RE-ANIMATING ANIMATION

The word animation comes from Latin and literally means revival, briskness. In other words, the art of animation can be interpreted as the art of animated movement. It is based on graphic patterns, where the progressive change in the position of the body or its parts gives the feeling of a living character. Animated cartoons are created by animators — graphic artists and sculptors. But with the birth of computer animation, the art of animated films has lost one of its major concepts based on the notion of soul. Our pragmatic age has almost drifted animacy out of the picture in cinematic art. Is it worth simplifying the art of animation down to the level of informative comics?

Living art

The Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts (ASAA) is trying to preserve the art of animation. Recently, ASAA started the admission of students to the new specialty of Animation Art Director. It is an important event, as animated films play an instrumental role in the establishment and social involvement of persons since childhood.

The rector of the academy is the National Artist of Azerbaijan Omar Eldarov, a real patriot and a man with progressive views on art. Being in love with his work, he has put all his strength and efforts to the development of the present and future of Azerbaijani art for many decades. His recent decision to "foster" animators shows that the 92-year-old professional understands how important it is to have a strong school of animation in Azerbaijan. It is also a manifestation of his progressive mind. We met Omar Hasanovich at a photo exhibition...

"What is the importance of animation art director?"

"Our chair of drawing has two departments traditional for all art schools: easel and book graphics. Last year, we opened another department for animation art directors at the urgent initiative of our teacher and animation specialist Firangiz Gurbanova. Then she selected several applicants for this department. I have to admit that, unfortunately, not all our staff members welcomed the new idea with enthusiasm. Seizing this opportunity, I would like to repeat that we need state support in this issue. The decision should be made by the Ministry of Education. I wrote a letter to the minister requesting him to support our initiative and justified the relevance and timeliness of our request, because the existing demand and supply factors mean there is a need to educate professional animation art directors. Ministry of Culture also supported our point of view sending a letter to the Ministry of Education.

I hope that our request will be heard and the importance of hand-made animated films will be understood and supported."

...Then we talked about the commercialisation of the genre of animated films based on soulless and destructive approach. As an academician, rector and just a man, Omar Eldarov is concerned that our children are inculcated a wrong taste in animated films and the understanding of spiritual and moral values in particular. This may well be yet another reason to open a new department.

"I’m concerned that children view the world through the prism of horror movies, which have neither a plot nor a well-developed story... It is so ugly... Cruelty and the lack of aesthetics in outer and inner worlds bring no good to our children. Modern animated cartoons are rich with scenes of cruelty, anger and violence. Moreover, the absence of hand-made animated films fills in the existing vacuum with films devoid of emotions, energy of living and sincere feelings."

This wise and talented person firmly believes that the problem can still be solved if we have professionals such as animation art directors. He is not only complaining but also is taking real measures to solve the problem.

"I will not give up and continue the correspondence until we are heard."

World of animation

We are in a small room with several tables, a computer and many pictures. This is the work of students making animated films. Perhaps each of us at least once in a lifetime dreamed about being an artist and drawing beautiful and expressive pictures of little animals, leaves of trees, hedgehogs and people! Or, for example, animating a story of an old man from Absheron, who planted a turnip in his sandy garden, which grew as big as half of his house! This is a remake of the old plot about the famous turnip as modern students imagine it. Professor Firangiz Gurbanova, the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, shows us enthusiastically the sketches (they call them storyboards) of students to future animated stories.

"How many students do you have?"

"Five, four girls and a young man. Each of them has individual style and vision."

"How do they express it?"

"In their drawings. In good drawings hand-made by students without using computer-assisted graphic tools, because in addition to technical skills, hand-drawn films require the creation of living and emotionally convincing characters, which have emotions, experiences, soul and feelings like in real life. In other words, we teach our students the skills to create a living and recognisable character from any object, such as a falling tree leaf, a mushroom going to take a walk in the woods, a hedgehog or a girl. Each project expresses how the students view and understand the nature of a humanised, animated character."

"Can you show us some finished projects of your students?"

"Here is a project by Banu Adashova. It is called A Girl with Matches. It is a short animated film (3:26) in post-production stage with the accompanying music background. Banu has made more than 40 storyboards to make the final version of the film. The second one, The False King, is made by Kubra Binnatova. This 3:41-long film was made from more than 100 storyboards. These are two interesting projects, completely different in style and emotional impressiveness. The remaining projects are in the development stage."

We were really impressed with the projects and drawings of our talented students! They have so much to tell the world and to show what ordinary persons could see and notice if they were artists — see the world not in glamorous and empty tones, but as alive and interesting as it is. This is one of the goals that their teachers want to achieve.

We also watched two finished projects: a sad and poetic story of an orphan girl with some tragic accents and a lively tale of a liar king full of surprises and ridiculous situations. Not only both animated films are beautiful and encouraging, have authentic style, through which one can easily guess the individuality of art directors, but they show that if everything goes right, the authors can have a brilliant future professionally. In our unprofessional opinion, both projects deserve to be broadcast on the Medeniyyet TV channel. Indeed, it seems that the channel needs a separate headline on student creativity, where they could show the project of students from all universities of the country!

"Do you have a special recipe for educating animation art directors?"

"It may sound trivial but our only recipe is love and interest in what you do."

"You mean the art of drawing?"

"It's only a part of the equation. My mission is to teach not only the technical skills, but also the profession in a format that requires the spirit of teamwork. I mean not only creative, professional, but also human interaction. Human factor is an integral component in any creative project, especially in animation. I give my students an opportunity to feel the role of an art director, and I take on the role of director. This is a hands-on way of teamwork engagement."

"And what did your students, animation art directors, do?"

"Actually, they have done more in a final project than art directors do. They were requested to create a plot-based animated film interacting with each other as directors and animation artists. Everything is important this process! The duo of production designer and director is crucial in terms of the final product. It is the creative union of these two guys that sets the creative and psychological climate of any performance."

"You have a small room and only one computer..."

"For now, this space is enough to achieve the set goals professionally and in a timely manner. But in April, we will have all the necessary equipment for training. This space is going to turn into a permanent place making our students translate their creative ideas. They will be able to come here in free hours and work on own projects."

"Do you believe that in modern age the hand-made animated films will be in demand?"

"I know that because the craving for the creation of beautiful, sublime, aesthetically appealing and animated world is in human nature, and so will it be as long as we are alive and have souls... We just need to preserve and multiply the best that Azerbaijani professionals of animated films know and are able to deliver. We now have a growing future generation of animators. And they do not think in commercial categories, when everything is for sale, including art, but in categories of Good and Evil."