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Spotlight: Animated Media Scholarly Interest Group

2021; Volume: 61; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/cj.2021.0078

2578-4919

Cristina Formenti, Timothy W. Jones, Mihaela Mihailova,

Comics and Graphic Narratives

Spotlight:Animated Media Scholarly Interest Group Cristina Formenti (bio), Timothy Jones (bio), and Mihaela Mihailova (bio) The Animated Media Scholarly Interest Group (SIG) is not only a group of like-minded scholars but also the locus of social and industry events designed to build connections with the practitioner community. At recent conferences of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (SCMS), the Animated Media SIG has sponsored and organized events ranging from tours of leading animation studios (such as the National Film Board of Canada, Floyd County Productions, and Guru Studio) to visits of animation-related museums (such as the Worlds of Puppetry Museum in Atlanta) and screenings (including a 2015 showcase of restored 3D films by Norman McLaren). These events share a focus on local animation production because, when organizing them, Animated Media SIG co-chairs have abided by the principle of putting members into contact with the animation culture of the conferences' host cities. The co-chairs have also focused on organizing events capable of offering members professional enrichment. Indeed, the social events are designed as not only a networking opportunity but also a chance to find inspiration for new projects and expand members' archives of teaching and research materials. For instance, the trip to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum in 2016 offered a wealth of resources (such as a global collection of rare puppets, photos, and behind-the-scenes [End Page 1] information unavailable elsewhere) of interest to a wide subsection of the SIG's membership and fostered subsequent discussions and collaborations regarding their potential pedagogical and academic applications. This is an example of the ways in which the SIG strives to foster initiatives dedicated to keeping scholars "in the loop" academically and encouraging them to engage with the conference city in professionally meaningful ways. In sum, the Animated Media SIG events introduce members to resources useful for their teaching and research and help them build relationships with specific animation communities. Moreover, some of the events organized have fostered an encounter between theory-focused scholars and practitioners. A case in point is the trip to Floyd County Productions. During the tour of this studio known for producing the award-winning series Archer (FX, 2009–2016; FXX, 2017–), members had the chance to meet various creatives who worked in different capacities, witness how their workflow is organized, ask them questions, and get a sneak peek of what they were currently working on. Indeed, the bonus was that they carried on with their usual business while we were touring the various departments in which the studio is organized. This proved particularly beneficial for all those research-oriented members with little direct experience of animation production, for whom being able to see the artists at work up close has proven invaluable. It made them more aware of what there is behind the works that they study and more capable of conveying it in their writing and teaching. Visiting a museum or a studio alongside fellow SIG members also encourages knowledge exchange between the different generations of scholars. By entering into dialogue with colleagues who research a given subject or even just observing the questions they pose, members have the opportunity to learn from one another and discover possible approaches that they may not have considered previously. In fact, since animation is by definition a field with great interdisciplinary potential, the events co-organized with other SIGs have led to greater knowledge exchange and mutual enrichment. The 2018 visit to Guru Studio is a case in point. This company is best known for their work on children's series such as PAW Patrol (TVOntario, 2013–), but at the time, it had also recently contributed to the Cartoon Saloon's feature The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey, 2017). Visiting Guru Studio thus created a unique opportunity to bring together different areas of interest within our SIG and unite our membership with that of the Children's/Youth Media and Culture SIG. Finally, the events organized have proven enriching for not only SIG members but also the local animation communities. For example, during the Guru Studio tour, it was particularly exciting to see how SIG members asked questions concerning differences between original intellectual property and...