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An English Classic
Sources of Inspiration
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Director/animator, Tim Fernée begins his explanation by
stating that 'all stories suggest a visual approach to them'. His
adaptation of the 'Gawain' story for television used two
approaches. The first was to appropriate the work of the
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twentieth century stained glass artist, Harry Clarke. Parallels
between the stained glass images and the moving animations can be
seen in the use of colours, the heavy black lines of the lead, the
way in which the eyes are accentuated, the hands are narrow and the
hair tapers.
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The second approach was to use simple line drawings. A number of
other sources for visual inspiration could have been used, such as
illustrations from medieval manuscripts, extant medieval
needlework, heraldry, and medieval ruins. Instead, the animator has
consciously selected his own, rather more modern sources for
inspiration: 'see how impure art animation
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is? We steal shamelessly! Beware of misunderstanding
'originality' if you want to be an artist…' (Tim
Fernée).
But is it the story that suggests the visual approach, or is it the
visual approach adopted that makes a new story?
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Clues for the Animator in the Text
'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is a visual poem, one that can
easily be seen in the reader's eye. This is due to two
factors:
1. The poet's descriptive art
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Technique
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Examples
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Exhaustive pictures
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The Green Knight; his horse Gryngolet
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Enlarged detail
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The Lady's face, when Gawain opens his eyes and sees her
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Particulars
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Details of clothing, armoury, the wild nature of the forest,
architecture, the feasts and hunts
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Movement action
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When Gawain lifts the axe in Arthur's court; when the lady
enters Gawain's bedroom for the first time
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Identify and briefly describe other examples of these techniques
at work in the animation.
The descriptive technique is perhaps the most significant
difference between reading a text and reading a television
programme. As the old adage goes, an image is worth a thousand
words, enabling more efficient execution of the plot and focus on
the dramatic moments. But does the image reduce an individual's
imaginative realism?
2. The poem's dramatic power is the other 'visual' feature of
the poem:
- depth and consistency of characterisation
- episodes of people engaging in conversation and conflict
- mysterious (supernatural) phenomena – special effects, eg
the talking head
- intriguing seduction scenes
Is a strong plot, full of tension, suspense, action and climax
the most essential ingredient in a visual production, or is the
quality and detail of images most important?
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