International Journal of Film and Media Arts

Liberating a Vengeful Spirit: Autoethnographic Animation as a Grief Ritual

2025-12-02T16:42:14+00:00

The process of animation is designed to bring static images or objects to life, yet animators across the world have used the artform to tell stories about grief. This practice-based research explores the paradoxical relationship between animation and grief stories by proposing that the animation process can be used as a mourning ritual. There are characteristics of animation that can be considered ritualistic such as the series of repetitive motions performed in a sequence to create a film frame by frame. An autoethnographic animation approach will be used to perform the ‘ritual’ and develop a short, animated film. The film, which is currently in production, is a creative response to the Indonesian horror folklore story of the Kuntilanak. This vengeful vampiric spirit is widely believed to have been pregnant when she died, either from a stillbirth or from a violent attack. Her story has been interpreted through numerous horror films across South East Asia, often depicting her with the dual persona of an evil temptress and terrifying monster. The grief she experienced from losing both her child and her own life, is overlooked by most filmmakers, who instead focus on her bloodthirsty quest for vengeance. Throughout the archipelago of Indonesia, there are various rituals to ensure that, when a person dies, any negative emotions attached are released. Failure to do so may result in the spirit becoming vengeful. The ‘ritual’ process of creating this animation may be what is needed to free this spirit from its vengeful past and give her and this researcher a space to share their collective grief. In doing so, this research attempts to provide a cognitive understanding of why so many animators choose to tell stories of grief, and why these stories resonate with audiences worldwide.

Creature Effects as Posthuman Practice

2025-12-02T16:42:18+00:00

With the ultimate aim of contributing to positive change in human-animal relations, this paper examines how creature effects (CFX) reflects and shapes contemporary attitudes towards animals. Drawing on biologist Jacob von Uexkull’s concept of “umwelt”, the paper analyses four of the author’s recent animation projects and explores the diverse perspectives, or lifeworlds, elicited by contemporary CFX practices. The paper describes how different aspects of creature FX production (including modelling, rigging, texturing, and animation) elicit umwelts loosely aligned to the lifeworlds of naturalists, trackers, mathematicians, and painters. Through this description, the paper fosters a deeper understanding of the socio-cultural forces shaping CFX and suggests how these forces can be disrupted. The paper finds that CFX can be considered a “posthuman practice” when it rejects the notion of human mastery over technology and positions the artist/animator as an integral part of a complex assemblage. Approached as posthuman practice, CFX challenges human exceptionalism and explores the entangled relationship between humans, technology, and animals. In conclusion, the paper reflects on the future trajectory of CFX and briefly contemplates the potential impact of AI-based methods.

Building Blocks: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Design and Production of Stopmotion LEGO® Animations for University Mathematics

2025-12-02T16:42:21+00:00

University mathematics is notoriously abstract, making it challenging for students to visualise concepts and build mental models. Traditional teaching methods often rely on two-dimensional diagrams coupled with arm waving from the lecturer to represent complicated three-dimensional systems. These techniques have limited success in face-to-face settings and even less effectiveness in online teaching and learning.

During the extensive lockdowns of 2020-2021, a mathematician and aspiring animator used the time to create a series of stop-motion LEGO® animations. The animations aimed to help science and engineering students convert word problems into formal mathematics, to visualise abstract concepts and to illustrate complicated mathematical processes involving multiple steps, which are challenging to convey through static representations.

Using an action research methodology, this paper examines how working in an interdisciplinary team with animation students affected the process, development and production quality of three new maths-focused LEGO® animations. Reflective examination was used to draw out insights, highlighting learnings from the animation processes, including the impact of interdisciplinary collaboration on narrative focus and production quality. Key findings focus on the need to establish common goals and to find a bridging language that supports communication between experts in different disciplines.

Patient Stories: Animation and Visual Storytelling for the Communication of Complex Genomic Concepts to Reduce Cultural and Language Barriers

2025-12-02T16:42:28+00:00

Medical animations are widely used in patient education; however, their didactic presentation can limit effective engagement and memory retention. Illustrated patient stories, such as comics and video games, have been proven effective in evoking empathy and fostering greater understanding for patients suffering from diseases. Therefore, animated patient stories could be a valuable tool for clinicians to enhance the quality of care and deepen their understanding of a disease from the patient’s perspective.

Despite the importance of cultural representation in medical communication, patient education resources tailored to culturally specific communities remain limited. This paper will explore opportunities to integrate diverse cultural aspects into such animations. The research team, composed of animators and clinicians, will discuss a multidisciplinary project that explores how animation can transcend the boundaries of entertainment in communicating genetics and hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes to specific target audiences. The aim is to investigate and prototype a process to design animation narratives for this audience. Additionally, the paper will discuss how visual storytelling choices could improve individuals’ decision-making regarding their and their family’s increased risk of cancer. We hypothesise that sharing these animations with non-carriers can raise public awareness of genetic conditions and enhance genetic literacy, correcting myths and misconceptions about genetic predisposition that are prevalent in popular media.

Through an iterative process, two culturally tailored animations were developed: one with a linear narrative that illustrates the story in chronological order and another with a dramatic narrative structure featuring a non-linear ordering of story events. After viewing the animations, a pre-post, mixed-method survey of 260 participants revealed increased interest and knowledge of genetics. Notably, 61.2% preferred the dramatic narrative for its emotional impact, and 98.9% were open to receiving genetic education through animations featuring characters of diverse ethnicities.

This study advances research on culturally sensitive visual storytelling in an Asian population, demonstrating its potential to create accessible, educational, and engaging resources that empower diverse audiences to navigate their genetic health journey.

Fermenting Ideas: Intercultural Collaboration as a Pedagogical Tool for Teaching Experimental Animation

2025-12-02T16:42:35+00:00

Inspiration for animation can arise from the most unexpected places. You might draw motivation from a story you’ve heard, a personal experience, or even a process that seems unrelated to the everyday practice of animation. In this paper, I present the intercultural collaboration developed as a pedagogical tool to teach animation and increase student commitment and accountability. As part of a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL)/Virtual Exchange (VE), my students from experimental animation in the United States were encouraged to discover connections that might not be immediately obvious when collaborating with students from food technology in Brazil. They were challenged to find visual solutions that invited them to reinterpret food fermentation processes as animations.

Some of the thought-provoking questions posed for this exchange included: How does fermentation contribute to preservation? How can ideas “ferment” over time? If fermentation transforms microorganisms into something entirely new, how can we discuss the process of fermentation in relation to animation? The collaboration among these international peers aimed to inspire animation students to create unique experiments using various materials and hands-on techniques that effectively communicate the fermentation process they chose to explore.

To facilitate the understanding of this collaborative journey, in this paper, I will first provide a brief literature review covering the history, definition, and goals of COIL/VE. Next, I will discuss the collaborative project, including how the partnership was established and the expectations set. I will then outline the course structure and describe the assignment process, showcasing examples from student animations and sharing their experiences and feedback. Finally, I will highlight articles on the pedagogical impact of COIL/VE as an educational tool, along with texts focusing on animation practice and hands-on teaching, such as those by Corrie Francis Parks (2016) and Dan and Lienors Torre (2019).

Beyond Deadline Pressure: Transforming Stress into Creative Flow

2025-12-02T16:42:40+00:00

This paper explores the relationship between stress, creativity, and flow in creative professions with deadlines. Drawing upon extensive industry experience, empirical research, and a case study of animation students in virtual production, we examine how deadline stress in combination with precursors for flow, can enhance creativity by transforming a task into a challenge. The research is grounded in flow theory and stress theory. Challenge stressors prime the prefrontal cortex for a nuanced interplay between divergent and convergent thinking, engaging alternate neural networks and a powerful co-operation between the conscious and subconscious. Flow maintains optimal performance, yet is enjoyable and fulfilling, increasing artist wellbeing and creative output. However, long term sustained flow may have risks of burnout and addiction. Research is needed to foster creative flow in the workplace, including how to tailor challenges and integrate relaxation. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on creativity in high-pressure environments, offering insights for both academic research and practical application in creative industries.