Wes Anderson Just This- Abstracted and Wordless Versions...

So due to the way that the Wes Anderson version of 'It's Just This'  was coloured on the computer (to get those lovely colours), i found it interested that when i took away the lines layer in photoshop it created a abstract version of the comic. In the same way that i was explaining before with creating abstract versions this way. I think in this case it is quite effective as you can gage the narrative quite well when left with the text...or at least the tone and the surroundings.

The colours are more pronounced and part of the story telling process when it's like this as well i have found.

ABSTRACTED:

I also thought this story would be a good one to experiment with form by making it wordless. I think the tone and atmosphere still come across quite well. The narrative can still be guessed more or less as nothing really is happening in the narrative anyway.

WORDLESS:

EXPERIMENT: WES ANDERSON - Just This

WALKTHROUGH:

This is the director where i think the story fits most. The indifference, not much happening, insight into people's lives synonymous with Wes Anderson films.

So beginning with the typeface used...Futura; used in most of his films for the credits, title, chapter in films text on screen. Usually i always want to hand render my type but i felt in a case where the director has a font associated with them i had to use it.

The colour scheme, muted and also bright bold colours (teals and ochres) that feature so nicely in the cinematography of a Wes film. (one of my favourite thing about his films...)
I also did the cells in the narrow shape to match the narrow with black border framing his films always have.

The first cell is a homage to the focus on a significant gesture used in his films. (The Royal Tenenbaums) and the many times he films from the above, centred items below.

Framing of characters, the symmetry! The decore, wallpaper and attention to detail to explain who the characters are. (Rushmore) 

Faces at despairing moments. Framed like the third cell. (Fantastic Mr Fox)

Indifference, emotionless.

Repetition of the same place, the same shot, fits well with the point of the samey-ness of life the story is talking about.

character moving around in the same space.

Characters in the same arrangement but somewhere else, with the same expressions.

Close up when introducing/meeting and explaining new characters.

WALLPAPER.

More preoccupation with symmetry.
More focus on small gestures.

I also did a version with a black background for visual purposes. I think it probably looks nicer like this? More fitting with the movie feel?...

Plans for film director experiments...

I can find the things i am experimenting in more pronounced and obvious in films and i love watching them (good ones!). So looking at directors with a recognisable 'style' is a good way of playing with narrative structure and form as i already have an understanding of codes and conventions attached to certain films and know what to look for in terms of further reasearch.

So one of my objectives and probably the one that interested me the most was trying to learn from the storytelling devices of some film directors. It's been running throughout this project as you can probably see in my sketchbook scribbles i've uploaded. I would now count this as main main experimentation really. I didn't know this when i started but it's interesting to see which planned experiment has taken off.

When i first had the idea it was mainly focusing on Wes Anderson (director of, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums...) Trying out doing a comic with the tone and passing of his films (The Cat's Dead). Also a picture that had the cinematography, colours, symmetrical, placing of characters.

Now i've narrowed down to 3 directors that i'v researched the devices and signatures of...

David Lynch.

Stanley Kubrik.

Wes Anderson.

I'm going to use my 'It's Just This' script that i came up with early on in the process. I think It will be good to use because firstly and simply i want to do something with it. But more importantly for the point of this experiment i think it is a good starting point for variation. 

In the picture below you can see some of the main points i've highlighted to use in this experiment for each director.

The storyboard for the David Lynch 'It's Just This'.

The storyboard for the Stanley Kubrik 'It's Just This'.

The storyboard for the Wes Anderson 'It's Just This'.

The Cat's Dead.

The Times: "Wes Anderson's ... movies, such as Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, tend to drive audiences into two camps: those who see them as emotionally dead baubles wrapped in self-regarding irony; and those who see them as the apotheosis of film craftsmanship. The Darjeeling Limited is hardly going to bridge that gap". The Times 

^ Hutson, Graham; Siret, Mal. The Times (London).http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/film_reviews/article2915999.ece.

I did a proper comic drawn out from a script i wrote and with my own characters. Using the slow pacing, long pauses, emotionless expressions and sentences that go nowhere of Wes Anderson. Towards the end it's meant to turn into more Stanley Kubrik in feel; With flashing images of close up faces and use of red.

GOOD MORNING, LETHARGY.

Did a more finished painting using some recurring themes from Wes Anderson iconography and my own characters.

The snow melted...

...It's raining again.

Reading into Mr Anderson.

Starting a bit of proper research into Wes Anderson films with proper research theory as a backdrop rather than just my own observations.
Will be doing more and learning the ways to do some more finished and hopefully successful experiments.

EXPERIMENT: Wes Anderson.

A running joke in our house that we all speak and act with the indifference and odd (sometimes abrupt) sentences. I got really excited about applying this to comics. I'm going to do more research into the films of director Wes Anderson to gather more features to replicate. I'm also going to apply his sense of composition and colour palette which i've always loved.
I'm really excited about this and can see lots of opportunities.
I think it's quite and challenge to get across that the characters look expressionless and indifference on purpose not from lack of skill when portraying emotion.