CCT 300: Critical Analysis of Media Class 8: Reinventing Comics – Genre and economic changes in a...
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Transcript of CCT 300: Critical Analysis of Media Class 8: Reinventing Comics – Genre and economic changes in a...
CCT 300: Critical Analysis of MediaClass 8: Reinventing Comics – Genre and economic changes in a digital world
Administration
Comic creation
Group proposals on wiki – ASAP if not today
Feedback on group wikis – 5% of final project mark = providing feedback on others proposals – do it over this week to be helpful
Feedback tips
Reinventing Comics
12 basic concepts, 4 sections
Comics as Art
Industry and Audience
Creator/Audience Diversity
Effect of Digitization
Reinventing Comics (1): Creation as Art
Comics as Literature
Comics as Art
Creators’ Rights
Comics as Literature/Art
Comics can be both literature and art if properly done
Many of you have already discovered this in writing the paper
Six steps in UC – building a foundation for something more than surface understanding as driving force
Comics as Literature
Focus on complex narrative More complex than simple serialized
strip or simple webcomic - a full story from beginning to end (or a serialized strip that takes months/years to tell story…)
Comics as Art
Comics as visual narrative – complexity of narrative extends to area
Japanese influence - a range of interesting non-action transitions directly supporting artistic storytelling
Creators’ Rights
Like other media, similar battles between creators/publishers (examples?)
Creator concerns for ownership and control, fair share of profit
Increasing interest in maintaining fair access and compensation for talent – away from studio work for hire models
Challenges?
Reinventing Comics (2): Industry and Audience
Industry Innovation
Public Perception
Institutional Scrutiny
Innovation in Industry
Creators’ rights require innovation in industry model - and sometimes drive it
Simple model of “getting into the business” - photocopy a drawing and sell it yourself - trite but true - but it’s more complicated in practice
Steps in Traditional Publishing
Author
Publisher
Accounting
Marketing
Printing
Distribution
Warehousing
Retail
Transportation among above
Creation and Distribution…
Many will sacrifice control over non-creative tasks to gain broader market
Often a good idea – but can be a trap – why?
Public Perception
Comics as kid-lit – what effect does stereotype have?
Traditional model of production creates vicious cycle around stereotype – perception of comics as kid lit influences what is and is not produced which reinforces perception
Comics and Censorship
US history - tainted by censors who lamented the debasement of culture, perversion of youth - pretty much everything
Ironically, drove comics underground where they became even more debased (e.g., R. Crumb and other alt comics of 60s)
Driven by perception - if comics were seen as valued art, would this happen?
Audience/Creator Diversity
Gender Balance
Minority Representation
Diversity of Genre
Comics and Gender
Traditionally creators and audience were male - leading to particular stereotypes of both genders
Creators have been female - but still expected to follow expectations of audience
To what effect? Alternatives?
Minority Comics
Stereotypical audience, and many creators - white, male, straight, Christian, young, physically able, middle class
Similar to gender issues – stereotype can be hard to break through
To what effect?
Alternatives?
Diversity of Genre
Superhero domination of shelf space via perception, creation and audience - a vicious cycle
Non-traditional graphic novels - breaks through ideas of what a comic “must be”
Required breaking through comic store as core distribution channel
Reinventing Comics (4): Digitization and the Internet
Digital Production
Digital Delivery
Digital Comics
Digital Production
Production of comics digitally - including McCloud’s two last books, but others as well
Many webcomics – 100% digitial
What about your own?
Digital Delivery
Like other media, removes steps in production process - ideally creating more direct consumer/producer links and lowering costs of system
Social networking technologies – allow for comics to spread widely
Also digital payment – how do webcomics make money?
Digital Comics
Can include immersive and interactive environments
Not as bound to page requirements (e.g., I Can’t Stop Thinking scrolling example)
Can even be more traditionally framed comics simply distributed via web
Diversity of genres, explosion of options (http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/)
Related Direction: Flash-based Animation
What does Flash contribute to visual and experiential effect of animation?
Why is it still comical in nature?
Is it really a comic though?
Weekly assignment McCloud’s take on micropayments (an extension of
the book – now very old!)
http://scottmccloud.com/1-webcomics/icst/icst-5/icst-5.html
http://scottmccloud.com/1-webcomics/icst/icst-6/icst-6.html
What failed?
Next week(s) The “newness” of new media
Social media/Web 2.0
Closing thoughts and exam review