Her Film Project
  • Home
  • About
  • Who We Are
  • News
  • Initiatives
  • Partners
  • Contact
  • Public Relations

Women and Animation

10/3/2017

0 Comments

 
by Tracey Francis
Animation is a complex art form when explored beyond what we see, because it falls within film and the visual arts. In the twenty-first century animation has been revolutionised by computer-generated imagery (CGI), with the aim of reflecting a life-like image. However, it still has non-conformist elements because this medium can tackle the dark or complex in a simplistic to abstract form. Animation has allowed some women to use this art form as a metaphor to reveal hidden stories. The female-led Leeds Animation Workshop distributes and produces films on social issues. Their first animation, Who Needs Nurseries? – We Do was made in 1978 after ‘a group of women friends who came together to make a film about the need for pre-school childcare’.
 
With a rich but modest history of women animators, those who have made it within animation have made an impact. From the pioneering animator and director Lotte Reiniger, who adapted the shadow puppetry of China and Indonesia beautifully for the cinema to Lillian Friedman Astor who was the first female studio animator in America, to Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical film Persepolis. The narratives reflect a female perspective and different way of seeing the world.
 
In 2016 The Hollywood Reporter published their annual animation roundtable with the title ‘Seth Rogen and 6 More on avoiding Ethnic Stereotypes and How to Break the Mold of Princesses’ (Giardina, 2016). Elle online reacted to this article with their own titled ‘We Asked 4 Female Animators About Diversity and Women in the Industry’ (Tang, 2016). They reacted because many readers pointed out that every participant was ‘a white man. And, to further highlight the homogeneity of the panel’s composition’ was the diversity headline. Animator Brenda Chapman reacted with,‘ A roundtable about ethnic and female stereotypes—they choose seven white guys as the experts, and give it that title? C'mon!' Puja Patel (@senari) posted on Twitter (2016) ‘this headline and photo! This photo and headline!’
 
In the twenty-first century is it not possible to have more diverse narratives and perspectives within mainstream animation? Diversity is being addressed within mainstream animation, with films such as Moana (2016) to the animation sequence The Tale of Three Brothers (2010) within Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part I. However, the impact of feminism and equality laws has changed society, but the dominant narrative is still homogeneous even though it may at times acknowledge we live a diverse world.
In a recent interview, Tracey Francis discusses with animator and visual artist Jessica Ashman about being an animation director.
Picture
Image ©Jessica Ashman
​Jessica Ashman is an award winning animation director and artist, based in London. She recently had an exhibition – I Don’t Protest, I just Dance In My Shadow – at Four Corners in East London that explored race and gender within animation and the visual arts.
​
Picture
Image ©Jessica Ashman
Tracey Francis: When did you first realize that animation was a medium you could use to express your inner voice and creativity?
 
Jessica Ashman: I used to love animation as a kid but actually didn’t realize that it was an actual career that actual people could do for a while. For the longest time I veered between wanting to be a ballerina (love of movement) and journalist (love of stories). I started to get into drawing when I was in secondary school, around the same time I started to get into comics and film and I really couldn’t decide on what I liked creatively because I enjoyed it all so much. It was only when I undertook my Art A Level and discovered artists, film and in particular, animation in art that I thought it was an ideal medium for me. It combines so many things I love: drawing, narratives, film, and movement. I applied to a BA in Animation at the University of Lincoln and then that was it! I still wish I pushed the ballet thing more, though!
 
TF: Who are your most important creative influences and why?

JA: My creative influences come from a lot of different places, so I’ll just mention the ones that first come into my mind! I love the work of artist Daniela Yohannes and her afro-futuristic, philosophical paintings. Same goes for the books of Octavia Butler and how she uses incredibly imaginative sci-fi narratives to present metaphors of race and gender rights. Leonora Carrington’s paintings are so magical. They look like fairy tales, yet have something much more metaphysical underneath. Kara Walker is one of the greats but I love how she tackles narratives in her work about black women – everything has a strong story in her work and the fact she doesn’t stick to one medium resonates with me, and my love of mixed media practices. Music plays a big part, too, in influencing my ideas. I listen to NTS [radio] almost daily, to shows like Touching Bass and Questing; they play a lot of quite spiritual hip-hop, jazz and some downright jams. My friends who are creatively doing their thing inspire me, too! Chardine Taylor-Stone’s activism, Shola Amoo’s film work and Stephanie Philips' music and activism really inspire me, too. Any black girl I see playing in a band excites me. And so many talented animators I graduated with from The Royal College of Art. I really could go on forever.
 
TF: Your award-winning BAFTA film Fixing Luka is a very personal piece. Why did you choose a traditional fairy tale animation style for this project?
 
JA: The idea for the film was one I had for years and was always based around malfunctioning puppets and a metaphor for people, probably due to my love of stop-motion puppet films. As I developed the narrative, I started to borrow from the familiar tropes of fairy tales as a form of structure; the idea that you have to go on a quest to discover an answer for something you probably had inside of you all along. I think this, coupled with its stop-motion styles makes for a very fairy tale-feeling film. 
 
TF: Your most recent work and exhibition, I Don’t Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow, is an abstract and confessional piece about being a black woman and woman of colour within animation and the visual arts. How can your work challenge race and gender without you being defined by your gender and race?
 
JA: I think this was the question I was thinking about when making ‘I Don’t Protest…; somehow consolidating my very being as a black woman and how it intertwines with my work. Does it even matter? Sometimes I veer between ‘yes’ and ‘no’.  In the end, I feel by just being a black woman existing and creating in the world we live in today feels like a challenge in itself. A protest of sorts.
 
TF: Your work is very diverse and magical – do you feel that your style creates a platform to express unconventional and hidden narratives?
   
JA: Within my work, I’m always trying to find secret worlds or universes in which to explore stories and narratives. If I’m making a project, I’m going to be momentarily stuck in that universe I created until the project is over. And with animation, you can create any type of magical universe and rules for said magical universe that you can think of; all you need to do is draw or build it. So that combination results in some usually mad results, most of the time! But recently, I feel it is important to ground my work with an emotional core or reality that resonates with other people – I think there is room to be political and imaginative at the same time, and the idea of doing this more in my future work quite excites me.

To find out more about Jessica visit: http://www.jessla.co.uk/.

Underwire Film Festival 2017: ‘I Don’t Protest, I Just Dance In My Shadow’ is a short visual essay film by Jessica Ashman, about navigating the visual art and animation world as a black face in a white space.  More information: http://www.underwirefestival.com/events/women-at-war/.


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Contributors

    Tracey Francis
    Laura Ganda
    Ella Henry
    Lillian Isabella
    Jacqueline Lee Katz
    Stephanie Law
    Kyna Morgan
    ​​Luísa Pécora
    Rae Shaw

    Archives

    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    July 2015
    April 2015
    January 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012

    Categories

    All
    Academy Awards
    Activism
    Actor
    Afghanistan
    African Film
    Alex Spieth
    Algeria
    AMPAS
    Animals
    Animation
    Arab Film
    Archives
    Arts
    Australia
    Autism
    Bangladesh
    Bechdel Test
    Black Filmmaker
    Bluestocking Film Series
    Brazil
    Britain
    Call For Submissions
    Canada
    Casting
    Chechnya
    Child Rape
    Children
    China
    Cine Espanol
    Cinematographer
    Comedy
    Comfort Women
    Comics
    Crowdfunding
    Cuba
    Dido Elizabeth Belle
    Distribution
    Documentary
    Dolores Huerta
    Domestic Violence
    Ecuador
    Environment
    Erotic
    Ethnicity
    Fantasy
    Female Directors
    Female Protagonist
    Feminism
    Festival Deadlines
    Film
    Film Awards
    Film Contest
    Film Directing
    Film Festival Circuit
    Film Festivals
    Film History
    Film Inclusion
    Film Inclusion First Fridays
    Film In Development
    Filmmaker In Residence
    Filmmakers
    Film Review
    Films About Children
    Films About Dance
    Films About Execution
    Films About Prison
    Film Screening
    Finnish Film
    Geena Davis
    Gender And Media
    Gender Equity
    Get Out
    Ghana
    Girls' Stories
    Golden Globes
    Guldbagge Awards
    Haifa Al Mansour
    Her Film Project
    Hollywood And Diversity
    Horror Film
    Hotdocs
    Human Rights
    Immigrant
    Immigration
    Incubators
    Independent Filmmakers
    Independent Women Filmmakers
    India
    Indian Film
    Indigenous
    Iqaluit
    Iran
    Islamic Prisons
    Japan
    Jehane Noujaim
    Jenifer Malmqvist
    Jenni Toivoniemi
    Jewish
    Jill Soloway
    Jordan Peele
    Julia Loktev
    Juliana Rojas
    Julia Rezende
    Kalyanee Mam
    Kate Chaplin
    Katie Carman Lehach
    Katie Carman-Lehach
    Kiwi Film
    Korea
    Lake Bell
    Lapland
    Latinx
    Leah Gage
    Lebanon
    Leticia Tonos Paniagua
    Lgbt
    Lgbt In Islam
    Lgbt Prisoners
    Liberia
    Lois Weber
    Lotus Wollschlager
    Malaga Film Festival
    Maori
    Margaret Cho
    Marie Jocelyne
    Marina Person
    Marketing Grant
    Martha Shane
    Media
    Media Organizations
    Media Partner
    Melina Pota
    Michele Stephenson
    Middle Eastern Film
    Military
    Montclair Film Festival
    Motherhood
    Mujeres Cineastas
    Mulheres No Audiovisual
    Music
    Muslim
    Narrative Short Films
    Netflix
    New Zealand
    New Zealand Film
    New Zealand Filmmaker
    Nicole Holofcener
    Nobody Walks
    NYWIFT
    Oscars
    Palestine
    People Of Color In Film
    Politics
    Prison
    Production Company
    Race
    Racism
    Rape
    Rape In Movies
    Rape On Screen
    Rape Victims
    Rebecca Louisell
    Recycling
    Renata Pinheiro
    Rooftop Films
    Rosario Dawson
    Russian LGBT Network
    Ry Russo-Young
    Samba
    Saudi Arabia
    Saudi Film
    Saudi Woman Filmmaker
    Sexual Fantasy
    Sexual Harassment
    Short Film
    Silent Film
    Single Moms
    Social Issues
    Sofia Coppola
    South Africa
    Spain
    Sports
    Sundance
    Sundance Awards
    Sundance Film Festival
    Sundance Short Film Jury Award
    Sundance Shorts
    Susanna Lira
    Sweden
    Swedish Film
    Tamil
    Technology
    Tedx
    Television
    The Ask
    Theater
    Theatre
    The Loneliest Planet
    The People's Film Club
    Thesis Film
    Tinatin Gurchiani
    Toronto
    Toronto International Film Festival
    Trans Identity
    Trans POC
    Tribeca
    Tricky Women
    Turkey
    UK
    Ukraine
    UNICEF
    United Arab Emirates
    USA
    U.S. Film
    Vampires
    Virginity
    Visual Arts
    Wadjda Film
    War
    Web Series
    Woman Protagonist
    Women And Minorities In Film
    Women At Sundance
    Women Cinematographers
    Women Film Directors
    Women Filmmakers
    Women In Comedy
    Women In Film
    Women In Independent Film
    Women In Media
    Women Producers
    Women Screenwriters
    Women's Film Festivals
    Women's Stories
    Zimbabwe


Her Film Project is a global initiative to advance equality in film through inclusive storytelling across race, gender, age, sexuality, and ability.
              Home                     Initiatives
              About                     Partners
              Who We Are          Contact
              News