Friday 26 February 2016

@Alan - APB: Ideas - Happyness/joy/hyperactive

After doing a study on Inside Out and the shapes. I gave it a go at making a character in a star shape to emphasise hyperactivity/happiness etc. I need some feedback as to its design as I wanted to make it ''creature'' like but with the fairy/changling ''ugly'' aspect, I chose a green murky colour pallet. I also can't think of a face style, as when I draw it it turns into a cartoonist/anime :(.


Monday 22 February 2016

APB: Brian Froud.

I've not been very productive lately so I wanted to start to get back into with a little research.

Film Review: Waltz with Bashir

                                                         
Waltz with Bashir (2008), directed by Ari Folman, brings us a animated quasi-documentary that follows the Folmans in an attempt to unravel the tragic events that took place in September of 1983.It was on this night that a massacre of over 300 Palestinian refuges to the hands Christian military. The story begins with Folman reliving the memories that he can remember with a friend at a bar. The artistic mixed with the story brings a great powerful films that deals with sensitive topics around war. It tackles these in a documentary style which makes the film feel more personal and real.

The story revolves around Folman coming to terms with what happened and rekindling his hazy memories of the event. It is a powerful film that deals with sensitive topics around war, it tackles these in a documentary style which makes the film feel more personal and real.

The film delivers and mixes dreams and reality frequently, which makes it a little hard to understand where the line is between them. The entire experience seems to feel distorted which could appear to reflect the memory of Folman or the actual memory in general. The film reflects how memory can distort in an attempt to protect us from the actual truth. Bringing us to terms with the tragedy that he was very close to what he was part of. The dressage given to us, or rather the aesthetic of them film also mirrors the confused feeling that is expressed in the narrative, the animation overall strengthens the distorted feeling of the film as it goes from a power gold and black coloured dream world to a more gritty real world tragedy as a soldier takes a bullet to the neck.

The character of Folman, deals with some very tragedy of war in such a beautiful way, scenes that should be completely distressing feeling with an artistic and beautiful look at it. There are many scenes through out the film that offer a strange connections from the story and the audience.

Overall the film was very engaging and the artistic style was very interesting to watch. The film linked very well with the narrative and it was entrancing to watch. The final scenes leave a haunting memory, a powerful statement that the good of mankind is hard to find.

Tuesday 16 February 2016

APB: Design approach?

So I've been sketching out some expressions for the changeling. I did some research on children's behaviour too, but these sketches are the first once that came to my head and I can't seem to shake the feeling that my style is all wrong. The only one that makes more sense is the Sad expression one, but it looks like a dragon/dog to me. I need to do a little more in-depth research to this faire/sprite/evil/child-friendly/changeling concept and see what I can push out from this. But hey it's a start! :) (need to wait for my tablet to charge and I'll push on - it's sketchbook time! )


Wednesday 10 February 2016

Mudbox: Our own little project.

We were tasked to start modelling our own little thing yesterday, my pc crashed when I attempted to do this so I waited till I got home. I was even given permission to model a wolf, this is my progress so far!



Sunday 7 February 2016

Film Review: Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Betty Boop Indian style. 
Sita Sings the Blues is a very strange but beautifully constructed animation about a indian tale about Sita and her husband. It was created by Jewish-American Nina Paley and contains a wide range of styles, from squiggly lines to full on Indian inspired deities. These styles are allocated to different time periods of the animation, the squiggly hand drawn style depicts the current ''in the now'' story about modern day Sita, who coincidently is named Nina) who's husband who gets a job in India and moves there, leaving her alone in America. She eventually, throughout the film, moves their with him, only to find that the husband no longer wants her - as depicted through the Indian side as well - and she ends up having to move back the america alone and mistreated. The other style is when the character Sita, who in this set of scenes looks like a Indian Betty Boop with bold red lines. This version of her sings 1920 songs with a Indian inspired background. It was rather difficult to follow the story but essentially it was two stories being told side by side. With a legendary tale told within it.

The story is expressed side by side with the modern tale of Nina and the legend of Sita. Sita goes through her trial of fire while Nina flies to India but is rejected by her boyfriend on several occasions, and finally Sita is taken by mother earth for being pure when Nina gets dumped, Nina’s feelings are being portrayed in a similar fashion to Sita going through her trial by fire, both emerging stronger at the other end.

It is a powerful film that artfully combines a selection of topics and styles, feels and deeply personal connections between the audience, Paley and the characters. There is no real comparison film or animation out that. Paley has done did a really good job with this piece, capturing a sense of deep emotional connection to both the main character and combining styles to tell a great story.

Illustration List:
Figure 1: Paley, Nina (2008) Nina at the airport [film still] available from: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-20024741711964_2257_9914838 (accessed: 5/2/16)