DOI: 10.26466/opusjsr.1991965 ISSN: 2791-9781

Believability without mimesis: Coherence as architecture in David O'Reilly's non-mimetic films

Emre Zengineken, Yüksel Balaban
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Traditional animation, particularly within narrative structures, considers mimesis as the primary criterion for believability. This study investigates how non-mimetic animation which consciously rejects a representational relationship with the physical world maintains viewer engagement. Drawing on three films by independent animator David O'Reilly as comparative case studies, each work is analyzed through the ten layers of Multimodal Discourse Analysis. The resulting matrices demonstrate that the "believability" of O'Reilly's works is created through "substrate persistence," defined as the architectural adherence of each layer to a holistic rule system. Four key findings emerge from the analysis. First, raw digital aesthetic effects function as a distinctive directorial signature. Second, internal consistency rather than the uniformity of surface features directs viewer interest toward the substrate rather than the depicted space. Third, a pictorial 3D (three-dimensional) style acts as a signal, ensuring the maintenance of consistency (fidelity) across sequences with differing narrative structures. Finally, substrate unity preserves holistic coherence despite significant visual diversity. The analysis is qualitative and text-based. Two limitations are envisaged as a result of the analysis: the consistency mechanism derived from the "substrate" may not apply to a specific audience namely, mainstream viewers who rely on photographic cues; Furthermore, visual components created personally by the artist reflecting their subjective perspective and decisions may not be adaptable to industrial processes involving multi-team collaboration.

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