Richard McGuire contributed on the film “peur du noir” that we watched in class.
peur de noir is actually a smaller segment included in a film called Fear(s) of the Dark, which explores the overarching fear of darkness- I’m not sure if both titles are interchangeable or not, as peur de noir literally means “afraid of the dark” even though this segment that McGuire included isn’t the entire film.
McGuire’s segment is very interesting because it’s quite simple but still very effective in the ways it implements fear. It relies heavily on lighting and where these light sources come from in connection to the sound design, and I feel like the setting being this abandoned house (at least that’s how I interpreted it) works well with it because of how easy it is to simplify furniture and appliances and such and have them still be recognizable. This puts more emphasis on the events that are happening and the suspense that is created instead of the environment around the character.
Moving on to some of his other work-
Mcguire is a very simplistic and futuristic artist. He does a lot of work in unconventional graphic novels and also becomes more modern in recent times. An impressive example of his graphic novel is called Here, and it is about the present constantly being conversation with both the past and future at the same time. I interpreted it as his own view on what the future could look like and how the past plays into that.
I am actually not a big fan of some of his work, but that’s just my personal preference because very simple modern styles don’t interest me as much. I think they’re still very impressive.
Another example of his work is called The Elimination of Reality Through Difference. It explores concepts of empty space and where it can go in a piece that causes different perspectives. The colors are very limited but contrasting to put more emphasis on the filled and unfilled spaces.
I think that McGuire focuses more on still modern art and less on animation, but any animation makes a lasting impact if it is seen by an audience regardless, so yes, I think that his animation in Fear(s) of the Dark contributed greatly to the animation scene. It is a great example of how simplification in a film can still be a great and effective storytelling device, contrast to how many people think that more details is better.
One of my favorite animated series is definitely Cyberpunk Edgerunners. SO COOL.
I am such a huge fan of cyberpunk in general as I’m sure a lot of people already know but Cyberpunk Edgerunners is such a great example of it. It was adapted from the game Cyberpunk 2077 (which everyone should go play NOW it’s so good)
It’s basically about a kid named David whose mom got killed in a hit and run in Night City (located in California) and he turns to a life of crime and cybernetics because of it. The people that do this are called “cyberpunks”. The city is completely crime-riddled and corrupt, and David is also struggling a lot with internal issues. The fear in this show is scattered throughout in different aspects rather than with events or characters. Cyberpunk as a genre does that a lot, because it’s commentary on real world events and systems and it implements its fear through things like corrupt organizations with no regard for its citizens, in the case of Cyberpunk Edgerunners. I find this type of fear incredibly immersing because it creates a sense of constant tension and expectation for the watcher. Even when things seem calm, you’re always thinking of all the things that could go wrong because of the unique setting they live in at any time. It really immerses you in the story and is part of why I think that environment design in storytelling is one of the most important parts of creating a convincing story.
The music specifically in this teaser is SO GOOD. Like the standard city ambience ramping up in time with the music to reveal what ACTUALLY happens in the city (fighting, crime, etc) really sets the mood for the entire show in only a minute and even before you see these shots of brutal fighting and weapons and fast-paced chases you can tell something is sinister under that dazzling futuristic city facade.
Again just go watch it or play the original game if you haven’t the fear and storytelling in it is AWESOME
Also here’s the official wiki for the entire cyberpunk universe:
https://cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Cyberpunk_Wiki
WORKS CITED:
“Fear(S) of the Dark (2007).” IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/title/tt0792986/mediaviewer/rm775328768/. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.
McGuire, Richard. “Richard McGuire.” Richard McGuire, 2014, www.richard-mcguire.com/new-page-26. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.
Youtube.com, 2024, www.youtube.com/results?search_query=peur+de+noir. Accessed 29 Oct. 2024.
“Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.” Wikipedia, 1 Oct. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk:_Edgerunners.
Netflix. “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners | Official Teaser | Netflix.” YouTube, 8 June 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4ztgjvfU60.
“Cyberpunk Wiki.” Cyberpunk.fandom.com, cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Cyberpunk_Wiki.