The Society for Animation Studies Newsletter

Volume 19, Issue 2 Winter 2006

ISSN: 1930-191X

In this Issue: The President’s Report SAS Announcements: Maureen Furniss

1 The President’s Report

Maureen Furniss I was pleased to take over leadership of 5 Annual Business Meeting Minutes the SAS from Ton Crone at the 2006 Richard J. Leskosky conference, where Suzanne Williams- 7 SAS Conference 2007: Animation Rautiola and others recognized his many Universe; Portland, OR; June 30-July 3 contributions to our organization. Thank Special 2006 Conference Issue you to the members who voted for me and 11 Photographs by Charles da Costa, all who have voiced their support, and Marian Quigley, Timo Linsenmaier. thanks also to Paul Wells, the other DVD by David Williams nominee for President, who received almost half the votes and has agreed to 12 The President’s Farewell Address serve as vice-president. Ton Crone 14 Reflections on “Animation at the Some New Steps: Crossroads” Website, Journal, and Newsletter Suzanne Williams-Rautiola I appreciate that I had about six months to 17 First Impressions prepare prior to taking office. During this Ann Leung time I set in place some of the structures I had proposed in my candidate’s Perspectives on Animation Studies statement. To me, the most important of 19 XVIVO and Scientific Animation them were a discussion group and a David Bolinsky website. I set up the discussion group on 22 Screenings of Newly Restored Adam Yahoo. I also registered a domain name, Beckett Films www.animationstudies.org, and found a Pamela Turner hosting service, with guidance from News and Publications Jeremy Butler of the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa (not an SAS member) and 26 John Grace Memorial Conference: Timo Linsenmaier, who volunteered to The Art of British CGI lead the website development. 26 Halas and Batchelor Cartoons: an Animated History Anyone who has visited the website knows Vivien Halas and Paul Wells what a lot was accomplished within a few 27 The Fundamentals of Animation months, with Timo leading the way and Paul Wells Ingo Linde contributing a great deal to the programming of the site. Before this year’s Membership Information conference in San Antonio, the site 29 SAS Board and Contact

The articles in the SAS Newsletter are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Contributions are copyrighted by authors and remaining information is ©2006 Society for Animation Studies. Society for Animation Studies © 2006 SAS Newsletter, v19n2, p.1

including a member’s only area—was essentially complete. Features of the website include a link to PayPal, to help international members pay their dues, and an experts directory, to let the public know about our members’ areas of expertise. Our “members area” also contains an archive of past newsletters and a discussion board where members can post questions or information. Other components of the SAS also have been developed through the volunteer efforts of other members. Victoria Meng has taken over the Newsletter, publishing the first ‘new’ edition before the conference took place. The online format has provided opportunities for longer articles and more images, which enhances what we are able to offer. Nichola Dobson initiated the online journal, serving as the first editor of Animation Studies. This publication was established in part due to member requests for a peer- reviewed publication that would help them secure travel funds for attending conferences. Animation Studies also was established to publish work presented at the Dresden conference, which had been slated to appear in a German-language print publication. Karin Wehn is editing the German essays for the journal. Online publication saves money and increases accessibility to content, and is in line with the future of scholarly publishing. Both the Newsletter and the AS journal are multi-lingual publications, though the primary language remains English (information in other languages will be abstracted in English). Looking Ahead: Incorporation My primary objectives now involve registration of the SAS as a non-profit organization. After much consideration, I have determined that it is necessary for the SAS to have this status within the United States. Unfortunately, banking and donations would be extremely difficult to handle if the SAS were based only in another country. I think it is also a good idea for the SAS to be registered outside the US. Both Paul Wells and Ton Crone have volunteered to pursue the requirements in the UK and other possible regions, and we have set a deadline of December 15 for recommendations. For my part, I have discussed the process of incorporation and non-profit status with a number of individuals experienced in this area. One of the experts I have consulted is Antran Manoogian, president of ASIFA- Hollywood. Antran suggested a few alternatives, the main one being the purchase of a published guide (a print and CD combination) for setting up a non-profit organization in California. This set takes the user through most of the paperwork, cutting down on expenses considerably. I have also made contacts with Snowden Decker, who was in charge of public access at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Library (she is now in the PhD program at University of Texas, Austin). She is active in amateur film circles and recently incorporated 'Home Movie Day', a project she undertook with one other person. Snowden gave me advice and encouragement, telling me how she went through this process herself. A few months ago (even before the conference), I had a meeting with Jan Nagel, the President of the international Women in Animation, who incorporated that group several years ago. Jan gave me copies of all her paperwork. I feel ready to move ahead with this project from a US standpoint. Richard Leskosky and Suzanne Williams-Rautiola offered their help with this effort, and I will work with our new US treasurer, Robert Musburger, as well.

Incidentally, Antran said we could possibly pair up with ASIFA-Hollywood until we achieve official status ourselves, though he and I were not sure how that might be done. The main problem is that the SAS is international and this ASIFA chapter is local. When Women in Animation paired up with ASIFA-Hollywood during its earliest days, the membership was LA-based, so that worked well in terms of memberships (the WIA members joined ASIFA-Hollywood, which then processed its fees). Though we did not immediately see how it would work, Antran was open to the idea and encouraged me to stay in touch with him about it. He also asked that we consider special projects that could link the SAS with ASIFA, especially his Hollywood chapter. He said he would be happy to help us as we progress and he gave me the name and telephone number of ASIFA-Hollywood lawyer. By doing the paperwork ourselves as much as possible, our fees would be a few hundred dollars (to get the lawyer to read the paperwork and make sure it’s in order), rather than two or three thousand. I have finished reading the book on California nonprofits that Antran Manoogian recommended. In short, incorporation as a nonprofit seems really do-able, and for a reasonable cost. This is a two-step process: incorporating and filing for nonprofit status. There are different qualified purposes that allow the SAS to be nonprofit, including charitable, literary, and educational purposes—and I think we qualify under each of them. There are also requirements for the type of support that may be given to the organization, partly to achieve charitable status ourselves. With careful structuring of dues levels and benefits, I think we will easily qualify in that respect. Perhaps the most significant issue is whether we want to be a truly 'membership' type organization, which means that members vote and have legal rights. The other plan is to have the directors guide the development of the organization, and have our 'members' join more informally, getting all the benefits for 'members only', but not having to make organizational decisions. A second, unresolved issue is the international status of our group—it might be advisable to incorporate here and create a 'sister organization' in the UK that is essentially the same group, but with different legal status. I will follow up with the IRS on the viability of having directors and members internationally, and also the suitability, in the US government's view, of the SAS providing charitable support internationally. I'm not sure if the benefits to members must be mainly in terms of the US. In any case, it seems like having a UK or European base could be important for attracting support in those areas. It would be useful for someone to read into MEDIA's policies, for example. I am quite optimistic that incorporation is something we can achieve without too much trouble, which will also help the SAS to better serve its mission and members. Conference and Membership We continue plan the 2007 SAS Conference. Daniel Pirofsky, who is on the faculty at Portland State University, has been working with the Platform Festival organizers and the university to arrange conference facilities, schedules, and fees. For more information about the conference, please see the Conference Announcement and Call for Papers on page 5. Paul Wells is planning a local level event in February and Dan and Lienors Torres are planning an event in June, so members in England and Australia can contact them for

details. Marina Estrela Graça has proposed having the 2008 conference at the Universidade do Algarve in Faro. We look forward to hearing more information from her. I’d also like to hear proposals for future conference sites (2009 and onward). In closing, I would also like to welcome the two new honorary members of the Society for Animation Studies, Robin Allan and Jack Judson. Robin is a founding member of the Society, a devoted independent scholar always ready to help others, and a good friend to many of us. His best-known work is the book Walt Disney and Europe, but he has published and lectured extensively on Disney in various contexts. Jack Judson is the magic lantern collector most of us met for the first time at the San Antonio conference. In just twenty years, Jack has personally purchased and restored an extensive collection of magic lanterns, slides, and related equipment. He also has amassed a huge library of printed materials. Jack gives scholars and societies free access to his collection, including demonstrations, and even built an apartment onto his large facility so that visiting scholars doing research can stay free of charge for the length of their work -- scholars from around the world have taken advantage of his generosity to do research at his facility. When we were in San Antonio, Jack gave the SAS a free presentation and joined us for dinner after the event. He enjoyed himself so much that he told Suzanne that he wanted to join the SAS and attend future conferences. For many years, Jack has been a central figure in the American Magic Lantern Society and he is also active in another division of the Society, which is based in England. He travels around the world giving demonstrations and looking for new acquisitions, which he restores to working condition —all of the items in his collection actually work. Robin’s and Jack’s dedication to our field serves as an inspiration for all of us. I look forward to leading the SAS over the three years of my terms in office, and I’d like to hear from members with suggestions and feedback. Please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] or my other email addresses, or to initiate conversation online within the SAS discussion group. ©2006 Maureen Furniss

President Maureen Furniss and SAS Founder Harvey Deneroff at the 2006 SAS Conference. Photograph by Charles da Costa

Society for Animation Studies Minutes of the Annual Business Meeting July 9, 2006 Submitted by Richard J. Leskosky, Secretary

President Maureen Furniss called the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m.

Future conferences The first order of business was the discussion of the site for the 2007 conference. Rose Bond extended an invitation from Irene Kotlarz, who is organizing the 2007 Platform animation festival (June 25-30) in Portland, Oregon, to have the conference there in conjunction with the festival. Mark Langer, who organized the 1990 conference in Ottawa in conjunction with the Ottawa International Animation Festival, recommended a festival-linked conference but stressed that a good coordination of events was essential. Michael Frierson noted that Rose Bond is the only SAS member in the Portland area and that this might present a problem in organizing a conference there. Harvey Deneroff asked if an educational institution in the area could be found to sponsor the conference. President Furniss will look into the matter. For 2008, institutional support for a conference in Portugal is shaping up, though no date has been decided.

Treasurer’s Report Treasurer Michael Frierson presented the Treasurer’s report with supplementary information from Maureen Furniss. The Society remains in good shape financially. Details can be found in a separate treasurer’s report. The use of PayPal for the payment of dues has simplified payment procedures but has also added another account to keep track of and charges $1.00 for each dues payment. Frierson is stepping down as Treasurer. No one has as yet been named to replace him.

Publications A discussion followed on the matter of publications. The general consensus was that the Society embraces publishing articles in different languages. Sources of funds for translations were discussed. Paul Wells has spoken with some companies in England about funding, and Ton Crone also suggested continental Europe as a possible source for translating articles and books. Cultural services of embassies were also suggested as possible funding sources. Richard Leskosky suggested that the McLaren-Lambert Award winners be considered prime candidates for translation. Nichola Dobson encouraged conference presenters to submit their papers to Animation Studies, the Society’s on-line journal. No motions were made on these matters.

Memberships and Dues Discussion followed on the level of dues and the way they are structured. A motion was made by Mark Langer, seconded by Harvey Deneroff, that the Executive

Committee should determine a dues structure for the Society. The motion passed unanimously.

Bylaws A draft of bylaws for the Society, drafted by Richard Leskosky, was circulated and discussed. Ton Crone observed that it may be too early to consider bylaws when the Society is trying to incorporate itself and the specific state/country in which it incorporates may have regulations which would have consequences for the Society’s bylaws. A motion was made by Mark Langer, seconded by Harvey Deneroff, that the President appoint a committee to post a revised version of the bylaws and a proposal for incorporation on the Society’s website by December 15, 2006. The motion passed unanimously. Suzanne Williams-Rautiola volunteered to serve on the committee. Additional discussion followed with no further motions.

Further Discussion In discussing proposed budget items, Harvey Deneroff suggested that a line should be set up for an online animation database. Michael Frierson recommended a single membership database to include those who pay dues in the USA and in Europe, who are currently recorded separately. Victoria Meng recommended that someone should be put in charge of monitoring and promoting membership in the Society. No motions were made on these topics.

Adjournment The Meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.

Skyline Dining Room, Trinity University, where the SAS Annual Business Meeting took place. Photograph by Timo Linsenmaier.

Animation Universe The 2007 Society for Animation Studies Conference Website: http://universe.animationstudies.org/

The Society for Animation Studies is an international organization that was founded in 1989 to encourage and support the work of animation scholarship. The ongoing research of its members is presented at the Society's annual conference. The 2007 SAS conference will be held June 30th - July 3rd, 2007 at Portland State University in conjunction with the new Platform International Animation Festival, which is taking place in Portland, Oregon, June 25th - 30th, 2007. Central conference events will take place on June 30th and July 1st, when papers and roundtable discussions will be scheduled. On July 2nd and 3rd, SAS workshops will be presented within the context of a Portland State University course being offered through summer session. The Conference Chair is Daniel Pirofsky, who can be reached via email at [email protected].

Call for Papers The 2007 conference theme is ‘Animation Universe,' to encourage proposals that address the ubiquitous nature of animation in society today. Papers might address the relationship between live and animated imagery, the blending of animation and other arts, the integration of animated images into social and cultural practices, cross- generational perceptions about animation, shifts in the realm of animated feature production or television programming, the growth of animation industries in countries worldwide, animation and the World Wide Web, animation and merchandising, the teaching of animation within various disciplines, or other relevant topics. Deadline for proposal submissions: Wednesday, November 22. Proposals will be blind reviewed by a panel of SAS members, and acceptance will be announced by Friday, December 22.

We are accepting proposals from SAS members for presentations in three categories: Category 1: 25-minute paper presentations, which will be delivered on Saturday, June 30 or Sunday, July 1 as part of the central SAS conference events. Category 2: One-hour pre-constituted roundtable discussions, which will be presented on Saturday, June 30 or Sunday, July 1 as part of the central SAS conference events. In addition, the conference chair is accepting proposals in a third category. SAS members are encouraged to consider proposing a workshop that will be presented following the conclusion of paper and panel sessions, as part of a conference-related summer school course for Portland State University students, on Monday and Tuesday, July 2 and 3. Though space may be limited, workshops may be attended by SAS

conference attendees, possibly for an additional fee. Please notify the Conference Chair, Daniel Pirofsky, if you are interested in attending. Category 3: Workshops (between two and six hours in length) offered by SAS members for Portland State University undergraduate and graduate students, presenting a mixture of history, theory, and practice. Workshops should be aimed at students with a beginning to intermediate range of skill and experience in animation. Workshop projects could be completed by students during the workshop or after it concludes. Digital facilities will be available, if required. The University will offer a small stipend (amount TBA) to SAS presenters as part of its ongoing Visiting Artist program. Workshop proposals will be peer-reviewed and must be approved by the conference chair on behalf of the University. Provided the workshop contains an historical or theoretical component combined with practice, an abstract of the workshop or complete manuscript may be published in the SAS online journal Animation Studies after the event.

Individuals wishing to publish a paper in the SAS peer-reviewed journal (Animation Studies) have two options: 1. Submit your completed paper with your proposal, including the date by which your decision is needed; it will be forwarded to the journal's Editor, Nichola Dobson, for peer review. 2. Submit your completed paper within two weeks after the end of the conference; in this case, it should be emailed directly to Nichola Dobson at [email protected].

Submission Guidelines: Deadline for proposal submissions: Wednesday, November 22. Please be aware that spaces for paper presentations are limited. Late proposals will not be considered until all other proposals have been read. Submit by email the required proposal information (see formats) and PayPal receipt (or other documentation of payment) to: Daniel Pirofsky E-mail: [email protected] Membership Requirement: anyone submitting a proposal in any category must be a paid member of the SAS for 2007. Proof of payment is required when your proposal is submitted. All members of a pre-constituted panel also must be paid members. Membership information (US$35 for professionals/US$20 for students or economic hardship) is available at the SAS website, www.animationstudies.org. Those who prefer to wire money or send a check for membership payment can do so. Please send a photocopy of appropriate documentation.

Category 1 Paper Presentation (Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1) Length: 25 minutes 1. Name of presenter 2. Professional affiliation (school or studio, for example), including title, if appropriate 3. Email address 4. Mailing address 5. Telephone number 6. Title of presentation 7. 250-word abstract suitable for publication (after the conference, your abstract will be published in Animation Studies, the SAS journal; please submit any required changes within two weeks after the event has ended). 8. Biographical statement (up to 100 words) indicating how the proposed paper fits into your overall research agenda and experience. 9. Indicate if your paper is being written for publication elsewhere; if so, provide a full reference that can be published in Animation Studies. 10. If you want your completed paper to be considered for peer-review, email it along with the rest of your application materials. Send it as a separate file. Be sure to include the date by which a decision is needed—for example, if your travel funding rests on publication.

Category 2 Pre-constituted Panel (Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1) Length: 1 hour 1. Name of chairperson/organizer 2. Professional affiliation (school or studio, for example), including title, if appropriate 3. Email address 4. Mailing address 5. Telephone number 6. Title of presentation 7. 250-word abstract suitable for publication (after the conference, your abstract will be published in Animation Studies, the SAS journal; please submit any required changes within two weeks after the event has ended). 8. List each of the proposed participants, including: - name - professional affiliation and title, if appropriate - email address

9. Biographical statement (up to 200 words) indicating the relevance of the topic to the agenda of the Society for Animation Studies, as well as the general qualifications of each participant.

Category 3 Workshop for PSU graduate students (Monday and Tuesday, July 2 and 3) Length: between two to six hours 1. Name of presenter 2. Professional affiliation (school or studio, for example), including title, if appropriate 3. Email address 4. Mailing address 5. Telephone number 6. Title of workshop 7. Length of workshop (e.g., two-hour, three-hour, four-hour, six-hour format) 8. Materials or equipment needed for the workshop 9. 250-word abstract suitable for publication (after the conference, your abstract will be published in Animation Studies, the SAS journal; please submit any required changes within two weeks after the event has ended). Please indicate how you will blend history, theory and practice. You should include an idea of the kind of exercise or project you will introduce. (Students can complete these outside the duration of the workshop.) 10. Biographical statement (up to 100 words) indicating how the proposed workshop fits into your overall research agenda and experience.

Platform International Animation Festival June 25 – 30, 2007 Portland Oregon http://platformfestival.com

Animation at the Crossroads Special 2006 Conference Issue

Top: Conference lecture theater. Bottom left: Book exhibit. Bottom right: Trinity University Northrup Hall. The 18th Annual Society for Animation Studies Conference was held in San Antonio, Texas, at Trinity University from Friday 7 July to Monday 10 July 2006. The theme for the conference was "Animation at the Crossroads." The conference’s 48 participants attended a full schedule of paper presentations, joined panel discussions, and connected with old and new friends during a full spate of exciting animation-related and San Antonio-based activities. The following pages document parts of the conference in text and pictures. The photographs were generously contributed by Charles da Costa, Marian Quigley, and Timo Linsenmaier.

Those who would like to have an even more immersive record can obtain a copy of the Conference DVD. We are fortunate that David Williams created this distillation of conference proceedings from three 60-minute videotapes. The Conference DVD contains • montages of the conference opening • selections of a few papers • the Gala dinner, including extracts from the speeches and the presentations • highlights of the Magic Lantern Castle lecture and show • a bit of my animated fun with the University murals and sculptures and the San Antonio Riverwalk The Conference DVD runs 59 minutes and is on DVD PAL with no regional code. The disc will play on NTSC machines with or without multi-region coding (David’s note: they play on my daughter's DVD in Canada). The DVD is available for the price of production and shipping. Please direct orders and inquiries to David Williams at [email protected].

The President’s Farewell Address Ton Crone

The following speech was delivered at the Opening Gala of the 18th SAS Conference at Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, on 7 July 2006, where Ton Crone was honoured for his many years of service as SAS President. Crone was presented with a framed cartoon by J. J. Sedelmaier and a handsome cowboy hat.

Right: Ton Crone and Rose Bond Good evening everyone, It is an honour for me as retiring President to address you during this gala dinner of the Society for Animation Studies in between courses. I am not an entertainer and I don’t make jokes easily. Instead, I will review the past seven years placing the accent on personal contributions and mentioning a number of individuals by name. I can look back on seven years of involvement with people all over the world engaged in animation film research and wishing to share their knowledge and experiences. This contact and all the information I gained were important mainstays and a constant stimulus. It was not always an easy job. Certainly when esteemed members pass away such as Bill Moritz, a former President of the SAS. And also the concerns of the illness of Robin Allan and Roger Palmer.

The advancement of the SAS has been the most important objective. The point of departure was to turn the SAS into a more international organisation. To achieve this I approached people from various continents to become board members. I am still happy with this decision because it kept me up-to-date with developments elsewhere. The challenge for the SAS is dealing with different cultures and also different languages. That is one of the reasons we have looked for funding to translate scholarly books and still we are going on because it need a lot of time. It is practically inconceivable that in the beginning - in 1999 - e-mail was not yet generally accepted among SAS members. At the time we had to rely on sending Newsletters by post. So communication was not as fast as it is today. We didn’t have our own web site either. The ASIFA offered us the use of their new site. Thomas Renolder from Austria devised a set-up creating extra space for us to place information about conferences. We were also given space on Animation World Network.com via Harvey Deneroff. E-mail made communication easier; that is, it reduced the time between sending a message and receiving answers. But the time zones were a problem. When I wanted to mail people in the USA and get a fast reply I had to do so after four in the afternoon while for Asia and Australia this had to be done early in the morning. Although where Maureen Furniss is concerned, you can mail any hour of the day and still receive a prompt reply. The language still remains a problem. I am not an English native speaker and I am the first non-English speaking President. My language is different from that generally used for communication. The Americans and English sometimes forget that we first have to translate their words before we can respond and that it is not always easy expressing your feelings and emotions in a foreign language. In the first year - 1999 - we held our first conference “down under” in Brisbane in Australia where our host was Keith Bradburry. The following year – in two thousand – we planned to go to Belgium but at the invitation of Gunnar Strøm this changed to Trondheim in Norway. In 2001 we went to Montréal where I organised my second conference, this time in collaboration with Peter Rist from Concordia University and Marcy Page from the National Film Board. The USA came next again, this time Glendale in California, organised by the founder of the SAS, Harvey Deneroff in 2002. The conference in 2003 was held in Urbana-Champaign and it was organised by my predecessor, Richard Leskosky. In 2004 we participated in the organisation headed by Suzanne Buchan for the Farnham conference which we had attended previously in 1993 when it was organised by Roger Noake. In 2005 the conference was organised in Germany for the first time, coinciding with the Dresden festival, and it was organised by Jeanpaul Goergen, André Eckhart and Sabine Scholze. There was clearly a causal connection between the number of members from the USA and the number of times we held a conference in the USA. With conferences in Europe or Australia membership numbers fell, only to increase if we held the conference in the USA. The number of members in Europe has grown slowly whereby the numbers have sometimes been larger than those from the USA and Canada. In general the average number has been 75 paying members.

Japan has set up its own SAS. Since 1997 when I organised the conference in the Netherlands, I have kept in contact with Japanese researchers who have organised conferences in their own country and who issue their own newsletters in Japanese. The SAS is a voluntary organisation. This is both its strength and its weakness. Volunteers may have less time with the passing of the years. Within the context of expanding the organisation and continuity it is, I feel, important to bear this constantly in mind. The SAS membership fee has remained the same since inception. This is thanks to the switch to an eNewsletter – otherwise this fee would be considerably higher. Leaving aside inflation, the present sum is too low to support conferences, for example. I now number among the older SAS generation and I am happy with the arrival of younger members who are far more accustomed to using new media. That also makes it gratifying to hand over to someone else. We have achieved a great deal in the last six months. Our web site now has a professional set-up. The eNewsletter has gained in importance. I can only say well done! Keep it up. In the first place I would like to thank the board of the Netherlands Institute for Animation Film Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. They have given me and my team the opportunity to do this job during the last seven years. I would like to thank also Michael Frierson and Jeanpaul Goergen, Roger Palmer, Pierre Floquet and Gigi Hu as fellow board members. Maureen Furniss and David Ehrlich as former board members. From the NIAf - Mette Peters and Ursula van den Heuvel who have given me so much support. But also Suzanne Williams-Rautiola, Mark Langer, Harvey Deneroff, Dan McLaughlin, Suzanne Buchan and David Williams. One of my last activities has been the organisation of the McLaren/Lambert Award. In 2004 a committee was appointed, at the conference in Urbana-Champaign, comprising Michael Frierson, Suzanne Buchan and Karin Wehn. I now ask the Chairperson of this committee to announce the result. ©2006 Ton Crone

Reflections on “Animation at the Crossroads” Suzanne Williams-Rautiola

In looking back on the 18th Annual Society for Animation Studies Conference, I realize that there is a glaring error that should be corrected immediately. In the excitement of the conference, I neglected to thank Maureen Furniss and Richard Leskosky for their counsel and encouragement. I called upon them often, and they gave generously of their time and ideas. A heartfelt "Thank You" to Maureen and Richard!

Suzanne Williams-Rautiola and Joel Rautiola

Left: Bauhaus Software presents Mirage. Right: Jack Judson at the Magic Lantern Castle. There were many others within SAS who supported me over the last year, but one that I should thank again is Ton Crone, SAS outgoing president. I have truly appreciated Ton’s unflagging support of and hard work for SAS, and as I began planning the conference last fall, he provided both encouragement and many good suggestions. Thanks also to J. J. Sedelmaier for providing the Society a wonderful way to honor Ton’s hard work - a cartoon with Ton riding in Gertie’s mouth! I introduced two new elements into the program this year and felt that each contributed in a significant and at times monetary way to the conference. First, while book exhibits are standard at most other academic conferences, they have not been a traditional part of our conference, perhaps because they add another level of complexity to the planning. With the encouragement and suggestions of Maureen, I contacted the major publishers in our field, and they responded generously. While I did not charge for exhibit space (as do many organizations), I asked for the books to be donated to the Society or Trinity University. The publishers who participated included Focal Press; John Libbey; Indiana University Press; McFarland & Company, Inc.; Rutgers University Press; South Bank Publishing; and Stone Bridge Press. The books were of such interest to the attendees that I immediately received requests to buy them. In order to be fair, we held a silent auction and sold almost all of the books, making quite a nice sum for the Society. I would heartily recommend that conference planners in the future include a book exhibit. The effort required was not significant, and the results were well worth the effort. Also, the exhibit generated quite a bit of interest in the books, including books brought by authors David Williams (Cinema in a Cathedral City) and Marian Quigley (Women Do Animate). The second new feature was the inclusion of two panel discussions, an idea suggested by Richard Leskosky. Unlike other organizations, the SAS usually does not accept pre- formed panels in addition to papers. To insure the inclusion of timely topics for the discussions, suggestions were solicited from and then voted upon by the membership. The two topics for this conference were "2D Animation at the Crossroads" and "Teaching Animation: At the Crossroads of Production and Studies." These invited

panels tapped into the expertise of some of our longtime members and facilitated the inclusion of professional animators who might not wish to give an academic paper and new members. Also, each of these sessions was videotaped to provide a record of what was at times very lively discussion. I was also able to have two unique features at the conference because of the support of two local organizations - Bauhaus Software and Jack Judson of the Magic Lantern Castle Museum. Paul Ford, President of Bauhaus who participated in one of the panel discussions, and Dan Kraus, CEO of Bauhaus, provided a demonstration of their Mirage 2D and stop motion software and sponsored pizza for our Saturday night screening. Then, the crowning event for the last evening of the conference was a visit to the Magic Lantern Castle Museum. With over 75,000 items from which to choose, its owner and curator Jack Judson has established an informative walk through the history of the magic lantern from the 1700 to the 1900s. He also performed a typical lantern slide program, including a variety of slides with gears facilitating movement that elicited ooos and ahs from the audience. Jack is a recognized expert in the field and graciously offered the visit to the museum and the demonstration free of charge. I'm happy to say that he enjoyed the evening as much as we did and immediately asked about becoming a member of SAS. San Antonio and Trinity University truly put on their best faces for SAS. Just before the conference there was rain to bring out the lush vegetation of San Antonio, and the 100-degree heat held off until the day everyone left. In addition to the hard work of the Trinity Conferences and Special Events Office, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Michael Fischer, sponsored a sumptuous reception, and the Department of Communication (William G. Christ, Chair) provided pre-conference administrative assistance, a van to facilitate transportation for the duration of the conference, and a reception at the museum. Finally, I want to thank all the presenters who truly made the conference memorable. The Society for Animation Studies has been a wonderful resource for me; at every conference I find San Antonio girls in beautiful regional costumes.

material that either enriches my research or my classes. However, SAS is more than a professional organization; we are friends who care about one another and love animation. For anyone thinking of hosting a conference, I can tell you it was a pleasure to host my friends of the Society at Animation at the Crossroads!

San Antonio skyline as seen from Skyline Dining Room, Trinity University.

First Impressions Ann Leung

The 2006 SAS Conference held in San Antonio was actually the first research activity I attended since I joined the Hong Kong Polytechnic University two years ago. I had participated in 3D computer animation and CGI for over a decade before teaching, but haven’t met many animation scholars. I had not heard much about research on the theory and criticism related to CGI apart from the papers that are presented at SIGGRAPH; however, I had the impression that such papers tend to focus on fairly technical computer science or algorithm research results rather than focusing on animation studies in a more historical sense. As I drafted my paper proposal to submit to the SAS Conference, I imagined that a relatively conventional approach would be most appropriate. I therefore picked an orthodox topic for my paper: a case study of a popular Chinese cartoon character Old Master Q, and how his design evolved from comics to 2D then 3D animation. Upon attending the conference, I found not all presenters were conventional animators. Indeed, they were professors, teachers, and animators who were very enthusiastic

about teaching animation theory and history, including the study of CG animation. These are serious scholars! The conference was a fabulous experience for me as I could meet all these animation experts and enthusiasts in one spot. I found the experience very inspiring because I am new to research. Everything I heard and learned from the other presenters during the conference has since driven me to seriously plan ahead on my research path. I would like to take this opportunity to especially thank Suzanne Williams-Rautiola for everything she did. She hosted a great reception at her home on my first evening in San Antonio. Indeed, I had a great time everyday I was in San Antonio: the trip to The Magic Lantern Castle was wonderful…so was the dinner at the restaurant called The Republic of Texas…there were just too many good memories!

Clockwise from top left: The Alamo. Richard Leskosky and Robert Musburger. Panel discussion on teaching and animation. San Antonio Riverwalk.

XVIVO and Scientific Animation David Bolinsky

It is hard to say how large the world of scientific animation is, because science is so large, and visualization, always a cornerstone of scientific discovery and explanation, tends to lend itself to early adaptors and practitioners alike. In a sense, scientific animation and visualization is as specialized as the world in general, which is nearly infinite.

Science animation can be roughly divided into a number of related categories: educational, modeling and synthesis, medical, and entertainment. XVIVO primarily creates works in the first category, used to explain concepts and processes that often occur at scales to which humans cannot relate directly. Topics range from femptosecond long nuclear-scale, quantum-mechanical and micro anatomical relationships and reactions; to astrophysics, where distance, size, and time are literally at the other edge of our ability to imagine, unaided. Scientific visualization is also valuable when depicting events and places where cameras are unable to penetrate, or when direct visualization is too disruptive or dangerous to allow what is being depicted to occur. These animations are likely to be seen on popular science broadcasts, like Scientific American Frontiers, National Geographic, Discovery Channel’s various shows and NOVA; museum theaters; medical and scientific conferences where people are demonstrating the latest and greatest medical and technological breakthroughs; and classroom settings.

XVIVO fits into the interface between people who have some new concept, device, or invention that can only be understood with a reasonable amount of time invested, using visual tools, and the people who are an intended audience for the topic at hand. We are visual storytellers, interpreters and educators. We use the highest aesthetic creativity we can muster along with a deep and profound respect for science and our clients’ novel information to bring these groups together on the same visual and intellectual landscape. The conceptualization of complex, time-and-motion dependent topics that are often laced with strange Basement membrane. Illustration courtesy of XVIVO.

vocabularies is at the core of XVIVO’s work. We try to inform people about specific topics and processes through animation’s capacity to tell a good story. We use animation to help our intended audience to appreciate, retain, and make an emotional connection with the subject.

The XVIVO production team begins by writing a script, which requires careful and substantive research and revision. For example, if we write a script detailing the function and physiology of a new drug, we only make statements that we can back up, word for word. We footnote facts: we cite relevant passages in juried professional medical and scientific journal articles backing up our content, and attach copies of those papers to the final script. XVIVO must be mindful of FDA and other legal guidelines as we draft our scripts.

Once a script has been approved, it can take between six to eight weeks of production to generate a typical mechanism of “action animation.” At each step of the production chain, from drawing storyboards, to designing the look of molecules, to depicting bioactivity, the project is regularly vetted by a “core team” panel representing the legal, medical, scientific and marketing interests involved in bringing the drug to market. All core team members need to sign off on all aspects of the project during development in order to insure that an honest, defensible program is developed.

The back and forth of approval cycles can add days or weeks to the production process, especially when a drug obviously works, but the exact mechanism, on a molecular level, is less obvious and is up for interpretation. One occasional solution has been for the visuals to take a somewhat more aggressive point of view while the voice-over toes the conservative line. Logistical issues often center around what stage the FDA is at in their approval of certain claims by the manufacturer. Often product claims that can be legally made in the European market need to be dropped or modified for the North American market.

Sometimes logistical and aesthetic issues interrelate. Whether the decision is made to render our molecular models from actual x-ray diffraction data (available on the Protein Data Bank, which places each atom of the molecule in its precise 3D position), or to more simply stylize the molecule, the entire look and feel of the project can be affected. Most often it does not matter to the story, but sometimes Dendritic and T-Cells. Illustration courtesy of XVIVO.

making a lower fidelity representation of the class of molecule fits both the stylistic and legal bill.

The education level of our target audience is another critical factor in how complex we make our scenes and our representations of the major molecular ‘players’. All aesthetic considerations—form, lighting, texture, composition and motion—must, in the end, communicate the story. Is the way we understand and represent the subject relevant, interesting, honest, memorable and visually and aurally pleasing? Animation for entertainment has far fewer content and intent hurdles than our scientific projects do.

The priorities of scientific animation are based in balancing content requirements against limits in budgets, production schedules and run-length. The Mind-Share of the typical audience member for our scientific work is necessarily limited to the time our work can swipe from their over-subscribed and over stimulated schedules. Most of XVIVO’s work runs from two to four minutes. With a standard metric of 125-135 words per minute for listening to technical scripts in comfort, just digesting volumes of information into those small capsules of time can be daunting, especially given the importance of audience understanding and retention as goals.

With so little script allowed in a minute, our visuals carry a huge burden of the information load transfer. Designing for composition, visually leading and focusing the viewer, maintaining relative continuity of scale, location and orientation, are just a few of the issues we grapple with. Sometimes the most daunting task is figuring out a new visual vocabulary that is relevant to viewers seeing things they have never seen and probably rarely imagined, but which also meshes neatly with what people expect in terms of lighting, color, perspective and rational movement.

This challenge—the visualization of the never- seen as the self-evident— was exceedingly acute in XVIVO’s recent critically acclaimed work, “Inner Life of the Cell.” In real cells, the living machinery is packed as tightly as physically possible, with room only for water molecules and chemicals for respiration and molecular building blocks. Large sections are highly compartmentalized. There is no room for a vista or panorama, and the all of the molecules are smaller Stem cell homing. Illustration courtesy of XVIVO.

than the wavelengths of light that define color. We needed to edit the cytoplasmic space and remove the bulk of what occupies a cell, to be able to uncover the larger truth of how a cell functions, and how the parts relate. Think: cellular digest.

This all had to hang on a narrative that parallels an educational syllabus external to, and far more academically in-depth than, the animation. “Inner Life of the Cell” is intended to be embedded into BioVisions at Harvard, a website of great breadth and depth that is designed to give Molecular and Cellular Biology students at Harvard a far richer and more complete field of study than can be gleaned from a few text books. “Inner Life of the Cell” is only the beginning chapter of a planned animation series. XVIVO is under exclusive contract with Harvard’s Dr. Robert Lue to create additional animation modules that will largely define the major aspects of Molecular and Cellular Biology. The animation is the copyrighted property of Harvard Corporation and HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute), and will be available online to Harvard Students.

David Bolinsky is the Medical Director of XVIVO Scientific Animation. Bolinsky received his AMI-accredited BS in Medical Illustration from Ohio State University in 1974, and accepted a joint faculty appointment as a medical illustrator with Michigan State University’s Veterinary/Human Medical Schools, where he completed premed and advanced graduate anatomy courses. In 1981 Bolinsky became senior medical illustrator at the Yale School of Medicine. In 1984 Bolinsky founded Advanced Imaging, a digital medical animation company. In 2001 Bolinsky co-founded XVIVO.

Screenings of Newly Restored Adam Beckett Films Pamela Turner

Animation artist Adam Beckett is still present on the oft- cited list of renowned animators emerging from what is now the Experimental Animation program at CalArts, though he died tragically in 1979 at the age of 29. Between the years 1970 and 1975, he mastered six animated films and collaborated on a seventh. Now five of his groundbreaking works have been restored by The iotaCenter in Los Angeles and are being rediscovered by a new generation of media artists. These new prints recently screened at the National Gallery of Art on the afternoon of August 26th. I introduced the films with a presentation that included photographs, stills and drawings to illuminate the life and work of Beckett. This program made its West Coast debut on October 8th, at Adam Beckett, 1976. Photograph by Chris Casady.

a special screening included in “Fragments from a Lover’s Discourse: Highlights from The Museum of Modern Art’s Tomorrowland: CalArts in Moving Pictures” at the REDCAT Theater in Los Angeles.

The films which have been restored are “Evolution of the Red Star” (1973), Heavy-Light”(1973), “Sausage City”(1974), “Flesh Flows” (1974) and “Kitsch in Synch”(1975). The National Gallery event marks the first time that this number of Beckett’s films have been shown at one screening, except perhaps at his memorial services in 1979. Four have been shown together – in 1980 at the Hirshhorn Museum - but there is not a record of five or more works screening together. Still from Kitsch in Synch (1975). Courtesy of The iotaCenter ©2006

Margaret Parsons, head of the department of film programs at the National Gallery of Art, curated the event, which was well attended. The audience, which was unfamiliar with the work of Beckett (except for one former classmate), reacted with enthusiasm and a lively round of questions. They drew connections to the work of Peter Max as well as to the science of fractals. There were requests for a book and a DVD, both of which are in progress.

The Work of Adam Beckett

The films that Beckett left us are abstract and extremely complex. His animation was hand-drawn, although because of the process he pioneered it often suggested image processing akin to that used in video or in computer generated patterns. His primary method was based on the creation of a cycle – sometimes as short as 6 drawings – that was added to and changed as the piece progressed. The drawing was manipulated under the camera and the camera often ‘journeyed’ over and through the artwork, moving in to isolate an action and then out to reveal the overall complexity. The optical printer was heavily employed, adding a dimension of phased time and spatiality.

Seeing the restored films projected large on a theater screen made it clear that while working on a two-dimensional plane, Beckett was creating spatial dimension pulling the viewer into and through the space. He did this with the use of phasing the image in time via the optical printer, using multiple passes. Colors, which are restored and brilliant, shifted, inverted and glowed.

The sound scores for his films must also be mentioned. Carl Stone, a renowned composer who was a student at CalArts with Beckett, composed the electrifying music for “Evolution of the Red Star” and Barry Schrader, also well known in the electro-

acoustic composition world and who still teaches at CalArts, composed the mysterious, haunting track for “Heavy- Light”. Beckett composed a mythical band named “Brillo” for the playful, jazz track on “Sausage City”, and created the soundscore for “Flesh Flows” with contributions from the CalArts Chorus. The music for “Kitsch in Synch” won awards when it was released and is a favorite of audiences due to its playfulness. It was ‘directed’ by Beckett and involves members of two classes, Still from Flesh Flows (1974). Courtesy of The iotaCenter ©2006 animation and optical printing, that he was teaching at the time. These students contributed imagery to the film, as well as creating the sound. Their “music” involved chanting and “singing” a non-sense rhythm that is then sped up, interspersed with some sitar-like chords and perhaps a penny whistle.

In all Beckett created six independent films, and collaborated with James Gore on the award-winning “The Letter”, shown at Annecy in 1971. Two films were left unfinished at the time of his death, “Life in the Atom” and “Knotte Grosse”, both on 35mm. In addition to his animations he contributed to the special effects industry, working at Robert Abel Studios, and as head of animation and rotoscoping at ILM for the first “Star Wars”, released in 1977. Notably, Adam received post-mortem credit on the 2000 film “The Cell’ thanks to the late Richard “Dr.” Baily, who credited Adam as a technical advisor due to the technique that Adam developed that inspired and informed the effects Baily created for the film.

The Adam K. Beckett Project

The restoration of these films is part of a larger “Adam K. Beckett Project” spearheaded by The iotaCenter (www.iotacenter.org). This is a project that has been ongoing for the past three years and includes support for the research into Beckett’s life and work, preservation of his films, and reintroduction of his films to the public and the ongoing discourse of experimental animation. The project began from pretty bare bones. There was little published work or research. Robert Russett interviewed Beckett in 1974, and this is included in the first printing of the seminal text “Experimental Animation” by Cecile Starr and Robert Russett, but is not in the 1988 reprint. To collect and compile a fuller picture of the artist I’ve interviewed over 40 people who knew Adam from different times and aspects of his life: childhood friends, classmates, teachers, colleagues in the special effects industry and of course, family members. This research, and the restored films are together in “(re)Discovering the Work of Adam Beckett”, a program from The iotaCenter that enables the work to once again be experienced by a larger audience.

The preservation of the films required that the best sources for reprinting or reconstructing be found. Private owners of Beckett’s films, Beckett’s family, Canyon Cinema and the film library at CalArts supplied these. Beckett’s family placed over 600 film pieces on deposit with The iotaCenter ranging from early animation exercises, experimental loops, release prints and original elements of his six independent films. These are now stored at The Academy Film Archive.

The National Film Preservation Foundation awarded a grant that funded lab costs and The Film Archive of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences sponsored the restoration effort. Mark Toscano, at the Academy Film Archive, was the film detective that put together the best sources and recreated the vibrant pieces shown to the enthusiastic audience at the National Gallery of Art. Toscano, aided by intern Amy Sloper, inventoried and inspected the film sources, and reconstructed the films. He explained Mark Toscano, with intern Amy Sloper (left) that because most of the originals were faded and researcher Pam Turner (right). or lost “…we had to work from a variety of picture and sound sources to recapture the way they originally looked and sounded, restoring the movies from errant pieces and parts to get them back to looking and sounding great.”

Future plans for the project include the restoration of “Dear Janice”, Beckett’s first independent solo film, along with some of his early animation tests and loops. “The Letter” a collaborative work created in 1970 with James Gore is also slated for preservation. An artist manuscript is in progress along with plans for a DVD release of Beckett’s films and related materials. Although Beckett’s active period of independent animation was brief, he left a collection of work that deserves recognition and inclusion in the ongoing discourse of experimental animation.

Pamela Turner began in photography and in the mid-1980's expanded into the realm of the moving image, encompassing video, film, and computer animation. Since 1995 she has taught studio and lecture courses in digital media, photography, and animation at Virginia Commonwealth University. She is an associate professor in the department of Kinetic Imaging where her courses encompass 3D and 2D computer imaging, with an emphasis on mixing media and exploring the possibilities of expression through the creation of moving images and sound.

John Grace Memorial Conference: The Art of British CGI For more information, please contact Paul Wells at [email protected]

Halas and Batchelor Cartoons: An Animated History Vivien Halas and Paul Wells

Publisher: Southbank Publishing ISBN: 1904915175 Description: 224 pages, paperback

This richly illustrated book is a part-history, part-tribute, part-critical analysis of the Halas and Batchelor Cartoon studio, Britain’s leading and most influential animation company for over fifty years between 1940-1995.

It draws on the archives of the Halas & Batchelor Collection and looks at the key works of the studio, including Animal Farm, Britain’s first full length animated feature; The Tales of Hoffnung, with the legendary Peter Sellers; and the cult classics Autobahn, featuring the music of Kraftwerk, and Butterfly Ball, with the work of Beatles illustrator, Alan Aldridge.

Established writers, including Giannalberto Bendazzi and John Canemaker, have contributed to celebrate the achievements of the studio, and the book features an autobiographical account by Vivien Halas, as well as critical insights by Paul Wells, Richard Holliss, Jim Walker and Pat Raine Webb.

British animation and the whole art and culture of animation worldwide would have achieved less, without the impact of John Halas and Joy Batchelor’s outstanding work. This book explores their art and legacy.

For further information, please contact

Chris Burrows PR on 0161 445 6635 Vivien Halas on 01273 488322 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

About the authors Vivien Halas: daughter of John Halas and Joy Batchelor, director of The Halas & Batchelor Collection.

Paul Wells: Professor of Animation at Loughborough University. Author and broadcaster. Understanding Animation, Animation: Genre and Authorship, Animation and America, and Fundamentals of Animation.

The Fundamentals of Animation Paul Wells

Publisher: ava publishing sa ISBN: 2-940373-02-7 Description: 176 pages, 300 color images, paperback with flaps, 8” X 9” Price: $29.99

The Fundamentals of Animation will provide a wealth of information to both students of animation, and aspiring animators. The book discusses the key principles and processes involved in animation, from finding and researching a concept, through

the preparation and techniques used, to the execution of the work. Each stage is carefully detailed, and the new accessible and affordable technologies that are liberating the creative process are included. The second part of the book explores the links animation has to the styles and narratives of popular culture, aligning theory and ideas to a variety of processes and practices by analyzing precious work and by studying current student and commercial work. On top of this, a practical section at the end deals with career paths, portfolios and the structure of the creative industries; invaluable for any aspiring professional. Contents Introduction Digital Animation Animation and Popular Culture A Brief History Why Animation? Computer-generated Animation CGI Independent Studio Work Key Principles and Processes A Superior Example of CGI Introduction Digital Effects and 3D Animation Concept Rotoscope and Motion Capture Research Combining Live Action and Animation Using Preparation Motion Capture for CGI Narrative Drawing The Merits of Flash Technique and Approach Enhancing Flash Techniques Story and Design Alternative Methods Design as Concept A Brief History Storyboards and Narrative Fine Art Practices Storyboards and Composition A Philosophical Approach Character and Movement Animated Documentary Character Development Layout and Thinking Cinematically Contexts Sound Introduction Technique Post-production The Animator as Interpreter Special Effects Script and Scenario Sound in Post-production Animated Gags and Comic Events Critical Evaluation The Animator as Performer Portfolio The Animator as Editor Show reel The Animator as Director CV/Resume Collaboration Applications and Outcomes Working as an Independent Introduction The Pitfalls Drawn and Cell Animation Postgraduate Opportunities A Brief History Making an Independent Film Walk Cycles Screening Opportunities Drawing and Aesthetic Tradition Markets 3D Stop-motion Animation Festivals A Brief History Contexts Sound and Stop-motion Animation Stop-motion Animation and Satire Appendix A First Experience Bibliography and Webography Animation for Children Index Clay Animation Credits and Acknowledgements

Society for Animation Studies Board and Contact Information

Founded by Dr. Harvey Deneroff in 1987, Regular Membership: the Society for Animation Studies (SAS) is USD 35.00 / 35.00 Euro an international organization dedicated to Student Membership the study of animation history and theory. USD 20.00 / 20.00 Euro Institutional Membership SAS Board: USD 60.00 / 60.00 Euro Maureen Furniss, President Please visit the SAS website to learn how California Institute of the Arts to become a member. Paul Wells, Vice President Loughborough University SAS Websites: Richard Leskosky, http://www.animationstudies.org Secretary/Parliamentarian http://www.sas-in-europe.com University of Illinois, Urbana http://universe.animationstudies.org/ André Eckardt, Treasurer German Institute for Animation Film Temporary SAS discussion group: Timo Linsenmaier, Webmaster http://groups.yahoo.com/group/animationst University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe udies/ Victoria Meng, Student Representative University of California, Los Angeles Publications Editors: Animation Studies – Nichola Dobson Paul Ward, Member at Large SAS Newsletter – Victoria Meng Brunel University Linda Simensky, Member at Large Website Development: PBS Kids Ingo Linde

SAS Membership SAS-in-Europe Webmaster: Benefits to members include: Jeanpaul Goergen • Annual conferences. • Publication of peer-reviewed SAS Newsletter conference proceedings in the Society's Submissions, suggestions, corrections, online journal, Animation Studies. address changes and all other Newsletter- • Listing in the 'SAS Animation Experts' related correspondence should be directory (forthcoming). addressed to: • The SAS Newsletter, an internal news Victoria Meng publication. 11140 Rose Ave. #302 Los Angeles, CA 90034 USA • Members-only discussion list. T: 001 310 398 2387 • Discounts to festivals and other events E: [email protected] with participating organizations. SAS Newsletter subscriptions are free with membership in the society.