BSA 106

BSA 106

Animation film history pre 1900


400 BC-Running walk cycles depicted on greek vases
1824- theory of images being played quickly can fool the mind into thinking there is movement. due to single images registering in the retina after the image disappeared
1825- Thuaumatrope invented demonstrating that a two sided piece of card with a bird on one side and a cage on the other when spun quickly takes the appearance of one image.
1831-Phenakistiscope wheel with a sequence of images on it that when spun shows movement
1860- Zoetrope meaning the wheel of life. a cylidical wheel that when you spin it and look in slits in the sides you see movement painted on the inside walls.




1- Film & Animation History
1905-1915

James Stuart Blackton (UK/USA) 1900
English born Journalist turned director and animator
made one of the first animations on film.

Emile Cohl (france)

Member of an art movement called the Incoherents who believed in the power of the ridiculous and ludicrous. Cohl took this attitude to distort characters in a way that would influence the way the likes of Disney, Pixar and Warner Bros would created animations.

he created Fantasmagorie (1908) Considered to be the worlds first fully animated film

Ladislaw Starewicz (Russia)
An insect Embalmer that attached the legs of the insects back on with wax allowing them to be moved for stop motion animation. The beautiful Leukanida (1910) was a success with rumors spreading that the insects where trained to do the tricks by a russian scientist.

Martin Thornton (UK)
Created "In Golliwog Land" (1912).
which was combination of live action and stop motion. credited as first colour animated film and was made with Kinemacolor process.
Kinemacolor was the first widely used colour film making process. it was complex and was short lived due to how expensive it was.

Winsor McCay (USA)

First Classical animator who used perspective, precise lines and intricate designs.
Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) McCay interacts with his creation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmVra1mW7LU



1-Ten Favourite Films

1- iron giant (2000) Brad Bird
2- The Lion King (2003) Disney
3- Edward Scissor hands (1990) Tim Burton
4- Jumangi (1995) Joe Johnston
5-Labyrith (1986) Jim Henson
6-Toy Story (2010) Lee Unkrich
7-Titanic (1997) James Cameron
8-Fight Club (1999) David Fincher
9-Pokemon 2000 (2000) Kunihiko Yuyama, Micheal Haihney
10- Independence day (1996) Roland Emmerich







1 -George Melies 
A Magician that invented camera tricks to captivate audiences

-what techniques did he create?
stop frame, fade in, fade out, dissolves, reverse motion and cutting in the camera

-How did the new techniques influence future films in general?
all of the techniques he pioneered are still very relevant techniques used in Hollywood big budget films today. there have been many films that soley consist of stop motion such as Wallace and Gromit and the Fantastic Mr Fox


-From your Top Ten list of films, describe how George Melies may have been an influence

Labyrinth is full of similar camera tricks to what George Milies established. such as the scene with the Fire Gang where they take off their heads and throw them around which could have been influenced by the Man with the rubber head.








3-DW Griffith

Considering the controversy over Birth of a Nation, research the following questions –

´What is the name of the book that the film based on?

The Clansman by T.F. Dixion Jr

´Who does the film portray as the hero’s?

KKK

´Who used the film as a recruiting tool?

kkk

´How are the African American men portrayed?

unintelligent and sexually aggressive  

´Oscar Micheaux made a film called Within our Gates (1919) as a response to Birth of a Nation – Why?

to show a different angle to the race war.

´What was the name of Griffiths follow up film?

Intolerance 

4-the golden age of American animation

Steam boat willie (1928)

The skeleton dance (1929)

Following the success of steamboat willie

Three little pigs (1933)

won an oscar

The wise old Hen (1934)

part of the silly symphonies

The old Mill (1936)

test in realism by walt disney

FEATURE FILMS

snow white

Rotoscope

fleischer films 

betty boop (1930)

Popeye made his first appearance in betty boop

Gullivers Travels

fleischer studios first feature film

superman (1941)

Warner bros

Daffy duck

BUgs bunny (1938)

walter Lantz

ran his own studio from 192

MgM

Hanna Barbera

Tom and jerry

terry toons

mighty mouse

Choose an animator from the golden age of animation

woody wood pecker was created by Alex Lovy and Walter Lantz as part of universal pictures

•Choose a New Zealand Animator / Film Director

Peter Jackson 

•Provide overview of their body of work

Lord of the rings trilogy
 The Hobbit 
District 9
King Kong
The Lovely Bones

•How well was their work received in NZ?

he is renowned  as one of the best Directors in
New Zealand. as well as establishing the New 
Zealand Weta studios as one of the best special
effects companies in the world He also spawned 
cult classic films with huge followings through
Lord of the rings and the hobbit.


 

•How well was their work received overseas?

He is a world class director with a knighthood for 
his works. with an impact to overseas viewers 
comparable to the Harry Potter Films  

•Nominated for any awards?







ACADEMY AWARDS

Best Director The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)


Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)


GOLDEN GLOBES 

 Best Director - Motion Picture The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

BAFTA 

 Best Screenplay - Adapted The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

and many more 

4-German Expressionism

the time period of german expressionism is A German style of screenplay art that was prominent in the golden years of germanys film making industry (roughly 1910 to early 1930s).

German Expressionist film differed to conventional Western film conventions though bold stylistic choices that suited themselves well to the horror genre. Shadows were used to as a tone setting element that vignetted many of the scenes and created airy lighting as well as a story telling element where cast shadows would be visible on the set usually of a character yet to be revealed. Much of the lighting was faked through painting the sets and the actors faces to create a fantastical feel. Shape language was a focus with German Expressionist films with shapes that evoke pain, fear and confusion these are sometimes literal objects in the scene or an assortment of triangular shapes painted directly to the background these shapes are also echoed throughout the costume and makeup.

Limitations of technology in the early 1900s meant that films were shot on monochromatic film reels or straight black and white. this is still found in modern interpretations of German Expressionism today.

5-Italian Neo Realism
1930s

used non professional actors.. .actors who live at that location to produce a more believable setting.
focus on ordinary people.

preference for natural light

Luchino Visconti
Ossessione 1943

created when the state controlled the media but showed the regime in a more negative light

Roberto Rossellini
known for his war trilogy

Rome open city
oaisan
Germany year zero

didn't need to make sets because Germany had already been destroyed after ww2


Vittorio De Sica
directed the bicycle thief

6-Conventions used in Neo realism films

Had a tenancy to portray the stories of the average citizens furthering this they shot in a location with unknown actors from that location. this helped the story telling of the film type by relating the characters to the story rather than relating them to actors as well as increasing authentication of the type of people that live in those types of areas. lighting of the scenes was based around natural light.

7-Bicycle thief

- agree with "one of the greatest films of all time?"

i think it is a influential film to the film industry and a stepping stone. but placed against todays developments in fast paced storytelling it stumbles from place to place with no real leads and too many happen stances that happen to further the plot seemingly from nowhere.

-what does the bike represent?
opportunities to make a better life or any life at all for his family. the disappearance of the bike holds weight because of this importance it has to his future and his families.

-is the non professional actors evident? Good or bad?

I think the practice of using non recognizable talents is a good practice in film arts as it furthers the believability of the on screen character without being seen as a super star playing the role of a character.

boy opinion of the father

the boys opinion of the father doesn't really change throughout the film.

Character arc of the father

write a review on your blog


Surrealist Film

Time period
 1920's

how does it differ
It focuses on dreamlike subject matter and cuts that don't necessarily follow any story. it  has a bigger focus on emotion and symbolism rather than thought and dialogue.

contemporary film director

Jim Henson

the  Labyrinth

Has a Scene where The Girl has to catch toby as he crawls around a room full of stairs that twist and turn upside down. It is a disorientating scene that shows the mental state the Girl is going through and how confused, hopeless and unfair the situation is.

Chose and Animation company from the golden age of American animation and write about


Walt Disney

What Characters they created
Micky Mouse


what studio did they work for

Disney

what changes to the character were made over time

from the start, Micky mouse had a strong iconic silhouette that has stuck throughout time. the main variations on his renderings were present in his proportions of his feet and body as well as his eye shapes. I the first image you can see that the arcs where his eyes sit under were originally the whites of his eyes. but as time progressed his eyes got smaller but the distinctive line between the top of his head and his face remains.