Media Dissertation: How Does Tim Burton's Drawing Style Transfer Onto His Movies That Create a Different Style and Atmosphere Compared to Hollywood Movies.
INTRODUCTION
In this dissertation, I intend to explore how East European drawing and animation styles can be successfully incorporated into Western cinema, as there have not been too many animations or live-action movies that liberate themselves from the conventions of Hollywood. The ones that do subvert Hollywood conventions may either stand out with praise from critics or alienate the audience. This dissertation will examine a few of the most influential European animation artists, including Pyetrovich Ivanov–Vano, a Soviet animator and Russian animation director, sometimes called the "patriarch of Soviet animation"; and Lev Konstantinovich Atamanov, one of the foremost Soviet animation film directors and one of the founders of Soviet animation art. I will be discussing how these animators ' artistic styles translate into animations different to what Western culture is used to seeing and how this difference enriches the look and feel of the characters and landscape and how this different look can add to or take away from the storytelling of the animation. To see how East European art styles in animation have had an impact in Western cinema, I have chosen to examine the works of Western writer and director Tim Burton. At first glance his animations seem very different to those of East European artists. His movies have been heavily focused on darkness and shadows. The characters are deformed and much of the time even scary. Therefore his style seems to present a contrast to the calm and gentle feel of Russian cartoons and stop-motion. However, on closer examination, the similarities start to appear. I intend to explore these similarities and show how subverting the norms of Western cinema can be done successfully.
"...animation in these formerly Communist nations is often not aimed at children - the Fountainhead screening featured selections with the usual childish goofiness, as well as an unsettling anti-Communism protest about freedom of expression."
In this dissertation, I intend to explore how East European drawing and animation styles can be successfully incorporated into Western cinema, as there have not been too many animations or live-action movies that liberate themselves from the conventions of Hollywood. The ones that do subvert Hollywood conventions may either stand out with praise from critics or alienate the audience. This dissertation will examine a few of the most influential European animation artists, including Pyetrovich Ivanov–Vano, a Soviet animator and Russian animation director, sometimes called the "patriarch of Soviet animation"; and Lev Konstantinovich Atamanov, one of the foremost Soviet animation film directors and one of the founders of Soviet animation art. I will be discussing how these animators ' artistic styles translate into animations different to what Western culture is used to seeing and how this difference enriches the look and feel of the characters and landscape and how this different look can add to or take away from the storytelling of the animation. To see how East European art styles in animation have had an impact in Western cinema, I have chosen to examine the works of Western writer and director Tim Burton. At first glance his animations seem very different to those of East European artists. His movies have been heavily focused on darkness and shadows. The characters are deformed and much of the time even scary. Therefore his style seems to present a contrast to the calm and gentle feel of Russian cartoons and stop-motion. However, on closer examination, the similarities start to appear. I intend to explore these similarities and show how subverting the norms of Western cinema can be done successfully.
"...animation in these formerly Communist nations is often not aimed at children - the Fountainhead screening featured selections with the usual childish goofiness, as well as an unsettling anti-Communism protest about freedom of expression."
References: Masters of Russian Animation - Volume 2 (1978), Image Entertainment, USA, 2000 Burton, Tim, The Nightmare Before Christmas (Special Edition), Touchstone Home Video, USA, 2006 Beck, Jerry, The Animation Movie Guide, Chicago Review Press, USA, 2005 Beckerman, Howard, Animation: The Whole Story, Allworth Press, USA, 2003 Beumers, Birgit, Pop Culture Russia!: media, arts and lifestyle, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2005 Bowlt, John E, Matich, Olga, Laboratory of Dreams: The Russian Avant-Garde and Cultural Experiment, Stanford University Press, USA, 1999