This week is tutorial for our critical report, and some skills about how to write literature review.
This is a periodic summary of my critical report:
In The beginning, I planned to write The visual design and symbolic analysis in the short film Jibaro, after conducting my research, I realized that discussing the visual design and symbolic meaning in Jibaro inevitably revolves around the colonial background of the story. The historical context is deeply intertwined with the work, and the concept of “visual design” feels too broad. It can encompass color, costumes, character design, environment design, artistic style, props, lighting design, and storyboarding.
There are too many elements to analyze, so I decided to focus on a specific category of visual design.
After reviewing a lot of material, I gained a general understanding of the historical context and noticed something unusual—the knight’s facial tattoo.
In film or animation, facial design is often very important, and the author places the tattoo on such a prominent part of the face, which I believe must have a specific role. Since discussing this story inevitably involves the historical background, I decided to narrow my topic to
“The Cultural Significance of Tattoos in Jibaro: A Visual Narrative in the Colonial Background“
You can see that the circles in the top pdf represent the relationships between the various elements in the title. I plan to analyze the role of tattoos in Jibaro as a visual narrative tool, particularly from the perspective of the colonial background. I will explore how tattoos drive the plot and their symbolic meaning within the story.
Additionally, I aim to discuss the cultural significance of tattoos themselves and how they relate to the themes of the story.
During my research, I experienced both pain and enjoyment because it led me to explore tattoo culture and the colonial history of Latin America, topics I had never deeply considered before. This information gave me a new perspective on tattoos, and I even discovered that their origins are closely linked to tribal culture, with tattooing in the U.S. actually tracing back to South American tribes.
Although indigenous groups like the Taíno were nearly wiped out during the violent colonial process, many tattoos with tribal cultural symbols continue to be popular among young people and have become a trend. These tattoos are not only symbols of fashion but also carry deep cultural significance.
For example, the essay above mentions that Gus and other tattoo artists incorporated elements of “Bolivian” or “Andean” styles into their designs, using pre-Incan symbols, Bolivian folklore, and local flora and fauna. Through these tattoos, artists convey the culture of Bolivia and the Andes. Even though some ethnic groups have disappeared, their culture has been preserved through tattoos.
Feedback from teacher:
In format, I need to use “Chapter 1,” “Chapter 2” to label the subheadings in the main body, and categorize the images in the text into the Appendices section on the last page.
In content, I need to cite more references and complete the literature review. The literature review can support my Chapter 1 or Chapter 2, In this way, it can link the references with my topic.