May 28, 2006
Recoding Conventions Final Film
Final film available for viewing, click the image to be taken to it.
Enjoy
Please feel free to post any thoughts/opinions on the film in the guestbook or in reply to this post, Cheers
Posted by Matthew at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2006
Recoding Conventions Crit
Well, today was the day in which the project was to be screened.
We were led to assume that it followed the normal procedure of presenting the film to everyone and then showing it. So we had it planned out to show the main film, talk about it and then introduce the silent film version. But no...
It was unusual, instead they just screened everyone's film one after the other with no presentation. Ok that's good in that we didnt have to talk in front of everyone but when we showed the films, they didnt work without being introduced.
Surprisingly the main film got a bigger reaction than i had expected, it was just a shame we couldnt explain and introduce the silent film, cause as it played straight after the main film, it seemed odd and out of place. No one could understand what was going on. oh well..
What matters is the good reaction we got for the main film, they laughed at the right time and seemed to enjoy it
Overall, the films shown by everyone was absolutly amazing, some very impressive films shown.
For my final film in the 3rd year I would very much like to work with at maximum 1 more person, mainly for building sets and models.. thats gonna be the hardest thing i think. But.. shall have to wait and see what happens
Posted by Matthew at 07:01 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2006
Recoding Conventions Silent Film
Whilst discussing on what sound/music to use for the film. We mentioned it would be easier to have it as a Silent Film, with one old cheesy track with cuts to a intertitle with dialogue of some sort.
We laughed, we cried, we went and did it..
(The video will be uploaded to the site once the project is over)
EDIT: Click here to see the video
Posted by Matthew at 08:21 PM | Comments (0)
May 06, 2006
So Close Yet So Far...
The animation is all done and finished.
In the last week, the whole group got together and we finished what was left.
The last scenes were painstaking yet alot of fun. It's just sods law that everything goes wrong towards the end, we had our models falling to pieces, the legs snapping just as they were nearly off shot. Models refusing to stand anymore, it was all going wrong. But we got it all together in the end.. somehow...
Steve using very fine string to support the model as I animate
Steve and Dave working with multiple models
Myself and Sarah Jane working on the lovely Pentagon model
(I liked the pentagon model alot, it behaved and animated very well with very little hassle)
So now all thats left is the editing of the footage, taking out all the blue screen, cleaning up any mistakes we may have done, shadows that got in the way, objects left in shot.. and all cut together nicely for the finished film by the Wednesday deadline
Posted by Matthew at 09:18 PM | Comments (0)
April 25, 2006
Lights, Camera, Acti.. oh s**t just knocked the camera
Filming has begun. We have 3 scenes to do with a bit to do at the end with alternate camera angles and such.
So far we have Scene 1 and 3 filmed. Quite possibly the 2 hardest scenes due to complex movements involved which actually turned out not so hard as we thought. As the title refers, we did knock the camera a few times.. and the lights.. and the set.. but we managed to get them back in place so we didn't have to restart the scene.
Here are some photos from the first day of animating in the studio
The star of the film
Steve holding a character to perform a jump
and myself doing something with the main character
Posted by Matthew at 12:58 PM | Comments (1)
April 08, 2006
Recoding Convetions Update
Well..
Originally I had thought we would be pretty much finished now with just editing to do.. But we didn't take into account the long process of building the models and sets.
They are pretty much all built now ready to be animated with.. We are having a week off now for Easter then going back into uni in the second week to start and finish the animating.
Here is a collage of all the tests we have done so far:
click the image to download the video
Posted by Matthew at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2006
Walk Cycle
Click the image to get a video of two walk tests. Two tests repeated twice
Update
New video uploaded, click the image to see it.
New test of which I did in uni today, which means better quality. I believe the animation is better aswelll, especially with bringing character to the model. Enjoy
Posted by Matthew at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2006
Developed Image 'Cup and Hand'
The cubist cup that I posted previously has been developed furthur to be used in the project:
Also.. the rubix cube test idea didnt work at all. It's hard to portray the idea across to someone else unless I show someone what is inside my head. The only way I can see the idea being pulled off is through CGI, where we can force shapes to move and change. Damn my lack of understanding how to use CGI
Posted by Matthew at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2006
New Images, Tests and a Deadline
Right.. I had a panic attack yesterday and today, stressing out completly. Now that I have spoken to someone about the project.. things are back on track.
I got my image sorted to be used, Just need to develop it and make it suitable for use.
We have part of a storyboard. But its still all up in the air for how its running.. its still under discussion as ideas are proposed. I have given myself tonight to pull of a test showing this idea I got. Should be interesting, its inspired by this weird shaped rubix cube I have.
We also have a deadline for us to have everything ready and agreed on, as we have booked the studio for 2 weeks in which to animate in. So alot of work is needed this week
well anyway, here are some cubist images I have done:
Posted by Matthew at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2006
Cubist Face Part 2
So I did some research on cubist faces and I came across this image:
I looked at other images, but this one stood out to me, so I took it as inspiration and made a new face of myself
It's a bit blocky, and the background is completly random, but I feel i'm on the right track
Posted by Matthew at 02:57 PM | Comments (0)
Cubist Face Attempt
Ok.. so we are close yet far till we reach the animating stage of the project.
Basically now we need a few Cubist images, one being a Face. Once we have that, we can break the images up, and work out with all the images as to how we are assembling the actual pieces into a real life 3D object.
This is my attempt at making a cubist face, showing also the original images that made the final one.
Final Image:
Which is made up of these two:
more attempts to come..
Posted by Matthew at 02:06 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2006
Perspective tests
With the idea we have for Recoding Conventions, the problem we have is having the paintings come to life in stop motion. well we can do it, but having them piled on top of eachother would be tricky. So the idea of Forced Perspective has been suggested. Steve is doing a 3D software to do a test, and I have just done an actual live test, along with playing with After Effects with images.
These are the tests I have done,I havn't seen what Steve has done yet.
The images below come in two parts. The first is what will be seen on camera, the second is how it is put together by showing the distance and size of each piece
Live tests:
After Effects test:
Posted by Matthew at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2006
Cubism?
Taking a different approach from playing around with Surrealism, but instead having a look at Cubism.
This idea being inspired by an image Steve made as a supposed test for the surrealism idea.
The idea I have developed is influenced by Picasso. Basically, taking his cubist work and making his shapes into characters. Characters that together form an image, having them run around and stand together to form a new cubist image.
If you look at the images here by picasso, you can break it up into seperate shapes
For complex symbols eg the eyes, they can be placed onto the characters so that when they join together, they can close there eyes to hide the facial features, or leave them open to create a face for the image.
here is a poor drawing i did quickly on photoshop, but its a way to try and explain the idea
Posted by Matthew at 05:34 PM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2006
Recoding Conventions.. The beginning
Our second group project, one they class as "showreel material". So you get the impression straight away that this is a big project and you have to impress and push yourself.
So we have begun. I missed the first day of the breif... whoops. But I have gathered some info and I know what the project is asking now. I have formed a group, now ideas are formulating.
The breif says:
"The recoding convention project will examine an aspect of the conventions and systems that underpin all creative practices. For example, an art movement such as romanticism, the economy of design in the U.P.A. films of the 1950s, the stream of consciousness oeuvre of Robert Breer, feminist filmmaking, and so on. You film will not simply rehearse the convention, but instead suggest a new context for that element, a new way of seeing."
So where do you begin on this? I have started by looking up some art movements. The one that stood out immediatly was Surrealism whose members were Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte.. and more..
Max Ernst, I studied him back in 6th form when doing A Level Art, and also looked him up again for the Abstract project in the first year of uni.
With a quick recap on who this guy is, it all fell into place as to who this guy is and why I can remember so much about him. I studied his techniques for how he created his surreal worlds, techniques such as: Decalcomania, Frottage and Grattage. In the Abstract project, the opening scene is inspired by the Decalcomania technique, so to see where I can go on for Recoding Conventions, I have done several tests with this technique of which I will introduce to the group to see where we can go with the idea.
I am quite liking the idea of going quite abstract for this, I feel in the right frame of mind instead for it... Must be that Soundscape project making me like this, I was naturally narrative, but now all I want is abstract.. interesting
Posted by Matthew at 10:54 PM | Comments (0)