The Pedagogy of Self-expression in Animation Film Design

The ability of an animation filmmaker to express their individual voice through film is crucial to the creation of an animated short film and even an essential constraint. This paper is an overview of the design and delivery methods of an on-going research project that looks at how this essential constraint of self-expression might be taught. It begins with a view of the relevance of self-expression within the field of design and then goes onto consider the role of the animation filmmaker as auteur. The paper then traces the history of animation education and examines the curriculums and teaching methods of the animation schools that have been known to produce animation auteurs. It then goes on to consider a set of requisites outlined by animation professionals that might allow students to gain an awareness of the nature of self-expression, before creating a course to deliver the listed requisites.