much back story and interesting features as possible suggesting changing the place of a character in the novel, an interesting mannerism or giving them a serious flaw.  

In conclusion, Miles offers a well thought out and more distinguishable meaning of archetypes and stereotypes. He offers great advice on how to avoid making stereotype characters which can be easily translated into the development of characters for games. Miles implies that adding idiosyncrasies to characters helps to produce more interesting  character archetypes. Since reading this article I have decided to use the basis of my original idea as a small influence that will inform a more dynamic design. I will be incorporating the key ideas within the article when considering more character design choices.

Aaron Mile's Article, 'Archetypes Vs Stererotpes' Here.

Interesting facts:

- The term "archetype" has its origins in ancient Greek. The root words are archein, which means "original or old"; and typos, which means "pattern, model or type". The combined meaning is an "original pattern" of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are derived, copied, modeled, or emulated. 

- (on archetypes) 'something moulded first as a model’

Contextual Studies Entry Ticket 3 - How is Propp's structural analysis relevant to Haroun and the Sea of Stories?

How is Propp's structural analysis relevant to Haroun and the Sea of Stories? 

by Myfanwy Elizabeth Kinder 

Vladimir Propp was a influential Russian literary critic who began his work using syntagmatic methods to analyse folk tales in the 1920s. During the 1920's Propp developed a theory identifying that all folk stories share similarities within the narrative and these could be easily identified when you approach a text from a structuralist perspective. Propp published his influential book 'Morphology of the Folk Tale' in 1928 which received critical acclaim  and influenced many other literary theorists and practitioners. In 'Morphology of a Folk Tale' Propp states, "Both constants and variables are present in the preceding instances. The names of the dramatis personae change (as well as the attributes of each), but neither their actions nor functions change." This suggests that when we disconnect any characteristics from the tale, we are able to see the tale for its sole purpose and structure, enabling us to easily distinguish the key themes and events within the tale and to properly analyse the role of  a character.  In 'Morphology of a Folk Tale' Propp breaks down the tales into single events that direct the narrative. Propp called these events 'narratemes' and proposed a list containing 31 narratemes in an order of occurrence. Whilst Propp states that narratemes are essential for narrative to exist, he also states that they must occur in order however not every tale will include all 31 narratemes.  

To properly understand Propp's 31 narratemes, it is important to acknowledge the list of character roles which he identifies, and recognizes as 'spheres of action' which include the villain, the donor, the helper, the princess, the hero, the dispatcher and the false hero. Propp states "...it is possible to establish that characters of a tale, however varied they may be, often perform the same actions." which further solidifies his belief that it is what the dramatis personae do as opposed to who they are that matters most when considering the narrative structure of a tale.   

In Haroun and the Sea of Stories we can use Propp's structural analysis to identify the roles that characters within the narrative play and additionally how the 31 narratemes are incorporated within the story. The first example of how the narrative of Haroun and the Sea of Stories fits into Propp's structural analysis is at the very beginning of the story the main event is when Haroun's mother leaves the family home. Coincidently, or perhaps not, the very first narrateme in Propp's list is 'a member of the family leaves home'. When we consider the most obvious cases of 'spheres of action' however we can identify that the main protagonist of the story and the 'hero' is young Haroun himself with his many associates including Butt the Hoopoe, Iff the Water Genie and Mali the floating gardener all acting as 'helpers.' You may consider Iff the Water Genie to poses a secondary role which is the 'donor' as at multiple points within the story he aids Haroun by giving him magical items. Kattam Shud acts as the main antagonist within the story and would most definitely be considered the 'villain'.  

Contrary to the support and celebration Propp's theories have earned, society has developed massively since the 1920s when he first established his theories and they have since received criticism and considered wildly outdated. Literary critics have since published more developed and detailed theories tailored to the ever expanding and increasingly complex narratives that society has to offer today superseding the conventions of traditional folk tales. In more sophisticated narratives is it considered acceptable to substitute a male hero for a female hero? Do all tales have to be good against evil and follow a linear narrative? Is it time to expand beyond the traditional concepts of narrative and evolve into something more complex where protagonists and antagonists aren't as easily definable?  

In Haroun and the Sea of Stories, Salman Rushdie challenges the traditional concept of good overcoming evil by portraying that every character has both good and evil inside them and that it is due to events that lead to positive or negative character traits as outcomes. In conclusion, although Propp's structural analysis is easily applied to Haroun and the Sea of Stories, it is important to consider that over simplifying a narrative may be ignorant as many evolved narratives today have much more complexity to offer which may be overlooked. 

Moonlight

Contextual Studies Notes:

Main focus points - 

- On the process of generating ideas and producing rough drawings experimentation in response to those ideas, rather than producing any finished pieces.

- On showing the development and iteration process, including discarded images.

- The integration of ideas and theory based on the work that we have completed as entry tickets. Implementation of contextual resources. 

- On using communicative methods of showing these development processes, including the use of play board as a device to show player engagement and the dynamic properties of characters. (Also use of mood boards and diagrams). 

- Divide the time to make presentation most effective.

- Verbalise content on screen. 

- Team work, collaborative efforts.

Sharon's Prompt Questions - 

Why did you select this character? (not just because you liked them!)

Why will they make a good game character? (what opportunities do they offer players for interesting engagement?)

What have you considered in the design? (Haroun the story, context and deep meanings, Character design theory, narrative structure?)

What are the 'characterisation' and 'true character' features (McKee) you have incorporated?

How will the player interact with your character?

How will the character interact with the world and other characters? ( Think movement, what do they do? How does that reflect the meaning that you designed into their character?) 

Additional Notes on the Task: 

Structuralism, what is the purpose of character when separated from characteristics? 'Spheres of Action' in Vladimir Propp's character theories. 

True character is revealed in the choices a person makes under pressure, the greater the pressure, the truer the revelation. Characterization is any observable quality (aesthetics). I think that is is important to highlight both true character and characteristics for each character we choose. 

RESEARCH, ITERATION, COLLABORATION and PRESENTATION. 

3 Representational strategies. 

What direct aesthetics can we draw from the book? 

Contextual Studies Entry Ticket 2 - Important and Relevant Elements in Character Design

Important and relevant elements in Character Design 

by Myfanwy Kinder 

When I think of character design my mind is instantaneously drawn to the overall look and feel of a character - the aesthetics - and how it relates to an interesting storyline. For myself as an MMORPG player I prefer to have both. Upon reading Chris Solarski's article on Gamasutra titled 'The aesthetics of Game Design', my mind is drawn to a much deeper meaning behind my subconscious decisions.   

Solarski reviews and evaluates the importance of the fundamentals of fine art and looks at how they may be incorporated within a game. Specifically he looks at shape, animation, composition and perspective linking them all to their digital counterparts. The first point Solarski makes is relating shape theory to games and character design. Solarski states that shapes represent different  emotions and character types; shapes represent comfort, innocence, femininity, kindness whilst squares represent stability and balance leaving the triangle to represent aggression and force. This was the key theme throughout the other ideas he explores throughout his article including animation and perspective. 

Using my favorite games to determine how I feel about these theories I will explore examples to determine which I feel are most important. With the constant development of technology, character model complexity is forever increasing. For myself, this makes it considerably more difficult to distinguish which primitive they belong to.  The overall look and feel of many modern games is reflective of the real world of shapes vary regardless of the alignment of any character. The only real comparison I see within the World of Warcraft is between the armor of each faction leader. The leaders of the Alliance have typically smooth rounded armor whilst the Leaders of the Horde have had more spikey armor.  

The animation of characters in World of Warcraft evolves as you develop your character in game. As you start out your character is limited to running or walking on foot. As you level up you have the option to purchase land mounts and at a much higher level your character may purchase flying mounts. Each different mount poses unique animations which relate to Solarski's theories relating shape psychology to character animation. Wolves in World of Warcraft run at sharp angles compared to the circular motion of a horse's legs, furthermore the twisting motion of a cloud serpent who you have to bring up yourself and develop an emotional connection with differs greatly from the angular movements of a frost dragon's wings.  

The camera transition and perspective within World of Warcraft is extremely controllable and smooth unlike some linear games where suspense is created by the camera angles changing without your command.  

Overall my opinion is that in modern games it is less in the character shapes that we see importance of shape psychology but more in the control and movement of characters. I still think that character development and narrative is essential in any good character design however I now have a further understanding of how I have personally developed these beliefs. 

Contextual Studies Entry Ticket 1 - Haroun and the Sea of Stories Analysis

Haroun and the Sea of Stories Analysis  

by Myfanwy Kinder 

To properly analyze the key themes and meanings of Salman Rushdie's 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories', it is crucial to acknowledge the events that unfolded in 1988-1989. Rushdie published his fourth novel, 'The Satanic Verses' in 1988 which sparked an uproar of controversy instantaneously within the Islamic communities across the globe resulting in the publication being banned in 13 different countries. Critics described the book as an offense against Islam and identified the book as blasphemous. in 1989 a fatwa demanding Rushdie's execution was proclaimed by Ayatollah Khomeini, a spiritual leader of Iran. The fatwa and the novel sparked violence around the globe with some extremists creating rallies to burn copies of the book, and in more severe cases, people associated with the publication of the novel were seriously harmed and even killed.  

The importance of the events in 1988 and 1989 are justified in the reflection of key issues sparked from 'The Satanic Verses' and those within 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories'. One of the key themes throughout 'Haroun and the Sea of Stories' (HatSoS) is the censorship present within the land of Chup, a direct relation to Rushdie's experiences with the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini. This is further highlighted by the unrestricted freedom of speech present within the land of Gup which eventually leads to the defeat of the forces of Chup. Contrary to this, as the book progresses Rushdie portrays that silence (censorship) possess qualities that were even described as beautiful 'as they fought each other, standing toe to toe, Haroun began to think of their combat as a dance of great beauty and grace, a dance danced in perfect silence, because the music was playing inside the dancer's heads' (Page 124) and in return, that freedom of speech can lead to distortion and even anarchistic behavior, 'that sounds like mutinous talk to me' (Page 118).  

Another core theme throughout HatSoS is the importance of Storytelling. The catalyst for both disaster and adventure was when Haroun said to his father, mimicking Mr Sengupta, 'what’s the use of stories that aren't even true?'. (Pages 20 and 22). This hurt Rashid, Haroun's father deeply and as a result he lost his 'gift of the gab'. Haroun blamed himself for this and set off on an adventure with the water genie to return his father's ability to tell stories and furthermore restore his faith of the importance of storytelling. Khattam Shud is the biggest disbeliever of storytelling in the book, seeking out to destroy the Sea of Stories entirely and even block the story source. Khattam Shud's behavior and views can be compared closely to those belonging to Mr Sengupta and are relative to the behavior of the opposers of Rushdie's novel, 'The Satanic Verses'. 

Love is another theme imbued within the book. The presence of love shows us not only that it conquers all and gives Haroun the courage to volunteer to be a spy for the Gup army, but it shows us also the strong effect that a lack of love can bring to someone through Rashid'd depression after his wife leaves him. Further examples include the love between father and son, the extent at which Haroun is willing to go to save his father, and also the love between the Prince and Princess which shows us more than anything else that beauty is not skin deep as the Prince loves Batcheat despite her many visual imperfections.  

Rushdie gives us further meaning to the story by  demonstrating his personal views of warfare throughout the battle between Gup and Chup. Through the description of the battle, it is clear that Rushdie disproves of warfare and symbolizes it through behavior of the opposing sides and visualizing it in their clothing. Both sides must wear strange nose warmers which Prince Bolo felt were 'undignified' and Rashid felt something similar thinking to himself 'really, this is beginning to look like a war between buffoons'. (Page 179). 

The revelation of Blabbermouth's hidden identity of being a girl is an interesting point in the book and aids Rushdie's attempts to lessen the distinguishment of what can be perceived as good and evil. Immediately after Blabbermouth save's the command troop including Prince Bolo himself from a live bomb, Prince Bolo fires Blabbermouth on the basis that she is a girl and was hiding her true identity. It is at this point we see flaws in the supposedly kind hearted Guppies and instead see kindness from the opposition as Mudra the Shadow warrior offers her a place by his side instead.  

Although the alignment of Gup and Chup appears to be easily distinguishable throughout the book, Rushdie challenges these misconceptions throughout and especially towards the end concluding that both sides of the opposition have good and bad points to them.  

Overall the book has many interesting themes running alongside one another. Although many themes can relate to the disgusting treatment Rushdie received in 1989 there are also a lot of innocent and inspiring messages to be found throughout the book. Rushdie ends on a melancholic note implying through Haroun being granted his final wish that not all books need happy endings, and that, it is a matter of opinion whether or not an ending is entirely happy.