Lust and Greed
While doing my research on Tex Avery, I discovered the meanings and metaphors behind many of Avery’s characters. The use of the wolf, for example, is a synonym of the animal instinct and basic sexual desire of men - especially soldiers during the WWII period. Ah Sen, in ‘Satay Satay’, has a similar base instinct for food which borders on lust. His primal animal reactionto food is exaggerated to the point his tongue flips out and his eyes widen, like Avery’s Wolf.
Tex Avery, "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943)-----
Ah Sen looks at the coconut like the Wolf looks at Red.
-----
Ah Sen's tongue lashes out similarly.
-----
Old People Humour
In this shot Ah Gong is climbing a coconut tree to get a treat for his grandson, this is an unexpected act for a person of his old age. This incongruous act result in humour with the audience laughing at the unexpected behaviour of Ah Gong. A similar device is used in many of Avery’s films where old people suddenly display uncharacteristic abilities.
Tex Avery, "Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943)
-----
Tex Avery, "Swing Shift Cinderella" (1945)-----
Crazy old Ah Gong climbs up coconut tree.-----
Sexual Innuendos and Gags
Tex Avery often surprised the audience with his use of sexual innuendos. Avery would put adult preoccupations (such as sex, paranoia and lust) into a childrens cartoon, shocking the audience whose expectations were of a reassuring moral and familiar structure.
Tex Avery, "Blitz Wolf" (1942)-----
Ah Gong’s bottom and the tree trunk create a phallic symbol.-----
The Indian boy’s hand is a phallus in combination with the man behind.-----
Slapstick
With the rapid pace of Avery’s film, the audience is exposed to an incredible amount of gags, most of these are simple but hilarious slapstick gags. This informed and influenced my personal practice.
Tex Avery, "Little Rural Riding Hood" (1949)-----
School girl gets hit by coconut.-----
Elastic Movement
Another influence of Tex avery, is the elasticity in which his characters are able to perform and move. This is ability to distort movement and characters is very specific to animation and Avery was one of those who understood the limitless possibilities this could offer.
Tex Avery, "Little Rural Riding Hood" (1949)-----
Ah Sen elastical moves.-----
Hungry Animals
In Tex Avery’s vocabulary, animals are often used as one dimensional characters with a simple goal mind troughout the story. Satay Satay also features an animal with a similar objective which eventualy causes the crash.
Tex Avery, "King-Size Canary" (1947),Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-----
Hungry buffalo.-----
Sudden Juxtaposition
Sudden juxtaposition or replacement of elements can cause humour as seen in many Avery’s gags. In the climax I decided to use a similar technique not only to create humour but to lead the main character to believe, that the cow is his grandfather. Therefore triggering the necessary emotional shock needed for AhSen to make an internal change.
Tex Avery, "Little Rural Riding Hood" (1949),Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer-----
Ah Sen: What the...?-----
Conclusion
As a creator and animator, I have always admired Tex Avery for creating the wacky, eye-popping, exaggerated style that has made him so famous.
He has influenced me in many different ways from style to storytelling and even with his use of sexual gags. Avery was renowned for having a general audience appeal, with mature gags appealing to adults and a slapstick humour enjoyed by the younger generation. This is something that I would also like to achieve with my films relating to a wider audience; especially since our contemporary society is currently experiencing an age where animated content is being targeted towards specific audiences and age groups. I believe there is still a lot of space for films appealing to both end of the spectrum.
Having done my thesis research on Tex Avery really influenced the way I approached humour and animation and I think this impact will show in many of my films to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment