During summer holidays, I took several online courses, masterclasses and workshops to keep myself busy. One of them was a Storyboard one-day workshop from Aardman Studio.
Because the whole unprecedented situation in the country Aardamn moved all their courses online with all kind of classes available form time to time, from stop-motion to model and puppet making.
Since over the pre-production stage on our team project for LIAF, I worked a lot with storyboards; therefore, I decided to take this additional class to get more about this discipline. I wanted to know more about how it works in the real studio and how different it is from my own experience so far and to learn something new about storyboarding.
The course was taught by Sam Horton. He is an artist who behind such projects as Morph from Aardman, Go Jetters Blue Zoo, Denis and Gnasher Unleashed Jellyfish Pictures, and many more.
In view of the course only one day long, the schedule was very intensive.
Over the first part of the day, Sam introduced himself, he gave us overall about his experience, about projects he worked. Then we got a chance to introduce ourselves- all participants were from different backgrounds, with various drawing skills and with little or no experience in storyboarding at all. After that was a bit thrilling moment- evaluation of pre-course homework 🙂 (I will get back to it later).
Shortly after that, Sam Horton gave us behind the scenes in storyboarding from script to pitch to finished work. He provided a lot of tip and tricks like acting and exaggeration are the best friend of the artist, and perspective lines help enormously for staging and camera placement. More than that, you should always ask for references. And one, that I found really important, test your board on your friends or co-workers. It will help you to make changes before actual viewing with directors and get a better critique of your work.
Right after lunch, we were divided into teams of four and worked on a given script to produce a storyboard. The script was for one of the Morph episodes, and each team had 30 minutes only for work.
I would say it was challenging. Firstly, if you are not familiar with this cartoon, you might not know who are the characters and how they look like. For instance, we had Chas and The Very Small Creatures. So, we googled to find about them. Secondly, for no-English speakers, some specific names of objects were new. Like particular brands of cookies and specific kind of fireworks were mentioned in our script.
When we got back into one zoom-room, each team presented their work and Sam gave some constructive critique and comments. That was the most comical part of the day because we used funny noises while pitching our storyboards. Also, we watched the original episodes for every script to see how close we were with our boards. That was great.
We finished the workshop with a Q&A session and contacts exchanging.
Well, in general, I would say that as a one-day class, it was great and we got a lot of comprehensive information about storyboarding as a profession, about necessary skills and how-does-it-work. I also realised how much I still need to learn and improve my skills enough to work as a storyboarder artist.
This is an excerpt from my recent essay about animated documentary medium and whether is it a powerful tool or not to raise awareness about civil issues around the world.
The mix of documentary films and an animation technique is like a peculiar union. This form of filmmaking can be attractive for the audience in its consequential way.
In my opinion, documentary animation can be a powerful tool to make substantial changes in public minds and raise awareness about civil disturbances. It can generate empathy by irradiating new perspectives and activating powerful emotions in audiences.
Moreover, this filmmaking sector is growing amazingly quickly, and the public is now witnessing a hum around it. More significant numbers of documentary animations produced in the last decades and more film festivals have added a distinguish documentary section in their comprehensive programmes.
However, there exists a definition gap; then some part
of the public identifies what animation is and what is a
documentary as a separate media. Moreover, it could be a hindrance for them to
understand the message, and they would not choose that kind of film for their
viewing.
That means that the numbers of people who will see a film will be significantly lower. Furthermore, the social effect will be postponed and does not immediately makes changes.
The film The Girl in the Hallway (2019) by Valerie Barnhart will be analysed to find the answer about the efficacy of animated documentary as a potential medium to present real-world stories and as a communication tool with the public.
The Girl in the Hallwaypremiered on Vimeo in 1999 as a Staff Pick Award, and later at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and following a festival run at ShortFest, Fantasia and Annecy.
The film is a result of a collaboration between the artist Valerie Barnhart and the writer, storyteller Jamie DeWolf.
Valerie Barnhart is an independent visual artist, director and animator based out of Canada. She studied at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design where she earned her BFA and Visual Arts Major.
Jamie DeWolf has a background as a performing artist and educator. He also worked as a director on commercials, music videos and documentaries. He is known for his vibrant exploration of a wide range of genres, and his social activities bring into public focus problems of underprivileged communities. DeWolf’s short stories fulfilled with arousing boundary-pushing subject matter.
Jamie DeWolf calls this story The tale of Little Red Riding-Not all girls make it out of the forest. The core of the narrative is his personal experience that he shared during stage performance for the radio podcast SnapJudgment.org. It based on an actual event that took place in California, in December 1999 when seven years old Xiana La-Shay Fairchild disappeared and did not come back home from school.
Valerie Barnhart discovered DeWolf’s performance on YouTube channel and was moved by it. So, she contacted with writer and got his permission to start working on a film.
For Valerie Barnhart, it is a first film and the first time of using the animation as a medium. She literally taught herself how to animate during three years of production. She spends much time in examining materials for the film by analysing crimes scenes, reading articles about murdered and missing people cases, additionally working on creating reference videos of acting, visual researching, studying other artists and filmmakers.
Figure 2
The Girl in the Hallway made by using 2D stop motion technique. Artist animated
it straight ahead chronologically in one take by painting every single frame
with charcoals, pastels, and graphite on paper and accompanied them with
collages of newspapers and some plasticine. Barnhart played with the style and
technique by experimenting throughout the production. (Figure 2)(Figure 3)
Figure 3
Interesting to point, that if in the animated documentary is used original voiceover of a person who is the main character behind the story, it gives an extra authenticity to it. Hence, it can carry the genuine emotions of a speaker. It works as the most beneficial sound effect that could not be recreated by acting.
Valerie Barnhart put to use the advantage of it and
applied the original recording of Jamie DeWolf’s first performance with this
story on the stage in San Francisco. As a result, the authentic record provides
additional sensitive capacities to the narrative and made it extra relatable
and easily understandable on an emotional level. The origin of soundtrack
guarantees that the audience can truly feel the tautness of the voice of Jamie
DeWolf and show out his inner sensitivities of this painful event. The sound
perfectly draws out the atmosphere of the story, the feelings of the main
character and every word he delivers.
Moreover, the animation technique is also quite exceptional in how it conveys the mood of the story- it uses fictions as an interpretation tool. Thus, the animation improves beyond presentations and offers participants of the film privacy that they need to express themselves more freely.
This form gives the experience to move away from reality by using artificial devices in the filmmaking process. Animation helps to create a sense of distance and anonymity, the audience no longer looking on a specific individual. Nevertheless, it still allows identifying that person. Additionally, this anonymity allows spectators to feel more intensely.
Besides it, if the whole visual sequence of the documentary film supplemented with animated segments, it gives more vitality to documentary, and it allows viewers to delve deep into the emotional part of the narrative. Also, it filters out appalling details that people find hard to digest and lets to explore their emotions and engage with the story.
As a result, the audience will respond differently to the animated documentary than they will do it to a traditional, live-action form.
Obviously, Valerie Barnhart’s animation style utterly matches the grim condition of the events. With frightful visuals, rendered by using traditional tools, mostly charcoal and graphite, it carries the horrific burden of DeWolf’s regret. However, it still helps the audience to pass through the frightening narrative and conveys the central message of the story.
It is important to note that in the film The Girl in the Hallway, there are two heart-breaking stories.
First is the disappearance and murder of Xiana Fairchild. With the major message that moves the audience- silence and inaction are the cause of a passive form of violence. Silence is complicity. DeWolf and Barnhart speak out laud that we are discriminating against those around us. What even if society recognises this situation, by remaining in silence is the same as continuing it.
In addition, underneath the central promise lies Valerie’s discovery about the existence of cultural genocide of indigenous women and girls.
Since in our modern and humanitarian society,
the settler colonialism still exists. Moreover, external laws,
regulations and civil forces cannot protect these settlements and monitor crime
situation on the inside them. Consequently, these women and two-spirited became
easy targets and victims for kidnapping, abuse and murder.
This is where Barnhart came across DeWolf’s phrase about Red Riding Hood and decided to use this definition straightforward and drew a line between fairytale story character and Xiana Fairchild by dressing her in a red dress (Figure 4). The choice of colour represents women and girls from indigenous communities as easy and defenceless targets for hunting wolves.
Figure 4
Besides, it is challenging for filmmakers to staying an objective while working on a project. Then thorough the process, the characters involved in the story and become more familiar; hence, as a natural reaction of the artist to start to draw conclusions and consequently change an opinion to more subjective.
This is what Valerie Barnhart said about her experience in the interview for Medium.com, in January 2019: “It was hard finding a balance where I can fully give justice to Xiana, stay true to Jamie, reflect on genocide, and reflect on my own personal experiences that connect me to both of my subjects. It required a lot of energy, thought, and sensitivity as I in no way, want to exploit a tragedy or emotionally manipulate my audience”.
It is clearly seen that the film The Girl in the
Hallway is a strong example of documentary animation which displays as an
effective and affective medium for portraying social issues.
Taking everything into consideration, it is satisfying to say that documentary animation likely will continue to grow and mature well as social impact tool in the future. As this approach grows, as well as crafts of animation and documentary filmmaking themselves, there are some critical notes to keep in mind when thinking about this practice.
It should be said, that if viewers define documentary
and animation genres in a strict context base, as separate kinds, it is hard
for them to swallow it, seemingly and it is less truthful for them. Thus, for
this part of the audience, it could be hard to accept these messages that
animated documentary films try to convey. For a large part of the audience,
this particular format of the film could be a barrier to accept this genre
since they believe that animation means Disney’s Mickey Mouse. So, for them, it
is challenging to accept serious themes presented by animation techniques.
Even though there is no formula to predict or calculate when the understanding and recognition of this part of society is going to change in their minds, clearly, it is possible by applying additional steps and strategy to speed up that process.
For instance, the solution could be solidarity work between animation documentary directors and artists and a skillfully carried out social media tactics. It already started happening around but a bit erratically and uncertainly. These films need more attention to them, more visibility in the media. And social media campaigns can attract more visibility and draw extra attention to the public.
In the filmmaking industry, the story, cultural aspects and human factors move in balanced ways. This is where directors, hauled up with distinctive media strategies, can use films to boost public consciousness to think, act and renew the world.
Reading and references:
Annabelle Honess Roe
Absence, Excess and Epistemological Expansion: Towards a framework for the study of animated documentary, 2011
‘Bloomers’ is a short animated film that shows us the history of a Manchester-based family-run lingerie factory.
Initially made for the innovative Pan Europian feature film project ‘Happiness Machine’ that is a collaboration of ten women animators, ten different composers and Klangforum Wien. The project central theme touch on our current economic system and social aspects.
This lovely, lyrical, and a bit poetic documentary is directed by Samantha Moore. Because the work primarily made not only for screening in cinemas but also for public concerts, sounds and music are a quite crucial role of the film. The dialogues of workers, noises of factory’s machinery are mixed with music by composer Malin Bång.
But the style of animation got my full attention during the screening. As I understand the film itself is made from observational drawings, sketches of the manufacture’s interiors, exteriors and people’s portraits. However, the story shows through the fabric texture that makes the sequence very flexible and moveable. And I became curious about it- is it a result of a digital composing or maybe drawings were made straight on fabrics?
After my research, I’ve found this making-off video, where Samantha unfold the creating process of the movie.
So the magic is pure- actual finished footage was printed on the fabric, and then the fabric was reshoot.
As a result, the whole film has that interesting tactile textured feeling.
During my research around styles for my graduation film, I’ve discovered works of Jeff Scher. He is an American painter and experimental film-maker from the US. In his work, he uses traditional tools like watercolours, markers, crayons paired with collages. So it’s basically drawings sequences animated with stop-motion technique. For instance, his animation “White Out” contained 2500 drawings.
Additionally, I’ve found a short interview for BBC and New York Times blog where Scher explains his work approach, processes and influences from emotions and experiences from life around him.
Most of his movies appeal to me because they are emotionally close, colourful and depicted memories, precisely what I’m looking for my film.
Furthermore, his films remind me about animation that I saw during the Cardiff Animation Festival in 2018. It’s called “That Yorkshire Sound” (2017) by Marcus Armitage. He is from the UK and graduated from the Royal College of Arts in 2014.
I think their works quite similar in style vice. And also, observation of everyday life’s events determine their animations.
I want to make an additional note to my previous post, more specifically, to my conclusion. I’ve mentioned that it would be great to see more mindful and peaceful works. And I want to show you an example.
The animation shows a man’s lifetime journey using beautiful backgrounds and an emotional poem by UK writer Rachel Cladingbowl.
On her web page, you’ll find a lot of development process, from an initial idea, screenshots, colour scripts and additional links to interviews and making of.
As I know, Izzy left Blue Zoo to start freelance work and now lives in Brighton, and work on children book illustrations.
Lately this month, I researched personality from the Latvian animation industry for my course presentation. In the beginning, I struggled with the choices, since I wanted to work on someone whose work I love and appreciate. So, I went deep into my heart, and I recalled one. Full of beautiful music and peaceful story. It was the Fairy Tale Set On Doorsteps, 1987. It is a work of Rose Stiebra.
The Fairy Tale Set On Doorstep, 1987
Mrs Stiebra was born in Riga, in March 1942. She is well-known and noticeable Latvian director, animator and screenwriter. She got her degree in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) on Faculty of Puppet Theather in 1964. In 1969 she with her lifetime partner Ansis Berzins made the first Latvian short animation film in cut-out the technique (Rainy Day, 16 min) and later opened first animation department in Latvian National Television. In 1983 she produced a first hand-drawn animation film The Pocket (6min). In 1991 Rose Stiebra opened animation studio Dauka where she with Ansis Berzins created first feature long hand drawn animation Ness and Nessy, 1991. Overall, during her career, Mrs Stiebra works on moreover 60 movies and got several awards from local film festivals as well as The Lifetime Achievement Award at Fredrickstad Animation Festival in 2018, and Order of the Three Stars- the highest civilian order in Latvia.
Now let me step back in time a bit and tell you a about the history of animation in Latvia.
Well, Latvia struggled from occupations most of the time. Whoever it was they always leave behind some marks on peoples lives, language and strongly influenced on country’s creative environment.
We can find some shreds of evidence that society started interested in animation from the 30s when the country was free. At that time were shown Disney’s Alice Wins the Derby (1925) and films from Germany and France.
In Latvia animation begins only like experiments and researches by amateur individuals and small teams. And they screened them only in local communities. At that time, animated films seemed mostly like tricks and magic.
After WWII, Latvia becomes part of the Soviet Union. Hence, before animation production comes insight to the country, all animation that was obtainable was either from Moscow or neighbouring countries from the Union. And Latvia in film industry overall featured mostly as part of Soviet Union. Yet it doesn’t mean that people were provincial. They were interested in the cultural world around them.
But its all starts in the 60s, then the film industry and animation gain more interest, and film enthusiasts gathered together annually to show their work and exchange the knowledge.
Yet, as we can see, to get professional training and education Latvian artists should visit neighbouring republics and Moscow. Some of them even stayed there to work in Sojuzmultfilm (Rasa Strautmane (1930-2009)).
And she did it! Her films are very peculiar. Very Latvian. They are full of artistic essence, featuring great content provided by outstanding Latvian poets and writers, original music by Latvian composers, and collaborations with renowned painters. You won’t find a lot of evil or violence in it.
In the 60s-80s, the children’s animation was dominant in Lativa. As Roze Stiebra said in one of the interviews, that this was a more comfortable way to avoid censoring. However, she loved making cartoons for kids. They used to meet children and ask them about cartoons and researched these results.
As we know, the animation is a teamwork. And during all these years Stiebra worked together with many artists, graphic designers and painters. And she tried to keep the originality of their styles, tried to find ways to show these uniqueness. Further, they even have developed their distinctive designs by which you can recognize cartoons created by a particular artist.
All of her animations are based either on poems or on Latvian fairy tales. Her love for poetry challenged her to find a way to express poetry in animation. Here what she mentioned in one of the interviews:
So, she combined these two forms of art. And they become a vital part of Stiebra’s films. At this point, music not only complements the picture, but it is also an inherent part of it. And this majestic combination goes through all her films and make them genuinely Latvian.
Little Rabbits’ Bath, 1979 Based on Vilis Pludonis poems
I’d like to summarize by saying that I entirely agree that animation is a powerful tool to provoke and aware society about global and social problems, as well as fantastic entertaining implement, and teaching and educating technique. But at the same time, I think that in our stressful, unstable times we still should make the difference- create peaceful and kind works that will show us the beauty of art, poetry and music.
