The Dionysian vs The Apollonian

A few classes ago we talked about animated films in terms of the Dionysian vs the Apollonian. I didn't get the chance to share this in class, but I think any type of film is really both of them. Different people find different things enjoyable, especially when it comes to film. I think in terms of animation and live action, the person creating the content gains pleasure from making what they want to make and I also think that depending on the person viewing, they may find enjoyment in it or not. Thus it's too complicated to say it's strictly Dionysian or not. Animators each have their own process for their art and in that sense, the technical one, I believe that makes them Apollonian as well. There is an intellectual aspect in creating these stories. However, the actual stories themselves and the opinions of those viewing the final product can be Dionysian. I don't think any film is one way or the other.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 29, 2018 at 11:12 AM

    Hi, I totally agree with the point you're making. Animation is much more complicated than being strictly Dionysian or Apollonian, as so much creative thought and effort goes into each animation. Regardless of how chaotic or seemingly nonsensical an animation is, there's so much calculated thought put into every single frame. It's unfair to say a certain animation is one style or the other, but rather, I believe these terms should be used to describe certain aspects of a film rather than its entirety.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 29, 2018 at 11:12 AM

    Hi, I totally agree with the point you're making. Animation is much more complicated than being strictly Dionysian or Apollonian, as so much creative thought and effort goes into each animation. Regardless of how chaotic or seemingly nonsensical an animation is, there's so much calculated thought put into every single frame. It's unfair to say a certain animation is one style or the other, but rather, I believe these terms should be used to describe certain aspects of a film rather than its entirety.

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  3. UnknownSeptember 29, 2018 at 5:16 PM

    I was about to make a post on the same thing when I saw this. I thought it was interesting that we were treating them as mutually exclusive modes of the films as a whole. In a lot of cases It seemed to me that from the creator's perspective, the films could be considered Dionysian while the same film could be seen as Apollonian from an audience perspective. The creation of the work may have been a product of the creator's passion toward their own idea and process, while the people receiving the work may be looking at it through a more intellectual lens since they don't have that same passion or vision to look at the film through. That's not to say that both perspectives couldn't be one or the other in certain cases, but I don't think it should be out of the question to say that a film could be both.

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