Journal Entry – Week 4 (short paper outline)

My short paper will focus on Silly Symphonies – The Skeleton Dance.
It is divided into several points:
Who created this animation and when?
What techniques were used in the production?
What other works were referenced in this animation?
What is the main content of this animation?
What do I think and feel about this animation?
Did the animation have any impact?

Selected Film: Bambi

Bambi is a 1942 American animated drama film produced Walt Disney and it was made based on the 1923 book Bambi, a Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten. It is the fifth animated Disney film.

There are two main reasons why I’m drawn into this film the most:
a) It portrays the destruction of wildlife habitat by humankind. That’s why in the story it shows humans as the villain. Wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 68 percent in the last 50 years due to overkill and deforestation. I remember watching this film in my childhood days and felt an empathy for these animals.

b) This film represents the wildlife so expressive and realistic that even with all the modern technologies and cgi graphics no one could recreate such a masterpiece until now.

The elements that I will be focusing on for this short papers are:

1. Description
2. Context
3. Analysis
4. Features about Disney animation techniques
5. Conclusion

For this short paper assignment I decided to talk about “Silly Symphony Series”. The Silly symphony shows its innovation with Technicolor and the multiplane motion picture camera. I chose to talk about 3 films that were produced. I will talk about “Flowers and Trees“,”Three little pigs”, and “The Old Mill”. I chose those 3 because it shows a lot of animation and Walt Disney short films. as a kid growing up I liked Walt Disney and mickey mouse.First, I watched “Flowers and Trees“, I enjoyed the idea of having color and the 2d animation. Also in this film it reminds me of tom ad jerry or early Mickey mouse time. Also the second short film that I decided to talk about is the “Three little pigs” whats drawn out for me is how they put music and words in the animation instead of it being a silent film. I like how there is comedy in these films makes me entertained. The third short film I watched “The Old Mill”. what i liked is how animals were used to make animation film.

videos i will use :

Elements:

1. first paragraph – intro
2. second paragraph – Flowers and tree
3. third paragraph – three little pigs
4. fourth paragraph – the old mill
5. conclusion

The topic for my short paper will be “Steamboat Willie”

I was drawn to this film because it hard to Imagine it a 19 century , and the way how minnie plays with the goats tail for songs was shock at little,it just the ideal and unique sounds in the scenes was fun to watch, and it was very playful.

1. When was it created?
2. Who influence the design of Mickey Mouse?
3. Is there any predesgin for Mickey Mouse?
4. Did the filem went viral at first or later?
5. What was the buged of the film?
6. Any profit made from the film?
7. How long was the process of the film?
8. Any obstacle when making the film?

The film that I will be focused on will be A Night on the Bald Mountain by Alexandre Alexeïeff and Claire Parker in 1933.

1. What is the story
2. What is the history behind it what inspired the film to be created 
3. What year did the story come out 
4. How long did it take to produce the final version 
5. How many people worked on the project 
6. Materials used 
7. Who are the characters of the film 
8. What does it look like put all together 
9. What is the tone of the story

• What is the tone of the story 
• What does the film look/sound like? 
• Length 

My short Paper will be on Steam Boat willie by Walt Disney

1. Introducing why I am doing my paper on this Film.
2. Explaing how I always been drawned to Walt Disney Classic animations and how Steam boat Willie is where the magic began

3. How did steam boat willie came about?

4. How did the Production came about to the story telling.

5 What made Walt Disney Stand out from others.

The name of the short film I will be writing about is “A color box” by Lye Lye 1935. The reason I chose this film is because it caught my attention the moment I saw it. The aesthetic, color, and technique. I love colorful things and patterns so it really stuck out to me, made me feel in a happy mood kind of reminding me of spring and flowers. The fact that Lye Lye hand drew and painted all of the shapes and sculptures during the time period of mostly black and white was really next level in the animation industry. most people back then were used to watching things in black and white but Lye Lye decided to add color and it really changed the whole perspective of the film compared to other black and white ones. The Cubian music also spoke out to me it really went well with the film and together it was just really amazing.

List:

• When did the film come out and time period
• who made the film
• what techniques did the creator used to make this film.
• what was the process to make this film.
• how long is the film
• what is the tone/meaning
• how long did it take to make this film
• why did the creator decide to make this film.

I’ve decided to talk about “Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus” for my Short Paper. Initially, I was just drawn in by the characters, as I do enjoy an animated mouse, but after rewatching the language in it is quite interesting to me. Upon first glance you might just pass it off as old timey but when you look more into the background of the creator, George Herriman, there’s real intent behind how he writes each character. I realize I should probably be talking more about the animation of this piece, and while I will and touch up on some of Herriman’s influences, I think there is a lot to be said just about the language and the people behind the piece. If I could, I would like to maybe talk about why Krazy Kat was unpopular leading to their animations never exactly taking off as well. I’ve found a few different articles that gave me a lot of background on Herriman and the comics, so I almost feel as if I am not getting enough information on just the animations.

This one is about the language in Krazy Kat: https://artduckomagazine.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/a-look-at-language-in-krazy-kat-by-tyler-crissman/

This one just talks about Herriman, his influences, and who was inspired by his work: http://comiczine-fa.com/features/krazy-kat-modernism-and-influence

This one talks about the animations and different studios that worked on certain ones, although the people who made the piece I am talking about is not mentioned: https://www.intanibase.com/gac/reviews/2005/krazy.aspx

• The animated feature film that I will focus on for my short paper will be the production of Walt Disney’s 1940 fantasy/musical; Fantasia.

• As the film that initially drew me into the World of Animation, I can admit that I have developed a strong affinity for the film’s history. Fantasia is one of those films that I find aesthetically pleasing for a variety of reasons. Whether it’s the inventive backgrounds, the visually satisfying practical effects combined with traditional 2d animation, the fluid rotoscope dance sequences perfectly synced to the musical scores, or the use of classic animation principles such as squash and stretch to exaggerate the characters’ movements, this film was truly ahead of its time in terms of animation techniques. This is also a film that I strongly identify with my Grandfather, him being the person who introduced me to this spectacle of a feature. As a result, I will always carry a warm spot for this astonishing motion picture and a deep admiration for this early pioneer of Disney’s animated wonders.

Contextualize:

• Who created and distributed the animated film, Fantasia?
• How many staff and workers were involved with bringing the animated feature to life?
• What were the different types of animation techniques utilized in the film?
• How long did it take for the film to be completed?
• Was the film originally a critical hit in the box office?
• How was the film originally portrayed within the public eye?
• What made this film such a unique and successful animated feature?
• What animation principles and techniques used in this film are still being utilized today?
• Did any details surrounding the film’s production influenced its content?

Analyze:

• What was the message the creators attempted to convey through this film?
• What scene in the film was the most powerful? 
• If you were working as a animator for the film, would you have changed anything visually?
• How does this film influence modern animation today?
• Is there anything culturally significant about the film?
• How is this films animation visually different from its predecessors?
• What artistic and creative techniques does the filmmaker use appeal to audiences view of the film?
• What do you believe the overall goal was for making this film?

Quote from at least one of the assigned readings to support your analysis. You should demonstrate that you are able to interpret and assess information from an external source. 

1.What is the significance of Snow White being the first animated film?
2.Who plays Snow White in the film Snow White?
3.In the novel Snow White, how does Snow White die?

4. What were the components used?
5.Use of music sound
6.Why do people from different ages love Snow White?

1. The film I’ll be doing for my short paper will be on Steamboat Willie.
2. I’m drawn to the short film was because I remember watching Disney movies and seeing the iconic whistle animated scene in the beginning of the movie as the opener. I always enjoyed seeing it so now seeing that it has a full blown short animation to it, I want to do more research on it and study it.
3. List:
4. 1)When did the short film come out?
5. 2)Who made the short film?
6. 3)What year did the short film come out?
7. 4)What animation elements were involved with making Steamboat Willie?
8. 5) What historically was happening in society during that time?
9. 6) What was the animation process like for this film?
10. 7) What did the world of animation look like around the time of which the film came out?
11. 8) What animation techniques or tools were involved in the making of this film?
12. 9)What made “Steamboat Willie” such a special piece of work?

My focus will be on the early development of the Disney studios specifically on Snow White

I’ve been drawn to this film ever since I was a little girl by watching all the Disney princesses movies from “cinderella” to “little mermaid”. To add on, it was the first feature film by the Disney studio in 1937 that was financially and critically successful.

 Describe What is the story of Snow White? the characters? What is the tone of the piece (funny, sad, serious etc.)…

Contextualize:  Who created the film, Snow White? When and where was it produced? How many people worked on it? What animation technique was used to bring it to life? How was it presented to the public? Was it a commercial success?…

Analyze the film. What is its influences outside of animation (painting, comics, live-action film etc.). How did it influence what came after it – technically and/or aesthetically? What is the filmmaker trying to express/convey? How does it hold up today – does the visual style/animation feel old-fashioned or modern? Is it representative of the place and time it was created in (or is it trying to )?

Quote from at least one of the assigned readings to support your analysis.

1. The name of the film I will possibly focus on will be Snow White. 
2. I chose to talk about this film because Snow White was the second Disney princess movie I had watched as a toddler with my mom, the first movie being Mulan. I like the aesthetic of the movie and the nostalgic yet creepy feeling it gives. I also find it funny how it’s a movie that scared me as a kid even though it was a Disney Princess movie. 
3. Some things that I want to talk about in this short paper are the actors that had to play out certain scenes of the movie so animators could animate the characters more precisely. I also wanted to talk about if Snow White had any impact on any future Disney film and the procedure of the movie. I think something that I would mention would be any challenges that the director had encountered or what exactly the director had to do to achieve a successful film.

The film that I would like to focus on is the Disney movie “Bambi”. the reason is that the movie Bambi was very revolutionary in its animation even with how the characters interact with the environment. Not only the animation but the dedication it took to create such an amazing animated project. Here are what I want to research are write about:

• How the film was inspired by the novel “Bambi”
• How the studio was set up with the dear as well as with other animals to make an observation of animal movement for the animation
• What was the artist Tyrus Wong’s role in the movie?
• How many drawings and years did it take to create this movie?
• What animation technique did they use? Why?

                         The Adventures of Prince Achmed

                                                 Outline 

1. What is the story
2. What is the history behind it what inspired the film to be created 
3. What year did the story come out 
4. How long did it take to produce the final version 
5. How many people worked on the project 
6. Materials used 
7. Who are the characters of the film 
8. What does it look like put all together 
9. What is the tone of the story

   10. What is the story (including main characters/plot points)

• What is the tone of the story 
• What does the film look/sound like? 
• Length 

Contextualize

• Influences (based “1001 nights”, visual: shadow puppetry, German scherenchnitte, Reiniger’s training and background with bauhaus)
• First full-feature animated film
• What year did the film come out 
• How long did it take to produce the final version 
• How many people worked on the project 
• Materials/technique used 
• Use of sound/sound accompaniment
• Critical and popular reception

Analyze

• What do you find beautiful/interesting/problematic about the film?
• How is it visually distinct/similar to what came before it?
• What is the filmmaker trying to express/convey? How does it hold up today – does the visual style/animation feel old-fashioned or modern?
• Influence on other filmmakers (i.e: Bartosch, Michel Ocelot)
• Quote from at least one of the assigned readings to support your analysis. You should demonstrate that you are able to interpret and assess information from an external source. 

I would like to focus on the short film “Mest’ Kinematograficheskogo Operatora” (“The Cameraman’s Revenge”). I am currently writing a research paper on using insects as an alternate source of protein to combat climate change. I am interested in why the creator ultimately decided to use insects as characters in his film.

I would like to research more about the creator Wladyslaw Starewicz and how he made films in the USSR during the Russian Revolution especially now with the war in Ukraine.