Animator Reviews

 Lotte Reiniger

Lotte Reiniger is a German film director who was active between 1919 to 1980, with her first production being The Ornament Of The Lovestruck Heart. She is considered to be the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation and know for inventing the multiplane camera, an invention that she would  use to create her animations. The camera moves the artwork for the animation across the screen at different speeds and distances, creating a sense of depth to the image. 

Reiniger's work as a whole is really engaging to watch, relying mainly on the visuals and music to tell a story. This really demonstrates the importance of how you choose to display your animation to the viewer. Reinigers animations are easy to follow as they feature distinguishable objects which the viewer can relate to and structure them in a way that is easy to digest. Due to the boldness of the models, you can really identify what you are looking at. This is also combined with a detailed cut out which gives the models character which differentiates them from the environment. The characters are also framed in the middle of a scene, usually without any other silhouette behind them, so that they are easy to identify. 

The use of music also adds to the setting of the environment, as well as helping the viewer understand what is going on. She will often use sound effects which are over the top, to really exaggerate what is going on, on screen. The music will normally change dramatically, in order to keep the viewer engaged, so that it always feels like something is happening. There are no moments were nothing is going on, on screen and the music helps the viewer keep track of this. The music also helps to convey information such as the characters emotions, something that would normally be done through characters facial expressions and language. As facial expressions are not an options due to it being a silhouette, she must instead use sound effects and music to her advantage. When the character is in danger, she will play music which inspires fear, with loud trumpets and drums. The sound is chaotic as if the character has lost control of the situation. To get the opposite reaction, to show happiness, the background music will be calm and will make the listener feel safe and relaxed. Although the music changes suddenly, it still flows naturally, aiding in the flow of the animation. 

She wasn't limited to the technology at the time and still managed to create compelling animations. Her animations can be understood universally as they feature distinguishable assets, which are brought to life with the music and sound prompts. These are two things I want to bring in to my animations. I want to develop my ability to tell a story, solely on the actions of the character. This will help to engage the audience and make my animations more interesting to watch.

Don Hertzfeldt

Don Hertzfeldt is an American animator know for his award winning short films. His work has been described as some of the most influential animation ever created and eight of his short films have been nominated for the Sundance film festival, with two of the winning (making him the only person who has ever won it twice). His work is comprised of a simplistic art style, with a deep focus on storytelling.

I watched his animation Everything Will Be Ok, which followed the main character, Bill, through his everyday life. The narrator describes Bills thoughts and actions, with the animation showing exaggerated depictions of what's being said. I really like the way the background is black, with white bubbles breaking down each story concept. This helped to isolate each action and worked well as the animation got more chaotic. 

When initially viewing his work, I was surprised to find that it was nominated for so many awards. To me his art style seemed too simplistic to be nominated for an award such an Oscar. However after watching both Everything Will Be Ok and Rejected, I now understand that there is so much more to what he has created. The story telling for both were presented in such a simple way, that the viewer does not feel overwhelmed. Its easily digestible and seems like an innocent kids drawing, which is what catches you off guard. In Everything Will Be Ok, we start to learn that there is so much more to the 2D character as the animation goes on. The story gets deeper, however the art style remains the same. This to me makes the animation feel more powerful as it shows the viewer a simple character with complex emotions, 

Rejected uses the same approach of catching the viewer off guard by including sudden moments of gore to the animation. Its structured in a way to seem like television commercials, however they are far too inappropriate for normal TV, hence the name Rejected. I really like how the animation slowly descends into chaos, with the TV adverts subject matters slowly becoming worse and worse. The animation ends with the breakdown of the animator, resulting in the whole set being destroyed. I really liked how 

This has giving me more confidence knowing that you don't have to feel limited by your art style as it is just that, a style. You should incorporate what makes your animations look unique, an not be afraid to tell the stories you want to tell.