"The Illusion of Life"

I think the metaphors "illusion" and "life" are the best possible metaphors because they sum up completely what the animators of Disney strove to create. They strove to create realistic situations through animation so that they could convey messages to a wide range of audiences. Creating characters with life life emotions and human like motions and thoughts helped create the illusion of life in a completely different would that was introduced to the real world. Taking something that started out so simple in form and evolving it to become something so influential in the human world has worked well for Disney. A lot of times people do not like to face problems or address issues in the real world but when put into an animation the problems and issues become more appealing because the characters experiencing them aren't real, but the problems are. This shows appeal and allows the audience to establish a relationship with the character creating "The illusion of life."

9 Economical ways that animation builds emotion

The animated short I viewed was Walt Disney's "Education for Death" This film is used to highlight some of the most difficult times in history. This film uses a sensitive subject such as the Holocaust and incorporates the story of a young Boy who grows up and becomes less of an individual by attending Hitler’s school for young boys to breed into a Nazi Solider. In the end, Hans and the rest of the German soldiers march off to war. They fade into indistinguishable rows with nothing on them except a swastika and a helmet perched. This concludes Hans' “education for death." 1. Rear View a. The audience is brought in to imagine what the characters are thinking. i. The narrator of this film tells the audience what is happening 2. Shadows a. Added to associate suspense or drama. i. This is apparent when the couple walks in to get their son's name approved. the room is dim. 3. Shadows over the character a. Used to convey attitude in a character. i. This is used around 2:30 where the prince comes in and saves the day. He is nothing but a silhouette which conveys mystery about the character until his reveal. 4. Overlays a. Shows a 3d effect within the background i.Did not see anything that would apply 5. Dramatic layout a. Overpowering shapes can add dramatic feelings. i. The unnaturally skinny size of Hitler and the prince and the overbearing size of Germany as the princess at 3:18 6. Pictorial shot a. A background with a strong mood can save difficult animation. i. I would say one example of the pictorial shot was when the photos of Hitler is hanging on the wall at 5:21 with the children standing beneath it addressing him. 7. Effects animation a. Effects can establish a mood either by symbolism or showing what the character sees. i. at 5:51 when the lesson is being taught. Hans' answers incorrectly and is sent to the dunce chair and watches as his class mates give a more "brutal" and "right" answer. 8. Held drawing with camera moves a. Emotion can be strengthened through camera moves to establish an emotion. i. at 7:51 the camera moves and shows the entire class being interested in what the teacher is saying. Because of the young age of the children this conveyed disbelief and sadness towards the corrupted youth. 9. Offstage sounds a. Offstage sounds can draw in an audience into the scene by just targeting their emotions. i. Throughout this short music is played in the background to better convey things such as fear and anger. Points to Remember 1. Make sure the emotional state of the character is clearly defined. a. The emotional state is clearly defined by the corruptness of Hitler instilling fear and anger 2. The thought process reveals the feeling. Sometimes it can be shown with a single, held drawing or a simple move. Other times there should be gestures, body moves, or full action. Determine which is best in each case. a. The feeling is carried throughout the entire short. but the best one is conveyed at 7:26 when Hans catches on to the lesson and is infuriated with the rabbit being weak. . 3. Be alert to use of cutting and camera in helping to accentuate the emotion. a. Quick close-ups reveal the emotion of each character. 4. Ask yourself constantly: a. What am I trying to say here? i. The influence of one man with charisma is very powerful. b. What do I really want to show? i. how absurd the ideas are, but how much impact they've had on the world as a whole. c. How do I want the audience to react? i. Sympathize with Hans because he's a child all while seeing the ridiculousness of Hitler as he is shown as a goof. 5. Use the element of time wisely: a. To establish the emotion of the character i. Again, from beginning to end the emotional state is clearly defined. b. To convey it to the viewers i. Same as a. c. To let them savor the situation i. Same as a.

14 Points, 12 more points

Fred’s 14 points of animation 1. Appeal in drawing a. Characters must be eye friendly. i. The seven dwarfs facial expressions. 2. Staging a. Having a basic outline of what needs drawn i. Story board 3. Most interesting way? a. Is the scene get inside the audience’s mind? i. Feelings for the character 4. Is it the most entertaining way? a. Does the scene grab the audience’s attention? i. A sudden action or act that gets the audience excited. 5. Are you in character? a. Get inside the mind of the character…would they do this? i. Page 214 shows an example of a dog trying to block out sound. 6. Are you advancing the character? a. Is the action you’re drawing moving the story along. i. Mickey riding in the steamboat to the next destination (next scene) 7. Is this the simplest statement of the main idea of the scene? a. Dummy down the main idea so even children can understand. i. The seven dwarfs singing about what kind of work they do. 8. Is the story point clear? a. Repeat of #7 i. Repeat of #7 9. Are the secondary actions working with the main action? a. The little things added to create a scene must work well with the character to not draw attention away from the main idea. i. Birds on Snow White. 10. Is the presentation best for the medium? a. Are you thinking about your surrounding environment (audience)? They need to be interested in your work or you won’t be making a second. i. Audiences went crazy over the presentation of Aladdin. 11. Does it have 2 dimensional clarity? a. Sometimes used in a “held” drawing, the 2d effect allows animators to coast into a final pose to show the audience the emotion of the character. i. Page 61 shows Elmer Elephants’ attitude. 12. Does it have 3 dimensional solidity? a. Drawings must have weight, depth, and balance. i. Twins could occur without following these three principles. 13. Does it have 4 dimensional drawing? a. A 3D drawing this is dragged to a 4th dimension i. The scene is so well drawn, it seems real to the audience. (Drag and follow through) 14. Are you trying to do something that shouldn’t be attempted? a. Keep the audience in mind, “why would they want to look at this?” i. Trying to show the top of Mickey’s head. The additional 12 points 1. Inner feelings and emotion a. Repeat of Fred’s #5 i. #5 2. Acting with clear and definite action a. Repeat of Fred’s #7 i. #7 3. Character and personality a. Repeat of Fred’s #5 i. #5 4. Thought process through expression changes a. Repeat of Fred’s #1 i. #1 5. Ability to analyze a. Repeat of Fred’s #7 i. #7 6. Clear staging a. Repeat of Fred’s #2 i. #2 7. Good composition a. Repeat of Fred’s #7 i. #7 8. Timing a. The timing must be correct or the audience may not understand the “punch line.” i. Having a joke too early before the main character can lead up to it. 9. Solidity in drawing a. Repeat of Fred’s #1 i. #1 10. Power in drawing a. Repeat of Fred’s #10 i. #10 11. Strength in movement a. Repeat of Fred’s #6 i. #6 12. Imagination a. Any animator needs an imagination. You be think like the character, act like the character…most importantly…be the character. i. Norm Ferguson acting out Pluto on page 93.