Exploring and visualizing stereotypes

Stereotypes from Valentin Drown on Vimeo.


Just a video I found on Vimeo demonstrating ways in which stereotypes can be presented. I am trying to find a good visual way in which we can present stereotypes in our film. I particularly like this method as it uses colour and circle graphs to present the various stereotypes. This could be a good identifier of the stereotypes our main character in the film sees, maybe?

Second film - Define Me

We began filming our second film 'Define Me' last Saturday. We were filming in town and found it hard to avoid the crowds without getting in the way. A few people also waved at the camera or would stare at it sometimes ruining the shots.

This was the first time I used the XD camera so I made a few mistakes. I made typical newbie errors like forgetting to format the memory card and not using my own settings. We were also planning to use a tripod, but unfortunately, the slider wasn't there so some of the shots ended up being quite shakey.

As we had little time to plan this film, there was little direction and we found it hard to keep track of the storyboard. Hopefully the footage is good and we can turn it around it post production.

Carousel

For our second film, we were thinking of using one long shot so I have been looking into videos that use this. This kind of camera shot has been frequently associated with slow motion and a lot of post production. I ended up getting sidetracked and found this video 'Carousel' and it's making of video.

'Carousel' was made to show of the new Phillips LCD tv and recreate the cinematic experience of cinema screen viewings. I think it's interesting that this kind of shot is now associated with being cinematic eye-candy.

A new poem

We decided that 'Introductions unnecessary' would require a lot of planning which we do not have the time to do.
So we have decided to use a different poem, 'Define me' by Zenab Bi.

 

Define me?

Definitions, stereotypes, expectations,

I fall into none of them.

How can my definition be made when my full stop has not been reached?

Certainty is only in the things I believe: Religion, Humanity, and Rebellion

Caus this f***** world’s gone crazy.

Everybody pulling in different directions.

This is who you are! This is who you should be!

Well f*** that, I am no-one’s puppet. I’m going to choose my own destiny,

My morals and values intact, because a hypocrite I could never be.

From each experience, each situation defined for me, I learned:

Overcoming weaknesses, finding different strengths, forging new facets of me.

But from each experience, each situation defined for me

I refuse to define me, who is myself.

How can I explain me when I’ve not yet learned all I can be,

Or lived life’s opportunities to test every part of me?

Emotionally, spiritually, physically, I have a lot to learn of what I can and can’t achieve.

Only one thing’s certain at this point in time: I’m sticking to my beliefs;

 Culture or society, neither will sway me.

I am many different things most of which I have yet to realize and reach.

'Define Me' is about stereotypes. We were thinking of following the poem from someone who feels like they don't fit into any stereotype and eventually realises that he doesn't need to fit in to be liked.

We were thinking of visually projecting his thoughts about stereotypes. So, when he sees a goth, sentences would appear next to this person explaining the stereotype and his views. If we follow this idea, there would be a lot of post-production.

To give you an idea of what this might look like, I found this video that projects thoughts visually. I am not fond of the music, just in the way that the thoughts of the people in the video are projected onscreen. These thoughts sometimes vary such as the use of typography to suggest emotion. However, I think this would require a lot of post production which we might not have the time to do.

The Second poem

It's now time to choose our next poem.
I was thinking of doing the poem 'Introductions unnecessary' by Qasim Shafiq. The poem is a war poem, however I am interested in the aftermath.
I was thinking of a soldier coming back from the war suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.

Possibly doing something like this sequence from the film 'love'.

Doing something similar to this would be way out of our ability an budget, but the main idea is still there. Our soldier could be experiencing memories of his past experiences in war.

The XD Cam

Last Friday, I had an induction with Matt about working with the XD cam.
Matt took me through the various features of the camera, telling me about the modes in which you can use the zoom and focus and stressing on the importance of adjusting the white balance.
I was told to adjust all the features myself so that I have full control over the camera as well as learning how to work them in the process. I found that if in doubt, set everything to default and start again.
Of course I can only learn through experience, so I look forward to the shooting of our second short film where I will be behind the camera.

Ghazal - behind the scenes

Here is the behind the scenes video for our short film, Ghazal. I tried to film all of the processes we went into capturing the footage.

Ghazal - Second day of filming

Our second day of filming took place in the apartment of one of our crew members, Chris. We wanted to try and contrast the cold, light forest setting with that of a dark and dingy apartment. We thought that a student apartment with its basic layout and mess would be the best option so we went with it.

The lighting in the room was terrible so we had to use a small small to compensate. Filming was awkward as there wasn't enough space for 5 people to navigate around the shots and camera equipment without affecting the light source. We were worried that our shadows would come into the shots.

Sadness is a Blessing

The music video 'Sadness is a blessing' evokes ideas similar to our interpretation of the poem 'Ghazal'.
Although I am not really a fan of the drunken dancing, I really like the use of colour correction and 18th century-esque location to produce a golden effect that contrasts with the melancholy elements of the music.
The drunken girl also contrasts with the people around her in both her dress and her actions. The people around her seem strict and adhere to a posh, royal dress code, yet this girl is in a white dress dancing while drunk. This act itself is almost sad as it seems like she is letting go of everything and drowning it in alcohol.
The man sitting next to her may be a father figure. He seems to be sad that she is doing this act and is crying. This act by him reinforces the idea that we should feel sorry for the girl.



Lykke Li - Sadness is a Blessing (Director Tarik Saleh) from Lykke Li on Vimeo.

Ghazal - First day of filming

Today we filmed the first half of our first short film and it didn't go exactly as planned. Our actor cancelled on the morning we were filming, so at the last moment our make-up artist, Jessica, was nice enough to act for us.

We filmed at Escholt Woods, a location Chris and Phil chose because of its isolated surroundings. The day was cold and as a result, our location was frosty and slightly misty. Hopefully we managed to capture this on camera.

Set design

While looking through the internet, I found this video proving that effective set design can beat CGI.

Ilkley Moor Visit

A few weeks ago, a group of us visited Ilkley Moor with the Tadeeb Writers Group to try and think of ideas for our future films.
We were asked to write our perception of the moor and the feelings that it evoked. I found the moor quite barren, rocky and devoid of life. Any other feelings would be confirmed when we were given our poems.

These pictures better describe what it was like.

Dream Sequences and Fantasy Worlds

Our interpretation of 'Ghazal' has led us into researching fantasy worlds and dreams.  I have begun by looking into films that already use these themes such as Alice in Wonderland, Inception as well as a number of Micheal Gondry's films, particularly Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep.

These films show the fantasy world by featuring a distinct contrast between the fantasy world and reality. The contrast can be in colour, setting, clothing and/or atmosphere. The main character usually remains relatively unchanged throughout the film to show the transition and contrast between the dream space and reality.

Alice in Wonderland is a famous example of this.

Alice's transition into Wonderland slowly increases the contrast between reality and the fantasy world that is Wonderland. As a result, Wonderland is heavily distorted from what we consider reality.

Films like Inception, Eternal Sunshine and The Science of Sleep try to ground the dream space and make it believable. What we are aiming for is similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as the film makes use of the dream space more realistically and more importantly, emotionally.

Generating Ideas

Our first thought of 'Ghazal' was quite a literal interpretation. We would use the imagery running throughout the poem to produce a short film that was almost abstract. However, we decided that shots of the forest would be too bland or boring to fuel a two-minute film. We decided to look further into the poem to find some sort of narrative that we could use.


The poem seems to be centered around a woman that has suffered some sort of emotional abuse. The lines 'An enraptured heart yearns to be found' and 'frozen tears settle on her cheeks as she kicks up the leaves' suggest that this emotional abuse seems to come from a lover. The term Ghazal is also a poetic form that invokes feelings of melancholy, love and longing so I assumed it was her boyfriend. However, the group decided on leaving this person anonymous so the audience could decide.

The poet has given 'Ghazal' an autumn forest as its scenery, however this would not work as we our creating a visual interpretation that would have to feature a location that evokes feelings of melancholy and longing. We had an idea that this forest was her dream or fantasy world she would go to to escape this abusive figure. In doing this we would create a contrast between her reality and dream world and hopefully, the two would produce a melancholy effect.

I had an idea that there would be a narrative running throughout the film. The narrator would explain her situation and sympathize with her until at the very end, he would reveal that he is this abusive figure and would not let her go. The group decided that instead, we would use either a reading of the poem or music to guide the audience through the film instead. 
Now that we had our final idea it was left to Dan, our story boarder, to put it on paper.

Ghazal

The first poem that we were given is 'Ghazal' by Qasim Shafiq.


'Somewhere hidden beneath crushed autumn leaves
Under ashen silk webs and burnt bronze leaves
An enraptured heart yearns to be found
Amongst the debris, it beats, shaking dry leaves

Freezing the scene is easy it seems
Dusting sugary frost atop of the leaves

And in the distance footsteps softly fall
Dancing her way through sharp glass leaves

frozen tears settle on her cheeks as she kicks up the leaves
Running away; shadows of a misspent saints youth remain.'


As a group, we think that this poem can be interpreted quite literally using some aspects of the poem such as the autumn scene to create an abstract film.

How to open a jar

Here is the epic how to open a jar:

Filming and editing was difficult at first, however I do like the end result.

Wong Fu

Here is one of my favourite 'how to' videos. Strictly speaking, it isn't really an instructional video as this the 'how to' element is used for comedic purposes only. However, it does present a clear set of instructions.

One minute Instructional Video

We have been asked to produce a one minute instructional video that demonstrates a clear set of instructions by its use of camera work, narrative and editing.
This can be as simple as making a cup of tea or tying a shoelace, as long as it is presented clearly.
Currently, I have no thoughts on what I could do, so I shall settle for one of the most mundane tasks, how to open a jar.

The video above also presents a set of instructions for a mundane task. The video is so serious that it's almost funny. I may include comedic elements or a simple narrative to help present these instructions and make them memorable. Although, I suppose there is nothing less memorable than opening a jar.

Weird But Awesome

Cyriak is a freelance animator known for his experimentation in animation bordering on weird grotesque. He distorts and warps objects, usually living things, to create things that seem unnatural and misshapen.

He has made animation for several shows including Adult Swim.

This is my favorite:

Ratchet and Clank Cinematic Sequences

I recently found this website animation progression reels that demonstrate the various processes a film or game can go through to get to its final stages. These progression reels provide a good insight into industry practices. I was delighted when I saw that they had some from one of favourite game series, Ratchet and Clank.

 

The animator focuses on developing the overall movement and key frames before doing anything else. Once these have been established, any movements between key frames are filled in until it looks like the finished product.

It's a shame that I finished the bulk of my animation before finding this website as it would have been very useful. When producing my animation, I developed sets of key frames individually, focuses on their movements before moving onto anything else. I should have set the key frames and established them to gain the overall movement. This way would have probably produced a better and cleaner animation.

Short films

Short animated film directed by Rodrigo Blaas. Blaas is primarily an animator known for his work on Pixar movies including Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Cars, Alma is his first work as a director.

You should watch the video before reading.
Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

Alma cleverly uses suspense and the anticipation of the moment throughout the film. Everything in the film sets up alarm bells for the audience and gives us clues of what the outcome will be. Naturally, we don't want this to happen so the anticipation is the scariest moment rather than the actual scene itself.
As Blaas worked for Pixar, Alma's art direction resembles that of Pixar's. However, through the use of narrative and atmosphere Blaas has made Alma unique.


Another film that I found, Road's End, also relies on anticipation. Road's End was a student's final year project. Although it doesn't match in terms of Alma's budget, Road's End still features beautiful animation and produces the same effect Alma does showing that a good narrative will always be the drive force in animation.



Road's End- A Short by Bri Meyer from Bri Meyer on Vimeo.

First Storyboard

Here is the first storyboard for Little and Large I put together. The brief doesn't specify what needs to be little and what is large, so my idea was to put my rather small plane in a large environment.
I had an idea that my plane was trying to get somewhere but encounters a large obstacle that stops the plane from reaching its destination.
The problem with this idea is that it would be hard to demonstrate the principles of animation effectively. I was thinking of having the plane hitting the obstacle, parts of it would break apart and crumple to demonstrate the principles.

Anyway, here is the first storyboard and probably not the last -

Adding Textures

A few weeks ago, we were introduced to UV mapping, textures and bump mapping. Applying textures was a fun process to through as it other programs such as photoshop could be used. I decided on texturing a cube to make it look like one from Minecraft.
I didn't realise that it could be as simple as taking the cube's UV map out if Maya and into photoshop and applying and adjusting the texture to it. However, I think with more complex geometry, adjusting the texture would be difficult.

Here is the cube's UV map with the texture applied - 

And here is the minecraft cube I made -

A History of Type

- (Visual Communication(  Writing  )Verbal Communication)

- Typography = Meta - communication, Paralinguistics, Kinesics

- Different typefaces connote different meanings

- Typography is a matter of context, communicates visually and not just a vehicle for content

Type Classifications

- Humanist/ Old Style/ Transitional/ Modern Slab Serif (Egyptian) / Sans Serif

- Humanist - similar to hand writing, not too mechanical, angles suggest hand written

- Old Style - characterised by diagonal stress and bracketed serifs

- Transitional - share characteristics of Old Style and Modern type faces

- Modern Slab Serif - known for using slab serifs

- Sans Serif - type without cross strokes at the end of their limbs, consistent stroke weight

High Culture vs Low Culture

Objectives

- understand the term 'avant-garde'
- question the way art/design education relies on the concept of the avant-garde
- understand the related concept of 'art for art's sake'
- question the notion of 'genius'
- consider political perspectives relating to avant-gardism
- question the validity of the conceot 'avant-garde' today


Dictionary definition
- 1. being avant-garde in the work you do - challenging, innovating etc.
- 2. begin part of a group - being a member of the avant-garde



There were two approaches to avant-garder at the end of the 19th/early 20th Century
- 1. art that is socially committed and pushing forward political objectives
- 2. art that seeks only to expand/progress what art is (art for art's sake)

Art for art's sake dominated practise and thinking in 20th Century art

Kitch

- simplification of style

- Commeration

- Themes tha aims to be taken seriously as fine art

Film Theory 3 - Italian Vernacular Cinema

Fellini is viewed as an auteur 
Films - La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2
- comments on the superficiality of middle class existence
- films are associated with style and sophistication
- worthy of critical appraisal

Italian Cinema

Prima Visione and Seconda Visione - cinemas that attraced a middle class audience in major cinemas

Terza visione - less populated, cheaper tickets, cinema part of lifestyle

Italian Working Clsses in the 1970's


- Film conventions are different
- talking, eating and drinking are allowed throughout the film
- people can enter at any time during the film
- the cinema is a social space

Filone/genre

- Filone similar to genre but not quite
- based on the idea of layers

Types of Filone

-  Giallo - based on detective novels
- spaghetti westerns
- mondo/cannibal film
- poliziottesco - police procedural

Focus of Giallo

- films were stylish and expressionistic
- challenged senses and standards of good taste
- exploitation movies
- gross out movies
- similar to american grindhouse. drive-in movies
- wonderful titles to sell the film

Dario Argento

- visually stunning 'set pieces'
- shot without sound so films could be dubbed
- references to Hitchcock

 Subjective POV

- Killer-cam
- Eye line shot
- set pieces
- art and cultural references
- semiotics
-  ambivalence towards modernity, religion, superstition
- the fall

Many Giallo are read using Freudian Psychology

- based on false memory
- childhood trauma
- fetish
- solution of mystery lies in art

Are exploitation films worthy of examination?

- innovation and auteurship
- technical mastery
- visual critique based on spectacle rather than literary critique based on narrative
- tells us about different audiences and ways of viewing the film
- tells us about the context in which these films were made
- challenges Hollywood's continuity cinema

Design in Animation

Design comes before animation, meaning that everything that is used in your animation including storyboard, props, etc should be sorted out through traditional means.
'Each design detail needs to be laid out and problem solved before animation is produced'
- Paula Rajos.
When producing a film, Pixar spends around two years creating the storyboards before any animation is produced. Even the voices are recorded before any animation is done.

Character design tips:
- Research and Evaluate
- Design and Plan
- Audience
- Visual Impact
- Line Qualities and Style
- Exaggerated Characteristics
- Colour
- Accesories
- The Third Dimension
- Inferring Personality
- Expressing Yourself
- Goals and Dreams
- Backstories
- Ignore all the rules
- Hone, Plan and Polish
- Simplify
- Criticism
- Environment
- Question

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Since its announcement in January, I have been looking forward to playing Uncharted 3. I admit I was skeptical about Drake's Deception and what they would do to break away from the similar and often predictable narrative of the first two games. However, Naughty Dog has yet to disappoint me so I kept my hopes up.

In my opinion, the narrative drives the game. Although the game has amazing graphics, the narrative is very unpredictable diverging from the first two games. It is a really satisfying experience watching the story unfold by itself. I say this as Uncharted is extremely linear. Some don't like this but I think it is a breath of fresh air, what with a lot of games becoming free roaming. The linearity strengthens the plot and development of the narrative and the characters. Uncharted just wouldn't be Uncharted without its linear plot line.

Naughty Dog has spared no expense into making Uncharted one of the most beautiful game worlds ever  and Drake's Deception is the best looking one yet. The game constantly brings you into new environments that are equally diverse as they are stunning. Naughty Dog have added new features such as fire and sand which look realistic and really immerses you into the game.


Uncharted 3 features a new gameplay system that has gained different opinions. The aiming and gun play is a lot slower, it is no longer an option to scroll across the screen while aiming meaning you really have to think about who you shoot at. Hand to hand combat has been revamped and upgraded allowing the use of new moves and integration of hand to hand with gun play. This is a fun new feature as it the combat was basic in the first two games. Another feature that I enjoyed was that you can now throw grenades back at your enemies.

Naughty Dog have also improved the AI. They now cooperate with each other and move around with you. Gone are the days where you and your enemies could hide behind barriers safely shooting at each other. You really have to watch your back, I had to plan and change tactics according to the environment and the behavior of the bad guys. However, a new addition that can be an annoyance is the increasing number of bullets an enemy can take. When I shoot a bad guy in the head I expect him to die, if not with two shots or a shotgun.

Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception is a really fun and immersive, if not slightly short, experience that, in my opinion, is one of the best games around

Legoman

Lately I have been practicing modelling in Maya and have modeled a lego man. I have learnt to keep my model tidy by limiting the number of vertices and keeping these neatly to produce a cleaner and better looking model.

Here is my first try-

and my gentleman wizard lego man -

Maya - Deformers

Deformers can be used to distort any object and can also be used for animation. Using a deformer for certain actions,such as squashing a ball, can result in a cleaner animation than if it were done by moving individual vertices to squash the shape.
There are five non-linear deformers: bend, flare, sine, squash and twist. We learnt how to parent these to objects and then experimented. After we tried to animate a ball hitting and bouncing off of the floor.

I think mine needs more work as it doesn't look natural.

SOPA/PIPA

SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act is a bill that could potentially change the way we view the internet today. As its name suggests, SOPA intends to cut online piracy, however, by allowing the copyright holder to seek court orders against websites accused of copyright infringement.

The problem is is that the bill is so broad that it means any site that hosts items that infringe copyright or any site that has the potential to host copyrighted material can be taken to court and possibly shut down. This includes sites like YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr and Photobucket among many others. Even Wikipedia could infringe copyright according to SOPA.

Copyrighted material also includes the little things like song covers or the song that you accidentally recorded while filming outside meaning that if these sites don't shut down, large parts of it will. Although we might be thinking that this won't affect us, it will. Many of these websites have their servers in the U.S.

PIPA or Protect IP act gives copyright holders additional powerrs to stop online piracy. This bill is equaly bad as it is meant to be a fail-safe if SOPA doesn't succeed.

SOPA and PIPA violates the First Amendment, free speech and will likely cripple the internet and stifle growth and innovation. I'm not the best at explaining so I will leave you Totalbiscuit's explanation which is way better than mine.

and on a lighter note:

Midas

Midas is a free online indie game based on the Greek myth of King Midas and his ability to turn anything he touches into gold. The game was created in 72  hours by Wanderlands for Ludum Dare 22, a competition to make a game within a limited amount of time based on a particular theme, the theme for Midas being 'alone'.

You play as Midas, the goal is to be able to hold hands with the girl without turning her into gold. To do this you need to be able to reach the blue blocks, symbolising the river Pactolos which washes Midas's ability away. This can be quite difficult at times as anything you touch turns into gold including the black cubes around you. Turning cubes into gold makes them heavier causing them to fall which can lead to a really fun puzzle mechanic as you try to work your way around the cubes and back to the girl.

As Midas was created  in 72 hours you expect it to be rather simplistic, however this does not detract from the game itself. I think it adds more visually and paired with Greek mythology gives it a distinctive style that breaks away from other games.

Another aspect I liked was the simple narrative running through the game. After you finish each level, a message narrated by King Midas tells you of the difficulty he faces every day with his ability.

Overall, Midas is a nice short game that gives a new modern take on Greek mythology.

Animatics

To get some idea of how I will storyboard my animation I have been looking at the animatics of the Pixar film 'Cars'. I have been looking at this film in particular as Pixar have managed to bring an inanimate object to life and give it expressions and emotions. This is a process I should understand as I have decided to animate a plane.

As this is my first animation, giving my plane such expressive facial movements like in the animatic above would be out of my ability, so I shall try to express my character through the plane's movements and the sounds it makes. For example, if the plane is flying, diving and twirling carelessly, it would suggest a carefree personality or if it were angry the engine would rev up extremely fast.

It's a shame that only a trailer has been released for the 2013 film planes. Although it is interesting seeing the kind of camera angles they used to suggest motion and the feeling of flying.

Animating in Maya

Animating in Maya was difficult to begin with. We were first shown the graph editor and animation curves before we were given the task of making a pendulum swing naturally. It was hard to think of motion in terms of graphs and lines, however I think im starting to get the hang of it.

Here are my results: