My Column About Dios
 

A while back, many of you helped me out with some questions I had about the history of dios for a column I was working on. Said column has finally been published, though ironically it doesn't go into the history of dios. (Good thing, too, since it was after it was submitted that I received most of the information that was new to me.)

More unfortunate for me is that they didn't use any of the dozen or so dio images I linked them to, which is unusual for them; they only used one of mine, which I can only suppose is a permission issue...?!?

Whatever the case, it makes the piece rather bland, visually, added to which there's no visual context for readers who aren't already familiar with dios.

My only other disclaimer is that PopMatters is a pop culture criticism site, and so am honest in the column about the quality and mainstream viability of the average dio. I hope no one takes offense; I acknowledge in the piece that my own dios boast the same flaws.

Anyhoo, here it is:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column...me-produce-art/


Previous pieces you might enjoy:

Speculation and study of Rise of Cobra toys:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column...in-the-balance/


A love letter to Sigma 6:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column...-go-for-gi-joe/

Thanks!

-Monte

It's been a while since I've been able to read an article all the way through.

You're right, dio-makers don't make the dio for anyone but themselves. There is that one book that Hasbro put out, but truthfully, I've seen photos on this site that are better than what was in that book. If dios were anything more than just a hobby, their would be more books out there featuring them.
I feel the dios serve a dual purpose. Photography has always been a hobby of mine, and G.I.*JOE is something new I can take pictures of. There is a certain challenge to it as well.
Usually when I set up the figures, I'll take several pictures from different angles. To me, the challenge is to make it look like I'm taking pictures of something that's happening in front of me, not a bunch of toys. There are some challenges to taking pictures of a Joe figure that aren't there when taking pictures of a landscape or your sister sitting on the lawn with the dog.
There's also a third aspect to dios; the story telling. For those of us that have made a Dio story, although for the most part, you are doing it for yourself, but part of it is for other people's enjoyment (otherwise you'd never post a picture on theis site), and you want to make it interesting for others to see and read.
So, collecting, getting the right photo of what you are trying to convey to others and being able to come up with a good story, can really make a person expand their creativity.
I, like you, have tried to write a novel, but for some reason I find getting out there every other day and sanpping the pictures and coming back in and editing them more satisfying than sitting there typing out the story.

Overall a good article, it was a bit unfocused in that there was no central line of thought, but that is reasonable with the subject matter.

I think some direct quotes from dio authors would have made the article seem more alive. Also it would have given more insight into what exactly you were getting at (the why's of what we do).

A couple of direct thoughts:



The statement implys 2 things. First that comedy is not a worthy effort, which denotes your whole article. Mel Brooks, Monty Python, Voltaire, ect were all examples of worthy endevors in comedy.



That I think is a very poor choice of wording. While I can understand amaturish ect. Competent implys people who do this (including yourself) are lacking in some fashon which I would argue is false.

Art is completely subjective, its in technique you can begin to make judgements. However competant actually makes implications of the artist him or herself. That is a shame, I do hope it was a bad editing choice. Critisim is ok, vieled insults aren't

Also in the article you sighted I thought you miss a really incredible quote:



I mean that just speaks volumes towards what you were saying.

I think it's great you're spreading the word about dios.

Too bad they didn't post the other pictures, I think it would have impressed a lot of outsiders, maybe got them into the scene.

I think you don't know enough about Star Wars dios/displays/collecting to comment. Many Star Wars collectors try to display their loose items in scene specific dios and may spend more on that area of display than the actual figures and vehicles in it. In that regard their are many 1 shot dio-ists.

There probably are just as many people who do SW dio stories as Joe dioists; it's just as a percentage that is so small due to the larger fan base overall of SW.

I said before that this is also an issue of somantics, it seems each fan community has a different name for what is essentally the same thing. SW calls it Photo-novels, Joe's refert to as Dio-stories, I forgot the name that TF calls it right now, but I am sure I will remember after I hit the reply button. I have seen a couple of things done in He-man communties as well (Useually you really have to look cause it gets buried in the fan fiction sections). Of course there is also Photo webcomics (Most prominantly useing legos) but that is a class unto itself.

Anyway, All this info didn't get to Monte cause i was in a bit of a rush to take care of real life so I only answered him after he turned it in apparently.

I think it's great your getting it out there too! I have always been into Joe and Photography/graphic design has always been a hobbie/skill. Being able to combine the two has brought an exciting new dimension to toy collecting that MIB toys displayed on walls and shelves could never do! I have always said that doing these dios (wither it be story or single shot) is how we as adults get to play with our toys! :) Nice job Monte. :)

I feel that there is a slight sarcastic and negative tone in the article. Yes, it's a pretty geeked thing this community does and we might even acknowledge it, but we have FUN doing it. It's a hobby that we do for ourselves and to an extent, for others joy.

For me, it's the story that I love as well as the graphical look at that each person is capable of.

The whole "amateurish affairs" to me, says that we are ALL incompetent. I suppose the pros would be getting paid but some of us DO pro-grade stuff. DaveCW comes to mind. And keep in mind, Luke Ellison's amateurish fotography landed him a short stint with Hasbro for the Marvel division. It sounds like we'll never be more but that's not the point in the end. It's something we are learning and always trying to get better at.

I feel that there are people on the JD who SHOULD be working as a PRO cuz certainly, the studio shots are pretty boring and not very good even in the art of FOCUSING the camera!

Aren't the diostories the stories WE want to tell. It is stuff that was never told in comic or cartoon (or movie). I'm guessing like with any toyline where people are doing fotographs, the creators like to give characters/figures their own spin. Often times, it's when the companies don't push the character/figure.

Also, it would have been nice for there to have been indication that people WHO do this hobby are around the world. In the JD's case, there are representatives from Europe, South America, Phillipines, Canada and Australia.

It was good that you mentioned that different toylines call their 'hobby' different things. I feel it would have been nice to help DEFINE what a 'diorama' is in terms of the JD for the world to see. That Diorama is different than DioStory which is different than the 1-shots people do.

Still, that article took a lot to write about it and it's great you made the effort.

Nice article. I enjoyed reading it. Full of interesting information and perspective. Thought provoking as well. Now I have a lot of thoughts to give feedback on.

The article does touch upon certain perspectives of why people do dios, some of which I do disagree with. In my view, I take dios as an artist. I do the art for not just for myself, but for everyone who will view it.

When I render a 3D scene, which in a way is not very distant from a physical diorama, of course there is a level of self purpose where I render the scene for myself. As long as it's a hobby for me, and not a job, the first motivation is usually for myself (with exception of course). The second motivation for me is to make a scene no one has seen before, ever. That is where I get my kicks from.

Before joining JoeDios, I used to write stories and design virtual worlds for various online games, usually the old MUD games. These games tend to be based on a Dungeons and Dragons style. And so I designed, programmed, and made many virtual worlds. Like 3D, I got my kicks knowing and imagining what the players would experience when they were to go through the rooms I created.

Likewise, when I write programs, since I am a software engineer, it doesn't matter if it's for a job in which I am paid to design a program a specific way with a specific look, or for myself in which I can design it in whatever way I want, I get my kicks thinking how the user will interact with the app.

My diostory I am writing currently, I spend a lot of time on it. There are some 3D renders, there is a 3D printer which is really rather expensive, there's 3D models, lots of photos, and many files describing scenes and even a storyboard. I'm not doing all this for my entertainment, but for the readers who will read the story.

My satisfaction comes from knowing I did a good job depicting my joeverse to all of you.

:-) So, I am happy I am able to share that bit of added perspective with you. Like I said, I enjoyed the article and thought it was pretty darn good. The topic is more involved than I think the article gets into. There are different reasons people do do to express themselves. It's an artform, and art itself is very hard to define definately. Indeed, the topic would make for a good sociology paper of the types I used to do. I enjoyed the article.

Pretty good article, Of course it could not cover the whole aspect of dioramas! From the sci fi effects of the 80's to the museum displays still viewed today. Gi joe has alot of dios stories but one cannot leave Starwars,transformer, and heman out of the loop and those are just a taste of the dio stuff that there is. Alot of DnD and mech warrior stuff has always incorporated Dio scenery of castles and battles but that also depends on the players.

I did find a slight tone when it came to the amateurism of the hobby. I in no way find alot of the stuff I see on flickr and joe dios amateurish, some of the people on the site actually sell there dioramas in a professional and well established way.

For me I am already a professional artist and designer this "hobby" is a stress reliever for me so why would I wanna make it extra work for myself by competition or trying to make it into another profession. I like telling stories and having fun, and if in the process I have been approached by comic shops and hobby shops to make or use my dio displays or pictures then good but it doesn't have to be another job or more work or something more i need to be stressed out about! Its funny and creative but doesn't mean it can't be serious, I always try to go for the real world view of my joe-verse and my shots!

I will admit guys some of yah are kinda harsh that is only one view and take on the subject and monte did post asking for answers and thoughts! but everyone has there opinion! cheers DD ;)

P.s. bad grammar can mean the person doesnt care for grammar on the net or maybe just maybe that english is there second or third language. Not that there illiterate in anyway!




*added some spacing - S*