McCloud/Sousanis and Hiroshima

I chose to do Homework 5 on McCloud and Sousanis’ pieces and compare it to the animated video clips of the Hiroshima nuclear attacks. After reading their comics, I noticed that both authors put an emphasis on how people attach meaning to photos. In Sousanis’ 5th Dimension chapter of his comic, I learned that we use our imagination to find perspectives that aren’t easily accessible. Our imagination is what allows us to “create stable and single images that make it possible to us to think and act” (Sousanis 90.) It also allows us to shape concepts and create new ideas. By using your imagination, we are able to bring ideas to life, give them meaning and create stories which we then use to connect with other people. When he says ‘stories’, Sousanis is referring to human activities. Simply put, we use our experiences to assert meaning to things. Our Frame of Reference has this way of altering things and make two opposing points true. In the chapter titled Ruts, we learn that others have paved ways for our ideas and when our ideas form into solid forms, they then have the ability to shape us. Ideas become flat when we accept ideas as facts and no longer question them. Repetition is how we become proficient.

In Scott McCloud’s Comic titled Understanding Comics, we learn that “our identities and awareness are invested in many inanimate objects everyday” (38.) Therefore, these objects (examples would be cars, toys, etc.) then become an extension of us. *Key point to know: “our awareness of our geological selves are simplified conceptualized images” (McCloud 39.”*  There are two realms for the things we experience in life: The Realm of the Concept and The Realm of the Senses.

The main difference I saw between the two animations was that the first one incorporated words along with the image being played on the screen. McCloud taught us that the combination of words and images is perfect harmony. Images are simply “received information.” Basically meaning that we are able to understanding the message just by looking at the image, instantly. Writing on the other hand is “perceived information” meaning that it takes a while for them to be decoded and understood.

The first clip used more of the styles that have been used in other Japanese comics which differs greatly from that of those in the West. When we look at the characters, we can see that their facial features have been much more simplified and their surrounding seems to be quite realistic. This clip would need words in order for the viewer to understand the animation since the image is abstract. The words are bold and direct making it easy to understand much like realistic photos. All in all, this is how images and words, when combined, are harmonized.

In the second clip, we can see that the facial features of the characters are much more “Japanese” which makes the characters look much more realistic. Since the entire animation looks realistic, there really isn’t a need for words because McCloud states that “When photos are more abstracted from ‘reality,’ they require greater levels of perception, more like words” (49.) The viewer is able to understand what is happening throughout the animation.