Happiness: finding the best anime series you've ever watched on Netflix, marathoning the whole darn thing, seeing that it's just as great as you remember it, and learning something from it that you can apply to your writing.
I was watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica last night, and I noticed that it uses a very interesting visual technique during certain parts of the dialogue. It focuses on the character who's talking, as a standard show would... but then it starts flashing to various parts of the surrounding scenery, in a rapid and somewhat disorienting way.
I don't often see shows do that, but it made for an intriguing effect.
It held my eye's attention more firmly than a long shot of a slightly-moving face would have, it showcased the gorgeous scenery that the series so proudly displays, and in the moments where the transitions were quick and the speaking character's mental state increasingly unhinged, it gave a tense, unbalanced feel to the scene.
It was as if the viewer's attention, mind and viewpoint were fragmenting from one focal point to another, like the psyche of a person going mad.
It's an unusual method, but one I think I'm going to employ in the future. I'll admit that I sometimes neglect the characters' surroundings in favor of the plotline and dialogue, but I'm going to start using this technique to paint more of a picture in the readers' minds, and when applicable, to create the same tense, unhinged, fragmented effect that Madoka Magica displayed.
Have you ever seen this technique in a movie or book?
Did you enjoy it?
Where did you see it?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
I don't often see shows do that, but it made for an intriguing effect.
It held my eye's attention more firmly than a long shot of a slightly-moving face would have, it showcased the gorgeous scenery that the series so proudly displays, and in the moments where the transitions were quick and the speaking character's mental state increasingly unhinged, it gave a tense, unbalanced feel to the scene.
It was as if the viewer's attention, mind and viewpoint were fragmenting from one focal point to another, like the psyche of a person going mad.
It's an unusual method, but one I think I'm going to employ in the future. I'll admit that I sometimes neglect the characters' surroundings in favor of the plotline and dialogue, but I'm going to start using this technique to paint more of a picture in the readers' minds, and when applicable, to create the same tense, unhinged, fragmented effect that Madoka Magica displayed.
Have you ever seen this technique in a movie or book?
Did you enjoy it?
Where did you see it?
I'd love to hear from you in the comments!
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