thank animation podcast . . .

pikoy

I’m not an animator, but there has always been a very strong interest in movies (not only animated) and I think it’s “the AAH” that fascinates me.

I’m studying to become a painter and I think your approach is interesting for paintings, too. There are “single images” in all of these categories, even though AAH is probably the most common. I think one can use this info to make single pieces (as opposed to moving scenes) stronger, more narrative, captivating, entertaining and comical, when one is thinking of these three guys: HA HA!, AHA!, AAH!

Your podcast really get’s me very very much interested in animation!
Thank you,

dorian

another AHH moment is the Part of your World reprise segment in The Little Mermaid

HA HA could be all of Les Poissions

AHH can also be felt when Dory finds Nemo.

Ha Ha: - nearly ever scuttle scene - thinks that he knows every thing about humans, but doesn’t even know what one looks like….. (boat scene especially)

Ha Ha / Aha: Ariels Grotto Sequence - learn and discover ariels true feelings, humerous names for objects ect and sabastian in background…..

Aha: “Belle (reprise)”- the one with Belle on the hill singing….. you get more of an insight into her desires… it is sang in the first song… but here there is alot more emphesis on her wishes and wants from life, rather than her backstory….

Aah: The last sequence of Pocahontas (the running scene) - you just hope that she makes it to the cliff on time to say good bye one more…. it is a combination of the swelling music- gives me goosebumps!

Cool Anthea. I’m glad you found it valuable. Great blog too!
-Clay

Johannes,
All I can say to that is that a LOT of the time as animators we don’t control the story and our only input is on the HOW, not the WHY. So given the choice of making it more entertaining, or as Spielberg might put it, “finding the art,” versus matching the animation to the level of the plot, I’d hope we always choose the former. It can be a task sometimes to pull meaning out of uninspired shots, but hopefully (as has been most of my experience) the really lame stuff is identified before it gets animated. If some thing you work on ends up being a polished turd, at least you can say, “See that polish, that’s mine.”

Matt,
Your AHA example works from the point of view of Dory, but I’ve been approaching these from how the audience experiences the film, and in this case there isn’t much question who everyone is. I would say, though, that it is moving into the AAH territory since people are so caught up in the story and characters by this point that they can’t help but yell at the screen. Just a quick AHA from the same film is when all the fish swim down into the net of the fishing boat to free themselves. Nemo doesn’t say, “Hey, I learned this in an aquarium in an dentist’s office,” but Pixar respected us enough to let us make the connection on our own.

Just to be clear, the AAH is like a sigh, not a startled yelp. So, for you, if when you’re watching Snow White in the forest and you feel lost in the moment, then yes, I’d call that an AAH! moment.