Animation Studies: A Comparison between Filmic and Comic Visual Narrative Techniques
Introduction
This essay is a short comparison between filmic and comic visual narrative techniques. This is done by looking at the article “The Possibility of Minimal Units in the Filmic Image” by Sophie De Grauwe and comparing filmic and comic narrative techniques. Semiotic Social Model which is based on Halliday’s systemic-functional theory is expanded upon.
Semiotic Social Model and the Filmic Image
For films, according to De Grauwe, social semiotic theory is based on the systematic-functional theory and it’s adaptation on the still image (De Grauwe , 2003:3). This theory as three metafunctions which are the ideational, the interpersonal and the textual.
For ideational, it is the representational metafunction, semiotic systems have to represent objects and their relations to them. In the filmic image, this is done by directional movements and vectors (De Grauwe , 2003:4).
The interpersonal metafunction is about depicting social relations between participants (De Grauwe , 2003:4). For the filmic image, camera angles, such as a “close up” or “long shot” can illustrate the interpersonal metafunction by realizing social distances between participants as well as elements (De Grauwe , 2003:5). This can be done with moving camera shots (De Grauwe , 2003:5).
For the textual level, this is a compositional metafunction. This has to do with the context of the elements in a filmic image and the salience(De Grauwe , 2003:7). The salience according to De Grauwe is the weight of the elements depicted (De Grauwe , 2003:7). This is done spatially and looks at the size of the element, sharpness of focus and contrast as well as many other attributes (De Grauwe , 2003:7). The spatiality of the elements of a filmic image says something about the composition of the image, even if that was not the main point of interest when making the filmic image (De Grauwe , 2003:7).
Group µ
Group µ has to do with perception and how it is part of the first step in understanding contexts (De Grauwe , 2003:15). For example, according to De Grauwe, the way we perceive colours in a visual medium is important for the way we assign meaning to them (De Grauwe , 2003:15).
Groupe µ is usually for still images. Going back to the spatiality of filmic images, Groupe µ can be applied because it helps with spatial relations analysis. It also is helpful for temporal relations and this refers to movement and editing for a succession of images in a film (De Grauwe , 2003:19). For the succession of images, speed, acceleration, duration, orientation describes movement. This is a big difference between filmic images and comic images. Comic images can only try to create the effects of movement but filmic images do accelerate and have a duration or direction. Comic images assimilate these relations, but they can never speed up images unless the reader of the comic increases their speed. Duration could be changed if the reader lingers on a comic image frame.
Conclusion
There are many differences between the narrative techniques of filmic and comic narratives and only a few have bee looked a, namely the Semiotic Social Model and Groupe µ. These two points were chosen to be discussed because they both help define some differences between filmic and comic narratives.
References
De Grawe, S. 2003. The Possibility of Minimal Units in the Filmic Image. Image and Narrative.
