The Fine Arts Animation Triad
The CU Film Studies animation section is centered around three classes
that deal directly with the manipulation of the single frame. All of
our courses flow from a fine arts practice rather than a theatrical
practice, which is a focus that delineates the animator from the narrative filmmaker.
Mission Statement
Stacey Steers’ latest film, Phantom Canyon, recently screened at MoMA. Meticulous handmade collages explore a woman's fantastical journey through memories.
Stacey Steers, adjunct faculty. |
Our goal is to create an animation area at CU Film Studies by correlating the three courses that deal primarily with the manipulation of the single frame. All of the courses listed below position the learner in a framework that stems from a fine arts practice at its root rather than a theatrical practice. This focus delineates the animator from the narrative filmmaker.
Completing all of the courses in this triad would constitute a holistic set of production techniques in animation including animating materials under camera, working with film chemistry as the material itself, and creating digital images for eventual cinema presentation.
Students would have experiences that differ technically yet correlate conceptually between the courses. They would have the opportunity to use work created in one course as the starting material for a project in another. This process-oriented curriculum goes hand in hand with a process-oriented highly technical practice such as animation.
We offer students exposure to a wide range of animation techniques, from the most basic to the most state of the art, without falling into the trap of repeating mainstream aesthetics. All the tools used in these courses, ranging from the experimental to the orthodox, will be addressed with a sense of play and reinvention. The overall goal in each course is for the individual to find their unique expressive voice through the tools presented.
Acknowledgements
Film Studies would like to acknowledge the generous donations and continued support for the animation area by:
- Randolph (Trey) Parker
- Matthew Stone
- Eric Stough
 Still from "Momposition", 16mm, 2000.
Chris Pearce, Animation Instructor |
 "Explode me", video installation, 2005, Visual Studies Workshop Gallery, Rochester, NY.
Chris Pearce, Animation Instructor |
Photo Credit:
To:A still from Momposition, Chris Pearce’s 16mm film made in 2000.
Bottom: Explode Me, a video installation by Chris Pearce made in 2005 and shown at the Visual Studies Workshop Gallery in Rochester, N.Y.
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