Five More Days At School

• Learned

I learned a lot of Premiere stuff this week. Premiere is fun, but I don't quite know yet if I look forward to using the program or dread it.
I also learned how to write a shot list. Well, sorta...

• Want to learn

 I want to learn more about this thing called a "shot list", like how to write the best possible list.
I also want to learn how to write scripts and how to assemble a documentary...

• Frustrated you

Shot list.
Also, I'm really nervous about (perhaps not frustrated by) assembling my documentary pieces. I have doubts about my abilities and I fear that I may not get the hang of it in time...
I'm also nervous about (again, not necessarily frustrated by) college applications and scholarships. I know I am going to have to do it all alone, and I'm worried I will mess everything up.

• Made you happy

 Support from friends, support from teachers, support from everyone. It makes it a lot easier.

(WARNING: the video posted below contains swearing! Viewer discretion is advised.)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz8MCVJb0_k

 Markiplier's animated playthough of Five Nights at Freddy's. The animation is nice, the audio is funny, and the video itself is entertaining. I don't like the game, but Markiplier knows how to make even the scariest things funny.

Looking Down Versus Looking Up

Examining a scene from Silence of the Lambs, we can clearly pick out what strategies are being used to convey the power struggle between the two characters Starling and Lecter. First off, the two are portrayed as equals by having the camera at their eye levels but slowly the shift in power changes. Starling sits down and suddenly the camera is now looking down on her as though she has less power. Meanwhile, Lecter is now viewed from a different perspective. The camera is looking up at him as though he has greater power. In addition to this, more subtle changes are made to express who is getting into the others' head. One character might be looking slightly off screen that is our first clue. For example, when Starling does this, the camera also cuts to see what she sees, but then it returns to Lecter. Later, when Lecter asks, "Do you know why he's called 'Buffalo Bill'?", we shift to his point of view. The power struggle appears to be tipping in Starling's favor, but Lecter snatches control again. They converse further and the camera dollies to make Starling appear short sided, making it very clear that she has lost the struggle. To finalize his victory, he now appears higher on the camera than Starling to prove that they are no longer seeing eye to eye. He then turns away form her and walks away, and she does the same. Ultimately, Lector wins the confrontation, but gives up his victory. Starling won the confrontation because she got Lecter to look at the survey, but the win felt more like a humiliation than a victory.

Excellent example of a visual power struggle. These techniques would be good for anybody planning on working in the industry. Camera angles are very important and can reveal more emotion and power than one might expect. I agree that the camera holds great power and has the ability to express a power struggle without the use of words. What are all the ways that cameras can express emotions and power struggles. Anyone can benefit from learning these techniques.

Bubble Science

In the animation industry, it isn't uncommon to see animators with advanced Physics books and equations scattered around their work areas. People like Ron Henderson, who could easily be working at Caltech, instead works at DreamWorks doing his part to make sure that the films created by this company look more realistic and are more efficiently produced. When creating bubbles, Henderson and his team begin studying drawings and photographs of soap and bubbles. One time, he even invited a colleague of his to give a lecture that he accurately titled Bubble Science. During his demonstration, Alejandro Garcia used bubble soap and plastic bubble wands to blow big bubbles in an amphitheater. He even set fire to a bubble made of hydrogen. Scientists like Henderson are in high demand in the animation industry. The transition from hand drawn animation to CGI caused a great need for scientists to create algorithms to simulate realistic looking elements such as water, fire, dust, snow, etc. The animation industry needs people that know what they are doing. People that could be writing science papers for Physics Today, but instead choose to work on Hollywood Blockbuster Films. Despite the risk on their reputation, the allure of the media industry draws scientists in still. It isn't necessarily the money or the recognition, but the personal challenge and the personal achievement of fixing a technical problem. The artists and the scientists work closely together, side by side, to get the work done. Mathematicians, physicists, astrophysicists, and biologists, often former workers for NASA, work together with sculptors, painters, and animators. There is a beautiful balance of art and science going on at DreamWorks. Henderson has received numerous prestigious awards for his works and is very proud of his achievements. He grew up near Nashville and dreamed of becoming a rocket scientists. Later he received a doctorate for aerospace engineering. His research landed him a job at Caltech, but he then moved to the commercial software ArsDigita. When that company got sold, he moved to DreamWorks. After seeing the movie Shrek, Henderson became interested in CGI. Part of his job now is to ensure that the artists and the engineers are communicating. He tries to focus on efficiency and improving the tools his team uses to produce their special effects. His most recent challenge has been to produce realistic looking bubbles for the movie Home. It has been a very tricky problem of both math and physics. Using a version of a weather-prediction model and his knowledge of fluid physics, he has devised a new way to simulate flow on a sphere. And the fact that most movie goers will likely never appreciate his work does not bother him. He gets gratification from the fact that he knows that he can see the results of his work and that he is providing a unique benefit to a team of artists.

I think that it is interesting how animation is not just a field of artists, but a team of scientists and artists working together to create the best movie experience possible. I learned that DreamWorks hires scientists in addition to artists. How does one create a program for fluid physics? Science is just as important as art, but when they work together, the results shine through.

Weekly Synopsis

• Learned

I learned Premiere stuff, like how to edit video footage and add filters and stuff. Yay.

• Want to learn

 After Effects stuff?

• Frustrated you

It's just been a crazy week. I've been dealing with spending a lot more time being alone at home and it still sucks, but it's gotten easier. I need to find better ways of occupying my time so I don't get as bored or as lonely.

• Made you happy

I'm glad when I do get to spend time with my boyfriend for more than just an hour or two. And I've been getting to play my newest game, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Also I got to visit Villa Maria college on Friday and I really enjoyed that.

(Warning: The video below contains violence, minor use of alcohol, and potential swearing. Watch at own risk)

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgD0roMPcmw

 It's a really cool animation that crosses the first American moon landing with Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. It's really funny and I like the animation style of the video. It's a bit loud and the minor use of alcohol, violence, and potential swearing make it for mature audiences, but otherwise it's a very entertaining thing to watch

Ninja Lavalier

Izzy Hyman shares various tricks to hide Lav microphones. He stresses that if it isn't necessary, you shouldn't hide it, but when it is necessary, there are a wide variety of ways to do it. Articles of clothing such as ties, T-Shirts, polos, bras, and even bare chests can be used to conceal the miniature microphones. Using two triangles of tape, one can stick the mic to fabric and reduce the amount of noise it will pick up from rubbing against clothing and other materials. This trick is useful when sticking the mic under ties, between buttons, under collars, and onto the chest. The mic can also be hidden under the knot of a tie by tucking it through the not and only revealing the little microphone grill. In an attempt to reduce vibrations picked up by the wire attached to the microphone, a very loose knot can be tied in the wire to provide for strain relief. The same method can be used to attach the microphone almost everywhere else.

Very useful to know for the situations where the mic needs to be hidden. I learned how to hide lav microphones. I think that his methods are effective at concealing the lavalier microphone. Why would a lav mic need to be hidden? These tips can be used to effectively hide the mic and still retain a certain level of audio quality.

Guardians of the Thrones Creatures

Miss Nicole Herr is an animator from Los Angeles who has worked on projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Game of Thrones. When asked by the Creature Animation: Locomotion group, she shares some of her thoughts, opinions, and tips with them. She shares the tale of her beginnings first, describing her first animating job for a movie called Sphere, then she explains that her desire to animate came from when she saw The Little Mermaid in High School. After writing to Disney for advise and receiving a phone call from an employee, she knew that animation would be the career for her. Next she was asked some of her favorite shots and she gave a list of various shots she's liked, but ultimately says that she enjoyed one of the shots from Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, when all of the owls were having a tender moment as a family. Then Nicole Herr was asked the differences between character animation versus realistic animation. She narrows it down to references and the level of fine detail required. For more realistic animations, you need more realistic details. And when animating a character, she uses herself for reference. She does her best to reenact what her character will be doing and study any footage she took of herself. For creatures, she studies the animals who most closely resemble the behavior and body structure of the creature in question. For example: When animating a large dragon, she used a condor and a pelican for body structure and movement patterns, but for smaller dragons she uses humming birds and bats. It varies depending on the nature of the creature and the physical design of it too. She details the joys of animating creatures and she describes how she has to look into their little personality quirks to help give them depth. She wraps up her interview with some common mistakes she sees when mentoring and gives her advise on how to fix those mistakes. Problem 1: Overcomplicating things,  Solution 1: Don't overcomplecate things. Problem 2: The student doesn't understand WHO they are animating, so the characters aren't well developed, Solution 2: Learn who your character is and why they do what they do. Problem 3: Neglecting to study references for the creatures they are animating, Solution 3: Learn your character's body mechanics. Problem 4: Not acting out the character's motions, Solution 4: Act out the character's motions to get a better understanding on how they will move. Problem 5: Not understanding the weight of the character. Problem 6: Using bad references. Lastly problem 7: Not asking for critiques. Solution 7: Ask people to look over your work and take critiques, but don't take it personally. It's a team effort.

I enjoyed the article. It was very useful and I'm glad that I read it. I learned some of the common mistakes made made by students. Now I know what to watch out for when I animate creatures and characters. I agree with what Nicole Herr said in this article. How do you know what references are "good" and what references are "bad"? And how can you tell if a bad reference was used? Character and creature animation is everywhere. Her tips should be kept in mind at all times.

Mi Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy Creature Animator

By: Animation Mentor

Aug

06

2014

Nicole Herr

- See more at: http://blog.animationmentor.com/10-insights-from-a-game-of-thrones-and-guardians-of-the-galaxy-creature-animator/#sthash.M59l1xry.dpu

Late Night Story Telling

This week I learned video stuff! Oh... wait... you all wanted specifics...? Uh... I learned a lot about some of the tech we will be using in the future. Different microphones and terms and stuff like that. It's good stuff to know though. I also learned that finding a good place to record audio is hard... ;A;

In the near future I would like to learn how to find good places to record a documentary and good questions to ask. I'm dreading the documentary project because I've always been bad with interviews and stuff.

 Frustrated me? Uh... I suppose I've been having a bit of a problem dealing with some of the people around me. I don't think ignoring them is the best option, but I don't want to be mean either. I've tried asking politely, but I don't think that quite got the message across. I'll figure something out faithful readers I hope.

This class makes me happy. It's the highlight of my day and I simply love it! Also, my waifu Emily and I got to talking on skype and we used a random scenario generator and wrote a crap ton of Borderlands oneshots. It was great! And I've been hanging out with my boyfriend a lot lately. He will be starting his new job soon, so I'm a bit worried that I won't get to see him that much, but for now I'm just enjoying the time we spend together.

Pixar Theory

• A theory video connecting a lot of the Pixar movies together. It seems like a relatively sound theory, but I feel like it has a few holes in it. Could this be the case? I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Rockstar Tips

Mr. Ian Bowden, former art director at Rockstar Games, leaves his current job for another one, but he leaves behind some useful tips for new and old artists alike. Firstly, he reminds us all that his job was still a job. Yes, he did have some fun doing it, but ultimately it was still a job and there was still work to be done. When it comes to the actual art, one should pay attention to what others are doing and what's "in" at the moment, but they should never aspire to be unoriginal or to follow the crowd. Keep in mind the little things that are grabbing people's attention but also aspire to be different. The whole world is changing and becoming different, so your art should change with it. Be unique. Next, when one is working on a mobile game, give it the best visual qualities it can have. Don't skimp out on the details just because it's smaller. It needs to grab attention and have charming visual qualities that keep people coming back for more. Little details are what sell, not always high polygon counts and or ultra-realism. Even little icons that appear on the phone's app screen need to be attractive. They need to make people want to touch that app and play the game. Heck, even the icon for the store where the game can be purchased needs to be visually appealing. Spare no details. Also, one should always keep a sketch book on hand so they can catch the little artistic thought bunnies that would otherwise get away. Practice practice practice. Keep your art skills up to par by practicing with your sketch book on the go. Sidewalks, faces, fabric, etc can all be practiced while out with your sketch book. Lastly, an artist needs to experiment and try new things. Expand your knowledge and don't be stuck down on one singular method or style. Find inspiration from other peoples' works and learn from the people who may or may not be better than you. There will always be someone who knows something you don't.

Very useful article. These tips are good for any artist to know and keep in mind, as intended by the author of this article. I can't honestly say that I didn't know any of this stuff, but it's always good to have a referesher (even though this kind of stuff comes at us from all directions. But if it wasn't important, then fewer people would say it). I agree with this article completely and whole heartedly. How would one get their start in this field and what exactly does one with this occupation do? Anyone in the digital media field should keep this in mind. They might as well be fundamental principles of media. This information might be everywhere, but that just means that it's important and we should know it.

Brain Puppeteering

• Film makers, neuroscientists and cognitive psychologists have teamed up to figure out just how movies effect their audiences. Their studies show that the human eye often follows most closely to the action occurring during a scene in a movie. As a result, movie makers have to be cautious about how much CGI they are adding and where. Too much CGI in obvious places looks unreal and takes attention away from what needs to be focused on. The audience's brain is the best visual effects tool for the movie makers to use since it stitches the scenes together so they make sense. Also, faces and physics should be given special attention. Faces are hard to accurately replicate even with motion capture technology and the human brain is hard wired to recognize the human face. The more believable the face, the better the brain can recognize the face and relate to the character. Secondly, the audience can tell when a fall doesn't look or feel right, so the movie maker has to be extra careful to make sure that if a car is going to be tumbling and rolling, it can't look like a light weight tumble weed blowing in the wind. It has to look like a real car with real weight to create a sense of reality in the mind of the viewer. Further research is going into exactly how the brain stitches scenes together, but so far they know that our eyes take a bit of information from different sources and puts them together in a seamless stream of stimuli., even though that is not the case in reality.

• I thought this was a very useful article. These are things that all film makers, animators, or even novices should know. I learned that the brain draws little bits of information from all over the scene and it puts them together as though it was a single continuous stream. I definitely agree with what was said in the article. All of this is scientifically backed and makes a lot of sense if you really thing about it. How was a heat map generated for this experiment? If an aspiring film maker or someone else of a similar field can keep this in mind and uses it skillfully whenever they are working on a project, their films will always keep the viewers' eyes on track and never loose their attention from the main focus. This is definitely a useful skill to have and remember.