Creating the "Illusion of Life" - The Most Important Phenomenon in Animation

Going back to the first day of class with Luxo Jr., the most important phenomenon in animation is first, bringing to life something that was not previously alive (or giving it the “illusion of life” so to speak), and second, making the audience feel emotion for or about that animation.  The most recent and strongest example of this working successfully for me, is Pixar’s UP, which had most of the people I was in the theater with crying about 10 minutes into the film.  Pixar also did this with Finding Nemo.  To me, this is an incredible feat, and it doesn’t go without recognition; Pixar wins Oscars by the bundle almost every year, for successfully achieving this phenomenon.  To do this, one must consider all that has been taught by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston; one must remember all the rules and the steps to make successful animation, because if one watches both UP and Finding Nemo, and makes a checklist of all the rules followed, I can guarantee Pixar’s animators did not skip a single step; this is why they are successful.

Detheux Part 2

"If all that we see in Art is a form of entertainment that provides a respite from the harshness of life, we will increasingly demand more and more of the same (the "Prozac" in Part #1). If, on the other hand, we see that Art is not a respite from "the real," but a privileged way of deepening our experiencing and understanding of it, we will want to lower the level of "entertainment noise" we are constantly being bombarded with, something akin to saying, "Shut up please, I can't hear myself think!"

In Part 2, Detheux describes the differences between the U.S. and the French Trailers for the movie, Amelie.  I watched each one and was astounded by how right Detheux was about how dumbed down the American trailer was with the deep “In a world…” traditional trailer voice; this trailer contrasted terribly with the well thought out, well spoken trailer done for Europeans.  I never saw the trailer when the movie came out, I was in a “Foreign Film Phase” in high school, and saw it in Blockbuster and thought, “cool I’ll rent this.”  Had I seen the American trailer for Amelie, you bet your bottom dollar I would not have rented it; the American trailer makes it seem like a chick flick about a girl with dark hair who “saves herself.”  This is quite disappointing, and I can agree with what Detheux is saying 100%, and I’m sort of ashamed that firstly America put out that trailer, and secondly, Amelie didn’t win an Oscar!  Being a huge fan of the film is what got me fired up about this article, and really got me thinking about what films are made and what audiences are looking for in film; particularly American audiences.   

Perhaps I am lucky with my taste in film, and while I have a huge liking of Pixar and Disney films (for the most part), I also have a passion for foreign films (I believe inspired by my mother, who is also an artist.)  One of my favorite directors is Michel Gondry; he has directed movies in both English and in France; although I shudder to imagine the differences in the trailers.  Not only does Gondry raise the bar in writing, but he incorporates the most integrated and beautiful animation in his films.  The first film of his I saw that did this was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a film in English, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.  While he told a love story, it was far from traditional, and it indeed showed me how film can prove that, as Detheux says: Art is not a respite from "the real," but a privileged way of deepening our experiencing and understanding of it.”  

To get away from all of this sameness of film, do we need to venture abroad?  The two films I listed as inspiring in my “Detheux Part 1” blog weren’t American made, so maybe that’s the problem.  Maybe Disney does have a profound influence on film in America.  While in my previous blog, I stated that it is good to be inspired, (a statement I still stand by), I think that we should take our inspiration and use it to make ourselves grow.  How can we take that which inspires us and change it to fit the present day?  How can we take that same story which inspired us and make it not so cookie cutter and predictable?  Artists need to be challenged, and Detheux called out artists, imploring them to open their minds to create new things, dynamic things, and in so doing, inspired me to look outside of the box.  Let’s say one day I want to tell a romantic story, while I could go for cookie cutter, “lady in distress, guy gets the girl,” why not test limits and push boundaries as Gondry did?  I was once told by a college professor, “Don’t make friends with artists who you’re better than; you’ll never grow as an artist.”  This is some of the best advice I’ve ever been given, and I feel like it can apply to the world of film and animation.  When studios work in a sort of sameness, and continue to hire story writers, directors, and animators who are willing to stay within the confines of societal pressure to make a film that “sells” but doesn’t test limits, then they will never grow as artists; their work will remain the same, and while it may sell, it won’t be remembered.  A perfect example of this is the work of Wes Anderson; his films are very rarely distributed in all theaters, like The Notebook, for example, would be.  His films push boundaries, and cause the audience to step outside of their comfortable realm of reality, into a surreal experience, and while the limited release doesn’t make billions at the box office, I find his films to be extremely memorable, and inspiring.  I wonder if Wes Anderson’s friends are better at directing than he is?

Detheux Part 1

“It seems to me as if most of the traditional narrative animation is endlessly repeating itself. With minor variations, the form seems to have been set a long time ago (Disney?) and is not ready to be changed, at least not for as long as the control of what is acceptable (and supported) remains in the usual hands.”

"most people seem to want to do exactly the same work the major studios are doing, only with less money."

(http://mag.awn.com/?article_no=1391)

Detheux is under the belief that Disney animation has set the bar, not only for animation, but for the narrative as well, and that since the dawn of Disney, everyone else is scrambling to catch up, by repeating what Disney has done, rather than come up with something unique and original of their own.  I can in some ways see how this opinion came to be born, in watching animated films released by studios other than Disney, shortly after the release of a Disney film, and at times have been guilty of the same sort of shaming that Detheux has done in his article.  Shark Tale, and Finding Nemo - here we are telling stories about fish; I saw Finding Nemo, and saw a picture of the Shark Tale film in the queue at Redbox, and thought, “hasn’t that already been done?” And while I’m sure the plots were completely different, I didn’t give the Disney alternative the time of day.  However, there have also been films with animation that completely blew me out of the water, and I wouldn’t say that they reminded me of Disney in narrative or aesthetic.  The example I’d use here is, The Triplets of Belleville.  That move completely amazed me, both in narrative (the movie is mostly silent, and relies on character’s expression, sound effects, lighting, staging, scene, camera angles, etc to set the mood and draw in the audience, and in animation style - it looked like an old traditional animation circa 1950.  It closely follows all the steps that The Illusion of Life references, to draw in an audience, and to animate in a visually dynamic way.  There have also been films with astounding stop motion animation that have left me speechless, Jan Svankmajer’s Alice, for example is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland; this was done by Disney in quite a beautiful way, but Svankmajer also took a well known story and made it completely his own.  While there have been some takes on Alice in Wonderland by other studios (Tim Burton, for example did his own version,) I have yet to watch one of them and think, “this writer/ director/ etc has copied scene for scene, script for script, and dialogue for dialogue Disney.  While I somewhat agree with Detheux, I’m mostly inclined to say the glass is half full in the world of animation; I think that Pixar certainly inspired studios to get serious about 3D Animation for telling a story and not simply visual effects in live action films, however, I don’t believe that people copy Disney to the point of unoriginality.  Imagine how art would progress in anyway, if there wasn’t someone who inspired the greats before us; we watch and learn from others, we take what we learn and make it our own; we in turn can inspire change.  

The Illusion of Life: Story

"Most people think the word 'animation' means movement...but it doesn't. It comes from 'animus' which means 'life or to live.' Making move is not animation, but just the mechanics of it." (146.) 

The above quote sends shivers down my bones in the best of ways. When I began sculpting figures in college, I always thought to myself, wouldn't it be great to make them come to life? And I shortly after graduation, found myself at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida studying Computer Animation.  Blame it on science, nature, or just fate, but I got super sick and found myself moving back home (Maryland) with no degree and a lot of debt.  After working several years at a Residential Treatment Center with adolescent boys, I've found myself making art with the boys and that urge to study animation again came creeping back.  Reading about the "gags" pulled on coworkers at Walt Disney Studios reminds me of some of the things I've pulled off at work with my coworkers and like Walt Disney, I've thought, what a funny story this would make, and I envision the people as characters. When the animators talk about how particular gags would be with Donald Duck, for example, I understand that, because we would gag people at my work differently, depending on who they were, and would base the level of severity of the gag on the person's personality. "Will this person get really offended or will they think this is hilarious?" Would often be the question asked.  To this day, I will talk to one particular coworker who I frequently gagged (as his reactions were the best) and we laugh, and tell the stories to other coworkers, sometimes as a cautionary tale, "watch out for Johanna; she'll get you!" 

The "Nine Old Men"

The development of "Character Relationship " is a very important development in animation; by doing this, a single animator works on a character and can better understand the animation from the first frame to the last. It blows my mind that this was something that wasn't done from the start; it reminds me of an "exquisite corpse," when a peice of paper is folded multiple times and passed along from one person to the next, only allowing the next person drawing to see about a centimeter of lines from the previous drawing.  This process is great teamwork however, when the full picture is shown when the paper is unfolded, while there is one complete image, it is evident that each separated section is a different style, and it often does not flow; it just makes for interesting abstract art. 

"This new way of working with character relationships encompassed the whole range of relations between two or more characters - from the broadest to the most delicate.  It involved expression scenes that often registered the most secret thoughts and inner emotions of the characters" (164.)

The above quote makes me think of an interview I saw with a Pixar animator, who was responsible for the scene in Finding Nemo, when Dory, the forgetful fish, is crying after being asked to leave, by her only friend, Marlon, the clownfish who was in search of his son, Nemo.  The relationship the animator has with Dory, is what makes her come to life. 

This is described 16 minutes into the "Behind the Scenes" of Finding Nemo. 

Seven Steps in Animating a Scene: 

1. Think

2. Thumbnails

     A: The Staging

     B: The cutting and continuity

3. Mechanics of Presentation

     A: Perspective

     B: Scale

4. Solve Special Drawing Problems

5. Double Check Your Ideas

6. Blow Up Drawings Full Size

7. Put the “Juice” in it.

It’s incredible to me that seven steps are thought of to complete one scene; but in the same thought, the scene would not be dynamic if even one step was missing.  These steps are important for any animator to remember; of course one must know why the scene is in the picture, and how it relates to the work as a whole - this is step one.  The thumbnails are the storyboards; small pictures, and a general layout, camera angles, etc.  Mechanics are important in regards to perspective and scale; if one is animating King Kong for example, the buildings, and King Kong himself need to be laid out in a way that the audience can look at it and say, “that is an enormous gorilla.”  Problem solving is something that can’t be forgotten; if one is having difficulty with a shot, one simply can’t move on and assume it will work itself out.  This is something that needs to be ironed out, and one misstep can affect the work as a whole.  Double checking work is just a good habit for anyone to get into no matter what field of work they are in.  Step six is probably super fun, as this is when your storyboards begin to come to life, and step seven is the magic; adding the details to bring it all together.

STORY

“A good story cannot be ruined by poor animation, but neither can a poor story be saved by the very best animation” (367.)

The idea of a good story is a very important one, and the concept can be brought back to the Seven Steps.  This doesn’t just apply to animation, but to film as a whole; there are movies that hold up after years and years.  The animation and graphics, and sometimes even the acting may be subpar, but since the story is so great, it is something worth re-watching. 

SEQUENCES

“Never…more than 15 nor fewer than 10 sequences” (368.)

This is like a timeline of the story from start to finish.  I can imagine it would be a good idea when writing the story to take a page and number from 1 to 15 and lay out your story, so that you can be sure that it remains captivating and doesn’t wander off, leaving the viewer bored beyond belief.  

“Storymen” are in charge of writing characters who a”achieve maximum identity with the audience” (376.)  For example, in 101 Dalmations, the puppies watch television with their mom and dad, like a “normal family.”  The great thing about this is the idea of taking animals or in the case of a movie like, Toy Story, inanimate objects such as toys; and making them more humanlike, by giving them human characteristics.  This type of creativity is something that I greatly admire; when a person can feel empathy for a toy, or a fish, I’d say that animation and filmmaking as a whole has achieved a great thing.

RULES OF DIALOGUE

1. DO NOT WRITE A DIALOGUE THAT DESCRIBES WHAT YOU ARE SEEING.

2. THE WORDS AND THE THOUGHT BEHIND THEM SHOULD BE SPECIAL TO THIS ONE CHARACTER. 

3. DIALOGUE MUST BE WRITTEN SO THERE IS SOMETHING TO ANIMATE.

4. DIALOGUE MUST BE WRITTEN SO THE ACTOR DOING THE VOICE CAN CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING.

All of this makes sense and it is important for a person writing to understand these rules.  I was told time and time again as a sculpture student that even with work that is stationary, I do not need to beat the idea into the audience’s head.  This describes rule 1.  If one is animating a mouse eating cheese, this can be done rather simply, and no words need to even be used; the viewer sees mouse with cheese, there doesn’t need to be dialogue such as, “Mouse: I am eating cheese!”  Because it is what they are viewing.  

SIX RULES OF EXPRESSION AND DIALOGUE (p.471): 

1. SHOW EXPRESSION CHANGE

2. AVOID LOOKING UP FOR A FROWN, UNLESS IT IS A SINISTER, DOMINEERING ONE.

3. DO NOT HIDE A SMILE WITH THE HEAD TILTED DOWN TOO FAR OR BEHIND A BIG NOSE OR MOUSTACHE.

4. BE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT STAGING TO SHOW ALL THE EXPRESSIONS IN YOUR SCENE TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE.

5. HAVE YOU THE RIGHT EXPRESSION FOR WHAT YOUR CHARACTER IS THINKING? ARE ALL THE PARTS OF THE HEAD AND FACE RELATED TO THIS ONE IDEA?

6. AS WE WERE TOLD SO MANY TIMES BEFORE WE LEARNED: IT IS THE CHANGE OF SHAPE THAT SHOWS THE CHARACTER IS THINKING.  IT IS THE THINKING THAT GIVES THE ILLUSION OF LIFE.  IT IS THE LIFE THAT GIVES MEANING TO THE EXPRESSION.

These rules are exceptionally important and some were things I’d not even considered.  While Rule 1 makes sense, Rule 2 makes me laugh.  I can imagine it happening, and the first thought that comes to mind when I imagine it is in the old animated (and in my opinion best) How the Grinch Stole Christmas, when the grinch looks into the camera (as it were) and smiles a huge, curling smile that can only be described as “sinister” and “domineering.”  Rule 6 is another one of those quotes from the book that makes me feel tingly inside, and in it the titular line, “It is the thinking that gives the illusion of life.”  That right there, is what makes animation so amazing to me.  The ILLUSION of life; taking something and making it alive, it’s kind of godlike, and it may sound weird to say that, but truly take a minute and think about the powers an animator hold in their hands.  The power to take a cowboy doll or a fish and make him a hero?  Amazing.

NINE ECONOMICAL WAYS THAT ANIMATION CAN BUILD EMOTIONS IN THE IMAGINATIONS OF THE AUDIENCE: (p. 484)

1.  REAR VIEW -  Used when viewing a scene from behind, allows the audience to dream along with the characters.

2. SHADOWS- Associated with suspense and drama.  Shadows are great because they are still effective, but less is required in the drawing of detail.

3. SHADOWS OVER THE CHARACTER- effective to help show emotion in a more dynamic way.

4. OVERLAYS - In the example in the book, a character is running through branches in the jungle; this adds dimension to the scene.

5. DRAMATIC LAYOUT - Putting a small character in a big dark wood, for example helps show scale, and additionally creates an emotion.  How is this character feeling? Are they lost?  Are they scared? 

6. PICTORIAL SHOT - Background is important in setting a mood, I like to think of those postcards people send and they cause you to really wish you were where they are.

7. EFFECTS ANIMATION - Use of color, and animation to express a mood is very important in captivating an audience. 

8. HELD DRAWING WITH CAMERA MOVES - emotion is shown by moving the camera and not the character; the animator can dramatically zoom in to the shocked expression on the face of the character in the shot.

9. OFFSTAGE SOUNDS - The book’s example is great; the shot is of the outside of a dog pound, and there is no animation required; just the sounds of the dogs crying and howling will evoke emotion.

POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN ANIMATING EMOTIONS: (p. 507)

1. MAKE SURE THE EMOTIONAL STATE OF THE CHARACTER IS CLEARLY DEFINED.

2. THE THOUGHT PROCESS REVEALS THE FEELING.

3. BE ALERT TO USE OF CUTTING AND CAMERA IN HELPING TO ACCENTUATE THE EMOTION.

4. ASK YOURSELF CONSTANTLY: 

WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY HERE?

WHAT DO I REALLY WANT TO SHOW?

HOW DO I WANT THE AUDIENCE TO REACT?

5. USE THE ELEMENT OF TIME WISELY:

TO ESTABLISH THE EMOTION OF A CHARACTER, 

TO CONVEY IT TO THE VIEWERS, 

TO LET THEM SAVOR THE SITUATION.

VALs

My VALS score listed me as Primary: Strivers 

"Strivers are trendy and fun loving. Because they are motivated by achievement, Strivers are concerned about the opinions and approval of others. Money defines success for Strivers, who don't have enough of it to meet their desires. They favor stylish products that emulate the purchases of people with greater material wealth. Many Strivers see themselves as having a job rather than a career, and a lack of skills and focus often prevents them from moving ahead..." 

There are some aspects of this that I agree with, but it sort of makes me feel lame too. "Trendy and fun loving" seems cool, but then going in to money, and requiring it to meet my desires.  This is kind of true, I do like having nice things and often can't afford them but will make myself afford new shoes and forego something more important so I can purchase fancy new things.   I can see this being super helpful to anyone trying to sell me something. 

I am in transition, back in college after graduating in 2006, so maybe that's why my secondary score was: Achiever

"With many wants and needs, Achievers are active in the consumer marketplace. Image is important to Achievers; they favor established, prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers. Because of their busy lives, they are often interested in a variety of time-saving devices."

Now, I want to have a career, but I don't want to drive around in a Mercedes and have a personal chef...now, that does sound cool, and I wouldn't complain if I did have those things, but it's not a personal goal of mine.  I want to be comfortable and successful, but I don't need to be celebrity status successful. 

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 6: Appeal and Dynamics

“We seem to know when to ‘tap the heart.’  Others have hit the intellect.  We can hit them in an emotional way.  Those who appeal to the intellect only appeal to a very limited group.  The real thing behind this is: we are in the motion picture business, only we are drawing them instead of photographing them.” - Walt Disney

Appeal is similar to Mood (Chapter 5) and is a key factor in making a successful animation.  In Chapter 5, the mood of the character is touched on; the importance of the body language and the ability for the audience to forget that they are looking at a series of drawings, or a computer animation.  I believe that Appeal and Mood go hand in hand, and you can’t have one without the other.  Take Pixar’s “Up” for example, there’s not one character in that film that a person couldn’t relate to in some way.  I’ve seen tons of people with the tennis balls on the cane, then you’ve got the boy scout without a father figure who finds it in Carl (who doesn’t have children because he discovers that his wife cannot - this is in a sad and very heartstring tugging series of scenes in the beginning of the film.)  And while we are speaking of a tapping the heart, as Disney calls it, I will go back to “Up” and sing it’s praises on the plot and character development; this is what causes the audience to be sniffling and attempting to bravely hold back tears within 10 minutes of the film.  

I don’t think that Disney is the only company able to bring this to the table, however; other companies work hard to do this to gain a customer base.  Hallmark Greeting Cards, for example had a string of commercials in the 90’s that were quite touching and I’m more than certain they sold a heap of greeting cards from these 30 second commercials.  Kodak sold film, and coined “Kodak Moment” as a thing to say when people were looking particularly happy or festive and a photo was taken (this was in the film days, I think nowadays people upload to Facebook or Instagram, and their ad campaigns are less touching I believe.)  I guess both Disney, and other corporations who use the tactic of “appeal” to sell their goods are doing their jobs correctly.  People flock to the box office to watch Pixar and Disney films because of the feeling they get when they watch them, people buy cards, and cereal because of the feeling they get because there is some sort of nostalgia, or a cute commercial, or money will be donated to a cute kid or animal (that was shown in a commercial).  

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 5: Mood

Walt Disney said: “In most instances, the driving force behind the action is the mood, the personality, the attitude of the character - or else all three.  Therefore the mind is the pilot.  We think of things before the body does them."

This is very true, and animator, Ham Luske adds to this: “ Our actors are drawings.  We cannot work on the inspiration of the moment as an actor does, but must present our characterizations through a combination of art, technique, and mechanics that takes months from the conception to the finished product.  And we have to make the audience forget that these are drawings.  We cannot risk ruining a sequence or a good characterization with some mechanical imperfection or jitter that reminds the audience that we are dealing with drawings instead of real beings…” (113-114.)

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. "Cartoon Comes of Age." Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville, 1981. 113-114. Print.

When I think about what both Disney and Luske say about this, I can relate it to the principles of animation, and what works and is necessary to make a good animation.  I think about films such as Finding Nemo and Toy Story; what makes these great is the character’s body language, often, because the principles are followed in both films, I forget that I’m looking at a fish, or at a toy; the way they move and emote is so lifelike and human that I empathize with them, and feel what they are feeling. Woody walking slowly and sadly (body language is important here: shoulders hunched, slow steps, heaving sighs.)  Body language and character movement is how we get people crying their eyes out in the first few minutes of Finding Nemo when (spoiler alert) Marlin loses his wife and all but one egg (Nemo) to a violent fish attack; he holds that little egg in his fins and names him the name his wife wanted to name it and next thing you know, tears are flowing and you realize you are crying for a fictional talking fish and there’s still an hour to go in the film.  That’s good animation, and that is what Disney and Luske stress as so important in the process of animation, film making, and character development.

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 4: Realism

Walt Disney stated: “I definitely feel that we cannot do the fantastic things based on the real, unless we first know the real."

This is very important to understand, and well stated.  Walt Disney sought to improve the level of his animators by hiring instructors, and some animators took this process into their own hands; one got a camera and was better able to study motion frame by frame.  This is very important and rings true to the above quote, the animators could not create fantastic things based on their minds alone, they first needed to study models, photographs, and things from life and develop a firm understanding to create believable animations and characters for audiences to relate to and to understand.  Walt Disney understood this, and it applies to the principles of animation in every way.

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 3: Principles of Animation

1. Squash and Stretch - This action gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves.  This is useful in animating dialogue and facial expressions.

2. Anticipation - This movement prepares the audience for a major action the character is about to do, such as running, jumping or changing expressions.  An example would be the backwards motion that takes place before a forward motion takes place.  

3. Staging_ - A pose or action should clearly communicate to the audience the mood, attitude, reaction, or idea of the character as it relates to the story and the continuity of the story line.  The effective use of long, medium, or close up shots, as well as camera angles also helps in telling the story.

4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose - Starts at the first frame and works frame to frame to the end of the scene.  You can lose size, volume, and proportions with this method, but it does have spontaneity and freshness. 

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - When the main body of the character stops all other parts continue to catch up to the main mass of the character, such as arms, long hair, clothing, coat tails, or a dress.  Nothing stops all at once; there is a follow through.

6. Slow In and Slow Out - As action starts, we have more drawings near the starting pose, one or two in the middle, and more drawings near the next pose.  Fewer poses/ frames make the action faster and more drawings make the action slower.

7. Arcs - All actions, with few exceptions (such as the animation of a mechanical device), follow an arc or slightly circular path.  This is especially true of the human figure.

8. Secondary Action - All action adds to and enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the character animation, supplementing and / or re-enforcing the main action.

9. Timing - Expertise in timing comes best with experience and personal experimentation, using the trial and error method in refining technique.  The basics are: more frames between poses slow and smooth the action.

10. Exaggeration - Exaggeration is not extreme distortion of a pose or extremely broad, violent action all the time.  It’s like a caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions.

11. Solid Drawing - The basic principles of form, weight, volume solidity and the illusion of three dimension apply to animation as it does to the academic art.  The way you draw cartoons, you draw in the classical sense, using pencil sketches and drawings for reproduction of life.

12. Appeal - A live performer has charisma.  An animated character has appeal.  Appealing animation does not mean being cute and cuddly.  All characters have to have appeal whether they are heroic, villainous, comic or cute.

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. "The Principles of Animation." Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville, 1981. 47-69. Print.

List of components in good animation: 

1. Inner feelings and emotion

2. Acting with a clear and definite action

3. Character and personality

4. Thought process through expression changes

5. Ability to analyze

6. Clear staging

7. Good composition

8. Timing

9. Solidity in Drawing

10. Power in drawing

11. Strength in movement

12. Imagination

Each one of these components relates in every way to the 12 Principles, and to Walt Disney’s original desire to make the animations and characters relatable, and able to convey feelings.  2. relates to “squash and stretch” as well as “arcs.”  3. relates to appeal, 4 relates to “squash and stretch.”  All of these can be looked at and related to the above principles of animation; this list is a great tool to use for any animator.

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. "Appeal and Dynamics." Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville, 1981. 137. Print.

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 2: Caricature v. Realism

caricaturenouna caricature of the famous brothers: cartoon, parody, satire, lampoon, burlesque; informal sendup, takeoff.

realismnoun1 optimism tinged with realism: pragmatism, practicality, common sense, levelheadedness.2 a degree of realism: authenticity, fidelity, verisimilitude, truthfulness, faithfulness.

Above are the dictionary definitions of “caricature” and “realism.”  Both of these were important to Walt Disney in his approach to animation.  It was stated that, “Walt wanted his drawings that were animated to seem to be real things that had feelings and emotions and thoughts, and the main thing was that the audience would believe them and that they would care what happened to them…” (35.)

While it is quite obvious that Mickey Mouse is a caricature, there is also a hint of realism to all that he does.  At first, animators would exaggerate features, such as arms or legs to accommodate for animations, and gestures, but some of the cruder animations gave way to realism, and this in turn made Mickey (and all other animated characters to come) more believable…as believable as a talking mouse in pants can be...

Animations are caricatures, they evoke emotions and feelings from the audience, and are often based upon real people or everyday relatable situations.  There are ways to tackle animation to make it more realistic, but it will always be an animation, this is not to say it is to be looked down upon; one of my favorite animations is a caricature of a man in his quest to get the girl, but it does what it’s supposed to do to be a successful animation.  It pulls in the audience, is relatable, and memorable.  

The animation I refer to is Paperman.  Found here: https://youtu.be/1QAI4B_2Mfc

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. "The Early Days 1923-1933." Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville, 1981. 35. Print.

The Illusion of Life, Chapter 1: Communication

In class, we discussed Pixar’s “Luxo Jr.” animation; an animation in which a parent lamp watching a young lamp play with a ball.  This animation is short, but it communicates to the audience.  The characters are relatable, and the story is one that while short, is memorable and conveys an emotion.  This is something that is introduced in the first chapter of “The Illusion of Life, Disney Animation.”  What is so important about animation, and what strikes me so much with Luxo Jr. is outlined in the text: 

“Conveying a certain feeling is the essence of communication in any art form.  The response of the viewer is an emotional one, because art speaks to the heart.  This gives animation an almost magical ability to reach inside any audience and communicate with all peoples everywhere, regardless of language barriers.  It is one of animation’s greatest strengths…” (15)

It is important to understand the importance of communication in studying animation; this is what makes great animations so memorable.  A story must be told, and it must communicate a feeling for the audience.  Even something so simple as lamps hopping around can do this, when done right.

Thomas, Frank, and Ollie Johnston. "An Art Form Is Born." Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville, 1981. 15. Print.

Memoir Blog Idea

It's quite interesting being a person who is adopted.  I can quickly have people gathered around me to hear all about my experience and how it has had an impact on my life and the life of my family.  Questions flow, and all that jazz.  I think it would be fun to do a memoir about my adoption story; I would interview my mom and perhaps other family members to get an account of what was happening with the Anderson family in 1985 (a year before my adoption).  I have sweet family photos, legal documents, and other fun things that should make this interesting for myself, my family, and others to look at.

Memoir Writing and Ethics - Essex County

In the NPR interview, Frank Stasio talks of the news that the memoir, "A Million Little Pieces" by James Fry, was not 100% fact, and that much of it was fabricated, borrowed and expanded upon.  After interviewing a few folks, the prime argument is that when reading a book that claims to be a memoir, the reader believes it (as well they should) to be true, whereas, when a book is labeled as Non Fiction, the reader just takes it for what it is, and rolls with it.  I can get behind this, and perhaps if I were reading a memoir which I had close emotional attachment to (like some may with "A Million Little Pieces") I may feel more strongly about finding what that what I believed was true, was in fact, a lie, or someone else's story to tell.  If anything, I would no longer trust the author of the book, and if the writing was good, I'd probably still read his or her work, but wouldn't believe that things were true even if the author said so.

Jeff Lemire's, Essex County, is a fantastic story with characters who weave together to create a whole "family tree" so to speak.  Often, I found myself sort of saying, "Ahhhh..." as one character's life made way for another character's life, and I was intrigued by all of it; the story telling was phenomenal and kept my attention.  I felt sad for many of the characters, and those who I felt okay about, I had moments where I felt sad for them too.  This isn't a bad thing at all, the characters were just relatable and easy to empathize with.  Would I be super bummed out if I learned that Lemire borrowed this story and made things up?  Not at all, the writing and the illustrations are so good that I'd just think, "well, that guy makes up some fascinating stuff."

Again, if I was reading a memoir about an adopted kid from Central America, and learned that the author made it all up, maybe I'd be a hint upset, but it would only be fleeting and then I'd be okay with it.  I guess I don't feel like I know published authors well enough to get offended by their mistakes, and lies.  When I open a book, I read it for the story, if it's true, great; if not, that's great too.

Black Friday, A Child's Perspective

As an American, I have only thought of Black Friday as the day after Thanksgiving, when people stand in lines for HOURS to spend bucket loads of money on things that they may not necessarily need.  After reading Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, my idea of "Black Friday" has markedly changed.  In Iran, "Black Friday" refers to the events that occurred on September 8, 1978 in Jaleh Square in Tehran, Iran.  On this day, thousands of people showed up to protest the Shah's regime, and on this day, the military opened fire against the protesters, killing and wounding several people.  This day is marked as extremely important in the Iranian Revolution as it marks the "point of no return," and in this moment, the people realized that there was no "hope for compromise" between the people and the Shah's regime.

In Persepolis, this event is told from a child's perspective.  This is important because it is honest and yet innocent.  Satrapi attends this protest with her maid, unbeknownst to her parents.  (They leave to protest when Satrapi's parents leave the house.)  Both Satrapi and her maid are yelled at and punished by Satrapi's mother, and it is mentioned that this was indeed a bad day to protest because it was "Black Friday."  The BBC paints a different, more journalistic picture of this day; photos are shown which are unforgettably gruesome, and it's enough to incite the viewer to protest the Shah.  As it happens, the shooting not only came from the military, but from inside the crowd as well.  Satriapi illustrates this day, and the BBC provides the viewer with photographs and news coverage (the number of dead reported varies from one media outlet to the next.)

Sources: 

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon, 2003. 39. Print.

"Black Friday (1978)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 14 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Friday_(1978)>.

Copyright / Copyleft

As an artist, I believe that copyright laws, which protect the property of the artist, are very important and I believe that they should be respected.  I think that artists who create work that they are proud of and post on the Internet as their own work, should get full credit for the art and it's not right that they may run the risk of someone taking something they did and creating a mediocre version of an original.  This isn't to say that all reproductions and reworkings of original art is mediocre; artists such as Andy Warhol, and Shepard Fairey have run into legal troubles for utilizing imagery that was not originally their own. Perhaps it's not fair to say, only good artists may reproduce work, but I guess this is the only way I can imagine agreeing with breaking copyright laws - if the work is as good as or better than the original.   

This being said, I am a fan of communities where the artists AGREE to share their work for reproduction, and to be altered in any way.  Actor, Joseph Gordon-Levitt hit the nail on the head with his website, hitrecord.org.  Hit Record allows artists, illustrators, writers, animators, basically creators from all walks of life, to take art, music, video, etc and work together to create.  This is the right way to approach sharing original works; and what's also great about this network of creators, is that if a creation of any sorts leads to monetary compensation, all the artists are paid for their contribution. 

In short, I believe that copyright laws should be followed, and that art may only be reproduced with the permission of the original artist. Copyleft is cool for programs and software, and I can get behind that; but sometimes I'm more inclined to get behind software that costs money, that came from a trusted source. 

Introduction

It's a pleasure to meet you; my name is Johanna and I like dogs and cheeseburgers.  I was born in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1984; I know this because I have documents to prove it, but I don't remember anything about the country.  I was adopted in 1986; I am a citizen of the United States. My first memory is if the stark whiteness and bright light of the bathroom in the airport where I was picked up on my adoption day.  I moved around a bit because my mother works for the government. People ask where I'm from, and I know they are nine times out of ten trying to ask politely what my ethnicity is; I tell them, Virginia and they say, "No, where are you FROM?" I find this amusing for some reason. 

Below is a photo of my mother and me the day I became a citizen of the U.S.A. 

Understanding Comics & Fun Home: Non-Visual Self Awareness

Chapter Two of Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud, discusses the Vocabulary of Comics.  In this chapter, McCloud references the phenomenon of Non-Visual Self Awareness in relation to our whole bodies, he states that we are aware of ourselves, our facial expressions, etc even when we cannot see what we look like.  This can be something that is picked up by the body language and expressions of those around us, but is also something that we are constantly aware of.  McCloud also mentions another form of non-visual awareness, wherein people utilize inanimate objects and those objects become an extension of the person (McCloud, p. 37-39).

In Alison Bechdel's, Fun Home, this use of non-visual awareness is present in the father with his obsession with rebuilding antiques into shiny beautiful things to be admired like objects in a museum; and the family's ability to be "ideal" like the house and objects in the house.  The family has become an extension of the father's "ideal home" and all are simply a cover up for the family's dark secret.  If outwardly, people see a perfect family, and a perfect home, they are less likely to believe anything could be amiss.

Bechdel, A. (2006). Fun home: A family tragicomic (pp. 16-17). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

McCloud, S. (1994). Understanding comics: The invisible art (pp. 37-39). New York: HarperPerennial.

Four Women: Frames/ Panels

 Sam Kieth's "Four Women" showcases an exemplary panel layout.  I was given Volume #4 (of 5) and  this was my first time reading the comic; as such, I was not very familiar with the story and relied heavily on the layout and images for narrative and filled in the blanks with a story of my own.  

I was particularly drawn to panels that were on full pages.  The first was a panel with a hand holding a pipe. I found this particularly eye catching because of the angle used, and the use of black space around the arm; and was additionally drawn in by the shape of the lines around the arm.  The lines are crooked, and come to a point at the end which to me indicates aggression or conflict.  

The second panel to catch my eye was another full page panel; this one simply had the word "WUNK" written in distorted and bloody letters.  This was both eye catching and told a narrative in relation to the previous hand and pipe panel.  The pages to follow were rather gory, as one may imagine.

My favorite panel in the book takes up two pages; unlike the previously aforementioned panels, this one uses straight lines and remains confined to the rectangular shape of the book itself.  The first panel is both beautifully illustrated, and also does an excellent job telling a narrative.  The detail of the drawing is phenomenal, from the nail polish on the women's fingernails, to the shards of glass on the door.  This to me conveys movement and when I look at this panel, I feel like I can hear all of the characters as they make their escape from the crushed car.  The angle of the car is also extremely useful to the narrative; it allows the viewer to look at it as if the viewer is outside of the car looking on as the women escape.  The second panel on the two page spread is also very evocative, the expressive faces on the characters are very well done and the manner in which it is laid out, much like the car panel, allows the reader to look on almost as if the reader were there.

Images from Four Women #4 by Sam Kieth  (p.12, 15, 21-22).  Story and Art: Sam Kieth.  Colors: Alex Sinclair.  Lettering: Sergio Garcia.  Edits: Scott Dunbier