Category: Uncategorised

This week we have an assignment to analyze and prepare for our final essay. I’m considering focusing on animation-related films and games as the subject of my research.

Below is the analysis assignment：

I believe the animated documentary The Sinking of the Lusitania (Winsor McCay, 1918) was not made for entertainment. Instead, it served as propaganda, using animation to recreate a real maritime disaster that changed history. Its core purpose was strong political messaging.

The film is far from a simple record of the event. It was created during World War I (1914–1918). The sinking of the Lusitania, especially the death of many American civilians, caused great public anger in the United States.

Unlike the artist’s earlier works like Gertie the Dinosaur, this film aimed for a serious and realistic style. McCay used advanced layered acetate cel techniques for that time, drawing about 25,000 frames by hand. This was an astonishing amount of work. He also applied careful depth-of-field effects and multi-layer photography to vividly show the ship being hit by a torpedo, tilting, passengers falling into the water, and finally sinking，the scenes were very powerful. I believe they mean no warning before firing. Like a warning shot, a warning to the ship. (Not saying this is logical in a war zone)，The propaganda is absolutely the most obvious is gets though.

Moreover, text explanations were added throughout the animation to emphasize the truth of the event and specific data (such as the death toll). This strengthened its persuasive power as a “documentary” for propaganda.

This is not just an animation, but also a historical document—a necessary work for us to remember.

Through this course, I’ve learned about key parts of visual language, Elements and Principles.
For example: color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value are visual elements. Space can guide the viewer’s eye, while texture adds personality and style. Sometimes an artist organizes these elements to create rhythm, movement, or even uses the Golden Ratio (1:1.6). Strong contrast can create powerful visual impact, and blending multiple elements together makes the composition more beautiful.

But actually there is an principles I cannot understand ,is Value, what is the value in visual language? So I find the imformation from teacher give us ducument :” The word “value” is used a lot around this website. And with good reason.  Value is one of the seven elements of art. Value deals with the lightness or darkness of a color. ”

Value refers to tone and lightness/darkness. For example, in Léon: The Professional, when Léon and Mathilda first meet in the hallway, light and shadow split them into bright and dark sides. This is not only a visual composition but also a metaphor for their fate and circumstances.

The overall tonal style of a film，such as the Blade Runner 2049， sets its aesthetic and emotional atmosphere. In character portrayal, specific lighting， like the shadows across the face in The Godfather， can shape personality and inner state.

I didn’t read the whole writing but in my understanding《Film Art: An Introduction》 made me realize that film is not just a story presented naturally, but an art form organized through elements such as narrative structure, cinematography, editing, sound, and value. Much of the audience’s understanding and emotional response is actually guided step by step through the arrangement of these formal principles.

Meanwhile, Color Theory: A Critical Introduction taught me that colors do not inherently carry fixed emotions or symbols. Instead, their meanings are constantly shaped within historical, cultural, and power structures. For example, golden yellow symbolized imperial power in ancient China. Our understanding of color often reflects socially constructed experiences and visual cultural norms, rather than pure perception itself.