Activity 2.4
I struggle to escape the Proactive commercials on television. Each commercial is about a minute and a half too long for the impatient and short-attention spans of television users. Still, I think that the Proactive commercials are a good example of a narrative commercial.
Now, most of the Proactive commercials begin with a celebrity endorser, who will tell their story. Recently, dancer Julianne Hough has taken the reigns at Proactive. She explains her struggle to have clear skin (with a image of her dancing playing the background). This sets the scene of the story. A beautiful dancer struggling to look great as she performs.
As the commercial progresses, more characters are introduced and their brief stories are told though before and after pictures. Each character struggling to maintain clear skin and how wonderful the product has been for them.
Cue a scientific description of the product, telling the “doctor” approved side of the story.
All to end back on the Julianne character and the success she has found with proactive. A perfect story told in the span of three minutes.
Activity 2.6
In animation artists control the pace of the narrative. Detailed animation can lead to more realistic, faster pace narratives. Minimalistic narratives can serve to drag out an animated piece.
In South Park, the characters are reacting to popular culture events in exaggerated and often unbelievable circumstances. Audiences follow the characters week to week and begin to laugh along with the parallels between South Park’s imagined world and the world today. I feel as if shows like South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy offer escapism from our everyday life. The characters are often family oriented and relevant to our own lives, yet treat situations in ways that are seen as strange or implausible.
The Incredibles may have been marketed showing off the famous voice actors, but for me the voice behind each character was irrelevant. Familiar voices do nothing for me in animation, I treat each character as distinct and oftentimes the familiarity of a voice dissipates within minutes of a movie or show. The Incredibles is a successful movie with insane detail. Each character is an exaggerated silhouette of an everyday person. The father’s facial features are similar to a human but he has a large chin, huge torso and small legs giving him a grandeur persona of a “macho man.” By stretching out or elongating even the smallest of things in an animation can change a viewers entire interpretation of a piece in a way that is impossible to do with live action movies (unless the budget allows for insane amounts of makeup and CGI).
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Week 5
Jan Svankmajer: Dimensions of Dialogue Part 2
The first part of the Dimensions of Dialogue is insanely captivating, creative and compelling. The use of claymation adds significant depth to the piece. I loved the use of clay in the beginning of the piece when the couple is having intercourse. They are connected and intertwined with each other, so the clay forms one solid being. In the end when the man and women are clawing at each other, the clay is now being ripped out chunks at a time, showing frustration and fury. The potential "baby" is just a lump of clay, yet to form a shape, allowing the characters to mold the lump, toss it, and push it aside, displaying their desire to rid the burden.
The first part of the Dimensions of Dialogue is insanely captivating, creative and compelling. The use of claymation adds significant depth to the piece. I loved the use of clay in the beginning of the piece when the couple is having intercourse. They are connected and intertwined with each other, so the clay forms one solid being. In the end when the man and women are clawing at each other, the clay is now being ripped out chunks at a time, showing frustration and fury. The potential "baby" is just a lump of clay, yet to form a shape, allowing the characters to mold the lump, toss it, and push it aside, displaying their desire to rid the burden.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Week 4
Norman McLaren-Neightbours (1952)
I love the animated short Neighbours. Right when the flower first dances at 1:20, the viewer can see what this short is all about. The way in which the flower dances beckoning the two men is great. The narrative maintains symmetry throughout which I found both interesting and compelling. The symmetry levels the playing field so to speak with both characters. Neither man is better then the other or deserves the flower more.
The flower causes the two neighbors to almost go on a trip, the flower is euphoric to them. This is magically displayed by the use of stop motion. The characters become quite strange and trippy, hovering in the air and gliding across the ground. McLaren does a good job showing the drunkiness effect of the flower. I loved the part in 4:18 when the character are putting up and tearing down the fence. The fence plays an important role in the remainder of the short and it was interesting to see how they introduced it. The obvious message of the piece was to display greed and that if people indulge or are selfish about something good in their life they will lose it. As the universal message states in the final credits "love you neighbor!"
I love the animated short Neighbours. Right when the flower first dances at 1:20, the viewer can see what this short is all about. The way in which the flower dances beckoning the two men is great. The narrative maintains symmetry throughout which I found both interesting and compelling. The symmetry levels the playing field so to speak with both characters. Neither man is better then the other or deserves the flower more.
The flower causes the two neighbors to almost go on a trip, the flower is euphoric to them. This is magically displayed by the use of stop motion. The characters become quite strange and trippy, hovering in the air and gliding across the ground. McLaren does a good job showing the drunkiness effect of the flower. I loved the part in 4:18 when the character are putting up and tearing down the fence. The fence plays an important role in the remainder of the short and it was interesting to see how they introduced it. The obvious message of the piece was to display greed and that if people indulge or are selfish about something good in their life they will lose it. As the universal message states in the final credits "love you neighbor!"
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Week 3 Animation Blog
Lenka--Heart Skips a Beat
The addition of animation in the music video for Lenka's Heart Skips a Beat adds complexity to an otherwise simple video. Even simple and repetitive animation jazzed up the video, making me want to continue watching the video. I loved the example of rotoscoping on 1:30. Just the drawn outline of the singer perfectly portrays all of her distinct features such as her nose and hair. I think that this example will help me with my rotoscoping exercise because I can better visualize how I would frame a face and shade in the mouth to illustrate movement and shadowing.
Out of the Inkwell--Modeling
I loved when the clown drew the face of the model posing for the sculpture in 3.37. The animation in this piece is very innovative and timeless. I still connected with the piece even though it was created in the 20's. The entire time I was imaging how precise the artist had to be in order to make this piece. The end result it fantastic. I love the interaction between the drawn characters, the inkwell, and the live action characters. It is an upgraded way to interact with an animation in relation to Gertie the Dinosaur.
The addition of animation in the music video for Lenka's Heart Skips a Beat adds complexity to an otherwise simple video. Even simple and repetitive animation jazzed up the video, making me want to continue watching the video. I loved the example of rotoscoping on 1:30. Just the drawn outline of the singer perfectly portrays all of her distinct features such as her nose and hair. I think that this example will help me with my rotoscoping exercise because I can better visualize how I would frame a face and shade in the mouth to illustrate movement and shadowing.
Out of the Inkwell--Modeling
I loved when the clown drew the face of the model posing for the sculpture in 3.37. The animation in this piece is very innovative and timeless. I still connected with the piece even though it was created in the 20's. The entire time I was imaging how precise the artist had to be in order to make this piece. The end result it fantastic. I love the interaction between the drawn characters, the inkwell, and the live action characters. It is an upgraded way to interact with an animation in relation to Gertie the Dinosaur.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Blog #4 - Animation
I was very excited to begin making an animation using flash. I have never used anything like flash and did not even know a program like this existed. The first day I made a five second animation about a man falling out of the sky, it took me twenty-five minutes. I realized then that I would definitely be time crunched if I wanted to finish my project in class. I downloaded a free thirty-day trial on Adobe’s webpage and got to work. I scrapped my original idea and decided to make a story about a flower and a butterfly. Overall it took me an entire weekend to make my fifty-second animation, but it was definitely worth it.
About a third of the time I spent on my animation was trial and error. I was trying to familiarize myself with the program. I never imagined making a cartoon would be so complex, time consuming, and tedious. Having a new appreciation for the art form is an understatement, animation artist are fantastic. My favorite part was seeing my vision come to life. To make the butterfly move I used two different symbols (one with the wings open and one closed) then I manually moved the picture and alternated the symbols. By not using a tween the butterfly had a more realistic and jagged approach.
The hardest part of the project was having the flower grow, I wish it would have looked a little more realistic. I had trouble with the shape tween, eventually I had to split up the flower into two parts, the result were decent, but it still looked like a ball expanding.
I have a basic understanding of Photoshop and that really helped in drawing the animation. The drawing of the animation took at least forty minutes to get perfect, I had many mishaps with the flowers.
I overall am very happy and excited to have finished my first flash project. Doing this assignment has increased my interest in the subject significantly and I one day when I have time I would like to just spend a day learning a little more about the programs capabilities.
About a third of the time I spent on my animation was trial and error. I was trying to familiarize myself with the program. I never imagined making a cartoon would be so complex, time consuming, and tedious. Having a new appreciation for the art form is an understatement, animation artist are fantastic. My favorite part was seeing my vision come to life. To make the butterfly move I used two different symbols (one with the wings open and one closed) then I manually moved the picture and alternated the symbols. By not using a tween the butterfly had a more realistic and jagged approach.
The hardest part of the project was having the flower grow, I wish it would have looked a little more realistic. I had trouble with the shape tween, eventually I had to split up the flower into two parts, the result were decent, but it still looked like a ball expanding.
I have a basic understanding of Photoshop and that really helped in drawing the animation. The drawing of the animation took at least forty minutes to get perfect, I had many mishaps with the flowers.
I overall am very happy and excited to have finished my first flash project. Doing this assignment has increased my interest in the subject significantly and I one day when I have time I would like to just spend a day learning a little more about the programs capabilities.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
BLOG ENTRY #3: The Banana Chronicles
Coming up with the concept for “The Banana Chronicles” was a lot easier then the actual shooting. I saw how the whole short was going to turn out in my mind; then when I tried to implement this, the moving came out entirely different.
Originally, we wanted to a short film based solely ‘in the eyes of a banana.’ Filming this was difficult because continuity was always an issue (is the banana inside the bag, is the same person passing by). The end result was decent for the allotted timeframe but if it could be done again, I would want more cameras and a lot more reshoots. Another problem was definitely the tracking shots. It was very difficult to film only the banana while weaving in and out of Hunter traffic. The filming was often shaky and unsteady. If I could do that again I would try and set up tripods to increase stability, for the given timeframe this was impossible.
I am really happy about the after effects. I did not have a clear song in mind during the filming but afterward during editing, my partners and I defiantly felt an old silent film vibe. Adding the grainy film look with only a ragtime piece accompanying the footage was probably my happiest part of the project; things seemed to fall into place.
I learned a lot about continuity, planning and directing filming this short film. I never really understood why it was so important to plan out every shot until I was thrown into a crowded hall with only a banana.
Originally, we wanted to a short film based solely ‘in the eyes of a banana.’ Filming this was difficult because continuity was always an issue (is the banana inside the bag, is the same person passing by). The end result was decent for the allotted timeframe but if it could be done again, I would want more cameras and a lot more reshoots. Another problem was definitely the tracking shots. It was very difficult to film only the banana while weaving in and out of Hunter traffic. The filming was often shaky and unsteady. If I could do that again I would try and set up tripods to increase stability, for the given timeframe this was impossible.
I am really happy about the after effects. I did not have a clear song in mind during the filming but afterward during editing, my partners and I defiantly felt an old silent film vibe. Adding the grainy film look with only a ragtime piece accompanying the footage was probably my happiest part of the project; things seemed to fall into place.
I learned a lot about continuity, planning and directing filming this short film. I never really understood why it was so important to plan out every shot until I was thrown into a crowded hall with only a banana.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Blog 2: Editing
For my video editing assignment I decided to focus on the last scene of the Italian film “Life is Beautiful.” The last scene is very moving and could not have been so if it was not for brilliant editing. The scene is focuses on the main character Guido. He is trying to find his wife so he is dressed in women’s clothing to hide from the Germans. The music is very dramatic and climatic, establishing suspense.
At around 5:38 there is a long shot of Guido in the background with a spotlight on him. The next shot is of him falling and almost seamlessly the next shot is a close-up of Guido standing up. Now the editor builds suspense in the most heartbreaking part of the film.
Guido’s little son Joshua is hidden inside a mailbox, out of sight from the Germans. Guido is aware of his son’s whereabouts and has to walk by the mailbox as the soldier leads Guido to his death. The editor builds tension by showing Guido and then showing the mailbox, this allows viewer to understand the proximity of both characters in relation to each other. The editor zooms in on a close up of the son’s eyes and then a shot of Guido looking straight ahead; this creates the illusion that they are both staring at each other. The next shot is from the perspective inside the mailbox; all the viewers can see are shadows of a rectangle and a long strip of action creating another illusion looking through the child’s eyes. By the end of the scene Guido is lead down a long path and out of sight of the viewer, gunshots are heard and then a solider emerges alone.
The scene was edited with many illusions and assumptions on the viewer’s perspective. However, nothing felt force and the editor kept the entire scene very suspenseful and heart wrenching. The editing was flawless and without carefully reviewing the scene it would feel as if it really was the view inside of a mailbox and Guido and his son where staring emotionally at each other.
I started my analysis at 5:15 in the video.
At around 5:38 there is a long shot of Guido in the background with a spotlight on him. The next shot is of him falling and almost seamlessly the next shot is a close-up of Guido standing up. Now the editor builds suspense in the most heartbreaking part of the film.
Guido’s little son Joshua is hidden inside a mailbox, out of sight from the Germans. Guido is aware of his son’s whereabouts and has to walk by the mailbox as the soldier leads Guido to his death. The editor builds tension by showing Guido and then showing the mailbox, this allows viewer to understand the proximity of both characters in relation to each other. The editor zooms in on a close up of the son’s eyes and then a shot of Guido looking straight ahead; this creates the illusion that they are both staring at each other. The next shot is from the perspective inside the mailbox; all the viewers can see are shadows of a rectangle and a long strip of action creating another illusion looking through the child’s eyes. By the end of the scene Guido is lead down a long path and out of sight of the viewer, gunshots are heard and then a solider emerges alone.
The scene was edited with many illusions and assumptions on the viewer’s perspective. However, nothing felt force and the editor kept the entire scene very suspenseful and heart wrenching. The editing was flawless and without carefully reviewing the scene it would feel as if it really was the view inside of a mailbox and Guido and his son where staring emotionally at each other.
I started my analysis at 5:15 in the video.
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