FS 321 A1: Animation

L. Czach

This course will introduce students to global developments in film animation. The course is structured as a historical survey that will explore animation both as popular entertainment and as an art form. The course will move chronologically from the classic pioneering animation of Winsor McCay and Emile Cohl through to animation masters such as Lotte Reininger, Norman McLaren, Len Lye, and Mary Ellen Bute before moving onto an analysis of animation produced under the studio system (Walt Disney, Warner Bros., UPA) while paying attention to the unique contributions of particular animators such as Chuck Jones and Tex Avery. We will also examine the contemporary approaches of the Brothers Quay, Jan Svankmajer, Nick Park, Sylvain Chomet, Stacey Steers, Janie Geiser, and Amanda Strong, amongst others. Various forms of animated film will be explored such as cartoons, narrative films, abstract and experimental animation, Japanese anime, as well as documentary animation. You will be introduced to different animation production techniques such as pin screen, pixilation, cell, clay, collage, puppet, rotoscoping, scratch, painted, and computer animation.