Time Frames

I was watching the Japanese anime film Princess Mononoke the other day and after reading the chapter Time Frames I realised the techniques used in one of the opening scenes are the same talked about in that chapter. In the chapter McCloud talks about how time and motion is represented in still images in comics. The techniques he details are of using sound and motion blur or 'speed lines' to create the illusion of time and motion. And the way that different countries and cultures use this technique to create the same effect. The use of these, and either using several different techniques for motion blur is very effective in the illusion. 

One of the opening scenes in Princess Mononoke where the prince is being chased and trying to fight off a demon that is attacking his village is a great example of the way writer and artists use motion blur and sound to create motion. This is a great example of the 'Japanese' way of creating motion. In the scene the artists use several different types of motion blur to create speed, but the shot that caught my eye is very good in creating a sense of speed and fluidity. In this shot you can see how they used motion blur and 'motion lines' on the ground to create the speed. Although this is a film which does not need to rely on visual cues to help create motion, because it already has that, it does help create an extra feeling when watching this scene. And because of that when watching the scene it does put across a great sense of speed and danger because of the quickness of the characters. On top of this visual cue of the speed, there is also the sound of the prince's mount on the grass and the music to compliment the action. All the facets work together to create such and impressive picture, with a great quickness.