Animated Realism. A Behind The Scenes Look at the Animated Documentary Genre PDF
Preview Animated Realism. A Behind The Scenes Look at the Animated Documentary Genre
Animated Realism A Behind The Scenes Look at the Animated Documentary Genre Judith Kriger · · · · · AMSTERDAM BOSTON HEIDELBERG LONDON NEWYORK OXFORD · · · · · PARIS SANDIEGO SANFRANCISCO SINGAPORE SYDNEY TOKYO FocalPressisanimprintofElsevier FocalPressisanimprintofElsevier 225WymanStreet,Waltham,MA02451,USA TheBoulevard,LangfordLane,Kidlington,Oxford,OX51GB,UK (cid:1)2012ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic ormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageandretrievalsystem, withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.Detailsonhowtoseekpermission,furtherinformation aboutthePublisher’spermissionspoliciesandourarrangementswithorganizationssuchastheCopyright ClearanceCenterandtheCopyrightLicensingAgency,canbefoundatourwebsite:www.elsevier.com/ permissions. Thisbookandtheindividualcontributionscontainedinitareprotectedundercopyrightbythe Publisher(otherthanasmaybenotedherein). Notices Knowledgeandbestpracticeinthisfieldareconstantlychanging.Asnewresearchandexperience broadenourunderstanding,changesinresearchmethods,professionalpractices,ormedicaltreatmentmay becomenecessary. Practitionersandresearchersmustalwaysrelyontheirownexperienceandknowledgeinevaluating andusinganyinformation,methods,compounds,orexperimentsdescribedherein.Inusingsuch informationormethodstheyshouldbemindfuloftheirownsafetyandthesafetyofothers,including partiesforwhomtheyhaveaprofessionalresponsibility. Tothefullestextentofthelaw,neitherthePublishernortheauthors,contributors,oreditors,assume anyliabilityforanyinjuryand/ordamagetopersonsorpropertyasamatterofproductsliability,negligence orotherwise,orfromanyuseoroperationofanymethods,products,instructions,orideascontainedin thematerialherein. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Applicationsubmitted BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. ISBN:978-0-240-81439-1 ForinformationonallFocalPresspublications visitourwebsiteatwww.elsevierdirect.com 1112131415 54321 PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica Acknowledgements Tothosewhohaveassistedmeinthedevelopmentofthisbook,Ihopeto acknowledgeherethegratitudeIfeel: TotheAnimatedRealismteamatFocalPress,andespeciallytomyeditor,Katy Spencer,thankyouforsaying“Yes!”andbelievinginme.ToTomWhite,my technicaleditor,thankyouforyourinsightfulcomments,suggestions,and honestfeedback. ThankyoutomycolleaguesdGilBettman,forsittingmedownand encouragingmetodevelopandpitchthebookidea,andJeffSwimmer,for yourinfectiousenthusiasmfordocumentaryfilmmaking. ThankyoutoMichaelGrusd,NaomiHirsch,DianeSaltzberg,andespeciallyto Dr.AllisonWeissforyourencouragement.IwouldalsoliketothankLinda CharykRosenfeldandDavidKrigerforreviewingthemanuscriptandoffering supportivefeedback. Thankstothedirectorswhoinspiredmetowritethisbookandwhogave generouslyoftheirtime,experience,andworksofart:JohnCanemaker,Paul Fierlinger,YoniGoodman,ChrisLandreth,BobSabiston,Marie-JoséeSaint- Pierre,andDennisTupicoff.It’sbeenanhonorandapleasuregettingto knoweachofyou. Andfinally,I’dliketogiveaspecialthankstomystudentsintheDigitalArts DepartmentattheDodgeCollegeofFilmandMediaArtsatChapman Universityforaskinggoodquestionsandremindingmethatlearningis alifelongjourney. ix Contributors JohnCanemaker-AnAcademyAward-winningindependentanimator, animationhistorian,teacher,andauthor,JohnCanemakerhasscreenedhis worktogreatacclaimatfilmfestivals,museums,anduniversitiesaround theworld.CanemakerisafullprofessoranddirectoroftheAnimation ProgramatNewYorkUniversityTischSchooloftheArts.In2009hereceived theNYUDistinguishedTeachingAwardfor“exceptionalteaching,inside andoutsidetheclassroom.”Canemakerwona2005OscarandanEmmy Awardforhis28-minuteanimatedshortTheMoonandtheSon:AnImagined Conversation.Adistinguishedauthorof10titles,hislatestbookisTwoGuys NamedJoe:Disney’sMasterAnimationStorytellersJoeGrantandJoeRanft, publishedbyDisneyEditions. PaulFierlinger-PaulformedAR&TAssociates,Inc.,hisownanimation house,in1971,initiallytoproduceanimatedsegmentsforABC’sHarry ReasonerSpecialsandPBS’sSesameStreet,includingSesameStreet’s popularTeenyLittleSuperGuyseries,whichrunstothisday.Since1971, AR&Thasproducedover700films,severalhundredofwhicharetelevision commercials.Manyofthesefilmshavereceivedconsiderablerecognition, includinganAcademyAwardnominationforIt’ssoNicetoHaveaWolf AroundtheHouse.OtherawardsincludeCineGoldenEagles,andBestin CategoryAwardsatfestivalsinNewYork,Chicago,LosAngeles,Annecy, Ottawa,Zagreb,Milan,Melbourne,Prague,London,andmanyothercities andcountries-welloverahundredmajorfilmfestivalawardsalltogether. YoniGoodman-Bornin1976,YoniGoodmanbeganhiscareerasan illustratoranddesignerforMaarivandHaaretz,twomajorIsraelinewspapers. WhilestudyingintheDepartmentofVisualCommunicationattheBezalel AcademyofArtandDesigninJerusalem,Goodmanfellinlovewith animationandhasn’tstoppedmakingitsince.YoniwastheDirectorof AnimationforWaltzwithBashir(2008)anddevelopedtheAdobeFlash cut-outanimationtechniqueneededtocreatethisfeature. ChrisLandrethreceivedanMSdegreeintheoreticalandappliedmechanics fromtheUniversityofIllinoisin1986.Forthreesubsequentyears,heworked inexperimentalresearchinfluidmechanicsattheUniversityofIllinoiswith hisadvisor,RonaldJ.Adrian.Landrethwasresponsiblefordevelopingafluid measurementtechniqueknownasParticleImageVelocimetry(PIV),which hassincebecomeafundamentalwayofmeasuringfluidflow.Hereceived twopatentsforhisworkonPIVduringhistimeattheUniversityofIllinois. In1989,LandrethstudiedcomputeranimationunderDonnaCox,atthe NationalCenterforSupercomputingApplications(NCSA).Itwasatthispoint thathecreatedhisfirstshortfilm,TheListener(1991),afilmthatwonhim xi | Contributors notorietybybeingshownonMTV’sLiquidTelevisionthefollowingyear. In1994,LandrethjoinedAliasInc.(nowAutodeskInc.)asanin-houseartist. Itwashisjobtodefineandtestanimationsoftwarebeforeitwasreleased tothepublic.HisworkwasoneofthedrivingforcesindevelopingMaya1.0, in1998.TodayMayaisthemostwidelyusedanimationandVFXsoftware packageinproduction,andAliassubsequentlywasgivenanAcademyAward forthisin2003. BobSabiston-BobSabistonandhiscompany,FlatBlackFilms,havebeen makinginnovativeanimationsince1987.HisstudentfilmsfromtheMIT MediaLab,GrinningEvilDeathandGod’sLittleMonkey,weresomeofthe firstfilmstocombine2Dand3Dcomputeranimation.Sabiston’sown films,includingRoadhead,SnackandDrink,andGrasshopper,havebeen influentialintheburgeoningfieldofanimateddocumentary. Marie-JoséeSaint-Pierre-BorninMurdochville,Quebec,Marie-Josée Saint-PierreisaFrenchCanadianfilmmakerbasedinMontreal,Canada. Saint-PierreobtainedaBFAHonorsinfilmanimationandanMFAinfilm productionfromtheMelHoppenheimSchoolofCinemaatConcordia University.Theaward-winningdirectorandfilmanimatorhasdirected severalshortanimatedanddocumentaryfilms,includingPost-Partum,an explorationofabandonmentandpostpartumdepression;Passages,an autobiographicalstoryaboutthebirthofthefilmmaker’sfirstchild;The SapporoProject,auniqueanimatedglimpseintotheworldofacclaimed JapanesecalligrapherGazanbouHiguchi;andMcLaren’sNegatives.Marie- JoséeSaint-PierrefoundedMJSTPFilmsInc.,ananimationanddocumentary productioncompany,in2004.Herfilmworkhasbeenscreenedatover 150prestigiousfestivalsaroundtheworldwhilereceivingmanyawards. DennisTupicoff-DennisTupicoffwasbornin1951andgraduatedfrom QueenslandUniversityin1970,latercompletingtheSwinburneFilmandTV Schoolanimationcoursein1977.Afterworkingasawriter/director/producer ofhisownfilmsaswellasTVcommercialsandothercommercialand sponsoredwork,hewasappointedLecturerinAnimationattheVictoria CollegeoftheArtsSchoolofTelevision(1992e1994).Sincethenhehas continuedmakingindependentfilmsaswriter,director,producer,andoften designer/animator. xii Introduction Oneofthemostmagicalandmemorableexperiencesofmyprofessional animationcareerwashavingthehonorofmeetingStevenSpielberg.Iwas livingintheSanFranciscoBayAreaandworkingasananimatoronfeature animation,visualeffects,andcommercials.DreamWorkshadrecently purchasedthestudioIwasworkingfor,andSpielbergflewupfortheday fromLosAngelestomeethisnewstaffinPaloAlto.Althoughtherewere hundredsofus,hepatientlytookthetimetomeetusindividually.Inaddition tobrieflyintroducingmyselftoStevenSpielbergandshakinghishand,whatI remembermostaboutthatremarkabledayiswhathesaidtousabout animation.Hetalkedabouthowindirectinglive-actionfilms,oftenthebest partofanactor'sperformancearethe“mistakes”thataremade.Forexample, sometimesduringthemiddleofatake,theactorwillsneezeortripover something,causinganotherwiseunscriptedmotioninhisorherperfor- mancethataddstothebelievabilityofthescene.Spielbergwentontotalk abouthowhewishedanimatedfilmshadmore“mistakes,”asthey’reoften tooperfect,whichtakesawayfromtheenjoymentofthefilm.Thisisthe memoryofhimthathasvividlyremainedwithme,alltheseyears. Thetermanimationmeansmanythingstomanypeople.Animatedfilmscan entertainoreducate,ortheycanbeaformofartisticself-expression. Whethercreatedintheformofapersonal,auteur-styleshort,abig-budget Hollywoodblockbuster,oraneducationalappfortheconstantlychanging arrayofhandheldgizmos,intoday'smedia-drivenworldanimatedcontentis morepopularandpowerfulthanever. Documentaryfilmsarecaptivatingbecauseoftheirstrongandengaging factualstories.Whetherintheformofjournalismorself-expression, nonfictionfilmscanbebotheducationalandentertaining.Doesshootinglive footageofaparticularsubjectmakethefilmanymoretruthfulthandrawing thesubjectmatter?Animationisnotusuallyassociatedwithdocumentary filmmaking,yetthedirectorsprofiledinAnimatedRealismareexemplarsof thishybridformofexpressionbytellingunforgettablestoriesusingiconic imagery.Thisbookwaswrittenbecauseit'simportantfordirectorsand studentsofboththeanimatedanddocumentaryformstounderstandhow theseformsofstorytellingcanbecombinedtogetherinuniquelypowerful andimaginativeways. AsPulitzer-PrizeewinningauthorWillaCatherwroteinhernovelOPioneers!, “Thereareonlytwoorthreehumanstories,andtheygoonrepeating themselvesasfiercelyasiftheyhadneverhappenedbefore.”Welearnabout ourselvesandothersbyconnectingthroughstorytelling.MythologistJoseph Campbellidentifieduniversalpatternsthatareusedquiteextensivelyin xiii | Introduction storytelling,includingstoriestoldthroughthelanguageoffilm.These patternsofarchetypalcharactersappearinmoviesliketheStarWarsseries andTheLordoftheRingstrilogyandhelptoexplainthealmostreligious devotionthataudiencesworldwidedemonstrateforthesefilms. Althoughitmaybetruethatthereareonlytwoorthreehumanstories,the waysinwhichthesestoriesarecreatedandcirculatedareconstantlybeing reinvented.Distributingone'sfilmsoutsideofthestudiosystemhasnever beeneasierorcheaper.Gonearethedaysofbeingrequiredtoshooton film,waitforthelabtoprocessthenegativeandprint,rentaflatbedfor editingataper-hourrate,andonlybeabletoviewthefinishedfilmwith aprojectorandscreen.Today'sindependentanimation,visual-effects-driven, andlive-actionfilmsaremadewithaccessible,high-enddigitalsoftwareand smaller,moreportablethaneverdigitalcameras,editedonlaptops,and viewedonawide-ranging,ever-evolvingvarietyofgadgets.Theabilityto self-distributeandpromoteone'sownartisticworkhasdramatically benefitedfromtheInternetandever-changingsocialmediaoutlets.Web2.0 allowscreativeartiststogettheirwork“outthere”andbeginmarketingtheir talentanddemoreelstoaworldwideaudiencewithinminutes,ratherthan weeksoryears.Word-of-mouthspreadsinstantaneouslyandgloballyinthe digitalage. Buttheabilitytoharnesstechnologyisn'ttheonlycharacteristicnecessaryto createengagingstorieswithcontent.Tellingfactualstoriesincreativeways challengesthemovie-goingaudiencetolistenandwatchmoreclosely.The fusionofnonfictionfilmmakingwithanimationhasgreatlyenhancedthe worldofdocumentaryfilmmakingandchallengesustoconfrontour expectationsandpreconceiveddefinitionsaboutwhatbothdocumentary andanimatedfilmmakingare.Mixinginamediumthatistypicallyusedto tellfictionalstorieswithdocumentariescausesthenegativespace,the imperfectspace“between”thetwogenrestobeallthemorepowerful. Notonlyvisuallystimulating,animationgivesthegenreofanimateddocu- mentaryafresh,dynamicapproachtostorytelling.Directorsofanimated documentariesarebreakingnewgroundandattractingaudiencestotheir workbecausetheyaretellingtheirstoriesininventivewaysandpushingthe mediumforward. Thoughsmallamountsofanimationhaveappearedbeforeinavarietyof documentaryfilms,AnimatedRealismexplorestheworkofpioneering directorswhohavethoughtfullycraftedtheirentirenonfictionfilmsinthe animatedform.Inthe2008Oscar-nominatedWaltzwithBashir,animation directorYoniGoodmanpushesreadilyavailableturnkeysoftwareinnew waysandcreatesextraordinary,iconicimageryofrepressedwartime memories.BobSabiston'spioneeringsoftwareandinfluentiallookdevel- opmenthavebroughtrotoscopingintothe21stcenturyandproducedthe memorableanimationstylesofWakingLifeandAScannerDarkly.TheMoon andtheSon:AnImaginedConversationisdirectorJohnCanemaker's2005 xiv | Introduction Oscar-winningpersonaldocumentary,whichusestheintimacyofhand- drawnanimationtoaskdifficultandoftenpainfulquestionsofhisfather. AnimatoranddirectorMarie-JoséeSaint-Pierre'sfilmscourageouslybring women'sissuestotheforeandusetheanimateddocumentaryformto creativelyportrayCanadianfilmmakingluminariesNormanMcLarenand ClaudeJutra.DennisTupicoff'sbackgroundinanimationandhiswrysenseof humorinformhisaward-winninganimateddocumentarystyle.InRyan, directorChrisLandrethusesCGanimationtocreatehis2004Oscar-winning animateddocumentaryfilmportrayalofwell-knownanimatorRyanLarkin. DirectorandanimatorPaulFierlingerhasarenownedcareerintheanimated documentarygenre;heandhiswifeSandraFierlingerdirect,animate, anddistributetheirbeautifullyhand-drawnfeature-lengthfilms.Thework ofthesedirectorsshowsthesuccessfulintegrationofanimationwith documentaryandinspiresartistsandfilmmakersaliketocreateoriginaland compellingwork. Willthefilmbeliked?Doesithavethepotentialofreachingabroad audience?Therewillalwaysbeunknownsthatthedirectormustlearntolive with,accept,andultimatelyincorporateintothecreativeprocess.The contrastbetweentheuseofimperfect,shakylinesornon-“traditional”3D computergraphicsinanimateddocsandtheirintenselypersonalstoriesis whathelpsmaketheanimateddocumentarysofascinatingandcompelling towatch.Thejoyful,visualimperfectioninthismashedupfilmmakinghybrid ispreciselywhatremindsusthattheseareveryreal,veryhumanstories. Spielberg,inhisdesireforimperfectioninanimation,haditrightafterall. Ifinditinterestingthatmyfinalmanuscriptisdueonwhatwouldhave beenmyfather's87thbirthday.HepassedawayonMarch5,2011,after ahard-foughtbattlewithbraincancerdbeforethecompletionofthisbook, thoughknowingitwouldbededicatedtohim.Myfatherwasagentlesoul, athoughtfulandveryintelligentmanwhoworkedasacivilengineerand hadakeenunderstandingofmathandscience.Buthealsolovedthearts. IhaveveryfondchildhoodmemoriesofsittingdowntowatchBugsBunny cartoonswithmyfather,mylatesisterDiane,andmybrotherDavid.Weall enjoyedthesetimesandlaughedtogether,andIthinkthisexperience,to acertaindegree,influencedmydesiretobecomeananimator.Myfather paidformyfirstdrawinglessonsattheOttawaSchoolofArt,myfirstreal trainingasanartistwhenIwasateenager,andlaterasacollegestudent,he encouragedmetogetsummerjobswithAtkinsonFilmArts,ananimation studiothatcreatedChristmasspecialsandhalf-hourTVshows.Hewas thrilledwhenIwasacceptedintoRISD,theRhodeIslandSchoolofDesign, oneofthetopartanddesigncollegesintheUnitedStates. Myfatherhadanamazingknowledgeofclassicalmusicandcomposers,and hemetmymotherinaclassicalmusicclubwhiletheyweregoingto university.Thoughshepassedawayduringmychildhood,Ihavevery strongmemoriesofherandmyuncletakingmetothemovietheatertosee xv | Introduction TheJungleBook.Ilearnedearlyinmylifethatmymotherappreciatedthe arts;sheenjoyedplayingMasterpiece,aMonopoly-typeofboardgamefor artiststhatentailedbuyingandsellingfamousworksofart.Mymother collectedframedRenoirprintsfromtheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,and bothsheandmyfatherappreciatedaparticularRenoirstilllifecalledOnions, whichisstillondisplayattheClarkArtInstituteinWilliamstown,MA. LongbeforecloudcomputingandiPods,workingwithcomputertechnology entailedhavingtousecomputerkeypunchcards,somethingmymotherwas justbeginningtolearnbeforeshedied.Inowrealizethatherinterestinart andtechnologyhasbeencarriedforwardinme;myloveofartandanimation andobsessionwithcomputersoftwareandhardwarearepassionsthathave guidedandinspiredmefordecades.Iamverymuchmymother'sdaughter. Formydearparents,ShirleyandAkivaKriger,whowouldhavebeenso proud. Maytheirmemorybeablessing. LosAngeles,CA July29,2011 xvi
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