Considering all aspects I will have to consider when producing an animated documentary, I thought it essential to ponder the means I wish to represent its stance in the argument surrounding animated documentaries’ validity. In my thesis, I am exploring animated documentaries’ subjective and inherently performative nature, which can benefit and detriment to overall viewer engagement. Taking this idea into account, I further brainstormed several ideas that could stem from utilising the animation medium and being very intentional with my artistic stylisation; Why choose animation over live action? And how can this be exploited symbolically?
A key and central piece of work that has inspired this train of thought is a fairly recent Aardman animation which, in a similar vein to Creature Comforts, utilising the visual representation of caged animation to create an indexical link between confinement of humans and animals within in the broader context of Covid-19. When using animation, I wish to think about direct correlative imagery that matches and contrasts the subject matter in a way that spins additional meanings.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-53553784
In a live-action sense, interesting documentaries that truly push the border of subjectivity are documentaries such as ‘Married to the Eiffel Tower ‘(Piotrowska 2008). Within the realms of this film, various extremist ideas are showcased in a manner that truly allows space for individual experience. It also only gently implies, rather than heavily reinforces, that certain people reach certain extremist views based on traumatic experiences without being condescending. Ideas I want to expand on from this are truly showcasing a person’s experience in a way that can help visually encompass individuality while also retaining anonymity through animation.
Additional Research:
Married to the Eiffel Tower – Bing video
Running For Freedom: My Journey as an Ultra Marathon Runner – YouTube