https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jul/31/nick-xenophon-calls-for-first-person-shooter-video-games-to-be-defined-as-gambling
gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik Gaming
video-game streaming platform Twitch.
Erik Johnson, the chief operating officer of Valve Corporation, the developer of Counter-Strike
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Well, THAT'S encouraging, 28 July, 2016
Anything is possible.
BSA206, American new wave and what's disturbing in film, 28 July, 2016
American New Wave
French noticed that American films were being made by auteurs (authors) who made them their own apart from the studio system. Hitchcock and Orson Welles being prime examples.
Little Fugitive (1953) ■By Ray Ashley, Morris Engel & Ruth Orkin
influenced Francoise Truffaut
On the Bowery (1956) by Lionel Rogosin
neorealist view of NYC with mixed doc and scripted footage
Pull My Daisy by Robert Frank
"there's his coat on the chair... it's been there for three days..." sounds like my place.
Shadows by John Cassavetes (1959)
improvised dialogue and interracial romance
The Connection (1961)
a mix of cinema verite French New Wave with drug addicts, sex workers and different races all on screen together.
movie studios lost their monopoly on the theatres (Paramount Antitrust case 1948) and had to compete with television and foreign films
1966 British films that made it big in America
Alfie
Georgy Girl
Blow Up
When Jack Valenti became new head of MPAA in '66 the outdated Hays Code was abolished and filmmakers could make anti-authoritarian films and try new, outrageous things
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Two French New Wave directors were hired and bailed on the production before it went to Arthur Penn. Jack Warner, head of Warner Bros. studios didn't like the roughs and only gave it a limited release. Despite bad reviews in US, did well in England and was then re-released in US to be nominated for Oscars. Notable for new levels of sex and violence.
The Graduate (1967)
director Mike Nicholas, Simon and Garfunkel songs (Mrs. Robinson), "one word, Benjamin... plastics"
Fritz the Cat (1971)
first X-rated American cartoon, taken from comic strip by Robert Crumb
I once paid $1 to see this film and I spent the whole time thinking (I want my money back! But it's only $1... can I walk out of this? No, I'll lose my $1...)
What disturbed me as a child: we didn't watch horror movies when I was little, so anything people thought was tame was disturbing. Disney's "The Watcher in the Woods" and "Child of Glass" made unpleasant impressions on me. I saw a trailer for a movie with roller skating teenagers being stalked and raped. WHO RUNS THAT KIND OF TRAILER BEFORE A DISNEY MOVIE????? That one stuck with me for quite a while.
What I think now: I don't like movies with rape. I avoid them when I know it's going to be in there.
BRUCE DERN in The Cowboys. He terrorizes the boys on the cattle run and murders John Wayne. Then he whines when they get their vengeance on him in the end.
What disturbed me in the last 5 years
The movie of Cormac McCarthy's The Road: I expected post-apocalyptic gangs to try and rape me, I never expected them to then eat me in stages. I spent three days eyeing up the people on the street and trying to evaluate who was going to turn cannibal rapist.
BRUCE DERN in Big Love. In addition to being a disgusting old man with multiple child brides, he pees in his son's kitchen sink.
French noticed that American films were being made by auteurs (authors) who made them their own apart from the studio system. Hitchcock and Orson Welles being prime examples.
Little Fugitive (1953) ■By Ray Ashley, Morris Engel & Ruth Orkin
influenced Francoise Truffaut
On the Bowery (1956) by Lionel Rogosin
neorealist view of NYC with mixed doc and scripted footage
Pull My Daisy by Robert Frank
"there's his coat on the chair... it's been there for three days..." sounds like my place.
Shadows by John Cassavetes (1959)
improvised dialogue and interracial romance
The Connection (1961)
movie studios lost their monopoly on the theatres (Paramount Antitrust case 1948) and had to compete with television and foreign films
1966 British films that made it big in America
Alfie
Georgy Girl
Blow Up
When Jack Valenti became new head of MPAA in '66 the outdated Hays Code was abolished and filmmakers could make anti-authoritarian films and try new, outrageous things
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
Two French New Wave directors were hired and bailed on the production before it went to Arthur Penn. Jack Warner, head of Warner Bros. studios didn't like the roughs and only gave it a limited release. Despite bad reviews in US, did well in England and was then re-released in US to be nominated for Oscars. Notable for new levels of sex and violence.
The Graduate (1967)
director Mike Nicholas, Simon and Garfunkel songs (Mrs. Robinson), "one word, Benjamin... plastics"
Fritz the Cat (1971)
first X-rated American cartoon, taken from comic strip by Robert Crumb
I once paid $1 to see this film and I spent the whole time thinking (I want my money back! But it's only $1... can I walk out of this? No, I'll lose my $1...)
What disturbed me as a child: we didn't watch horror movies when I was little, so anything people thought was tame was disturbing. Disney's "The Watcher in the Woods" and "Child of Glass" made unpleasant impressions on me. I saw a trailer for a movie with roller skating teenagers being stalked and raped. WHO RUNS THAT KIND OF TRAILER BEFORE A DISNEY MOVIE????? That one stuck with me for quite a while.
What I think now: I don't like movies with rape. I avoid them when I know it's going to be in there.
BRUCE DERN in The Cowboys. He terrorizes the boys on the cattle run and murders John Wayne. Then he whines when they get their vengeance on him in the end.
The movie of Cormac McCarthy's The Road: I expected post-apocalyptic gangs to try and rape me, I never expected them to then eat me in stages. I spent three days eyeing up the people on the street and trying to evaluate who was going to turn cannibal rapist.
BRUCE DERN in Big Love. In addition to being a disgusting old man with multiple child brides, he pees in his son's kitchen sink.
I'm the second generation of women in my family to be terrified by Bruce Dern's acting. My mom says that as a child she used to be terrified of him on TV and pray for his salvation. I pray, too, but it's for a big gun and an endless supply of ammunition. I need to ask my grandma about him...
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
BSA227, assignment 1, 27 July, 2016
written analysis:
treatment of intended story
identify potential techniques, materials and softwareneeded
identify experiments and tests required
research other works that are an influence and how they achieved results
APA references
10%
visual effects board
concept art- 2 pieces
all composition choices are clear and match to dramatic intention
continuity between shots
high drawing quality
each production plate fully annotated with methodology
10%
Needs to be typed for legibility. Parth will write the shot by shot treatment/script and I will storyboard it.
treatment of intended story
identify potential techniques, materials and softwareneeded
identify experiments and tests required
research other works that are an influence and how they achieved results
APA references
10%
visual effects board
concept art- 2 pieces
all composition choices are clear and match to dramatic intention
continuity between shots
high drawing quality
each production plate fully annotated with methodology
10%
Needs to be typed for legibility. Parth will write the shot by shot treatment/script and I will storyboard it.
BSA227, car bomb, after effects, 27 July, 2016
window- tracker
tool helps stabilize camera so you can composite in effects quickly without doing it frame by frame
select footage file, then click track camera. it will analyze background, which you can watch in 3D camera tracker panel to left of screen (if you're in standard view)
The crosses mean it has a 3D space in a 2D film.
moving mouse finds three yellow points to create tracking space to animate on
can also click on 3 balls to create your own flat space
Text should stay with floor like it's been spray painted there.
3D camera tracker
Tracking info can be used multiple times. Text can be changed, same as Photoshop, by highlighting text and rewriting word on the screen.
multiple layers of text can be inserted by going back to xs screen- highlight moving file, then select 3D camera tracker and go. to move text, select arrow, hang or rotate tools at upper left or choose shortcuts
create null_ select a point to attach things to if you can't find three points and bullseye. click on one point, right click to select create null
create a solid in same way to see how well things stick to that point during the tracking shot
drag and drop bomb footage to just above null layer
rescale explosion by selecting pan behind tool
attach bomb to null layer by turning bomb to 3D layer, parent swirl creates line that can be pointed to null layer. hold shift (as per onscreen directions) to attach it to null layer. select bomb layer to move it around and scale it up so it fits the car.
mask it with the pen tool- connect four dots in a box around the explosion. limit the top of the explosion so it looks like it's hitting the roof but still going over the pole. next is a mask on top of a mask to achieve a behind the pole effect.
change mask 2 from add to subtract
The dust layer is problematic: Even with a feather mask, there is still a strong line below it. Maybe if I move it forward, away from the shadow, it will be less noticeable.
tool helps stabilize camera so you can composite in effects quickly without doing it frame by frame
select footage file, then click track camera. it will analyze background, which you can watch in 3D camera tracker panel to left of screen (if you're in standard view)
can also click on 3 balls to create your own flat space
3D camera tracker
Tracking info can be used multiple times. Text can be changed, same as Photoshop, by highlighting text and rewriting word on the screen.
create a solid in same way to see how well things stick to that point during the tracking shot
drag and drop bomb footage to just above null layer
rescale explosion by selecting pan behind tool
attach bomb to null layer by turning bomb to 3D layer, parent swirl creates line that can be pointed to null layer. hold shift (as per onscreen directions) to attach it to null layer. select bomb layer to move it around and scale it up so it fits the car.
change mask 2 from add to subtract
Monday, July 25, 2016
BSA228, video games, brainstorming session, 19 July, 2016
We went to a networking event with the Dunedin video games folks and got to talk to James Everett from Magic Leap/Weta Workshop and Navi Brouwer from PikPok/Global Game Jam
Ubisoft's brainstorming method:
Target + Constraint= Question to be answered
Need to brainstorm is up until it's Pitchable with a logline
video game idea
shuffles tiles to create patterns to get Fox across the floor
Research Question #1
Reuben
How can we make challenging survival game with one character in a small open world?
Answers
*It's an alien and needs different things than a human, so learning about the creature is involved.
*You can't get water,you have to get 2 hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule: things have to be put together on a molecular level.
*Player starts out with everything and then loses it bit by bit- has to get to the end by conserving resources.
*the world is made of micro-environments and the survival needs are constantly changing.
*character will shed it's skin periodically and its powers get mixed up: gamer must keep adjusting to changing powers/abilities
*must Bear Grylls its way across desert by drinking own pee
*must eat bits of yourself to stay alive
*Has to leave something behind that will contribute to the next player or themselves as they trek back across to their starting point (caches)
*you have to strategically eat your own clothes which leaves you exposed to the elements
*leave bits of yourself behind (or fire ahead of you) which will then give you information about the environment but you have to re-collect them or you'll die
* every action has an opposite and equal reaction
Research Question #2
Traci
How can you stimulate gamer's creativity in a journey through a derelict Victorian house?
can include puzzles, tasks, collections, challenges, fights?
Rival faction wants to take over the house and they must be fought off/contained.
*gamer has to look underneath and behind things (rugs, paintings) for clues
*Gamer has to collect the pieces as they go along and can't enter final chamber on level until they give something up
*put clues to solving puzzle in the music
*gamer has to create a piece of art or compose music to get a clue
*has to collect a piece of stained glass window from each level to reassemble the window at the top of the house
*stack furniture to create ladder to get to the next floor of the house or to ceiling of room
*in bathroom: reconnect plumbing in order to create more powerful stream of water to flush zombified servant/killer attack corgis down the sewer
*weave strands of hair into nets or ropes to capture or escape
*sew together clothes, curtains to make giant rope to rapel down from roof
*
See Little Big Planet, Scribblenauts
Research Question #3
Lenar
What kind of mechanics can the 9-Tailed Fox mythology bring to a discovery-based platformer?
*each tail has a special power
*Fox has to drain powers from other characters without their noticing
*Fox has to give something for everything he gains
*9 tails does not make the Fox all-powerful in every situation
*has to be eaten by something (lose) in order to gain a power
*can temporarily possess other characters in order to gain their powers or disguise himself to get what he wants or get clues
*Fox gains power over game playing time, not just by solving problems
*can shape shift into male or female
*in order to transform, Fox must collect a leaf, reeds or skull to place over his head
*fox has to avoid dogs because they sap him of his power (he's afraid of them)
*tails have different powers: flame, lightning, spell-casting, illusion-casting, ability to enter other's dreams, bending space and time, take on bizarre forms like super-tall tree or second moon in the sky
Research Question #4
What obstacles can a Rubber Man face as he tries to free his friends?
Ken
*keeps picking up tacks, which cover his whole body and change his rubberiness
*has to draw himself across a piece of paper so he doesn't rub himself out
*rubber man has to pick up tacks so he can move across magnetic surface
*has to sort through the junk drawer and collect all the rubber bands of the same colour
*can make it across paper unerased by using thumbtacks as shoes/skates
*can catapult himself long distances by making a slingshot out of rubber bands and a protractor/pencils
*roll of tape crumpled up into a ball to pick up shavings/eraser crumbs
*has to reassemble a pencil from shavings
*must fight his way through evil army of rubber men
*must search through pencil cases and collect whole set of coloured pencils (has to zip and unzip cases)
Research Question #5
Glenn
TBA
Monday 25 July
Have ten answers for each question to put into idea pool
Tuesday 26 July
pick idea/s we think we'll run with, do practical Unity stuff
Monday 1 August
Pitch meeting
research
Rise of the Video Game by the Discovery Channel
All Your History Belong to Us on the Machinima Channel
read Ready Player One
Target + Constraint= Question to be answered
Need to brainstorm is up until it's Pitchable with a logline
video game idea
shuffles tiles to create patterns to get Fox across the floor
Research Question #1
Reuben
How can we make challenging survival game with one character in a small open world?
Answers
*It's an alien and needs different things than a human, so learning about the creature is involved.
*You can't get water,you have to get 2 hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule: things have to be put together on a molecular level.
*Player starts out with everything and then loses it bit by bit- has to get to the end by conserving resources.
*the world is made of micro-environments and the survival needs are constantly changing.
*character will shed it's skin periodically and its powers get mixed up: gamer must keep adjusting to changing powers/abilities
*must Bear Grylls its way across desert by drinking own pee
*must eat bits of yourself to stay alive
*Has to leave something behind that will contribute to the next player or themselves as they trek back across to their starting point (caches)
*you have to strategically eat your own clothes which leaves you exposed to the elements
*leave bits of yourself behind (or fire ahead of you) which will then give you information about the environment but you have to re-collect them or you'll die
* every action has an opposite and equal reaction
Research Question #2
Traci
How can you stimulate gamer's creativity in a journey through a derelict Victorian house?
can include puzzles, tasks, collections, challenges, fights?
Rival faction wants to take over the house and they must be fought off/contained.
*gamer has to look underneath and behind things (rugs, paintings) for clues
*Gamer has to collect the pieces as they go along and can't enter final chamber on level until they give something up
*put clues to solving puzzle in the music
*gamer has to create a piece of art or compose music to get a clue
*has to collect a piece of stained glass window from each level to reassemble the window at the top of the house
*stack furniture to create ladder to get to the next floor of the house or to ceiling of room
*in bathroom: reconnect plumbing in order to create more powerful stream of water to flush zombified servant/killer attack corgis down the sewer
*weave strands of hair into nets or ropes to capture or escape
*sew together clothes, curtains to make giant rope to rapel down from roof
*
See Little Big Planet, Scribblenauts
Research Question #3
Lenar
What kind of mechanics can the 9-Tailed Fox mythology bring to a discovery-based platformer?
*each tail has a special power
*Fox has to drain powers from other characters without their noticing
*Fox has to give something for everything he gains
*9 tails does not make the Fox all-powerful in every situation
*has to be eaten by something (lose) in order to gain a power
*can temporarily possess other characters in order to gain their powers or disguise himself to get what he wants or get clues
*Fox gains power over game playing time, not just by solving problems
*can shape shift into male or female
*in order to transform, Fox must collect a leaf, reeds or skull to place over his head
*fox has to avoid dogs because they sap him of his power (he's afraid of them)
*tails have different powers: flame, lightning, spell-casting, illusion-casting, ability to enter other's dreams, bending space and time, take on bizarre forms like super-tall tree or second moon in the sky
Research Question #4
What obstacles can a Rubber Man face as he tries to free his friends?
Ken
*keeps picking up tacks, which cover his whole body and change his rubberiness
*has to draw himself across a piece of paper so he doesn't rub himself out
*rubber man has to pick up tacks so he can move across magnetic surface
*has to sort through the junk drawer and collect all the rubber bands of the same colour
*can make it across paper unerased by using thumbtacks as shoes/skates
*can catapult himself long distances by making a slingshot out of rubber bands and a protractor/pencils
*roll of tape crumpled up into a ball to pick up shavings/eraser crumbs
*has to reassemble a pencil from shavings
*must fight his way through evil army of rubber men
*must search through pencil cases and collect whole set of coloured pencils (has to zip and unzip cases)
Research Question #5
Glenn
TBA
Monday 25 July
Have ten answers for each question to put into idea pool
Tuesday 26 July
pick idea/s we think we'll run with, do practical Unity stuff
Monday 1 August
Pitch meeting
research
Rise of the Video Game by the Discovery Channel
All Your History Belong to Us on the Machinima Channel
read Ready Player One
Friday, July 22, 2016
BSA227, viral footage fakes, 23 July, 2016
https://www.good.is/articles/fake-viral-videos-news-youtube?utm_content=inf_10_81_2&utm_source=TSE&utm_medium=FB&utm_campaign=pd&tse_id=INF_bd9f92e04de511e6b971253a92fc6258
A production company produced a series of fake videos that went viral. They're really well made and look like they could be real. Snowboard being chased by bear is especially effective because the bear disappears and reappears as she slaloms her way down the mountain.
"So what’s the key to turning clickbait into viral content in an overcrowded digital media scape? In addition to attracting the reader with a sellable headline and feature image, Christison believes viral videos should be treated as entertainment that sparks conversation. He said, “You [also] must create an element of doubt but present it as real, so an argument and debate is created over the authenticity. That was key to our success.” In such, viral videos will always tell a story — even if it’s fake."
A production company produced a series of fake videos that went viral. They're really well made and look like they could be real. Snowboard being chased by bear is especially effective because the bear disappears and reappears as she slaloms her way down the mountain.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
BSA227, rotoscoping reference ideas, 20 July, 2016
skateboarding rotoscope
The drawing goes from simple to more complex as the animation goes on
rotoscope after effects tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ZS_EiTQro
BSA227,title sequences and first draft pitch, 20 July, 2016
Playing with Titles in After Effects
The arrow to the left of the layer can be opened to show text and transform menus. The transform menu gives anchor point, position, scale, rotation and opacity options. Move the bar head? to the final position of time line and put text into final position. click stopwatch to drop keyframe. move text to first position? then bar head to start position on the time line? Or is it the opposite?
choose box to the far right, just before timeline starts, "graph editor" to see how fast your pieces are moving. select key frames and right click to get to keyframe assistant. sub menu choose easy ease.
MWC Titles
basic story idea/genre powerpoint
intended style you want to achieve (ref images/video examples)
possible ways to achieve desired result
(matte painting/live action/2D/CGI/effects)
presentation next week
Here's what Parth and I have so far:
Parth will write out the script and I will research style and setting references. I will ask Mom and Dad for a copy of their wedding photo. The style of dress she's wearing should be easy to draw.
The arrow to the left of the layer can be opened to show text and transform menus. The transform menu gives anchor point, position, scale, rotation and opacity options. Move the bar head? to the final position of time line and put text into final position. click stopwatch to drop keyframe. move text to first position? then bar head to start position on the time line? Or is it the opposite?
basic story idea/genre powerpoint
intended style you want to achieve (ref images/video examples)
possible ways to achieve desired result
(matte painting/live action/2D/CGI/effects)
presentation next week
Here's what Parth and I have so far:
Parth will write out the script and I will research style and setting references. I will ask Mom and Dad for a copy of their wedding photo. The style of dress she's wearing should be easy to draw.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
BSA206, film history, cinema verite and direct cinema, 19 july, 2016
cameras got big in 30s and 40s to record sound. got too bulky to move around easily.
in 50s and 60s, cameras got small so filmmakers could move around and get the shot more easily.
They were able to follow their subjects without causing huge disruptions.
main differences:
cinema verite
to obtain truth from subject, presence of film-maker must be acknowledged or discussed
participation between filmmaker and subject through interviews
requires commentary in voice over or through on-screen speaking
audience can identify with either filmmaker or subject's position and point of view
filmmaker is "fly in the soup", intervening to get response from subject
examples of verite movies:
Chronicle of a Summer (1960)
filmmakers on camera asking people in Paris "are you happy"
direct cinema "fly on the wall"
filmmaker should be as unobtrusive as possible to get truth from subject
subject is observed in natural environment
commentary is minimal or absent so subjects speak for themselves
audience should forget that filming is happening and should feel like they're in the room with the subjects
examples of direct movies:
Salesman (1969)
doco following salesmen around selling Bibles in the US with no (onscreen) input from filmmaker
Gimme Shelter (1970)
free 1969 concert by Rolling Stones to celebrate end of American tour
Hell's Angel's brought in to provide security around stage (in exchange for free beer)
concert fell into chaos and gang beat people up and killed somebody?
Ethics
doc filmers have responsibility towards human subjects
audience expects them to treat people with respect and represent htem honestly on camera
difficulties when subjects are children or know to be mentally ill
Titicut Follies (1967)
by Frederick Wiseman
observes life inside home for criminally insane
displayed practice Americans were unaware of including patients being force fed, bullied or forced to walk around naked
only allowed to be seen by health professionals up to 1991
Cinema doc revival
march of the Penguins (2005) started as French independent production, picked up by Warner Bros. and given enw score with voice-over by Morgan Freeman
put human feelings over animal experiences which scientists challenge
others in revival are Bowling for Columbine, Sicko, and Super-Size Me
Blending Real and Unreal
Reality TV shows and found footage (Blair Witch Project (1999), Cloverfield (2008))
mockumentaries This is Spinal Tap (1984)
NZ examples Forgotten Silver (1995) and What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Blog Entry:
Explain difference between Cinema Verite and Direct Cinema
Give an example of a film that would be described as one or the other and hasn't been mentioned in class
one of my favourite mockumentaries is Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards.
The cameras follow the contestants of a beauty pageant and their stage moms around as they prepare for the Minnesota segment of a national beauty pageant. Hilarity, and death, ensues. The crew never says anything and is only glimpsed when they run into another crew filming the pageant for an episode of "Cops". The subjects speak for themselves directly to the cameras or in staged interviews but don't interact with the filmmakers.
Review "What We Do in the Shadows" (2014) and which style of doc the movie is
A Direct cinema mockumentary of the lives of vampires in Wellington, NZ starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.
The presence of the film crew is often noted by the subjects, who address the camera to add commentary, but they are never seen and do not comment on the action themselves. This is one of the funniest and most interesting NZ films I've seen with big actors and astonishingly good special effects (for a "small budget" NZ film). The story naturally flows from one event to another culminating in an undead ball and their human mate Stu's accidental conversion to werewolfism. According to this interview with Waititi and Clement, Stu really is their nice friend who works in IT and was completely unaware that he was a featured character in the film until it came out: "we didn't want to make him nervous." You can't get more direct than that.
in 50s and 60s, cameras got small so filmmakers could move around and get the shot more easily.
They were able to follow their subjects without causing huge disruptions.
main differences:
cinema verite
to obtain truth from subject, presence of film-maker must be acknowledged or discussed
participation between filmmaker and subject through interviews
requires commentary in voice over or through on-screen speaking
audience can identify with either filmmaker or subject's position and point of view
filmmaker is "fly in the soup", intervening to get response from subject
examples of verite movies:
Chronicle of a Summer (1960)
filmmakers on camera asking people in Paris "are you happy"
direct cinema "fly on the wall"
filmmaker should be as unobtrusive as possible to get truth from subject
subject is observed in natural environment
commentary is minimal or absent so subjects speak for themselves
audience should forget that filming is happening and should feel like they're in the room with the subjects
examples of direct movies:
Salesman (1969)
doco following salesmen around selling Bibles in the US with no (onscreen) input from filmmaker
Gimme Shelter (1970)
free 1969 concert by Rolling Stones to celebrate end of American tour
Hell's Angel's brought in to provide security around stage (in exchange for free beer)
concert fell into chaos and gang beat people up and killed somebody?
Ethics
doc filmers have responsibility towards human subjects
audience expects them to treat people with respect and represent htem honestly on camera
difficulties when subjects are children or know to be mentally ill
Titicut Follies (1967)
by Frederick Wiseman
observes life inside home for criminally insane
displayed practice Americans were unaware of including patients being force fed, bullied or forced to walk around naked
only allowed to be seen by health professionals up to 1991
Cinema doc revival
march of the Penguins (2005) started as French independent production, picked up by Warner Bros. and given enw score with voice-over by Morgan Freeman
put human feelings over animal experiences which scientists challenge
others in revival are Bowling for Columbine, Sicko, and Super-Size Me
Blending Real and Unreal
Reality TV shows and found footage (Blair Witch Project (1999), Cloverfield (2008))
mockumentaries This is Spinal Tap (1984)
NZ examples Forgotten Silver (1995) and What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
Blog Entry:
Explain difference between Cinema Verite and Direct Cinema
Give an example of a film that would be described as one or the other and hasn't been mentioned in class
one of my favourite mockumentaries is Drop Dead Gorgeous with Kirsten Dunst and Denise Richards.
Review "What We Do in the Shadows" (2014) and which style of doc the movie is
A Direct cinema mockumentary of the lives of vampires in Wellington, NZ starring Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi.
The presence of the film crew is often noted by the subjects, who address the camera to add commentary, but they are never seen and do not comment on the action themselves. This is one of the funniest and most interesting NZ films I've seen with big actors and astonishingly good special effects (for a "small budget" NZ film). The story naturally flows from one event to another culminating in an undead ball and their human mate Stu's accidental conversion to werewolfism. According to this interview with Waititi and Clement, Stu really is their nice friend who works in IT and was completely unaware that he was a featured character in the film until it came out: "we didn't want to make him nervous." You can't get more direct than that.
Monday, July 18, 2016
BSA215, comic character work, 18 July, 2016
The Machine character sketch with basic colouration. Michael showed us some ways of quickly lining and colouring in our drawings. Exciting stuff. Next week, we need to come in with a firm idea of our story arc characters, etc. I'm going to continue on with my comic from last year. This is The Machine that they mentioned in the first comic. Amelia Earhart, Chrono Agent, was trying to go solo on a mission and crashed. The nanites in her body found ways of keeping her going including "borrowing" parts from her airplane and the Japanese soldiers unfortunate enough to stumble upon the wreckage.
in class exercise: Creating characters from simple geometric shapes
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