(5) Artist Statement

Animation is a relatively new tool making waves in the modern world. It offers a unique combination of narrative and artistic design that can go a number of different ways. As an animator, I am able to create imaginative worlds where the characters and story exist outside the limitations of a real life. It is this freedom that drew me to animation and has allowed me to become a part of the artistic community.

Creating animation is a process that is in constant motion. With the changes in technology and development of new techniques, there are many possibilities for many exciting concepts to be brought to life. Being in such a unique field has encouraged me to try diverse methods of storytelling and style in my animated films.

Each piece I create offers a snapshot of who I was at the time the film was made. It is this aspect of animation that I find to be the most compelling. At the start of each project I take a new approach my narrative and a style to match. My animations involve few characters and the focus is usually laid on a specific event through which the story unfolds. The characters in each piece are created to mirror the mood of each piece, whether comedic or unsettling, they are an extension of the atmosphere I am creating. The narrative varies from film to film but I avoid any type of linear progression to keep the audience from becoming disinterested.

It is vital for my work to be completely separate from anything I have done previous. I work completely in digital at times and other times I choose to do everything drawn on paper. This keeps me invested in what I am creating and raises my awareness of how style can affect narrative. Pounding the audience over the head with a message or meaning is something I stray away from. I do not over think my material when starting a new project and instead allow the process of creating the animation to fill up the screen. The meaning of a piece comes from what is in between the lines rather than setting out with a goal to make a film about one specific idea and driving that idea home.

Trying to encompass all my animation and label it as something specific is not possible. I would rather each piece exist independently to act as a marker for that specific time in my life. They can be viewed by others and enjoyed for their difference and variety. To me they tow the line from where I started to where I am heading and remind me to constantly look for new methods of animation.

Fanciful Character Ideas for Thesis

(3) Humor in Drawing

Hendrick Avercamp
Dutch, about 1615 - 1620
Pencil, pen and ink, and gouache

A Light Touch: Humor in Drawing
Getty Center Exhibitions
Sept 23 - Dec 7

This past weekend I visited the Getty Center and viewed among other things the Humor in Drawing exhibition. I am not one to often visit art galleries, however I had heard this exhibit was worth going to see. When I arrived I was immediately captured by the presentation of the different aspects of humor in drawing. Many of the pieces were placed around according to style and I found myself staring intently at each piece, trying to understand the method behind them.

The first piece I viewed was a piece by Leonardo da Vinci. It featured a man with long, fluffed out hair laughing at some unseen comedy. What first drew me to the piece was the grotesque manner in which he was presented by da Vinci. The man was created on canvas with black ink and exemplified a caricature drawing one might have made while walking the boardwalk. I could not help but find the piece comical with the man's highly excentuated features. His sharp chin and mangle of hair were pulled together in a manical cackle. The piece intrigued me as I continued to view it despite its displeasing appearance.

The pieces in the gallery I found to produce the strongest reactions in me were those of political satire. Many of the pieces hailed from Northern Europe, where artists took to addressing government issues with humor. It was interesting to see the progression of such pieces and compare them to what I know of current political satires. The pieces often were much more tame in their commentary than those of today. The piece I found myself drawn to was of a representation of a frog sitting atop a pile of coins and holding a circular object. It was meant as a slight against the greed for wealth. I found it to be comical in a way where it was ineffective in speaking about greed. I attribute this mostly to the fact that it is from a much different time and many other pieces I viewed had similar presentation. The pieces exeplified a straightforward approach in having seemingly random allegories.

(1) UPA Animation

UPA is the United Productions of America animation studio that first came onto the scene in the 1940s. They developed quite a style for their animations that even today is easily identifiable. The two earliest and most successful series for the young studio were Gerald McBoing-Boing and Mr. Magoo. Rather than employ the very fluid and natural movement that studios like Disney and Warner Bros. employed, UPA sported a more graphic style set against limited animation. For the time it was quite experimental and reminded animators that all sorts of different styles of animation could exist. UPA ushered in a new era of animation that became known as the Golden Age of Animation.

The studio itself was founded following the strike of Disney in 1941. A group of individuals, headed by John Hubley, decided they no longer wanted to do the ultra-realistic style of animation. They wanted a more stylized film by experimenting with character design and perspective. After a few early films the studio was contracted by the US for a series of animations for the government.

Here are two videos of Gerald McBoing-Boing and Mr. Magoo:





The UPA studio scored many hits in their stylistic portrayal of content. The studio even sought to adapt such content as Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell Tale Heart. UPA slowed in steam toward the end of the 1960s with the firing of animator's such as John Hubley. However even today they are considered as one of the top animation studios to have existed.

For me the most interesting part of UPA is the fact that they decided to walk away from Disney just to try new things with their art form. These people took animation to new heights and made people realize that animation did not always have to strictly imitate life. For me I have never considered any limitations when working in this field and I think that is in large part due to the UPA studio. It is so visually appealing with simple altered perspective backgrounds and diverse color schemes.

I would consider some of the work done by UPA as art that could be hung is museums as drawn pieces. More so even than Disney at times because the work is so stylized that it becomes its own artistic entity above the aspect of film. Their use of angles in their shots is so effective that each shot seems to tell its own story. The monochromatic backgrounds and very flat characters move around in worlds that are still completely believable despite the graphic look. It gives me inspiration to try new things in animation and not to limit myself to creating characters and worlds based on rules.

Below are some more stills of their work and a link to a site about them:
http://www.upapix.com/pages/history.htm

First Post of Many

I thought it would be appropriate as a first post to introduce the animation program at USC by providing information on first look. First Look is a screening held on campus at USC each year showcasing the best animation submitted by both graduate and undergraduate majors in the field. All students have the option to enter in an animated film they created as a possible selection. A faculty jury reviews the candidate films and chooses those that display exceptional value and the animators are honored with a screening at Norris Theatre in the Spring. It is a great accomplishment to be chosen to be a part of First Look and only a limited number of films each year make the cut.

It is a great opportunity to gain recognition in the field of animation and network with other students and faculty. The top films from First Look are also chosen to be awarded with an additional screening at the DGA (Directors Guild of America). It is a great honor to share and below is a quick list of links to past films that have been a part of First Look.

Swimming Moon - Nahomi Maki, MFA '08, Production 2

String and Girl - David Bazelon, MFA '07, Thesis

Summer Storm - Valerie LaPointe, MFA '07, Thesis