Convenors: Andrea Comiskey (University of Pittsburgh) and Maike Sarah Reinerth (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF)
Workshop questions
Beyond taking animated media as one’s object of study, what might it mean to take an “animation” approach to videographic work? In what ways can the affordances and techniques of animation inform videographic scholarship? (Are there illustrative precedents for this in previous videographic criticism, documentary, essay films, or other adjacent modes?)
What is the role of animation in or as artistic research practice(s)? And what does this mean for videographic criticism if understood as a (partly) artistic research practice itself?
Aside from fictional short and feature animations, what other kinds of animation—such as online animation, useful animation, animated documentaries—are interesting to the videographic critic? Do these non-canonical forms change our videographic practices?
How might the videographic critic make use of the abundance of paratextual materials on animation available online?
What are some of the technological or logistical challenges posed by videographic work with animated media (e.g. issues surrounding framerates, access to physical or virtual “copies,” etc.), and how can we address them?
When does animation become political? Can videographic criticism carve out and emphasize the political potentials in new and innovative ways?
What are the best resources (e.g. software, websites, books) for people interested in developing the skills needed for integrating animation into their videographic practice? (This could involve the study of animated media or the use of animation techniques/methods in videographic work.)
How does animation figure in other media practices, e.g. in live-action films (narrative or documentary) or computer games? Do videographic approaches differ for these kinds of media?
