Producing a Feature Length, Horror-Themed Motion Comic Based on a Comic and Screenplay
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Exploring The Panel: Producing a Feature Length, Horror-Themed Motion Comic Based on a Comic and Screenplay Hardie James Tucker BA (Hons)(Sydney); MA(Middlesex) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Design September 2019 This research was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship Candidate Details: Name: Hardie James Tucker Student No: C3252071 Email: [email protected] Supervisors: Professor Mario Minichiello (Principal), Associate Professor Mark Roxburgh (Co- Supervisor) and Jane Shadbolt (Co-Supervisor) Institution: University of Newcastle Faculty: Education & Arts School: Creative Industries – Design Course: PhD (Design) Course Code: 10728 DESN 9501 – Research Thesis Full-time Word count: 55,847 i PhD Thesis: Hardie Tucker Statement of Originality: I hereby certify that the work embodied in the thesis is my own work, conducted under normal supervision. The thesis contains no material which has been accepted, or is being examined, for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made. I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968 and any approved embargo. Hardie James Tucker Acknowledgement of Authorship: I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis contains published paper/s/scholarly work of which I am a joint author. I have included as part of the thesis a written declaration endorsed in writing by my supervisor, attesting to my contribution to the joint publication/s/scholarly work. By signing below I confirm that Hardie James Tucker contributed as the leading author to the paper/ publication entitled: The Motion Comic: Neither Something Nor Nothing. Hardie J. Tucker, Mario Minichello, and Mark Roxburgh, The Journal of Communication Studies, Vol 3, Issue 1, (2018). Professor Mario Minichiello ii PhD Thesis: Hardie Tucker ABSTRACT This screen media practice-based research examines the design of the horror-themed motion comic, Family Slaughter. A motion comic is a hybrid format that combines affordances from comics, animation, film, graphic design, sound design and interactivity. The primary research question is: With specific reference to the motion comic, what are the implications of hybrid media formats for contemporary media scholarship and media design practice? This research project combines both a literature-based theoretical investigation into the hybrid media context of motion comics and an exegesis of the design context of the artifacts—Family Slaughter comic and screenplay—and the subsequent design strategy for their remediation as Family Slaughter Motion Comic. The theoretical investigation reveals that the motion comic emerges from fluidity produced by softwarization and hybridization of media, wherein the process of remediation (see p. 44) operates as a key dynamic. It was found that hybrid media have blurred the lines between established media, including comics, whereby ‘comics’ perception’ has become part of the cultural interface of screens. The intersection of the comics’ panel with digital film and the screen circumscribes a domain of hybridity and partial immersion. With the motion comic, comics sacrifice the exclusivity of their spatial map and fuse with elements of temporal continuity acquired from animation and cinema. In turn, animation and cinema are also compromised – diminishing their characteristics of live-action recording and fully posed and rigged characters. The exegesis examines the unique context of Family Slaughter Comic (1989) as a movie tie-in whose design objective was to convey a low budget horror film. The motion comic redesign objective was to construct a compelling motion graphics feature narrative by remediating the comic panel assets. I have characterized motion comic design strategy, based on self-imposed creative constraint, as panel exploration. The implication of hybrid media is the warm aesthetic of the hybrid, a ‘medium in between’, neither hot nor cool (see p.47). Hybrid media disrupt the separation of media defined in formal scholarship and media aesthetics. The motion comic does not achieve the immediacy of live action film or cell animation. Immersion and immediacy remain partial and oscillate together with the hypermediacy of the graphics plane. iii PhD Thesis: Hardie Tucker MOTION COMIC & HIGH-RES THESIS LINKS The full feature, Family Slaughter Motion Comic, can be viewed on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/G0fW3aHufvQ High resolution version of this thesis (174Mb) – Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a74rwt6uvvozlr7/TUCKER%20Hardie%203252071%20- %20Thesis%20Examination%20Submission_HiRes.pdf?dl=0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisors, Professor Mario Minichiello, Associate Professor Mark Roxburgh and Jane Shadbolt, for their guidance, support and advice. The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without their knowledge, wisdom and enthusiasm. Thanks also to John Laidler, who has supported this project from day one and worked as a primary and inspirational creative collaborator. To Tim Pigott, whose vision, feedback, ideas and crazy one-liners are embedded in the project. To all those who supported the project by donating their time and their voices: Bernhard Huber, Matt Holden, Erika Jobling, Edwin Laidler, Nicola Huber Smith, Salif Hardie, Louise Tucker, Craig Tudman, Chris Bright, Arthur Lee, Wolfgang Spranz and John Bennet. To Sonya Jeffery for her insights and commentary. I would like to salute the memory of Nigel Gurney, a great Australian comic artist. 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