About a year ago, the Lucerne School of Art and Design, in Lucerne, Switzerland, put on its first Lucerne Animation Academy (LIAA). The four-day event was publicized as a “a great opportunity for people from theory and practice to meet and share their views on the characteristics of dramaturgy in animation films, in all its aesthetic and technical aspects.” Now, LIAA has posted videos of what they feel were “the most essential presentations held at the conference last year,” what they call LIAA-TV.

Among the most familiar names among the talks posted, mostly in English,  include:  Yuri Norstein: on “Animation and Poetry” (in Russian) (see image on top),  the Brothers Quay on “Music as a Provocative and Authentic Form” (see image above) and Priit Pärn on “How to Construct a Story – From Idea to Screenplay” (see image below).

In addition, you can find  talks by  filmmakers Jerzy Kucia, Georges Schwizgebel,  David O. Reilly, as well as ace composer Norman Roger, along with a number of others. Many thanks go to Otto Alder, Co-Head of the Animation Department for his work on the conference.

Jerry Beck has this fascinating item at Cartoon Research on Yip Harburg and his work at the Fleischer Studios in the early days of talking pictures.  Harburg, of course, was one of America’s finest lyricists, whose work includes the words for two of the most memorable songs  of the Great Depression — “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” and “Over the Rainbow” (from The Wizard of Oz).