Today we're taking a trip through a few of the wild worlds of experimental animation, to get a sense of what makes these proudly bizarre shorts — which take on or even invent processes unheard of in mainstream animated films — feel so persuasive and affecting. We're joined by animator Gil Goletski, who came with an excellent program of shorts to watch (all of which you can see for free online, see shownotes below), and who was happy to indulge (or initiate) some digressions into comedy and experimentalism, the shame of an unseen canon, and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (and we cut far more of the latter subject than you might suspect from what's left).
In this episode, we discuss:
The distinctive between a “realistic” aesthetic and a “persuasive” one, and why we prefer the latter as a standard of judgment.
Which animation processes used for each short.
What’s different between animation and live action — or, more to the point, what’s the same..
How digital animation tends to be judged and executed using traditional standards.
Dad movies.
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
If you’d like to support the show, here’s a link to our Patreon.
Additional Resources:
Films discussed during this episode, each viewable for free:
"Arnulf Rainer" (1960) [Photosensitivity warning: this film uses rapid high contrast flashing]
"Blinkety Blank" (1955)
"The Owl Who Married a Goose" (1974)
"Metadata" (1971)
"Not so fast" (2019)
"I Don’t Know What" (2019) [Photosensitivity warning: this film uses rapid high contrast flashing]
"Angel’s Egg" (1985) [The excerpt discussed begins at 0:14:00 and ends at 0:16:00[
"Face Like a Frog" (1987)
"Goodbye Forever Party" (2017)
Other films discussed:
“Pinscreen”, an NFB documentary on pinscreen animation.
One Hundred and One Dalmations (1961)
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
We are not linking Gil’s website. G*l*tsk*.
About Gil Goletski
gil goletski (b. 1995) is an autistic and transgender multi disciplinary artist living as a settler on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people. they make animation, illustration, comics, music, and print media. their animation and music work has been featured in art spaces throughout canada, and their animated film work in festivals internationally. they are a founding member of the vancouver based animation collective, flavourcel.
