Following on from the last match move session, using the same method of tracking the different points of the scene, selecting areas of high contrast and exporting
When tracking, It is important that all elements of the screen are accounted for, and there are clearly well-placed markers in every ‘quarter’ to minimize distortion and help form the fake lens that will be exported from 3D equalizer. This plays an important role in changing the lens to match that of a real cameras lens dimensions. This, in the process of tracking, allows everything in the scene to have a marked depth of field required to place the 3D object realistically in the scene.
An important aspect of the point tracking system for the application of 3D models is the use of ‘camera points’ and ‘object points’ which separates the two different point areas into two different layers; Background and foreground.
Having completed the background point tracks, the foreground point tracks were the next step in tracking the movement of the mans head to apply the 3D modelled helmet too.
During the process of adding tracking points to the man’s face, there were issues in the movement of the eyebrows, as the head rotates. This required certain tracking points to be manually moved frame by frame, rather than allowing the calculation to account for the movement and relying on high contrast pixels.
Once the facial track was complete, the 3D ‘Iron Man’ helmet was imported and manipulated in the 3DE 3D orientation controls viewport. This was then lined up with the mans face in the footage to fit the size of his head adequately.
This, similarly to the previous matchmove class, was exported into Maya, alongside the footage, where it can be appropriated tracked and animated. During this process, the helmet could be textured and rendered to a more photorealistic standard. Referring back to research from an earlier post of mine, this would be a key opportunity for the application of a Chrome or HDRI ball in industry practice. In theory, while preparing to film, images would be taken of the lighting and reflective Surfaces in the real live-action setting. This could then be used to apply the same lighting, and even reflections into the iron man helmet model, where it can be more effectively and appropriately composited.
3D Modelled Mask Tracked to Footage
Above is my initial track applied in Maya, where there is a clear match to the movement of the man’s face, there was also a glitch towards the end where I had not deleted a faulty point track. I Was successfully able to fix this in Maya by finding the faulty frame which caused this jolt and deleting it from the timeline to prevent having to re-calculate and find the faulty point.
Tracked Mask with Added Animations
I then expanded on from this by adding some animations to the front of the mask, to emanate the motions of the ‘Iron Mans’ mask. Concluding that I was able to successfully integrate CGI and live-action footage in the early stages of the VFX pipeline.
On the topic of Character and story development, an interesting piece that brings to attention the ever-morphing and developing character is the stop motion animated short “Love me, Fear me” (Solomon, 2018). The character starts outperforming and basking in the attention; however, the spotlight moves as soon as the audience grows bored of them. They refuse to be shoved aside and run after the spotlight, changing into somebody else entirely to please the crowd. This character solely drives the narrative; the only other ‘character’ is the lighting reflective of a non-existing audience. Metamorphosis compliments the characterisation effectively, as the clay’s colour and shape show us changes in character and drive the narrative throughout the story.
The story seemingly progresses through the life of someone struggling with personality and being accepted, starting with a childish demeanour and design, the spotlight changes and the character has to adapt to the new audience (new phase of life); they morph into a more human-like and sexualised form in order to please those around it. The character dances and adapts in ways the audience cheers for until the attention is again drawn away elsewhere. This time after dancing for a short while, the character understands that at this stage, the way they present themselves will not gain the approval from the current audience, as such, they adapt much faster morph into a shaper and almost angrier form (potentially showing young rebellion). As the spotlight fades yet again and the attention is redirected, the character attempts to keep their sharp and rebellious personality and is greeted with silence. This causes them to form into a white ghost, representing the regret of the characters changing, as we can see when there is a ‘shadow’ of themselves. Suddenly, the environment changes from a spotlight on one person to the character realising the spotlight is not on them and that everyone in the world has the same light on them at all times. The character begins to break down, somewhat reminiscent of a midlife crisis. They morph into a chimaera of conflicting personalities fighting and wrestling before forming a ball and burning out. This is when the character realises they are not unique and becomes a blank form, rejecting any parts of their previous personalities.
Much like the former,’ Manipulation’ (Greaves, 1991) abuses the method of metamorphism and uses the permanent unrest of animation to portray effective character development and emotions. Although initially rejected by the artist, the character enters the screen with a splash of colour to show they are complete. Upon moving, the colour immediately leaves the character, leaving them empty. After re-absorbing the colour to make them feel whole again, the colour still does not stick to them. This time, the colour reappears, they proceed to form the paint into a ball to interact and play around with, attempting to grasp and understand this alien world around them. Eventually, the artist rejects the characters colour ideals and ties him up to perform in the way the artist envisions all thee while stretching a deforming and even damaging the character in parts. The character cuts the strings the artist attached and attempts to escape; however, the artist catches him and manipulates him until the character fights back. The artist continues to punish his creation through stretching and controlling the world in which he exists until the character gets so angry that he starts to tear at his world. We see the personification of his anger as he morphs into fireworks. As he fights with the world in which he lives, the character manages to morph himself into a 3D form fighting against the artist and escaping his prison. He is pushed and falls to the ground, losing his 3D shape; the character returns to his original design, and the artist scraps him as we can see he has done with previous works before. The drawn character and the hand seem to have a direct interpersonal relationship, and the whole piece could be a metaphor for the struggling artist fighting themselves in the face of rejection and exemplifying the characters development from the tormentation that can be associated with childhood and the beginning of life, to individualism that arises from pressures that mature a person in later life.
Both ‘Love me, Fear me’ and ‘Manipulation’ show interesting character-driven narratives that use the animated form as a tool in the story and character development. The clay itself becomes a character, more so than the character it intends to present, and psychosocially links the viewer to the artist in a way that makes them understand that what they are viewing was made by hand. The ever-changing shaping of the clay shows impressions of human interaction in the very aesthetics and the ever-present ‘god-like’ hand shows an interaction between animation and the real world. Both are fighting for their place in the real world almost, and this desire is the key element that drives them to survive and adapt to their environment in very visually expressive ways.
Filmography
GREAVES, D. 1991. [Film]. Manipulation. United Kingdom: Tandem Films
SOLOMON, V. 2018. [Film]. Love Me, Fear Me. Germany
Further Research Potentials-
Looking into animated documentary form as a specialisation, and the validity of its factual representation is often something considered and argued. For further research, I could potentially look into the arguments surrounding this and analyse more into the potentials of the animated documentary in the future. Looking further into this, I could look at the specific genres- such as documentaries like Waltz with Bashir (2008) and silence (1998), which represent war victims trauma visually in expressive ways.
The ‘Classic Narrative Arc’ consist’s of the start or ‘exposition’, the rising action, the climax, the falling action to the final resolution (figure 1). This basic structure can be used as a guideline for every story. Joseph Campbell’s ‘Monomyth’ takes this concept into a more specific context, breaking down the ‘Adventure of the Hero’ into notifiable story points applicable, in theory, to every story (Campbell 1993). This progression of the story is explained by Campbell as ‘openings of energy from the cosmos’ into ‘human cultural manifestation’, which poses interesting reflective thoughts on the importance storytelling has on society, and its relations to our dreams and myths (Campbell, 1993:3). Developing forward from the theories of Campbell, Writer/ Director Dan Harmon takes this into simplification by incorporating the heroes journey into an 8-step storey circle (Figure 3). An interesting point to take from Harmon’s circle is the threshold line representative of the conscious/ subconscious developments of the plot, replicant of the importance of dreams in support of the narrative Joseph Campbell illustrates.
Fig. 2: Joesph Campbell Hero’s Journey
Fig. 3: Dan Harmons Story Circle
Figure 4: Timeline of Coraline (Dan Harmons Story Cycle Structure) Figure 5: Selick. 2009. Coraline
In reference to Cambell’s “Hero with A Thousand Faces” (1993), the initial establishing shot in Coraline (Selick, 2009) outlines clearly the ‘departure’ stage of the hero’s journey and the ‘You’ stage of Dan Harmon’s story circle. The family arrive at the pink palace, the new yet ordinary world, cascaded in grey, dulled tones reflective of the characters emotional states. Coraline, the main protagonist, fits the ‘Everyman Hero’ (Masterclass, 2021), equipped with nothing but a strong moral compass and courage. In this first sequence, viewers are introduced to the main issues surrounding Coraline’s life, such as familial neglect, loneliness and her self-centred and judgemental character flaws. She is rude to her new neighbours and gives an air of superiority she does not actually attain and has not yet earned. Every action she partakes in is clearly just for self-advantage, without considering the people around her. This is especially apparent in how she speaks to her mother about her lack of fault in a car accident rather than express sympathy.
Her absence of self-awareness and sympathy ties strongly to the concept of the everyman hero, as displaying her faults and blunders draws out her childish temperament and simultaneously makes her more relatable to the viewer. This section of the movie subtly underscores the “relationship with forces that are not rightly understood” by building tension that foreshadows the film’s later events (Campbell 1993: 51). This includes Coraline’s first interaction with ‘Wybie’ when he rushes towards her in a ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow-esc’ way, the black cat that stalks and frightens her, and the appearance of a doll that looks just like her. Wybie, the ally/sidekick archetype, embodies the virtues Coraline lacks at the beginning of the story, showing friendliness and a modest temperament. In Dan Harmon’s story circle, the ‘Need’ exemplified in this section is shown in the loneliness and desperation of Coraline’s actions. It is clearly illustrated that she wants the attention and appreciation of her parents, the friendship that she left behind, and the need to escape her new dull, grey world.
Figure 6:Selick. 2009. Coraline
The call to adventure stage of the heroes departure occurs when Coraline receives a doll, replicating her appearance, that eventually draws her attention to a small door hidden in the new house (Figure 5). The entrance leads into the mystical, unknown world, which sets Coraline into the primary action of her heroes journey. At this point, the ‘supernatural’ mentor, the cat, has previously been introduced and subtly led Coraline to the setting of the final ‘battle’, the well, foreshadowing dark events to come. The cat is a fascinating figure who seems to embody multiple archetypal roles, including the ‘shapeshifter’, as he retains an ambiguity of bias to audiences initially and can easily trapeses between universes, metaphorically highlighting a moral middle ground in the apparent ‘good’ and ‘bad’ worlds. Coraline is now lured into the new world from her sleep which is more vibrant in tonality, interesting in visuals and striking in contrast to the former (Figure 6). This creates a clear sense of other-worldliness and visually accentuates Coraline’s journey’s unknown semicircle. This section represents the ‘Go’ section of the story circle, as she enters the world’s new and unexplored realms and her own mind.
The polarity of these worlds, the dream-like aesthetic essence of the universe through the door, can be linked to mentions of Campbell’s work about dreamscapes and the subconscious desire. Campbell states the danger of dreams “threaten the fabric of security into which we have built ourselves and our family” and that the destruction of our conscious world and the “wonderful reconstruction, of the bolder, cleaner, more spacious” subconscious world through dreams, inevitably brings a promise of trepidation from ‘disturbing night visitants from mythological realms’ (1993: 8). ‘Coraline’ (2009) indulges this idea in quite a literal sense, with the deconstruction of the family and Coraline’s real-world desires manifesting in the other world (or the subconscious realm in this context), which inevitably leads to night visits from otherworldly monsters.
Upon entering the new world, Coraline is confronted with the main antagonist or shadow of the story, the ‘Beldam’ or ‘Other Mother’. She seems to precisely fit into the ‘mastermind’ villain role, concocting well thought out schemes to achieve her goal of soul consumption (Masterclass, 2021). This part of the story development presents Coraline with the life she desires. Her parents no longer neglect her; all her flawed desires are brought to fruition- Wybie’s ‘annoying’ mouth is stitched up, she is served the perfect dinner her parents couldn’t provide, she becomes the centre of this universe that indulges the depths of her ego. However, the striking black button eyes (which can subconsciously associate ideas of uncanny animate dolls to the viewer) on the otherworldy characters visually differentiate them and bring attention to the danger they possess.
Figure 7: Selick. 2009. Coraline
Due to this, Coraline’s intuition tells her something is amiss and causes her to reject the call to adventure, and she wakes up back into her reality (Figure 7). Campbell states how the refusal is, in essence, “a refusal to give up what one takes to be one’s own interest”, in this case, Coraline seeks the security of the known (1993: 60). From this point, the issues of her real-world from before are further exemplified. The introduction of ‘Bobinsky’ indicates the ‘trickster’ archetype, as he is considered a ridiculous character who also points out the absurdity of Coraline’s actions through the ‘word’ of his mice. Ms Spinks and Forcible seem to embody the role of the herald, warning Coraline of future dangers ahead, quite literally, by reading her tea leaves. In this instance, Mr Bobinsky could also be considered a herald, as he warns Coraline not to attempt to go through the door again.
Figure 8: Selick. 2009. Coraline (Coraline awakens in the barren, cold appearing room)
The third time Coraline visits the other world is intentional and brings the subconscious world into the conscious. Coraline enters the world in the middle of the day; under no implication, it is a dream setting, which psychically and metaphorically represents the approach of her crossing a mental threshold. Due to Coraline’s acceptance of the call, the supernatural aid/ mentor presence starts to take hold of the plot. The cat, both “protective and dangerous”, providing direction and protection “unites itself in all the ambiguity of the unconscious” (Campbell, 1993; 73). This supernatural mentor supports Coraline’s “conscious personality” because he brings reality to the situation, making the ever-present threats more apparent to the heroine (Campbell, 1993: 73). Despite this, the cat maintains his ambiguous inscrutability; disappearing and reappearing to the disorientation and subconscious manifestation that represents Coraline’s fears; further blurring the lines between reality and unreality in the realm.
Figure 8: Selick. 2009. Coraline
At the crossing on the threshold, Coraline is forcibly trapped into a mirror after rejecting the ‘button eyes’, more concisely, the ability to stay in the dream world forever. This section is when the reality of this true nature of the alternate world starts to come to fruition. While trapped, Coraline converses with the spirits of the last victimised children.
The road of trials is represented literally by the ‘game’ she proposes with the ‘other mother’. In this particular section, Coraline navigates through the once wonders of the world to find they have been twisted and distorted in horrifying ways. She is tested through trial and error and builds critical character development. Campbell notions that a hero will move in a “dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms” in this survival of the trials ahead (1993: 97). Coraline naturally follows this statement, as everything is previously known and ‘safe’ generates an air of ambiguity as the characters reveal themselves to be rats, pumpkins and other darker and more twisted versions of their former selves. Coraline, aided by the ‘supernatural mentor’ (cat) at the ‘entrance of this region’ as, despite our previous knowledge of the world, this is where the true and symbolic ‘entrance’ of this world is revealed (a stripped-back vacant world) (Campbell, 1993: 97). Characteristics such as the villain archetype ‘the henchman’ show themselves in the other father at this point in the film. This is made clear in the way he begins to attack her, but seemingly out of this control, stating how ‘mother is making him do it. The parallelism between the character of the father in the real world and the unknown replicate elements of Coraline’s conscious perception of her parent’s relationship, providing further indications of projections of subconscious fears in the ‘dreamscape’. This scene could also be representative of Campbell’s ‘atonement with the Father’ aspect of the hero’s journey as despite the other father’s evil indentures, he assists her in escaping the life-threatening situation he puts Coraline in (Campbell, 1993: 126).
The Death and Rebirth stage occurs when Coraline fails to collect the eyes in time; she requires assistance from her supernatural mentor to remain unscathed from the consequences of such loss. In Dan Harmon’s story circle, this is the heavy price the hero pays for getting or attempting to get what they most desire. This follows onto the character progressive state that eventually leads to Coraline’s Revelation, in which she outsmarts the Beldam and manages to free her parents and the ghosts of the former children. This starts the narrative incline back from the subconscious to the conscious or the chaos back into its order as Coraline re-enters the real world.
The atonement section shows a lot of character development in Coraline as she begins to understand her flaws, appreciates her ‘older’ world with a newfound appreciation, and respects her parents and neighbours without the prejudices of her past self. However, despite getting everything she wanted out of this arrangement, she still must suffer for the selfishness of her former actions. The Beldam’s hand survives the incident, and she attempts to steal the key back from Coraline to free herself from the dream-like realm. She is chased by the hand and the other mother until, with the help of Wybie, she is able to smash the hand and drop the key into the well. This could be symbolic of her dumping the old part of herself into an unreachable place, never to be reaccessed.
After these events, Coraline returns changed and has a much more overtly positive attitude towards her new life. She and all the neighbours gather together, in which she interacts with each and every one of them. After going through the stages of the heroes journey and progressing through the conscious and subconscious territory, she begins to understand the world around her once again.
Bibliography
Campbell, J., 1993. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Hammersmith, London: Fontana Press.
MasterClass. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-different-types-of-villains> [Accessed 10 November 2021].
MasterClass. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/common-hero-archetypes-in-literature#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20six%20most%20common%20types%20of,while%20possessing%20a%20rich%20inner%20life%20under%20> [Accessed 10 November 2021].
The relationship animation has regarding memory, trauma, and nostalgia are all aspects that can be looked into in further depth. The subconscious understanding an individual has of the “fakeness” regarding the animated picture and understanding the human craftsman behind each shot breaks the barrier between media and real life. This empathises the essence of human manipulation, especially regarding stop motion, which is reminiscent of that of childhood playtime with toys (Walden, 2019: 82). Particularly accentuating this is the Pixar film “Toy Story” (Lasseter, 1995) as it gives the viewers the perceptual understanding that what they are perceiving is graphically produced in its stylised manner. It brings forward the real-world human association with todays and childhood that build a sense of nostalgia in the viewer. Another film that aids this aesthetically is Coraline (Selick, 2009). The toy-like perceptions and signs assist the overall context of the film, with a lot of the themes revolving around childhood and playtime. Aesthetically it is also worth mentioning that this nostalgic essence of design does not work as effectively with computer-generated hyper-realism due to phenomenons such as Masahiro Moris’ Uncanny Valley’, as this causes viewers feelings of discomfort in a way that affects memory and trauma theorised by Freud to remind a viewer of their own repressed childhood traumatic events (2003).
McLuhan’s understanding media (1987) delves into the idea that media can act as an extension of the human experience, thereby making individual experiences associative with the stories that they consume (McLuhan in Walden, 2019). Walden mentions the work of Alison Landsburg and how her argument states that media serves as a “prosthetic” that coaxes viewers into experiencing an extent of the emotional and bodily reactions and history displayed on the screen that they have never engaged with on a personal level (2019:82). Interestingly, the psychological and emotional impact that media (like animation) seems to partake in society is interesting. It is something I would potentially investigate further as a potential research project. Media proposes a never-ending loop of raising expectations of life while simultaneously providing comfort for those who feel their lives are lacking, highlighting success as a medium of entertainment.
In its relation to the animated documentary, it has been mentioned how animation has the ability to “emphasise subjective reality” and allows exploration of the movement and reactions of historical events not able to be represented through photographic imagery (Walden, 2019:83). The portrayal of historical accounts through animation from the perspective of a group of people can be portrayed in a light that might not be historically possible to provide photographically ( for example, manipulated and controlled imagery from the holocaust) (Walden, 2019). Using animation as a tool to assist documentary film can highlight the formation of memories from the “Organic and the non-organic, the past and the present for the future” (Walden, 2019: 84). Creating and understanding visually to a viewer the specific context of an event in time and reality. This prevalence can help underline the potential significance of the animated documentary as a medium, despite its controversy of not portraying real life. An example Walden provides to illustrate this point further is ‘abductees’ (Vesters, 1994), as animated imagery depicts things that are not possible in live-action, such as people accounts of alien abduction.
Fig 1: Vesters. 1994. Abductees
Paul Vester, interested in untutored and’ technically bad’ art, found a certain beauty in them that is reflective in Abductees styles (Kitson, 2008). The different animators used to differentiate the abductees’ stories are also based on `illustrations done by the abductees themselves, who are all just ‘ordinary’ non artistically trained citizens (Kitson, 2008). As Hodgson (one of the Animators visualising the stories) mentions:
“The idea that a memory is not a solid thing, but something that changes over time could be visualised with subtle multilayering of slightly different versions of the same information” (Hodgson in Kitson, 2008, p. 154)
The intentionality behind the animation insinuates how controlled and stylistic aspects of experience can be presented at times even more accurately than live-action, especially in the instance of claimed alien abductions.
List of Figures-
.VESTER, Paul. 1994 [Film Still]. Abductees. United Kingdom: speedy films.
Bibliography-
.KITSON, C. 2008. “British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor”. Indiana: Indiana University Press. Pp-152-156.
.WALDEN, G, V. 2019. “Animation and Memory” in “The Animated Studies Reader“. Edited by Nichola Dobon, Abbavekke Honess Roe, Amy Ratelle and Caroline Ruddell. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.
In an attempt to enrich my understanding of body mechanics and the blocking animation process in Maya, I have referred to the work of Alessandro Comporota, who outlines the importance of each step in the blocking process. He accentuates that getting the timing and dynamic posing right is essential to creating good and clean animation.
Using Maya to colour code the keyframes (red) versus the in-betweens and breakdown keys (green), I blocked out the mainframes of the animation using the reference footage. This helps prioritise the primary key poses versus those in support of them.
Blocking Phase
First Spline Pass and Improvement Comments
Doing the first spline pass, I learned a lot about converting stepped tangents into spline tangents and the process of cleaning the different arcs. Utilising this time to learn about the various uses of the tangents, for example, stepped, clamped, flat and linear. Below it is apparent that the curves (in this case, the waist rotation) were very messy and was causing it to have a slightly unnatural look in the viewport.
After using the tangent handles to tidy and create a clean arc of motion, I made use of the flat tangent to stabilise the movement of the following keyframes, which “automatically puts an ease-out and ease-in on a key” but never overshoots the motion (Roy, 2014, P.49). Due to the placement being after the direction change of the curve (after he sits down), the motion needed to remain still, and this tangent proved most effective.
After gaining feedback on my animation from class, I was made aware that the back arches much too extensively appear broken, and the fingers did not portray the weight of his body pressing down.
Making use of Mayas Grease Pencil Tool, I highlighted the issues to make it easier to directly correlate in the viewport what needed to be changed. In reference to Roy, the grease pencil is a key tool and can be used with many applications, which help animators create strong gestural arcs reminiscent of 2D wax/ blue pencils that are easily removed (2014). These lines, married with editable motion trails, can help create strong lines of action and arcs. However, Roy makes a clear point that to make the most effective use of the grease pencil tool, a Wacom tablet is essential to create the visual gesture required, and the effect of a mouse will not be majorly beneficial. In this light, due to the lack of equipment I had at the time of animating this, I used a mouse to give myself an indication of the areas I needed to fix (such as the overly curved back and circling the weight suggestion in the hands, so I did not forget when caught up in the animation process. Going forward, I will obtain a drawing tablet that enables me to utilise this tool to the best of my ability for future animations.
Grease Pencil in Viewport Playblast with Grease Pencil Applied
Improved Spline and Clean Up
After taking on these suggestions, there was a visible improvement in the animation quality, and I could not quite get the IK/ FK switch to look as clean as I had intended. I could not separate the arms from duplicating for visual frame placement due to the geo model and rigging. In order to solve this, when unparenting the hand constraints from one another, I also swapped them to IK from FK, instead of when he makes contact with the chair, which has a visible ‘jolt’ effect in the hands; however, it did not look outrageously out of place as the blend parent faded in strength along with side the FK Influence. The fingers also did not have the fluidity and follow through towards the end to take them out of a ‘floaty’ CG stage. They also moved a bit too much initially, which seemed unnatural because the fingers were being held still together in a grasp. There also was not enough bend in the fingers when taking the seat, despite being an improvement from the initial block out.
Final Version
Applying all these self-critiques, I focused on finger movement and added slight details to enhance the level of realism. F r example, adding subtle facial animations such as blinks and eyebrow movements. Since a majority of facial expression is created in the uppermost regions of the face, this felt like the primary area to focus on to pass as ‘realistic’, adding hair ‘bounces’ that follow through with critical movements. Reflectively speaking, the piece of animation has elements that need refining, particularly in weight distribution. For a better future understanding, I will practise more with a range of rigs to understand IK/FK seamless switching.
References
.Roy, K., 2014. H w to cheat in Maya 2014. Abingdon: Focal Press.
During this session, I have gained knowledge in the software 3Dequalizer, learning the interface, uses and tracking devices. For this session, we learned how to track a piece of footage (in this instance a video of Camden lock) and use the 3D points to later convert into 3D space. The process requires stable and key points of the footage to be tracked across the whole timeline of the video; this includes high contrast areas and objects in the scene that do not move around a lot. A key point is to never track water, as it is very unstable and organically interchangeable. The tracking should take place across every corner of the footage in order to create a clean and non-biased tracking point to prevent the successful warping of the footage later on before the lens distortion.
Figure 1: Tracking Process in 3D Equalizer
After the tracking is complete, and there is an even spread of points, the lens points are changed to match the original camera, and the tracking is calculated in the parameter adjustments to ensure the whole track is smooth and does not have any drastic ‘glitches’ in the playback of the video. The Camera and the tracked points can then be exported, and placed in Maya where the process of scene blocking can begin.
Timeline Showcasing Potential Glitches in Track
After this process, once all of the data is calculated and cleaned, the points can be exported to be processed in Maya. The modelling stage of the matchmove can then be built up around these different tracking points.
Importing the 3D Track into Maya Figure 2: Matchmove and Scene Blocking in Maya
During this process, I built rough models using the locators as spatial reference points to map out the real scene into 3D space. In the process of adding additional details such as a railing and windows to give a clearer indication of the objects for potential interaction.
Figure 3: Wireframe Modelling Track
Below is the final modelled product of my track, where a 3d character can potentially be animated interacting with the live-action scene to prepare for the compositing process.
An essential part of the animation process is the collection of reference footage. It can take the animation to a level of realism or stylization that sells the performance to audiences more effectively. Kenny Roy’s How to cheat in Maya 2014 suggests that before starting an animation having a clear plan, such as thumbnails, are ideal before you start your reference footage to get a strong conveyance of performance across (2014). However, due to the simplicity of creating an animation just to work through general body mechanics, I made reference footage based on how I would generally sit down rather than add extravagant performance.
Reflecting on this video, my reference footage could be significantly improved in terms of angles and capturing speed. Going forward, it would be wiser to capture multiple angles (front, side and back) to get a clear picture of what is happening when animating in 3D space. Also, capturing footage at a higher frame rate (e.g. 60 fps) so the frames are easier to break down when importing into Maya. Watching youtube videos from Sir Wade Neistadt, I took on some advice and bought a compactable tripod to make filming from specific angles easier to achieve in future. This is also an easily portable, compactable and adjustable tripod which should greatly benefit my reference footage creation in the future when doing more intricate performances.
When recording reference footage, Kenny Roy also suggests finding many references on youtube alongside your reference footage to gather enough material to successfully get the realism and performances nuances across in your animation (2014).
Due to my physical limitations in performing advanced body mechanics, I have found several sources on youtube for potential animation tasks that could fit this criterion going forward to the next task.
The carefully crafted setting of this shot parallels that of a traditional laboratory found in a school; however, it has an inventive twist of being created for anthropomorphic animals. In the setting, subtle elements with implications of animal characters such as a canine anatomy poster in place of the traditional human version, the breakdown of layers of fur and skin, the posters detailing underground fox burrows all help add a societal reflected humoured and naturalistic world-building narrative to the scene. Creating an environment that humans are familiar with but putting a contextually understandable spin on it makes the characters inherently more relatable.
Figure 1: 2009. Anderson. Fantastic Mr Fox
The meticulously planned costumes give substantial implications about the characters using generalised and stereotypical representations from real-life media. In figure 2, you can see the larger beaver character is dressed as a typically portrayed ‘American high school bully’ with the sports jersey on him, contrasting with the smaller and weaker character dressed clean and more ‘maturely’. This also appears in reference to the standardised ‘nerd’ seen in American high school movies. Reflecting on Anderson’s intention could try to accentuate past portrayals of classicly viewed characters and abuse this to further accessorise the characters’ actions, helping the audience gain a better understanding of personality without additional context and screentime. The costumes in figure 3 highlight the age of the characters in a specific clarity and their tonal ranges. The character on the right (Ash) is wearing a pure white cape with a suit which aids the development of his character, wanting to ‘show off ‘and be the centre of attention much like a superhero. The white indicates youth and purity associated with childhood and makes him stand out from the background, illustrating how the character wishes to be seen. This also draws on his neurodivergent qualities in a visually simplistic way. The character on the left wears a classically childish dress, indicating both age and gender is style, giving her an innocent and girlish appearance.
Figure 2: 2009. Anderson. Fantastic Mr Fox
Figure 3: 2009. Anderson. Fantastic Mr Fox
While the lack of general expression in the characters features can be accredited to the limitations of the stop motion puppets, the deadpan and flat expressions of the characters (figure 4) seem to aid the blunt and straightforward humour and dialogue found throughout the scene. This can also be seen in the characters’ very square positioning and underexaggerated movements, which further accentuates this static and formal feel. In the context of the film, the adults behave like children, and the children act like adults. This scene demonstrates this through how the characters interact with calm and emotionless mannerisms typically seen in people with more emotional maturity. It can also be noted further that there is a lack of adult supervision despite the dangerous use of fire and chemicals. In figure 2, while the characters designs are different in height and width, the positioning makes the two appear as equals in conversation, showing respect and civility. This contrasts with the generalised ideals the costumes tell us about how the dynamic should appear. In figure 3, the character dynamic is more strained, subtlety faced away from one another in a way that seems timid and closed off, suggesting a distance in the relationship.
Figure 4: 2009. Anderson. Fantastic Mr Fox
The colour and tonality of Fantastic Mr fox overall seem to reference the original storybook by using bright childlike yellows as the foregrounding colour throughout the film. This could also be a homage to the original publishing date in the 1970s, which, as a period, is generally portrayed in media to have incorporated musky yellow and orange hues. This gives it a vintage effect to help further set the period. The key light on the characters in this shot is a top light, which helps set the scene further as the intended set is underground in tunnels and helps give a sense of where the sun is present. This also explains the very distinct points of light falling in specific spots, leaving most of the set in a dimness associated with the underground. The sun is also represented by the warm yellow tone that dominates all the background’s purposely lit areas. The only other noticeable lights are unnatural lights coming from the various liquids in test tubes, contradicting the top lightly with underlighting (figure 2 and 3) which helps spotlight the characters without affecting the rest of the set behind them and is reminiscent of torches.
Figure 5: 2009. Anderson. Fantastic Mr Fox
The scene shows several reoccurring shots, which help symmetrically break down the set into two different distinct conversations that feel separate yet joined simultaneously by the actions to positions of the characters. In figure 3, the way the surface on the right looks off to her left shows interaction with something/ someone offscreen that opens up the scene to more than just the confines of the table, despite the very square and isolating shot. The positioning of the characters also indicates the relationships in a very subtle way; the character ash is on the furthest point on the outside, looking away from the others, seemingly estranging himself from his classmates. As eventually shown in figure 5, the character on the furthest right of the ‘room’ is very far away from the character on the furthest left of the room, adding exemplification to their distant relationship in the film. The character on the left of the screen is making eye contact with the character on the right in the previous shot ( figure 3), indicating mutual interest between the characters and offscreen building a relationship.
The cinematography of the shot powerfully illustrates the use of ‘Planimetric composition’ and is indicated in the very static and perfectly controlled camera motions (Bordwell and Thompson, 2021). This form of distinctly flat backgrounds and symmetrical shots, paired with the artist impressions on the fur of the stop motion figures, brings forward very intentionally the artist behind the film. Adding a certain unrealistic charm to the film could add to the childlike wonder of bringing toys to life in dollhouses, helping accentuate its target audience. There are only medium close-up shots in this scene that follow a ‘compass point’ editing style, only turning at 90-degree angles each time, keeping the background flat (Bordwell and Thompson, 2021). There is only one very controlled and fast-paced pan across one of the shots, which works well timing-wise to follow the characters gaze. The control and stillness of the shots accentuate the feelings of underground isolation and compliment the ‘square’ and symmetrical aspects of the room in a way that helps set the scene.
List of Figures-
. Figure 1- ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
.Figure 2-ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
.Figure 3-ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
.Figure 4-ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
.Figure 5- ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
Filmography-
.ANDERSON, W. 2009 [Screenshot]. Fantastic, Mr Fox. United States, United Kingdom: 20th Century Fox.
Bibliography-
.Bordwell, D. and Thompson, K., 2021. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL: Wes Anderson takes the 4:3 challenge. [online] Observations on film art. Available at: <http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2014/03/26/the-grand-budapest-hotel-wes-anderson-takes-the-43-challenge/> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
Mise-en-Scene in a frame from Anamalisa (2016)
Figure 1. Kaufman and Johnson. 2015. Anomalisa
The frame exhibits information about the characters’ relationship, with subtleties of their personality shining through the set props. Initially, the hotel room setting indicates a potential romantic relationship between the two characters, especially in the instance of sharing a bed. The slippers and slightly messed up/ used bed reveal a messier and potentially more unkempt nature. This contrasts with the clean, perfectly in order and tidy side of the bed, giving implications of a more put-together character. However, the uneven amount of possessions in the scene insinuate that the room is only being used by the character on the left and usually is alone when going to sleep, hence why the other side of the room is immaculately unused in appearance. The facial expressions emit a feeling of contemplative melancholia; they are earnest and give the impression that the scene’s topic (or complete silence) is quite heavy in subject manner. The way the character on the right is hugging herself and closing in on herself makes her appear shy and insecure. While the man on the left is slightly contradictory in body language and seems more relaxed and open than the woman, the way his arm closes in on his left, seemingly intentionally not touching the woman, indicates a slight strain/ distance in their relationship. The lighting in the scene is dim and slightly hazy, not starkly illuminating anything that exemplifies a monotonous atmosphere. Giving prominence to this is the dull and desaturated colour scheme, which, while inherently shades like brown are warm in tonality, appear cool and flat. A feeling of ‘coldness’ is also evinced in the lack of personal items and ample spacing between furniture. Additional realism is created by this unvaried environment, as it accentuates a dullness reminiscent of an actual dimly lit and old hotel. The high angled shot gives a very symmetrical and flat view of the scene, only adding to its general monotony. The central positioning of the characters draws stark attention to them, and the dullness of the colour scheme and the lack of objects around them only bring them out further.
List of figures-
.KAUFMAN, C and JOHNSON, D. 2015 [Screenshot]. Anomalisa. United States, United Kingdom: Paramount Animation.
Filmography-
.KAUFMAN, C and JOHNSON, D. 2015 [Film]. Anomalisa. United States, United Kingdom: Paramount Animation.
Relationship and Mise-en-scene in Rebecca (1940)
Figure 1. Hitchcock. 1940. Rebecca
The implication of the relationship between the two characters in this scene from Rebecca (1940) that the mise-en-scene presents is distant and unequal in power. Throughout the scene, the characters maintain a set distance from one another, the younger girl seemingly uncomfortable in her presence and moving a safe space away. She always knows where the other is located. The positioning of the characters indicates that of a power dynamic; the lady dressed in black often stalks over the younger girl and glares at her without often breaking contact (figure 2). The symbolic colour value contrast of the white and black costumes pays into the stereotypical Good vs evil, angel vs devil ideals ingrained in media portrayal. This in itself foreshadows potential future conflict between the two. The innocence of the younger girl is also accentuated in the flowers detailed on her dress. The stiff and controlled posture of the older woman shows signs of pretension and arrogance paired with a deadly sort of grace, giving her an air of importance. In addition to this, the camera appears to follow her around the scene, rather than the younger woman, giving further implications of dominance.
The younger woman fiddles and moves around a lot, contrasting with the elegant stillness of the other, highlighting a sense of nervousness and lack of emotional control. She portrays her actions in a very self-conscious manner and seems to constantly look back and forth from the other lady, almost as if seeking approval. This brings into light an unhealthy, practically mother-daughter relationship. The dreary rain outside the window sets in a tone of isolation that encloses the conversation in a way that makes it more private and uneasy, heightening the sense of threat. The lighting is quite strong and casts shadows that distort and elongate the vases of flowers and foliage outside, which presents an eerie and unsettling feeling to the room that is supposed to be comfortable. Overall the scene succeeds in creating a strained and uncomfortable relationship between the two women.
List of figures-
.HITCHCOCK, A. 1940.[Screenshot]. Rebecca. United States: Selznick International Pictures
Filmography
. Rebecca. 1940. [film] Directed by A. Hitchcock. United States: Selznick International Pictures.
Mise-en-scène breakdown from Breadwinner (2017)
Figure 1- Twomey. 2017. The Breadwinner
The shot in its appearance seems to be a medium close up, giving solid details of the characters faces and upper bodies while also giving screen space to the environment they are placed in. The camera’s angle appears to be at eye level, which builds a connection between the main character on the screen and the audience. Positioned in the dead centre of the frame is the main character, making them the very apparent centre of attention. The character is wearing a bright pink girlish headscarf, which helps the audience understand their cultural and geographical setting (for example, an Arabic/ Islamic country). The bright pink draws the viewers’ attention and indicates girlish femininity and brightness to the character, making them appear innocent and childlike; the colour contrast implies they are brighter than their surrounding world. Displaying a deep depth of field helps further to build the surrounding world. Predominately featured in the background are the backs of people’s heads, which the lack of facial expression creates a sense of isolation for our character. The one other face in focus suggests a mild threat which coincides with the central characters nervous and worried posture and facial expressions, especially in the case the direction of her eyes draw you to the right of the screen. The frame’s colour tones are generally warm, which gives implications of a country/ word; this place has hot weather, supported by the natural lighting that is dominant in the scene’s background. There is key lighting on the main character, which illuminates the colour tones of their outfit, increasing the effects on singularity and identification. Contrasting with the characters expression, the overall background combined with tone and lighting feels warm and homely, aiding the context of the character’s environment and perhaps interacts with regularly.
List of Figures-
. TWOMEY, N. 2017. [Screenshot]. The Breadwinner. Ireland, Canada, United States, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, France: Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon, Melusine Productions.
Filmography-
.TWOMEY, N. 2017. [Film]. The Breadwinner. Ireland, Canada, United States, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, France: Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon, Melusine Productions.
Animation and film media can provide a platform for powerful messages and images entering public consciousness. This is primarily apparent in advertisement and product placement but can be more subtle in political persuasion.
Animation and political statement
Joanne Quinn’s “Britannia” is a prime and clear example of a political opinion being expressed through animation, using clear and striking visual references to illustrate this point. For example in figure 1, you can see how she has drawn the dog’s ‘blanket’ over sections of the UK to mark its ‘territory’ which stipulates an interesting point about old and modern British society.
Figure `1: 1994. Quinn. Britannia
Manipulating the technique called ‘Pixillation’ Mclaren perfects and creates a creative expression of the cause and chaos of warfare in the domesticated setting, making it more relatable to the casual viewer. Pixillation in essence is the application of stop motion animation to live-action actors. This is reminiscent of George mielies approach to filmmaking, in which the camera was used in a ‘stop motion- esc’ way to create illusionary magic (Russet and Starr,1976). The simplistic but effective story of these two neighbours fighting over territory and a single flower is heightened with the use of this technique as it adds a playful and blunt atmosphere to the piece; exemplifying and mocking the pointlessness/ childishness of warfare and selfishness. This can also be seen in the ‘cartoon’ stylisation size of the props around them.
Figure 2: 1952. McLaren. Neighbours
An older and more historic form of political influence through animation is world war two animated propaganda, taking prime example is ‘Tokio Jokio’ which is a looney tunes cartoon from 1943 which mocks and depersonalises Japanese people. The inherent racial biases at the root of this cartoon, indicate how the American media wanted their wartime enemies to be portrayed in a way that would even be suitable for children to laugh and treat with disdain. As seen in figure 3, the stereotypes of Japanese people have been characterised as an almost ‘bugs-bunny-esc’ figure, further insinuating the ‘animalistic’ actions of the characters. Wartime animated propaganda is a broad topic that can be researched further for animation centred around politics.
Figure 3: Tokio Jokio. 1943. McCabe
Animated Documentary
The animated documentary can be argued in the validity of its portrayal of factual information, however, its narrative capabilities can in instances, succeed that of the live-action. In cases such as ‘Waltz with Bashir’ (Folman, 2008) and Tower (Maitland, 2016) this help visually displays traumatic events without the use of realistic and lifelike actors in their recreations, helping illustrate the severity and emotional process behind distressing events.
Figure 4: Folman. 2008. Waltz With Bashir
The animated documentary can also help convey more vague and artistic impressions of real-life events. For example, the animated documentary “Ryan” (Landreth, 2004), expresses in a strikingly visual way the mental and emotional degradation of the animation Ryan Larkin, with interesting techniques of modelling which make the characters appear to have ‘glitches’ (figure 5). The technologically aesthetic issues only help to accentuate the 3D medium they are created in and give a clear visual indicator of a character’s wellbeing and mood in a shot. This is unique to the animated medium, which executes storytelling even in the factual realms.
Figure 5: Landreth. 2004. Ryan
The consumption of media historically to the present day is overwhelming, and the power advertisements, political stances and certain ideologies that can be channelled through animation are authoritative. Generalising the genre and thinking about its stereotypical target audience of children, the conscious and subconscious ‘brainwashing’ that can occur from a young age is taken into serious consideration. Even as present as 2010, Western animation projects racial stereotypes in mocking and seemingly harmless ways that create impressions on children of the presentation of other cultures. In particularly the episode “Summer belongs to you” (Povenmire and Marsh, 2010) of Phineas and Ferb, they travel around the world showcasing stereotypes from all corners of the globe. In particular, the presentation of Asian cultures is quite poor, as the Indians own a rubber band factory and test the stretchiness of the bands by Bollywood dancing. When they visit Japan, they overaccentuate the stereotypes, for example, banging gongs, making all the characters appear the same e.t.c. there are parallels in these representations much like the ones in ‘Tokio Jokio” (MaCabe, 1943). The appearance of cultures is an interesting and important topic in animation that could be researched in further depth for a thesis topic.
Figure 6: Povenmire and Hughes. 2010. Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to you!
Figure 7: Povenmire and Hughes. 2010. Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to you!
Advertisement and consumerism are also large aspects of media portrayal, and inherently aid the sales and business prospects of companies. A prime example of an advertisement with damaging effects is this flintstone animated advertisement from 1960 (Hanna and Barbera), promoting Winstons cigarettes (figure 8). While contextually people around this age were not aware of the serious health effects caused by cigarettes, it is apparent that the inclusion of loveable, children’s animated characters advertising such a product inherently had harmful effects. The product placement in television shows with a large age range in suitability can only increase its sales, highlighting controversial and immortal business tactics.
Figure 8: Hanna and Barbera. 1960. The Flintstones Smoking Commercial
The topics surrounding ideology, advertisement and political standpoints in media and, more specifically, animation pose an interesting prospect for further research and thesis topics.
List of Figures-
Figure 1- QUINN, J (1993). [Screenshot]. Britannia. United Kingdom: Channel 4 Television Corporation.
Figure 2- MACLAREN, N (1952). [Screenshot]. Neighbours. Canada: National Film Board of Canada.
Figure 3- MCABE, N (1943). [Screenshot]. Tokio Jokio. United States: Leon Schlesinger Studios.
Figure 4- FOLMAN, A (2008). [Screenshot]. Waltz with Bashir. Isreal, France, Germany, United States, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia: Bridgit Folman Film Gang, Les Films d’lci, Razor Films Produktion GMBH.
Figure 5- LANDRETH, C (2004). [Screenshot]. Ryan. Canada: Copperheart Entertainment, Nation Film Board of Canada, Seneca College.
Figure 6- POVENMIRE, D and HUGHES, R (2010). [Screenshot]. Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to you!. United States: Disney Television Animation.
Figure 7- POVENMIRE, D and HUGHES, R (2010). [Screenshot]. Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to you!. United States: Disney Television Animation.
Figure 8- BARBERA, J and HANNA, W (1960). [Screenshot]. The Flinstones Winston Cigarette Commercial 1. United States: Hanna-Barbera prodcutions.
Bibliography
.RUSSET, R and STARR, C. 1976. Experimental Animation: An Illustrated Anthology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Page 125.
The hegemony that Disney exert over the animation industry has set an overlaying expectation from audience members a generalised standard of animation. This stereotype includes the hyperreal smooth animation, partnered with a very cinematic style of ‘Hollywood’ editing that follows a classically American format. This, in essence, is the “classical narrative system which enables a story to be narrated with the least possible disruption and disorientation to the viewer” (Orpen, 2003,p.16). As the ‘Controlling editor’ (Allan in Wells, 2002, p.19), Disney’s impact has echoed through over 70 years of animated films, an example being ‘the Iron Giant’ (Bird, 1999), which throughout the piece follows a very conventional Hollywood structure in the shot progression. While expressing the movie’s imitated aesthetic and kinesthetic aspects, it also shows a similar methodology to live-action cinematography. In Figure 1, a straightforward, concise story is being told with a purely visual narrative that also conveys elements of the characteristics of the robot. The shot, cut, and reaction are reminiscent of clear, simple, and effective continuity editing seen in Disney movies since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Cotrell, Hand and Jackson, 1937).
Figure 1: Bird. 1999. The Iron Giant
Studios prevalent around the formation of Disney in the 1920s/1930s included the Fleischer brothers studios, who maintained their own strong east coast grittiness and aesthetic to their plots and character designs and had very similar aesthetic qualities to the editing. This may be attributed to the fact that they were both using the same technology and had little basis for what a publically well-received animated picture could be. One of the dominant similarities is the familiar opening title cards that are heavily applied in a majority of all animations and Disney in the late 1920s to 1930s. While historically built upon by Melies early use of title cards, that is reminiscent of handwritten letters. In figure 3, the intense lights imply skylights or spotlights associated with the cinema, where these cartoons would have been initially shown. This influence is shown in figure 2, making a direct reference to the early theatre and playing well on the location of the projection, also highlighting the potential impact from early mickey mouse cartoons.
Figure 2: Fleichser and Waldman. 1934. Betty Boop’s Little Pal
Figure 3:Terry. 1929. The Black Duck
The early Disney short ‘Haunted house” in 1929 incorporated the sound editing present in ‘Steamboat Willie’ (1928) and used visuals to imply sounds (e.g. skeleton ribs being used as a Xylophone). While with the seeming intention to mimic and parody this, Fleischer created Swing you Sinners! (1930 ), which incorporates many elements present in Haunted house. While visually, there is an obvious similarity, the editing styles are also reminiscent of each other. Both follow the main character running towards the right of the screen, away from haunted creatures, and each shot lasts a very similar amount of time, showing the relatively fast-paced progression of action. Influence is also reminiscent of sound editing. Fleichsers seems to use the auditory association with early Disneys’ silly symphony’ Esc sounds found in ‘The Haunted House‘ (Disney, 1929) to create clarity in their own work.
Figure 4: Fleischer and Sears. 1930.Swing you Sinners!
Figure 5:Disney and King. 1929. The Haunted House
Contrary to conventional Hollywood editing methods, ‘Belladonna of Sadness’ (Yamamoto, 1973) illustrated uncustomary juxtaposing shots that give vague impressions of spatial editing and linger on frames for extended periods in various places. While there are parallels in the slow, minimal movement ‘camera’ motions that imitate early Disney establishing environment shots (produced by Eyvind Earle) seen in ‘Sleeping Beauty’ (Geronimi et al., 1959), the entire ending scene of Belladonna of Sadness (Yamamoto, 1973) uses this even in moments of action and violence, shaking the ‘camera’ to simulate emotions of anger in still drawings. In the limited style of editing, It seems to force a viewer to contemplate a single, still frame rather than aid the conventional flow of storytelling evocative of real life. This dissonance ‘disobeys’ and seems to intentionally separate itself from the ‘Disney effect’, especially apparent in its eastern origins.
Figure 6: Geronimi. 1959. Sleeping Beauty
Figure 7: Yamamoto. 1973. The Belladonna of Sadness
Figure 8: Yamamoto. 1973. Belladonna of Sadness
Animation as a film medium is not bound to the rules and artistic limitations of live-action. Paul Wells states that Disney’s pursuit for “hyper-realism seems to fundamentally refute the intrinsic vocabulary of the form, that is, the ability to challenge the parameters of live-action illusion-ism” (2002, p.9). These rule-defying animation elements can be considered’ disruptive’ from forms of standardized classical narrative progression. Films such as “Duck Amuck” (Jones, 1953) encapsulate the creative freedom animation can procure, doing so by constantly and rapidly changing the environment and situations of the character ‘Daffy Duck’. This film, in particular, highlights the Animator’s presence and, in essence, breaks the ‘wall’ between the medium and the creator. Cinematically ‘Disruptive’ transitions unique to animation, such as metamorphosis, are shown in the animated documentary I Like Life a Lot (Macskassy, 1977). The striking aesthetic differences between shots also enhance the disrupt-ability of animation, reminding viewers of childlike drawings rather than fluid and realistic animation. This grounds the piece into the real world, further adds sympathy to the issues addressed, and creates a visual representation of the children’s voices, further amplifying their innocence.
Un Point, C’est Tout (1986) by Claude Rocher provides an exciting corroboration of the creativity animation can manifest in ‘disruptive’ methodologies. Its “mock-philosophic account of the visual orthodoxies” present in classical western films integrate illusionary graphics that play with the perspective of the shots (Wells, 2002, p.7). Elements such as the sun flipping to reveal its 2D nature as the character looks away to showcase the world bending rules animation can easily achieve within its aesthetic narrative compared to its live-action counterpart.
List of figures-
Figure 1- BIRD, B. 1999 [Film Still]. The Iron Giant. United States: Warner Brothers Animation.
Figure 2- Fleischer, M and WALDMAN, M. 1934 [Film Still]. Betty Boop’s Little Pal. United States: Fleischer Studios.
Figure 3- TERRY, P. 1929 [Film Still]. The Black Duck. United States: Aesop’s Fables Studio.
Figure 4- FLEISCHER, D and SEARS, T. 1930 [Film Still]. Swing You Sinners!. United States: Fleischer Studios.
Figure 5- DISNEY, W and KING, J. 1929 [Film Still]. The Haunted House. United States: Walt Disney Productions.
Figure 6- GERONIMI, C. 1959 [Film Still]. Sleeping Beauty. United States: Walt Disney Animation Studio. Walt Disney Productions.
Figure 7- YAMAMOTO, E. 1973 [Film Still]. Belladonna of Sadness. Japan: SpectreVision, Mushi, Nippon Herald Films.
Figure 8- YAMAMOTO, E. 1973 [Film Still]. Belladonna of Sadness. Japan: SpectreVision, Mushi, Nippon Herald Films.
Bibliography-
WELLS, P. 2002. Animation Genre and Authorship. Hampstead, London: Wallflower Press.
ORPEN, V. 2003. Film Editing: The Art of the Expressive. London: Wallflower Press.
