IVN Assignment 2 - Digital Triptych

29th Nov 2023 - 8th Dec 2023 (Week 10 - Week 11)

Sin Jun Ming (0364638)

Illustration and Visual Narrative / Design in Creative Media / Taylor's University

IVN Assignment 2 - Digital Triptych

 

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INSTRUCTIONS

Week 10 

In this week's lecture class, Mr. Hafiz introduced a new assignment called Digital Triptych to us. In this assignment, we need to create two illustrations which are based on the urban legend that we have chosen earlier. The two illustrations must describe the before and after of the animation which is the climactic turning point that we created before to show transitions for the related urban legend.  

Assignment Briefing

The objective of this assignment is to apply Scott McCloud's theory on transitions to create a digital triptych, comprising three panels: one before, one during (climactic turning point), and one after a significant event. Each panel will represent a different transition type from McCloud's theory.

Fig 1.1 Scott McCloud's Transitions

Referencing Scott McCloud's analysis of transitions in "Understanding Comics," we need to select one panel before and one panel after the climactic turning point, surrounding a panel representing the turning point itself. Each panel will exemplify a different transition type, creating a digital triptych that showcases various narrative transitions.

• Review Scott McCloud's transitions: moment-to-moment, action-to-action, subject-to-subject, scene-to-scene, aspect-to-aspect.
• Select one transition type for each of the three panels: before, during (climactic turning point), and after the turning point.
• Identify specific moments or elements in the narrative that align with the chosen transitions.

• Create a digital triptych with three panels that clearly illustrate the chosen transitions.
• Use any digital medium (illustration software, graphic design tools, etc.) to craft the panels.
• Ensure coherence and narrative flow between the panels, capturing the essence of the transitions selected.

• Submit the completed digital triptych via the designated platform.
• Include a brief explanation for each panel, detailing the chosen transition and its significance in the narrative context.
• Ensure that each panel distinctly represents its respective transition type.

• Understanding and application of Scott McCloud's theory on transitions in creating the digital triptych.
• Clarity and effectiveness in using each transition to depict the sequential narrative.
• Coherence and visual storytelling across the three panels.
• Artistic execution and presentation of the digital triptych.

Sketch

Based on the urban legend I have chosen, I immediately came up with an idea to create transitions. At first, I want to create scene-to-scene digital triptych. For the first panel, I sketched a back shot of a man standing behind a big rock and notice the Dark Watchers. 

Fig 2.1 Sketch of my first panel

After that, the second panel is the animation from my last assignment.

Fig 2.2 Animation of my climatic turning point

For the third panel, I sketched a wide shot of people discussing the Dark Watchers in the village nearby the mountain after the man in the first panel spread the words. 

Fig 2.3 Sketch of my third panel 

Week 11

Feedback for my sketches

In week 11, Mr. Hafiz briefed about the final assignment in face-to-face lecture class and also gave feedback regarding the Digital Triptych assignment. Here is the feedback from Mr. Hafiz for my sketches. 

For the first panel, it is better to show the reason that why the beginning of the animation close and open eyelids slowly, he added on that I can illustrate the close up shot of wind blowing on the man's face.

The third panel is hard to explain that the people are actually discussing the Dark Watchers, maybe can refer to Norman Rockwell Gossip to illustrate the medium shot of side profile view of two people discussing the Dark Watchers so that the message is delivered clearly or illustrate a mid-shot or close up shot for the man in the first panel to show that he's shocked followed by the vanishment of the Dark Watchers. 

After self-reflection and further consideration, I came up with another idea, the beginning of the animation shows opening and closing of eyelid, this is because the scene is captured during hours around sunrise, the sudden strong sunlight causes the man to blink his eyes slowly. In this case, for the panel before the climactic turning point, I want to illustrate a close up shot to the man's face to show that he's using his hand to cover his eyes from the sunlight. 

For the third panel, which is after the man saw the Dark Watchers disappeared, I want to illustrate another close up shot of him to emphasize the shocking and tense expression on his face.

 

Fig 2.4 Latest sketch ideas

Fig 2.5 Transitions concept board

Outcome 

Fig 3.1 First shot of my Digital Triptych

Fig 3.2 Third shot of my Digital Triptych

REFLECTIONS

Experience

I really did enjoy the process of creating the panels for my own Digital Triptych because this urban legend is not just interesting, but it is also very mysterious. It feels great to tell a story which is this urban legend visually to the audience. 

Observation

By doing this assignment and the last assignment, which was related, I found that a story is better to be told visually by illustrations or scenes. I did a lot of research on this urban legend previously, but most of them are telling the story through words because no one has ever captured the actual photo of the Dark Watchers. Some of them are just illustrations. By doing these assignments, which I illustrate the Digital Triptych and the animation, I believe now the story is easier to understand and the audience will have better experience trying to figure out this urban legend by looking at my Digital Triptych. 

Findings

Scott McCloud's Digital Triptych is a new thing that I have learnt in this assignment, it can deliver messages or tell a story in its simplest and most effective way and more likely to be accepted by the audience.