weekly comments #11

Let's do a quick one.

1. I learned shadowing bites, but it's manageable. And that there are some cool ways to animate text in after effects.

2. I want to learn explosions, at least until I have to do them and then want nothing to do with them. I'd also like to learn to do work better.

3. I was frustrated with the same stuff, shadowing, homework, blogs, nothing new really.

4. I liked actually working for once, don't know why. I just really want to finish my project already.

This week's link, that I'll have to fix in class, is not twenty, not thirtyfour, but fifty examples of kinetic typography. Because why not have some references.... an unnecessary amount of references....
http://www.designer-daily.com/50-amazing-examples-of-kinetic-typography-19545

response to adventure time article

Ward, the creator of the hit cartoon cult classic Adventure Time, has quit his job as the head of the show. He has been plagued by depression from being over worked and feeling fatigued. He was just an introverted man whose show became immensely popular. But the popularity was the problem. Ward had to deal with the stress of merchandise, episodes, games, and comics, something he never thought would happen. He decided to just be one of the show's storyboard artists and writers. And now that his responsibilities for the show are lessened he feels happier and wants to write a new Adventure Time movie and game....on his own time.

I love the show and I'm surprised I've just heard about this only now. I suppose I'll be happy no matter who runs the show as long as it makes going. Still, this man's story is awesome. As an awkward introvert myself I can very much relate to his childhood. Plus we're both fat. Bonus points. (Though I lack the sweet beard...) I can understand the stress he must have gone through. This show is insanely popular and as far as merchandise goes I alone have an AT blanket, plush toy, action figure, 2 tee shirts, hat, and a jacket. So merchandising is probably insane. That's a hard job, but I'm glad he's happy now. These depression stories usually don't have happy endings...

Just because a man says he doesn't do drugs, doesn't mean he is telling the truth. That guy was on something fierce.

response to differences between practical and CGI article

 Practical effects are done with hands on work. These effects are when you use puppets, costumes, props, molds, and anything that is real or can be seen on set without a screen. These are the traditional effects that people had to use back before computers could generate these new effects. They are also used today still in films.
CGI is always computer generated, done by animators and such. These are considered the fake effects due to them not being really there. They can not be seen without computers which can make it more of a problem for an actor to work with on set because there is nothing to look at or react to. Of course skilled actors may not run into this problem and CGI can look arguably better than practical effects, given that you have a good director and team. Many people don't realize that they are seeing actual puppets on screen and not computer created creatures. Which is good because that means the effects team is doing something right.

 Practical effects aren't going anywhere. They are the classic way of doing effects and have a bigger feeling of effort put in than CGI. In my opinion however, I do think CGI looks better. Makeup and puppets can do what computers can't, sure, but it works the other way around as well. Explosions, fire, complex creature movements, they all look better with computers, and they are easy to pull off as well. Trying to set up explosives for a movie you are making is probably a bad idea that could get you in trouble, so stick with computers.

response to animation continues to thrive article

There was no category for best animated film at the academy awards before 2002 when Shrek won. Animated films had only gotten special achievement awards (which were given to films like Toy Story and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves). However since then animated films have been earning lots of money. They appeal to many audiences who will pay top dollar to go watch them. The boom of animated movies have made more and more jobs available in animation and the number of jobs is expected to keep increasing by 2022. Animated films are constantly gaining revenue and recognition across the globe and will continue to make entertainment for audiences everywhere.

You'd think that since animated films have been around for so long that they would've had their own academy awards category much earlier. I'm happy to hear that animated movies aren't going anywhere, though I'd be happier if we meant 2D traditional animated movies. As someone who would love a job in animation, I'm also glad to hear that even more jobs will be available in time. I feel so old to think that Shrek came out at least 12-13 years ago and Toy Story came out 18 years ago. I agree that animated films do appeal to all audiences, I know adults as well as kids who love Toy Story.

response to the 5 techniques to create depth article

One of the most basic ways to create depth is focusing on something in the foreground leaving anything in the background blurry, and viceversa. This is when you have a shallow depth of field. This principle is used all the time by beginners and experienced filmmakers alike. Another way to create depth is having high contrast lighting between the foreground and background. Similar to focus, if one object is brighter than an object behind it, it will give a sense of depth and appear father from the object. The third way to create depth given is perspective. If the shot is done through a wide angle lens a sense of depth can be made because the horizon is changed. And, depending on how the camera is placed any lines can be exaggerated to appear as they are moving into the distance. The fourth technique is paralax. This is when a camera moves in or with the scene, objects close to the camera move quicker than objects father away, creating a sense of depth. The last technique is occlusion, which basically means an object in the foreground will cover up and hide the background, creating again a sense of depth.

I never thought about high contrast lighting as a way to make depth, but it makes a lot of sense. Everyone loves to use focus and most likely abuse it as well, so it's good to know that there are several options and techniques for creating depth that we don't use focus too much or skip depth altogether. Occlusion seems so easy to pull off, I'd probably do it a lot. Depth is really important to make a shot/scene look good that it's crucial to remember it when filming.

Weekly comments #10 (this is only number 10?)

This past week I learned very little, due to shadowing and such. I was able to learn more about custom particles in after effects, and of course I made some silly stuff.

I want to know how to make explosions in after effects, we all do. We want to Michael Bay everything. The video could be about the evolution of birds and I'd still incorporate explosions in it.

Shadowing had gotten in the way of the kinetic type project so that bothered me a little. Since I never finished the storyboard I've basically been making up what to do on the spot...real professional...So I'm worried that mine will look like junk, or I won't finish on time, or both. Plus, I've just been drowning in school homework.

I did like shadowing the first day...now it's getting a little too repetitive. I liked my dumb little particle abominations and free pizza. Pizza is always nice, especially free.

So here's a rather long tutorial on how to make "realistic" explosions in after effects because why not, it's over 20 minutes long so don't watch it when you should be doing something else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrLcitb_7Zw

weekly comments #9 (tutorials galore)

I learned so much in after effects like kinetic typography, masks, properties of effects, animating text, etc. So many tutorials,I don't think I'm even done yet.

I'd like to learn a bit more about animating things that aren't letters/text in After Effects, like objects. I don't think animating characters (people/animals) in after effects would work out well but if it could that'd be cool.

Nothing really bothered me in class. My high school had me mad all week and still does, but our class is fine. I'd rather go to Boces all day than go back to my school.

I liked the short tutorials and that I was able to catch up on the other tutorials even though I had to finish up the documentary, I pretty much tolerated everything else.


I had no idea what to put as my link this week.So here's 34 examples of kinetic typography. Since we have been talking about I figured it was relevant and better than me just posting a video I found online about something I like that no-one else does. Seems like 34 is plenty. 35 is like waaaayyy too much, but 34 is cool man.
http://www.creativebloq.com/typography/examples-kinetic-typography-11121304

response to sound effects and Foley article

In movies, most sounds are recorded or added in after filming. There are three categories of sound effects added in during the editing of a film. Ambience sound effects are background sound effects or noises that can be recorded on location before or after filming a scene. Library effects are prerecorded sounds, not made for any particular visuals, that can be bought from a website. Foley sound effects are performed and recorded for a specific scene. These include footsteps, sounds made by cloth, and sounds of/from props. The process of watching the film and then adding sounds that correspond to the visuals came from a Universal employee named Jack Foley, hence why it's called Foley.

This is cool! Although most likely a very tedious process, the idea of filming something entirely without audio or dialogue and then recording all these sounds in real time to go along with the visuals seems very cool. Granted that would be near impossible to do with explosion sounds and gunfire, which is why it's better to get library effects and not even attempt to record that. I was surprised to see that movies's sounds were done this way. I thought it was mostly recorded along with the visuals and few things were thrown in later, not the other way around.

response to How to Use Reference Materials article

There are several different types of references to use for for animating poses. These include television shows, movies, comic books, and photos. However if you need a specific pose for a human character, sometimes the best reference is to have yourself or a friend physically act out the pose and film yourselves doing it to watch later while drawing/animating. Having references is certainly not "cheating" and can be one of the most helpful things for an animator to have while working. Comic books are an especially good source for finding dynamic poses. Don't just look your references, study them and draw them.

Pretty good stuff. I liked the different styles discussed here, mainly comic books and having the animator film themself. I'd never thought about comic books as references, but they are loaded with poses (in fact they are practically ONLY poses when it comes to characters) which could be very helpful. That's not stealing is it? ...Probably not.... And filming yourself sounds like a great idea. I know that some people have a mirror next to their computers when animating facial expressions so they can get references from their own face, and this is like the same thing.

weekly comments #8

1. I learned that documentaries aren't fun, and concussions are only a little fun but then your head hurts and if you want to sleep you can't because you'll die. Sad stuff.

2. I'd like to learn when is a good time to add transitions and when to just do a cut from one clip to the other. I swear they will be my downfall.

3. I was always frustrated with everything. Schoolwork being the top thing, then there was thinking that we didn't have enough for the documentary, and no-one would let us talk to them, and concussion stuff.

4. I liked that we handed in the documentary on time. I think. I actually don't know... Oh... I'm hoping we handed it in on time.

So here's a link to an article stating the five things that documentary makers do wrong, which is probably too late to help any of us... eh. It's still relevant at least.
http://www.raindance.org/5-simple-mistakes-documentary-filmmakers-make/

Response to Disney's Big hero 6 robot article

Baymax is the robot in Disney'sBig Hero Six and unlike the idea of many robots, he's not a hard heavy metallic statue type robot but a soft, almost balloon-like one. And his soft appearance goes well with his soft character. It is stated that "soft robots" could actually have a place in society in the future. People would most likely rather have a soft robot being around fragile things then a hard metal one, and they may look more appealing to the eye then a eight armed metal octopusbot. The idea of Baymax came from a soft robotic arm made by Siddharth Sanan.

Not only does the soft robot design look more appealing for people, but it also makes a great character for a kid's movie. I can't help but look at Baymax and think it's a robot version of Po from Kung Fu Panda. I like the idea of soft robotics, I'd never even thought that to be a possibility. It does have many uses in our society. Plus they look so non threatening. I'd get a pillowy robot that was as smart as a typical one. I hope it can't pop though.... that would be a huge design flaw.

response to"interstellar" article

The human race will not last forever on Earth. The movie Interstellar shows that eventually the Earth will be useless for human life and we as a species will need space travel to find a new home, most likely in a new solar system. The quickest and most likely the only way to travel such great distances in the universe is by entering wormholes and hoping for the best. In the film once the characters travel through a wormhole they find a black hole. The filmmakers wanted it to be as scientifically accurate as possible so they studied it and developed a new idea that shows what a black hole could and most likely does look like.


I did not expect to learn about space today, in fact I thought it would be like, "Here's a movie! Look how the director uses this cool light trick! And look, camera angles and lenses!" but no it actually surprised me. Nice change of pace, I suppose. I do find this interesting because outer space has always fascinated me because there's so much that we have learned as a people throughout history and we learned it all on one planet. All our ideas and wisdom pretty much mean nothing to anything outside our planet. And the universe is huge, if Earth disappeared no-one would notice. We are essentially the little speck on the flower from Horton Hears a Who. Yep, a Dr. Seuss allusion. And black holes are the coolest things ever, they devour anything and everything.

weekly comments #7

1. I learned that the opacity transition in premiere is sweet and easy to work with and that the quest project isn't that hard once you get past listening to that man's voice repeatedly.
2. I want to know when it's good to apply a transition and when I should just leave it as a jump from one clip to the next.
3. I got frustrated that my links are broken again and I have to check them on the Mac's again. Also I don't know anyone's blog link and I couldn't find them so I'm losing 5 points.... yay.... plus something went wrong while doing the storyboard article response and the first paragraph looks different than the second and I can't change it so that bothered the OCD.
4. I was happy that I did Halloween stuff and I nearly finished the quest assignment.

Same deal as before, here's the Willy Wonka parody done by editing clips and audio together. I'll fix this later.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAN-EEfmmTQ

response to tips for creating storyboards article

 Storyboarding gives one a good idea of shot layouts in the pre-production stage of filmmaking. Storyboards should be made even if you are not a great artist. Some tips for a good storyboard are: make good use of foreground, mid ground, and background to create a sense of depth. Have some over-the-shoulder shots for dialogue scenes. Draw grids beforehand to get an idea of the camera angle and position of characters or objects. And lastly, add a bit of 3d perspective in your shots (avoid "flat staging"), this will make it look more appealing and less bland and boring.

 I hate storyboards... with a passion. That being said these are all very good, albeit very familiar, tips. I believe I read this article already last year. Some of this is news I/we already know, like the camera angle gives the character power or takes it away, and the over the shoulder shots are helpful for dialog heavy scenes.

psychology of scary movies article response

 There are several different factors and theories for why people like watching horror movies, that there is no one clear answer. These theories range from "the monsters are a reflection of current fears in society", to "we like seeing the people who commit taboo to be punished". There are 3 primary elements of horror: #1. Tension (caused by suspense, terror, and/or shock) #2. Relevance (the audience can relate with either the characters or the event/issues taking place) and #3. Unreality (the audience is able to distinguish the film as far fetched and unlikely.

Well it bites not knowing why we do what we do, or why we like what we like. For example, I'd like to know why I dream and why I need to sleep. And as far as horror goes, I don't much care for it. I've seen plenty of horror movies and I've analyzed a few. There really is no solid theory for why people like horror movies in general. Now if you were to be specific, like zombie movies only for example, then you could come up with the relevant issues and make a semi solid theory for each genre of horror.

weekly comments #6

1. I re-learned many different types of shots, learned about transitions quite a bit, and we learned some new terms.
2. I'd like to learn to make great effects quickly and easy.
3. I was/am frustrated that I'm being with the premiere exercises.
4. I was happy to get some work done, and enjoy my morning off on Friday, I also kinda enjoyed the "I thought I was going fishing" parody.


As horrible as this Willy Wonka parody is, I actually find it relevant to our current work, and I also find it hilarious. I present: Will Wonk and the Chalk Factory.
http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=zAN-EEfmmTQ

response to using eyelines and framing article

Unique tricks are used in Silence of the Lambs to set the general feelings of the characters, like filming a character from an high or low angle to take away or give then more "power". But the film also used other tricks successfully and continuously, like perspective and eyelines. Lecter in this film is portrayed as dominant when he is standing up while his opponent in their battle of wits, is sitting. Also the camera tends to fully zoom in on Lecter as it only does a medium shot of the other person, making the other look like they are afraid.

Love it. I love finding neat, incredibly subtle tricks like this that require little effort to pull off. (Call me lazy) Also it feels like this is a sort of brainwashing on the audience, making them think what you want them to think. It's evil genius. And, I'm glad this article talked about this particular film, I find it to be the best, if not one of the best examples for here. Also, Lecter never blinks even once during this film.

response to physicists in animation article

Henderson is an intellectual, talented physicist who took up a career in the movie business. Companies that work in animation consult physicists like Henderson for help with special effects. In one movie alone, there could be hundreds of scenes with fire special effects, so Henderson's team splits up their time to efficiently create the effects. It's a complicated process to take an animated image and put it on a 3d object. The physics need to be right and that would take time and effort.

I do not envy this man's job. This sounds like hard work, and the only thing I know about physics is that I can't fly and gravity is a jerk. I like that they actually consult physicists for help on these matters. I know that animating something with perfect physics is very difficult, especially when it comes down to water and fire. So I don't see myself animating perfect bubbles any time soon. Maybe  some almost completely transparent spheres, that kind of look like bubbles.

weekly comments #5

1. I learned about premiere (having already forgot everything about it from last year) and editing clips and sequences.

2. I'd like to learn to make awesome special effects.

3. I was/am completely frustrated and confused that the link from the old blogs will never work, so I'm giving up on it entirely. I'll go find something else.

4. I was very happy to attend the field trip and tour Villa Maria, it seems like a nice place.

I found this YouTube video teaching people how to make a short documentary/video and thought it seemed pretty relevant for the class.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IwpjSvxPu4w

response to hiding a lavalier mic article

Firstly, it's stated that if one does not have to hide the mic, then they shouldn't. Hiding the mic can lead to potential audio issues. If it is necessary to hide it then it can be hidden behind or in the knot of the speaker's tie. To hide it behind the tie it can be clipped on or one could tape it on, preferably with gaffer tape. A good plan to tape the mic to a shirt collar, tie, or t-shirt, is to make 2 triangles with the tape,place them on each side of the mic and make a loose loop with the wire. It can also be hidden directly taped to one's chest, though chest hair could be a problem if not covered up, and taped to a woman's bra.

"Ew, that mic touched his chest hair." These tips were pretty interesting and seeing that in the near future I may be using these microphones, this could be helpful. I hope for my sake that I won't have to hide the microphone though. Hiding it seems to just be a hassle. And that chest hair thing...just no... Also I don't think I've ever heard of that gaffer tape but it seems cool. So that's something I should get. I honestly thought he was going to just rip his chest hair off when he put the tape on his chest, that would've been hilarious.

response to insights from a creature animator article

A creature animator should work on every little detail of the creature. When doing realistic creature animation, it is often a good idea to have some reference of the creature and it's movements/appearance. The animator could go to a zoo or watch videos on the internet of the animal. It's important to understand the motions and feelings of the creature that they are animating. And for imaginary characters one could study different creatures with similar attributes. One should also ask for others' opinions on their work, and accept constructive criticism.

It's nice to hear advice from professional animators, especially in creature animation because I know that I'm not great at it. I could imagine making some of the mistakes that they had listed. I've definitely been known to overcomplicate simple things. And I agree that researching a creature and watching their movements, activities, etc, is a good step to take before trying to animate it. You learn how they are supposed to move and react to certain situations. I also liked that she studied her own dog to get information for a dragon she was going to animate.

weekly comments #4

1. I learned how to actually put up a link from YouTube on to my blog (unless I just got lucky)

2. I'd like to learn how to make a convincing sound of a certain sound effect that I can't name for some reason. I also want to know what to do for my documentary.

3. I was frustrated that I was unable to hand my photo resizes in on time and they are now two days late.

4. I liked my montage and I liked seeing everybody's work that was put up.

Okay, so, this video is the one I tried to show like twice already. It shows someone Photoshopping pizza to look disturbingly similar to a real lady. And it creeps me out.
http://m.youtube.com/?hl=en-GB&gl=GB#/watch?v=9j656_RiO0k

response to movies manipulate your brain article

     Audiences during movies tend to keep their attention focused on the action and things that are moving. The things in the background are usually made with CGI and aren't payed as much attention to. This is because the filmmakers want to find out where the audience will be looking at and then they can figure out what they can fake and what they shouldn't. Apparently, the only things that can't or shouldn't be faked are physics and people's faces.
Faces are far too difficult to fake and still look normal, even with great technology. Physics also are hard to convincingly fake, and having things physically fall or roll the way they are supposed to, creates a sense of realism. The human mind is able to quickly take bits of information from one spot then take more info from another spot and immediately simultaneously process it all together to look like a continuous flow.

      It's always fun to hear about how people are controlling my mind...So this is great.
It only makes sense that people are looking at the action in a scene of a movie and not the details in the background. We all have this little bit of A.D.D. in which we observe everything moving around and ignore the uninteresting stuff. Although of course if it's choosing between looking at one of the 400 different people in the background, or the cool red car flying and flipping in front of the camera, which would seem more interesting?

Response to tips for game artists article

   In this article, former Rockstar art director Ian Bowden shares his tips for video game artists. His tips include being mindful of the current trends, but maintaining originality as well. He states that often people copy recurring trends in not only video games, but movies and art as well. Originality is key and copying what everyone else is doing is not the right way to leave an impression. Another tip to know is that one should never ignore visual quality on a game just because it's on a smaller screen (mobile games).  Every game should have the same amount of attention to visuals whether it's console or mobile. This however, does not mean everything should be in 3d with multiple polygons, it could be something as simple and sweet as angry birds or doodle jump, two of the most famous mobile games made. Bowden also states the importance for carrying a sketchbook around. It helps an artist realize the details in everything around them when they draw their surroundings. Bowden would take notes and make little sketches on anything from the cracks in the sidewalk, to people on television.

    This was interesting, to say the least. I've always been a Rockstar fan since I was rather young and played the first GTA game (that I was too young for and shouldn't have even been allowed to play, but eh.). These tips from Mr. Bowden are quite important for someone to know. I strongly agree with the originality one especially. In games, movies, books, and pretty much anywhere else, I've been noticing trends that people have been copying and they disappoint me. There's no originality anymore. One zombie movie does well and by next year four more come out. Or one film surfaces where a girl dates a vampire and it gets a huge following, then next thing you know there's a film where a girl dates a werewolf and one t.v series of a girl and her zombie boyfriend. Originality is key.

response to two colour-related articles

Color is often used by filmmakers like Pixar to create strong emotions in the audience during an important scene. Red is usually used in intense moments, blue is used in depressing moments,etc. A colorist will add value to your work. It's important to match the color with the scene. Color will make everything look more interesting and feel real. It can make a day time shot look like a dark night, it can add a blue sky to a happy moment, and it can create a contrast with the background. In short, color can be considered as important as proper lighting or audio for a film. This doesn't mean you should go crazy and paint every scene in loud colours, just when it will match in pivotal scenes. You can use color in a variety of ways, but make sure you do use it.

   Having discussed the color theory in class...twice... I can say that I know a lot of this already. Color really does invoke strong emotions in people. Those pixar examples were perfect and helpful as well. The video with the man showing off different techniques with color was also very interesting and gives me a new outlook on color. That being said, his narrative skills were a bit...lacking. But for the most part, I'm glad that I saw that. And I like that the first article brought up the use of the color red in the movie The Sixth Sense because I've heard of this before, and I've seen the movie a dozen times, and I still have not noticed it except maybe in one case.

response to the stop motion in the 21st century article

    Travis Knight is the CEO and president of his animation studio, Laika. His studio is credited with making Coraline and ParaNorman which show off their skill with merging stop motion and computer generated effects to make a film. The studio's most recent film using these two techniques is The Boxtrolls. Knight states that while working on each film, he and his cast learn new techniques and technologies to help them along the way, and what they learned from one film, they then applied to the next. Trying to reshoot something is incredibly difficult to do, so it's important to get the right animators for the job ahead of time. When prompted to choose between making something on a computer or as a full scale puppet, Knight preferred to have the puppet because he believes that the "stuff we can capture in-camera helps create a unified perspective of the world we're building".

    Well, I feel bad for not having watched ParaNorman or Coraline now. It's interesting to hear from a stop motion animator for once, and hearing about the blend of stop motion with computers. I was one of the people who felt that these films were all pretty similar in the fact that they were scary, kid movies and looked similar. However this new film seems cute, funny, and unique, so I'd like to see it. One really must admire stop motion just because it is so time consuming and you need to make every shot count. Reshooting is almost not even an option.

weekly comments #3

1. I learned about image resizing in Photoshop, and that doing blogs on a tablet is hard.

2. I'd like to learn to film good looking videos and films.

3. I wasn't frustrated by anything other than my urban evolution... It went wrong fast. The first thing I did was the armadillo football, and I really liked it and got a bit of praise on it while working on it. But then I realized that it wasn't technically "urban" so I had to scrap it and come up with a new idea, with even less time to work on it, and every idea I had was already done by someone else. So I tried the giraffe streetlight which started off really good but ended really bad.

4. Like I said, I liked working on my armadillo. I also liked how easy the image resizing was, which now makes me think that I did it wrong.

Okay, attempt number 3. This time it's a different video with a different link. It shows how Photoshop can really make one image become greatly changed and no-one would know it, in this case it's a lady's face before and after.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=514ksRk5VRE

If I actually get this to work, I'll do the old video later.

response to the saving 2d animation with Hullabaloo article

  So a team of Disney animators have been working together to keep 2d animation alive with a little 2d animated film they're working on called Hullabaloo. Traditionally animated movies have a nostalgic feeling that we all love. And of course we know that 2d animation still exists on television cartoons, but it must certainly has faded from the big screen. This film could be the start of the revival of 2d animated movies. The team's funding for this project has been from donations,on indiegogo.com, and donating will give you special benefits. Their target goal was $80,000 and their campaign ends on October 1st. The team also has stretch goals including making extra shorts, full orchestra recordings for the soundtrack, and a possible web/tv series and feature length film.

  My Lord, they were only trying to get $80,000 and they raised $317,000+. Well this should be good. Now I'm not ready yet for another extremely hyped up Disney movie to come out, (and I will seriously go crazy if one one more person asks me to build a snowman) and I'm also not really a big steampunk fan, but seeing how it's a 2d film I'm actually excited. And I don't believe Disney has made a movie like this with two female protagonists, so that is pretty cool. (Don't you dare say Frozen) It's true that, as of late, the animated movies that have been pumping out have mainly been 3d, though there's nothing wrong with 3d and clearly people will pay to see it, but going back to our 2d roots is awesome and I fully support it.

13 point manifesto for documentary filmmaking article response

  In the article Michael Moore shares his 13 key ideas for making a documentary. One thing to think about is to tell the audience something that the majority of them wouldn't already know about, so don't make the documentary about how smoking is bad, or that you shouldn't run with scissors. Name the enemy, if you are trying to say that a certain company is bad, don't try to work your way around saying their name, call them out on it. Your documentary should be personal, so be in it, or at least narrate it. Entertain the audience, try to make them laugh, people love to laugh. When you are filming a scene, pay attention to your emotions, chances are your audience will feel the same thing. Less is more, so cut and edit things, your audience doesn't want a lecture. In your documentary sound is as important, if not more than, visuals.

  Well, for the most part, these tips sound pretty good. However, I just have to think that maybe naming the company that you're essentially talking bad about is not a good idea. They will most likely sue you, and their lawyers are probably better than yours. That being said, I like the other points made. I agree that people don't want to be lectured, I like to be entertained. And I wouldn't want to be told something I already knew, because where's the point in telling me in the first place? Personalizing your documentary also sounds like a good idea, then it actually means more to your audience that it meant something to you.

weekly comments #2

1. I learned a bit more with Photoshop, like masks. And, we went over the color theory stuff, so I re-learned those.

2. There's nothing new that I'd think I'd like to learn, except more shortcuts because shortcuts are awesome and everyone loves them.

3. I was frustrated that I had to hand some things in late, and that I lost points on last week's blog.

4. I still like actually doing work and having time to experiment with Photoshop, it's a lot different since my old class in ninth grade.

Alright, so the problem with last week's link was that I'm on a mobile device because I currently have no home computer due to virus issues. The link worked fine for me. So here's the same video except it should actually work for you people, if it doesn't then I give up.
http://youtube.com/?#/watch?v=9j656_RiO0k

weekly comments #1

1. I learned many cool things in Photoshop, including the heal tools, which I swear are some kind of black magic.

2. I'd like to learn to Photoshop like a professional, which basically means how to do more complex things quickly. I also want to know how people can Photoshop a picture of pizza and make it look like a female model, like seriously?

3. Nothing in our class really frustrated me, except for whoever decided they didn't need their drink and just left it lying around. That got me a little annoyed.

4. I liked actually getting to work in Photoshop, it's fun to change something into something else, even though I'm sure it will be less fun later.

Here's that pizza thing I just said, yeah it's a real thing, I'm sorry about this.
http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=9j656_RiO0k

Hollywood cinematographer's new job article response

A video game developer named Ready at Dawn has been working on a video game that uses "movie-like techniques"to make the game look and feel like a film. Film has been around much longer than video games have and had more time to develop as a form of art. Lately, video games have been coming out that use motion capture and GGI that look good visually, however Ready at Dawn's new game: The Order 1886 is utilizing simple cinematography to create their masterpiece. This includes copying the attributes of a physical lens used in movies. This way they can change the depth of field we see and change the focus of the camera while also adding the little things that people tend to overlook like lens dirt, etc.

Alright, well this has my attention, and as a gamer I am really looking forward to seeing this beautiful masterpiece of cinematography and gameplay. I've played many a game where there is a really nice looking cut-scene and cool camera angles, maybe a lens flare, but then the gameplay kicks back in and everything looks dull again. So if this game actually does what it says it does, then I'm sold. I know that games have been recently trying to look more like actual movies and have done rather well in that sense, but it's usually at the cost of good, fun, gameplay. Many reviews of Beyond: Two Souls stated that most of the game, although visually appealing, felt like a cut-scene with little actual playing in it, and that it lead to some disappointment in the gaming community. So hopefully this game will be as good as it sounds.

6 tips from recruiters article response

Recruiters are busy people and don't have time to waste. That being said, it's very important that you don't waste their time when it comes to your demo reel, otherwise your chances of being hired drop severely. You only have about 30 seconds to leave a good impression on them so don't make a long, flashy intro with your name on it. That wastes everyone's time, and as I previously stated wasting time is bad. Just throw your contact info on the the title card, quickly proceed to show off your best work, give your info again at the end and you're done. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Only put your best stuff in the demo reel, it should be short and great, not a boring ordeal. This goes without saying, but make sure your links work. Honestly you don't want to make stupid mistakes that could end up making you lose the job. Be original, don't be a cliche. Just because every movie that became famous over the last couple years involved death or monsters doesn't mean you should be doing it too. And lastly, cater your reel toward the studio you are trying to work at, obviously pixar doesn't make horror movies so your reel shouldn't have animations about zombies or hockey mask wearing serial killers.

This all makes sense to me. Obviously things like checking your links to make sure they work, is something that we should already know to do... And ok even I screw that up sometimes. But, a lot of the information here is useful. One should definitely try to tailor their demos to the studio that they are trying to work at. And showing off your best work only is a given. I would have never known about the "you have 30 seconds to make an impression" rule. In fact, I'd probably be one of the people who mess that up, so I learned a thing today!

test post lolz

this is cool lol\
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q60rBrYQAvQ