Wells: Notes Towards a Theory of Animation

Animation is an interesting subject. I have always assumed that I will do little work within the field of animation, being that my drawing and sketching ability is extremely limited, to say the least. However, that is because I, like so many others, only used to think of one thing when I heard the word animation; cartoons of the like that have permeated and integrated their way into our culture. As the article mentioned, the works of Disney and Warner Bros. are so predominate in our society that they are first and foremost what comes to the mind of the average person when animation is uttered. Of course, as the article points out, there is so much more in the world of animation.

I realized that animation could mean so much more when I first experienced the work of Ray Harryhausen. To see his work in full action is nothing short of astonishing and (Yes, I'll say it) can even rival a lot of digital animation today. One of the main reasons that this is true is because it has become entirely too common for some putz to get a computer and some CG software and call himself (with puter in hand) a digital effects company. This accounts for some of that abysmal CGI work that shows up in those masterpieces that air on the SyFy (né SciFi) network. In fact, some of Harryhausen's greatest work could probably hold its own aside some of the best CG that the business has to offer. And that is why anyone making a film who has half an inkling on how to pull off believability will utilize many effects combined in order to create a truly awe inspiring experience.

I then came to realize that I had been watching the animation form of stop-motion for many years as a child. The classic and untouchable King Kong flickered in front of my eyes numerous times as I watched Kong battle with real-life dinosaurs who were living and breathing on screen. Willis O'Brien was responsible for making dinosaurs walk long before 1993's Jurassic Park and was an influence on many stop-motion animators following him, including Harryhausen, whom he would mentor and later work with.

It's an amazing feet what these men have accomplished. After having done stop-motion frame by frame animation on Thursday is to truly appreciate the job that these trailblazers have done. To move an object such a minute amount and then again and again until you have twenty-four frames just to have one second of a movement on screen (eighteen frames for super-8) is a painstaking task. It can become quite frustrating fast. I do not know how our film will turn out. I believe that we did a pretty good job, but I doubt it will end up resembling anything like O'Brien or Harryhausen's work. Nevertheless, the experience has taught me that I am open to trying more animation. Just because I can't draw does not mean that I can't do animation. And I hope to try to incorporate it into other works eventually. I have only really covered two here, but animation has many different facets to it. With animation, as with much of experimental film, it is only limited by the creator's imagination. If you can somehow learn to think outside of the bars that society has placed upon us (though so few can), then you can pretty much do anything, and your possibilities are limitless.