ANIMATION CLUB VISITS JAFF19, DISCUSSING AI CHALLENGES FOR ANIMATORS

The evolution of Indonesian animation is evident, proven by the success of locally produced animated shows such as Adit and Sopo Jarwo and Nussa on television and YouTube. This year, JAFF featured a public presentation by Hizkia Subiantoro, the founder of Animasi Club Yogyakarta and the initiator of the CRAFT International Animation Festival.

Attended by animator communities and regular participants, Hizkia revealed that  animation is quite often still perceived as solely for children, even though it is actually a technique, much like a painter creating a surrealist artwork using canvas and watercolor. The golden era of animation occurred from around 1928 to 1960, when animation studios like Disney and Warner Bros extensively produced animated films that dominated the global film market.

Not only films, animation also appeared on game consoles and even became tools to achieve goals. Animation is a form of media storytelling transforming into pop culture. For example, anime which often features Japanese food and recently, Indonesian food has started to appear in anime projects as well.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used in animation based on the desire for a perfect work. The advancing of AI technology is of course very helpful for the growth for young Indonesian animators, but it also creates a new challenge for animators because of its high cost. Thus, made young amateur animators to pirate the software. Moreover, the prompts must be detailed to ensure the desired work is achieved. The types of AI used in animation include rotoscope video, hybrid live action, and synthetic AI media. On the other hand, AI is useful for animators to find ideas combined with manual drawings, making them productive. “Work until your work is mistaken for AI,” Hizkia concluded with a thought-provoking remark.