Academic literature on the topic 'Author’s animated film'

Abstract A prominent strain of discourse sees digital-age German film criticism in a terminal trajectory of commercialization and dumbing down. This article demonstrates that this rhetoric is not unique: neither to German-speaking countries nor to the digital age. Complaints about slipping benchmarks and declining quality, the fragmentation of the filmgoing public into niche markets, and above all the anxiety about the authority of the critic to definitively speak for and interpret culture to a receptive audience have animated international film criticism since its origins. The article proceeds to examine the supposed new threat to critics: algorithmic recommender systems for video-on-demand platforms such as Netflix. Based on the author’s mixed-method empirical audience study, it concludes that the need and desire for human cultural mediators has not decreased despite the digital-age explosion of content and computational tools.

This intimate conversation with Emmy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Keith David traverses his expansive career and the invaluable lessons he has gleaned along the way: performance craftwork, author’s intent, and finding the humanity in each character toward exploring the human condition. At the heart of his success is thoughtful artistry, which has helped him craft longevity in the television and film industry. Keith David’s perspective on the craft is deeply rooted in the text and consists in “finding a kind of engaged objectivity”—his desire and ability to tap into the tone of each story he encounters. This interview explores David’s remarkable credits from his iconic ensemble performance in Oliver Stone’s Platoon to his more recent critically acclaimed lead role in OWN’s Greenleaf, from his numerous television, feature film, and theatrical appearances, to his award-winning documentaries, animated features, video gaming, and commercials.

This article situates the Pixar computer animation Coco (dir. Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, 2017) within a recent selection of afterlife fictions and questions why such narratives might appeal to our contemporary moment. The author’s response is structured around the idea of utopia. In Coco, he identifies several conceptions of utopic space and ideals. The afterlife fiction places characters and viewers in a reflexive location which affords them the opportunity to examine their lives as lived (rather than in death). Transplanting Richard Dyer’s work on classic Hollywood musicals as entertainment utopia to a contemporary animated musical, the article proposes that such a film can be seen as adhering to a kind of ‘new cinematic sincerity’. Coco’s particular depiction of The Day of the Dead fiesta and the Land of the Dead has its roots in the Mexican writer Octavio Paz’s poetic and romantic treatise The Labyrinth of Solitude (1950). A comparison between these two texts suggests that willing encounters with death can be connected to an openness to transitional states of being. Through close readings of key musical sequences in Coco, the author demonstrates how the properties of the musical are combined with animation aesthetics (baby schemata, virtual camera) to lead viewers into their own utopian space of heightened emotions and transition.

Current research focuses on an observational investigation of dysphemistic words and phrases in contemporary animated films. The language of animated films varies from other genres and styles, and this divergence from conventional language presents an important sociolinguistic problem. The main reason for the study is an assumption that authors and script writers of animated films use dysphemisms in this specific language style, despite the fact that they should be avoided. The study's methodological foundation is a corpus analysis which deals with three different corpora: the primary corpus – selected contemporary animated films (dating from 2017 to 2020) and the secondary – a) the native language corpus (Corpus of Contemporary American English - COCA), and b) Google search engine. The following goals were pursued in this dysphemism investigation: (1) the selection of animated films for the primary corpus, (2) identification of dysphemisms in the primary corpus, (3) sociolinguistic analysis and explanation of some of the most appealing expressions from the primary corpus, and (4) to cross-check some of the dysphemisms identified in the primary corpus against the secondary corpus. The authors believe that certain number of them are exclusive to animated films and cannot be found in the native discourse. The analysis has confirmed that the language of animated films contains dysphemisms, and that their number and nature vary from film to film. The most common dysphemisms can be found in all animated films, but those containing the most profane language are characteristic only for South Park. Further investigation revealed that certain number of dysphemistic expressions identified in the primary corpus can only be found in animated films and not in the natural discourse.

Abstract Throughout its entire history, Slovak animated film has had the form of figurative narrative art or craft. For this reason, the author of this study examines its post-1989 development through the prism of the body. Since the most visible change that has affected contemporary film aesthetics is the feminization of animated film in terms of authorship, the study primarily focuses on the ability of an animated body to represent gender and gender roles. It attempts to capture the most significant changes in the depiction of the body in authorial animated film before and after 1989, in more detail record the post-revolution changes in the body, and relate this to the changes in the institutional background of animated film. Animated bodies have developed from “ordinary people” from a dominant male point of view in socio-critical socialist production through female characters in interaction with clearly distinguished male characters in the films of female authors from the Academy of Performing Arts, the crisis of stereotypical masculinity in the production of male authors to independent women looking for their own identity inside themselves, without relating themselves to their male counterparts.

The main premise of the study is the objective need to find new means for the development of children’s personality in the modern educational process. Scientific and technological progress, the active use of technology and gadgets by children, even young children, the expansion of the use of distance learning and communication, artificial intelligence, and social networks are the realities in which we already live. Therefore, high relevance is gained by the means that are based on information technologies on the one hand but have the potential for the development of children’s personality on the other. What can be considered as one such instrument is animation creativity of children that involves the process of children jointly composing, creating, and discussing a cartoon of their own making. The assumption of the potential effectiveness of animation creativity as a means of developing children’s giftedness is based on the fact that in the process of joint creation of a cartoon, children show and develop several abilities as they create the script, images of characters, their characters and appearances, as they are involved in filming, montage, editing, as well as the presentation and promotion of the finished animated film. Children interact with one another and with technical devices, learn to listen to and hear each other, substantiate their opinion, carry the responsibility for collective work, distribute responsibilities between each other, and bring the creative idea to fruition in the finished product. The goal of the study is to conduct an empirical study to determine the effect of the author’s children’s animation technique on the development of figurative thinking in older preschool-age children. Methods: observation, conversation, measurement, creative tasks, comparative analysis of experimental data.

The article aims to define Polish animated film and its place within contemporary Polish cinematography as well as to predict its future. Based on the literature review, the author's own reflections and the opinions of critics, film experts and filmmakers, the author provides her own definition of an animated film, presents facts related to the history of the genre and speculates on the future of Polish animated film.

This article explores the ways in which Waltz with Bashir (2008), Ari Folman’s animated war memoir, combines a commentary on memory with a moral stance on war. The authors argue that the film exemplifies the capacity of animated documentaries not only to show what is otherwise difficult or impossible to represent in non-animated documentaries, but to serve as a vehicle for fostering new relationships between the viewer and the documentary text. In this vein, the authors argue that Waltz with Bashir synthetically produces a rich, consistent, and thus trustworthy sense of reality for its viewers not despite but because of its unique aesthetic choices – its innovative animation techniques and mixing of reality with fantasy. Accordingly, the authors weave together analyses of the film’s content and form with accounts of their reception, discuss how the film evokes certain somatic responses with individuals, and consider the political significance these responses may engender.

The use of short animated films to address important social issues and societal needs has a rich tradition. These cartoons follow a stream of ecological propaganda in a variety of films that promote pro-environmental values and beliefs. After surveying films for both the cinema and television, the authors focus on exploring short animated films as pedagogical texts that teach pro-environmental beliefs and encourage ordinate behaviors in entertaining ways. They then discuss the application of the entertainment–education communication strategy through animated films as a means to advance environmental education. In particular, they view short animated films as pedagogical tools that function as exemplary or revelatory parables.

This paper presents a study focused on comparing real actors based scenarios and animated characters based scenarios with respect to their similarity in evoking psychophysiological activity for certain events by measuring galvanic skin response (GSR). In the experiment, one group (n=11) watched the real actors’ film whereas another group (n=7) watched the animated film, which had the same story and dialogue as the real actors’ film. The results have shown that there is no significant difference in the skin conductance response (SCR) scores between the two groups; however, responses significantly differ when SCR amplitudes are taken into account. Moreover, Pearson’s correlation reported as high as over 80% correlation between the two groups’ SCRs for certain time intervals. The authors believe that this finding is of general importance for the domain of simulation-based tutoring systems in development of and decisions regarding use of animated characters based scenarios.

Przedmiotem dysertacji są autorskie filmy animowane realizowane przez kobiety w strukturach polskiej kinematografii. Są one badane jako odrębne w całości polskiej filmowej produkcji w technice animacji (autorka nie bada filmów dla dzieci, propagandowych, reklamowych, oświatowych), stąd w istocie przedmiot badań stanowi niewielki procent filmów animowanych realizowanych w Polsce. Badania prowadzone są dwutorowo, łącząc analizę filmów z analizą instytucji kinematograficznej i kultury produkcji autorskiego filmu animowanego w Polsce. Dysertacja składa się z czterech rozdziałów. Rozdział I, pt. Rozpoznanie problematyki pracy wprowadza w podstawowe problemy związane z przyjętą w tekście terminologią, wprowadza także w ogólny kontekst genderowy specyficznych dla filmu animowanego problemów związanych z jego produkcją, projektowaniem i dystrybucją. Zasadniczy korpus pracy stanowią rozdziały, które w porządku chronologicznym analizują ewolucję strategii wchodzenia polskich twórczyń na pozycje samodzielnych reżyserek animacji autorskiej. Proces ten pokazany jest jako element ewolucji pola polskiego filmu animowanego (w znaczeniu jakie polu kulturowemu nadał Pierre Bourdieu) – przy założeniu, że autorskie filmy animowane w swoich strategiach artystycznych nie różniły się diametralne od tych realizowanych w rozwiniętych kinematografiach. Analizowane jest także miejsce animacji w instytucji kinematograficznej, problematyka genologii i separacji/odrębności filmu animowanego w Polsce i na świecie. W historii polskiej animacji wyróżniono trzy okresy, każdemu z nich odpowiada rozdział dysertacji. Są to: czasy Polski Ludowej (1944-89), czasy kryzysu i transformacji (1989-2005), oraz współczesność (od 2005). Taką periodyzację można uznać za typową dla analiz dotyczących historii polskiego filmu (cezury dwóch pierwszych okresów stanowią wydarzenia polityczno-ustrojowe, w trzecim przypadku cezura ma charakter instytucjonalny – powołanie Polskiego Instytutu Sztuki Filmowej). Dla tematu dysertacji i przedmiotu jej badań periodyzacja ta ma znaczenie przede wszystkim ze względu na to, iż w historii filmu animowanego każdy z wymienionych okresów oznacza inną technologię (okres 1944-1989 to technologia analogowa, 1989-2005 to okres łączenia technologii analogowej z początkami cyfrowej, od roku 2005 branża przechodzi na zaawansowaną technologię cyfrową). A konkretnie – w okresie, którego dotyczy każdy z trzech rozdziałów inaczej przebiegały procesy i procedury developmentu, produkcji i dystrybucji filmów. Autorka analizuje, jak w każdym z tych okresów technologia wpływała na obraz genderowy branży – nie tylko poprzez stosunki pracy tworzące zawodowe hierarchie, ale także poprzez ewolucje procesów produkcji kapitału symbolicznego. Cechą szczególną rozprawy jest poprzedzenie każdego z rozdziałów podrozdziałem wstępnym, zarysowującym międzynarodowe tło, czyli pozycję i osiągnięcia kobiet w filmie animowanym na świecie w okresie, którego dany rozdział dotyczy. Podrozdziały te zawierają pogłębione analizy twórczości i strategii artystycznych kobiet z różnych rejonów geograficznych (zarówno z państwach demokracji ludowej, jak i z Zachodu, z krajów wolnorynkowych), które wówczas w filmie animowanym stały się liderkami, bądź twórczyniami „credited alone”. Zabieg taki jest badawczą protezą, która ma za zadanie ukazanie szerokiego spektrum problemów instytucjonalnych i technologicznych towarzyszących wchodzeniu kobiet na pozycje mistrzowskie w przypadkach, które - w przeciwieństwie do polskich reżyserek - są dobrze udokumentowane, przede wszystkim poprzez rekonstrukcję cyfrową i dostępność ich filmów.<br>The subject of the dissertation are original animated films made by women in the structures of Polish cinematography. They are studied as separate from the whole of Polish film production in the animation technique (the authoress does not study films for children, propaganda, advertising, or educational films), thus in fact the subject of the research constitutes a small percentage of animated films made in Poland. The research is conducted in a bilateral manner, combining the analysis of films with an analysis of the cinematographic institution and the culture of original animated film production in Poland. The dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter I, Identification of the problematic of the work, introduces basic issues related to the terminology adopted in the text, as well as the general gender context of the specific problems of animated film production, design and distribution. The main body of the work consists of chapters which, in chronological order, analyse the evolution of the strategy of Polish female filmmakers' ascent to the position of independent directors of auteur animation. This process is shown as an element of the evolution of the Polish animated film field (in the sense given to the cultural field by Pierre Bourdieu) - with the assumption that auteur animated films in their artistic strategies were not diametrically different from those produced in developed cinematographies. The place of animation in the cinematographic institution, the issue of genology and the separation/individuality of animated film in Poland and the world are also analysed. In the history of Polish animation, three periods have been distinguished, each of which corresponds to a chapter of the dissertation. These are: the times of People's Poland (1944-89), the times of crisis and transformation (1989-2005), and the present day (from 2005). Such periodisation may be considered as typical for analyses concerning the history of Polish film (the caesuras of the first two periods are political and political events, while in the third case the caesura is of institutional nature - the establishment of the Polish Film Institute). For the topic of the dissertation and the subject of its research, this periodisation is of significance primarily due to the fact that in the history of animated film, each of the periods mentioned signifies a different technology (the period between 1944 and 1989 was analogue technology, 1989-2005 was a period of combining analogue technology with the beginnings of digital technology, and since 2005 the industry has been moving towards advanced digital technology). More specifically, the processes and procedures of film development, production and distribution were different in the period covered by each of the three chapters. The authoress analyses how, in each of these periods, technology influenced the gender image of the industry - not only through labour relations forming professional hierarchies, but also through the evolution of processes of symbolic capital production. The distinctive feature of the dissertation is that each chapter is preceded by an introductory subchapter, outlining the international background, i.e. the position and achievements of women in animated film worldwide during the period to which the chapter relates. These sub-chapters contain in-depth analyses of the work and artistic strategies of women from different geographical regions (both from the countries of popular democracy and from the West, from free-market countries), who became leaders or 'credited alone' creators in animated film at the time. Such a procedure is a research prosthesis, which aims to show the broad spectrum of institutional and technological problems accompanying women's ascension to master positions in cases which, unlike Polish female directors, are well documented, above all through digital reconstruction and the availability of their films.

The chapter discusses two modes of combining music and moving images that developed in modernism. The first mode, which the author termsgeneration, relates to a type of animated narrative film in which the music precedes the visual sequence which generates the will or thought (modality) that gives rise to the narrative action. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” from the Disney filmFantasia, is examined as an example. In the second mode,suspension, the picture appears as if preceding the music, even if the creative order was different, or the work does not have an actual visual manifestation. The visual sequence, which appears as if deriving from the composer’s inner world, is characterized by minute occurrences, wishing to arouse as an atmosphere or “third consciousness.” The movement “Colors” from Schoenberg’sFive Pieces for an Orchestra, opus 16, is examined as an example alongside examples from film music.

Drawing on a range of sources including the animated film of William Kentridge, Kenneth Gergen’s work on complex futures and the role of social scientists, and Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America, the conclusion of this book illustrates the multiple vectors of deep equality. It also addresses obstacles to the achievement of deep equality, including critiques that deep equality is utopian and naïve. Other obstacles include the persuasive power of the dominant narrative of competition and the seductive power of law. Acknowledging the fragility of deep equality, the author argues that the next challenge on the horizon in terms of living well together in diversity is not religious diversity but the increasing polarization between those who self-describe as ‘none’ and those who claim a religious identity.

This chapter is written from, and critically examines, the creative and ethical perspectives of animated documentary practitioners. The author, Samantha Moore, focuses particularly on collaboratively ethnographic approaches to, and examples of, animated documentary filmmaking. This chapter asks to what extent the frame within an animated documentary can become a collaborative, co-authored space that creates truly dialogic images. It also enquiries as to how practitioners do or could go about creating, negotiating and sustaining such forms of collaboration. The chapter discusses key examples from the filmmaking practices of the author and her peers, including Shira Avni, who works with the Down syndrome and autistic communities. It does so in order to outline what impacts different forms of collaborative filmmaking approach might have for audience, filmmakers, and documentary subject-participants, especially in the contexts of documentary films that aim to give a voice to marginalised and unrepresented human perspectives.

Seven short animated films are examined by the auteur-animator as he self-reflects on their creations. Making animation is not only an extension of the pictorial and comic-like expression, but also the act of mystically creating movement to be perceived in the real. The artist shares his personal experiences during the animation making process including the unconscious imaginative realm that creeps into his creative thoughts. Technology may play an important part of the animation production but the author maintains that there is a deeper spiritual world where he is somehow drawn into when he is making animation. Spiritually, he feels the transcendence of the dualism of mind and matter during the creative process, and is able to unite the subconscious with reality. Citing motifs including natural, inorganic, or imaginative entities, the author demonstrates the influence of the psyche in his artistic expressions. To the artist, the spiritual assimilation aspects of his work are profound, complex, and illuminating.

Despite all the technological advances in the field of computer graphics, the uncanny valley effect is still an observed phenomenon affecting not only how animated digital characters are developed but also the audience's reaction during a film session. With the emergence of computer-generated images being used in films, this chapter aims at presenting a multidisciplinary approach concerning the uncanny valley topic. This phenomenon is mainly explained by several psychological theories based on human perception; however, this chapter contributes to the discussion presenting a communication perspective based on the uses and gratification theory connected to the genre theory proposed by Daniel Chandler. In addition, the authors discuss how the technological evolution in rendering is helping out artists to cross the valley, which ends up being unveiled only by motion. As a result of this technical evolution, it is proposed a new animation art style category defined as quasi-real.

In recent years, Harley Quinn has become one of DC Comics most recognizable—and bankable—properties. The character has been featured in numerous comic book series, video games, toy lines, and live-action films, but it was her introduction in Batman: The Animated Series that positioned her in the popular imaginary as The Joker’s psychologically conflicted accomplice and lover. This chapter documents and examines Harley Quinn’s origins and character development in Batman: The Animated Series. The authors deconstruct Harley’s efforts to reconcile her dual roles as victim and victimizer in a cartoon show that, although intended for children, sexualizes her through innuendo and aesthetics, and fetishizes gender violence.

This essay focuses on the TV animation Heidi, Girl of the Alps (1974). Made in Japan, it is the most famous international adaptation of the original novel Heidi by the Swiss writer Johanna Spyri. The novel has been translated into many languages and adapted into various media forms—including as a movie, play, animation feature film, television series, cartoon, and picture book. The author surveys the different characteristics and adaptations of the Japan-produced TV animation and its original book publication and argues that progressively, the animated version and its spirited contents have elevated the visual image of Heidi and its original publication. Through studying the audiences in Japan and Korea, the essay speculates on the “spiritual role of the media” in transcending cultural boundaries and discusses the resulting cultural energy that inspires audiences to seek the “spiritual” in connection with their attraction to the animated story.

An inscription on a Chinese statue of Amitabha dated 746 AD reads, “As a matter of general principle, the highest truth is devoid of any image. But if there were no image, there would be no possibility for truth to manifest itself. The highest principle is without words. But if there were no words, how could the principle be known?” From the point of view of an art historian and through the example of a short animated film proposal, this essay investigates the ways in which strategies specific to animation, such as narrativity, metaphorical potency, metamorphosis, and most importantly, the capacity to penetrate intangible dimensions, mitigate these challenges. The author argues that animation offers a more efficacious medium than static images and theory in evincing Buddhist dharma; namely, that in the process of depicting Buddhist thought and practice, both the activity and product of animation become sites of merit-making and means of spiritual transformation in themselves.

This chapter presents the implementation of a system that visualizes the construction process using 3D modeling data and schedule data to analyze construction planning. Previous papers have emphasized the benefits of visual 4D planning that combines 3D modeling data and process schedule data for work progress control. The proposed methodology offers rapid visualization of work performance with scheduled activity and facilitates construction planning and schedule inspection. Consequently, it should increase productivity and reduce rework. However, even major construction companies will not adopt such a work style, because the existing, well-organized way of working would not be readily changed unless the new style is proven to afford benefits that outweigh the effort and cost required to adapt to the style. The advanced CAD system, for example, is able to simulate the assembly process, and the advanced 3D graphic designer is able to animate the arrangement of objects. Even though each software provides multiple functionalities, the applications in practical use are all independent and specific, such as CAD for designing 3D models, and a project manager for scheduling and analyzing. Therefore, a system that integrates all outputs from each application is required to move from the conventional work style to the new one. This chapter, thus, aims to develop a system that integrates several types of data and enables the simulation of the construction progress by gradually showing 3D models according to the activity schedule. It is also possible to attach material data to each object and to display related information like cost and object properties. The system assumes the following requirements: (1) to import and display the 3D modeling data, (2) to import the project schedule, (3) to link each model and activity, (4) to give the material data on each object to enhance reality, and (5) to show cost accumulation. These functions are supposed to be realized such that the system utilizes the resources previously reserved. Therefore, the system should be able to import a DXF format file for 3D modeling data and access the MDB format database for the project schedule, including costs. The MDB file is originally a database that Microsoft Access creates. Microsoft Project, which is probably the most widely used software for project management, is also able to export the project data in this format. These functions are implemented with Microsoft Visual C++ and DirectX SDK. Although the system displays inaccurate models partially because of the misinterpretation of the DXF file, all of the demands listed above are satisfied currently. The authors of this chapter are now at the stage of implementation of further functions, that is, to display not only structures but also other elements such as the temporal space on the site, the route of delivery vehicles, and the work area of the temporally used heavy machinery, all for the sake of the visualization and analysis of the entire construction site.