Žiūrienė, Rytė

This study explores how stylized facial expressions in hybrid 3D animation utilizing 2D visual elements construct emotional subtext, through a comparative analysis of the animated works and . By combining Ekman’s extended Facial Action Coding System (FACS) with qualitative methods of performative stylization analysis, the study proposes a dual analytical framework. While FACS offers anatomical precision, the performative stylization approach interprets abstraction, exaggeration, rhythm, and cultural codes—essential for decoding emotionally encoded facial design in animation. Through this integrated perspective, demonstrates a maximalist expressiveness with exaggerated expressions and high-density microexpressions to intensify psychological tension. In contrast, adopts minimalism and restraint, relying on stillness, spatial gaps, and interpretive visual cues to convey subtext. These expressive strategies are particularly suited to adult-oriented animation, where narrative depth and emotional nuance are essential. Stylized facial expressions, in such contexts, serve not merely as visual embellishments but as narrative tools that reveal internal conflict, contradiction, or repression—facets often inaccessible through realism alone.

This study investigated the influence of scene composition on narrative pacing through a quantitative analysis of two animated short films, Farewell and One Small Step. The analysis was grounded in theories of narrative time, including Bergson’s notion of durée, Husserl’s triple temporal structure, and Deleuze’s distinction between movement-image and time-image. Editing variables such as shot length, cut frequency, and rhythm were found to shape viewers’ emotional engagement, and Cinemetrics analysis identified distinct pacing patterns with measurable psychological effects. The findings were further situated within broader temporal theories from physics (Einstein, Minkowski) and phenomenology (Augustine, Kant). We present a new methodological framework that bridges perceptual time and narrative structure in audiovisual storytelling, advancing the quantitative study of audiovisual time. This framework establishes a model for analyzing audiovisual time not only in traditional films but also in emerging media environments, providing a foundation for future research at the intersection of narrative theory, cinematic practice, and media technology.