ANIMAFEST SCANNER X | SYMPOSIUM FOR CONTEMPORARY ANIMATION STUDIES | PANEL 1 – WHAT DOES ‘ANIMATION’ MEAN NOW?

DOES ANIMATRONICS RESEMBLE ANIMATION MORE THAN PUPPETRY? Farzaneh Omidvarnia (PhD, Roskilde, Denmark)

PANEL 1: WHAT DOES ‘ANIMATION’ MEAN NOW?
Theatre &TD
06/06 TUE 11:15-11:45

A person’s definition of animation and the criteria used to define it may determine whether animatronics should be included in the animation category. Some may take a technical approach, defining animation as a medium that involves the creation of moving images frame by frame. They may argue that the technical process of animatronics differs significantly from traditional animation techniques, and this distinction is imperative to maintain. They may
also claim that animatronics falls more into the live action, puppetry, robotics or special effects categories and that its inclusion in the animation category could blur the lines between different disciplines. Others may argue that animation is characterized purely by the illusion of movement, regardless of the technique used to achieve it. In many ways, animatronics is similar to animation. Both create the illusion of life, which is a key element of animation, through carefully orchestrated manipulation of physical objects or digital models. Both involve predetermined movements and simulated reality. Animation and animatronics share timing, spacing, and performance principles. Furthermore, animatronics could be considered an extension of stop-motion animation in which physical objects are manipulated to simulate reality. Another similarity between animatronics and animation is the creative possibilities they both offer. Animatronics allows for the creation of complex, physically-realistic characters and environments that are impossible to create using traditional animation techniques. Like any animation technique, animatronics requires a high level of skill and craftsmanship, with each puppet or object carefully designed and constructed to bring a vision to life. From the creation of intricate facial expressions to the construction of elaborate sets and props, animatronics offers an exceptional blend of technical precision and creative expression that is fundamental to the animation medium. Regardless of where one falls in this debate, clearly animatronics has the potential to offer an original and valuable contribution to animation. Can animation include animatronics if its technique-based definition changes?

Farzaneh Omidvarnia was born in Iran, Graduated from University of Tehran, faculty of Fine Arts. She received a PhD in Design in 2015 from the Technical University of Denmark. Following her graduation, she began to focus on creation of fabric sculptures and writing short stories. Her artworks soon appeared in several art exhibition in Europe and Iran, and she published her first collection of short stories in 2016. In 2017, she directed and produced her first animated film To Be (6 minutes, drama). The movie was acclaimed internationally and won prizes at different festivals. Her second film Song Sparrow (2019)
qualified for Oscar 2021 Animated shorts competitions. Broken (2023) is her latest short drama that premiered in February 2023 at Santa Barbara International Film Festival. She isnow based in Copenhagen, Denmark.