Monday, February 25, 2013

Theory of Animation


Jeeeeeez…Who would've thought there are so many different forms or animation? Technically, guess that's a pretty naive thing to say as a film studies major, as there are a ton of ways to make a film, and a ton of types of films. But I guess I was really blown away to read about them all at the same time. Lots of nostalgia tracing back to my childhood watching animated cartoons with some of the hottest cartoon stars of the era, including Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam.

Reflecting back on the various forms, I found the section on Abstraction to be particularly interesting. Often times, animation and experimental film can be overlooked due to the abstraction of its form. It's hard for the average viewer to make sense of the moving images at first glance, contrary to traditional filmmaking which seeks to orient the audience as opposed to experimental, which has a tendency to disorient the people watching it. When it really comes down to it, though, these types of film require the most concentration, creativity and thought to produce. A random assortment of colors, shapes and movement does not bode as well for positive audience reception as a creative narrative which utilizes that various objects in the frame in synch with a score and pace. It almost makes me want to revisit some of the Brakhage films I watched in FST 200 and attempt to make sense of them again. HEY…I said almost ;)

All in all, reading an article like this is any discipline makes my mind race and jump all over the place. It gives you the drive to get started on your next project because you have literally so many ideas that you just want to tell everybody about them and ramble on for hours about this and that. That's a good feeling. Maybe one of the best feelings.

I was never as interested in animation as I was in working with a camera or a crew. I guess I just never realized all of the different avenues that animation can travel on.

Until next time, my noble compatriots.















Breezy

No comments:

Post a Comment