Week 2: New Narrative
01/22/2025
This week we looked at different ways of telling and unfolding the story using animation. It seems common for experimental and independent animation to sway away from traditional and conventional forms of narrative used by commercial animations, such as a Hero's Journey within a Three Act structure. In other words, experimental and independent animations are more open to interpretation than commercial animations. This being said, all three forms of animation are learning and adapting from each other, and their narration styles are not set in stone.
"Shirley Temple" is a film I enjoyed, I resonate with its visual style. Even though I could not comprehend its plot entirely, I was able to understand the mood and emotions the filmmaker attempted to convey on the topic of childhood and memories. I find this type of narration intriguing because it fits the theme perfectly. By deliberately making the story abstract, the film showcases the jumbled-up mind of adolescence; there is no clear answer to the question of growing up and understanding relationships.
A more in-depth analysis breaks down reverse chronological narration into four styles:
Plot vs. events
Episodic vs. sustained
The combinations determine whether the plot actually goes back in time or is just displayed in reverse order. I think films can use multiple of these combinations naturally, such as containing flashbacks of memory.
We also discussed some other ways of chronological narrative, including Multiple Timeline, Circular Timeline, Hyperlink, and Rashomon.
Another film I enjoyed was "The Flying Sailor". The film interweaves flashbacks as the main character's life is slipping away from him in an explosion. As he approaches the barrier between life and death, he is suddenly revived, and the film plays backward to show his return to life. This film also uses narration to fit its theme of life and death, displaying the process of dying in a surreal way.
Week 3: Non-Linear Narrative
01/29/2025
This week we looked at non-linear films and I enjoyed most of them, because the filmmakers all used very interesting methods of conveying their stories. For each film we all voted on the level of "linear" and "abstraction", and some were more abstract than others. I liked the creativeness of “The End of the World in Four Seasons” by Paul Driessen. The animator divided the screen up into many comic panels, and each panel worked well individually and collaboratively as a coherent experience. Each season was portrayed with their distinct identities.
I was also inspired by “EMPTY PLACES” by Geoffroy De Crécy. I really like the concept of a world without any humans left, and the film also doesn't explain why or how humans disappeared. The film simply presents multiple scenarios where technology and machine are left automated. This sense of absurdness and loneliness moves me.
Week 4: Documentary and Autobiography
02/05/2025
This week I presented on the topic of Documentary and Autobiography. My main question throughout the presentation was whether a film could be considered a documentation, and whether filmmakers should be allowed to represent others. I chose some films that delt with very serious and important topics such as war and disability, while also choosing some-light hearted ones.
From the films that I have not watched before, my favorite is "Our Uniform" by Yegane Moghaddam. The filmmaker uses real fabric and textures to tell her story as a woman living in Iran, where her sexuality is oppressed by the local culture and government. I love her 2D animations on top of real clothing, and how she uses the shapes and curvatures of those clothing to set up the shots.
Another film I liked was "Snack and Drink" by Bob Sabiston and Tommy Pallotta. The film uses rotoscope in attempt to recreate what's goping on inside the head of an autistic teenager. Even though the film was controversial upon release, I still enjoyed the bizzare visuals and believe that the animators had no harmful intentions towards the teenager.
Week 5: Women/Feminism/Sex/Love/Trauma
02/12/2025
This week we discussed the role of women in animation history, and how the societal norms have changed for female animators in the industry. My favorite film was "Carne" by Camila Kater, a documentary short that interviewed five women in different stages of their life. Each interview was portrayed with a different stop motion technique that fit well within the troubles the interviewee was dealing with. I think it was designed with respect in mind and well executed.
I also enjoyed "Thread" by Yuri Jang. It is based on true stories of Korean "comfort women" who were forced in sexual slavery by the Japanese government during WWII. I feel empathetic for the stories behind this film because my country also received similar treatments during WWII. I think what the filmmaker did was great because she helped those who were voiceless to speak up to the public.
Week 6: Centering Racial, Cultural, National and Ethnic Identities
02/19/2025
This week I presented with Namquyen on the very broad topic of Racial, Cultural, National and Ethnic Identities. I gave the class a more general background and showed films from cultures all around the world, while Namquyen focused on Indigenous Art in animation. My favorite film from my presentation was "SISTER" by Siqi Song. The beaultifully animated stopmotion has a shocking plot twist that shows the audience the impacts of China's One Child Policy.
My favorite film from the Indigenous Art topic was Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. It focuses on the Hawaiian tradition and legend of mahu, a third-gendered people who had special healing powers. It was a very new and interesting concept to me that mahus could ascend beyond the biological constraints of the human body. It was also disheartening to see that nowadays the sacred statues has become an insignificant statue on a city street.
Week 7: Queering Animation
02/26/2025
This week we explored animation that specifically ties to queer topics and creators. I found the films intriguing as they were very effective in conveying the self-identity of the animators. My favorite film was "ADORABLE" by Cheng-Hsu Chung. I appreciate its abstractness and stream of consciousness combined with its loose paint stokes. From what I could gather the filmmaker is attempting to convey a character's journey in tackling their own sexuality and masculinity. Even though it is hard for me to completely empathise with their situation, I am moved by the animation itself; it is as if I am stepping into their worlds.
Week 8: Animation for all Bodies and Minds
03/05/2025
This week we explored how animation can help groups with disabilities to express themselves. We talked about the differences between Disability Animation and Crip Animation. We viewed animations about Synesthesia, Multiple Sclerosis, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Overload, Asperger's Syndrome, Alzheimer's Disease, and PTSD. My favorite film was "An Eyeful of Sound" by Samantha Moore. The film displays what patients with Synesthesia "sees" in their heads when they hear certain sounds. Although I cannot be sure what I am seeing is 100% what a Synesthesia patient sees, the film helped me gain a clearer concept of the symptoms. The film itself was animated beautifully such that it can be enjoyed without prior knowledge to Synesthesia.
Week 9: Studio Ghibli
03/12/2025
This week we watched "Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki". The fdocumentary focuses on the day to day life of Miyzaki, the co-founder and soul of Studio Ghibli. From the film we can tell that Miyazaki is a perfectionist who wants to exhibit control over the entire project the studio is working on. His methods work in this case because he is extremely talented and has distinct visions; he just needs people to help him complete his idea. I was surprised that he is open to exploring 3d CGI, but he did have trouble translating his 2D work into 3D. I also did not realise that previous Studio Ghibli films have always used 3D assets for certain scenes.
Week 10: Crafty Animation
03/26/2025
This week we looked at craft animation. We discussed the difference between "crafty" and art as a "craft". The former is more down to earth and originates from everyday life, while the latter is usually more prestigious and displayed in galleries and museums. However, personally, I believe crafty animation and stop motion animation to be more "artistic" compared to digital animation, because in my view the longer a medium has been created the more culture and tradition is embedded with it. Thus I believe traditional forms of animation have a stronger presence in art history.
My favorite film was "Lucia" by Cristóbal León, Niles Atallah and Joaquín Cociña. I have watched "The Wolf House" before but I did not know the team also made shorts. I love these projects because the filmmakers are literally animating the entire house using different methods simultaneously, including painting on the wall and also a variety of stopmotion techniques using 3D objects. The planning and design on these scenes are truly intricate and well thought-out.
Week 11: Sloppy Craft
04/02/2025
This week we delved into the realm of sloppy craft animation. I like sloppy craft as an aesthetic in general because I think it originates from/is trying to recreate 90s and 00s aesthetic where the technology is not powerful enough to create perfect visuals. It gives me a strong sense of nostalgia and reminds me of some video games and cartoons I used to watch as a kid.
My favorite film is "Ugly" by Nikita Diakur. The film has no dialogue and is also sort of following a stream of consciousness. It tells a serious and poetic story while using absolutely ugly and funny 3D characters combined with realiztic lighting. This contrast grants the film its own visual identity and I think the experience of watching the film itself and half zoning out is more enjoyable than trying to figure out the implied plotline.
Week 12: Expanded Platforms
04/09/2025
This week we looked at non-traditional ways of presenting and/or performing animation, through methods such as motion capture and installation. This is an area I have recently become interested in because I want to explore merging my work with a physical medium. I want to add some interactions to my animation, but not in a video game way where I have to make sure the experience is fun. We looked at many different styles of animation that uses the software and hardware very creatively.
My favorite piece was "SLEIGHTING" by Rachel Ho. In the show, Rachel performs live through motion capture. Behind her, a large screen displays her character as sex workers or out of shape dancer, and the contrast between these characters are very powerful because all of their movements originate from the same person dancing in front of the screen. I wish I could witness this mix between reality and digital world in real time at the event.
Week 13: Games and Animation
04/16/2025
This week was really interesting for me because as a gamer I have perspectives on both mediums of video games and animation. For some projects such Everything, I played the game before and found it to be boring from an interactive stand point. However, the trailer for the game was actually very meditative and showcased areas of the game that I did not get to explore. I prefer the video over the game, because it gave me time and space to reflect on the piece as I was watching it.
I find games and animation to be very interchangeable, since nowadays many of the technologies for both mediums are using the same software and engines. There is also video games always inherent animation in v as the characters/game objects need to move according to the player's interactions.
Week 14: Generative Animation, AI, and Data-Driven Animation
04/23/2025
This week we explored AI and data-driven animation. Using AI to create films and animation is very new and has been growing rapidly in the past few years. Only a few years ago could AI only generate very simple and distorted images and videos, but now it can create visuals that are hard to tell from reaality. This growth and advancement in technology is very exciting and I believe everyone needs to embrace AI and accept it. It's not going anywhere.
My favorite project was The Zizi Show by Jake Elwes. Not only is the project interactive, it has a great motivation behind it. Because AI is trained through preexisting images, many topics might lean problematic(racist or sexist for example) because the data used to train was inherently flawed. The Zizi Show aims to fix this issue for the drag community, because they are very usuallyunderrepresented in general and their images are not usuallly used for AI training.
Week 15: Future Visions
04/30/2025
For the final week we looked at the future of the animation industry and how AI has effects on the environment. We discussed what we could do as animators to collectively and progressively make the world a better place. My favorite film of the week is "World of Tomorrow" by Don Hertzfeldt. Although the runtime is slightly over my preferred length of an animated short, I was ultimately moved and inspired the the film's content. Even though I can see similarities between this film and some other feature films I've watched, I still admire the filmmaker's ability to come up with the film's dystopian concepts and dialogues. The stories described by the main character generate a strong sense of loneliness and despair.