Lourdes Villagomez Talks of ‘Animation for Documentary’ Workshop

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Lourdes Villagomez from Mexico and Coke Rioboo from Spain will hold this year’s workshop named “Animation for Documentary” within the scope of the 9th Documentarist İstanbul Documentary Days.

We have spoken with Villagomez on both the workshop and her short titled “White Line Syndrome” to be screened on Ses Tiyatro (Audio Theater) at 6 p.m.

Could you talk a bit about your works?

I usually work with objects and paper pieces. I take the images of those and have stop motion animation made of them. I also make movies for other people.

“How much time does it take to make a stop motion movie?

It depends on the technique you use and how good an animator you are. Indeed, difficulty of the project is important too. For instance, Coke Rioboo made animation for 30 seconds per day for his latest project. It was more complicated for me, I could do only 3 seconds per day. I had to relocate everything and shoot over and over.

Are you making the objects you use in the movies yourself?

No, I am not a good puppeteer nor character creator but I know very well to whom I can ask to have it done!

Could you tell us about the documentary animation workshop you are undertaking within the scope of 9th Documentarist İstanbul Documentary Days?

This workshop is a beginner workshop for the ones who never made animation or tried a few times. It is an introduction to stop motion and animation technics and that we work together on how to use those in the documentaries.

Your movie White Line Syndrome (Sindrome de Linea Blanca) to be screened today has a feminist perspective, could you talk about a bit of this perspective?

I have three elder sisters; I am coming from a family of many women. There were almost no men. There is a very traditional structure in Mexico. It is changing now but it was like that as I grew up. The lines of what a girl should and should not do were very sharp. The girls were supposed to get married. My grandmother’s wedding dress was at home and we always played with it as child. I was a rebellious kid and didn’t want to get married or have child. I’ve found all these traditions absurd. Making such a movie was my reaction against this pressure. My generation is left a bit in between. Our mothers were both working outside and doing housework. Thus, they have raised us career oriented. While they tell us to study and get good jobs, all of a sudden they were raising the question “why haven’t you still gotten married?”.

It is the same in here!

I watched the movie “Mustang” recently and the story told in the movie was like growing up in Mexico. All the town was judging the girls. I have friend who bunked off school for one day to head for the neighboring city and never returned home out of fear. This situation is still continuing in the rural area. In fact, it’s a very schizophrenic situation. A very open and relaxed life style is displayed in the TV series but people are judged when they try to live them. On one hand, there is a liberal climate and hip hop culture that have come along with being neighbor to the United States.

Did you make the animations together with Coke Rioboo?

No, we didn’t know each other at the time I made this movie but the funny part is that we made similar movies in the same period. There is the same feeling in the essence of both of our stories. There is a place which is claimed to be perfect by the society but when you get there, the only thing you feel is disappointment. We’ve discussed after making those movies.

Let us talk a bit about your new projects

I am making a project at present by using the time lapse technique. To me, each project is a mean instead of seeing a psychologist to solve my issues. I am making movie by thinking it is expensive to see psychologist but probably spend more on the movie. (CC/HK/TK)