Reflecting on Animation: Blog #10

            After a whole semester of studying animation, I have learned a great deal about everything that goes into this incredible process. From the planning of each and every scene, to excruciatingly long rendering times, animation proves to be one of the most intense art forms out there. However, one aspect of animation has stuck out to me the most throughout this whole learning process. The way that animators have created films that appeal to all audiences is what fascinates me the most.

            Even through the use of cartoon figures, animators have created films that get a reaction from audience members of all ages. When looking at a typical animated film, we normally see a good vs. evil storyline. Even though some animated films can seem very similar in story structure, these types of films generate a ton of money in the box office. Animation just seems to hold a special place in the realm of cinema and just seems to be able to capture everyone’s attention. While most animated films are normally targeting a young audience, I have noticed recently that more and more animators are coming up with new ways to include humor for older audiences. For example, they might throw in a couple jokes that only adults would understand, but they would not affect a younger audiences members experience. On top of that, animation is an extremely time consuming process, and can take hundreds of hours to complete one film. Animators deserve a lot of credit to put themselves through that intense work schedule. This is one of the only genres that continue to captivate audience members of any background. To me, that is what is keeping the animation world alive. 

Wise Words from Detheux Part 2: Blog #9

            In the second part of Detheux’s article he goes more in depth about his views on animation and how he believes it is a dying art form. He continues to argue about the linear format that Disney has adopted along with his belief that most animations contain the same story structure. I found his thoughts and ideas in this article to be a lot more intriguing than the first article.

            He starts off by talking about a movie trailer for the film Amelie, and how the French trailer and U.S. trailer differ completely. I looked into this by searching for them on YouTube. Detheux makes some really good points about these trailers. The French version really is a lot more engaging with the audience and has a much different tone than the U.S. version. He goes on and writes a quote that I found very inspirational, “Art is a religion. Its aim is the elevation of thought.” He encourages animators to really question why they are animating something and to really explore that question in their head. He then begins to talk more and more about how he would love to see more experimental animations being produced with much more conceptual ideas.

He believes that in order for animation to move forward, people need to break the boundaries of a typical narrative and try new things. This is one of the points that I totally agree with Detheux on. I would personally love to see some experimental animations get the praise that they deserve. However, the typical narrative that animations normally encompass is what takes the cake. He makes another interesting point about animation being tied into painting and how he feels that animation could easily be the next “face” of painting. To me this sounds awesome since paintings can be very surreal or conceptual. To see those two qualities produced in an animation would be astounding if you ask me. All in all, Detheux has some really strong views on animation, and simply wants to see the art form pushed over the typical boundaries. 

Jean Detheux Part 1: Blog #8

            Jean Detheux wrote about his unique views on animation, and some of his ideas really struck me. He argues that animation is reaching a point where the process has reached a point where it is linear and not many creative/experimental animations are being made. In my opinion, Detheux is not completely wrong, but he also makes some really good points.

            In his article he states, “It seems to me as if most of the traditional narrative animation is endlessly repeating itself.” (Detheux). This was one of the statements that he made, which I agree with. Taking a look at past Disney animations, some of the most popular films they have made are the ones involving the well-known Disney princesses. In most of these films, the princess has a problem that she is facing, and ends up being saved by her “knight in shining armor.” While this is not a bad formula, it gets pretty repetitive after a while. I mean, even Disney recognizes that the format of their stories is fairly identical. Chapter ten of our textbook even backs this up. The passage states, “Our feature films always seem to end up with about 14 sequences.” (Johnston and Thomas. 368). One reason that Disney could be doing this is because their main audience consists of young children and they do not want to present complex narratives to them. It is not surprising that other viewers have noticed this formula as well.  

            On the other hand, I feel that there are plenty of experimental animations being made in this day and age. With all the independent/freelance animators we have now, they are constantly developing new animations to publish on the web. I have seen plenty of animations on YouTube that would not be considered to even have a narrative. Here is one example. While Detheux makes some great points about animation, I do not believe he is correct in saying that animation has lost its experimental aesthetic.

Putting Together a Story: Blog #7

Without a story, there is no animation. Developing a story on your own is difficult in and of itself, but with animation this whole process is exponentially different. The planning process of an animation is one of the most intriguing aspects of the whole story development process in my opinion. While filmmakers who are not doing animation plot everything out using storyboards before hand, they have a lot of give when shooting a film.

For instance, a filmmaker may think that a certain shot would look really good, but if he wants to change that specific shot it is totally possible. With animation, the animators must plan out each and every shot of the piece down to the finest detail before they even begin. Having to envision a whole entire story on the screen before you even see it on a screen can be tough! Not only that, but you also have to worry about producing a good story on top of all this. In chapter ten of our text there is a quote from a Disney animator. He states, “A good story cannot be ruined by poor animation, but neither can a poor story be saved by the very best animation.” (Johnston and Thomas. 367). This just goes to show that story is one of the most important aspects of animation, and careful planning will result in the story being told to the best of your ability.

In conclusion, for me planning was the most interesting part about telling a story in regards to animation. As someone who is more into digital filmmaking, I commend all the animators who have to go through the long process of fully developing a story for animation. 

 

Developing an Emotional Reaction: Blog 6

Animation is an art form that has touched the hearts of many people across the globe. That being said, I do not believe that the LCD should not be considered a “dumbing down” of the mind, but a warming up of the heart. As with any art form, the artists are attempting to obtain a reaction from their respective audiences. This applies to animation as well, and I can certainly think of many instances where an animation has embodied a truly captivating moment. I think that mass media may want everyone to believe that animators are only doing this to “dumb down” the content of their pieces. However, I believe they are doing this simply to be able to speak to all different audiences. When someone thinks of a Disney film, they think of their youth, and the young audiences that Disney is constantly targeting. There are many moments in Disney films that may be new events for the younger viewers, but could be completely nostalgic and emotional for older viewers. Disney has rose to the top due to their ability to convey these events and emotions so clearly to all of their audiences. I believe that moments like these in animations are what make them so special. Animators are now able to convey serious emotion to all audiences across the globe. While some may consider “dumbing it down”, I see it as a way to speak to audiences of all ages. As animation progresses everyday, we all can only anticipate the emotional moments that animations will present to us in the future, only continuing to show us how special this artistic medium is! 

Establishing Mood: Animation Blog 5

“In most instances, the driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character—or else all three. Therefore the mind is the pilot. We think of things before the body does them.” – Walt Disney. To me this quote means that the emotions of the characters are the most important aspect of an animation. The characters emotions determine all of their body movements and mannerisms, which is a huge part of creating a successful animation. By formulating your characters attitude before drawing them, you are able to plan out these mannerisms accordingly. For instance, in this Popeye cartoon, we are able to examine the way that Popeye acts to show that he is the hero of the story. One of the most interesting things that I notice about his character in this animation is that even though he is the hero, we never see him smile even once. He has a frown on his face the entire time and even looks a little angry. I think that the animators who draw Popeye did this to simply make him look tougher. He also always walks with his arms out in front of him as if he is trying to show off his muscles. Even though he looks angry the whole time, we can see from the start that he is out to do good and save the girl. One other instance where we see a demonstration of Popeyes character is when he eats his spinach. After becoming frustrated from losing in a fight against the villain, he pulls out his spinach and his mood completely changes. We see his muscles grow and his face lights up. As always, he defeats the villain after eating the spinach and the animation ends on a positive note. 

Using Animation to depict "The Real"

In chapter four Walt Disney is quoted with saying, “I definitely feel that we cannot do the fantastic things based on the real, unless we first know the real.” When it comes to animation, I completely agree with this quote. Animators who are creating characters also have to create the multiple different emotions that these characters feel. Without having experienced these emotions and experiences hands on first, how can they accurately depict them through animation? By honing in on these emotions and experiences, animators can ultimately create a much stronger and emotional scene. In chapter 2, the book talks about caricature and realism as parts of animation. I do not feel that there is a contradiction between this quote and those concepts. Realism and caricature are simply just two ways of depicting a situation or emotion that those animators have experienced in “the real.” Sure, realism is supposed to be a more truthful and accurate depiction of a certain emotion or situation. By creating a scene that is more focused on realism, the audience will be able to connect with that scene or character greatly. However, caricature can have the exact same effect in my opinion, and in some cases even push that emotion even further. Caricature is exaggerating the emotion of a character to the furthest degree. I think that sometimes exaggeration in animation can be a key aspect to really making the scene more powerful and emotional for an audience. It may look more like a cartoon and not realistic, but there are definitely moments where that exaggeration works just as well as realism.