Animation use
gestures as tools to signify the emotions of characters in the same way as
traditional theater. Gestures are powerful signifies because we understand
them kinesthetically, and in education studies, they have been known to
increase the transfer and retention of an idea.
 |
Duologue’s “Memex” by Marshmallow Laser Feast
September 2014,
Courtesy of the Nowness Channel, YouTube
|
Animations that employ VFX
compositing are becoming powerful tools for understanding gestural human
interaction. By repeating gesture and micro gesture in virtual settings, basic
human interactions defined by gestures are set to become an independent lexicon.
We can look at internet memes as a less complex example of this phenomenon. Memes
speak to words falling short of expressing the total emotional record.
Memex is a VFX short film released in September,
2014. The film is a collaboration piece between Duologue, a London based
electronic group, and digital artist Marshmallow Laser Feast. The entire film
content is computer generated. The illustrator creates an uncomfortable and
emotionally moving exaggerated reality. The film opens with a close up on skin,
the camera hovers close at angles impossible with normal film. In the absence
of her own movement we as viewers can imagine how the character feels frozen in
her pose. As artists and designers continue to delve into gesture and micro
gesture, there will be room for recognizing the competence for storytelling and
fostering greater cultural understanding.
