History of Animated Film in Eastern Europe - AFV0000428

• Title: History of Animated Film in Eastern Europe
• Guaranteed by: Film Studies Department (21-KFS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Actual: from 2023
• Semester: summer
• Points: 0
• E-Credits: 4
• Examination process: summer s.:
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:2/2, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: unknown / unknown (unknown)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Is provided by: AFV0000427
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Jana Rogoff, Ph.D.

Annotation

Last update: doc. PhDr. Kateřina Svatoňová, Ph.D. (01.02.2024)

This course will introduce you to the history of East- and Central European animation under socialism. Starting from the exploration of what animation is and how it differs from live-action filmmaking, we will proceed to identify the key specifics of its production circumstances and its status within the system of state-controlled media. Through seminal works of animation, we will learn about the variety of techniques and styles that developed in the region. Animation will be approached as a discursive field exposing the complex interaction of political interests, social dynamics, aesthetic practices, and production conventions. The focus of the seminar will be subverted by including also an excursion outside of its scope: the most recent production of the up-and-coming Ukrainian animator Dana Kavelina. A special emphasis will be given to issues of spatiality in animation.

Literature

Last update: doc. PhDr. Kateřina Svatoňová, Ph.D. (01.02.2024)

Bendazzi, Giannalberto. 2004. Defining Animation – A Proposal. Cópia datil.

 

-------. 2015. Animation – A World History. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

 

Wells, Paul. 1998. Understanding Animation. London and New York: Routledge.

 

Buchan, Suzanne (ed.). 2013. Pervasive Animation. London and New York: Routledge.

 

Ülo Pikkov. 2017. On the Links between Caricatures and Animated Films in Communist Eastern Europe. Baltic Screen Media Review 5.

 

-------. 2013. Surrealist Sources of Eastern European Animation Film. Baltic Screen Media Review 1.

 

Wood, Aylish. 2006. Re-animating space. Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal 1(2), 133–152.

Whybray, Adam. 2020. The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory. London: Bloomsbury.

Pike, Deidre M. 2010. Enviro-toons: How animated media communicate environmental themes [Doctoral dissertation, University of Nevada]. University of Nevada, Reno ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.unr.edu/handle/11714/4317.

 

Csicsery-Ronay Jr., Istvan. 2015. “What is Estranged in Science Fiction Animation?” In Simultaneous Worlds: Global Science Fiction Cinema edited by Jennifer L. Feeley and Sarah Ann Wells. Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press, 29-46.

 

Ward, Paul. 2003. The Place of Animation within Film and Media Studies: a theoretical and pedagogic approach. Dissertation. University of London.

Requirements to the exam

Last update: doc. PhDr. Kateřina Svatoňová, Ph.D. (01.02.2024)

Course Requirements

Students will be required to:

• complete the readings assigned for each week
• attend all classes and film screenings
• participate actively in seminar discussions, demonstrating critical thinking and

intellectual curiosity

• each student will lead a discussion about a film and contextualize it for others.

The goal is to lead a productive dialogue about the film and the relevant historical context, progressing toward a deeper understanding of it. This can be done through a handout with questions to be addressed in class; through screening short clips of the film and offering them for discussion; or any other method you find effective. The main measure of success (and basis for evaluation) will be the leader’s ability to engage others and sustain an ongoing intellectual exchange about the subject matter.

·      Final assignment can take form of a paper on a chosen subject or a different format such as a film essay, a poster, a podcast, etc. (proposals of themes and formats are welcome by April 15^th at the latest).

 

Grading Distribution

·       Regular and active participation—30%

·       Presentation + leading a group discussion 35%

·       Final paper of 5-6 pages —35%

Ethics of the seminar

 

·      Show respect to each other in discussions

·      Inform the lecturer (on time) when you cannot attend a class or you will be running late

·      Feedback more than welcome/open feedback culture

·      Please refrain from using cell phones during the class