Volume 23, Issue 2 Fall 2010 The Society for Animation Studies Newsletter ISSN: 1930-191X In this Issue: Letter from the Editors SAS Announcements: ● President Report Paul Ward Dear SAS members, ● Membership Report Robert Musburger We are delighted to present to you the final ● SAS 2011 Conference Update newsletter of 2010, which is also our first issue as Romana Turina new co-editors. ● Animation Studies Amy Ratelle & Caroline Ruddell Inside you will find the latest society information, ● McLaren-Lambert Award Winner including reports from our president and treasurer, information on the Animation Studies journal, and Conferences and Events an update for the upcoming conference in Athens. 5 ● SAS (Edinburgh) 2010 Photos This issue remembers important events from the Charles daCosta preceding year (SAS 2010, SAIF 2010), and looks 6 ● SIAF (Savannah International toward upcoming events (SIAF in Savannah, SAS in Animation Festival) Update Nancy McClellan Miles Athens). Our review section highlights Eastern European animation, including recent work by 7 ● SAIF (Sidney) 2010 Report Švankmajer, Norstein, and contemporary Czech & Katharine Buljan Slovak animators. 8 ● Center for Visual Music Benefit and Auction Center for Visual Music We hope you are inspired to contribute news and reviews to our next newsletter issue, and we look forward to your submissions! Reviews: Spotlight on Eastern European Animation ● Czech and Slovak Animation DVD Review Sincerely, Eliška Decká Alla Gadassik and Laura Ivins-Hulley ● Švankmajer Film Screening Co-Editors Malcolm Cook ● Yuri Norstein Lecture Alla Gadassik Membership Information ● SAS Board and Contacts 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 © 2009 SAS Newsletter, v23n2, p.1 President’s Report Paul Ward As we near the end of 2010 I can reflect on my first year as President. Trying to balance the role with my day job (and have something approaching ‘a life’) has proved difficult at times. Since we attained incorporation and charitable status there are a number of things that the Society has to do in a more formal and standardised manner – finances, membership, the accounting of the annual conference are but three examples. The Board are working towards a standard approach to the annual conference, which will make things easier year-on-year for the organiser/chair, as well as safeguarding the interests of the Society and the hosting institution. Things are taking a little longer than anticipated due to some of my other work, but we will have things in place shortly. With regard to 2011’s conference, the planning continues and Romana Turina looks forward to welcoming you all to Athens in March. The Call for Papers is included below in this newsletter. Please note that although the conference title suggests a definite focus, this does NOT exclude people from submitting proposals on any and all areas of Animation research. Papers on history, technology, pedagogy and theory more generally are very welcome indeed. The deadline for submissions is the end of November. I would also remind people that we have several active groups on topics such as Pedagogy, Archives and Industry – as ever, the SAS is built on the activities and energy of its members. Many new members have joined during the year, and we continue to grow and develop. If anyone has any suggestions for how we can move these groups forward, or if you wish to be involved more directly in the business of the Society, please drop me a line. We are always looking for people who can assist with things like processing new (and renewing) members, maintaining our web presence, co-ordinating events . the list could be extended. As we grow as a Society, and face new challenges, we need more voluntary muscle! In the meantime, I wish you all good health and look forward to seeing you in Athens. Best wishes Paul Ward Arts University College at Bournemouth President of the Society for Animation Studies Society for Animation Studies © 2009 SAS Newsletter, v23n2, p.2 Treasury Update and Membership Report Robert Musburger PRELIMINARY SAS FALL 2010 FINANCIAL REPORT INCOME Wells Fargo Checking balance 9,074.73 Savings balance 500.00 Wells Fargo Total 10,074.73 Pay Pal US $ balance 8,816.66 UK balance £60.94 CAN balance 102.40 AUS balance 64.74 EUR balance €35.81 Pay Pal total 9,115.71 Edinburgh Conference (To be transferred to Wells Fargo) Conference accounts receivable: Conference Income from Fees $32,638.00 (£20,407.69) Original Startup Fund (from SAS) 1,000.00 Travel Grant Allotment (from SAS) 1,000.00 Total (approx) 34,638.00 Conference accounts payable: Event Expenses $21,472.00 (£20,407.69) Travel Grants Paid Out 1,000.00 Total (approx) 22,472.00 Remaining Balance (approx) $11,156.80 (£6,981.68) EXPENSES Postage/shipping 43.25 LIABILITIES Athens Conference Start-up Fund 1,000.00 TOTAL EQUITY (As of 10/10/10) $19,190.44 $11,156.80 SAS FALL 2010 MEMBERSHIP REPORT (As of 10-1-10) Total 2010 paid members 216 (includes 9 members paid by institutions) Total 2011 paid members (includes 2010 dues) Renewal 1 New 12 Total paid members 229 REMINDER: Dues paid NOW will pay membership through the end of December 2011. Members should renew their membership as soon as possible to avoid the rush that will occur after the first of the year due to the early deadlines for the Athens conference. Conferences presenters must be paid members before the conference. Society for Animation Studies © 2009 SAS Newsletter, v23n2, p.3 2011 SAS Conference Information Romana Turina The Rise of the Creative Economy: Digital Animation, Visual FXS, and Allied Technologies The 23rd Society for Animation Studies Annual Conference University of Indianapolis, Athens Campus, 18-20 March 2011 CALL FOR PAPERS The society for Animation Studies invites submissions for proposals for individual papers and panels for its 23rd Annual conference to be held in the Cultural Center of the University of Indianapolis, Athens Campus. The conference will be organized by the Academic Affair Department and the Communication Department of the University of Indianapolis. This year the conference will include presentations, screenings, roundtables, and workshops. The purpose of this conference is to explore the new skills needed for creating and sustaining a viable digital animation and visual arts industry as a driving force in the creative economy. The conference focuses on the learning needs of educators, students, working professionals, business executives, technology leaders, and public service decision makers in the fields of animation, computer gaming, digital visual arts, media, television, movies, computer science, and information technology. It intends to pay homage to the heritage left to the present by the masters of the past, as well as to investigate the grade in which traditional animation techniques can be beheld and interpreted in view of the future. It springs from the debate on the present state of things in the various sectors of animation studies, and aims to explore their future development in relationship to the current evolution in animation production. This conference will seek to address a wide breadth of questions, including the following: 1. What are the current and emerging animation technologies? Society for Animation Studies © 2009 SAS Newsletter, v23n2, p.4 2. How do visual arts shape stories and communicate through images, music and sound? 3. How does the past drive the present understanding of animation as art and entertainment? 4. How are the animation and visual FXS industries changing? 5. How are business strategies, organizational adaptation, and societal changes being affected by the animation and FXS industries’ evolution? 6. What impact are these factors of change having on society’s ability to develop the required workforce? 7. How does the field of animation contribute to economic development? 8. What are the prospects and promises of the emerging creative economy? Which countries are leading this process? What is happening in the rest of the world? 9. What interdisciplinary research is needed to expand the existing body of knowledge in the field of animation studies? How can this body of knowledge be categorized, organized and disseminated? 10. What educational potential is opened by the evolving sociological perception of animation? Do technology and the entertainment industry play a role in this evolution? 11. Game industry: animation as entertainment, artistic and educational potential at the forefront? 12. Open source: a matter of philosophy and revolution? 13. If history of animation is the ground of the pioneers, what can its history teach us today? 14. Teaching animation: academic acknowledgement of the field and its problems. 15. New technologies in animation: showcase, applications, and new theories. Conference Format: The conference will follow five conference tracks that will address one or more of the conference questions: 1. The digital revolution in animation, its applications and its relationships to the traditional techniques. 2. Paradigms for enhancing the dialogue between traditional animation studies and new approaches towards a deeper knowledge of the craft/field. 3. Paradigms for animation as a key player in the creative economy; the power and potential of games and images in education, simulations, and trials. 4. Paradigms for integrating new technologies into life service networks. 5. How are society and culture changing due to the animation and FXS industries’ evolution? GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSAL (ABSTRACT) SUBMISSION: Email your submission with the proposal attached to Ms. Romana Turina at [email protected].