Narrative strategies in the creation of animated poetry-films by Georg Diederik Grobler Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the subject of ART In the DEPARTMENT OF ART AND MUSIC at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA PROMOTOR: Professor Elfriede Dreyer DATE: February 2021 Declaration I declare that Narrative strategies in the creation of animated poetry-films is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged using complete references. I further declare that I submitted the thesis to originality checking software and that it falls within the accepted requirements for originality. I further declare that I have not previously submitted this work, or part of it, for examination at Unisa for another qualification or at any other higher education institution. 20 February 2021 ii Summary This doctoral study investigates the practice of narrative strategies in the creation of animated poetry-film. The status of the animator as auteur of the poetry-film is established on the grounds of the multiple instances of additional authoring that the animated poetry-film requires. The study hypothesises that diverse narrative strategies are operative in the production of animated poetry-film. Two diametrically opposed strategies are identified as ideal for the treatment of lyrical narrative. The first narrative strategy explored is that of metamorphosis, demonstrating how the filmic material originates and grows organically via stream of consciousness and free association. The second narrative strategy entails a calculated approach of structuring visual imagery and meaning through editing from a pre-existing visual lexicon. In both cases, the interdependence is explored between embodied activity and conceptual activity, between tacit and explicit knowledge in the creative act. These two strategies are practically investigated through my creative praxis, specifically the production of two animated poetry-films, Mon Pays and Parys suite. Through these works, the strategies are tested for their effectivity in communicating visual content not contained in the poetry-text, yet adding value to the poetry/animated film hybrid. Animated poetry-film is theoretically contextualised in terms of intermediality and the specific multi-modal nature of the medium. The construction of animated poetry-film is explored through the research study consisting of a thesis and two animated poetry- films, with the hope of contributing to research on animated poetry-film specifically, and to animation theory within the South African context. List of key terms: Animation; animated poetry-film; animation praxis; authorship; editing; experimental animation; metamorphosis; poetry-film; practice-based research; visual narrative strategies. iii Narratiewe strategieë in die skep van geanimeerde poësiefilms Hierdie doktorale studie ondersoek die toepassing van narratiewe strategieë in die skep van geanimeerde poësiefilms. Die status van die animasiekunstenaar as outeur van die poësiefilm is gegrond op veelvuldige gevalle van addisionele konseptuele skepping wat die maak van ʼn poësiefilm vereis. Die hipotese van die studie is dat verskillende narratiewe strategieë in die skep van geanimeerde poësiefilms toegepas kan word. Twee teenoorgestelde narratiewe strategieë word in hierdie studie ondersoek. Die eerste is metamorfose, wat demonstreer hoe die filmmateriaal ontstaan en deur vrye assosiasie en bewussynstroom organies tesame met die geskrewe teks groei. Die tweede strategie behels ʼn berekende benadering tot die strukturering van visuele materiaal en betekenis deur redigering vanuit ʼn bestaande visuele leksikon. In beide gevalle word die interafhanklikheid van beliggaamde aktiwiteit en konseptuele aktiwiteit, van intuïtiewe en eksplisiete kennis in die kreatiewe proses ondersoek. Hierdie twee strategieë word prakties in die twee geanimeerde poësiefilms Mon Pays en Parys suite ondersoek. In hierdie twee werke word die effektiwiteit van die strategieë getoets ten opsigte van die suksesvolle kommunikasie van hulle visuele inhoud wat nie in die teks vervat is nie, maar wat waarde tot die poësie/animasiehibried toevoeg. Die geanimeerde poësiefilm word teoreties gekontekstualiseer ten opsigte van intermedialiteit en die spesifieke multimodale aard van die medium. Die konstruksie van geanimeerde poësiefilms word in hierdie studie ondersoek. Die navorser hoop dat dit ʼn bydrae tot navorsing oor geanimeerde poësiefilm in die besonder, en tot animasieteorie binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks sal lewer. Lys van kernbegrippe: Animasie; geanimeerde poësiefilm; animasiepraksis; outeurskap; redigering; eksperimentele animasie; metamorfose, poësiefilm; praktykgebaseerde navorsing; visuele narratiewe strategieë iv Mekgwa ya kanegelo ge go hlangwa difilimi tša theto tša go ekišwa ke diphoofolo Dinyakišišo tše tša bongaka di nyakišiša tiro ya mekgwa ya kanagelo ge go hlangwe difilimi tša go ekišwa ke diphoofolo. Maemo a moekiši wa diphoofolo bjalo ka molaodi wa filimi ya theto a hwetšwa go seemo sa mabaka a mantši a go ngwala ka tlaleletšo fao go nyakwago ke filimi ya theto ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo. Dinyakišišo tše di šišinya gore mekgwa ya kanegelo ye e fapafapanego e a šomišwa ka go tšweletšo ya filimi ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo. Mekgwa ye mebedi ye e thulanago e a hlaolwa bjalo ka yeo e swanetšego go šomišwa go kanegelo ya mantšu. Leano la mathomo la kanegelo leo le utollotšwego ke la kgolo ya diphoofolo, leo le laetšago ka fao dingwalwa tša filimi di tšwelelago le go gola ka tlhago ka tatelano ka sengwalwa seo se ngwadilwego ka moela wa kwešišo le poledišano ya go hloka mapheko. Leano la bobedi la klanegelo le mabapi le mokgwa wo o nepišitšwego gabotse wa go beakanya seswantšho sa go bonwa le tlhalošo ka go rulaganya go tšwa go polelo ya peleng ya seo se bonwago. Mabakeng ka bobedi, go amana fa go utollwa magareng ga tiro ye e kopantšwego le tiro ye e gopolwago, magareng ga tsebo ye e kwešišwago le yeo e lego nyanyeng ka tirong ya boitlhamelo. Mekgwa ye mebedi ye e a nyakišišwa ka go diriša mokgwa wa ka wa boitlhamelo, kudukudu go tšweletšwa ga difilimi tše pedi tša go ekišwa ke diphoofolo tšeo di bitšwago, Mon Pays le Parys suite. Ka mešomo ye, mekgwa ye e lekwa ka ga go šoma gabotse ga yona gabotse go hlagiša diteng tša go bonwa tšeo di sego gona ka gare ga Sengwalwa sa theto, le ge go le bjale e tsenya boleng go mohuta wa filimi ya theto/ya kekišo. Filimi ya theto ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo e amantšhwa ka teori mabapi le kgokaganyo le sebopego sa yona sa mekgwa ye mentši ya polelo. Tlhamo ya filimi ya theto ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo e utollwa ka dinyakišišo tšeo di nago le taodišo le difilimi tše pedi tša theto tša go ekišwa ke diphoofolo, ka kholofelo ya go tsenya letsogo go dinyakišišo mabapi le filimi ya theto ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo kudukudu, le go teori ya kekišo ka gare ga seemo sa Afrika Borwa. Lenaneo la mareo a bohlokwa: v Kekišo; filimi ya go ekišwa ke diphoofolo; mekgwa ya kekišo; bongwadi; go rulaganya; kekišo ya boitemogelo; kgolo ya diphoofolo; filimi ya theto; dinyakišišo tše di theilwego go tiro; mekgwa ya kanego ya go bonwa. vi Contents Declaration ..................................................................................................................... ii Summary ....................................................................................................................... iii Contents ....................................................................................................................... vii Preface ........................................................................................................................... x List of illustrations ........................................................................................................ xii List of video links ........................................................................................................ xvii Glossary of key terms ................................................................................................... xx Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background to the study ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research problems ................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Aims and objectives .............................................................................................. 5 1.4 Literature review ................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Methodology ...................................................................................................... 11 1.6 The praxis............................................................................................................ 14 1.7 Overview of chapters .......................................................................................... 15 Chapter 2: Defining animated poetry-film and determining theoretical frameworks .. 18 2.1 Intermediality as a point of departure ................................................................. 18 2.2 Animation ........................................................................................................... 21 2.2.1 Animation on a spectrum/continuum ..................................................... 22 2.2.2 Positioning animation within the realm of the visual