5 Principle Study (8): Production for Visual Communication

The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed in the 1450’s. The book was printed by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany using the moveable type printing press, marking the start of the age of the printed book.

The bible was printed in black letter type  known as Textualis and Schwabacher. 

The hand written manuscripts were produced using water-based inks, but Gutenberg used oil-based ink with high levels of carbon and metals (copper,lead, and titanium).

This enabled the ink to adhere to the metal type.

Gutenberg used quality paper, made in Italy, which had a watermark running through it that was made by paper mold. Gutenberg’s first process required the paper to be passed twice through the press using black and then red ink (rubrication-latin rubrico to colour red).

This rubrication was used to emphasize the words. This was soon stopped in the printing , allowing any red emphasis to be added by hand.

The basis of this new technology was shafts of metal, with letters of the alphabet on the end that were movable.

Problems arose due to the type had to be exact so that the surface of the pages would come out identical. The process became easier when better quality inks became available that would adhere more efficiently to the metal type.

Within ten years of the Gutenberg’s production, this type of printing was being used all over Europe as well as in area’s of the New World.

My favorite expert within the broad field of animation and general film direction would be the screenwriter/director Hayao Miyazaki.

Born in 1941, this japanese artist/mangaka/animator’s career, has grown extensively across the span of 50 years, within that time he has shown a developed and highly distinctive vision for his work,refined within the various employee roles to be found in the business of animation production; all the while continuing to gather national and international acclaim from the directors seat.

With the founding of Studio Ghibli in the 1980’s, Miyazaki directed a whole series of features that went down successfully with the Japanese movie market, but were only now starting to grab the attention of the Western world. It would not have likely have developed any further than within the borders of Japan, had it not been for the production of one of Miyazaki’s most acclaimed movies, behind Spirited Away(2001, which would go on to be the first animated film from any country in the world to win an Academy Award), Princess Mononoke(1997). This film helped Miyazaki gain a foothold within the international movie market.

With the history aside, the reason why i see Miyazaki as my ‘favorite’ expert, is because he has always maintained a specific vision for the way his work should or should not be portrayed. Japan’s film industry is built upon giant manga and anime industry rivals, but he has worked his way up through the ranks and various specialities and all the while never losing focus of his principles and aims. His work is, to me like a moving painting, always within his own recognizable style. He is an expert in achieving his vision and isn’t afraid to challenge the preconceptions of what is expected of Anime.