This week I looked at the collaboration between Airside and Demos. Together they have created a visual essay delving into the problem with the Power Gap. The first thing that grabbed my attention in The Power Gap was the graphic style of the animation.
The designers have used the iconic character found on many bathroom door signs and street signs. The animation is very smooth and keeps the viewers attention throughout the entire film. The story begins with a simple question, "What is power?” The narrator then continues to give us an overview of what power is. It began with strength, which then turned into intelligence. This is illustrated in a comedic manner by having the stick figured beat each other with clubs. Eventually, one of the cavemen creates fire, which is symbolic of the caveman becoming intelligent. The narrator also discusses how imagination is also power, which is shown as when the cavemen create what I interpret as Religion. The religious leaders turn into Kings and Queens to illustrate how power moved from religious leaders to Kings and Queens. The evolution of power moves onto citizens that wanted the power given to the people. Yet the people who were helping to spread the power would take more for themselves and their "cronies". Therefore a power gap was created again.
We continue to how a person gains power throughout his or her lifetime and what may decrease power. The narrator discusses how an individual’s power takes two forms, Resilience and Agency. Resilience is the power to be, which is a defensive power. This is shown to us as a robber stealing a briefcase from one of the two characters when discussing crime rate. The narrator also tells us that health is part of a person’s resilience. In this section two doctors examine the two men and the person who wasn't robbed contracts a disease and becomes covered in spots. We move onto the power of Agency, or the power to do. The men are given cell phones, which emit a signal beacon that makes sounds like a Star Wars light saber for a comedic effect. This is done because Agency is an offensive power. Education and money are things that allow gaining more options and moving further. During this narration the man on the right is becoming wealthy and successful because of a good education. He is shown as a businessman while the man on the left is shown as a laborer that has a hard time gaining power.
Power is able to take other forms such as power over others and the power of influence, such as the boss telling the worker what to do as illustrated. Political power is another form of power. The polling station pops up and the men place their ballots in the box. The narrator goes further to illustrate how power is still held by the rich elite, and that people may be able to gain some of this power if they have the services to become more Resilient and access to tools they need to help themselves. She goes further to say, "Power doesn't belong to these people (The Elite), it belongs to the people". I think the symbolism of having a average person with a picket sign pulling "The Rich Elite" out from underneath the Kings, Queens, religious leaders, and business men is a very power image.
The color palette used is comprised of mainly vibrant yellows, blues, green, and oranges on a dark brown background. This creates a focus on the characters because they are the brightest things in view. I feel that this creates an interesting effect. The colors also add to the comedic cartoon style that has been created. The transitions in the animation are for the most part characters popping in and out of the camera. By using this method of transferring to another topic it creates a smooth flow throughout the animation. The viewer isn't left hanging wondering why something just happened because of the narrator’s story. All of these elements combined form a very cohesive graphic animation that is entertaining as well as informative.
The designers have used the iconic character found on many bathroom door signs and street signs. The animation is very smooth and keeps the viewers attention throughout the entire film. The story begins with a simple question, "What is power?” The narrator then continues to give us an overview of what power is. It began with strength, which then turned into intelligence. This is illustrated in a comedic manner by having the stick figured beat each other with clubs. Eventually, one of the cavemen creates fire, which is symbolic of the caveman becoming intelligent. The narrator also discusses how imagination is also power, which is shown as when the cavemen create what I interpret as Religion. The religious leaders turn into Kings and Queens to illustrate how power moved from religious leaders to Kings and Queens. The evolution of power moves onto citizens that wanted the power given to the people. Yet the people who were helping to spread the power would take more for themselves and their "cronies". Therefore a power gap was created again.
We continue to how a person gains power throughout his or her lifetime and what may decrease power. The narrator discusses how an individual’s power takes two forms, Resilience and Agency. Resilience is the power to be, which is a defensive power. This is shown to us as a robber stealing a briefcase from one of the two characters when discussing crime rate. The narrator also tells us that health is part of a person’s resilience. In this section two doctors examine the two men and the person who wasn't robbed contracts a disease and becomes covered in spots. We move onto the power of Agency, or the power to do. The men are given cell phones, which emit a signal beacon that makes sounds like a Star Wars light saber for a comedic effect. This is done because Agency is an offensive power. Education and money are things that allow gaining more options and moving further. During this narration the man on the right is becoming wealthy and successful because of a good education. He is shown as a businessman while the man on the left is shown as a laborer that has a hard time gaining power.
Power is able to take other forms such as power over others and the power of influence, such as the boss telling the worker what to do as illustrated. Political power is another form of power. The polling station pops up and the men place their ballots in the box. The narrator goes further to illustrate how power is still held by the rich elite, and that people may be able to gain some of this power if they have the services to become more Resilient and access to tools they need to help themselves. She goes further to say, "Power doesn't belong to these people (The Elite), it belongs to the people". I think the symbolism of having a average person with a picket sign pulling "The Rich Elite" out from underneath the Kings, Queens, religious leaders, and business men is a very power image.
The color palette used is comprised of mainly vibrant yellows, blues, green, and oranges on a dark brown background. This creates a focus on the characters because they are the brightest things in view. I feel that this creates an interesting effect. The colors also add to the comedic cartoon style that has been created. The transitions in the animation are for the most part characters popping in and out of the camera. By using this method of transferring to another topic it creates a smooth flow throughout the animation. The viewer isn't left hanging wondering why something just happened because of the narrator’s story. All of these elements combined form a very cohesive graphic animation that is entertaining as well as informative.
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