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