"I don't see any new ways of expression coming in any of the media he listed so far."<br><br>It also means, there's no difference between medias; it's all images. What matters isn't to find out where some ideas come from, but what they try to achieve, on an emotional level. <br>
<br clear="all">Michael<br><a href="http://wildgrounds.com">http://wildgrounds.com</a><br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 8:42 PM, Mark Mays <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:tetsuwan@comcast.net">tetsuwan@comcast.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Usually when talking about a production of this magnitude there will be several sets of influences. CGI designers in LA work on games and movies so it shouldn't be remarkable to find similarities in shot selection and look.<br>
<br>
That's where Kojima's merging of technologies plays out; I don't see any new ways of expression coming in any of the media he listed so far.<br>
<br>
The idea of merging w/ technology is pretty analog -- how long has Cronenberg been at it?<br>
<br>
We're certainly at a point in anime's cultural saturation (in the West)where its influence can be spotted in many places . . . Especially if we squint real hard :)<br>
<div class="im"><br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:drainer@mpinet.net">drainer@mpinet.net</a><br>
Sent: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 5:49 AM<br>
To: <a href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a><br>
</div><div><div></div><div class="h5">Subject: Re: Avatar<br>
<br>
<br>
I think you bring up two good points here: I'd argue that the "natural"<br>
itself is based on conventions that span beyond merely Miyazaki''s work. One<br>
could make the case that the film is based on disparate conventions drawn up<br>
from anime (Cameron is a self confessed nerd, though press material suggests<br>
his influences would come from more "serious" technology based anime,<br>
something beyond the scope of Miyazaki), video games (as you mentioned,<br>
online RPGs--World of Warcraft came immediately to mind while I watched--not<br>
just the art, but also certain camera angles, especially during flying<br>
scenes. At times the influence was almost blatant, and drastically different<br>
from anime), and the broader genre of sci-fi, which Cameron has played an<br>
important role in, again, usually focusing on technology.<br>
<br>
The film has a multitude of influences, which is why I feel it is<br>
problematic to say "...this is Miyazaki's world," or to peg the style to any<br>
specific auteur, really. If anything, we have to analyze it from a<br>
postmodern framework and recognize its decentered influences, conventions,<br>
queues.<br>
<br>
The second point regarding the ideological celebration of nature is spot on,<br>
and I think the lack of depth there is fairly evident, not by accident, but<br>
perhaps even on purpose, given the target audience. "How can we provide a<br>
political message about the environment without making the audience think?"<br>
It's almost that the producers wanted general audiences to dismiss what you<br>
described as the incorporation of new technology in order to glorify the<br>
premodern "noble" society, world, etc...<br>
<br>
I won't go into the arguments about colonialism/Orientalism and fantasy,<br>
though that's the discussion people should have about this film...<br>
<br>
</div></div><div class="im">By the way did you watch it in 3-D?<br>
</div><div class="im">I watched it at Toho cinemas and aside from the seating (I like empty<br>
cinemas) everything else was perfect.<br>
<br>
Did you notice the audience reaction? This is something I am particularly<br>
interested in, as it seems that Japanese audiences are reacting differently<br>
than American audiences. As I mentioned earlier, the majority of theater<br>
patrons left immediately at the beginning of the credits. I also did not<br>
hear too much praise, and, again, unusual to Japan, I noticed quite a few<br>
people talking during the screening. I wonder if the movie about the dog<br>
(forgot the name) would have been better. Though of course, the 3D here was<br>
great, it was Captain EO on steroids.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-daniel<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</div><div class="im">----- Original Message -----<br>
From: "Aaron Gerow" <<a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a>><br>
To: <<a href="mailto:KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu">KineJapan@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu</a>><br>
</div><div class="im">Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:38 PM<br>
Subject: Re: Avatar<br>
<br>
<br>
</div><div><div></div><div class="h5">> Just a quick response:<br>
><br>
> When you look at it, the similarities with Miyazaki are there: the image<br>
> of the forest, the non-human world, of flying, etc. But I do wonder if<br>
> this film doesn't have a very different vision of nature. Miyazaki's<br>
> paean to natural forces is not unrelated to his insistence on sticking to<br>
> some analog animation techniques, but Cameron's film falls into the<br>
> contradiction that many cinematic celebrations of nature do: they praise<br>
> the premodern, pre-technological world using the most advanced technology<br>
> there is. Avatar, I think, tries to avoid this, but only by radically<br>
> re-defining nature in a way I doubt Miyazaki would approve. Many can of<br>
> course see that the narrative situation of Avatar is essentially that of<br>
> video games, especially online RPG where you, immobile at your station,<br>
> get to roam the world, kill people, and get the girl via your avatar.<br>
> Avatar plays off the discontent with modern technological reality by<br>
> offering the fantasy of really abandoning one's body for the game world.<br>
> But the trick here is that the Avatar planet, with its database of souls<br>
> and memories, of creatures with Firewire plugs, of trees that allow one<br>
> access to the network, is essentially the Internet rendered into a<br>
> Gaia-like deity. In other words, I think Avatar tries to have its<br>
> ideological cake and eat it too by spouting a critique of industrial<br>
> technological capitalism (mining and machines) and praising a natural,<br>
> premodern society, while all the while defining that society as precisely<br>
> the new media technological capitalism that we have today. I very much<br>
> doubt Miyazaki, regardless of all his own ideological ambiguities, would<br>
> buy this.<br>
><br>
> That was my initial reaction upon seeing the film (albeit at a theater in<br>
> Japan with a bunch of technological glitches--quite appropriate, I might<br>
> add!).<br>
><br>
</div></div><div><div></div><div class="h5">> Aaron Gerow<br>
> Associate Professor<br>
> Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures<br>
> Yale University<br>
> 53 Wall Street, Room 316<br>
> PO Box 208363<br>
> New Haven, CT 06520-8363<br>
> USA<br>
> Phone: 1-203-432-7082<br>
> Fax: 1-203-432-6764<br>
> e-mail: <a href="mailto:aaron.gerow@yale.edu">aaron.gerow@yale.edu</a><br>
> site: <a href="http://www.aarongerow.com" target="_blank">www.aarongerow.com</a><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br>