Animated Documentary: What is the practical definition of the form?
The aim of this experimental research is to look closely at the animated documentary production processes. By creating a socially conscious animated documentary, the aim is to analyse the entire creation process.
The purpose of the intended documentary itself will be to capture the audience’s imagination, provoke behavioral change, and identify the effectiveness of the animated documentary. As my subject matter will be Climate Change, the documentary themes and narratives could predominantly be steered by ecologists that want to communicate the most valuable theme of climate change.
What key messages do climate researchers want to get across to overcome their discourse between art and science? How could the animations directly use science-based results?
How is visual language determined? I want to research different formats possible.
Historical Context
Winsor McCay’s ‘The Sinking of Lusitania’ (1918), stands to reason that the animated documentary was born from the notion of unavailable/unattainable material. Similarly, a prime reason for using animation in recent decades is to communicate material that is unavailable, in science documentary in particular when certain aspects cannot be seen through the telescope/microscope. As I experiment with the discourse between art and science, I will look to explore the areas in film that are harder to interpret through live-action and how animation can potentially better represent certain elements visually.
One of the most experimental and influential animators Norman McLaren’s ‘Neighbours’ (1952) won an Oscar in the ‘Best Documentary’ category. It is uncertain as to why this animation was classed under ‘documentary’, since the contents are supposedly fictitious. I will look at where boundaries meet between animation and documentary, especially with the excessive use of editing and manipulating of dialogue and imagery. Referring to ‘Neighbours’ it is questionable as to what is perceived as an animated documentary or a work of fiction.
Contemporary Context
Compared to early forms of animated documentary, it could be argued that more recent forms have a tendency to focus on style, playing with the idea of using abstract or surreal imagery to visually represent factual accounts of people’s experiences. ‘A is for Autism’ (1992) looks at the perspective of those with autism, using their drawings as key frames that morph into abstract shapes and literal drawings to visually communicate dialogue about experiences; a great example of utilising abstract yet symbolic imagery for transcribing the voice of others. I am interested to identify how the processes of creating animated documentary uses different visual techniques to carry the right messages across with concise communication in mind.
As a particular preference of mine ‘Waltz with Bashir ‘(2008) used graphic novel style visuals that communicated recorded conversations. According to a New York Times interview with director Ari Foleman “the animation was more dictated by the design than the other way round.” The dialogue was recorded before the animatic and visuals were created; I am interested in looking at the production of sound/visuals, how these are determined and how they drive the documentary.
Although the success of Waltz with Bashir could be owed to the use of the film being juxtaposed with television footage, illustrating literal representations, it can be reasoned that people are so accustomed to experiencing documentaries/adverts on significant matters such as war, genocide and even climate change that certain literal representations have lost their impact. Director of animated documentary ‘Operation Homecoming’ (2007) Richard Robbins explained, "more literal representations of certain things are less powerful than abstract ones because we've become so immune. If you start showing real footage of real violence, then people stop listening.”
If factual information is communicated innovatively it could challenge these perspectives. I aim to incite fresh directions for climate change communication through experimenting with animated documentary in its varied forms, using old and new technology.
As an example of a communicative animated documentary and a personal influence, I cite Is the Man Who is Tall Happy? (2013). We find ourselves absorbed in the visual aids that communicate Chomsky’s profound intellectual ideas. This is evidence that animation helps communicate the most intricate of information, overcoming possible communication barriers, enhancing and expanding non-fiction material. I aim to look at the possibilities of visually representing complicated data in simple ways that engages the viewer.
Theoretical Context
Identify if fundamental questions have been answered i.e. does my work meet the criteria/expectations? Have I provided enough evidence to support my ideas? Is the work appealing? How can I make improvements?
Associate other studies to my own, making comparisons to existing research or literature to see what niches it covers.
During the creation of an animation, I will make comparisons to other works and evaluate where technical improvements could be made. During and towards the end of the project I collect data from discussions, looking at the views of others and people involved in the project.
The heart of the production process will be relationship between filmmaker and subjects;
Potential Ethical Dimensions of the Research
There are multiple challenges that may need to be faced as a documentary filmmaker. Amongst these are ethical issues built in the process; some of the main aspects to consider are:
How the subjects of the film are portrayed
How to keep the film sincere to its focus and true to its subjects
How to represent people with dignity and compassion
Working with other cultures, specifically ones affected by climate related disease, economic loss and destruction could mean the confrontation of significant ethical issues of justice and responsibility across individuals, populations and environment. To what level are the people in one country accountable for the well-being of people in another country? It is important to approach the project carefully, build trust and have compassion towards the people the film might represent.
Furthermore, one of the biggest concerns would be interpreting the information accurately. Misrepresentation of information could be a direct result of miscommunication between filmmaker and subjects. Identifying who gets to decide on the interpretation of climate information could be imperative to the overall film production process.
