Le visible et l’invisible révélés par le dessin animé. L’élaboration technique de l’acier dans les films industriels français (1930-1983)

Abstract

The industrial films produced in France throughout the 20th century were commissioned mainly to inform and educate. In order to achieve this, they use all forms of expression, in particular cartoons, which make the invisible aspects of installations and machine operation visible. The aim of this article is to identify the various animation techniques used in film productions from 1930 to 1983 in the industries at the origin of steelmaking, i.e. iron and coal mines and French steelworks. Two complementary forms of film appear: those that create an alternation between real shots and animated drawings and those that involve creations made solely from cartoons. However, other dimensions of these technical films using drawing remain invisible, such as work organisation, personnel management choices or the skills of the men at work.

Keywords

• industrial films
• animated diagrams
• cartoons
• steel making
• heritage