Dolly Rig
Roll Camera Shot
Pitch Shot
Here are this week tutorials from Maya. I still need to upload the Pendulum and the Second Ball to this post.
As the subject of my Essay, I've chosen to write about Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. I want to focus on the 'Epic' landscapes and narrative and analyse. I want to break my essay down to the key sections.
Editing
I want to look at how the shots are held for quite long periods of time, as there is a lot of detail to take in. I also want to analyse how the pace of the film is reflected in the editing, with the tranquil travelling scenes with long shots and peaceful editing contrast the battle-scenes which have a lot of short, sharp shots. The editing also is very important to the story, usually showing several locations at once throughout the film.
Camera Movement
In analysing the camera movement I want to explain the large sweeping shots, panning across the landscapes, and the very-long shots, showing the characters moving through large caverns and mountains, which emphasises their journey and shows the size of their surroundings. The camera movement also shows the brutality and devastation of the battles, getting very close to the action and using a lot of slowed footage to allow the viewer to see the detail and build suspense.
Order of Scenes
The storyboarding and order of scenes is another focus, I want to analyse how the story is told and explained to the viewer as there are many sub-plots and extensive detail which needs to be presented. I want to also show how the order of scenes emphasises the 'journey' that is being taken, with montages of travel. There is also a suspenseful build up, with the main characters being pursued by the 'Ring-Wraiths' I want to explain how the film's structure builds this threat and shows the danger.
Contextualising
I want to put my film into the context of other 'Epics', showing how such a large story is being told, and who have told others before this. I'm trying to deicde which films to 'link' to Lord of the Rings. The ancestors of the film. One I would say was the religious biblical epic: Ben-Hur from 1959. I would also like to mention Star Wars (1977), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and perhaps Gone with the Wind. For an updated look, I may talk briefly about Avatar.
PHIL: If you have any ideas about more films I could use to compare and other subjects I can include then that would be really helpful.
Editing
I want to look at how the shots are held for quite long periods of time, as there is a lot of detail to take in. I also want to analyse how the pace of the film is reflected in the editing, with the tranquil travelling scenes with long shots and peaceful editing contrast the battle-scenes which have a lot of short, sharp shots. The editing also is very important to the story, usually showing several locations at once throughout the film.
Camera Movement
In analysing the camera movement I want to explain the large sweeping shots, panning across the landscapes, and the very-long shots, showing the characters moving through large caverns and mountains, which emphasises their journey and shows the size of their surroundings. The camera movement also shows the brutality and devastation of the battles, getting very close to the action and using a lot of slowed footage to allow the viewer to see the detail and build suspense.
Order of Scenes
The storyboarding and order of scenes is another focus, I want to analyse how the story is told and explained to the viewer as there are many sub-plots and extensive detail which needs to be presented. I want to also show how the order of scenes emphasises the 'journey' that is being taken, with montages of travel. There is also a suspenseful build up, with the main characters being pursued by the 'Ring-Wraiths' I want to explain how the film's structure builds this threat and shows the danger.
Contextualising
I want to put my film into the context of other 'Epics', showing how such a large story is being told, and who have told others before this. I'm trying to deicde which films to 'link' to Lord of the Rings. The ancestors of the film. One I would say was the religious biblical epic: Ben-Hur from 1959. I would also like to mention Star Wars (1977), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and perhaps Gone with the Wind. For an updated look, I may talk briefly about Avatar.
PHIL: If you have any ideas about more films I could use to compare and other subjects I can include then that would be really helpful.
This is the first page of my storyboard, It is very rough, but has planned out the shots for my scene. I'll be uploading the next pages over the next few days. I'm trying to get each page digitalised as I go along.
The second Hitchcock film of the week was Psycho, released in 1960. This is one of the most hard-hitting and well-known films in history, mainly due to the boundaries it was breaking in the time of it's release. The plot is based around a woman, Marion who steals a large amount of money from her employer on a whim and flees from the city and her surroundings. After raising suspicions, she books into an old declining motel, ran by loner Norman Bates and decides to stay the night. Avoiding Bates' passes and interest, she retires to her room, only to be attacked whilst taking a shower by the assailiant.
This scene is the most well-known and focused of the movie. Hitchcock attracted fame with this scene due to it's brutal nature compared to the other movies around in the 1960's. Although the editing prevents the viewer from seeing the knife entering Marion's body, it is implied by quick, sharp editing that proves almost as violent as the wounds themselves. The blood running into the plug-hole and the shower curtain being dragged from it's rails has been parodied and praised constantly over the last 50 years.
The character of Norman Bates also provides interest as he is delusional and truely a 'psycho' after imitating his long-dead mother, who he had previously butchered, by dressing in her clothes and speaking in her tone. For the 1960s this was also a breakthrough theme of cross-dressing as well as psychopathic behavior. One reason for this is because of the discovery of serial killer and grave-robber Ed Gein, who had become famous a few years earlier in rural America after murdering and mutiliating people. (I made a more indepth post on him on the last unit here: ED GEIN)
Between Psycho, filmed without colour and heavy editing and yesterday's film 'Rope', filmed in rewarding colour using very long takes there are many differences. However, both stories kept the viewer intrigued and through the use of camera-work, did an incredible job at telling a story worth hearing.
This scene is the most well-known and focused of the movie. Hitchcock attracted fame with this scene due to it's brutal nature compared to the other movies around in the 1960's. Although the editing prevents the viewer from seeing the knife entering Marion's body, it is implied by quick, sharp editing that proves almost as violent as the wounds themselves. The blood running into the plug-hole and the shower curtain being dragged from it's rails has been parodied and praised constantly over the last 50 years.
The character of Norman Bates also provides interest as he is delusional and truely a 'psycho' after imitating his long-dead mother, who he had previously butchered, by dressing in her clothes and speaking in her tone. For the 1960s this was also a breakthrough theme of cross-dressing as well as psychopathic behavior. One reason for this is because of the discovery of serial killer and grave-robber Ed Gein, who had become famous a few years earlier in rural America after murdering and mutiliating people. (I made a more indepth post on him on the last unit here: ED GEIN)
Between Psycho, filmed without colour and heavy editing and yesterday's film 'Rope', filmed in rewarding colour using very long takes there are many differences. However, both stories kept the viewer intrigued and through the use of camera-work, did an incredible job at telling a story worth hearing.
Time is slowly disappearing for this project, so I want to plan out exactly what I need to do. I've planned my storyboard frame by frame, and I've totalled this to about 34 different shots. This seems like too many for a 60 second animation, but I know that once I moveit into Pre-viz I'll know what shots I'll need to use, and which ones to let go.
Below are my story-board plans. I'm going to draw them all out later very roughly and then begin the refining process to create an appealing animatic.
In my storyboard I have a lot of 'walks to door' ' walks from room' I'm hoping to make these very quick cuts, rather than having a lot of redundant action. This should allow me to focus the little time I have on the comedy moments.
Below are my story-board plans. I'm going to draw them all out later very roughly and then begin the refining process to create an appealing animatic.
In my storyboard I have a lot of 'walks to door' ' walks from room' I'm hoping to make these very quick cuts, rather than having a lot of redundant action. This should allow me to focus the little time I have on the comedy moments.
STORYBOARD PLAN
I've been trying some different story-boarding styles, from keeping it black and white to stylising it with bright colours, but I'm settling for a style which I feel will be capable of progress as well as matching the mood and setting of my story.
A style which I would like to mimic or at least borrow from is the Comic series of Tintin. Created by the Belgian Georges Remi it was a series of comics, books and eventually TV films about 'TinTin', a young reporter and his dog Snowy. I forgot this existed until I was researching storyboarding and came across it. I really like the simplistic style as it still shows emotion and action.
I still haven't been able to get hold of a scanner, but I've started some storyboarding. I drew it on paper, and took an image of it to tidy up and import into photoshop. My first attempt doesn't look too bad. I've also created a quick concept image, which I'll also use as one of my storyboard images. I'm hoping to improve these as I go along.
I'll be using Premier Pro to create my animatic and also I will be annotating the yellow arrows with the story information using text in the video.
After I had attended a Murder Mystery Weekend, having two days of suspicion, betrayal and violence, It was typical that the film 'Rope' by Hitchcock was on the viewing list for today. Nevertheless, I looked forward to seeing it, even though it would prolong the theme of death of the past few days.
Rope is one of Hitchcock's earlier films, released in 1948 it tells the story of two friends; Philip and Brandon, who murder their friend David (Strangling him with a rope) and store his body in an old ancicent chest in the living room of their house. The film is unique and quite unusual due to the way it was directed. There is very little editing in the film, with the whole piece being filmed on the one camera, never cutting to another angle or shooting away from the action.
This gives the film the atmosphere and pace of a theatre play, the action all takes place in a couple of rooms, alike to that of a stage. The camera moves through the space following conversation as well as focusing on certain important elements of the story. For example, the body was hidden in the chest and when the serving lady was clearing the chest, preparing to open it, the camera lingered on it, even though an important conversation was taking place in the room between characters.
The background of the 'set' was also very impressive, it was a large city skyline which gradually darkened as the day progressed. The overall narrative of the film was very focused and enthralling, with the viewer knowing the secret waiting for the moment when the 'detective-like' character, Rupert revealed he knew. As the plot unravels, the characters reveal they killed their friend David, just because they could, and they felt he was inferior to themselves. Expecting Rupert, their old lecturer, to agree with them had he figured it out. After finding David's killers, Rupert disagreed with their motives and actions, and drew the police.
I really like the film, mainly because it was as involving as a stage-play, with the audience holding on, waiting to see who knew what and how the characters could hide their actions. I'm looking forward to seeing Psycho tommorow, a Hitchcock film which will be entirely different, both in production and plot.
Rope is one of Hitchcock's earlier films, released in 1948 it tells the story of two friends; Philip and Brandon, who murder their friend David (Strangling him with a rope) and store his body in an old ancicent chest in the living room of their house. The film is unique and quite unusual due to the way it was directed. There is very little editing in the film, with the whole piece being filmed on the one camera, never cutting to another angle or shooting away from the action.
This gives the film the atmosphere and pace of a theatre play, the action all takes place in a couple of rooms, alike to that of a stage. The camera moves through the space following conversation as well as focusing on certain important elements of the story. For example, the body was hidden in the chest and when the serving lady was clearing the chest, preparing to open it, the camera lingered on it, even though an important conversation was taking place in the room between characters.
The background of the 'set' was also very impressive, it was a large city skyline which gradually darkened as the day progressed. The overall narrative of the film was very focused and enthralling, with the viewer knowing the secret waiting for the moment when the 'detective-like' character, Rupert revealed he knew. As the plot unravels, the characters reveal they killed their friend David, just because they could, and they felt he was inferior to themselves. Expecting Rupert, their old lecturer, to agree with them had he figured it out. After finding David's killers, Rupert disagreed with their motives and actions, and drew the police.
I really like the film, mainly because it was as involving as a stage-play, with the audience holding on, waiting to see who knew what and how the characters could hide their actions. I'm looking forward to seeing Psycho tommorow, a Hitchcock film which will be entirely different, both in production and plot.
Just a bit of research into the outfits and style of Lighthouse keepers. I would like to focus on the period on the late 19th Century, where the traditional lighthouse keeper was around. I just hope the bouncy dinghy will fit the time-frame.
Before I put alot of time into a character design I want to figure out a style (E.g body proportions and cartoon features) I've started by creating a quick draft of how I want the second lighthouse keeper to look. Here is my first go, when I'm happy with one, I will blow it up larger in Photoshop and begin to create a detailed character.
Before I put alot of time into a character design I want to figure out a style (E.g body proportions and cartoon features) I've started by creating a quick draft of how I want the second lighthouse keeper to look. Here is my first go, when I'm happy with one, I will blow it up larger in Photoshop and begin to create a detailed character.
Over the last week it has been incredibly hard to work on the story-telling unit, which I think everyone will agree with, due to the Theory presentation. When we first got the brief and were told we had a week to do it, I was a bit worried about how it would slow our main unit progress, but I can say that after completing and presenting it, I am glad to have done it. The researching, compiling and teamwork skills that have developed in this incredibly short project were crucial, especially for future projects.
This now leaves us with two weeks to take on this project, which is ambitious. I'm happy with my story, and I've started working on my character sheets which I'm going to begin to refine and upload this weekend if I have the time. I don't want my original ideas and ambitions to suffer, so I'm going to work flat-out on this project,hoping to match my satisfaction with that of the last unit.
I'm just going to repost the requirements here so that I can refer to them later.
- A finished three-act story idea.
- Supporting concept art/character design.
- A final presentation storyboard.
- Animatic with sound & transitions.
- A cg pre-vizualisation.
Also:
- Film Clip Storyboard
- 1500 Word Essay on Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
This now leaves us with two weeks to take on this project, which is ambitious. I'm happy with my story, and I've started working on my character sheets which I'm going to begin to refine and upload this weekend if I have the time. I don't want my original ideas and ambitions to suffer, so I'm going to work flat-out on this project,hoping to match my satisfaction with that of the last unit.
I'm just going to repost the requirements here so that I can refer to them later.
- A finished three-act story idea.
- Supporting concept art/character design.
- A final presentation storyboard.
- Animatic with sound & transitions.
- A cg pre-vizualisation.
Also:
- Film Clip Storyboard
- 1500 Word Essay on Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
After getting the 'go ahead' form Phil regarding my story, I've decided to crack on. I've looked through the unit brief once more and realised the huge effort I've got to put in. It is not the quantity thats required, but rather the quality that I want my animatic to reach, to portray the environment I have in mind and the characters I want to feature in it.
I'm starting the character design today, but I'm in the middle of working on our theory symposium, so I may not get a lot done. I'm going to focus on the second Lighthouse Keeper, the one in my story who is oblivious to the problem and stands next to the beacon smoking his pipe.
Characterics:
- Older than the first, meaning he is less agile , maybe slightly Senile
- Bearded, a thick bushy beard is what I have in mind
- Grumpy and tired looking face
- Pessimistic face, reading the paper looking rather miserable
I'm reminded on the main character from 'Up'.
Strangely, the idea of this character I have in mind is that of a little ornament I bought for about £1 when I was about 8 from a harbour in Cornwall. I can't find it, as I think Action Man smashed it into little pieces once, when it became his arch-nemesis, but i've found a similar image of one on the internet:
I'm starting the character design today, but I'm in the middle of working on our theory symposium, so I may not get a lot done. I'm going to focus on the second Lighthouse Keeper, the one in my story who is oblivious to the problem and stands next to the beacon smoking his pipe.
Characterics:
- Older than the first, meaning he is less agile , maybe slightly Senile
- Bearded, a thick bushy beard is what I have in mind
- Grumpy and tired looking face
- Pessimistic face, reading the paper looking rather miserable
I'm reminded on the main character from 'Up'.
Strangely, the idea of this character I have in mind is that of a little ornament I bought for about £1 when I was about 8 from a harbour in Cornwall. I can't find it, as I think Action Man smashed it into little pieces once, when it became his arch-nemesis, but i've found a similar image of one on the internet:
It doesn't look like much,but in the 90's it was incredible, the Avatar of it's day. I'm going to try some designs similar to this, trying to portray his personality.
As this unit is Story-telling, and the essay is focused on the way a film can convey a story, I thought it would be right to focus on the movie adaptation of one of the greatest stories ever told -The Passion of the Christ.... is not an example of this, so I am writing my essay on Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
I'm focusing on the first film of the trilogy as that is the starting point and the place where I believe the most story has to be 'set-up' and told to place the viewer in the world and associate them with the dilemma. This also gives me an excuse to watch all three films again, along with researching into the production of the epic a lot more.
I'm focusing on the first film of the trilogy as that is the starting point and the place where I believe the most story has to be 'set-up' and told to place the viewer in the world and associate them with the dilemma. This also gives me an excuse to watch all three films again, along with researching into the production of the epic a lot more.
This is obviously not finalised because as I work on it, I'm surely going to make changes, but the overall story is planned out below. As a reminder my objects were Lighthouse - Ghost - Trampoline (Which I have swapped for a rubber dinghy or life-raft)
1) The first images are of various Newspaper Headlines 'TWO LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS FOUND DEAD' - 'LIGHTHOUSE SUICIDE PACT?' - 'MYSTERY OF LIGHTHOUSE DEATHS'. They are on newspapers that are hitting the ground, being delivered. The last Newspaper's front cover blows open to show the title 'The Day Before...' above a picture of a lighthouse from the paper, which the camera zooms into, creating an establishing shot, where the story begins.
2) Two Lighthouse keepers are sitting drinking cups of Tea on a table. #1 is drinking his drink, #2 is reading a newspaper. Behind them shows a window, looking out to sea. They are both sitting in silence when the outside shutter slams creating a huge bang, they both turn to look out the window, where they see a storm is brewing. They give each other concerned looks. #1 sighs, gets up and walks towards the door. #2 continues reading his paper.
3) #1 Puts his hood up, opens the door and walks out into a blustering wind and rain on the coast. He leaves the door open, and walks around the side of the building towards the window. He shuts the shutter and locks it. He turns back towards the door, but before he makes it, a huge gust comes through, alongside loud thunder and slams the door shut.
4) #2 Is shown as walking up the stairs with his newspaper under his arm. Oblivious to the door banging shut, as the thunder blocked the noise. Meanwhile, #1 is banging on the door, trying to get in. He rushes back to the window, re-opens the shutter and glances in to see the table empty.
5) At this moment, #2 is show as being next to the beacon on the top of the building. He switches it on. #1 Stares up the beacon, through the wind and rain and begins to shout and wave his arms.
6) The thunder and wind drowns out his shouts, and #2 is standing on top, smoking a pipe, looking out to sea. #1 gets tired out shouting and begins to look around for a solution. He sees a rubber-dinghy tied up to a post, it is filled with various fishing and sailing equipment, he unties it and drags in towards the lighthouse. He ties it onto another post.
7) He begins to bounce up and down on the edge of it, slowly building up altitude, the wind and rain are blowing really hard. #2 Is shown still standing there smoking his pipe.
8)A huge gust comes through and blows a sail or sheet from the dinghy, it wraps around the keeper bouncing up and down,blinding him, he keeps on bouncing. The wind blows again, wrapping the net around his ankle, as he bounces, he pulls the net up with him, it wraps around the sheet, giving him a ghostly look, with a white sheet and strands of rope flying around him, as he bounces a final gust of wind blows.
#2's pipe is blown out of his mouth, landing on the floor of the top-platform, the rope on the dinghy snaps, blowing the boat away just as the keeper bounces off of it one last time.
9) #2 turns and bends down to pick up his pipe, #2 screams 'Heeeelp' as he flies up beneath the railings, #2 sees him and screams as loud as he can, in surprise, thinking he is seeing a ghost, he flys backwards, over the side of the railing behind him.
10) The camera shows a full-length shot of the lighthouse, with a lighthouse keeper each side plummeting down towards the ground in slow-motion. Before they hit the ground, the dighy flys infront of the camera blocking the view. But the viewer knows they were killed from headline at the beginning. Solving the mystery of the deaths.
11) The ending / credits simply show the window shutter slamming against the side of the building in the storm, showing how futile the whole event was.
I know this is long and quite drawn out, but I wanted to include detail. If anyone has any criticisms or feedback, I'd appreciate a comment.
1) The first images are of various Newspaper Headlines 'TWO LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS FOUND DEAD' - 'LIGHTHOUSE SUICIDE PACT?' - 'MYSTERY OF LIGHTHOUSE DEATHS'. They are on newspapers that are hitting the ground, being delivered. The last Newspaper's front cover blows open to show the title 'The Day Before...' above a picture of a lighthouse from the paper, which the camera zooms into, creating an establishing shot, where the story begins.
2) Two Lighthouse keepers are sitting drinking cups of Tea on a table. #1 is drinking his drink, #2 is reading a newspaper. Behind them shows a window, looking out to sea. They are both sitting in silence when the outside shutter slams creating a huge bang, they both turn to look out the window, where they see a storm is brewing. They give each other concerned looks. #1 sighs, gets up and walks towards the door. #2 continues reading his paper.
3) #1 Puts his hood up, opens the door and walks out into a blustering wind and rain on the coast. He leaves the door open, and walks around the side of the building towards the window. He shuts the shutter and locks it. He turns back towards the door, but before he makes it, a huge gust comes through, alongside loud thunder and slams the door shut.
4) #2 Is shown as walking up the stairs with his newspaper under his arm. Oblivious to the door banging shut, as the thunder blocked the noise. Meanwhile, #1 is banging on the door, trying to get in. He rushes back to the window, re-opens the shutter and glances in to see the table empty.
5) At this moment, #2 is show as being next to the beacon on the top of the building. He switches it on. #1 Stares up the beacon, through the wind and rain and begins to shout and wave his arms.
6) The thunder and wind drowns out his shouts, and #2 is standing on top, smoking a pipe, looking out to sea. #1 gets tired out shouting and begins to look around for a solution. He sees a rubber-dinghy tied up to a post, it is filled with various fishing and sailing equipment, he unties it and drags in towards the lighthouse. He ties it onto another post.
7) He begins to bounce up and down on the edge of it, slowly building up altitude, the wind and rain are blowing really hard. #2 Is shown still standing there smoking his pipe.
8)A huge gust comes through and blows a sail or sheet from the dinghy, it wraps around the keeper bouncing up and down,blinding him, he keeps on bouncing. The wind blows again, wrapping the net around his ankle, as he bounces, he pulls the net up with him, it wraps around the sheet, giving him a ghostly look, with a white sheet and strands of rope flying around him, as he bounces a final gust of wind blows.
#2's pipe is blown out of his mouth, landing on the floor of the top-platform, the rope on the dinghy snaps, blowing the boat away just as the keeper bounces off of it one last time.
9) #2 turns and bends down to pick up his pipe, #2 screams 'Heeeelp' as he flies up beneath the railings, #2 sees him and screams as loud as he can, in surprise, thinking he is seeing a ghost, he flys backwards, over the side of the railing behind him.
10) The camera shows a full-length shot of the lighthouse, with a lighthouse keeper each side plummeting down towards the ground in slow-motion. Before they hit the ground, the dighy flys infront of the camera blocking the view. But the viewer knows they were killed from headline at the beginning. Solving the mystery of the deaths.
11) The ending / credits simply show the window shutter slamming against the side of the building in the storm, showing how futile the whole event was.
I know this is long and quite drawn out, but I wanted to include detail. If anyone has any criticisms or feedback, I'd appreciate a comment.
I'm still working out the final details of my story and I am also still making sure to pick the right film for my essay, so I'll update this post by the end of the day.
In the last week or so, I haven't updated my blog much and haven't really started this unit with a bang. One reason is the Theory symposiums which we have on Thursday, which I'm frantically researching trying to fill up on knowledge for the presentation. I've also been doing the odd bit of storyboarding and attempting some character sketches on paper, but as I don't have a scanner with me at my student house I can't upload them. Later this week I'm planning to bring some into Uni to scan in.
This week I want to crack on with some concept art, which I'm hoping will bring a bit of life to my animatic along-side my storyboards. I feel that at the moment, I'm not as technically limited as I have been before, so I think I can really ultilize Maya and Photoshop alongside my paper sketches.
In the last week or so, I haven't updated my blog much and haven't really started this unit with a bang. One reason is the Theory symposiums which we have on Thursday, which I'm frantically researching trying to fill up on knowledge for the presentation. I've also been doing the odd bit of storyboarding and attempting some character sketches on paper, but as I don't have a scanner with me at my student house I can't upload them. Later this week I'm planning to bring some into Uni to scan in.
This week I want to crack on with some concept art, which I'm hoping will bring a bit of life to my animatic along-side my storyboards. I feel that at the moment, I'm not as technically limited as I have been before, so I think I can really ultilize Maya and Photoshop alongside my paper sketches.
I've just had a go at the bouncy ball. I think it could have ended up better, as the squashing and deformation on it looks a bit off. I'm going to have another go at it later this week I think. It has still taught me a lot about keyframes and using the graph editor, so I can hopefully apply that when I re-do it.
After the story workshop today, I realised I need to re-think my story idea. Phil pointed out some mistakes and unpossiblities in my original story idea, which when I look back through it, seem quite obvious. I did like my original idea, but after hearing some of the feedback from the class, I've realised I can push it further and create a story that is much better suited to a 1 minute animation. Some of the ideas that were brought up for my topic I like the sound on and I will try and build on some of the ideas that came up.
One bit of advice which I'm definitely going to use is the allowance that Phil has given of using something similar to our objects. I'm going to swap the trampoline for a rubber dinghy, because it would be more appropoate for a lighthouse and more believable.
I'm hoping to have a final story idea by the end of the week, so I can crack on.
One bit of advice which I'm definitely going to use is the allowance that Phil has given of using something similar to our objects. I'm going to swap the trampoline for a rubber dinghy, because it would be more appropoate for a lighthouse and more believable.
I'm hoping to have a final story idea by the end of the week, so I can crack on.
La Jetée is a French film from 1962 which tells the story of a man caught up in World War three, in which Paris is destroyed and a post-apocalyptic struggle takes place underground. The survivors decide that their future is desolate, so begin to experiment with time travel to fix the past or create a new future they do this by using the main character, not named, as a vessel and try to send him back to a time in his past using his memories.
This story took a while to grasp, as it was forced onto the audience quite quickly, though as it is only a short film, at about 30 minutes, the story telling has to be quick and contain a lot of information. The film was very unique in terms of it's production and style. The entire piece consisted of black and white photographs to tell the story, all in quick succession and with full narration. The film is, more of a illustrated narration, with a very strong male voice lead. The story's 'twist' ending I really enjoyed, which was a explanation of why the man's memory of the 'Jetee' or the pier was so strong, that he was remembering his own death, which hadn't happened yet.
I think I enjoyed this film quite a bit because it reminded me of early Sci-Fi, like HG Wells with a bizarre time-travel plot, the male narration was also very similar to War of the Worlds recording. There were also a few scenes which had some strange un-sensible muttering in the background, this added a very strange and eery feeling to the film, along with the strong creepy images.
This story took a while to grasp, as it was forced onto the audience quite quickly, though as it is only a short film, at about 30 minutes, the story telling has to be quick and contain a lot of information. The film was very unique in terms of it's production and style. The entire piece consisted of black and white photographs to tell the story, all in quick succession and with full narration. The film is, more of a illustrated narration, with a very strong male voice lead. The story's 'twist' ending I really enjoyed, which was a explanation of why the man's memory of the 'Jetee' or the pier was so strong, that he was remembering his own death, which hadn't happened yet.
I think I enjoyed this film quite a bit because it reminded me of early Sci-Fi, like HG Wells with a bizarre time-travel plot, the male narration was also very similar to War of the Worlds recording. There were also a few scenes which had some strange un-sensible muttering in the background, this added a very strange and eery feeling to the film, along with the strong creepy images.
Yesterday, Alan explained in a lot of detail the different types of Animation that are used as well as their history throughout film and cartoons. As part of our Introduction to Animation unit, he showed us the differences between these methods along with some examples of them in use. Our task this week, to keep us progressing with Maya, is to create a short Playblast of a animated ball being dropped from a height and bouncing to a stop.
Alan also showed us different methods of animating, explaining Pose to Pose animation, whereby the animators have a starting pose and a finishing pose, whilst improvising in the middle to make the transition. This is used in a lot of the original Disney films, such as the Lion King and can be seen as the characters are constantly in very powerful poses and positions.
There is also the 'Straight Ahead' method, where improvisation is relied on a lot more, simply animating the character without a clear finishing point, this can have it's advantages, such as there being more entertaining and detailed movement, but ultimately it can be unreliable in terms of timing and not precise. The example Alan showed us for this was a scene from the original Clash of the Titans.
There was also Rotoscoping / Motion Capture, which has been used more recently to create a realistic animation style, used in films such as 'The Polar Express and 'Beowulf.'
Alan also showed us different methods of animating, explaining Pose to Pose animation, whereby the animators have a starting pose and a finishing pose, whilst improvising in the middle to make the transition. This is used in a lot of the original Disney films, such as the Lion King and can be seen as the characters are constantly in very powerful poses and positions.
There is also the 'Straight Ahead' method, where improvisation is relied on a lot more, simply animating the character without a clear finishing point, this can have it's advantages, such as there being more entertaining and detailed movement, but ultimately it can be unreliable in terms of timing and not precise. The example Alan showed us for this was a scene from the original Clash of the Titans.
There was also Rotoscoping / Motion Capture, which has been used more recently to create a realistic animation style, used in films such as 'The Polar Express and 'Beowulf.'
Though I think the main reason animation was used in this film was to prevent us having to look at the actual Ray Winstone in underwear, which would have been much more offensive.
The amount of information Alan gave us on Friday was huge that I will be re-reading over it over the next couple of weeks, I'm also going to have a crack and getting some of the books he showed us, though they do seem quite pricey. I think all of these fundamentals are going to be incredible important in the future.
As we're now in the realm of story-telling, I've been thinking about what I consider a good story to be. In today's lecture, Phil explained all of the different routes and structures a story can use, which I instantly recognised as being present in all of my favourites.
I read a lot and I always have a book handy, I know a lot of people don't like reading and prefer stories in different form (Films, Game etc.) but I've always preferred a novel. The main genre of book I've been reading over the last few years is Historical Fiction, which usually is a story within a historical plot. Most people refer to Bernard Cornwell as the king of the genre, and I completely agree. Cornwell is best-known for Sharpe, he has written over 20 books in the series and it was adapted for the BBC starring Sean Bean (and many lesser British actors spread throughout) I haven't made it through all of them, but I've read quite a few.
A series by Cornwell which I prefer is 'The Warlord Chronicles', it was written in the 1990s and consists of three novels. It takes place in Arthurian Britain, following a warrior under the command of 'King Arthur' named Derfel. The series follows King Arthur's 'knights' fighting off the Saxons from England. From any other Author, this plot may seem cliched and cheesy, but the realism and down-to-earth story which lays behind Cornwell's writing makes it seem very possible and amazing to read. Each battle is more brutal than the last, and it is soaked with historical fact (Though not much in this series, as it's all disputed)
The most recent series by Cornwell, which he is currently still writing is 'The Saxon Chronicles'. It is in it's 5th book (I think) and it follows 'Uhtred' a warrior in the 9th Century, a Saxon who was orphaned by a Viking horde and raised by them, pillaging and raping England for wealth. As he grows older, fate brings him back over to the side of the Saxons, clinging to the last piece of 'England' that has not been taken over by the Danish. He makes an oath to 'King Alfred' (Later Alfred the Great) to reclaim Southern England from the Vikings. The series is incredible, it is brutal and follows Uhtred 'Lord of Battles' as he fights the Danes.
This series, is based on historical events of that century, where the Danish held most of England's lands, with only the Kingdom of Wessex (Southern England, West of Kent) holding out against them, incredibly outnumbered. A quick excerpt to show the violence of the book:
Cenwulf and his men were behind me, and there we began the killing. The enemy ship was so loaded with men that they probably outnumbered us, but they were bone weary from a long day’s rowing, they had not expected an attack, and we were hungry for wealth. We had done this before and the crew was well trained, and they chopped their way down the boat, swords and axes swinging, and the sea was slopping over the side so that we waded through water as we clambered over the rowers’ benches. The water about our feet grew red. Some of our victims jumped overboard and clung to shattered oars in an attempt to escape us. One man, big bearded and wild eyed, came at us with a great sword and Eadric drove a spear into his chest and Leofric struck the man’s head with his axe, struck again, and blood sprayed up to the sail that was furled fore and aft on its long yard. The man sank to his knees and Eadric ground the spear deeper so that blood spilled down to the water. I half fell as a wave tilted the half-swamped ship. A man screamed and lunged a spear at me, I took it on my shield, knocked it aside and rammed Serpent-Breath at his face. He half fell, trying to escape the lunge, and I knocked him over the side with my shield’s heavy boss. I sensed movement to my right and swung Serpent-Breath like a reaping scythe and struck a woman in the head. She went down like a felled calf, a sword on her hand. I kicked the sword away and stamped on the woman’s belly. A child screamed and I shoved her aside, lunged at a man in a leather jerkin, raised my shield to block his axe blow and then spitted him on Serpent-Breath. The sword went deep into his belly, so deep that the blade stuck and I had to stand on him to tug it free.
There are plenty of other authors I like, Simon Scarrow being another great Historical-fiction writer along with Wilbur Smith. Cornwell has always been my favoruite author, and I suspect he always will be. I know these type of books aren't many people's cup of tea. When I try to explain to a friend or family member how great a certain book was I get a pitied look with a 'Sounds gruesome' or 'Thats nice, but I'm going to stick with this Auto-biography of Peter Kay'.
I'd love to hear what other people have been reading and what stories they consider to be 'perfect'.
I read a lot and I always have a book handy, I know a lot of people don't like reading and prefer stories in different form (Films, Game etc.) but I've always preferred a novel. The main genre of book I've been reading over the last few years is Historical Fiction, which usually is a story within a historical plot. Most people refer to Bernard Cornwell as the king of the genre, and I completely agree. Cornwell is best-known for Sharpe, he has written over 20 books in the series and it was adapted for the BBC starring Sean Bean (and many lesser British actors spread throughout) I haven't made it through all of them, but I've read quite a few.
A series by Cornwell which I prefer is 'The Warlord Chronicles', it was written in the 1990s and consists of three novels. It takes place in Arthurian Britain, following a warrior under the command of 'King Arthur' named Derfel. The series follows King Arthur's 'knights' fighting off the Saxons from England. From any other Author, this plot may seem cliched and cheesy, but the realism and down-to-earth story which lays behind Cornwell's writing makes it seem very possible and amazing to read. Each battle is more brutal than the last, and it is soaked with historical fact (Though not much in this series, as it's all disputed)
The most recent series by Cornwell, which he is currently still writing is 'The Saxon Chronicles'. It is in it's 5th book (I think) and it follows 'Uhtred' a warrior in the 9th Century, a Saxon who was orphaned by a Viking horde and raised by them, pillaging and raping England for wealth. As he grows older, fate brings him back over to the side of the Saxons, clinging to the last piece of 'England' that has not been taken over by the Danish. He makes an oath to 'King Alfred' (Later Alfred the Great) to reclaim Southern England from the Vikings. The series is incredible, it is brutal and follows Uhtred 'Lord of Battles' as he fights the Danes.
This series, is based on historical events of that century, where the Danish held most of England's lands, with only the Kingdom of Wessex (Southern England, West of Kent) holding out against them, incredibly outnumbered. A quick excerpt to show the violence of the book:
Cenwulf and his men were behind me, and there we began the killing. The enemy ship was so loaded with men that they probably outnumbered us, but they were bone weary from a long day’s rowing, they had not expected an attack, and we were hungry for wealth. We had done this before and the crew was well trained, and they chopped their way down the boat, swords and axes swinging, and the sea was slopping over the side so that we waded through water as we clambered over the rowers’ benches. The water about our feet grew red. Some of our victims jumped overboard and clung to shattered oars in an attempt to escape us. One man, big bearded and wild eyed, came at us with a great sword and Eadric drove a spear into his chest and Leofric struck the man’s head with his axe, struck again, and blood sprayed up to the sail that was furled fore and aft on its long yard. The man sank to his knees and Eadric ground the spear deeper so that blood spilled down to the water. I half fell as a wave tilted the half-swamped ship. A man screamed and lunged a spear at me, I took it on my shield, knocked it aside and rammed Serpent-Breath at his face. He half fell, trying to escape the lunge, and I knocked him over the side with my shield’s heavy boss. I sensed movement to my right and swung Serpent-Breath like a reaping scythe and struck a woman in the head. She went down like a felled calf, a sword on her hand. I kicked the sword away and stamped on the woman’s belly. A child screamed and I shoved her aside, lunged at a man in a leather jerkin, raised my shield to block his axe blow and then spitted him on Serpent-Breath. The sword went deep into his belly, so deep that the blade stuck and I had to stand on him to tug it free.
There are plenty of other authors I like, Simon Scarrow being another great Historical-fiction writer along with Wilbur Smith. Cornwell has always been my favoruite author, and I suspect he always will be. I know these type of books aren't many people's cup of tea. When I try to explain to a friend or family member how great a certain book was I get a pitied look with a 'Sounds gruesome' or 'Thats nice, but I'm going to stick with this Auto-biography of Peter Kay'.
I'd love to hear what other people have been reading and what stories they consider to be 'perfect'.
I've been thinking about my main character for the project, which I have already decided in my story, will be a ghostly boy. I was thinking about how I can make him more unique as a ghost, and rather than making him a sheet with legs, I would make him seem a more realistic ghost. I also wanted him to be a different era from the present, so I'm thinking of making him a victorian-dressed boy. I have started a sketch, but I want to refine his clothes, as well as work on his face. I want him to look a bit Oliver Twist. The other ghosts still need to be decided.
Bit of visual research:
After this morning's briefing, I can tell this unit is going to be a tricky one, so I decided, like a lot of people I expect, to get cracking early. I've have a full story, with the three stages that I think incorporates all of my given objects well as well and has a good opportunity to be entertaining. I have written the story with all the current details in a long list of events, which I've posted below. As I do not have a scanner with me, it has been taken with a camera, but this weekend I'll scan everything paper in. I've typed the written ideas below so they are readable.
I've broken the story up into 10 parts. Parts 1-3 being the beginning, 3-7 being the middle and 7-10 being the end (This will probably change when I get feedback and alter the story)
1.
The story begins with a ghostly boy walking down a path in the daytime, he is on a country road,with no-one else around. He spots in the near distance, at the bottom of a hill, towards the coast, a rural lighthouse with a lighthouse keeper outside, walking towards it, on his way inside. The ghost stops and stares towards it.
2.
There is a flashback into the ghost boy's memory of where he was coming from: a graveyard, it shows him with three other boy ghosts, who look slightly older than him. One starts screaming and waving his arms and the others clap him, another ghost then points to the boy and he tries his best 'frightening' face, trying to look scary. All the other three ghosts point and laugh at him, making him feel useless and he runs out of the graveyard. It then cuts back to the ghost now, and he has a smirk on his face.
(At this point my goal is to have made the audience understand that the ghost is an 'outcast' for not being frightening enough, and doing what a ghost should do. Him running towards the lighthouse keeper I hope suggests that he is planning to scare him.)
3.
The ghost runs down a hill towards the lighthouse and follows the keeper inside the doorway.
4.
The ghost is following the lighthouse keeper up a spiral stairway inside the building, the keeper has a headstart, and is just walking up, the ghost is trying to catch up by running behind him. The ghost finally catches up, is right behind the keeper, as he opens a door off of the stairs. The ghost raises his arms, about to scream and scare him, when the keeper simply shuts a wooden door behind him, unknown to the ghost's presence, leaving the him outside on the staircase.
The lighthouse keeper is now in his living quarters, he sits down in a chair, with his back to the window and begins to read a book. Meanwhile, the ghost is trying to push the door open, but he is too weak and the door is just lightly rattling.
5.
The ghost soon gives up and is shown sitting outside the lighthouse looking frustrated. He looks at a seagull flying through the air, it lands on the lighthouse's window ledge up above. He smiles and gets up, his expression shows hope, as if he has an idea. He runs further away down the path, and then time passes.
6.
The next part, it is almost dusk and shows the ghost returning to the lighthouse, with a trampoline in tow. He is dragging it towards the ground under the window. Meanwhile, it shows the keeper look at his watch, get out of his chair and go over to the window, he is looking out to sea. As he turns around so hes no longer facing the window, the ghost bounces up and pulls a scary face, obviously, the keeper cannot see him, and leaves the room, going up towards the beacon. As he is leaving the room, the ghost continues bouncing, each time looking more annoyed. The ghost is shown getting off the trampoline and looking very frustrated as he cannot scare the keeper.
7.
Suddenly, the light on the beacon shines, as the keeper turns it on, the keeper is shown standing on the railing, looking out to sea, the ghost looks up at the beam, back to the trampoline and grins. He takes a run up, with a lot of effort him jumps on the trampoline and bounces right up infront of the beacon light. This projects him into the cloudy sky into a 100ft shadow of a ghost. The keeper obviously finally sees him, looks terrified, screams and runs back to his living quarters and hides in his room.
8.
The other three ghosts in the graveyard are then shown, looking into the sky at the huge figure, they look at each other really surprised and run in the direction of the beam.
9.
The small ghost stops bouncing, gets off of the trampline and is laughing really hard, he clapses against the side of the lighthouse and glances towards the hill. On the top of the hill, he sees the three ghosts coming towards him.
10.
The little ghost gets up and walks towards them, the nearer he gets, he sees they are all clapping him and one is whistling him with congratulations. He takes a bow and grin It ends showing the keeper hiding under his bed covers, whilst in the distance outside his window the four ghosts can be seen walking back over the hill towards the graveyard.
That was much longer than I thought although i'm confident that with some editing it can be condensed to a minute long, I'm sure i'll have received feedback after the workshop next week, which might even suggest I shorten it.
A few reference pictures to help visualise the story:
If anyone managed to read it, if you have anything that you think will improve it then i'll appreciate it.
