Exploring the topic of representation of trauma in the animated documentary, I have looked into several examples of films that stand out in this genre such as Waltz With Bashir (Folman, 2008) and The Sinking of the Lusitania (McCay, 1981). The issues surrounding their aesthetics and factual accounts, as well as the benefits of their animated medium, and taking into account progressive forms that will benefit documentary in the future.
Methodically reflecting on my research approaches, while taking into account several authors outlooks in my critical report, the subject-specific research felt too broad and perhaps needed to be narrowed down to even further due to the expansive nature. In future, authors such as Bill Nichols who discuss the theories surrounding documentary form itself could be made reference to, to understand what creates the makeup of a successful documentary film; taking this into the application of progressions and areas of improvement in the animated documentary.
Due to Trauma being a psychologically studied aspect going forward into thesis level research, authors such as Ruth Leys (Trauma: A genealogy ) and Cathy Caruth (Trauma: Explorations in Memory) should be looked into for further depth of understanding its application to animation, as well as further into the works of Sigmund Freud. When applying trauma into media settings, Trauma Cinema (Walker, 2005) will be an important book to study as it covers topic of aesthetic representation in realistic and unrealistic settings. Included in this should be Paul Wards Documentary: The Margins of Reality (2006).Aspects such as the Uncanny’s link to animated documentary Ryan (Landreth, 2004) will also pose an interesting point as it uses this aesthetic to benefit its narrative visually. Looking further into ideas of animated documentary and interview and how this style of documentary is benefitted by the animated form due to its anonymous aspects that can suit specific subjects, more so than live-action. The relationship between rotoscope, motion capture and stylizing in supporting factual narrative. Animated films such as Learned by Heart (Takala and Rimminen, 2007) and Sandrinka (Finck and Stoyanov, 2007) look further into the relationship of self and history in terms of collective memory in a similar way to Silence, which as a topic of individualism in historical documentary can be looked into further for a potential thesis topic.
Video games associated with documentaries such as Darfur is Dying (University of Southern California, 2006) and the documentary Molotov Alva and his Search for the Creator (Gayeton, 2007) create a link between viewer and documentary filmmaker in a way that can close the distance traditional forms of animation can produce by immersing viewers into the story and events that it is trying to convey, this could open up new avenues for future pursuits in animated documentary and a future potential research topic. Molotov Alva indicates an ability to create animation and documentary in the world of games, rather than being a game directly in self, that empathises a future in media progression.
In the animated documentary, a majority of the content created is or includes interviews. This, in practice, seems an effective method in adding visualisation to a personal experience and can add a level of anonymity more creatively.
Aardman, in 1978 created several interview-style films in their ‘Animated Conversations’ films commissioned by the BBC (Honess Roe, 2013). This includes Down and Out (Lord and Sproxton, 1997) and Confessions of a Foyer Girl ( Sproxton and Lord, 1978), which combine eavesdropped inspired conversational audio mixed with plasticine stop motion animation. This led to the successful Creature Comforts (Park), part of their lip-sync series in 1989 (Honess Roe, 2013). Paul Ward, looking at the animation Going Equipped (Lord, 1990), considers how due to the anonymity of the clay animation, a criminal is able to discuss with a “sense of self” a “Clear reflection of what he has done in the past” (2007, p. 120). This adds a confessional aspect to the piece and arises some contemplation on the effectiveness of animation, adding a therapeutic element to real-life experiences. Due to this animated nature, the scenes being described could be acted out in a way that was representational yet expressive and abstract simultaneously, furthering the anonymity it provided. Ward makes a point about how the link between animation and the naturalistic audio, adds as a metaphorical empathises which provides leeway to creative license to portray the story in a more emotionally stimulating way(2007); an example of this is how the shadows of the rainfall on the characters face appearing like tears.
Fig. 1: Aronowitsch and Heilborn. Slaves. 2008
The Animated Documentary Slaves (Aronowitsch and Heilborn, 2008) provides an interesting example of trauma portrayal through animated documentary, as two children (Abuk and Machiek) discuss their experience of child enslavement in southern Sudan (Ehrlich, 2013). Ehrlich makes a strong point that the unedited audio, with the inclusion of minuscule sounds such as sneezing and coughing, add an authentication that helps ground it into the real world (Ehrlich, 2013). This can also be supported by the photographic images of the African children that add “Sociopolitical context” (Ehrlich, 2013, p.253). Ehrlich claims that these elements help destroy the animated forms’ intentional contraction and add a reality that enhances the story over visual form (Ehrlich, 2013). The animated nature of the documentary indicates a strong visual style that can add anonymity to the people involved while still representing indexical human attributes.
Figure.2: Southern Ladies Animation Group. It’s Like That. 2003.
It can be argued, then, that due to animation’s broad and interchangeable nature, the interviewed form can be represented as anything, including the inanimate, which can stress the importance of the spoken content over the visual (Ehrlich, 2013). A vital example of this is It’s like that (Southern Ladies Animation, 2003), interviewing children held in an Australian refugee detention centre. It highlights different caricatures of the voices and uses different styles (between stop motion and 2D) that separate the interview from the visual exploration of the story. The Childlike ‘sock puppet’ texture of the animated bird, with baby-like enlarged eyes, aesthetically matches the voices in a way that creates empathy in a viewer. The bright, colour presentation of the stop motion puppets versus the dark, grey and enclosing background helps further Illustrate the foreign visual of an innocent child being held captive. Honess Roe expands on this by stating how the audio, of poor quality and the broken English of the interviewees exemplifies how vulnerable these children are in the Australian detention centre (Honess Roe, 2013, p.92).
Snack and Drink (Sabiston, 1999) illustrates another interesting way the animated form can be represented in an interview. Paul Ward discusses how due to the variations of linework created via a Wacom tablet in ‘Rotoshop’, the documentary “results is an eerie, fluid, mutable aesthetic, perfect for the representation of dreams, alternate realities and hallucinations” (Ward, 2007, p.116). This embodies and physical representation of Ryan Powers’s assumed ‘distance’ from reality due to having Autism and seems to represent how reality can be portrayed in ways that, while not typical, make sense to the individual interactions with every day (Ward, 2007). Another thing Ward makes a point of is Ryan Power’s obsession with his routine, which in research for A is for Autism ( Webb, 1992) people with Autism have this tendency (2007). The way the style of art changes often brings the mundane to life in provocative and abstract forms. Visually, this can demonstrate to a viewer how something as mundane as getting a drink from a supermarket can be expressively interesting and different every time in the experience of others and highlights a delineation of everyday life for specific individuals rather than a collective objective.
Fig. 3: Sabiston. Snack and Drink. 1999
Figures-
Figure 1- Aronowitsch, D and Heilborn, H. 2008 [Film Still]. Slaves. Sweden: The Swedish Film Institute
Figure 2- Raymond, S and Mckinnon, N. 2003. [ Film Still]. It’s Like That. Australia: Southern Ladies Animation Group.
Figure 3- Sabiston, B. 1999. [Film Still]. Snack and Drink. United States: Flat Back Films
Bibliography
.Ehrlich, N. (2013) ‘Animated Documentaries, Aesthetics, Politics and Viewer’, in Buchan, S. (ed.) Pervasive Animation. New York: Routledge, pp.248-267.
.Kitson, C (2008). British Animation: The Channel 4 Factor. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
.WARD, P. (2007). ‘Animated Interactions: Animation Aesthetics and the World of the ‘Interactive’ Documentary’. In: Buchan, S.(ed.) Animated’ Worlds’. New Barnet: John Libbey & Company, Limited.
Primary research from the 2013 Book ‘Animated Documentary’ by Annabelle Honess Roe.
Present in several animated documentaries is the method of rotoscoping, which in its essence copies the real-life movements of a person and projects them onto an animated character. For the documentary Chicago 10 (Morgen, 2007), animated was used in place for the missing live-action footage that took place in the courtroom during the trial of Chicago 7 and was adapted from the original court transcript (Honess Roe, 2013). This benefitted the documentary aesthetically, as the striking contrast between live-action and animated helped separate the reenactment from the real and prevented inconsistencies between the actual participants (Abbie Hoffman, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines and Lee Weiner) and their potential live-action counterparts (Honess Roe, 2013).
Motion Capture, derived from the rotoscope, was the technique used for the animated sequences in the feature and adds a stylised emphasis that makes it stand out as a piece. While using motion capture, which generally aids the mimicking of realism, the movements are more spasmodic, unsteady and have asynchronous lip movements (Honess Roe, 2013). This adds a stylisation that could further distance it from its live-action counterpart. However, this brings to attention one of the issues surrounding the animated documentary, as the asynchronous movement of the lip can break the illusion of realistic speech. In this instance, the voices are documentation of real events and real people, and this inconsistency could be detrimental to the portrayal of the trial. Honess Roe brings to attention that in Chicago 10 (Morgan. 2007), the voice actors are notable celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo and Jeffery Wright are audibly recognisable to viewers and disembodies the voice from the digital reconstruction (2013:60). While not documentary, In the case of Beowulf (Zemeckis, 2007), digitally replicated actors such as Angelina Jolie suffer from similar issues, as the realism in her voice did not match the animated performance and brings to attention something fundamentally wrong (Tinwell, 2014)
Figure 1: Morgen. 2007. Chicago 10
These elements can be related to the uncanny valley theory as arrhythmic bodies and disconnected voices arouse questions of the solidarity of ‘life’ in an animated character. Sporadic and ‘jerky’ movements present in motion-captured data can be reminiscent of a viewer watching a seizure, which evokes a ‘fight or flight response as a person in this state of instability feels potentially life-threatening to a spectator (Tinwell, 2014).
The grotesque design, seen in animated documentaries such as Ryan (Landreth, 2004), contains aesthetic issues surrounding the Uncanny Valley. While its design is so deformed and distant from reality, it almost surpasses the valley; the elements of hyperreal skin textures and minute details in the hair add a level of realism that pushes the boundaries of spectator comfort. Tinwell discusses how most facial expression is conveyed through the uppermost region of the face (eyebrows, forehead), and a lack of this can appear static and robotic in facial emotion (2014). Ryan, once again, almost surpasses this, with clear, expressive forehead lines and fairly realistic eyebrow movements; however, he often has dead eyes and limited motion in the cheeks, which do not match the realism of his facial design. ‘Dead’ and minimal movement facial expressions are robotic and appear lifeless, which can remind a viewer of the inevitability of their own death (Freud,2003). While displeasing to the eye, the grotesque uncanny essence of the character design in Ryan (Landrth, 2007) seems to visually support the mental deterioration of the characters, and this reminder of death helps illustrate the death of the central character, Ryan. Naturally, this can be detrimental to the animated documentary, as even as artistic expression, it can cause a grotesque and unlikable diversion to viewers when designed in unappealing ways.
Figure 2: Landreth. 2007. Ryan
Rotoscope as a method is not always detrimental to the animated documentary. A prime example is the work of Bob Sabiston, creator of the software ‘Rotoshop’. Sabiston’s Animated Documentaries Snack and Drink (1999) and The Even More Fun Trip (2007) display the extensive use of Photoshop software, which allows lines to be drawn around live-action footage. The loose and psychedelic aesthetic of snack and drink seems to be benefitted by the motions of the rotoscope. It reflects the natural world in a kinesthetic sense but visually enhances the mental viewpoint of its interview, Ryan Power, who has Autism. The messy elements of these films add an “indexical link to reality” that help validate them, both visually and audibly, as documentaries (Honess Roe, 2013: 64). The out of proportional and minimally drawn characters paired with hyperrealistic movements work in a way that the “Chicago 10” documentary failed, especially in areas regarding lip synchronisation (Honess Roe, 2013). The handheld, shaky visuals and unquestionable real-world audio give the films a gritty amateurish ambience familiar with home movies that seem to add a level of nostalgia to the piece. It may be interesting to note the ‘Rotoshop’ software seems reminiscent of older 2D draw animation yet uses new, inquisitive software to tackle its creation. According to Victoria Grace Walden, nostalgia can be linked to the rapid progression of faster technologies and wishing for it to be slowed down (Walden in Dobson et al., 2019). Sabiston’s approach, interestingly, through time, has created a feeling of ‘real-worldness’ and nostalgia that seems to give the pieces a certain realistic appeal to them while rapidly progressing the realism and style of his own work technologically.
Figure 3: Sabiston. 1999. Snack and Drink
Rotoscope, therefore, is an important element to the animated documentary that can both be a detriment and a visual aid to the medium. However, while as a method it produces its own effect, the design aspect of the characters seem to be the key driver in its effectiveness of character portrayal.
List of Figures
.Figure 1: MORGEN, B. 2007. [Film Still]. Chicago 10. United States: Consolidated Documentaries, Participant, Public Road Productions.
.Figure 2: LANDRETH, C. 2004. [Film Still]. Ryan. Canada: Copperheart Entertainment, National Film Board of Canada.
.Figure 3: SABISTON, B. 1999. [Film Still]. Snack and Drink. United States: Flat back Films.
Bibliography
Dobson, N., Honess Roe, A., Ratelle, A. and Ruddell, c., 2019. The animation studies reader. 1st ed. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
Ari Folman’s documentary Waltz with Bashir offers an interesting portrayal of traumatic events through the lens of stylized animation. The documentary itself shows the director, Folman, unravelling his part in the Israeli and Lebanon conflict in the 1980s. In reference to Honess Roe’s Animated Documentary (2013), the films medium of animation overall helps to create a non-bias towards reality and dreams/ memories in the portrayal of the soldier’s experience. Its aesthetic style emanates the real people involved while keeping a distinct stylization that helps accentuate the ‘ fantastical’ and dreamlike elements explored through the film (Honess Roe, 2013).
The use of colour throughout the film creates a visual impact, particularly in separating scenes reality and non-reality. There is a pivotal moment in the feature in which Folman is represented floating in a body of water with bright orange flashes illuminating the sky, as soon as this dream enters the reality of his memories the setting cascades in a cool blue tone. Hoeness Roe brings to attention a scene in which a soldier has a dream of a giant woman emerging from the water and carrying him to safety, while the boat he was previously on is blown to pieces (Hoeness Roe, 2013:162). During this dramatic explosion, the cool blue tones are then contrasted with a similar orange tone to that of Folman’s personal repeating hallucination. This could, once again, be a visual representation of the manifestation of trauma-induced hallucinations caused by the Israeli forces projecting flares to signify refugee campsites, which ultimately lead to the massacres featuring the plot of the documentary. As mentioned by Hoeness Roe, the psychoanalyst who appears in the documentary makes a point about how apparitions of bodies of water can reflect guilt in a personal subconscious (2013: 163). These strong visual representations of soldiers dream-like hallucinations both give indications early on in the film that they have played the same role and are processing trauma in the same context, which furthers the documentaries ‘therapeutic’ benefits.
A Major part of the live-action sequences in Waltz with Bashir (Folman, 2008) is the live-action footage that is featured at the end of the film. This can be argued to be its the strongest point of documenting the reality of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre and pulling viewers back into the reality of what really happened. This could be described as “an afterthought designed to wrench the viewer back into an empathetic engagement with mimetic reality” (Saunders quoted in Roe, 2013, p.168). Adding empathy into a distressing scenario is vital for viewer engagement with the issue being presented. Nicholas Hedrick, however, has an opposing opinion stating clearly that-
“However, while this war and this massacre are the occasions for the film, Waltz with Bashir is not a historically nuanced film. It provides almost no context for the war, does not explain Palestinian or Israeli presence in Lebanon in this period, and does not situate the history of conflict in that area of the world“ (Hetrick, 2010, p.78).
This is an important point to consider when looking at the validity of Waltz with Bashir’s (Folman, 2008) ability to factually document. This may provide “epistemological superiority of live-action material over animation“ (Honess Roe, 2013,p.168) and indicates that the more profound viewer impact mostly derives from this footage and disregards animation. Alternatively, Honess Roe also argues the point that, contextually, without the rest of the animated film the live-action sequence would not have as devastating an impact (2013). Adding Folman gaps in his memory add a dash of realism and highlight the severity of the impact of the war, in more ways than just the victims of the massacre themselves (Honess Roe, 2013). In doing so, this adds an emotional depth that news report imagery cannot achieve by itself, and could be argued that just as Folman animated experience is solidified by live-action, the live-action is also solidified by the animated experiences.
Figure 1: Waltz with Bashir. Folman. 2008
Silence (Bringas and Yadin, 1998) in aesthetic considerations has two Strikingly different styles, that differentiate yet blend two different aspects of Tana Ross’s life. In a similar light to Death and The Mother (1988), Ruth Lingford creates a dark and atmospheric approach to Tana Ross’s associative memory of the Theresienstadt concentration camp.
“The woodcut-style animation renders everything but the demarcated objects and characters as a black void, a looking threat of emptiness” (Honess Roe, 2013, p.158)
This contrast with Tim Webbs, bright and colourful style associated with his previous film ‘A is for Autism’ (1992) that accentuates how “only after liberation could life be lived in colour” (Honess Roe, 2013, p. 158). The ways in which the two visual styles communicate with one another throughout the film visually express things about Tana’s Trauma without explicitly stating it. For example, When the Swedish train worker metamorphosis into the German Train officer, it highlights her fear and associations that still linger in her everyday life (Honess Roe, 2013). Honess Roe mentions how this metamorphic action helps communicate Ross’s struggle to verbally communicate her trauma due to years of silently repressing it.
Fig. 2: Silence. Bringas and Yadin. 1998
Figures –
figure 1- Folman, A (2008). [Screenshot]. Waltz with Bashir. Isreal, France, Germany, United States, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium, Australia: Bridgit Folman Films, Les Films d’lci, Razor Film Producktion GmbH.
Figure 2- Bringas, S and Yadin, O. (1998). [Screenshot]. Silence. United Kingdom: Halo Productions Ltd.
Bibliography-
.Hetrick, N. (2010). ‘Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir and the Limits of Abstract Tragedy’. Image and Narrative: Online Magazine of the Visual Narrative, [Online] 2(11), pp.78-91. Available at: <http://www.imageandnarrative.be/index.php/imagenarrative/article/view/77> [Accessed 21 December 2021].
Honess Roe, A. (2013). Animated Documentary.Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Pp. 155-169.
Filmography
A is for Autism (1992). Directed by T. Webb. [Film]. United Kingdom: Fine Take Productions, Channel Four Television Corporation.
Death and the Mother (1997). Directed by R .Lingford.[Film]. United Kingdom: Channel Four Films
Silence (1998) Directed by S.Bringas and O. Yadin. [Film]. United Kingdom: Halo Productions LTD.
Waltz with Bashir (2008). Directed by A. FOLMAN. Israel, France, Germany, United States.
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.
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.
