Wise Words

When my friend told me that Baz Luhrmann had released a single I small smile spread across my face.

When I checked it out on you tube the smile widened to a contented grin.

What's quite refreshing to me is that it doesn't feel like any of his films. This isn't a case of "Baz Luhrmann, in music form". It's something new entirely.

They are first and foremost, wise words coming from a rather wise sounding speaker- he sounds old- and they avoid sounding preachy thanks to just the right amount of humour.

Next of course there's the animation which I feel is best described as a nice combination of quaint and familiar.

Then there is the music which gives it all a nice a poignant feel.

And with the seemingly irrelevant "bookends" so to speak regarding sunscreen this music video is given a rather clever little beginning and end.

Tedious But Cool

This little music video encapsulates my feelings on animation; tedious to execute and brilliant to watch in conjunction with music and in moderation. At one minute fifty five seconds and with one hell of a tune over the top it already has the makings of something tasty.

What really jumps out at me though (and I'm sure this goes for most people) is the fact that this animation screams out to the viewer the level of tedium involved in it's making and for that matter the tedium present in all forms of animation! Michel Gondry the man behind this video is a patient man, as well as a multi talented one; he's also responsible for films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind and a whole plethora of music videos and short films

We Are All Amoral!

We all deserve to go to Hell!

Well not all of us, only most of the people that watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and that includes me.

Why? Because (and only read on if you don't mind me spoiling the ending) we warm to murdering highwaymen.

Still perplexed? Yeah o.k I'll explain....

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a Western about a good ol' gang of highwaymen and as the film develops, about the two ringleaders; Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are the film's protagonists and put simply the film follows them from the Wild West to Bolivia as they kill and steal everything in sight for a little money.

Throughout the film one grows to love these two rogues as they are both rather slick characters and kinda nice (aside from the killing and stealing). So when it is indicated that they die at the end of film one does feel a little sad!

Then I woke myself up and reminded myself that in the real world these two characters are the lowest of the low, and what makes it even worse is that I expect the vast majority of viewers of this film developed feelings similar to mine!

Yes we are horrible horrible people who like villains because they are cool and look good.

Cell Shading

The clip from the below game, Jet Set Radio Future, really changed my stance on computer games. Computer games will still always be about gameplay and how addictive they are but it's games like these that put a real emphasis on the visual side of things and make games more than just another mindless high.



This game, which is the sequel to the infamous Jet Set Radio on Dreamcast, employs a very clever graphics technique known as cell shading. This mimics traditional comics such as Marvel and DC by outlining shapes in black and making the colours highly saturated. This ties in well with the fact that this game is all about spraying graffiti over Tokyo!

Lebowski Narration

The Big Labowski by the Coen Brothers only has a little narration, but it goes a long way.

Here Sam Elliot is an unbiased narrator who doesn't in fact say a lot. In fact he's quite human and although that may sound like a rather strange point to make, I make it for my own highly relevant reason; all too often narrators are rather like robots, all they do is boom down from on high in an emotionless, godlike manner. No, sam is one of the people and with quotes such as "say friend, ya got any more a that good sarsaparilla?" (directed at the barman) and "now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from".

Hey despite being a old moustached redneck, I can relate to him a hell of a lot more than one's average narrator.

This Is An Exception...

In a previous post I mentioned my reasons for not being mad keen on long Animations due to their ability to make fantasy become mundane after a short wile.

Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki in the exception that proves the rule.

The reason why this film works for me is because it is completely and utterly wacky to such an an extent that for me it never ceases to amaze. When I watch the vast majority of animations I loose touch with their surreal appeal after a short wile due to me simply becoming accustomed to it and it becoming my reality. This film is a whole different kettle of fish. Every single minute of this film is packed with such abnormality and such surprise that it keeps one in a constant sense of wonder. One feels like a child again as the pretty colours and flamboyant characters leap out from all angles.

Never has the annoyingly contradictory yet in this case remarkably useful phrase "expect the unexpected" been so relevant.

Russell Brand As A Kid! (And Some Nice Animation)

With all the C.G.I and slick animated anime esque films these days, I feel a certain gap has been created where nice "organic" feeling animation used to be. This clip from 90s children's T.V show "Mud" is also a nice little opportunity to see Russell Brand as a young innocent teen doing a little acting. The animation is familiar in that you can tell that it has been done with pencils and crayons, probably the only animation tools that we all know well. It's close placement over the top of a little bit of video also provide the viewer with a nice contrast of animation and film, real and unreal.

Light Entertainment

Here's a little something that I just had to share. I came across it whilst looking for a Shawshank clip. I guess it isn't of any particular high artistic merit. It's just goddam funny!




I like to think that even the most sophisticated of art house loving and chablis drinking Shawshank fans can appreciate this little bit of light entertainment for the clever piece of work that it is!

The Evil "Good" Person

We all love to hate a good villain/antagonist. Darth Vader, Captain Hook, The Joker.

The list is endless.

Sometimes, however these villains are just a little too obvious.

Yes they are nasty people we get that, and so do all the characters.

No if you want real anger within the viewer you need The Evil "Good" Person.

Here are two of my favourites who are interestingly both Bible-bashing prison workers!

Firstly we have The Warden from The Shawshank Redemption who can't admit to himself that the prison he runs is flouting human rights laws and has no shame in killing a prisoner when he offers to testify in a fellow inmate's appeal. It's all in the name of god of course.

Secondly we have Percy, a warden from the The Green Mile. This character is a rather slimy character who only got his undeserved position through his powerful connections wets himself when he's scared, walks round like he owns the place and feels the need to take his anger out on rodents.

Characters like these tear the viewer apart as wile one can see that they are thoroughly evil, more importantly one is frustrated both at the inability of others to see them for who they really are and the villains' delusion that they are somehow good people.

Reality vs La La Land

I know I've rabbited on about this before, but I just can't help myself.

Whilst I will always prefer a good bit of well made film, a little slice of animation in just the right place will always go a long way. In this case it goes the whole nine yards!

In a film about narcotics the subject of reality is an easy one to touch upon. Here, reality and a stylized take on a drug induced state are brilliantly juxtaposed and for me highlight what I like about animation.

For me Animation is a nice escape from reality. In a comparatively mundane world a bit of the colorful surrealism that animation can bring you is always nice. However for me, after a short wile, the animation becomes your reality, as one has gotten used to it.

In the above little sequence though, the director has got it just right. He mirrors one of the character's trips into his own his drug induced world, by suddenly throwing the viewer straight into his imagination and thus being effective by firstly providing a sudden change of scene and more importantly providing the viewer with a feeling similar to an abrupt, drug induced detachment from reality.

It's Still All About the Story!

It may seem that I'm about to undermine a lot of what I stand against. Maybe I am....

I don't think I am.

Nevermind.

As per usual I saw one hell of a film the other day; Awake, starring Hayden Christiensen and Jessica Alba. This was a bit of a change of scene for me. Why? Because as an "arty kid" I usually watch all those "arty" movies that look all wired and arty. Yes I know I'm hardly being eloquent here, don't worry. In case you hadn't noticed I'm trying to make a rather crude imitation of the inarticulate yet accurate descriptions people (including myself) give of those kinds of films; indie films, animated films, surreal films e.t.c

Anyway, as you may be able to deduce from the below clip this has MASSIVE THRILLER written all over it. Placing one immediately in the beautifully uncomfortable shoes of someone who can feel everything during their surgery whilst experiencing every slow and painful second of their slow and painful death is automatically going to get the heart racing.

Yes I'll admit there are some very nicely shot scenes involving Clayton as a small boy and his various visions but all in all this film appeals first to the mind and then to the eyes later.

My Favorite Scene From The World's Favorite Film

This certainly isn't my favorite film but it's one of my favorites. This scene for me however sums up the main appeal.



Firstly I find the scene to be perfectly composed. The focal point is of course Charles Kane, sat down at his desk. His ex-guardian is trying to persuade him from continuing to run a newspaper that is loosing money, of course Mr Kane is having none of it. Kane's position of power is illustrated perfectly here by visually the seemingly opposite situation of his ex-guardian having the upper hand by him standing tall. However this is not the case as Charles remains calm and composed before being swept up in a fit of passion. Then comes a very inspirational line which for me is the essence of what being a creative entrepreneur is all about; "At the rate of a million dollars a year I'd have to close this place in... 60 years". It is lines like these that really stir up the creative passion in me and make me want to be the kind of person who is willing to sacrifice their entire life savings for the love of their artwork.

When Cartoons Were Better!

I sat up and realised something the other day. In the early 90's (my childhood) cartoons were so much cooler!

O.k I'm not too sure what cartoons children watch these days but I'm pretty sure they're nothing like the one's I remember. I also remember cartoons getting rubbish around 1998. Yes one could argue that that's just me getting old but I disagree. Cartoons like Conan the Adventurer, Thundercats and of course the legendary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are for me of an era that died a long time ago.

These cartoons are all of the same ballsy nature. Just look at their intros! They all kick off with a similar in your face rock 'n roll explosion. Hell, they even seem slightly scary! Plus I find the animation much more crisp and precise.

Back in the 90s there was even, come to think of it, one hell of a C.G.I cartoon and this was before the whole C.G.I explosion with Toy Story in 1997!

This cartoon, in case you hadn't managed to deduce this from the highly self explanatory intro is about life inside a computer! Yes a bunch of nerds sat down and personified the insides of one's average P.C and made a cartoon about it! When one takes into account the whole internet boom that was going on at the time and sudden spread of home computers it's easy to see why such a cartoon was made

My Kind of Humour

I feel that this little clip from "The Onion Movie" is a prime example of what my ideal kind of humor is.

First and foremost it is silly; the concept of changing a definition for convenience purposes and thereby running from the reality of it is utterly ludicrous.

Secondly it is surreal; This ludicrous idea is juxtaposed perfectly with the very real and serious situation of news creating a highly abnormal and unreal situation.

Most importantly for me though is the visual aspect. I find that I respond best to visual humor and so the sudden picture of an obese man, with bold text beneath him declaring that he is formally obese tickles my funny bone in just the right spot. God I'm easily amused!

BAF

The Bradford Animation Festival was a rather interesting experience despite being slightly irrelevant. Why? Because pretty much all of it was focused around the gaming industry, an industry that right now doesn't appeal to me. Paradoxically though, as a result of the Animation festival, I addressed my then nebulas thoughts on what games could be and I rethought my whole stance on the gaming industry and thus came up with a hypothetical reason as to why the gaming industry could appeal to me one day! Now seeing as these new thoughts are fully discussed in an earlier post entitled "I'm not a gamer anymore but I've only now realised now how genius they are" I won't digress. I will however go further into what prompted this epiphany and in doing so discuss what really stuck out for me at BAF.

The day kicked off with Amanita Design talking about Machinarium their latest creation. This point and click adventure had already picked up an award for best visual art at this years independent game festival. Upon hearing this my ears were already pricked! The game involves the guiding of a rather cute robot through a fantasy world of scrap metal mountains and weirdly quaint industrial landscapes. The game is in effect a rather endearing interactive cartoon. What really caught my attention though was the soundtrack. It was composed by the Czech musician Floex, who used a variety of different sounds and effects to create a highly atmospheric patchwork of sounds. The attention to detail with the soundtrack and the careful artistic approach taken with the design made me again consider my thoughts on what games could be; a work of enlightening and uplifting art rather than another mindless addiction.

The other speaker that really stood out in my book was Ian Livingstone O.B.E. As the the co founder of Dungeons and Dragons, Games Workshop and key member of Eidos interactive (responsible for the landmark game, Tomb Raider) it is certainly safe to say that this man was probably one of the most experienced members of the gaming industry around. He communicated two very valid points to me. Firstly he catalyzed my undecided thoughts on how computer games could appeal people other than nerdy teens and antisocial adults. Simply by listening to such an interesting and educated speaker who was obviously very into his games one began to realize that all sorts of people could be gamers. Then when he came out with facts such as 25% of gamers are in fact girls and theories declaring that computer games were the only entertainment medium that almost by definition got more entertaining due to technology I again realized how games could easily be so much more than what they are now and more importantly so much more creative and artistic.

Filming of Gigs

I was doing my usual browsing of You Tube for a song to listen to wile I worked. I settled on this video of one of my top bands, Placebo playing at the 2006 Reading festival.

This video got me thinking of what goes into the decision making process when filming large gigs. Do they have a generic way of filming large stages or are the shots and cuts carefully decided upon for each different band or even different song?

One would first of all jump to the conclusion that they would of course select each shot with the upmost diligence however it is also not implausible to consider the fact that the people behind the lens know that the fans watching the footage are going to be so enthralled by their favorite bands, that any sort of slow moving picturesque image that shows a rockstar strutting their funky stuff is going to get their juices going.

I think the only way to answer this question is to compare the above act with the Prodigy's performance at this year's Glastonbury.

The footage of Placebo has two obvious differences to that of the Prodigy. Firstly the Placebo video's cuts are far less frequent. As we know, frequent cutting creates a far more energized feel to the footage and seeing as one can't really get much more energized than a live Prodigy gig the second video is cutting left right and centre!

Secondly the camera is far more static in the Placebo video. At least a fifth of the shots in this video are completely static and the remainder of the shots involve very little movement at all. The Prodigy video is of course a completely different kettle of fish as aside from the start, the "calm before the storm" so speak, the camera is constantly moving. It pans left and right and zooms in and out. I suppose it's doing a rather good job of mimicking the head movements of the crowd! I should know, I was there!

PUNK

This image for me is a perfect example of what the Punk movement seems to be about. Yes, I choose my words carefully and say "seems" as I believe that the Punk movement is slightly confused in it's ideology and thus makes it's message slightly unclear to me. It advocates principles of "Anarchy" however anyone who knows anything about political philosophy will tell you that real Anarchism is absolutely nowhere near anything that was ever practiced by any spiky haired, Sex Pistol loving, establishment hating nutter! Anyway, I digress as I usually do!

This image is the cover for one of their well known singles "God Save the Queen". The title is in fact advocating nothing of the sort and is of course ranting about the Queen's unfair position in the world and her "fascist regime". The sentiments behind this song are of course typical of the punk ideology; anti-authoritarianism, free thought, discontent and rebellion. These ideological principles are translated into the musical sense through the making of Punk Rock.

I believe that Punk Rock was a necessary evil. Punk rock came around during the early 70's as a reaction to the then seen to be pretentious and pointless progressive rock that was being made during the 60's. Punk rock was about overturning musical conventions by doing away with real musical talent and focusing more on the "look" and "attitude" that came with the music. I for one hate Punk Rock as most of it not only doesn't appeal to my ears but more importantly is just plain amoral as it flies in the face of what music is all about; pleasing one's eardrums by stimulating one's emotions through sound. It tries to somehow pretend to be music by appealing to the listeners' desire to fit into some kind of trendy counter culture! If people want to join gangs and wear odd clothes that's fine, just please let their ears not be tainted with music that isn't anything to do with music.

Still I stand by my initial statement that Punk was necessary as I believe that it thankfully gave way to a whole new world of musical creativity as it allowed people who didn't necessarily have any musical talent to consider making it. Yes this may have lead to even more utter rubbish being recorded but that can still be put aside when one considers the bigger picture involving the music that could only have been created by the so called "non musician musicians" out there.

Symmetry

Here's a little scene from one of my favorite films, Spun.

Here the director utilizes symmetry juxtaposed with asymmetry to heighten the sense of chaos that infuses when the troublesome Latin character is stuck by Mickey Rourke's character as well as the calming down once he has finished.

Leading up to the moment when he strikes the shopper, there are cuts between multiple shots involving symmetry. Shots such as the view of the pair of shop workers from both the front and behind, the shot of the aisle overview, the interior of the fridge and the mid shot of Mickey Rourke's character walking down the aisle.

Then during the striking of the troublesome Latin character there cease to be as many shots of this nature. The cuts are now more frequent and the shots more asymmetrical. The shots are also cropped in a number of instances.

However after the chaos has passed and Mickey Rourke's character has finished his work, the frequency of cutting decreases and the shots go back to being more symmetrical.

Nice Editing

I'd always heard how a film editor was in effect a second director.

This clever little video works through a series of very clever and precise cuts as well as the expert timing of the dancer's movements to the rhythm.

The precise yet straight forward nature I feel reflects the song's mood perfectly. I think this is exemplified most clearly after about 30 seconds when there is a sudden change in the song and this is complimented by an equally obvious yet equally precise cut in the footage before both the footage and the song return to their original path.

My Archetypal Character

Name: Quentin 'n Quake

A two headed, double personalitied schizophrenic who bounces ideas of both his personalities to formulate the best resolution. This actually ends up being quite effective.

His many colours are representative of his multiple thoughts and emotions. Still, despite this he ends up being remarkably balanced.

His moustaches and little beards are always kept in good nick!

Quentin 'n Quake was born from the violent chemical reaction that took place the first and only time that somebody mixed tea and coffee in the safe mug. It is not certain where Qentin 'n Quake's roots lie however we do know that he has spent his life wandering all over the earth absorbing but never intentionally seeking out wisdom wherever he can and he has also spent a great deal of time (and still does for that matter) in calm secluded parts of the world such as greenland and various unknown pacific islands. He does this to compute the multitude of information that both his

personalities absorb.

Habits include sudden streams of consciousness out loud, sneezing and drastic changes in the volume of his voice. At least one head will always be talking and the total decibel level of both of Quentin 'n Quake's heads will always be evened out by the other i.e Quentin 'n Quake is always talking at the same volume level; if one head is silent then the other will be at its loudest.

Quentin 'n Quake doesn't really have a specific goal. This is because he is quietly content in his constant unintentional quest for knowledge and insight. His only weakness is his occasional tendency to succumb to the other comparatively ignorant people on this planet who ask him for his view or knowledge on a certain topic who then go on to use this knowledge for unproductive or evil results.

Quentin 'n Quake is a still a complicated character who's likes and dislikes are ever changing and contradictory. This results in ultimately an overall neutral take on pretty much everything he comes across. This is convenient in that it ultimately gives him room for his constant unintentional pursuit for knowledge and wisdom.

Examples of the Uncanny

The Uncanny

This extract examines the feeling of the uncanny through the writer Jentsch's telling of the story of "The Sand Man" in Horrmann's Nachtuchen. Jentsch declares that one of the most effective devices for creating feelings of the uncanny is to leave the reader unsure as to whether or not a figure in the story is human and do it in such a way that the reader doesn't want to clear up their doubts immediately.

The Story is about a villain, "The Sand Man", who tears out children's eyes and the story opens with the memories of a boy, Nathaniel who is still plagued by the mysterious death of his father. On certain evenings his mother would send him early to bed warning him that the Sand-Man was coming and then Nathaniel would hear the tread of a visitor with whom his father would be occupied.

One night Nathaniel is curious and decides to see for himself who the Sandman is and creeps into his father's study. He recognizes the visitor as the lawyer Coppelius who the children are afraid of. The laywer discovers Nathaniel and comes close to throwing hot coals into his eyes but Nathaniel's father prevents this. This little episode can either be interpreted as an allegorical delusion by the child or reality. A year later there is another visit from the lawyer and Nathaniel's father is killed in a big explosion. The Lawyer disappears without a trace.

Years pass and Nathaniel the horror from his childhood an optician, Giuseppe Coppola. Hey buys a pocket spy-glass from Coppola and uses it to look over at the house of Professor Spalanzani and spy his beautiful daughter, Olympia with whom he falls in love with and thus forgets the girl he's betrothed to. However the girl is an automation made my the professor. The professor picks up the eyes, throws them at the professor and all of a sudden Nathaniel's childhood memories are rekindled.

At last now Nathaniel seems to have recovered and he intends to marry his betrothed. They are walking in the city market and the couple decide to climb the tower of the town hall and leave the girl's brother below and upon finding Coppola's spy-glass Nathaniel falls into a new attack of madness. The tries to throw his betrothed into the gulf below but her brother saves her. However Nathaniel continuities to rush around on top of the tower. Amongst the crowd of people below is Coppelius and we are lead to suppose that it could've been him that Nathaniel spied through the glass. Nathaniel's madness continues and he throws himself off the tower.

A feeling of uncanny is created through uncertainty of the reality of the characters and uncertainty over their roles. For example this story begs the question as to whether or not Coppola the optician really is the lawer and also the Sandman.

We know that we are not looking upon the results of a madman's imagination yet this doesn't detract from the sense of uncanniness.

The penultimate paragraph baffles me a bit and it only really seems to talk of how bad it would be to loose one's eyes and compare that idea with castration.

The final paragrph I find equally confusing and arbitrary.

Bloody Pencil

I finally got round to finishing that stupid project with pencil.

Yes, I hate Pencil and Pencil hates me.

For one thing I can't draw to save my life. I also hate drawing even more than I hate queuing or checking my bank balance.

So here is my lovely Newton's cradle that yes, I'm not joking, took the best part of 3 hours.

I'm not a gamer anymore but I've only now realised now how genius they are.

I've had an epiphany!

Computer games are objectively (potentially) the highest art form on earth.

Yes that is a bold statement. It's a lot to say that that any art form is "higher" or "better" than another as yes it's all down to opinion but bare with me....

Computer games have the potential to encompass EVERY single art form known to man in one great big interactive bubble.

Think about it

Art (in the game's design), Music, Narrative and of corse the beautiful and complicated art of software writing!

Add that to the original point of computer games, gameplay, and you have one great big ball of entertainment! No wonder computer games are now the highest earning media industry!

Games such as Max Payne and the Metal Gear series exemplify perfectly how much a story-line can have such a critical role in a game. And for years games like Final Fantasy have been proof that games can be entertaining for their visual qualities alone.

I think what it really comes down to is the fact that because one is in effect creating another world and playing virtual god, pretty much anything ever conceived by a human being ever can be put into the context of a computer game!

Wow. Who would have thought it? The addictive pastime of nerdy spotty teens is in fact potentially more sophisticated than anything made my Bach or Stanly Kubric.

Yeah just imagine! A fantasy first person shooter with a soundtrack composed by Bach, Animation and Design by Kubric and a story by say, I dunno Tolkien!

My First Efforts in Maya

My Character Development and Design for my Brief

Quayola

I came across this moving image artist on you tube a few months back but didn't give him my full attention. I thought I'd give him another look.

In the above video I was completely perplexed and of course amazed at the extreme amount of complexity and precision that was evident in the making of this. I've actually been all over the net but haven't been able to find out what building this involves. I think it's St Peter's but I'm still not entirely sure as I was there about a year ago and it doesn't look 100% familiar. Anyway it's still a pleasure to watch. Also this is just as much a piece of music as it is moving image; I find that the sounds sit perfectly with the movement of the pieces. I'd actually be perfectly happy to hear the track on its own!

The below interview with the artist is regarding an exhibition he had dealing with natural scenes and how they could be manipulated with a clever new piece of software which is unavailable commercially. The interview speaks for itself really. It's also another nice example of the artists work and insight into how he thinks.

About Me Poster

After a few sessions using photoshop I finally tackled making a little poster about myself.

The select few images that I chose all connote specific areas of my personality.

The background is of my midi controller which I use as a multi functional tool for my electronic music. It's precise layout juxtaposed with the doodling connotes my combination of untidy and cut and paste attitude and precise attitude towards my work.

Stephen Hawking in the top left is representative of my respect of great intellect and (thanks to his famous best seller) my interest in life's important questions. This is also linked closely to another photo.

The picture of the Buddha. This has spiritual connotations and is a further representation of my interest in life's big questions and buddhist philosophy.

Both the toasted sandwich and the cup of tea are representative of my slightly more relaxed and casual attitude to life that just makes me want to sick back with a snack and a cup of tea.

Finally my pointy shoes with headphones are symbolic of my interest in the fashionable and edgy. Combined with my headphones they again refer to my interest in music and in this case, thanks to their combination with a pair of "fashionable" and "edgey" shoes they refer in particular to my love for edgy music.

Cool Runnings

I came across this incredible video today. Obviously what this guy's doing is bloody impressive as well as being dangerous. However its the dainty acrobatics that have elements of breakdancing or ballet in them that really draw me to it. For example when he's twisting himself round a handrail (54 secs).

I don't when, I don't know how but one way or another I'd like to incorporate these kinds of movements into a moving image sequence for a character of some sort.

A Breakdown of Aardman Animations

Reception Desk;
Three people, check "who's in", where they are working, who they’re working for, receiving deliveries, parking and pass issues and all the while answering the door & the phones.


Storyboarding;

They are responsible for bringing the script to life though drawing out the key frames of the animation.


Model Making;
Making all the characters and props out of plasticine, plastic e.t.c


Designing;
The design department formulates all the visual concepts for all elements of the animation such as character development, landscaping and prop design.


CGI;

All computer generated images and special effects are created by this department.


Editing;
They store and process all past, present and future footage. They are also the knowledge base for and technical issues regarding formats for distribution.

Canteen;

This one is obvious, the team need to be fed!

T.V;

Here is where all concepts for T.V are thought up before they go to full production.

Commercials;

This is the department responsible for designing all forms of advertising, ranging from t.v commercials to billboards

Rights & Licensing;

All legal deals regarding using other people's creative input and licensing the Aardman name/creation to other industries (games, clothing e.t.c) are watched over by this department.

Digital;

The newest Aardman department which is responsible for all online activity for both Aardman and 3rd party clients.

Production Technology;

All creative hardware related issues are dealt with by this department. Everything from testing electrical equipment to finding enough tripods to go around.

Facilities;

This group is responsible for the entire building! Making sure that very physical fabric of the building doesn't fall apart.

I.T;

The I.T department makes sure that all hardware and software works correctly across all departments and online. As well as serving to maintain that, the I.T department works to formulate new ideas that can say improve efficiency or productivity.

Human Resources;

All questions and general help are answered/supplied by this body. They are there as a helping hand to all who need it.

Finance;

As you can tell from the name finance looks after all money related issues. This will consist of making sure that people are paid correctly, money is collected, accounts add up e.t.c

A Little Analysis

This short scene from one of my favorite films, Brick starts with a medium-long shot that makes the viewer focus on the car as it is slap bang in the centre. The protagonist, Brendan even stopped once he arrives before the car and looks to his right before walking up the car. This action gives the viewer a feeling that he shouldn't be doing what he is doing and that somehow this car "commands respect" as it needs to be halted in front of.

We then go to a close up shot which consists of Brendan pressing his face on the glass and peering in. On seeing nothing of interest he then moves out of the shot and in the reflection of the glass he we see him looking around again. This combined with the lack of result from peering through the car window adds to the viewer anticipation and makes the viewer carry on guessing as to what Brendan is a. looking for and b. looking out for. We then go back to the mid we saw at the start of the scene quickly before Brendan comes back with a breeze-block. We then have another medium close-up of Brendan with the breeze-block raised above his head ready to break into the car.

Before Brendan has time to strike we are then presented with a long shot and a character (Tug) moving briskly, moving his arms quickly. This combination of the character appearing far away and smaller due to the perspective, but non the less moving almost franticly, makes the viewer realise just how determined this character is to reach his destination and that he is in quite an impatient and angry mood as it is evident from such a long distance. The camera quickly cuts back to a medium close up shot and then back the long shot except this time the camera is shaking slightly (to imitate brisk walking backwards and therefore create more drama) and tracking out before stopping on a two shot.

Immediately Tug hits Brednon and this is combined with a brisk tracking in on tug and heaving shaking of the camera to communicate the disorientating sensation that Brendan is feeling to the viewer. The camera then tracks sideways using a mid shot following Tug's movement as he walks to the car. Brendan then get up and his immediately hit again by Tug. While Brendan is getting up again the camera swing round 180 degrees and this is mirrored by tugs swinging fist, striking Brendan again.

Tug, still using a mid shot gets into his car and then opens the door in Brendan's face as he tries to get up. Finally Brendan gets up, and throws something at the car. Then the camera cuts to a long shot with the car swerving quickly from the foreground to the mid-ground and Brendan's object hits the car. The fact that the object's striking of the car has its own shot provides the objects impact with well, more impact! Finally there is a medium close up shot on the side of Brendan, making the viewer focus on him and what he's just been through.

Adverts and Their Target Markets

Ad 1; found in Mixmag, advertising Fenchurch

This advert shows the Dubstep musician, Rusko holding a bunch of flowers in one hand while modeling Fenchurch clothes. The main line of text reads "from Rusko with love". This advert is aimed at fashion and music fans between the ages of 16-25. This is really the target audience of Dubstep. I also believe this advert is equally aimed at girls despite it advertising men's clothes as it presents girls with a desirable situation; Rusko looking good, presenting flowers.

Ad 2; found in Mixmag, advertising Wax:On

The colour scheme consists of dark colours and shows a vector graphic image of a cityscape with skyscrapers on one side and billboards in the foreground. This advert is aimed at pretty much anyone who enjoys their nightlife as it depicts what would be a very familiar scene of billboards with d.j's names on them and twinkling city lights. It is also aimed at people from urban areas as opposed to rural areas as a city scape is going to strike more of a sentimental chord with someone from a city than someone from the countryside.

Ad 3; found in Mixmag, advertising Ministry of Sound Saturday nights

The main text is just about legible and reads "get higher" in a variety of loud colours. On the right hand side are the main details. Around and withint the text there are familiar clubbing images such as hands in the air, a girl with a microphone and bare legs. This advert is most probably aimed at any form of thrill seeker, namely drug users who are of course into getting higher. The bright colours are designed to entice a younger crowd of between 18-25 as bright stimulating colours appeal more to the younger generation.

Industry Leaders Who Practice Globally

For my study in the creative industries, I've started by looking at two major industry leaders who practice globally.  

I'm going to kick off with an organization that many will be familiar with; Take-Two Interactive.

This organisation is the umbrella name for a number of software subsidiaries including; Rockstar Games, Rockstar North, Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar Vancouver, Rockstar Toronto, Rockstar Leeds, Rockstar Lincon, 2K Games and Global Star Software.  Take two is best known for its work under the Rockstar North subsidiary, producing such game titles as Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto 4.

It has also made waves with games such as the Max Payne series and the Midnight Club series under the Rockstar Games subsidary.

www.rockstargames.com/games

Secondly I'd like to talk about an even bigger organisation; Electronic Arts (E.A)

Electronic Arts develops publishes and distributes interactive software for video game systems, wireless devices, personal computers and the internet.  Their influence is infinite with some of the biggest games titles of all time under their name (The Sims, Fifa, Medal of Honor) it is safe to say that they are the biggest name in modern gaming

The below video should give you an idea of their influence.

Bouncing Ball

Here is my second animation. Like the pendulum before, I used pencil. It was meant to demonstrate the easing in and easing out of movement by using frames more frequently at the top and bottom of the sequence.

As you can see I found it a lot more complicated than expected.

My First Animation

What I Like

To kick things off, seeing as I don't have any work to display at the moment,

I thought I'd give you a tune. This should give you some kind of an idea of the kind of art I like.

By art I am meaning it in it's broader sense; music, film, pictures e.t.c.

Like the typical artistic technology loving nerd, I'm a sucker for a heavy dose of electronica. Here, is one of my favorite tracks

on more of the sublime end of the genre rather than the glitchy end.

I you haven't heard of either Autechre or Warp records I strongly recommend a gander.

Enjoy x