October 28 is International Animation Day. Chelyabinsk cannot boast of some well-known cartoonist compatriots. But we use animation for unique pedagogical projects.
This year the studio for creative development for children, adolescents and families "Visibly-invisibly" celebrates its eight-year anniversary. They specialize here in children's animation - from ordinary to plasticine and even sand. According to the head of the studio, Ekaterina Konakova, cartoons are a great opportunity for a child to show their imagination, and there is no need to oppose Soviet and foreign animation, masterpieces are everywhere. So Cheburashka can also make friends with the Little Mermaid.
Why is the key rusty?
Correspondent "Argumenty i Fakty-Chelyabinsk" Eldar Gizatullin: - Admit it, you liked cartoons so much as a child that you decided to found a studio?
Ekaterina Konakova: - I have two children, and it so happened that I was engaged in one project related to cinema, sometimes I told them how films are made. And one day they asked me: "How are cartoons shot?" I myself did not know, I went to the Internet, began to study the issue. It turned out that in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a real boom in the USSR in amateur animation studios that worked with children. One of the first appeared in Dnepropetrovsk, then in other cities. The well-known Poisk studio is still operating in Novosibirsk. But in Chelyabinsk there was nothing of the kind, and the idea arose to fill the gap.
Now we create both drawn cartoons, and plasticine, and puppet, from Lego, from sand. We have creative warm-ups. Something borrowed from Gianni Rodari and his "Grammar of Fantasy". We give assignments. Let's say you want to write a story about an item. Once they offered to tell about the key. Why is it rusty or what? Or exercises on different topics, such as "The Living Pillow." It develops a fantasy very much. Unfortunately, not all schools support this creative inclinations.
- Are there any specific examples of such an attitude?
- A boy came to our classes. Difficult but incredible dreamer. Among his works is a cartoon about a composer who sailed in the Sea of Japan. The boy painted the sea so beautifully, its slightest shades. And then his mother told us that the school was given the task to paint the picture, and the son asks: "What color?" Mom replies: "So choose yourself!" And he told her: "No, tell me which one, otherwise they will scold me." Mom says he still doesn't paint.
We still have this prevalent in schools - just investing knowledge, cramming. In the cartoon, the child can create his own world.
The frog refused to the prince
- Do computer games affect your students?
- You know, at first they draw characters from games, repeat plots, but then they look at others, get carried away and already create their own stories. I perceive this as a salvation for children. They can be themselves, in their own way tell about what they already know.
So, once the children took part in an astronomy competition and decided to talk about meteors. They did it in the form of a cartoon about a girl and her cat who travel through space, and the cat constantly asks questions. This work was eventually recognized as the best in the city. Or, on another occasion, the guys from the "School of Speed Reading" made cartoons about mercury, about artists.
Sometimes you just wonder how children alter the well-known plots. We have a cartoon where it is not Ivan Tsarevich who rescues his frog princess, but the Frog herself is a kind of emancipated young lady and wants to save herself. I especially liked the cartoon "Younger Brother", which tells about the relationship between two brothers.
- Do boys and girls create different stories?
- As always, boys prefer to paint all sorts of monsters, and girls - more positive images. The task of educators is to explain that it is better for the plot when different characters interact. But teamwork is never easy. There was an episode when a newcomer was brought into an already cohesive group. She drew and drew, and then, when they began to compare the works, a real hysteria happened to her. I even had to call her mother, to whom the girl confessed what the reason was: "My drawings are the worst of all!" And another mother said: "I see that my daughter did not draw very well, but she herself is sure that she is the best!"
Is the mitten too slow?
- Most of today's children know animation from American products. Do you show your students more unusual pictures?
- We introduce them to the whole history of animation. We show the very first cartoons, talk about the masters. For example, about the first Russian cartoonist Alexander Shiryaev, choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater, who filmed dancing puppets.
Modern children are really not very familiar with much later work. Among the students there were those who did not even watch Cheburashka. But there are also opposite examples. My sister specially showed my son only Soviet cartoons. The son grew up, now he chooses what to watch. I am not a supporter of prohibiting something, protecting something from something - it is better to compare and discuss. As a child, I really liked the cartoon "Mitten", because I, like his heroine, also really wanted a dog, and my mother had an allergy. But I understand that for modern children this cartoon will seem slow in the development of the plot.
- Aren't you upset if in the classroom children only want to watch Hollywood animation?
- Indeed, when you propose to speak: they say, what you want to see, they first name famous American cartoons. And if you say: “Let's watch the Irish cartoon“Songs of the Sea”,” many are grimaced. But then they look without stopping. You see, there is no need to say: all Soviet films are good, and all American films are bad. You just have to show the best examples.
- And these samples will then help to distinguish the low-grade from the real?
- Children will outlive both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Transformers. My son had a favorite toy lamb with which he slept. But after the first trip to kindergarten, he said: "I want a spider-man!" Because everyone in the kindergarten wanted this toy.
But the best always leaves a mark. When my son grew up, one day he confessed to me: “There is nothing to talk about with some friends. They did not see both that and that! " I answered him: "Maybe then change the company?"
- And the best is still being created in animation?
- Of course. There are many studios, including small ones, that create great work. You can call it "Hoffmaniade". Some criticized this cartoon, but I think it's because they are used to the fact that animation should only contain jokes.
Many countries use cartoons to glorify their past and national traditions. After all, children grow up just on cartoons. The largest animation show in Russia takes place in Suzdal. Many interesting works are shown there every year. For example, I remember the cartoon based on the poems of Yuri Koval.
- Surely, many will be interested to see the work of your students.
- This can be done on our Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/vidims), there are many works exhibited there. Or visit our group on the VKontakte social network.
