Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Whilst there is nothing that is exactly like The Adventures of Pigeuo and Bryan
available, there are numerous shows which mine bears similarity to. Primarily,
and as mentioned in my focus group, The Walking Dead served as a key
influence and is, consequently, in competition with my piece. It is important to
note that this work and mine will be sharing the horror genre, have a similar
target audience and are both Television shows. Zombies are also the central
narrative component, and the root of every issue that occurs. Although I am able
to use stop-motion to make my piece stand away from the crowd, The Walking
Dead has a strong fan base, large budget and positive reputation meaning that
people may be hesitant to watch a less-serious, more obscure pastiche of the
genre and program.
Prior to its return from the season six mid-season finale, 75 episodes had been
released1, informing us that there is significant demand for story-development
and new content. This makes an average of 12.5 episodes per series which
demonstrates
that there is
just enough to
keep
the
audience engaged
without
bombarding them
with information.
As
such,
The
Adventure
of
Pigeuo and Bryan
will not exceed ten
episodes
each
season as it is
preferable to leave
the
audience
wanting
more,
than
complaining about it dragging on. In addition to this, its spin-off Fear the Walking
Dead, has been renewed for a third season. This news was so popular that it was
featured on the side bar on Facebook.
1 http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/the-walking-deadover-100-facts-about-the-amc-show-you-probably-didnt-know-a6862721.html
everyone. The kills are not tame, their graphic nature all but gone to appeal to
tweens, but are truly relentless. Entertainment, regardless of its form, is no
longer massaged to be palatable but dedicated to showing the raw implications
of its premise5. As such, by exploring the consequences of a certain individual
passing away, or issues which arise because of a supply raid, we are exposed to
a sad, macabre authenticity. Our morbid curiosity coupled with our affection for
the characters prevents us from turning away as we appropriate the cast,
become them so to speak, and realise that mankinds worst nightmare turns out
not to be aliens or giant insects but our own flesh and blood; neighbours,
moms, dads, sons and daughters? 6
The Walking Dead has also broken records for FOX UK by attracting the largest
Monday night audience the channel has ever seen. The season six premiere
attracted an average of 854,000 at nine Oclock and is anticipated to have over
two million consolidated views, based on its previous performances 7. With such
high viewership, we can see why the program is such an asset, and how
challenging it must be to compete with. As such, when it comes to airing The
Adventures of Pigeuo and Bryan, this must be taken into consideration; instead
of broadcasting at the same time on an opposing channel, why not directly after?
This would continue the horror theme, but provide light relief from the drama
that has just been seen.
Moreover, it details a thoughtful meditation on the difficulty of retaining ones
humanity amid dire circumstances 8. This maintenance of morals and hope helps
us resonate with the scenarios as we ponder what we would do in their position,
and whether we would behave differently. This will feature heavily in my piece as
we realise that Bryan is losing his sanity by hallucinating Pigeuo to life, as well as
having to fight undead mutants and deal with a near deadly case of mistaken
identity. In both, we experience the degradation of civilisation, and more
importantly, the mentality of our fellow man.
Tim Burton is renowned for his gothic horror stop-motion films. Whilst not a
television show like The Adventures of Pigeuo and Bryan, he does pose
competition in how audiences may prefer to spend money to see a reputable
directors work as well as similarities arising in regards to the genre and style.
5 http://time.com/3506057/why-walking-dead-so-popular-ratings/
6 http://uproxx.com/tv/walking-dead-popular-zombies-show/
7 http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/the-walking-dead/news/a673439/uk-tv-ratings-thewalking-dead-breaks-fox-uk-records-with-over-800000-viewers/
8 http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/how-the-walking-dead-breaks-every-rule-weknow-about-tv-hits-1201089433/
His
movies are highly
profitable9
and
perform well during
their theatrical runs.
This, partnered with
the extent of his
body of work, tells
us that he has a
wealth of experience
and an undeniable
talent. Additionally,
he has been nominated for 58 awards, winning 20 of them 10. These include
Oscars, BAFTAs and Saturn awards amongst a plethora of others 11. This
proficiency has enabled him to become one of the most respected and
revolutionary directors of all time. Whilst his proficiency and recognisable
creations afford him an immediate advantage over my work, mine shall be
targeted at a different age group. As such, we will not be competing over ages
and genders.
9 http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=animationstop.htm
10 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/awards
11 http://www.famousfix.com/topic/tim-burton/awards
12 http://mentalfloss.com/article/60723/21-things-you-didnt-know-aboutnightmare-christmas
13 http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/23-things-we-learned-from-thenightmare-before-christmas-commentary.php
14 http://www.buzzfeed.com/briangalindo/18-things-you-probably-didnt-knowabout-the-nightmare-before#.xvb61bRRnX
competing with one of Burtons signature techniques; like The Corpse Bride mine
is, at the heart a tale of optimism 20 and I need to work to distance myself from
established styles and modes of thinking.
Coraline is longest stop-motion theme to date, with a running time of one hour
and forty minutes and took 18 months of production 21. This conveys the sheer
scale of a product, and just how much effort must go into making it as good as it
can be. Furthermore, a number of Easter-eggs and hidden details can be found,
indicating the depth of the piece and how there is more than meets the eye 22, i.e.
Mr. Bobinsky wears the Russian Hero Medal for Service at the Chernobyl Nuclear
Disaster on April 26, 1986. This could be the reason for his odd complexion and
peculiar mannerisms. I would like to explore the use of these subtleties myself as
a means of adding explaining the situation better for those willing to seek these
elements out.
Additionally, it used replacement animation where where one stop motion
puppet face is progressively swapped for
another slightly different expression with the
needed smile, frown, or appropriate eyebrow
position23. The intention of this was to
establish an emotional connection between
the
humorous and different to any existing ideologies that we may have. Moreover, I
will consider my use of colour and lighting; the set and landscape may be dull
and apocalyptic like the aforementioned Zombie program, but the characters
vivid and vibrant as they finally learn to live. As a side note, I have been forced
to recognise the importance of costumes; the clothing contributes to how iconic
and memorable a cast member is, i.e. Jack Skellingtons pinstripe suit or Carl
Grimes cowboy hat. In other words, I want certain fashion items to remind the
viewer of Pigeuo and Bryan.