In 1928 the sound was first applied to animation by Walt Disney who saw the huge potential (Steamboat Willie was the first animation with synchronized sound). It was then suggested not only to use the sound but base entire animation on it.
Subsequently in 1929 The Skeleton Dancewas created (entirely by one animator Ub Iwerks)
It‘s an animated short based little on the story, but heavily on the performance, that‘s as mentioned before, is directed by the music/sound.
It was the first of many series of the Silly Symphonies, animated shorts produced by Walt Disney Productions for the next 10 years. Looney Tunes cartoons known today were inspired by the Silly Symphonies.
To begin with, Hyao Miyazaki is Japanese animator. And to cut it to the end, he is often titled as god of animation between many world's most famous animators (to give one example, John Lasseter - chief creative officer at Pixar).
According to various sources of information, Miyazaki is perhaps best known for his richly realized fantasy worlds and memorable female characters.
His animation never lacks of realism be it objects and characters we are all familiar with or fantastical creatures and places.
For instance. Haku, the dragon from Spirited Away was animated referencing the behaviors of dog (particularly the way jaws work), snake and a dragon. By applying the different characteristics of movement to the character design Miyazaki together with studio Ghibli produce believable performances.
And when it comes to Myiazaki‘s heroines, they seem never lack nurturance, compation , that are feminine, on the other hand the unfeminine characteristics like active independence and strength in the face of dangers are what‘s considered to make them so remarkable. To dig deeper, Miyazaki at the same time creates female characters that in Japanese culture are widely recognized and defined as Shoujo, and gives new aspects to their personalities thus surprising the audience used to conventional protagonists ( western audience is surprised as well, since it is used to male protagonist that exhibit strength, independence and courage, not female ones).
But in fact, if someone was there to look how he constructs his animations, he would definitely find deep thoughts and meanings, not to mention symbols and clues or traditional elements from Japanese culture. Therefor, it could be concluded, his works become a memorable and rich experience.
The whole animation is driven by the music - it's a Jazz interpretation ( The music is done by 'The Oscar Peterson Trio' , Oscar Peterson, C. Jones and A. Roberts). You see patterns symbols and shapes appearing according to music. It might start spinning your head ab it but it's lenght is 7 minutes so to my mind that's a perfect match for this type of animation.
I think the experience of the animation closely resembles one's who has synesthesia (the ability to "see" sounds or feel the taste of colours) :D
I liked it :)
One of the contemporary examples of that could be a video clip of Chemical Brothers Star Guitar.
Only this time its not as surrealistic or abstract As In Begone Dull care, but the idea still remains the same - interpreting sounds using visual symbols.
Each repeated sound has its visual symbol ( like a traffic light or a house or a bush) and this idea of representing the sound with an object goes through the whole clip and it isn‘t boring at all, since it is intentionally designed that way. Even contrary, you find yourself involved because its interesting what the journey, directed by music is going to be like .
It is great how music can drive the animation . Very interesting idea.
Another very moving animation made by Norman Mclaren is
Pas De Deux (1968)
Definition of Pas De Deux - (ballet) a dance for two people (usually a ballerina and a danseur noble)
You see shilluetes of Ballet dancers in a black screen. The rear lighting makes the outlines of the body white and the volume black - what is the opposite of what we are used to. And because of the technique of multiple exposure (that was then used for very first time and was shocking to the crowd like Avatar today for us :D )we get the delights of movement. You can see the arcs and the flow of movement, how really smooth and continuous it is. How the overlapping frames even create new abstract patterns and symbols.
In contrast to the stillness and peace brought by Pas De Deux the same animator created
Le Merle (The Blackbird) (1985)
Norman Mclaren used mere symbols for character design( circles and dots for eyes, few lines for the whole design)and blank background - but it still works, and to add even more, it suggests more meanings, you are left to fill in the gap when it is masterfully animated.
It fells like this animation invites to get back to basics (mere lines and dots) and really dig into the process of animation.
I think that's what I'm going to consider when deciding how my characters and the environment should look like.
