Better Late Than Never!

Yes I know this is a little late, I in fact finished this back in December!

Anyway here is my final piece. After just under two months working with Maya I feel I just about have a basic knowledge of the software. I have never agreed with animation in general really, the whole concept of setting key frames and easing in and easing out has always got my goat. Never the less I plugged away and managed to squeeze out a rather primitive little set of shoes and ball.

The Animatrix

I can't believe I didn't see this earlier! As a Matrix fan (isn't everyone?), one always wants to squeeze more juice out of lemon. Sadly the lemon was squeezed a little too much and that was even before the trilogy had ended!

Then on Sunday night I remembered The Animatrix and felt like giving the Matrix lemon one last squeeze. The result was surprisingly sweeter than nectar itself.

The Animatrix is collectively a series of nine short films each with with their own unique style of animation apart from two that share the same style as one is a sequel to another. They all employ what seems to be a clever fusion of drawing, C.G.I and what looks like rotoskopting to create some mesmerizing results. For me the peak of visual madness is achieved in the above clip where I can safely say I have no idea what is going on!

I think the real selling point of this series of short films is that it addresses so many questions that one may have had whilst watching the films as it doesn't focus around the characters we are familiar with such as Neo, Trinity and Morpheus (although some do briefly emerge) but with characters most of which we haven't come across in the films who are merely associated with the Matrix tale. Each film gives the viewer a whole new angle on the saga we all know and love and in way breathes new life into it.

Zoo Machinima

My friend couldn't have sent me a link to this at a better time. During a monday morning session at college, just after our tutor had explained to us what a game engine was I checked my Facebook - in the lunch break of course - and there slap bang on my wall was a perfect example of Machinima.

If he'd posted the video a little earlier I would've sat there saying to myself;

"wow how clever! Not only have they cleverly edited the cut-scenes from San Andreas to make an animation, but they must've only used only hidden cut scenes that are shown through completing extra portions of the game!"

As an animation it is certainly reasonably entertaining for the simple novelty factor. However on second glance I can't say I'm all that entertained. The voiceovers are dull and unconvincing and the clunky, chunky graphics of 2004 don't make for pretty animation. None the less, for me it's still an interesting introduction into the world of Machinima thanks to its use of a familiar game's engine.

Aesop Rock Rocks, So Do His Videos!

I'm not massive rap fan. Too much of it is unmusical rubbish associated with highly insalubrious subjects such as "crack" and "shanking".

The three below videos from the rapper Aesop Rock are far from one's typical nonsense. His lyrics are abstract and his vocabulary is wide. This is probably what some may call "intellectual rap".

And such music will always need a good video to do it justice. The three below are no exception and on top of that all completely different!

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

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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