Journal Entry – Week 4 (short paper outline)

Week 4 journal
I have decided to write about Pinocchio for my short paper project. I am drawn to this film for multiple reasons. I remember it from my childhood, and I was strongly affected by it back then. I was always very fond of Geppetto, who I consider to be an ideal father figure. He is gentle, kind, makes beautiful toys, and his greatest wish is to have a child of his own and be a loving parent. I also love Pinocchio himself, and I have sympathy for Jiminy Cricket, who is the unheard voice of reason with little to no real power over the events of the film. There are multiple other reasons why I enjoy it, such as the themes, art, and impact, which I will explore in my essay.

Outline of essay:
Describe the film, its plot, and characters
Talk about the films significance in the animation world
Talk about how the film affects me and my opinions on it

The Film that I have chosen to write about for this assignment is “Pinocchio”. I want to write about this film because I never grew up watching Disney films and such a monumentally successful film would be interesting to study. The paper will be written following this order of points.

Contextualize

I. Context/ background history about Disney and the creators of the film.

Describe

II. General overview of the story + how and why it differed from the book it was based on.

Analyze

III. The technical aspects of the film like artistic direction, use of audio, and changes in technology.

Quote

IV. Metrics/ box office performance and audience reception.

Conclude

V. How this film fits into the timeline of animation and advances the productions that come after it.

I will focus on the film “The Old Mill” (1937), one of the Silly Symphony shorts. I chose this film mostly because it is reminiscent of movies I watched in childhood. Particularly, movies from Disney. The animation style is not only nostalgic, but it perfectly captures the emotional aspect of the story.

Elements-

• The animation techniques
• The influence the film had on the industry, particularly Disney
• How this film was presented to the public/ the films success
• The inspiration for the film

.The full-length feature film I will focus on is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) by brother grim.I was drawn to this
movie because of the color and the feather of the film.

.The elements has now Snow white the character, the Evil Queen, the Mirror, the Huntsman, the Seven Dwarfs, the Apple, Snow White’s Revival, and her Happily Ever after.

.summary

.The art style and the animation moment

.The story explores themes of innocence, beauty, bravery, jealousy, vanity, and friendship

.Summary

.Music and soundtrack

1. The full-length feature film I will focus on is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
2. I am drawn to this film because it is the first feature-length film that Disney produced. I was also intrigued by the use of different animation techniques.
3. Elements to write about:

• Summary of the film itself
• The different animation techniques used
• The risk it had on the brand + reception
• The film’s impact on the industry
• My thoughts on the film and its production process

I will be choosing The Cameraman’s Revenge by Wladyslaw Starewicz. I was interested at the very unique approach to creating the puppets needed for the film, as well has how that could tie in to whatever theme there could be.

I will be focusing on: The story, the theming, the production and inspiration, and potential impact it might’ve had on stop motion film-making.

I chose Lotte Reiniger’s 1926 film “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” for my short paper due to was a groundbreaking achievement as the first full-length animated feature, created by a woman in a male-dominated field. Her use of the silhouette animation technique, traditionally seen as feminine, challenged cultural perceptions of women’s roles in both animation and the broader art world and the aesthetic of the film was beautiful. 

The film on which I will be writing my short paper is Fantasmagorie by Emile Cohl. I’m drawn to this film because it was the world’s first fully animated cartoon and is an example of traditional hand drawn animation. The elements I will be researching about are Emile Cohl’s inspiration from animation pioneers before him, production of the film and its effects on the history of animation.

I will be writing about “The Idea”(1932) by Berthold Bartosch

• The most attracting part of this movie to me is how incredibly immersing it is due to the synergy between the visuals, the lighting, and the music that’s placed in it.
• The elements I’ll be researching about for this this film will include:
• The history of Berthold Bartosch and where he grew up in order to see what inspired this story and animation style
• how he used soap, ink, and water to animate this film
• the inspiration behind picking this specific story(since the idea was written in 1920) to animate
• Researching the political situation in Bohemia that made the idea of progressive and art so scary to the illiberal bohemians and Parisians alike.

My short paper will be focused on the film “Gertie the dinosaur “ from 1914 by Winsor McCay . I am particularly drawn to this film due to the movement of the dinosaur aswell as the anatomy of the subject I believe animals are the hardest things to animate so being able to successfully portray this in 1914 makes it worth a study In this outline paper I’ll be focusing on :

Budget for film
Intended Audience
Team involvement
Strategies and references used

This short paper will be focused on the film ” Fantasmagorie “of 1908 by Emile Cohl . I am particularly drawn to this film due to the fact that it is considered to be the first completely animated film . Fantsmagorie includes over 700 drawings and transformations . In this outline paper I’ll be focusing on :

• Budget for film
• Intended Audience
• Time taken to complete film
• Cohls inspiration for creating the film

1- The film i have chosen to write about is three little pigs

2- The reason i am drawn to this film is because i am most familiar with it and its cool to see a story i’ve read be animated for the first time. I also like the message the film tells you/

3-Elements

I am going to summarize the story

Im going to talk about how i feel about the message the story is conveying

impact it had on future films and it had at the moment

1. The full feature film I will be focusing on for my short paper is Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940).
2. I am drawn to this film because of its musical integration. This was Walt Disney’s bold experiment in trying to popularize classical music by accompanying it with animation. It became a unique sensory experience, blending visual art and music in a way that had not been done before. As a music lover, there is a lot to appreciate in this film.
3. Elements:
   • Summary & Key Segments (e.g., Night on Bald Mountain/ Ave Maria)
   • Structure & Format (e.g., Anthology)
   • Musical Selection (e.g., Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring)
   • Historical Context (e.g., ww2 impact on production & themes)
   • Reception & Impact (e.g., Initial box office performance and critical reception)
   • Artistic Techniques (e.g., Synthesia)
   • Technological Innovations (e.g., Fantasound)
   • Legacy & Remakes (e.g., Fantasia 2000)
   • Personal Reflection (e.g., What do I think of this film?)

The short I chose to write my short paper about is “Three Little Pigs” from the Walt Disney “Silly Symphony” series.

I’m drawn to this film because it’s based on a story we all heard as children. Seeing it visualized as a short film allows the characters we grew up hearing about come to life. What surprised me was the casual use of Jewish stereotypes, as it was a product of its time. With everything put together, there is a lot I can talk about regarding “Three Little Pigs”.

Elements to write about:
-Describing the story in detail, how the film was made, the animation technique, the soundtrack

-How successful it was, any clear influences, the original story

-If it holds up today, how it’s offensive, the original vs. revised versions, etc.