Another inspiration

animatic

Animatic

Action Sequence shot list:

1. close up gun being pulled out of holster
2. gun swings into shot
3. close up of barrell > shoots with flash of psychadelia
4. sillhouette spirit shot + falling back
5. high angle shot of cowboy shooting, roley still in mouth
6. low angle jacket swoops past camera reveals spirit and gun > gun shoots spirit
7. low angle of cowboys boots scuffing ground > dust/sand rising
8. birds eye of cowboy lunging forward with pistol
9. whip cut to birds eye of spirit being shot back
10. close up high angle of cowboy (hat covers face) > beads/necklace sway about, roley still in mouth
11. close up of cowboy eye > reflection of spirit
12. transition to shot of spirit > rapid zoom into mouth
13. side close up of cowboy grinning with roley between teeth.
14. whip cut down do boot kicking off ground
15. POV of spirit > cowboys fist approaches
16. flash + fade to black.

9 frames + Storyboard timeline + Storyboard + 3 image board keyframes

where i was going wrong....

if youve watched my production animation - you may have realised the flaw in that the square based pyramid DOES look like it rotating but seems to get thinner and wider on every 45 turn (one face). i was going over this and realised it looks like this because it was "mapped" out on an isometric square (isometric has no perspective as it is used mainly for design/instructional images). Last night i was working on sorting this out and cracked it! i wand a 5:5:5 cm pyramid and all i needed to do was work out the distance away it would look for 5 cm... geddit?
look at the posted images and you should understand...

The image above is the final base that i'd need to work on to get a regular pyramid and therefor correctly fluid animation.

i was amazed at the processes gone into these simple motions - it made me realize how tricky it must be for real animators.. they probably have formulae to work with regarding these things - the perspective thing about the marked CM points getting closer was just something my mum taught me but it seems pretty mathematical really.

mood board vids

My views on Moviestorm...........

we went to coleridge the other day and checked out their awe inspiring media suit - they had great editing software like Avid and all that but we had to use moviestorm.
its a program that allows it's users to make really basic 3d animation/animatic styled films called machinima. this was all really tedious as simple things like coordinating keyframes and stuff to do with camera angles took ages - i think they shoulve thought more about the responiveness and shortcuts of the program instead of having most of the features seemingly point 'n' click.
the animation was pretty tedious too. it would be nice if the program had a more versatile interface like Poser 6, and maybe each different limb/area could have its own animation timeline which you could alter individually - possibly blending it in with other motion and maybe even physic (like bi-ped animation or the euphoria engine of GTA). the graphics stalled loads too, flickering and not rendering - i'd put this down to bugs rather than rendering issues as the computers we were using were ultra-powerful hi-end macs.

it's final. i am going for pitch 1.

synopsis:
A cowboy, banished from his town is sent into the desert. his horse collapses but he carries on roaming through.. on his last legs he finds a mystical oasis with a strange emerald/ruby monolith. he touches the monolith and is teleported into a shamanic afterlife where he is told by an amazonian god of an upcoming apocalyptic reincarnation of a red indian god into the entire population of the USA - therefor turning the island into a hive-mind that shall take over the world. he is given powers (partial invisibility, shaman kung fu and a pistol with unlimited ammunition made of solid diamonds). he is then sent back to the real world were he goes out of his way to stop the uprising, battling through hoardes of spirit possessed bandits.

tagline:
"as if Clint Eastwood was raised by Bruce Lee on an island ruled by Jimi Hendrix"

working title:
-The Voo Doo Cowboy
-Pistol of Mayans
-The Emerald Kid

opening essentials

-build up/mystique - audience wants to know
-intro character/theme or story/mood (or all of these)
-eye catching + intriguing imagery > can show off production values and build up hype
-institutional detail (distributor/production company/named jobs...)
-good soundtrack relating well to movie - can be ambient or music depending on mood
-dont inroduce too many features (story, characters)
-actual title can be minimalist or logo-like

shine studios

shine studios generally specializes in tv/film titles/marketing and adverts. it has also done music videos and branding (like the marvel flicking comic book logo and one for Technicolor).

i like the way they utilize color schemes and various 3d/2d transitions into their work - they create nice essences of fluidity.

genre openings (protagonist)

Gattaca (creative direction by: www.shinestudio.com, produced by www.imageryforces.com  :

-G T C A all highlighted within credits (to do with DNA - main theme)

-the imagery is intelligent using fake/real macro shots

-i think the fingernails are real but the hair HAS to be larger than life for the detail captured

-it is all given a very blue/cold W.B./tint indicating a sterile and "correct" environment, suggesting a theme like this throughout the film.

-it is kept vague with quotes at the beginning only adding to the tension the audience would have from the very loose story-line the audience would've gotten from the films trailer.

-a lot of negative space

-columbia pictures present, a jersey films production, a film by andrew niccol, actors, title

20 shots 3mins 30 secs

Juicehttp://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8905707466802613960&hl=en&autoplay=1

creative direction by: Greenberg/Schluter

-Records spinning + Music graphics reminiscent of movie's theme

-more bustling imagery, less negative space

-decent soundtrack, interesting thought provoking through judgemental/stereotypical thoughts e.g. hip hop culture = graffiti/the city

-warmer more vibrant colors like lights and neon + overlaid graphics. more enchanting and energetic

-Paramount pictures presents, in association with island world, a moritz/heyman production, an ernest dickinson film, actors, original screenplay by...... - as if Paramount establishes films significance over actors although Tupac does star, title

34 shots 2mins 35secs

repost of TYPED breifs

1. cowboy/bandit wonders through american desert and discovers ancient ruby and diamond monolith. he touches it and is teleported to a shaman afterlife where he is told about an upcoming cataclysmic event where a red indian spirit shall be reincarnated into every inhabitant of the US making a hive mind being. the shamans give him powers and send him back to earth to slay the spirits. he has become the VOODOO COWBOY

2. 1700's. wealthy woman leaves her lifestyle for bohemian clique/group and is terrorized by ghost who lets her now through environmental clues that it is a religeous cult with plans to overthrow the royal family.



4.animated epic based on white fang - features amazing animation techniques and audio. art directed by studio ghibli and soundtrack by don davis - more of a spectacle than a story kinda film.

breif 1 (voo doo cowboy) concept art

feedback

Breif 1:
-great/interesting idea would be really good to watch
-crazy, hard to make with resources but good idea. higher budget might work
-great imagination and good concept. surreal but still works
-great, very creative, great for younger audience, nice concept art

breif 2:
-sounds like a good movie, maybe ghost topic bit overused maybe reconsider? religeous/cult idea is good, good for females
-quite original. really interesting, a bit dramatic but expected for genre
-good potential, nice well thought out idea. potential problems though
-really interesting - works for target audience. would it be too hard to shoot?

breif 3:
-really good idea, simple to film, would be interesting to film and would be great film
-good idea. could easily get a lot of product placement + sponsonship for budget
-simple storyline thats effective with a great storyline, again original
-good plot we can relate to. easy to film with college equiptment. slick, stylish and good

breif 4:
-i myself wasnt too fond of the idea but if pulled of could work very well, need more depth.
-nice idea, good opportunity to use sound to increase emphasis on everything could be really fun to make.
-good idea, may be too hard to shoot but if you can do it would be great
-based on a younger audience, needs a stronger storyline/plot. good information to back up plot.

film pitches (handwritten before realizing typing needed)

my opinion on hurtwoods film - entropy

This film was composed very nicely with good lighting, contrast and color balances. it had an overall feel of maturity and proffessionalism that is hard to find among amateur films. i especially like the way they froze significant frames and turned them into artwork although i feel maybe adding more frames to the freezes could give it an even nicer "strobed" style of animation.
i feel more cuts and use of sound could have been put to good use but overall i'd say this piece stands out nicely from the others.
i especially enjoyed the visual use og negative space - it really creates a center of attention, unachievable from focus pulls.

other opening sequences - my marks..

http://61thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
i personally believe this opening was poorly executed with more improvisational setting up of shots rather than PROPERLY planned and proofed ones. at some points, phone screens and computer screens were used for supposed titles - this is quite a cinematic idea which could allow credit to be given to the thought gone into it but visually, the probable desired look definitely wasn't achieved.
i'd say for planning and research it'd be 14/30
for construction id say 15/60

http://50thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
Again this film didnt seem to have the strong foundations given by planning and proper thought. the shots seemed pretty poorly composed with unaesthetic framing. the editing was executed pretty poorly too as some shots/scenes hang for just that little bit too long.
planning/research - 15/30
construction - 20/60

http://49thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
i found the post-production elements like editing and sound in this movie were impressive, reminiscent of Seven/CSI/Fight Club due to it's flickery, stuttering video effect - using nice effects like inverted colours, altered constrasts and frame-skips.
it lacks in an opening like structure though, and has been created in a way more like a trailer/teaser
planning/research 15/30
construction 45/60

http://61thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
i personally believe this opening was poorly executed with more improvisational setting up of shots rather than PROPERLY planned and proofed ones. at some points, phone screens and computer screens were used for supposed titles - this is quite a cinematic idea which could allow credit to be given to the thought gone into it but visually, the probable desired look definitely wasn't achieved.
i'd say for planning and research it'd be 14/30
for construction id say 15/60

http://50thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
Again this film didnt seem to have the strong foundations given by planning and proper thought. the shots seemed pretty poorly composed with unaesthetic framing. the editing was executed pretty poorly too as some shots/scenes hang for just that little bit too long.
planning/research - 15/30
construction - 20/60

http://49thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
i found the post-production elements like editing and sound in this movie were impressive, reminiscent of Seven/CSI/Fight Club due to it's flickery, stuttering video effect - using nice effects like inverted colours, altered constrasts and frame-skips.
it lacks in an opening like structure though, and has been created in a way more like a trailer/teaser
planning/research 15/30
construction 45/60

http://55thrillerproject08.blogspot.com/
the visual style in this movie was great although a little unoriginal and stereotypical with the scissor shots and newspaper montage. it reminded me of aphex twin music videos with it's contrast changes (i have also tried these effects in my own films - will be posted). this one seems more like an opening sequence than a trailer compared to above but still lacks that proper explanatory strucrture that a proper opening sequence has.
planing/ rfesearch 17/30
construction 45/60

opening companies

non were credited in this opening but here are graphics/details that are releted to details i found on IMDB.

Katsuhiro Otomo himself.

Toei Animation - a major influence on him

Shoji Yamashiro - the director of the soundtrack

Takeshi Seyama - the editor of the film

Toshiharu Mizutani - ART DIRECTOR

continuity task

my opening

akira intro

the opening i'm gonna use is the one from Akira - a classic animation masterpeice by Katsuhiro Otomo.

i couldnt get a link but here is why i like it:
-amazing attention to detail (considering it was animated by hand) e.g. physics, reflections, fire/water..
-brilliant music. very japanese > it completely goes with the tribal biker gang aspect of the movie as well as it's dystopic take on life in the future.
-it reminds me slightly of mad max but also blade runner in the fact that it is shown at the beggining that it is post-apocalyptic (common for manga films > often set in neo-tokyo)
-great editing and special effects really make visualization of speed far more entertaining and action packed.

my opening

in my video i used few advanced techniques.
-i identified the beat/tempo of the music by showing its waveform and cut in a pattern to it.
at first the scene would be high contrast ramping down to normal contrast, as well as it being high speed and ALSO lowering back down.
-i then applied credits in a white font that came in just as (due to the high contrast of opening shots) the screen was totally white > this made them look like they'd faded in from the whiteness and resulted in a cool, stylized effect. this was actually accidental as white was the default font colour.
-i then exported the movie to quicktime and reimported it as a whole so i could add more effects ontop of it without rendering issues occuring.
-i applied subtl rotations and zooms that add depth and intrugue into the footage, making it seem quirky/offbeat like tthe upside down shots used in Apocalypse Now.