PIXAR GLOBAL DOMINATION! (Japan not included)

So Pixar began its existence as a hardware company, who knew. Whilst I was doing my A2 year of Media Studies I'd done some pretty thorough contextual research into the history of animation and also the leading industry figures in contemporary animation such as Pixar; yet I had no clue that the Pixar company was established in such a way.

Their first production as an animation company was Andre and Wally Bee 1984. Although it now appears somewhat outdated in style, at the time it was revolutionary. Creator and forefather of Pixar, John Lasseter established several new techniques for the production of Andre and Wally Bee. These include motion blur and spherical, teardrop bodies which allow for greater fluidity and dynamism of the characters.

Despite their great skill as animators, Pixar have never been able to master the human form. Their attempt in the short film Tin Toy (see clip below) did not produce the most realistic results. The baby appears almost demonic as its eyes are lifeless and its face appears aged, not youthful. Nevertheless, the company did win an Oscar for the production.
Since Tin Toy, Pixar have seemingly adopted a more stylised approach towards the presentation of people within their films. For example, The Incredibles has an entire cast of humans, each of which has a distinct appearance and characterised form. This is exemplified through the character of Jack Jack (see image below), whose appearance contrasts greatly to that of the baby in Tin Toy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkztOI5wdgg 

Jack Jack, the baby from The Incredibles

On the other hand, the company must be praised for their fantastic ability to bring life to even the most inanimate object. This level of anthropomorphism is best exemplified by the lamp which features in the Pixar credits. The character is faceless, yet the animators convey emotion through the positioning of the lamp's shade and the beam from the light bulb. I think that this ability is one which makes Pixar such skilled animators. The attention to detail in their productions is fantastic and the significance of humour in their film narratives make the movies all the more enjoyable.

Towards the end of the lecture we looked briefly at Japanese animation, or anime as its known. Its a style of film which I really find difficult to enjoy. I know it has a cult following, even here in Britain, but I'm just not one of the crowd who find it so fascinating.

I can appreciate the imaginative quality it has and as a character student I can also appreciate the character design of many of the monsters and fantasy beings. However, I feel that the overall anime style is quite repetitive and characters all appear quite similar. We saw a clip from My Neighbour Totoro and I found it relatively enjoyable.

Like Pixar, there is an ongoing humour throughout the narrative, which I like. But my favourite scene from the extract we saw was when the character of Totoro and the young female protagonists use their minds to magically cause seeds to germinate and grow suddenly into a huge tree. Its a really lovely sequence as the characters all mimick the thrusting action of the tree growing skywards.

still from My Neighbour Totoro

After we had seen the clip Bill made an interesting analysis of the above scene by comparing the sprouting tree to the mushroom cloud from the Hiroshima bomb. It was something which hadn't even crossed my mind, and yet it was an extremely strong reference, which one could consider somewhat controversial from a Japanese artist.

Famous image of the mushroom cloud created by the bomb on Hiroshima

Introducing Animation

Bill opened the lecture with the following quote from Norman McClaren and I think its a great opener for this blog post too...

Animation is not the art of drawings that move, but rather the art of movements that are drawn. What happens between each frame is more important than what happens on each frame.

I think that this is a great analysis of animation as it emphasises the significance of the animation process itself. Many people overlook the complexity of animation as an art form; great effort goes into creating even a few seconds of film.

Within the lecture there was reference to Emile Cohl's 1908 animation Fantasmagorie, which is regarded the first ever cartoon. I think that its a really beautifully made animation and the character has great fluidity, despite the fact that you may expect movements to be somewhat rigid.

Emile Cohl's Fantansmagorie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBFAhCxN0T0&feature=related

Bill went onto introduce the work of the Fleischer Brothers - Betty Boop, Popeye, Felix the cat etc. We saw a clip from their version of Snow White, which was actually produced five years prior to the Disney version.

A still from the Fleischer Brothers 1933 production of Snow White

I'd never seen the Fleischer Brothers version, but I really liked it. Its has a totally different mood from the Disney version which I was most familiar with. Although there are dark elements to the Disney adaptation, such as the transformation of the stepmother into an ugly witch, it is generally lighthearted. There is an underlying atmosphere to the Fleischer Brother's production which I felt was slightly brooding. Snow White, represented by Betty Boop, is an extremely naive character and you feel as though she's continually being chased by danger.

Lastly, we were shown some more recent animation in the form of stop motion. The clip we were shown was from Street of Crocodiles (1986) by The Brothers Quay. I absolutely love the work of the Brothers Quay. Its rather dark in mood and probably unsuitable for children, but their attention to detail and the stylised nature of their productions is extremely appealing.

Street of Crocodiles isn't their best piece in my opinion, but its nevertheless a brilliantly made animation.
The absence of dialogue within the film adds to the mysterious undertones. There is a fantastic soundtrack which works beautifully with the action on screen and further heightens the feeling of suspense and discomfort.
Overall their work has a certain darkness which is conveyed through mise-en-scene. The dark setting is created using subtle lighting which either casts strong shadows, or creates a soft glow to the entire scene.
Furthermore, the setting is dusty and dirty which makes you feel as though some old,abandoned artifacts are being revealed to you. This style is something which I feel works superbly as it creates a macabre atmosphere.
I couldn't find the full version of Street of Crocodiles, but the following clip shows the opening 10 minutes of the film, so you can get a feel for their work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gIb0bTWj6w

Screen Violence...the downfall of our youth apparently.

Today's lecture, though interesting, was definitely more structured towards gaming. This annoyed me a wee bit, as I feel there's so many examples of violence in film that could have been shown, yet were overlooked. Nonetheless we did see the following seriously disturbing sequence from Todd Solondz's 1998 movie Happiness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Q6Ls1Eb0g
Its not disturbing in the sense that its gory or graphic, but the inappropriate music and the complete lack of expression on the killer's face creates an unsettling atmosphere.

Bill put a lot of emphasis on the significance of violence within first person shooter games. These games put you in the position of the character through the use of first person perspective. You are placed within the action, seeing it as it occurs, thus there is a heightened sense of realism.
This raises morality issues as games of this nature are often so graphic in content that they are deemed inappropriate for a child audience. Many of these style games, Grand Theft Auto being the prime example, have an 18 certificate due to their content.

GTA has caused great controversy in the past due to its moral disregard - bedding prostitutes, murdering them and then stealing their earnings is obviously not a key feature of the game's main narrative and yet it is an ability that one is granted within game play.

These concerns regarding violence within gaming are made all the more serious with the rising popularity of consoles such as the Wii which make the gamer feel even greater involved in the actions being performed by the characters on screen. Pressing a button which makes a character throw a punch is violent, but swinging a controller forcefully at the screen to literally throw the punch seems a little to far.

To relate gaming and film Bill referenced the 1994 movie Natural Born Killers directed by Oliver Stone. The influence of gaming with regards to cinematography is obvious in the diner scene where there's extensive use of first person perspective as seen in gaming.

In the seminar  we discussed our own limitations where violence is concerned. Some class members were entirely against mindless violence, either because they found it too graphic or they felt no emotional response due to their knowledge of it being pure trickery.
I on the other hand am one of the the sick buggers who loves a bit of gore in movies! Ivan showed a scene from Chien Andalou, a silent, surrealist film by Salvador Dali. In one of the opening scenes you see a woman's eyeball being sliced into with a scalpel. Its an unbelievably graphic image and I was even shocked by it. Especially when you consider how convincingly realistic it appears. You just don't expect such advanced SFX from early cinema.

With regards to my own opinions of violence and graphic imagery, I actually find the less horrific scenes of pain more disturbing because breaking bones or deep flesh wounds are something I can actually relate to. I understand the pain such injuries cause and so I find it harder to watch.

The prime example of this is in George Romero's Land of the Dead were a woman is tackled by a zombie who then rips out her navel ring. In the same movie there is a scene where the zombies are attempting to ambush a vehicle and as they claw at the car doors you see their fingernails bend backwards and break off. These sequences make me far more queasy than some of the more graphic scenes where people are literally torn apart.

Once again to link gaming and movies, as well as the film Land of the Dead there was a video game which followed. Notably this is not a new concept, before the series of Resident Evil films there was the game franchise and then there's the character of Lara Croft who made the transition from game to film.

STEAMPUNK VESPA!

After writing my last post I had a browse at 'steampunk' creations on Google images and came across this beauty. As someone interested in the mod subculture I found it rather amusing :)

Sci-fi Steam Punks?

This week's lecture was all about genre, with particular attention to the science fiction genre. Whilst introducing the lecture Bill raised a really valid point regarding industry expectations of potential employees.

An industry contact of his revealed that even applicants for a job position in digital effects, should have extensive skills and knowledge of physical methods.

I think this raised a few eyebrows amongst the gamers and digital arts students who have deliberately avoided the use of pencils, since leaving school. He's undoubtedly right in what he's saying, but does that mean that as a modeller I should have an awareness of digital techniques also? Because that definitely evokes fear within me, I've not the faintest idea of how to create digital effects!

That's not to say I've no interest whatsoever in learning. I think it's somewhat ignorant for modellers to shun the digital age, because after all, it is as much a factor of modern cinema as the skills we're learning as physical modellers.

Anyway, I'm straying from the topic of sci-fi and so to continue, in the seminar we discussed the idea of repetition and predictability within the science fiction genre. We also devised a list of stereotypical concepts within the genre such as robots, aliens and evolution.

The idea of evolution through the ages is something that I found particularly intriguing. We discussed the idea that the original depiction of the future is one lacking organic content. Manufactured materials such as metal, plastic and glass dominate and the colour pallet is generally limited to greys, whites and blacks. Suggesting sterility.

However, Ivan then presented the idea of 'steam punk' which is a term that I was familiar with, but never fully understood prior to the seminar.
The idea is that a future world will be compiled of existing or past artifacts rather than new and unusual inventions. Evidence of 'steam punk' can be seen through the interpretation of the Tardis in the most recent Dr Who television series (see image below).

Throughout previous series, the interior of the Tardis was presented in a stereotypically futuristic manner - lots of chrome fixtures and geometric clean lines to the design (see image below). In the latest series we are presented with a distinctly different looking machine. There is extensive use of traditional materials such as wood and the fixtures of the machine replicate furniture of the post war period. Overall it has a 'vintage' or 'retro' feel.

The underlying idea is that the future is actually more reminiscent of the past, being a compilation of previous fashions, styles and traditions. Therefore juxtaposing the fantastical idea that society will establish an entirely new and unique culture through technological advancement.

Lastly, Ivan introduced to us the website B.O.B - Box of Broadcast. Which is a database where you can access any recorded content from previous television series/ programmes. This includes films also, so I'll most definitely be signing up to the site and making the most of free viewing!

New Media..?

So I'm writing this installment of my blog a little late, almost a week late in fact. You'll have to excuse the lack of captivating content, 'cause as fellow MSFX students may agree, the last lecture wasn't the most thrilling.
No disrespect to Bill, I found him to be quite an entertaining lecturer at times, its just that I'd grown quite accustomed to the structure of our previous lectures - who says PowerPoint's are the devil's software.. well Ivan actually, but he still uses them, so it can't be that bad.
Bill has a far more spontaneous style of presentation and his evident passion for gaming noticeably went over the heads of the majority of MSFX students. The digital animation and gaming students may argue that Ivan was more swayed towards film, yet they never seemed to complain. I found Bill's first lecture a bit more difficult to engage with, but I'm optimistic for the next one nonetheless.

Some interesting points that Bill presented during the last session include:
*  The idea of 'media' as a practitioners tool
*  Youtube as an example of the way in which the public are breaking the boundaries between producers & consumers
*  'Media' as an ever evolving tool of communication. As soon as new media is released it is already out dated
*  The progression of camera techniques over time. 'Life of an American Fireman' as an example of how a single action was frequently repeated in order to show multiple perspectives - not yet established blending different shots together within one scene.

The final point of the above list triggered greatest interest for me personally. I think that the vast differences between early and contemporary cinema are most evident within the field of special effects, yet there is noticeable development within cinematography also. Nowadays cameramen possess great skills enabling them to produce extremely complex scenes. Techniques in early cinema were less ambitious and as stated previously, a lesser understanding of editing meant that there was often repetition of action sequences and static filming throughout the action.

On an entirely different note, the essay deadline is fast approaching. I'm yet to get underway with the writing, but I have been doing some further research into films which I may incorporate as case studies.
In the seminar with Ivan that followed Bill's lecture we spent the entire time discussing how to approach the essay. One of the points he made was that the best essays are often those which pick apart and challenge the question itself.
So that's my next plan of attack. I will write out the question and dissect it in a way in which I can establish an original approach to the essay. It should work... in theory,

watch this space...

The reason for my complete lack of a social life this weekend

Imap first draft. Page one of two

....FML

Opposites attract..?

So today's lecture was on Structuralism and Binary Opposition. Sounds a lot more complex than it actually is, but that's always the way when you start throwing around all this academic terminology.
Despite feeling a little worse for wear, I found today's lecture and seminar really engaging.
Ivan made a really interesting point about the human fascination with symmetry. I'd heard the theories regarding symmetry and attractiveness, this lovely lady's usually exhibited as a fine example...

But yeah, basically he said it relates to the natural balance of the human form. Two arms, two legs, two halves of the brain etc. This got me thinking about balance and harmony and the significance it plays within film and media. Its like within say horror films, you need an equality between plot/narrative and action/gore in order to maintain the interest of the audience.

Also, he made a really interesting comment on human understanding and how we interpret what things are/ what they mean by firstly understanding what they are not. I don't really know how to elaborate on that concept, nevertheless I thought it was a valid point that I wanted to highlight.

We went on to consider the different oppositions that occur in everyday life such as light/dark, good/evil, happy/sad and then Ivan introduced the concept of the anomalous zone, or the zone of indeterminacy. That is to say that nothing is ever definite and more often these kinds of oppositions exist on a sliding scale, with the two polar extremes and a whole range of middle ground. This grey area that exists is what we more commonly associate with, because as Ivan stated, nobody is ever wholeheartedly at one end of the scale. Even the most unpleasant, bad natured of people perform simple selfless acts and are therefore not purely evil. To put it in Ivan's words 'even Myra Hindley petted a cat at some time in her life'.

The web of intertextuality

I am seriously getting into my research for the intertextuality essay! Some of the theories that I have discovered are really fascinating, and I feel so driven!

Thus far, my research consists largely of philosophical theories and analysis. My next step is to apply these theories to case studies and channel my research towards the viewpoint of SFX. It's easy to go off on a tangent where this topic is concerned, so I'm trying to discipline myself. I keep referring back to the question as a means of maintaining focus.

Lord knows how I'm going to do my Imap, because there's so much material to try and organise. It'll be a mess, but an orderly mess... I hope :)


Oh and also, I think this man is a genius

A programme which might interest fellow Character students...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vjmqh/How_to_Get_a_Head_in_Sculpture/

David Thewlis (you'll probs recognise him as Lupin in the Harry Potter movies) has three different artists sculpt his head. Each artist embraces the challenge wholeheartedly, with some really interesting/ unexpected pieces produced at the end.

The bats have left the bell tower, the victims have been bled, red velvet lines the black box, bela Lugosi's dead

Finally, inspired once again!

Had the most enjoyable and thought provoking lecture yesterday which has greatly influenced my decision for the essay. I know my previous intention was to do either question 2 or 3, but the lecture on intertextuality was so enjoyable that I feel really inspired by the topic and so I'm going to pursue question 4.

The lecture featured a series of case studies, including Planet of the Apes, Pulp Fiction, Grease and Madagascar. There was also the standard reference to Dr Who thrown in for good measure. Ivan wasn't joking when he claimed to be an obsessive fan. But who am I to judge, mention George A Romero and I react in a similar extremist fashion. Though I'd like to consider myself less of an anorak :P

Regarding the Madagascar case study, when shown the clip I kinda had this insane unravelling of thoughts and theories that came rushing through my mind. I was barely able to scribble it all down in time.
I hate it when that happens. An overwhelming volume of ideas all fight their way to the forefront of your mind and subsequently you scrawl some incomprehensible notes. Its like mind vomit.

Basically within this one scene in Madagascar there's a huge quantity of intertextuality. From Planet of the apes (Damn them all to hell), to Castaway. However, these cultural references are more for the benefit of the 'accompanying adult' cinema population, e.g. the Mums & Dads, than the core target audience of children.
This is a common trait within contemporary animation, especially from the likes of Dreamworks and Pixar. Through intertextuality, the makers are able to develop the stereotypical 'family film' so that an adult audience can genuinely enjoy it. The popularity of Pixar speaks for itself. They are now regarded the forerunners of family cinema and although in recent years there a slowly establishing theme of quantity over quality, its indisputable that the early films (Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo etc) were fantastic.

Another aspect of the lecture that I found provoking was when Ivan stated that 'all models are intertextual'. That opened the floodgates for another wave of mind vomit, but on a serious note, I do think that's a really worthwhile point he made. Could one then argue that all art is intertextual? But then that requires a definition or classification of art and I think 'art' is such an ambiguous term.
I find these kind of matters fascinating, exhausting in terms of being mentally challenging, but extremely interesting none the less.

When we progressed onto the seminar we were using the character of Dracula as a case study. Ivan showed us a clip from Nosferatu, which I spent the lecture referring to in notes as Monsteratu, until I saw the title written on the board haha.
It's a really awesome horror film created in 1922. It was then remade in 1979 and we saw a clip from the remake also. We then did a quick decostruction/comparisson exercise of the two. Its always interesting during group discussion to hear others' analysis because often people will notice details which you may have overlooked.

the vampire in the original Nosferatu

Ivan progressed to give a brief history into the character and the origins of Dracula are actually really interesting. I think its something I may follow up on myself and see what information i can gather on various horror 'legends' and such.
Highlight for me though, was when he referenced Bauhaus's 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'. It went over the heads of most people, but I was impressed nonetheless. With all this talk of Dracula, Bela Lugosi could never be overlooked and in relation to intertextuality there's no greater an example than in music. Any scenario where i can reference the two simmultaneously, I'm in my element. So to end a very long post, the following seems very appropriate, enjoy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRJfIPiJGY&feature=related

How to embaress yourself in a lecture hall full of fellow students...

...shout out adolf hitler at the most inappropriate moment, then feel your cheeks burn as everyone subsequently mocks you.

In my defence, it is true that the VW Beetle was built with him in mind, if not designed by the bad man himself....
anyway, moving away from nazi Germany towards more relevant matters ...

Briefs,drawers,boxers and other undergarments

This has quite literally been the least productive week at uni so far. New project brief, which I'm not engaging with at all, is being practically ignored right now. Instead I've turned to the MH&C briefs, whilst simultaneously trying to sort out my attitude and general indifference towards everything.
I'm really inspired by the MH&C briefs, but that means it's all the more difficult to decide which one to choose for my essay! Indecisive is apparently my middle name.

The first 3 briefs have the most appeal, but that's probably got more to do with the fact that they relate to topics already covered in the lectures. The theme of realism is one which I feel I could write really passionately about, therefore question 2 seems appropriate.
On the other hand, there's a lot of material available for researching question 3 (deconstruction & analysis incorporating semiotics).
Well that removes 4 briefs from the picture, now just to decide upon question 2 or 3...
that middle name's rearing it's ugly head once again...

An introduction to Semiotics...or a recap as it may seem

So as the title suggests, today's lecture focused on Semiotics. Ivan began the lecture with something of an experiment. We had to sit facing one another in pairs (not the easiest task whilst arranged in a lecture theatre). One person viewed a diagram and then had to describe the image to their partner. They in turn had to draw what was being described to them.

Unsurprisingly the combination of Steve and I produced a questionable drawing. I'm exaggerating, it wasn't that far off what Ivan had presented, but ours was the least successful in comparison to those sitting around us. I thought it was an interesting way of making us analyse means of communication and was a good opener, especially as the material that followed was for most utterly mind boggling.

Semiotics can be so confusing, even though I'd studied it before, I still find some of it difficult to interpret. I do oddly enjoy it though.

Following the main lecture we had the seminar, and because I'm taught by Ivan for that too we just naturally progressed on from the lecture. We spent some time deconstructing imagery from a semiotics perspective and that was actually really interesting. Especially because we all had different theories and interpretations of the imagery we were being shown.

One of the main characters we considered was the Joker in various film/TV productions of Batman. We looked at three different interpretations of the character (two of which are shown below) and discussed the similarities and differences between them. 

One point I found particularly interesting was our theories regarding the way in which the psychotic nature of the character is visually interpreted. With Heath Ledger's portrayal, (right) its the dishevelled clothing and fixated gaze which create the unpleasant mood of the character. Jack Nicholson's joker (left) appears more smartly, with a dandy demeanour, but its his false permanent grin that causes discomfort.   



Additionally, during the seminar we saw the following fight sequence from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and discussed the cinematic techniques such as slow motion filming and the use of juxtaposing music which present the scene almost like a dance sequence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90KPJ6n4Ew

I think that the slow motion somehow heightens the violence and yet the fluidity of their movements as the characters brawl looks almost beautiful. Overall I think its a fantastic scene and Kuberick successfully accentuates the psychotic personality of the protagonist Alex and his lack of social and moral understanding.

Lastly we were introduced to the different ways in which to create our imaps, which is an important document towards our essay grade. Ivan showed us some examples from previous years and some of the students had presented their impas as artworks in their own right! Not sure I'll be as ambitious, but I'll try and convey some of my creativity through the piece.

First thing first though, I need to choose my essay title! ASAP

Lets get the ball rolling properly...

So my next MH&C lecture is tomorrow, still finding my feet in class but enjoying it a lot nonetheless.
So far we've had an intro to the course and then a lecture on realism which was actually very interesting.

On reflection I probably should have written my thoughts on the lecture immediately after, then I would remember some of the jargon and various impressive facts Ivan threw our way. Lacking in notes for that lecture, may or may not be due to mine and April's extreme lateness - ahem, moving on. I'll be 'on it' starting tomorrow though.

On another note, after a heads up from Sean I've discovered the History of Horror BBC series and I've been raving about it ever since to any SFX student who crosses my path. It really is awesome & anyone with an interest in horror movies should watch it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search?q=A%20History%20of%20Horror%20with%20Mark%20Gatiss

And so it begins...

Finally coaxed into joined the bloggers club. expect generally boring posts lacking wit, intelligence and/or relevance from here on in.