THE SCENT OF BLUE MEMORIES Multisensory Exploration in Animated Autoethnography Monique Hyobin Park Master of Design A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design 2020 School of Art & Design [Digital Design] THE SCENT OF BLUE MEMORIES Multisensory Exploration in Animated Autoethnography Monique Hyobin Park Master of Design A thesis submitted to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design 2020 School of Art & Design [Digital Design] Abstract This thesis discusses the experience of worlds within a film, which can be understood as a multisensory exploration that reveals animation as being more than simply an audio-visual medium, and how such a film can resonate with an audience. Synaesthesia, the Proust phenomenon, phenomenological film theories, the animation produced by the film company Studio Ghibli and poetic film are discussed using an in-depth analysis as a means for supporting these claims, as well as to enable imaginatively reconstructing filmmakers’ autobiographical narratives. Psychological and phenomenological theories are discussed throughout as approaches for creating unique narrative, visual, and auditory systems. The results of this research contributed to generating emotional resonance through the production of an animated autoethnographic film, The Scent of Blue Uiseong (2020). Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... 5 Attestation of Authorship ........................................................................................................ 6 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. 7 Intellectual Property Rights .................................................................................................... 8 Introduction: Positioning Statement ...................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1: Contextual Review ........................................................................................ 11 1.1 Synaesthesia ...................................................................................................................... 11 1.1.1. Phycological Synaesthesia ...................................................................................... 11 1.1.2. Eastern Cultural Synaesthesia ................................................................................ 11 1.1.3. Emotional Resonance ............................................................................................. 13 1.1.4. Nostalgic Interaction............................................................................................... 14 1.2. The Proust Phenomenon ................................................................................................ 15 1.2.1. The Evocation of Childhood Memories ................................................................. 15 1.2.2. Scent-evoked Nostalgia .......................................................................................... 16 1.2.3. Photographed and Animated Memories ................................................................. 17 1.3. Travelling into My Memories ........................................................................................ 19 1.3.1. The Memory of Blue Mould ................................................................................... 19 1.3.2. The Memory of My Grandmother’s Wooden Walking Cane ................................. 21 1.3.3. Personal Synaesthesia ............................................................................................. 22 1.4. Studio Ghibli Animation ................................................................................................ 24 1.4.1. Miyazaki’s Narrative in My Neighbour Totoro (1988) .......................................... 24 1.4.2. My Story in The Scent of Blue Uiseong (2020) ...................................................... 25 1.4.3. The Imaginative Beauty of Nature ......................................................................... 26 1.5. From Analogue to Digital ............................................................................................... 29 1.5.1. Miyazaki’s Traditional Cel Animation ................................................................... 29 1.5.2. My Digital Cel Animation ...................................................................................... 33 1.6. Colour System ................................................................................................................. 35 1.6.1. Unified Colours of Nature ...................................................................................... 35 1.6.2. Hanji Texture .......................................................................................................... 37 1.6.3. Mother Colour ........................................................................................................ 38 1.6.4. Achromatic and Complementary Colours .............................................................. 40 1.6.5. Chromatic Light ...................................................................................................... 41 1.7. Poetic Film ....................................................................................................................... 42 1.7.1. Relationship Between Film and Audience ............................................................. 42 1.7.2. Metaphors ............................................................................................................... 43 1.7.3. Symbolism .............................................................................................................. 43 1.7.4. Words and Imagery ................................................................................................ 44 1.8. Sound System .................................................................................................................. 46 1.8.1. Narrative Voiceover ............................................................................................... 46 1.8.2. Silence .................................................................................................................... 47 1.8.3. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response .............................................................. 48 CHAPTER 2: Research Design ............................................................................................ 51 2.1. Paradigm: Artistic Researcher ...................................................................................... 51 2.2. Methodologies .................................................................................................................. 51 2.2.1. Practice-based Research ......................................................................................... 51 2.2.2. Autoethnogrpahy .................................................................................................... 52 2.2.3. Action Research ...................................................................................................... 53 2.3. Methods ............................................................................................................................ 54 2.3.1. Iterative Design and Thinking Processes ................................................................ 54 2.3.2. Initial and Revised Research .................................................................................. 55 2.3.3. Review of Embodied Knowledge ........................................................................... 56 2.3.4. Photographs and Matte Painting ............................................................................. 57 2.3.5. Scriptwriting ........................................................................................................... 58 2.3.6. Reflective Thinking ................................................................................................ 60 2.3.7. Animation References ............................................................................................ 61 CHAPTER 3: Commentary on The Scent of Blue Uiseong ................................................ 66 3.1. Narrative Treatment ....................................................................................................... 66 3.2. Visual Treatment ............................................................................................................ 67 3.2.1. Environment Animation ......................................................................................... 67 3.2.2. Character Animation............................................................................................... 68 3.2.3. Computer Generated Images .................................................................................. 70 3.3. Auditory Treatment ........................................................................................................ 72 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 73 References ............................................................................................................................... 75 Appendices .............................................................................................................................