Animated Realism. A Behind The Scenes Look at the Animated Documentary Genre

210 Pages·2012·21.115 MB·English

by  Judith Kriger (Auth.)

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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