Adobe After Effects Lesson 2

For today's Adobe After Effects lesson, we learn how to motion track. We were tasked to position the poster onto the designated place.

The live footage

Poster Before Colour Correction

Poster after Colour correction

StoryTelling and Commission : Fantastic Voyage

After doing a thorough research on the possibility of different life cycles, I have decided to do the Life Cycle of a Fern as the process of this was the clearest amongst the others. 

Looking from the images I have found and the emphasis it has on every stage, I have decided to do an animation where the camera is the one going through the process. My target audience for this animation would be for students from the Intermediate school (3rd to 5th grade). Having set that, my aim is to make the animation easy to understand by having a narration to take the audience through the process of it.

Life Drawing Lesson 10

In today's class, we started of with quick poses to understand the idea of movement of the model. 

8 of 3 minutes poses each

6 of 1 minute poses each

The second half of the lesson was dedicated to drawing the model primarily focusing on the limbs that is foreshortening. I find that this task challenging especially when it comes to the hand and feet. 

20 minute Pose

20 minute pose (Foreshortening)

However, I am pleased with my first attempt in drawing this component. I am going to do further foreshortening studies to get myself comfortable with it.

Adobe Illustrator Lesson 1

For this class, we learn to use pen tool and create the shapes.

Introduction to Rigging:Object Exchange

Introduction to Rigging: Eyes

 For this tutorial, we were tasked to set up and rig the eye balls. Here's how the final set up look like.

Eye Set Up for Rigging

Outliner Set Up

I have also gone to do a short animation for this tutorial to further understand the functions of the the attributes I've added to the object.

Script to Screen Crit Presentation

From Script to Screen Presentation by Ayunie Djohar

Script to Screen: Final Previz

Script to Screen: Final Animatic

Script to Screen: Art of The Obsessive Artist

Art of The Obsessive Artist

Script to Screen: The Obssessive Artist_Final Script

The Obssessive Artist_Final Script by Ayunie Djohar

Script to Screen: Character Biographies

Script to Screen: Finalised Storyboard

Script to Screen: Submission Disc Artwork

Cutting Edge Film Programme: The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Figure 1: Movie Poster [Still Image]

The Blair Witch Project (1999) is an American horror film written and directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick. The film revolves around a story of three student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Michael Williams) who disappeared on October 1994 in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland. They had gone into the woods to film a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. The viewers are told the three were never seen or heard from again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later by the police. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes.

The film has a strong emphasis on foreshadowing throughout the film. An example of this would be when they find a cemetery with 7 Cairns in it. Each one of these Cairns represents one of the dead children. Josh accidentally knocks over one of these Cairns and it proves to be fatal action that foreshadows subsequent events. Their tents were attacked during the night and what they discovered in the morning was puzzling. Only Josh’s items have been covered in blue slime when no one else’s had. It was evident that Josh had been marked by the Witch because he is the first one to go missing and has been presumed to be dead.

Figure 2: Rock Pile [Still Image]

Another example of foreshadowing would be when Heather and Mike land themselves at a house in the woods. The large stick figures seen foreshadow the death of anyone who enters it. When Heather enters the house, a hangman’s noose is seen next to the doorway.  It also represents the Rustin Parrs house where the child killer was hanged claiming to be possessed by the Blair Witch.

Figure 3: Hanging Noose [Still Image]

Apart from that, what makes this film a success is the very effective connection it produces with the audience as a hand held camera is being used throughout. Due to the fact that this film seems very real, it was able to extend the mounting anxieties experienced by the characters to the audience.In a review by Total Film, they highlighted this point when they state,  “It cranks up the "realism", enhanced by the shaky hand-held nature of the footage shot by the three campers who genuinely do appear to be scared out of their wits.” (Total Film, 1999).

Figure 4: Heather Crying [Still Image]

Unlike other horror films that depict gore, blood and demons, the audience never gets to actually see anything in The Blair Witch Project. The horror lies in how the film is made, and the way the actors show their fear. It is more a psychological horror than an obvious scary monster.  Maslin is summarizes this point accurately when she states, ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a nifty example of how to make something out of nothing. Nothing but imagination.” (Maslin, 1999) This imagination leads to the insecurity that the trio felt that was brilliantly captured because within everyone, there is the creepy fear about being lost in the woods.

In conclusion, the timeless features, namely the use of hand held camera in this film has unfold and brought a fresh new approach to the horror genre of cinema as it never gets old and boring to scare the audience from all around the world. This can be supported with a statement from Collins review when he highlights “Scary without being explicit, it's a 1990s cinematic landmark.” (Collins, 1999)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 The Blair Witch Project (1999) [Poster] at http://www.nerdspan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/the-blair-witch-project-poster.jpg (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Figure 2 Rock pile (1999) [Still Image] at http://www.castleofspirits.com/rockpile.jpg (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Figure 3 Hanging Noose By The Doorway (1999) [Still Image] at http://www.angelfire.com/md/blairwitch/images/noose.gif (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Figure 4 Heather Crying (1999) [Still Image] at http://media.portable.tv/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/blair-witch-project-portable.gif (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

List of Bibliography:

Collins, Andrew (1999) The Blair Witch Project At: http://www.radiotimes.com/film/nbcc9/the-blair-witch-project (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Maslin, Janet (1999) The Blair Witch Project (1999) At: http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C02E6D91E3CF937A25754C0A96F958260 (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Total Film (1999) The Blair Witch Project At: http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/the-blair-witch-project (Accessed on 18 February 2014)

Script to Screen: Environment Design (Zoo) Concept Art Further Development

I did minor changes to the lamps in the scene as it was black previously which did not make sense as it is supposed to be glass. I've subtly added light rays to depict the sun.

I went on to change the lighting of the night time concept of the zoo after talking to Jordan and took his feedback into consideration.

Script to Screen: Environment Design (Exhibition Hall) Concept Art Further Development

For this environment, I have decided to add the final painting of the artist which is the center piece along with a coloured sculpture and another painting at the background to suggest that the theme for this competition is Colours.

Script to Screen: Character Design (Zookeeper) Concept Art

This is my secondary character, The Zookeeper.

Script to Screen: Environment Design(Zoo) Production Art

Script to Screen: Environment Design(Studio) Production Art

Script to Screen: Environment Design(Exhibition Hall) Production Art

Script to Screen: Prop Design Production Art

Here's my prop's production art.

Script to Screen: Prop Design Concept Art

Here's my final prop design. After much contemplation, I have decided to add the initials of my character onto the paintbrush to make it more personal.

Script to Screen: Character Design (Artist) Concept Art

This is my main character, The Artist.

Script to Screen: Environment Design (Zoo) Concept Art

This is my concept art for the zoo, where half of the action of my story takes place.

Day Time

Night Time

Script to Screen: Environment Design (Exhibition Hall) Concept Art

This is the exhibition hall concept art.

Script to Screen: Environment Design (Studio) Concept Art

My concept art for the artist studio. I've got the basic things down and what I would do next is further adjust the lighting that is coming from the dome above. 

Studio without Lighting

Studio with Lighting

Cutting Edge Film Programme: Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Figure 1: Movie Poster [Still Image]

Reservoir Dogs (1992) is an American crime film that involves six strangers who were assembled to pull off the perfect crime by mob boss Joe Cabot. They were given fake names with the intention that it would not be personal amongst each other and their main concentration lies at completing the job instead. The six strangers are Mr. White, a professional criminal; Mr. Orange, a young newcomer; Mr. Blonde, a trigger-happy killer; Mr. Pink, a paranoid neurotic; Mr. Brown; and Mr. Blue. The robbery that they were so sure would be a success went terribly wrong when the police ambush the site of the robbery. As panic spreads amongst the group members, Mr Brown was killed in the subsequent shootout and Mr Orange was seriously injured. When the remaining people assemble at the premeditated rendezvous point, a diamond warehouse, they begin to suspect that one of them is an undercover cop.

Reservoir Dogs cuts back and forth between pre- and post-robbery events, occasionally putting the narrative on hold to let the characters discuss topics such as the relative importance of tipping in the opening scene. The opening scene exists to clearly establish every fact that the audience needs to know about each character. Haflidason supports this discussion and is accurate when points out “Abandoning the conventional format of natural chronological storytelling, Tarantino creates a tapestry of flashbacks that cleverly build to a conclusion. This allows separate scenes to be showcased as individual vignettes that the cast exploit to the full.” (Haflidason, 2000)

Figure 2: Mr. Pink Refuses To Tip [Still Image]

In addition to the unconventional storytelling, Tarantino have also used various simplistic yet very effective camera tricks in this opening scene. It starts off with a discussion about Madonna's Like A Virgin with no visuals. It then quickly progresses into a drifting camera shot which pans around the participants at the table. This shot can be considered brilliant as it is not just about the energy but also the way it stays tightly framed. This draws the attention to a certain aspect of the shot, keeping the audience from seeing the whole table at once. As the camera moves behind the backs of people at the table at times causing the screen to turn black, it makes the audience to be more attentive as the dialogue becomes the main emphasis of the shot. The use of the dialogues has been an influence for violent movies made after this film because the dialogues contribute to increase the tension of a situation rather than diminish it. Puddicombe emphasizes this point when he states “Its use of foul mouthed, small-talking gangsters has set the tone for standard gangster film dialogue since, and its visceral violence, instinctively chosen music and sheer coolness has set the mark that contemporary directors of crime films have since strived to match." (Puddicombe, 2013)

Figure 3: Restaurant Scene [Still Image]

One of the contexts that can be derived from this film is the homoerotic nature of Mr. Orange and Mr. White’s relationship. This film is briefly dedicated to white heterosexual masculinity. It can be seen from the way they carry themselves by wearing the sharp black suits, carrying the guns, portraying the violence and act of racism. However, the main focus still lies on masculinity. On the other hand, Mr. Orange and Mr White embodies the most stereotypically feminine traits of their colleagues. Mr. White is the nurturer, and Mr. Orange the child, pleading for Mr. White to “hold” him and take care of him. They both share same kind of vulnerability. An example would be in one of the final scenes where Joe, Eddie and Mr. White are in a triangular stand-off. This shot in itself provides an interesting interpretation on traditional masculinity. It is the threat to prove who is the most dominant one. Eddie is protecting his “Daddy,” Joe is protecting his patriarchal business and Mr. White is protecting Mr. Orange. Mr. White is the most empathetic and kind, and he wins that battle.

Figure 4: Warehouse Scene [Still Image]

Dawson concludes this masterpiece by Tarantino very precisely when he says “Seminal, in terms of its discursive dialogue, bursts of ultra-violence and unsettling machismo, Reservoir Dogs still seems groundbreaking.” (Dawson, 2008)

List of Illustrations:

Figure 1 Resevoir Dogs (1992) [Poster] at http://www.impawards.com/1992/posters/reservoir_dogs_ver4.jpg (Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Figure 2 Mr Pink Refuses To Tip (1992) [Still Image] at http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/file.php?2,file=117734,filename=i-dont-tip1.jpg(Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Figure 3 Restaurant Scene 91992) [Still Image] at http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/68182000/jpg/_68182342_resevoirdogs464rex.jpg (Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Figure 4 Warehouse Scene(1992) [Still Image] at http://stream1.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs/130078_o.gif (Accessed on 12 February 2014)

List of Bibliography:

Dawson, Jeff (2008) Reservoir Dogs At: http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=6455 (Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Haflidason, Almar (2000) Reservoir Dogs (1992) At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/11/21/reservoir_dogs_1992_review.shtml (Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Puddicombe, Stephen (2013) Reservoir Dogs At: http://theyorker.co.uk/arts/film/york-city-screen:-special-screenings-/13700-review-reservoir-dogs
(Accessed on 12 February 2014)

Script to Screen: Further Character Development (The Zookeeper)

After giving a further thought to my secondary character, the zookeeper, I came up with this. I've decided to make my zookeeper slightly chubbier than he previously was.

Introduction to Rigging: Leg Piston

Here are the stages of setting up the rig for the Mechanical Leg Piston which is now ready to be animated.