What was the earliest animation advertisement in China? What time?

On the Creation Time of China's First Animation Advertisement

-A detailed analysis of the Monkey King and me.

Yin Fujun

(Animation Department, Academy of Fine Arts, Inner Mongolia Normal University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 0 10022)

Abstract: Shu Zhendong's Chinese Typewriter is the first animation advertisement recognized by China academic circles at present, and it is the embryonic form of China animation. The successful production of Shu Zhendong's Chinese Typewriter has pushed the animation industry in China from the exploration stage to the trial production stage, which is of special significance in the history of animation in China. Because of its long history and scattered materials, there have been some disputes about its creation time in academic circles for a long time. In this paper, the Monkey King and I are analyzed in detail with relevant materials, and finally the creation time is made clear.

Keywords: ten thousand brothers; Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter; creation time

China Library Classification Number: J954 Document Identification Number: A Document Number:

China's first animated advertisement was Shu Zhendong's Chinese Typewriter, which was created by Wan Brothers. Although this cartoon is naive, it is the embryonic form and precursor of China's animation. As we all know, in the early 1920s, China did not have its own cartoons. It is Wan Brothers who, with enthusiasm and persistence in animation art, study lanterns, shadow play and activities with foreign animated films such as Popeye, Beyond the Ink Bottle and Miss Bobby as reference objects. So when was this short film created? The determination of his creation time is of great reference value to the early animation research in China. Because of its long history and scattered data, it is obviously very difficult to accurately verify its creation time. At present, this issue has been mentioned to some extent in some related animation papers and academic works, but there are also some different views.

One, two kinds of statements

The first statement is 1922, which is held by most people at present. Bao Jigui and Liang Ping pointed out in the article "The 69th Anniversary of China Fine Arts Film": "1922, the Shanghai Commercial Press entrusted Wan Brothers to produce Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter animation advertisement during business hours on the condition of providing materials and venues. For the sake of China's animation career, Wan Brothers accepted the condition of making cartoons for free and forgot to eat and sleep. The production of animation advertisements has brought Wanxiong's exploration of animation into a new stage, that is, using the original technology and the principle of frame-by-frame shooting. At the end of this year, the animation advertisement of Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter finally succeeded. Although the quality of this success is not high, it can be said that this is the prototype and precursor of Chinese cartoons. " [1] It is also recorded in the Chronicle of Shanghai Film edited by Wu: 1922, the film and drama department of Business made an animated advertisement Shu Zhenle's China Typewriter (the word "le" in this book should be misspelled), and 1923 made Yili soda. [2] Zhang Huilin's viewpoint in the book "The History of China Animation Film in the Twentieth Century" refers to many materials including the above articles: "At the end of 1922, Shu Zhendong's" China Typewriter "was filmed, which became the origin of China animation." [3] Yan Hui and Suo Yabin wrote in "The History of China Animation Film": "After several years of practice, Wan Brothers made an animation advertisement" Shu Zhendong Chinese Typewriter "at 1922, which is the embryonic form of China animation." [4] Another way of saying it is 1926, which Mr. Jin Baoshan used many times in his article. He said, "The Wan brothers bought an old French wooden camera in a flea market, repaired and modified it themselves, and designed their own cartoons. Trial production of comics in a small pavilion. After hundreds of experiments, the animated advertisement Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter and humorous cartoon "Making a scene in heaven" were finally shot in 1926, which was a success in one fell swoop. This is the first silent black and white animated short film in China. " [5] In another article, this statement was emphasized again: "1926, Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter and humorous cartoon" Making a scene in Heaven "were officially filmed, which was a success in one fell swoop. This is the first silent black-and-white cartoon in China. When it was shown in some big theaters at the same time with another cartoon, Subversion of the Paper Man, the audience was like a tide, and the children laughed their heads off. " [6]

The above two statements are quite credible, not groundless. Some of these views come from the articles of animation experts and some from the works of film scholars. Generally speaking, most people hold the first view, which is widely used in many articles and works, while the second view is only the view of individual researchers.

Because of its long history and the pioneering work of Wan Brothers, it did not attract widespread attention at that time, so it will never receive satisfactory results to rely entirely on historical research methods for textual research. Deciphering this mystery is an extremely difficult problem, so is there an effective way to deal with it?

Second, clue tracking.

At first glance, all the above statements have some truth, and it is difficult to tell good from bad. But after careful observation, we can easily find that almost all researchers have referred to Wan Laiming's memoir "the Monkey King and I" [7]. Written in 1986, this book is a precious historical material for scholars to study China's early animation. Then the question is, why do you draw different conclusions by referring to the same book? Anyone who has read this book will feel the same way. Although the content language is vivid and the writing is fluent, the author's narrative time on some issues is relatively implicit, which leads to the weak logic of the article and makes it difficult for readers to interpret it. Therefore, a correct understanding of this book has become the key to clarify the problems in this paper. The author extracts related words according to his own understanding of the contents of this book, and then makes corresponding analysis in order to get the necessary clues.

Material 1:

One of the main cartoon forms in art films was [7]P40 which was introduced to China from Europe and America after silent films in the early 1920s.

"When I first saw a foreign" cartoon "in the cinema, I couldn't help but think in shock: the characters under the brush really moved! From then on, I took cartoons as a treasure and took pains to buy tickets again and again to watch them. Some movies have been watched many times to study the mystery. Such a strong artistic ideal drives me to devote myself to research like I taught myself art in the past, and I am determined to contribute my youth to China's artistic film creation, win glory for the Chinese nation, and prevent foreigners from specializing in its beauty. " [7]P40

The material 1 clearly points out that cartoons were introduced to China from Europe and America in the early 1920s, and Mr. Wan Laiming came up with the idea of creating cartoons only after seeing them in Europe and America. This makes us doubt the correctness of the first statement from the beginning, but the concept of "early 1920s" is not specific, and the time when the author "first watched foreign cartoons in the cinema" is not clear, so we haven't refuted the first statement.

Material 2:

"Fortunately, my younger brothers who work in the film and television department of the Commercial Press learned from their work that the film was shot one by one. Through the continuous screening of the film, the characters in the film are animated by using human visual characteristics. Our understanding of the machinery and performance of film production and projection greatly inspired us. But where can I afford an expensive movie machine to do the experiment? I wonder if we can use a simulation method, that is, use a picture instead of a grid of film to do the experiment. " [7]P4 1

"After years of exploration, we finally discovered the secret of animated films. Although the thickness map is not equal to comics, I firmly believe that we have found the most important key to making comics. " [7]P42

Material 2 is easily overlooked because of the concealment of words. This paper focuses on "Several Brothers Working in the Film and Television Department of the Commercial Press" to interpret this material. Only those who know China's early films will know that "Little Brother" refers to the Wan Gu Chan and Wandi Atlas. Wan Guchan 1925 worked as a scenery designer in the film department of the Commercial Press, and Wandi Atlas was a little late. Because the combination of film technology and art produced art films, mastering the principles and shooting skills of film photography provided the necessary conditions for them to crack the secrets of making cartoons, and they were therefore recognized as "the people who knew the film technology best in the art world" at that time. Due to the lack of money, they didn't have spare money to buy expensive movie machines to do experiments, so they had to use one picture after another instead of one film to simulate. Theoretically, this kind of simulation is only a preliminary attempt of animation creation. After many simulation experiments, they found the most important key to making cartoons. Finding the key to the problem does not mean the success of comic creation, because at this time they don't even have a movie machine, so it can be said that they are still in the stage of "on paper". Through the analysis of material 2, the first statement has obviously been overthrown by us. Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter should be successfully developed at least after 1925 or 1925. So what year is this year?

Material 3:

"'A good start is half the battle', and now this is a good start. My brothers and I are determined to experiment with cartoons. ..... I am faced with many difficulties that are difficult to solve: we have no test site, no reference materials, and no funds to buy necessary machines and equipment. These three questions are like three mountains, and I don't even have the ability to climb a mountain. " [7]P42

"We didn't have a test site, so we used the seven-square-meter pavilion as a temporary laboratory." [7]P43

"The problem of the studio has been solved, but we have no information for reference. In order to seek even a little theoretical information about animation technology, we always go to libraries and second-hand bookshops on Sundays and holidays. ..... There are several books about film technology, but the information about cartoons is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I searched for two or three months and found nothing. " [7]P44

"I am at a loss at the thought of the machines and equipment used in the experiment. Our brother's income is very small, and he has to deduct part of his salary every month to pay off his father's debts. At that time, I was married and had children, and the burden was heavier. Even if I have a little income from painting, it will not help. " [7]P44

"I/Kloc-went to Shanghai to work at the age of 0/8, and I was unable to get married in order to repay the debts owed by my father. Five years later, she came to Shanghai to marry me. ....., at that time, she saw that we were sleepless in animation experiments, and worried that she had no money to buy machinery and equipment, so she used every dollar more carefully. ..... She relieved us of worries and let me devote myself to the cartoon experiment, which is really a great support for me. ..... We have experienced hundreds of experiments every step forward, and the second step forward has become the driving force for us to move on. Next to our exhibition hall, ... is a grotesque wooden shelf with four legs. On the shelf is a wooden camera with an "Alamont" on it. ..... We found it in the second-hand market on Beijing Road. It is an old machine abandoned by people. " [7]P48-49

"We have a studio, a camera and a darkroom, so in the evening, we immediately moved the briquette stove to the cover of the kitchen and closed the window so as to turn it into a darkroom for developing film" [7]P50

"My brothers and I work day and night, leaving our family, children and life behind. I don't know how many times I have failed. Finally, one night, an animated image appeared on the narrow white wall in the pavilion. We saw with our own eyes that our paintings were really alive. " [7]P5 1-52

Material 3 is extremely rich in content, but in the end, it undoubtedly tells us the difficulty of creation at that time. This material makes some people who don't know the background of "several younger brothers working in the film and television department of the Commercial Press" naturally abandon the first statement. Wan Laiming was born in1900,65438+10 month, 18. He/kloc-went to work in Shanghai at the age of 0/8. Due to economic reasons, it took him five years to marry his wife, and the financial burden became heavier when he had children. Naturally, he was "at a loss" when he thought of the machines and equipment used in the experiment. Finally, with the help of his wife. Aside from the analysis of the author's material 2, we will also think that the Wan brothers didn't even have the machinery and equipment to do experiments before 1923, so how can they be successfully developed!

The author combines material 2 and then analyzes it. "Getting off to a good start" means "After years of exploration, I finally discovered the secret of animated films. Although the thickness map is not equal to comics, I firmly believe that we have found the most important key to making comics. " The words "faced with a lot of difficulties that are difficult to solve", "no test site", "no reference materials", "thinking about the machinery and equipment used in the experiment", "nothing for two or three months", "day and night" and "I don't know how many times I failed" are enough to illustrate the hardships of the Wan brothers in creating cartoons, and more importantly, they need sufficient time to ensure it. To get a deeper understanding of China's early film history, Wan Guchan worked as a picture teacher in the Art College of the Commercial Press in June 1925, and was transferred to the Department of Film and Television in July 1925. [8] So, in just a few months, can Wan Brothers successfully solve a series of problems in Material 3? It remains to be seen how likely it is to be successfully developed before the end of 1925.

Third, clear the dark clouds and present a day.

Material 4:

"It seems very simple and clear now, and it is taken for granted, but in the early 1920s, it became a big problem that bothered me for a long time. I was confused at the time. After four years of research and exploration, it was not until 1926 that my brothers and I mastered this secret. " [7]P39

"The news of the successful cartoon experiment was known by the Film and Television Department of the Commercial Press, and we were entrusted to produce a short cartoon Shu Zhendong's Chinese Typewriter as an amateur. This simple and ridiculous cartoon advertisement is the embryonic form and sound of future cartoons. It provides us with the original experience of making cartoons and extremely simple animation theory. " [7]P52

"Seven or eight years ago, although our four brothers were all art practitioners, some were art teachers and some were photo editors of the Commercial Press, we often saw ink paintings (from ink bottles) in movies ... Soon, our two brothers devoted themselves to the film industry, and we gradually became familiar with all the common sense of film production and film. At this time, we discussed an ink painting script and the method of painting, writing and shooting, and contacted the person in charge of a film company. " [9]

People who read this material for the first time will find it strange. Isn't material 4 clearly written that "my brothers and I didn't master this secret until 1926"? Then Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter must have been successfully developed in 1926. The understanding of this sentence has always been controversial in academic circles, because the article does not explicitly say film, so the probability that it is Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter is uncertain. The author thinks that there are several problems that need researchers' attention. First, through the second material, we know that before Shu Zhendong's Chinese Typewriter, the Wan brothers were already drawing another short film (which I will call "short film" here), and this short film is the symbol of the successful development of the Wan brothers' comics, that is, "mastering this secret", so it can be determined that its successful creation time is 1926. Secondly, there is no doubt that Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter is the embryonic form of later comics. It was completed before China's first cartoon, which is recognized by academic circles. The cartoon was created by Liao and Wan Guchan in May 1927, but Wan Laiming did not actually participate in the creation. The author wrote another article about it. [10] If the argument of the article "Studio was born in 1927" is not sufficient, the author would like to add one more point here. In the first China Film Yearbook edited by the famous filmmaker Cheng, a column entitled "Movable Comic Painter" was specially set up, which described the development status of comics in China. The article said, "Movable funny pictures has not yet appeared in China film industry, and only one or two can make active advertising pictures, which is far from active funny pictures." [1 1] It is also mentioned that the cartoon "Ball Man" by Qin Lifan has been drawn for a long time, but it has not been produced yet. At the end of the article, Cheng listed Qin Lifan, Huang Wennong, Yang Zuotao and Wan Guchan, hoping to attract everyone's attention and show Cheng's concern for animation. If you have painted or completed the studio and cooperated with the animation expert Zhuo, it will be reflected in this article. There are two main reasons why Wanjiachan can attract Cheng's attention. First, he "can do activity advertisements and pictures", and second, he devoted himself to the film industry at this time. Wan Brothers' first advertising picture is Shu Zhendong's Chinese typewriter, so it was completed on 1926.

Zhang Huilin's History of China Animation Art in the Twentieth Century is the first history of animation monograph in China, which fills a gap in the animation industry in China, arouses scholars' extensive concern and is used as a teaching material by animation majors in many universities. But her understanding of the sentence "after four years of research and exploration" is obviously wrong. The article points out: "But it took Wan Brothers four years (19 19- 1922) to figure out its principle. Four years, a moment in history, but for Wan Brothers and China's animation career, these four years are full of bumps and hardships. " [3]P30 shows that this "four-year period" is very important, and 1922 became the turning point of this period. Zhang Huilin's viewpoint is positioned four years before 1922, which is completely wrong. This result virtually pushed forward the history of China's early filmmakers' attention to comics for four years.

conclusion

To sum up, through the interpretation of the Monkey King and Me and referring to some relevant materials, the author draws the conclusion that the third statement is correct, that is, the creation time of Shu Zhendong's China Typewriter is 1926. Its successful production has pushed the animation industry in China from the exploration stage to the trial production stage. Few people agreed with this statement before, but this time the truth is in the hands of a few people, denying the views of the vast majority on this issue. From this point of view, the determination of the creation time of China's first animation advertisement is of great significance for reasonably explaining the creation of China's early animation and studying China's early animation works. I hope that scholars in the industry will pay attention to this "nitpicking" problem and stop spreading false information. References:

[1] Bao Jigui, Liang Ping. The 69th Anniversary of China Fine Arts Film (J). Film Art, 1995, (6) :42.

[2] Wu, editor in chief. Shanghai Film History (Z). Shanghai: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 1999: 1043.

[3] Zhang Huilin. The 20th century animation art history of China [M]. Xi 'an: Shaanxi People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 2002:35.

Yan Hui, Suo Yabin. History of animation, China (m). Beijing: China Film Publishing House, 2005: 13.

[5] Jin Baoshan. Wan Laiming, the originator of animation (J). Popular movies, 2002, (15) :32.

[6] Jin Baoshan. "Animation Master" Wan Laiming (J). Chunqiu of Literature and History, 2005, (1) :57.

[7] Wan Laiming dictated, and the soul of all nations wrote. Me and the Monkey King (M). Taiyuan: Beiyue Literature and Art Publishing House, 1986.

[8] ten thousand, oral, finishing. Diligent life and brilliant career —— Recalling my father Wan Guchan (J). China Animation, 2006, (1):7.

[9] Wan Laiming, Wan Guchan, Wan, Atlas. Talking about Wan's active ink painting (J). Companion magazine, 1934, (89) :30.

Yin Fujun. Textual research on the first batch of cartoons in China and their authors (J), Film Art, 2007, (1):148-152.

Cheng. China Film Yearbook (Z), 1927.