A Clockwork Orange – Penguin Book Cover

Below is my first rough attempt at the Penguin book cover design competition. This year it is for “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess – a story about a young man (Alex DeLarge) obsessed with rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven who is sent to prison for murder. While in prison he undergoes an experimental treatment sanctioned by the government to help “cure” him of his evil-ways. He is promised an early release but struggles to adapt to life back on the streets of London after he becomes a pawn for the government. The story is rife with messages and themes about corruption, violence, brain-washing, governmental scheme and deception. In response to these themes, with specific approach to the government and corruption (a key premise of the book) I designed by first rough visual:

The design take some inspiration from the film as well – the scene where he is being processed in prison and a prison guard has him bent over to perform a routine check up his anus. The image is striking as it is crude because of the acts’ blatant disregard for personal space and freedom (a key theme in the book) – a common and more inappropriate term for “leave me alone” is “crawl out of my arse”. I felt that having an image that resembles (in a comic way) how the government and the law is all over everyone’s case like they are in Burgess’ book, the message would be clear and striking. Further development on the piece would consist of some of the bending figures to have different skin tones (showing racial equality) and possibly having one of the figures be a robot – this is because Alex is essentially turned into one after his treatment being unable to feel “real” emotion or enjoy what he did before being sentenced.

On showing this design to Ian in a group tutorial, i was given some advice on improving the design in terms of its execution. First of all, the image is too similar to the film and i was told that the cover should reflect the premise of the novel – not the film. This was the most important aspect that needed changing however the choice of imagery wasn’t a problem –  i just need to develop it’s execution. The type choice also isn’t appropriate for body text that must be read extensively therefore this should be changed/developed also. Personally I am quite unhappy with the design. I think the idea was a lot more attractive in my head that when i actually tried to execute it. Also my opinion on the use of orange in the cover has also changed – i didn’t use it because I thought it would be too cliche, however I think with more development the use of orange could actually work really well.

Considering Sound

Another important aspect of film i discussed with Wendy is the use of sound in the video. Sound is an important aspect as it helps sculpt the correct message and possibly define the message’s communication as well. There have been countless times when I have watched a film and completely misunderstood the “feel” of the scene or misread the message (not always for the worst!) because of the choice of music and/or sound and this is why it needs to be considered in the making of my film too. An example of a clever use of sound is the highly famous and multi-award winning advertisement for the NSPCC campaign:

The film is very emotional and distressing but the real shock comes from the sudden change in tone when the cartoon boy is revealed to be real. The shock factor is reinforced by the misleading use of audio which effectively puts the audience into a playful state of mind. The sound and music is reminiscent of styles used in studios such as Warner Bros. and Disney – these studios are known for their use and editing of music to add depth to the imagery on screen. The music and sounds used are playful and stereotypically cartoon and the cartoon boy’s movements and batters are synced up perfectly to the music. This gives the effect of a playful, mischievous father/son relationship leading the audience into a false sense of security which is then completely ripped from underneath them when the video ends, displaying its true meaning and message.

In relation to my video idea a similar technique can be used to portray a misleading effect adding to the shock factor. By using positive music that contrasts the negative aspects of my video, it puts everything into perspective allowing the shock to be delivered in its fullest and most powerful.

Video Idea 3 – Informative Approach and mixed media

My third video idea uses mixed media and information design skills to get its message across. This is the most straight-forward idea as it lacks a direct narrative which is open for interpretation but instead relies on undeniable fact. The stats i found were above levels on victims of domestic abuse which are male going through 2006 – 2009. I learnt during the “Information is Beautiful” Field module the techniques needed to communicate data in an attractive way which is simultaneously easier to understand.

The most basic stat that i found was that 1 in 4 men will suffer from domestic abuse in their lives. I thought that an interesting way to show this stat would be through the visualisation of stereotypically “manly” items as to make the imagery relevant to the data and also to offer an ironic visual about manliness when the victims are actually male themselves. Manly items include pints of beer, polo shirts, footballs, rugby balls, steaks etc but a different approach is through the use of action man figures. These are a great way to visualise a stereotypical “man” and have been previously used successfully in advertising:

An example use of the action man figures in my poster are to show the 1 in 4 men who fall victims to domestic abuse. I have this visual of 4 action men in a row with one of them missing its head and having a snapped arm. The visual is simple and when put with the fact that 1 in 4 men are abused, it makes more sense and becomes a different satirical approach to the problem. The video would feature multiple uses of manly items to show the data but this idea would also work nicely as a series of posters.

Video Idea 2 – “I thought you were my wife.”

My second video idea is a comedic approach to the emotional effects created by abuse – the video isn’t intended to take the piss out of abuse victims, it instead offers a different way of looking at it still communicating an important message. The story is very simple and it the briefest terms is about a man awakened in the night by a monsterous creature which the man greets with relief knowing it isn’t his wife instead. Comedic in its execution, the video still communicates the message and gives an insight into the psychological effects of being abused – men are left feeling vulnerable and in constant fear which is referenced in the film’s premise. Below is a quick story board:

As the storyboard shows, the video is completely comedic as well as having a horror-like aspect (but this isn’t supposed to be taken seriously anyway). I was thinking the video would have a cliche horror set-up which is completely flipped on its head when we understand why the main character is actually afraid. In summation this video idea helps to give an easy-to-digest look at the effects of abuse in a relatable scenario that everyone should be familiar with. The video while comedic on the surface has a deeper, darker premise that hold an important message.

Video Idea 1 – “When We Met”

My first idea for Thursday’s (tomorrow’s) group tutorial is my most powerful and most favourite idea of the three. The idea is called “When We Met” and takes inspiration from video advertisements with narrative aspects such as Care Norway’s “Dear Daddy”. Other inspiration comes from popular filmography such as “Battleship Potemkin” and “Her”. In terms of the narrative, the story is told through a voice over that plays over the footage – the voice over is from the inner monologue of a male in a relationship with an abusive partner. The voiceover speaks of the males first impressions’ upon meeting his other half for the first time – the description is mostly positive as to contrast from the dark parts of the footage:

When we met. I knew that you were something different.

Something exciting.

Unexpected.

Unpredictable.

When we met. I knew you would make your mark on me.

You were new.

You were enlightening.

You were beautiful.

When we met. The world stood still for a moment.

It was all you.

And I didn’t mind.

When we met. You were…

New.

Exciting.

Unexpected.

Beautiful.

Enlightening.

Unpredictable.

Unpredictable.

When we met. I knew that you would never do anything (pause) to hurt me.

But…why do you?

The voiceover is written so that without context it appears to be like a love poem which would be appropriate for an advert about a life insurance firm or valentine’s day gifts. The voiceover is a tool is misleading the audience early on in the film thus making the wist in events much more shocking. The film’s content I have written in the form of a screenplay:

The screenplay describes the content of the film in detail and in relation to the voiceover. The powerful thing about the film’s footage is that it begins lulling the viewer into a false sense of security because of it’s linear narrative – the rhythm is responsible for this and when it is interrupted the audience reacts with anxiety and confusion which is exactly what I want to do. In summation, this video aims to visualise the common observation that “things are okay on the surface” when really a lot goes on behind closed doors. This visualisation is appropriate for my chosen campaign because men are subject to emotional abuse over physical in most cases and therefore an emotionally difficult video which creates feelings of anxiety and possibly fear helps for people to understand what the victims may be feeling.

Tutorial with Wendy & a Welsh geezer named Callum

This morning I had a tutorial with Wendy about my video idea for the “persuasion” project with Callum (another student and friend to offer advice). I pitched the idea in relation to the two pieces of inspiration I had seen yesterday (Dear Daddy and It’s Tough Being A Man) stating that it was because of these films that I realised the most effective way to portray the message was through video advertising. Wendy said the idea was strong and that video/film is a good technique for the strength of the message I want to communicate. This idea specifically is an example of NAARATIVE with a linear structure making it easier and more comfortable for the viewer. The technique is good as it helps to get a clear message across using a medium that can be easily relatable for the audience.

However, I was suggested to explore the concept of “intellectual montage” and anti-narrative techniques. This is a technique used in filmmaking where a linear structure or timeline is interrupted by contrasting imagery as to break away from the narrative and the comfort that the audience has situated themselves within. The effect created is usually discomforting and disturbing depending on the imagery that is being contrasted. Other uses of the technique help to emphasise feelings of emotion for certain characters or to create thought-provoking imagery. Below is a scene from Battleship Potemkin that uses the technique:

The effect created in the video was an interruption of the linear narrative of the film making the viewer feels uncomfortable and anxious. The splices of extreme images of emotion reinforce this effect. Interruptions are key in this technique and it is important to note that to achieve a successful effect like in Battleship Potemkin, rhythm needs to be interrupted, as this is what keeps the linear structure in place. In doing so in my own video, the effect can help sculpt what I want the audience to think or believe while simultaneously misleading the viewer at the beginning of the film to believe something different.

The tutorial was extremely helpful in developing my idea and my three ideas for Thursday. Rather than developing three completely different ideas with separate mediums I can look at developing three video solutions that each try to draw attention to different themes and ideas. The three ideas for the video are essentially 3 different treatments of the same idea. Video has proven to be one of my strong points in graphics because of the “Information Is Beautiful” module so I feel fairly confident in developing my ideas.