Abstract:
This article proposes that the internet, with all of its influence, is pushing SFFH concept art towards a homogenization of visuals. The three major reasons outlined in the article are the demand for accelerated image creation from the industry, the trends in image dissemination due to the expansion of social media, and the homogenization of influences caused by mass dissemination online. Through interviews with industry professionals as well as theory by Michel Foucault, this article speaks of the problems that have arisen, and explores how they have come to be.
With the coming of the internet age, media as a whole has sped up to match the demands of the global public, and in doing so it has brought about a mass homogenization of SFFH (Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Horror) concept art. Three major reasons for this over-saturation of similar images come from the media industry’s demands for faster production, online culture surrounding image dissemination, as well as a decrease in varied influences of artists.
Firstly the homogenization of SFFH concept art can be attributed to faster turn around time for concept artists in the industry. The internet has caused media to be easily available around the globe. This means that all media is trying to reach the most people possible by trying to have the biggest global reach. However this also means that the attention span of viewers is much shorter because they have access to so much different content. This shift has caused media across the board to speed up in order to match this fast paced internet culture. The effect this has on concept artists is that the turn-around times for concepts have been cut down drastically because projects need to be completed more rapidly. This has bred an environment where the faster the concept is done, the better it is for the production team. According to illustrator and concept artist Dan Warren, this push for faster image making has led the industry towards shortcuts such as the use of 3d modelling in zbrush for as well as the use of photo-bashing to create highly rendered complete looking images as fast as possible (2014). Photo-bashing is the importing, cutting, and pasting of photographs within an illustration to create a sort of photomontage. The problem however, especially with photo-bashing, is that the content created is all comprised of existing photographs. The same images will end up being used in photo-bashes causing the art to look more and more similar. Another negative point is that with the lack of time artist can fall into the trap of drawing heavily on other concepts to create their images. This further causes a similarity in output. Photo-bashing is born out of necessity, and is the product of our time. However, these techniques have managed to make their way into other forms of image making, and have become popularized by the internet.
Secondly it can be attributed to the current state of the web and it’s relationship to the social media model of image sharing, as well as the online community surrounding concept art. The internet as mentioned above is subject to fast changes, and short attention spans. This is only further emphasized when looking at the models of image sharing that exist within it. The shift from the artist book model in which emphasizes physicality and longevity, to the Facebook model which lends itself towards rapid image dissemination as well as fast turnover of images is responsible for a shift in perception surrounding image makers. This has caused artists who want to maintain an online presence to be expected to churn out work at a rapid pace. The rush of getting ‘likes’ has become more important that actual improvement of skills, and that is why techniques such as photo-bashing and zbrush sculpting have made such a massive appearance online. Currently with the death of major online artist communities such as CGhub and Conceptart.org, budding artists are not getting the motivation and direction they need to push past the attractiveness of instant gratification of likes and really cultivate their skills. Facebook hosted sites such as Brainstorm are just places for unoriginal concepts to gain likes, some brief attention, and no constructive feedback at all. Instead of learning the basics they go straight to what they see coming out of the concept art for movies which ends up being a lot of photo-bashing. They emulate it without the knowledge that it is a shortcut, and end up relying on it completely. Furthermore if and when these artists make their way into the industry, they will not have the knowledge to back up their craft, and will rely solely on techniques such as photo-bashing to produce work. They will find themselves unable to create anything that looks dissimilar from the work of others.
Thirdly the homogenization of images can be attributed directly to the homogenization of influences. The Internet has streamlined media release across the globe, which means the same movies and games get attention globally at the same time, then fade away to leave room for the next big movie or game. In the words of industry professional Dave Rapoza, “[t]he minus is that with that access comes a pool of artists all coming from, generally in my opinion, the same influences” (2015). By taking the concept of Michel Foucault that “discourses are objects of appropriation”, we can extrapolate that if everyone is exposed to the same media, and they are all drawing from that same media, the outcomes will inevitably end up looking similar to one another (p.142). Media has always been this way, whether it’s Star Wars’ influence on sci-fi or Frank Frazetta’s influence on fantasy art, but now with internet culture the trend has been exacerbated. Currently with the global reach of media, every artist around the world is being influenced by the same sources. This, compounded with the trends of photo-bashing and the requirements for ideas to come quickly, has lead the face of SFFH concept art to look more and more similar with each passing year.
Rapoza mentioned in an interview that “over time it is going to further push the art styles even closer together and could end up hurting growth with too many inbred ideas” (2015). It is this overlying similarity of images within SFFH concept art that will hurt the industry. Although new media has allowed for many new ideas to be brought to global attention it has also amplified the voices that were already being heard, and in doing so has homogenized global culture. Concept art is supposed to be the generation of new and original concepts to implement within media, and these developments have caused it to become one of the most internally similar looking art forms that exist. It has lead to artists individualities to fall to the wayside as they produce endlessly similar versions of the same concepts that consumed and disseminated over and over by the media.
Works Cited:
Foucault, Michel. “What Is an Author?” Textual Strategies: Perspectives in Post-structuralist Criticism. Trans. Josué V. Harari. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1979. 141-60. Print.
Warren, Dan, and Dave Rapoza. “Unsolved Mysteries 2 – The Photo Bash.” YouTube. YouTube, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
Rapoza, Dave. “An Interview!” Daverapoza.tumblr. Tumblr.com, 20 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
New Media Illustration Review 