The Animated Documentary: Behind the Frames

Transcription

1 By Malak Alkassir Dec 2009 The Animated Documentary: Behind the Frames It s understandable that people s first encounters with animated documentaries may not hold the impact that the creators aim for. Audiences unfamiliar with the genre may initially feel that animation alienates people from reality, despite the fact that the purpose of documentaries is to inform people and bring them into reality (Bordwell). Thus, the concept of animated documentaries might be difficult to accept, particularly when topics revolve around political or social matters that might require more fact-based reporting, rather than the fantasy elements introduced with artist-manipulated animation. There are stigmas surrounding the genre that might make the content seem a bit childlike, or just not serious enough for some people s tastes. It becomes the filmmakers priority to challenge the misinformed audience and prove the validity of using animation for non-fiction films. Several films have succeeded in projecting messages through this genre and have even left audiences dumbstruck with careful crafting and editing. Fortunately, the very nature of these types of films allows much room for creativity by letting filmmakers capture and present the material precisely how they want the audience to receive it, giving them more control over the rhetorical impacts animation holds. So, once the biggest challenge is overcome, and the viewers are accepting of the content, the films often leave a lasting impression. The use of animation in documentaries is not a new thing. They have been used for educational and informational films since as early as 1918, with the film by Winsor McCay demonstrating the fall of the Lusitania, a British luxury ship that went down during WWI by German torpedoes (Sofian). This film s influence lies in the fact that it was the first of its kind. During the era of silent films, this was seen as being an ingenious use of animation to recapture details of a historical event that most people had only heard of. The filmmakers wanted to recreate an event to which no one, or very few people, had mental images available. Their ability to recreate the moment the torpedoes struck, the sinking of the ship, as well as the inclusion of a

2 list of names of prominent individuals onboard and the lives lost, all showed a deliberate use of rhetoric to sway the audience and justify US involvement in World War One (Sofian). This documentary is very simple compared to the complex and elaborate animations we see today. Still, it allowed filmmakers to bring to life images that cannot be captured by film. Certainly, today, traditional films are able to recreate with impressive detail many historical events because of advances in film production; however, the concept of non-fiction through animation, as done by McCay, remained popular for their convenience and simplicity. Its impact on the audiences was significant, setting a trend for many films that were intended to be educational or non-fiction, but without the burden of hiring actors, setting up a studio, and so forth (Sofian). Today, because of the widespread use of animation for entertainment films, children s cartoons, commercials, and so on, the task of using this same genre for non-fiction documentaries becomes difficult as filmmakers must establish the credibility of their piece. Simply by choosing significant historical topics to discuss, most animated documentaries are able to capture attention. Two films, Persepolis (Parronaud & Satrapi 2007) and Waltz with Bashir (Folman 2008) established their legitimacy by topic choice. Waltz with Bashir was centered on the Israeli and Lebanese conflict of the early 1980 s. The audience entered the movie knowing the grave nature of the topic. Expecting accurate historical elements to be included, viewers didn t question the legitimacy of the interview subjects or the content. Also, the autobiographical nature of the film, as told through the eyes of an Israeli soldier who was exploring the story, gave the film some authority and distanced it from the stereotypes often associated with animation. Persepolis, likewise, was an autobiographical film that told the story of a girl s experiences growing up during the rocky Iranian revolution. By including political figures and events familiar to the audience, credibility was established solidly, though the film was intended to be based on a single person s life and not so much the revolution or the political background. However, if the facts revolving around politics were true, the audience has no reason to doubt the legitimacy of the narrator s life story (Bordwell). Unfortunately, the use of rhetoric in animation cannot be subtle. The audience recognizes the material as being handpicked by the artist s hands. They know what they see is precisely what the filmmakers want them to see. In contrast, the details of real action films maybe overlooked, regardless of whether or not they too are carefully put together. This is because they

3 look so naturally placed within the frame. What we see in animated films are images we know we are meant to see. In Waltz with Bashir, as Folman and one of his interview subjects are sitting at the table talking, a child reaches for a knife, plays around the house, etc., while his father has his back turned to him and is busy with the interview. The audience is left asking themselves, Why was that included? What layers does it give the film? Audiences might be suspicious of the obvious appeal to pathos that is the most prominent rhetorical tool in animated films (Tardiff). Persepolis gives a good example of this rhetorical tool: the drawings themselves are not too elaborate, and frankly, give the impression of a child s cartoon and not much different than the animation used in comic strips. The emotional vulnerability of the audience is set up as they watch images better suited for a comic book (the film is, in fact, based on comics of the same style by Satrapi herself). The subject matter becomes one which the audience sympathizes with more (Bordwell). They don t see the film as a rhetorical piece centering on political drama of Iran, but rather, based on a story told through a girl s eyes, with the same innocence and lack of understanding of the real world as the images used to tell the story. As mentioned, audiences are not used to animation focusing on a non-fictional topic and have different reactions to the material they see. It s this uneasiness that can be both the greatest tool, as well as the biggest barrier for animators. A possible negative impact could be the audience s uneasiness and unfamiliarity with the genre, making them approach the film with prejudices. On the other hand, if the film is one that is meant to make the audience feel uncomfortable, or if the topic is one that is meant to leave an impression of something being off for the audience, then the preconceived notion of what a cartoon should be, compared to what they actually do see with regards to violence and other disturbing material, can be a great weapon for the filmmakers. The shock effect of Waltz with Bashir is strongly based on this point. For instance, the war scenes that show the dead bodies, or a soldier being shot in the head, and even buckets of blood being emptied from a trailer and scrubbed away with a mop are real enough to seriously disturb the audience, making them see the realities of war, though they are still unsettled because of the method of delivery. It s not supposed to feel real, but it does. The animation in Waltz with Bashir indeed holds some unique elements, different than other stories utilizing this style. It seems real on several levels the body gestures of the characters, their conversation styles, and the extremely detailed backgrounds, e.g. during the interviews and in the

4 streets of Beirut. There are details included that seem almost surprising to the viewers, who repeatedly ask themselves why certain scenes were included. This reality through animation is unsettling because the audience doesn t quite know how to receive the film it s more than just animation because of the setting and historical accuracy, though is simultaneously incredibly farfetched and distanced that audiences cannot satisfactorily place it into a single category. The audience is left with a sense of absurdity and confusion, which is precisely the emotion the characters themselves project they feel throughout the film. No one would argue the strongest effect on the audiences comes from the images, which the filmmakers took the time to draw out by hand (Strike). Those who are familiar with the Sabra and Shatilla massacre would have immediately recognized the photographed images that circulated around the world of the dead horses, the child s head sticking out from the rubble, and the utter devastation of the refugee camps. Seeing them recreated in the context of a full-length story, rather than just news flash images, makes the animation more real than the photographs had they stood alone. Animation also allows for better control in delivering abstract concepts that would otherwise be difficult to capture through real performances (Tardiff). Folman s dreams in Waltz was one of the most dramatic scenes in the film as he awakes in the sea with two other soldiers, walks into the city to despairing, screaming faces of the refugee women post-massacre. This scene was particularly curious because of the flattened, ghostlike nature of the women. They were presented as still-shots, only they were moving in Folman s direction. It was very spinechilling and captured the misery of the women s faces while still maintaining an emotional distance because the images looked very artificial and almost dreamlike in contrast to the other scenes in the film. This scene shows how animated films rely on exaggerated effects to emphasize or deemphasize certain points (Tardiff). If done properly, the shifting between presentations can have a lasting impact on the audience by turning an abstract concept into a more concrete one. This presentation also adds elements of humor that makes the same point of taking a single perspective and changing it into reality, as was the case in Persepolis, when Satrapi remembers her less-than-romantic relationship with her ex-boyfriend. It s her point of view, and the audience sees it exactly like she does. They don t question the authenticity of the narrators perspectives. Animation also allows for the insertion of certain scenes and viewpoints that, had they been presented as real footage, would likely limit the breadth of the audience that the film can

5 reach. This may be due to the crude nature of the images, or to the overly disturbing subject covered. An example would be the scenes from A Waltz with Bashir, which included some pornographic images, scenes with rotting corpses of dogs, horses, and dead children, etc. Although the purpose would have been to make the audience aware of reality, some scenes simply wouldn t have been acceptable and may have triggered revulsion and resentment that would have stood in the way of comprehending the essence of the film. Other images that prove this point are when the soldiers are safely protected inside the tank, smashing cars and buildings in the streets of Beirut, loud music slamming in the background, or another scene where a soldier plays his weapon as though it were a guitar, and a music-video echoing an MTV clip begins playing. Though the scenes are very realistically drawn, they are unrealistic in content, and the audience doesn t quite grasp how disturbing and inhumane the whole sequence is that is, until a bullet is fired, and a commander goes down, splashing his blood on the soldier next to him. Only then is the audience dragged back into the reality of war. Another way that animation can control audience reception is by eliminating their biases by showing a softened reality. For example, what the animation did for Persepolis was create more sympathy from the audience. They are less critical of the politics surrounding the story, which is particularly important due to the political undercurrents in setting of Persepolis. Once hostility is dropped and audiences find characters relatable, viewers could focus on the story without feeling this film attempted to sway their political biases. Through the use of animation, the film was able to humanize a group of people that might otherwise be subject to prejudices and stereotyping. This is a good example of how animation tends to smoothe the edges of reality: though these aren t real people, this is very much a real story and one worth telling. We focus on content, not presentation or the details that we are not meant to focus on. The film Persepolis wouldn t have had the same impact on the audience if the actors were real. The audience would have been quick to take away the wrong message. Real actors may have come off as demonizing a group of people; however, this film only showed the impacts that these historical events had on one character s life. Animation allows for a more liberal use of color, fantasy, and otherworldly elements that might seem misplaced in a real-footage documentary. These elements are critical if the filmmakers want to make parts of the film stand out meaningfully. These textures are added because the filmmakers have no desire to replicate reality. It is meant to put forth a perspective

6 that is unique to the filmmaker s point of view (Tardiff). For instance, in Persepolis, politics are central to the story because of the impact the hold on Satrapi s life. Though they are given significance when necessary, politics are mocked and approached satirically. Though animation, however, the mockery is so intertwined with the rest of the story that audiences are left puzzled and wondering just how much is based on the narrator s perspective. For instance, the scene where Satrapi s father recalls the story of how the Shah came to rule is presented more eccentrically than the rest of the film. The Shah and the British move and behave like puppets a figurative concept becomes literal, and because of the whole film, this method flows with the rest of the story and doesn t stand out as it would have in a real-action film. It wouldn t have even been possible to duplicate in a real action film. Animation has an advantage since the picture and mood are easier to influence, and each aspect of the film is given special attention so that it holds a unique grip over the audience (Tardiff). The images are based on the psyche of the characters, developing more as they grow and shifting appropriately based on whether they are experiencing hallucinations, dreams, or their own perceived reality. In Persepolis, the revolutionaries and protesters in the crowd are only shown as black silhouettes, not as individual people. This shows the distance and lack of understanding that Satrapi experiences through the entire revolution as a child. The images were there, but they were a blur. They were outlined significantly enough to show that they still did matter and left a lasting impression, although she didn t quite grasp what was going on. Animation was very useful in capturing the facelessness and loss of individuality under the regime. Everyone looked the same the veiled teachers, the female students, the religious police. Even their expressions and gestures and postures were identical an intentional display so that the audience gets a feeling of what it was like to try and stand out in such a monotonous society. On the other hand, Satrapi s own family and friends were each given individual attention and stood out because those are the images that held meaning to her, even as a child. If the audience is at any given point skeptical as to the reasons behind the filmmakers choice to create the film as an animation, there is a specific scene in Waltz with Bashir where Folman interviews a psychologist and she explains how seeing the world, the tragic and traumatizing parts in particular, through a lens will dilute the effects of the tragedy and allow the person experiencing it to cope better. It puts the lens of a camera between themselves and reality, giving them a sense of control over what they are seeing and internalizing. This notion sums up

7 the reason behind the film, as well as others of the same genre and gives us an insight into the lens they chose to share with the audience. It s all about how they want to deliver their perspective: reliving the story, but at a safe distance. Animation can also be used to emphasize reality itself by juxtaposing the real world against the perceived one. We see this in the final scenes of Waltz with Bashir. The animation made it very clear that Folman attempted to see reality, and that he understand the source of the images that haunt him; however, he was unable to really see past the flattened images of the screaming women coming towards him. This scene all lead to the end when we realize that reality is sometimes difficult to accept, and we must resort to viewing it through selected lenses in order to deal with it better. Folman says in the movie that he lost his memory after However, we know that wasn t the case. He just distanced it from reality as much as he could without entirely forgetting the horrors. There was a progression from blurry, distanced, unclear footage to more details gradually and strategically added as Folman places the pieces of his past together. The final scene with the women screaming and crying relied entirely on real footage, which was alarming to viewers after being so absorbed into the animation. Without being told, the audience was shaken back into reality, with familiar human images, raw displays of emotions that were all too familiar. This was the pull back into reality, and the impact wouldn t have been the same if not for the animation that absorbed their attention for the duration of the film. There was an undeniably touching display of human pain and suffering, and that s when the audience realizes that the whole movie built up to introduce the horrors of that single, climatic scene. When viewing any documentary, the audience expects facts and nothing less. Since we cannot actually take the images from the filmmaker s mind or out of history and onto our screens, what we are left with is the next best thing: animation. It liberates filmmakers from all barriers of traditional films by opening doors to limitless possibilities. They are not bound by an actor s talent or the stiffness of a studio or man-made settings that attempt to duplicate reality. The story is in that it exists in and of itself the actors live as far as the animator s hands allow them. Some documentaries simply don t have the same impact if not for the recreation of events and points of view. Even if we have raw news footage, photographs, etc., none of these media were created for the purpose of being incorporated in a documentary the filmmaker has very little control over those sources and they might not fit with the intended message of the piece if it

8 was meant to be rhetorical rather than informative. So, animation is more personalized and can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of the filmmakers. We see what they want us to see. This is a valuable rhetorical tool as it allows the filmmakers to edit, omit, and skip over some parts of the world. It also gives us a deeper insight into the filmmaker s mind. We see the world through their eyes the shapes, the colors, the things that stand out to them, as well as the things that fade into the background. While traditional filmmakers also have a degree of control over these aspects of their films, the creative and influential style of animation simply can t be surpassed. Works Cited: Bordwell, David. "Observations on film art: Showing what can t be filmed." Davidbordwell.net: Home. 4 Mar Web. 04 Dec < Sofian, Sheila. "The Truth in Pictures." Frames per Second Mar. 2005: Frames per Second Magazine. Mar Web. 3 Dec < Strike, Joe. "Waltz with Bashir: Animation and Memory." AWN Animation World Network. 29 Dec Web. 04 Dec < Tardiff, Matthew. "Waking Life: The Truth is in the Animation (Montage Magazine, 2004)." Weblog post. The Animation Pimp. WordPress, 18 Nov Web. 4 Dec < The Sinking of the Lusitania. Dir. Winsor McCay DVD.