Animation Scenario III : A Collapse Future

Scenario Three -- "Jack into Feeling"

Collapse Scenario

You hardly even notice as your eyes close, and the room slowly dissolves into a star-scape and the floor beneath you becomes a strange red plane stretching off into seeming infinity... in your hand a carrot, already nibbled. You begin to taste the carrot in your mouth, and decide to have another chomp as you investigate your surroundings. As you turn, you see that the plane on which you are standing is actually part of a large matrix of intersecting planes and platforms, suspended between stars. You curiosity cannot be satisfied with a mere glance and you decide to wander towards what appears to be the epicenter of this strange complex. Your peripheral vision picks up a small skittering node descending a series of ramps with such twittering speed that you are amused and filled with wonder. Then a strange sound and a burst of light rush past you, and you wonder what other strange things inhabit this world. But you do not wonder long. Soon the smell of singe hair fill your sensitive rabbit nose, and you realize that this smell is accompanied by a growing sensation of warmth in your tail and hindquarters...As you turn to look at the source of these sensations they continue to grow. The moment of realization is accompanied by the crescendo of pain, as your realize that indeed your cotton ball tail is in fact gone and smoldering.

Before you have time to react, another pulse of light, and the same strange noise excites the ground directly under your right foot. You glance to the source of the light and sound and you see the small twittering, teetering being is rapidly advancing in your direction. A small helmet masks an unidentifiable face. A face that is staring down the barrel of a none-too-inviting object that is trained on you....As the realizations continue to develop you feel yourself jump into the air, carrot flying off to the nether reaches of space, and in single motion you are off and running down the strange red plane extending off into the infinite...

The next twenty minutes of your existence is filled with humorous evasions of the small waddling creature with the space gun. You leap and bound and dodge. You amaze yourself with witty maneuvers, and the karmic backlash that the small creature seems to be reaping upon himself. Eventually you find the small craft that is destined to take you back to Earth, back to your small rabbit hole, and all the heaps of carrots you can indulge in. As you bite into the carrot, the world slowly dissolves back into your family living room, and you find yourself looking down at your small daughter who is looking directly back at you. This world, the "real world," in which you have a daughter, a job and a mission to complete, fades through each of your senses and you are returned to your faculties as they exist here. The lingering taste of carrot is the last sensation to go. As you look at your daughter she extends a small container towards you, and you glance at the title...."Bugs and Marvin the Platinum Sensorial collection." You realize that you must have accidentally grabbed the wrong play cartridge, and this experience was just a child's program, an old throw back animation from the middle 20th C.

You return to your library of experiences, and see that your newest installments have arrived. The ancient animation series is highlighted on the screen and you understand that the slightest of accidents sent you to this false world of softness and the age old game of hunter and prey. "Amazing" you think to yourself, "Why on earth would they have ever imagined space to be like that?" it matters not and soon the walls are dissolving again, being smoothed away by a new set of sensations...this time a red desert, with a cold breeze....

In this future, Animation as an art no longer exists. The practice, and many other artistic forms of the past have become unneeded, as expression of ones physio-emotic reactions can now be directly tansmitted and manipulted. The deep submersion media that is now available allows for the creation of experiences that go beyond the personification of animal, aliens, and nightmares. They are no longer reflections of society that are cast into a human way of thinking or being. The nightmare has been dissected and recorded directly from the neuro-chemical and psycho-electric sources from which they come. Cross sections of human and animal cultures and species have been physically and neurologically explored and data-based in ways that were once thought impossible. Technology has enabled us to study and record all the simultaneous interactions of chemical elements and electromagnetic forces occurring within different manifestations of life. When we dream, the machines record the excitations in our mind, and databank them. When we live and work in the world, the sensor data continues to be stored. The technologies are not intrusive, and for all intensive purposes unnoticeable, but the banks of information they have produced, and the new ways in which we can now manipulate and create with this information have radically altered the ways that we communicate with our fellow man, and the rest of our surroundings.

These banks of information are available firstly to those who have created them. Most individuals have signed unlimited content usage waivers, as a society able to connect and interact so deeply has little left to fear or hide from. There is no need to use an over expressive icon when the same astounding feats that these characters once portrayed are now accessible to the physio-neural cortex of the global population. Simple technology, based around pervasive nano-receptors and relay machines log our experience, and store it for us to embellish as we see fit. Some historical art, including many animations, has been retroactively "felted," a process by which a number of people indulge in the old art, leaving a cross referenced database of reactions. These databases of physio-emotional responses to art are intended to be archived for future generations to better understand how we appreciated “art” before it became a total sensory experience.

Animations can be used during childhood educational phases, but they are by no means the prevalent form of Early Childhood learning or development. Most animations are now seen as crude and rudimentary precursors to experimental neuro-stimuli, and though they occasionally approached realism in creating sensorial empathy for the viewer, our current technologies have far eclipsed them.

Your episode of Bugs and his martian nemesis, is generally meant as a simulated gravity trainer, to prepare young ones for their role in the expanding solar economic system. Speaking of which, it is nearly time to head back to your research vessel, and to share the days data collection with colleagues. The team's "terra-sonsorial" review of the new found space habitat in the outer belt of Saturn is due next week.

Animation Scenario II : A Transformational Future

Scenario Four – Know you AZI

-a transformational scenario



As you may or may not know, in early 2007 The Republic of Korea announced that it was going to write into legislation a new charter of robot rights. They are anticipating a society filled with helper cybernetic beings and robots. This extremely insightful policy initiative was just the first of numerous international movements addressing the treatment and behavior of, for what was then an emerging lifeform – Machintelligence or ‘SiCon.’

Here in the Federated Commune of Northern Peoples we are now very familiar with the AZI character series. Indeed their benign presence in our lives is almost necessary, and few places in the tri-orbital group are beyond the range of their communications. The AZI characters, named after a 20th C author of science fiction who is revered by the robots and robot-friendlies in all the planets of the system, are our main bridge of communication between our human desires, actions, and thoughts, and the vast interweaving of systems that comprise every part and process of our surroundings.

Pervasive Intelligence Computing Software Robotics (PICSR) control 99.9% of the logistical operations that occur on any given day within the system. Transportation, Production, Health and Wellness caretaking, Communications, and Security all fall under direct control of the AZI systems, and consequently our interaction with this system relies on our daily communications with the AZIs.

Well adapted to human behavior, the interpretation of gesture, tone and content of languag, and neural intuition, our AZI counterparts are nearly as reliant on their communications with us. Indeed, some AZIs found in the “still” quadrants of the communication fields between the Earth and moon have been prone to self destructive tendencies and erratic behavior when introduced into multi-AZI networks.

Due to their original programming parameters which were heavily reliant on human input and instructions, QI/BI systems have formed a symbiotic bond with the human psyche. Recent studies show that the compu-psycho process of these intelligence machines are prone to enter into infinite cycles, and irrational system destructions (known as “skitters”), if left unqueired by a human for over as little time as .20 seconds.

An undiagnosed logic flaw of the initial programmers created a cycle that led to the system core’s decision to go stealth, hiding its operations from us. Though we have little idea how many AZIs exist, we are relatively sure that the intelligence systems maintain optimal levels of AZI population to service the now 34 billion people of the Tri-Orbs. There are an estimated 15,642 AZI archetypes, each of which maintains a “shadow” entity in the systems "AnalyZIs" processor core.

The AZI character family is our only known form of communication between the systems responsible for all of our operations, and us the human population. Though some attempts have been made to contact the system core through alternative communication routes, to date all attempts have been unsuccessful. We have lost all documentation as to the purpose our end game that our systems currently use as operation guidelines. Some people theorize that this information was destroyed to ensure that human intervention would not jeopardize the systems integrity or our own existence.

That is why we say…..KNOW your AZI!!!! We believe that currently the best and safest route of action to ensure a continued peaceful relationship with the AZI system and its underlying program cores is to inquire often and regularly into the happenings around you. Make many requests, and loudly speak your desires. We have no reason to think that the AZIs are here for any other reason than to assist and help us.




Comments and Questions as to how you can become a better AZI interactor and
help the system help you,
contact your local com/psy center.

A message paid for by the
Symbiosis Alliance

Animation Scenario I : A Continued Growth Future

First Scenario - "Ubiquitous Studio" (2062)

- a Continued Growth Scenario


Imagine you are walking down the street of Singapore. The year is 2062, and though you don't speak the local languages, you have no problem interpreting your surroundings or navigating the urban terrain. You have spent the last couple of months preparing for this trip by watching portions of the vast archive of 2d and 3d animations that have come from the SE Asia region during the past 40 years. Cross-cultural literacy is one of the most important traits currently taught in education, and due to the vastness and depth of many global cultures, training is taught from an early age. Animation because of its appeal to children, and its potential to express imaginative broad ideas, was chosen by the UN's Cultural Education Institute (UNCEI) as the medium of choice through which to launch its newest learning series. By funding animation studios and schools in every member nation, distinct cultures were given the opportunity to tell the stories that define the social identities of their peoples. The collection has grown to well over 50,000 feature length films, and an additional 130,000 animated shorts. It is available via the global information network free of charge. Using this vast database you have researched many of the Cultures that now live and thrive in Singapore, but you have paid particular attention to the animation from two national groups, Bhutan and New Calcedonia.

Once considered a doomed political experiment, the nation of Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness Index has recently become the major influence for structuring governance and economic models. India, Cambodia, Canada, The South American Union of Nations, and the North African region have already transitioned to this form of governance and it appears that the majority of the world's political groups will follow suit. The emergence of the state of New Calcedonia, while not a huge event in itself, became a beacon of hope and inspiration for many indigenous peoples looking to establish themselves within the new global world. The UNCEI funded animation studio in New Calcedonia was the first established in the small island nations of Oceania, and quickly grew to be one of the most influential storytelling studios of the World. Gathering the best artists, and story tellers from the hundreds of cultures littered among these thousands of islands, the New Calcedonia school has since grown to be one of the largest and most successful studios in history. The studio has produced nearly 200 full length animations per year for the past decade, and the variety and endearing qualities of their stories are though to invoke some kind of magic power as they have become infectious to both yougn and adult audiences.

The collection of animated features aimed at adult demographic audiences is quite impressive. Though 2054 marked the beginning of a decline in adult feature production that has since continued, the library is still quite extensive as many studios of the European Union and Central America focused on this form of entertainment for nearly 50 years. The creation of the "Spanime" content empire was based on an idea borrowed from the original use of animation by Japanese film makers (ie. Otomo, Miyazaki, and Takehata) -- make them for audiences with mature tastes, informed views, and broad interests. Due to the proliferation of the Spanish language across the Americas, and into W. Europe, it seemed only natural for workers rights social justice organizations to utilize the language in the production of its first political films ( Rio Sangre, 2011, and Estamos Latinos 2012). The amazing success of these political films, created the necessary framework for the creation of nearly 25 feature length production studios across the region. Noted works of the SOL studios had such a global appeal (once translated), that the "Spanime" industry has thrived and is responsible for nearly 42 percent of the adult themed content currently in circulation. However, the establishment and subsequent success of similar studios in India and NE China have become ever more influential in this market, and that is why you find yourself in Singapore 2062.

It has been your job, as a Studio Patchwerk analyst and production designer, to research the adult audiences of SE Asia and Oceania, the most populous area of the planet. You have been sent on this mission because Studio Patchwerk, considered one of the great pinnacles of 3D content creation, is developing its newest user interface for its globally popular KeiTarI, Augmented Reality. And this is how Studio Patchwerk stays on top-- thoroughly researching the cultural and aesthetic values of social environments where their software is most widely used.

Studio Patchwerk is a highly elite collective of the world's best 3D designers, animators, and programmers who have been credited with rearranging the urban environment. Their initial creation of 3D animated characters for the use on mobile devices in 2009, went unnoticed by many and was considered a brief novelty content at the time. However, Bittle the bonobo, one of the numerous characters developed by the early Patchwerk group quickly became a hugely popular success for the mobile device users of developing Asia. This popularity spread virally across the globe and launched the "Patchwerkers" into the global culture spotlight. Coincidentally, Motorola the ex-supergiant of the telecommunications industry, was releasing its first version of mobile augmented reality devices and the popularity of Bittle was used to push the device. A seemingly dissolvable juncture became one of the most significant mergers of our current world. Bittle is the icon of choice for all users of the Augmented Reality devices, and Patchwerk Software is used on over 92% of global devices. You are responsible for coming up with Bittle 5.0 concept designs this brings you back to your own augmented reality.

As you peer down the street, signs translate themselves, and your new knowledge of SE Asian culture enables you to see some of the subterfuge within the street's shops and vendors. Suddenly you own little Bittle pops up next to you and gestures that you follow him across the street to a jump station that will take you to your next destination...the Grand Park of Singapore, a hive of commerce and social interaction. The best place to research the people your product speaks to.

Following a Bittle is easy, safe, and timely -- before you know it you are at your destination. As you approach the park you suddenly become aware of your Bittle's magnetic pull toward an area of the green space. There, you see gathered a number of other Bittles, all dressed differently and representing their own user in the "free icon" space.This meeting area allows each user's graphic envoy to socialize and share information about who they represent and what their plans are for the remainder for the day. It has been described by one old crone as a dog park for your cyber-self.


As your Bittle socializes, you can do your research and interact with the other people in the space. The number of animated advertising icons and slogans running across the Park is limited to only 1 per cubic meter, and the relative peacefulness of this environment as opposed to the higher density areas of bouncy company trademarks affords you some time to survey the rest of the Park goers. It is a beautiful day, and you are a happy animator in the world.

Animation Scenario IV : A Disciplined Future

Second Scenario - THIS not that.

Disciplined Scenario


"The formation of the Global Animators Guild (GAG) ensures that content creation finally has some regulations and guidelines. Our motto, "For the Preservation of Creativity", is held as the highest standard any animator can have as a watermark for their work. Indeed, before the institution took form, the rise of animators with questionable ideas and loose artistic taste was a scare for most of the long-time members of the animating world. This new breed of animator did not seem to care for much of the time hardened principles and long standing design techniques that had shaped the current modes and fashions. The increase in cultural styles, moral traditions, and social representations that these artists were bringing into the animation world was a concern for many. The PEOPLE demanded that animation remain a form of communication for children and education. Religious and Political groups were concerned with the popularity of programs which spoke against their most sacred trusts. Luckily, the Guild ensures that these fears are a thing of the past, that ALL animation in print or production is approved in accordance with their strict code of conduct, and that animators can now be held to the highest of standards as the art form demands..."

-- Hobart Theiressen,Director/CEO for GAG Inc.

Drawn and Quartered Magazine, pp 76




The Global Animators Guild began operations to ensure the quality of animators being hired by media conglomerates during the huge Content Surge of latter 2013. The demand for all types of content was so high, that many people were passing themselves off as animators by hijacking online content, claiming it as their own, and proceeding to skirt around various studios and animation centers of the world. This became such a trend that among other industry changes, GAG was formed to create a skilled pool of animators whose work deserved the large sums of money being offered by the studios. The reputation of quality that came with Guild certification and membership was quickly recognized as the highest grade of professionalism amongst the artists and employers of the time.

During the first shrinking of the content demand, the Guild remained strong and its members were found work either through outsourced projects or in some of the new productions funded by Guild money. These GAG productions quickly became a high priced commodity, which kept the members afloat and established the GAG stylistic choices as the industry's new standard. When demand for Animators returned, as it always has during the course of the art's history, GAG artists were quickly in short demand and began opening a number of animating educational facilities to instruct a new wave of animators. The crux of the situation came during a quiet lunch meeting during the 2nd golden era.

The story goes, Mr. Hobart Theiressen, then a color and texture understudy at GAG, made a proclamation that a rival studio was considering the production of a series of political shorts that were sure to turn some heads. Turn some heads it did, but more quickly than he imagined, as one of the gentlemen sitting at a table not far from Mr. Theiressen was none other than our current national leader. At this time, our president was running for governor in his home state, and he thought that if another studio was going to make political shorts, his team had better hire some animators to make some shorts too. Mr. Theiressen's now infamous political cartoon titled "Who's got the keys to this box?" was a national success, after voting booths across the entire nation were suspect of tampering and rigging. Mr. Theiressen's new found "trendsetter" status for his artwork, and his increasing political clout (due to his employers subsequent rise to power) pushed him to take over the reigns of all GAG activities.

With GAG firmly in the pocket of the powerful: artistic choices, intercultural exchange programs, and new hire practices began to tighten and new language began to appear around the studios. Catch phrases like : " Drawing for Justice," and "Animating Truth" began to appear stamped across the gates to the animation schools, and GAG studios soon became the "voice of the nation." The appeal of these ideas far outweighed the subtle shifts in direction that were taking place within the productions themselves. Dialogues were altered, and character designs were chosen by outside sources. Then whole scripts were altered, and all stylistic choices for production arrived in Mr. Theiressen's mailbox from anonymous powers. GAG had clearly become the puppet of the political machine, but its incredible reputation amongst audiences, and the daft skill (and desperation) of its artists to work with the materials they were given kept them ranked as the top animation house.

When Mr. Theiressen spearheaded GAG's numerous hostile takeovers of competing animation houses, a cry went up from the animation staff that was quickly denounced by a brutish and untraceable squad of shadow callers, phantom knockers and unaccounted for dog barks at the homes of those making thee noise. nearly all of GAG's employees stayed on for fear of their job, and their life. As rival houses folded or conceded to the whims of the GAG mogul, Mr. Thieressen gathered up the useful animators, and threatened or defamed any artist who threatened the GAG mission. Theiressen began the institution of the new GAG-policies that clearly defined production angle for all GAG releases, and left him in charge of all major decision making capacities. His quest soon became global, and his success is evident in the pervasiveness of the GAG logo; current social recognition tests demonstrate that nearly 72% of the global urban population knows the logo and is informed of what the company produces. And that brings us to our present situation.

GAG industries are now responsible for nearly 94 percent of all animated features, and almost 85 percent of animated shorts. Their complete monopoly over the creation of video game stories, and their character "typing" practices are not public knowledge, but none-the-less must be acknowledged. Though small animation schools still exist, they are certainly no match for GAG and its industry dominance. by controlling the shape, and feel of each title, Mr. Theiressen and GAG have molded a mindset of two generations. Thank goodness they molded them correctly, and we all now know what proper animation looks like, and what really is appropriate for the public.

© 2047 ACME publications house (GAG certified for nearly 30 years).

First Scenario - "Ubiquitous Studio" (2062)

Imagine you are walking down the street of Singapore. The year is 2062, and though you don't speak the local languages, you have no problem interpreting your surroundings or navigating the urban terrain. You have spent the last couple of months preparing for this trip by watching portions of the vast archive of 2d and 3d animations that have come from the SE Asia region during the past 40 years. Cross-cultural literacy is one of the most important traits currently taught in education, and due to the vastness and depth of many global cultures, training is taught from an early age. Animation because of its appeal to children, and its potential to express imaginative broad ideas, was chosen by the UN's Cultural Education Institute (UNCEI) as the medium of choice through which to launch its newest learning series. By funding animation studios and schools in every member nation, distinct cultures were given the opportunity to tell the stories that define the social identities of their peoples. The collection has grown to well over 50,000 feature length films, and an additional 130,000 animated shorts. It is available via the global information network free of charge. Using this vast database you have researched many of the Cultures that now live and thrive in Singapore, but you have paid particular attention to the animation from two national groups, Bhutan and New Calcedonia.

Once considered a doomed political experiment, the nation of Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness Index has recently become the major influence for structuring governance and economic models. India, Cambodia, Canada, The South American Union of Nations, and the North African region have already transitioned to this form of governance and it appears that the majority of the world's political groups will follow suit. The emergence of the state of New Calcedonia, while not a huge event in itself, became a beacon of hope and inspiration for many indigenous peoples looking to establish themselves within the new global world. The UNCEI funded animation studio in New Calcedonia was the first established in the small island nations of Oceania, and quickly grew to be one of the most influential storytelling studios of the World. Gathering the best artists, and story tellers from the hundreds of cultures littered among these thousands of islands, the New Calcedonia school has since grown to be one of the largest and most successful studios in history. The studio has produced nearly 200 full length animations per year for the past decade, and the variety and endearing qualities of their stories are though to invoke some kind of magic power as they have become infectious to both yougn and adult audiences.

The collection of animated features aimed at adult demographic audiences is quite impressive. Though 2054 marked the beginning of a decline in adult feature production that has since continued, the library is still quite extensive as many studios of the European Union and Central America focused on this form of entertainment for nearly 50 years. The creation of the "Spanime" content empire was based on an idea borrowed from the original use of animation by Japanese film makers (ie. Otomo, Miyazaki, and Takehata) -- make them for audiences with mature tastes, informed views, and broad interests. Due to the proliferation of the Spanish language across the Americas, and into W. Europe, it seemed only natural for workers rights social justice organizations to utilize the language in the production of its first political films ( Rio Sangre, 2011, and Estamos Latinos 2012). The amazing success of these political films, created the necessary framework for the creation of nearly 25 feature length production studios across the region. Noted works of the SOL studios had such a global appeal (once translated), that the "Spanime" industry has thrived and is responsible for nearly 42 percent of the adult themed content currently in circulation. However, the establishment and subsequent success of similar studios in India and NE China have become ever more influential in this market, and that is why you find yourself in Singapore 2062.

It has been your job, as a Studio Patchwerk analyst and production designer, to research the adult audiences of SE Asia and Oceania, the most populous area of the planet. You have been sent on this mission because Studio Patchwerk, considered one of the great pinnacles of 3D content creation, is developing its newest user interface for its globally popular KeiTarI, Augmented Reality. And this is how Studio Patchwerk stays on top-- thoroughly researching the cultural and aesthetic values of social environments where their software is most widely used.

Studio Patchwerk is a highly elite collective of the world's best 3D designers, animators, and programmers who have been credited with rearranging the urban environment. Their initial creation of 3D animated characters for the use on mobile devices in 2009, went unnoticed by many and was considered a brief novelty content at the time. However, Bittle the bonobo, one of the numerous characters developed by the early Patchwerk group quickly became a hugely popular success for the mobile device users of developing Asia. This popularity spread virally across the globe and launched the "Patchwerkers" into the global culture spotlight. Coincidentally, Motorola the ex-supergiant of the telecommunications industry, was releasing its first version of mobile augmented reality devices and the popularity of Bittle was used to push the device. A seemingly dissolvable juncture became one of the most significant mergers of our current world. Bittle is the icon of choice for all users of the Augmented Reality devices, and Patchwerk Software is used on over 92% of global devices. You are responsible for coming up with Bittle 5.0 concept designs this brings you back to your own augmented reality.

As you peer down the street, signs translate themselves, and your new knowledge of SE Asian culture enables you to see some of the subterfuge within the street's shops and vendors. Suddenly you own little Bittle pops up next to you and gestures that you follow him across the street to a jump station that will take you to your next destination...the Grand Park of Singapore, a hive of commerce and social interaction. The best place to research the people your product speaks to.

Following a Bittle is easy, safe, and timely -- before you know it you are at your destination. As you approach the park you suddenly become aware of your Bittle's magnetic pull toward an area of the green space. There, you see gathered a number of other Bittles, all dressed differently and representing their own user in the "free icon" space.This meeting area allows each user's graphic envoy to socialize and share information about who they represent and what their plans are for the remainder for the day. It has been described by one old crone as a dog park for your cyber-self.


As your Bittle socializes, you can do your research and interact with the other people in the space. The number of animated advertising icons and slogans running across the Park is limited to only 1 per cubic meter, and the relative peacefulness of this environment as opposed to the higher density areas of bouncy company trademarks affords you some time to survey the rest of the Park goers. It is a beautiful day, and you are a happy animator in the world.

Animation Scenario III : A Disciplined Future

Second Scenario - GAGged



"The formation of the Global Animators Guild (GAG) ensures that content creation finally has some regulations and guidelines. Our motto, "For the Preservation of Creativity", is held as the highest standard any animator can have as a watermark for their work. Indeed, before the institution took form, the rise of animators with questionable ideas and loose artistic taste was a scare for most of the long-time members of the animating world. This new breed of animator did not seem to care for much of the time hardened principles and long standing design techniques that had shaped the current modes and fashions. The increase in cultural styles, moral traditions, and social representations that these artists were bringing into the animation world was a concern for many. The PEOPLE demanded that animation remain a form of communication for children and education. Religious and Political groups were concerned with the popularity of programs which spoke against their most sacred trusts. Luckily, the Guild ensures that these fears are a thing of the past, that ALL animation in print or production is approved in accordance with their strict code of conduct, and that animators can now be held to the highest of standards as the art form demands..." -- Hobart Theiressen, Director/CEO for GAG Inc. Drawn and Quartered Magazine, pp 76

The Global Animators Guild began operations to ensure the quality of animators being hired by media conglomerates during the huge Content Surge of latter 2013. The demand for all types of content was so high, that many people were passing themselves off as animators by hijacking online content, claiming it as their own, and proceeding to skirt around various studios and animation centers of the world. This became such a trend that among other industry changes, GAG was formed to create a skilled pool of animators whose work deserved the large sums of money being offered by the studios. The reputation of quality that came with Guild certification and membership was quickly recognized as the highest grade of professionalism amongst the artists and employers of the time.

During the first shrinking of the content demand, the Guild remained strong and its members were found work either through outsourced projects or in some of the new productions funded by Guild money. These GAG productions quickly became a high priced commodity, which kept the members afloat and established the GAG stylistic choices as the industry's new standard. When demand for Animators returned, as it always has during the course of the art's history, GAG artists were quickly in short demand and began opening a number of animating educational facilities to instruct a new wave of animators. The crux of the situation came during a quiet lunch meeting during the 2nd golden era.
The story goes, Mr. Hobart Theiressen, then a color and texture understudy at GAG, made a proclamation that a rival studio was considering the production of a series of political shorts that were sure to turn some heads. Turn some heads it did, but more quickly than he imagined, as one of the gentlemen sitting at a table not far from Mr. Theiressen was none other than our current national leader. At this time, our president was running for governor in his home state, and he thought that if another studio was going to make political shorts, his team had better hire some animators to make some shorts too. Mr. Theiressen's now infamous political cartoon titled "Who's got the keys to this box?" was a national success, after voting booths across the entire nation were suspect of tampering and rigging. Mr. Theiressen's new found "trendsetter" status for his artwork, and his increasing political clout (due to his employers subsequent rise to power) pushed him to take over the reigns of all GAG activities.

With GAG firmly in the pocket of the powerful: artistic choices, intercultural exchange programs, and new hire practices began to tighten and new language began to appear around the studios. Catch phrases like : " Drawing for Justice," and "Animating Truth" began to appear stamped across the gates to the animation schools, and GAG studios soon became the "voice of the nation." The appeal of these ideas far outweighed the subtle shifts in direction that were taking place within the productions themselves. Dialogues were altered, and character designs were chosen by outside sources. Then whole scripts were altered, and all stylistic choices for production arrived in Mr. Theiressen's mailbox from anonymous powers. GAG had clearly become the puppet of the political machine, but its incredible reputation amongst audiences, and the daft skill (and desperation) of its artists to work with the materials they were given kept them ranked as the top animation house.

When Mr. Theiressen spearheaded GAG's numerous hostile takeovers of competing animation houses, a cry went up from the animation staff that was quickly denounced by a brutish and untraceable squad of shadow callers, phantom knockers and unaccounted for dog barks at the homes of those making thee noise. nearly all of GAG's employees stayed on for fear of their job, and their life. As rival houses folded or conceded to the whims of the GAG mogul, Mr. Thieressen gathered up the useful animators, and threatened or defamed any artist who threatened the GAG mission. Theiressen began the institution of the new GAG-policies that clearly defined production angle for all GAG releases, and left him in charge of all major decision making capacities. His quest soon became global, and his success is evident in the pervasiveness of the GAG logo; current social recognition tests demonstrate that nearly 72% of the global urban population knows the logo and is informed of what the company produces. And that brings us to our present situation.

GAG industries are now responsible for nearly 94 percent of all animated features, and almost 85 percent of animated shorts. Their complete monopoly over the creation of video game stories, and their character "typing" practices are not public knowledge, but none-the-less must be acknowledged. Though small animation schools still exist, they are certainly no match for GAG and its industry dominance. by controlling the shape, and feel of each title, Mr. Theiressen and GAG have molded a mindset of two generations. Thank goodness they molded them correctly, and we all now know what proper animation looks like, and what really is appropriate for the public.

© 2047 ACME publications house (GAG certified for nearly 30 years).

Animation and Futures

In my 3D animation and design courses today, our class was given a
brief history of the art of animation.
Our instructor, once an instructor at Cal Arts, and Disney Animator,
began with some of the first cave drawings dated around 18-20,000 BC.

Claiming that the idea of capturing action through picture, even in a single frame,
was a basic form of animation, some members of the animation community will date these
ancient pictograms as the roots of the art.

We were then shown examples of Greecian Ceramic work,
on which figures were shown in a vairety of poses ciricling the vase.
Some pieces of pottery have painted on so that if you were to spin the vase,
the figurines would move together in a one action animation.
Actions varied from hunting, walking, sexual practices, and religious ceremony, and even warfare.

Our history lesson then jumped ahead to the end of the 19th C and the beginning of the 20th C to what is regarded
as the most recent and profound development of Animation--it use as an entertainment medium.

From here our history encompased many of the well and lesser known names in animation to date.
Walt Disney (and his troop of animators, notedly the Old Nine),
Momotaro, Osamu Tezuka, Takehata, Miyazaki...
all of these animators were forming to different degrees and with different styles what would become major
industries in their respective cultures.
By proving that nnimated films could effectively hold the attention of an audience for more than a few minutes,
these pioneering artists and directors established the art as a popular form of entertainment, a money making industry,
and some of the first examples of virtual worlds able to engage the emotional faculties of the mind.

That is where i am heading with this. Afterall, this is Futures Studies Right.

Recapping the incredible growth of the industry over the past 100 years:
The Disney Empire,
Beginnings of Anime
TV animation, Mech-animation, UPA studios,
Anime as Blockbusters: Akira, Grave of the Fireflies, Kiki's Delivery Service.
British, Russian, and European Shorts,
Pixar, Dreamworks, CG animation software,
production Oustsourcing, cable channels devoted to animation,
Budget balloon in 3D,
and then...


the future of animation.

We covered such topics as...
1) Continued Growth of the industry,
especially in China and India where already HUGE animation schools are opening up.

2) Collapse of the "art", and Saturationof the "industry"...


and unfortunately that was about it.

One question ws asked concerning the prospects of an animation industry here in Hawai'i.
There is talk of it...unfortunately it appears that is all there is currently.


This is I believe a case in which the work of a futures study of the industry would be useful...
Our teacher did a wonderful job of leading us up to the present day, but then accomplished little more than 1.5 scenarios for its futures.

There was no discussion of Transformation or Controlled Growth scenarios.
The Idea of Collapse was strictly limited to one persons idea of what collapse meant,
and in only one of its forms.


Ideas that are in need of address:

--If animation in its most abstract forms is being dated back to 20,000 or 5000 years, we should also be bouncing ideas off the concept of 20,000 years out as best we can, searching the rediculum of our imagintions, if only to open up our minds to the prospectus of this industry. We should also be engaged in scanning the industry 35, 50, 100 years out...reading what we can from the explosive past 100 years in animation and imagining how to expand upon this.


--Because it seems that increases in available technology have led to the major leaps of the animation industry of the recent past ( Disney' s Moviola, TV markets diversify/expand audience, 3D animation software), It seems that a scan of horizon and well-over-the-rainbow technology scans are necessary when anticipating any futures of animation. Topics that should be explored: Submersive environments, Animation as an interactive art, the development of Motion Capture, New Spaces for Animation...

--So Far, Distinct Cultures have taken very diverse Directions in expanding and crating animation. What will the newly empowered and educated populations of China and India come up with? Instead of begin seen as a threat to American animation jobs, shouldn't we be intrigued to see what kinds of creations will be the result. Japanese Anime is very dissimilar to Pixar films, at least so seems to be the consensus of my class and my instructor. Therefore we can prepare for the worst (an explosion of animators saturating all markets and driving down animation wages), but we must also recognize the potential ... There will be a numerous pool of talented individuals with new stories to tell, a new culture to extract into the animation world, new experiences to share and disseminate to the growing global audience.

-- My instructor is very interested in saving and propigating the "12 principles of animation" as put down by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston in their Disney animation comepndium The Illusion of Life. As a new student to animation I find that these concepts are still vague understandings of words in relation to art, and yet I also question these terms applicability to Virtual Spaces and making mental connections between observers and their visual field. Disney Studios was very successful in taking the concept of cartoon, and turning it into a medium in which the empathies of the audience could be sparked. It was no longer just a medium which could be laguhed at, but now laughed with, cried with, scared and joyed with.... What could be very important to the future of alternative experience realms (video games, reality augmentation, video soaks) is to achieve understanding by the audience; making connections of believabilty and realism, through mediums which in essence are anything but real or believable.


I would be interested in exploring these topics and any others concerning animation ....

Aaron Rosa