Puppetry, Puppet Animation and the Digital Age PDF Download

Author: Rolf Giesen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351209299
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
Rolf Giesen’s Puppetry, Puppet Animation and the Digital Age explores the unique world of puppetry animation and its application in the digital age. With the advent of digital animation, many individuals see puppetry and 2D animation as being regulated to a niche market. Giesen’s text argues against this viewpoint, by demonstrating the pure aesthetic value they have, as well as examples of some of the greatest cinematic uses of puppets. Such samples include, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Ladislas Starevich, O’Brien, Harryhausen and Danforth, Trnka and Švankmajer, Aardman and Laika Studios, ParaNorman, and the Boxtrolls. Even live-action blockbusters, such as the Star Wars saga utilize puppetry for costume applications as noted within the text. The use of puppets not only helps create a wonderous world and memorable characters, but is also one of the purest extensions of an artist. Key Features Includes interviews with past and present practitioners of model animation as well as computer animation Reviews of classic and recent entries in both fields Comparison of what is better in stop motion versus computer animation A detailed history of animation and stop motion films

Author: Rolf Giesen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781351209304
Category : ART
Languages : en
Pages : 139

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Book Description
"We are going to leave the Age of Materialism and enter the Age of Virtuality. There is less and less conventional filmmaking. Nothing seems to be impossible in digital imagery. VFX Academy Award winning cinematographer Dennis Muren was among the first to consequently abandon the field of stop motion animation in favor of CGI in Jurassic Park. Nowadays puppets and dimensional animation occupy only a niche. Most people prefer the fluid animation, the texture and the challenges of digital animation. Others still acknowledge not only the craftsmanship but the uniqueness of stop-frame dimensional animation that is way beyond the standardization of CGI"--

Author: Teri J. Silvio
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
ISBN: 0824881168
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
The early twenty-first century has seen an explosion of animation. Cartoon characters are everywhere—in cinema, television, and video games and as brand logos. There are new technological objects that seem to have lives of their own—from Facebook algorithms that suggest products for us to buy to robots that respond to human facial expressions. The ubiquity of animation is not a trivial side-effect of the development of digital technologies and the globalization of media markets. Rather, it points to a paradigm shift. In the last century, performance became a key term in academic and popular discourse: The idea that we construct identities through our gestures and speech proved extremely useful for thinking about many aspects of social life. The present volume proposes an anthropological concept of animation as a contrast and complement to performance: The idea that we construct social others by projecting parts of ourselves out into the world might prove useful for thinking about such topics as climate crisis, corporate branding, and social media. Like performance, animation can serve as a platform for comparisons of different cultures and historical eras. Teri Silvio presents an anthropology of animation through a detailed ethnographic account of how characters, objects, and abstract concepts are invested with lives, personalities, and powers—and how people interact with them—in contemporary Taiwan. The practices analyzed include the worship of wooden statues of Buddhist and Daoist deities and the recent craze for cute vinyl versions of these deities, as well as a wildly popular video fantasy series performed by puppets. She reveals that animation is, like performance, a concept that works differently in different contexts, and that animation practices are deeply informed by local traditions of thinking about the relationships between body and soul, spiritual power and the material world. The case of Taiwan, where Chinese traditions merge with Japanese and American popular culture, uncovers alternatives to seeing animation as either an expression of animism or as “playing God.” Looking at the contemporary world through the lens of animation will help us rethink relationships between global and local, identity and otherness, human and non-human.

Author: Olga Bobrowska
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000824217
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 197

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Book Description
This book examines animated propaganda produced in mainland China from the 1940s to the 1970s. The analyses of four puppet films demonstrate how animation and Maoist doctrine became tightly but dynamically entangled. The book firstly contextualizes the production conditions and ideological contents of The Emperor’s Dream (1947), the first puppet film made at the Northeast Film Studio in Changchun. It then examines the artistic, intellectual, and ideological backbone of the puppet film Wanderings of Sanmao (1958). The book presents the means and methods applied in puppet animation filmmaking that complied with the ideological principles established by the radical supporters of Mao Zedong in the first half of the 1960s, discussing Rooster Crows at Midnight (1964). The final chapter discusses The Little 8th Route Army (1973), created by You Lei in the midst of the Cultural Revolution. This book will be of great interest to those in the fields of animation studies, film studies, political science, Chinese area studies, and Chinese philology.

Author: Laura Buono
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000996875
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Book Description
This unique book examines the career of Michel Ocelot, from his earliest works to his latest research and productions, including an interview regarding his latest film Le Pharaon, le Sauvage et la Princesse (2022). The book highlights the director’s role in the panorama of contemporary animated cinema and his relationship with the tradition, both artistic and cinematographic. The book carefully analyses the ethical and social nature of Ocelot’s work to underscore the duality of the director’s oeuvre, both artistic and social, using an interdisciplinary approach that blends film and aesthetic criticism with gender studies and decolonial thought. Particular attention will be given to the themes of multiculturalism, discrimination, and treatment of women, which are at the centre of many current cultural debates. The book will be of interest to an audience of experts, animation enthusiasts, and film scholars, as well as to a wider readership interested in learning about the poetics of Kirikou’s father.

Author: Liisa Vähäkylä
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000844870
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 192

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Book Description
This book examines the state of the animation industry within the Nordic countries. It looks at the success of popular brands such as Moomins and The Angry Birds, studios such as Anima Vitae and Qvisten, and individuals from the Nordics who have made their mark on the global animation industry. This book begins with some historical findings, before moving to recount stories of some of the most well-known Nordic animation brands. A section on Nordic animation studios examines the international success of these companies and its impact on the global animation industry. This book is forward-thinking in scope and places these stories within the context of what the future holds for the Nordic animation industry. This book will be of great interest to those in the fields of animation and film studies, as well as those with a general interest in Nordic animation.

Author: Chris Robinson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1003837956
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
One of the most acclaimed writers in animation returns with this informal sequel to his previous books on indie animation, Unsung Heroes of Animation, Animators Unearthed, and Mad Eyed Misfits. In this collection, award-winning writer, Chris Robinson, looks at a wide range of films, topics (sex, censorship, cultural politics, programming, felt, gifs, VR, dogs) and filmmakers (Masaaki Yuasa, Xi Chen, Gil Alkabetz, Jacques Drouin, Bordo, Rosto, Joaquín Cociña, Cristóbal León, George Schwizgebel, Lizzy Hobbs, Andreas Hykade, Leah Shore, and many others). Eclectic, brief, fiery, and opinionated, Robinson’s gonzo-tinged writing will amuse, confuse, annoy, and maybe even inspire while, hopefully introducing readers to the wonders of independently-produced animation.

Author: Chris Robinson
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1000919943
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Collage art and film date back to the early 20th century (the earliest collages have roots in 12th-century Japan). It was rooted in the age of consumerism where artists addressed an array of political and social issues by creating a carefully crafted collision of pre-existing images and sounds to generate new meanings and commentaries on the surrounding world. Collage has also pushed the boundaries of animation, by incorporating other artistic forms (e.g., photography, live action, experimental cinema, literature, found sound) while exploring an array of social, cultural and political issues. In Earmarked for Collision, award-winning writer Chris Robinson (The Animation Pimp, Mad Eyed Misfits, Unsung Heroes of Animation) takes us on a tour of the history of collage animation, cataloguing the collage works of notable artists like Larry Jordan, Harry Smith, Stan Vanderbeek, Terry Gilliam, Janie Geiser, Martha Colburn, Lewis Klahr, Run Wrake, Lei Lei, Kelly Sears, Jodie Mack, and many, many others.

Author: Pamela Taylor Turner
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135120937X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
This book examines the life and animated art of the late Adam K. Beckett. Beckett is known for his six award-winning animations, made between the years 1972-1975, that were ground-breaking at the time and that continue to influence artists today. He is also recognized for his contributions to the first Star Wars movie, as he was head of the animation and rotoscoping area. Beckett was a shooting star during a critical time of change; an innovative genius as well as a unique and compelling character. His life and work illuminates significant social and cultural changes of that time: the emerging independent animation movement of the 1970s in the United States; the rebirth of the visual effects industry; the intersection of animation with newly developed video imaging and computer graphics; and the intense Cultural Revolution that occurred in the 1960s. Beckett’s work in animation and effects was pioneering. His premature death cemented his mythic reputation as a larger than life artist and personality. Key Features: A comprehensive biography of Adam Beckett, based on original research Photographs of and drawings by Beckett that are not yet published or available Critical look at his six primary films that include insight into his techniques and process Insight into the re-emerging visual effects field, through Beckett's work at Robert Abel and Associations and Industrial Light and Magic The emergence of a "golden age" of independent animation in the United States

Author: Cinzia Bottini
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351209574
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 427

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Book Description
The animation studio United Productions of America (UPA) was able to challenge Disney supremacy in the 1950s entertainment market by creating cutting-edge animated cartoons. UPA films express a simplified audiovisual language consisting of stylized layout designs, asymmetrical compositions, colors applied flatly and in contrast with each other, limited animation and a minimalist use of sound effects. UPA artists developed this innovative style by assimilating those aesthetic features already expressed by Modern painters, graphic designers and advertisers. This book considers UPA films as Modern animations, because they synthesize a common minimalist tendency that was occurring in US animation during the 1940s and 1950s. It examines the conditions under which UPA studio flourished and the figure of its executive producer Stephen Bosustow; the influence of Modernist stylistic features of painting, graphic design and poster advertising on UPA animations; and UPA animated cartoons as case studies of a simplified audiovisual language that influenced 1950s-1960s international productions. Key Features Looks at UPA's origins during the 1940s and postwar American stage, and how this influences later Modern movements and styles Learn about the production methods of UPA and its lasting graphic contribution to animation history Discover how UPA audiovisual styles were born from the assimilation of Modern paintings, graphic art, and poster advertising Explores how UPA influenced animation in other parts of the world, including Romania, Russia, and Japan Highlights the impact UPA had on styles with famous international legends like Dušan Vukotić, Fyodor Khitruk, and Osamu Tezuka