Jie Liu's Blog

Taxonomy of Animated Documentary:

1. has been recorded or created frame by frame
2. is about the world rather than a world wholly imagined by its creator
3. has been presented as a documentary by its producers and/or received as a documentary by audiences, festivals or critics

‘Animation, in part through its material differences from live-action film, shifts and broadens the limits of what and how we can show about reality by offering new or alternative ways of seeing the world. It can present the conventional subject matter of documentary (the ‘world out there’ of observable events) in non-conventional subjective, conscious experience – subject matters traditionally outside of the documentary purview’ (Annabelle Honess Roe, 2013: 1)

Authenticity:

The authenticity of a documentary is ‘deeply linked to notions of realism and the idea that documentary images bear linked to notions of realism and the idea that documentary images bear evidence of events that actually happened, by virtue of the indexical relationship between image and reality’ (Honess Roe 2013, 3)

Andrew Sarris: Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962

1. Andrew Sarris theory states that films should hide different aspects of the director, his repetitive or persistent actions, and that the truth is what the director thinks and feels.
2. The third part of the author’s conception is the inner meaning of film, the true glory of film as art
3. Andrew Sarris said it is possible to make a film without a director.

Pauline Kael complained and argued that arris Zefutes arris was the original conception of the author’s conception

1. To Kael, a better area of critique, and the ultimate function of a critic, is ‘perceiving what is original and important in new work and helping others to see’.
2. when human leaders break the rules of creativity, there is a lack of understanding of the talent required for creativity.
3. Filmmaking techniques help inspire authors.

What is it that makes Hayao Miyazai an auteur?

• Miyazaki’s animated films often feature unique storylines, deep characters and beautiful graphics. Studio Ghibli, which he co-founded with other animators, is a major force in the Japanese animation industry, known for its unique style and artistic quality. He also dabbled in literary creation, and incorporated many literary elements into his animation, which made his works more in-depth and thoughtful, and benefited a lot of audiences. Miyazaki’s originality has helped and guided many animators.

In abstract works, sensory and emotional responses are often unabashedly exposed

Formal Elements：

1.Use of space/composition

2. Light & colour

3. movement

4. rhythm

5. timing

6. pacing

7. transition

8. audio relationships

Enable animation to acceptably deviate from traditional narrative structure（Paul Wells，Understanding Animation 1998）：

• Associative relations
• Acting and performance
• Choreography
• Condensation
• Fabrication
• Metamorphosis
• Penetration
• Sound
• Synecdoche
• Symbolism and metaphor

The Triplets of Belleville (2003) This film tells the story of a grandmother who enlists the help of some old vaudeville singers to find her son who has been kidnapped by the French Mafia for illegal gambling purposes. It’s essentially a tribute to French culture, cinema and everything that the French call cool. Through impressionist style images, it presents an exaggerated and fantastic world. Using a unique animation style, including exaggerated images, formal expressions and non-traditional narrative methods, it presents a unique visual feast for the audience.