MAYA TUTORIAL // PIPELINE 1: BODY MODELLING PART 1-6

CHARACTER // PROP DESIGNS

CHARACTER // STORYBOARDS

NARRATIVE // REFLECTIVE STATEMENT

Overall I feel the project went well when there was work to do, I found creating the characters quite fun, especially the fox, as I am really not one for drawing animals that often so it was a challenge doing this, but I felt that it worked well. The environments were challenging to design due to the vast landscape but I had fun with the VFX that I layered upon the concept art to enhance the depth which again is something I don't do very often. The project as a whole was an eye opening experience.

NARRATIVE // THE ART OF 'PIKATTI'

CHARACTER // EXPRESSION SHEETS

FILM REVIEW // COMEDY // 'HOT ROD' (2007)

Fig.1 'Hot Rod' Poster

Directed, co-written and starring, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone (members of comedy group The Lonely Island) 'Hot Rod' (2007) follows the journey of Rod, an rookie stuntman on the road to success and fame. His abusive step-father Frank constantly undermines him but when he falls ill, it is up to Rod to raise the money for his heart operation.

Fig.2 Film Still

 As well as the cast of The Lonely Island, the film also stars Danny Mcbride and Bill Hader. Veterans within the comedy genre. The comedy if reminiscent of that from the Saturday Night Live sketches, which is fitting considering the director of the film (Akiva Schaffer) has also directed many of airings of SNL. The humour within the film falls in to many categories first being schadenfreude (Harm-Joy). In a film that centres around an amateur stuntman it's pretty obvious at some point there will be failures, this happens more often than not.  The theatricality and the build up of these mishaps is what causes the laughs, it's over the top and sometimes ridiculous.

It is also quite juvenile, the characters themselves all act like they're still in their early years of high school. They are the outsiders to most of the people in their community and seem very isolated to reality, they all have a sense of angst about them. It's comedy derives from the issues surrounding the characters and their awkwardness.

There is a point in the film where it goes off on a complete tangent, for the most part of the movie the story is coherent and realistic but when Rod becomes sad/angry after a fight with Frank, he ventures out in to the woods and begins to dance...With a backflip here and a cartwheel there, Rod expresses his emotions through the medium of flashdance. Why? No idea, but it is pretty funny due to it's juvenile and surreal nature, it's like the film knows that it's a film but doesn't acknowledge it directly, instead it pays homage to well known 80's movie 'Flashdance' (1983) And then... he falls down a hill (for 5 minutes) landing awkwardly with every tumble. 

Fig.3 Film Still

In conclusion, 'Hot Rod'  is an entertaining film full of multiple styles of comedy, slapstick, juvenile and a lot of harm-joy which hopes to please a wide variety of audiences. It's an amalgamation of various gags all tied together by a simple storyline that goes out of its way to please the viewer. It's characters are awkwardly funny for most of the film. The film ends on a high but not without one last stint of failure and bones breaking. All in all 'Hot Rod' is, in the words of Rod himself, Cool beans.

Bibliography

Figure. 1 'Hot Rod' (2007) [Poster] At: http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/53/MPW-26636 Accessed on: 11/12/2016 

Figure. 2 [Film Still] At:https://dtmmr.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/rod.jpg Accessed on: 11/12/2016

Figure. 3 [Film Still] At: https://movieblort.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/img4106603.jpg Accessed on: 11/12/2016

MAYA TUTORIAL // LIP SYNC

FILM REVIEW // ADAPTATION // 'THE ANGRY BIRDS MOVIE' (2016)

Fig.1. 'The Angry Birds Movie' Poster

Over the years countless films have been made that have been adapted from other sources, whether that's video games, books or TV shows. The idea to do this has resulted in the creation of well loved franchises such as 'Harry Potter'. Due to the source material that it is working from not all adaptations work out, this is due to certain events having to be left out for the sake of making a movie. 'The Angry Birds Movie' (2016) directed by Clay Katis and Feral Reilly is another example of adaptation within hollywood cinema.

Fig.2 Film Still

If you know 'Angry Birds' the game, then you will know the film. The plot is simple. Why are the birds angry?? Well because the pigs have stolen their eggs and they want them back. The story follows the character of Red, an already angry bird, who doesn't understand why the rest of the community are always so happy and is the first to realise the pigs dastardly plan to steal their eggs. The entire movie is building up to the big climax which is when the key aspects of the game are incorporated within the film (catapulting birds to attack the pigs).  Film critic, Guy Lodge, writing for Variety.com says 'The Angry Birds Movie' knows it's about the candy-colored details rather than any bigger picture' (Lodge, 2016) it's true, the film knows it's not the next standout screenplay but it is a fun movie, that has been carefully crafted (visually) with an aim to please the eye. 

Fig.3 Film Still

As well as Red, there are two other main characters that work alongside him, Bomb and Chuck. Both characters exhibit the traits of their video game counterpart, Chuck (the yellow one) is fast and Bomb, well he is a bomb. It is quite obvious that this film is aimed at the younger generation, the characters are easy to read and you can guess who they are and what their purpose within the film is within the first five minutes of seeing them, but this doesn't mean that it doesn't make them fun, because fun is what this film is. It is rather enjoyable to see such mindless PG violence on the big screen involving birds and pigs.

The animation is great and the design work is ever so nice to look at, it brings a child-like and innocent aspect to and pretty violent and sometimes crude film. Yes there are some jokes in their for the adults although not always that funny, but all in all 'The Angry Birds Movie' is a great little movie that is worth a watch on a rainy day, or if you need to release some anger.

Bibliography

Lodge, G (2016) Film Review: The Angry Birds Movie At:http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-angry-birds-movie-review-1201768669/ Accessed on:07/12/2016

Illustrations

Figure 1. The Angry Birds Movie (2016) [Poster] At:http://www.impawards.com/2016/posters/angry_birds_ver2_xlg.jpg Accessed on: 07/12/2016

Figure 2. [Film Still] At:http://cdn1-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/gallery/angry-birds-1412173620/angrybirdsmovie0001.jpg Accessed on: 07/12/2016

Figure 3. [Film Still] At:https://www.angrybirds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/trio.png Accessed on: 07/12/2016

CHARACTER CLASS // WEEK 5 AND 6

MERRY CHRISTMAS

NARRATIVE// 'PIKATTI' LOGO

CHARACTER // ENVIRONMENT DESIGN // GOOD OL'DAYS CARE CENTRE

Non-Saturated

Saturated

CHARACTER // PROP DESIGNS

MAYA TUTORIAL // LIP SYNC UPDATE

FILM REVIEW // DOCUMENTARY // 'THE PIXAR STORY' (2007)

Fig 1. 'The Pixar Story' (2007) Poster

Directed by Leslie Iwerks, 'The Pixar Story' (2007) gives audiences a fascinating insight to the life and times of Pixar Animation Studios and the creative geniuses behind its success.

This documentary film gives you a look behind the scenes, showing never before seen footage of some of fans favourite movies, such as, 'Toy Story' (1995) and 'Monsters Inc' (2001). As well as this it begins to delve deep and show the viewer the road that people like Pixar's head honcho himself, John Lasseter gained the reputation they have within the company, from small beginnings to his current successes.

Fig 2. Film Still

This film acts like a fly on the wall, getting its knowledge first hand from Pixar directors and workers such as, John Lasseter, Pete Docter whilst also ganging interviews with co-founder Ed Catmull and notable actors who have provided their talents to particular Pixar animations, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.

The film notes other animations created by its animated rivals, Dreamworks and their widely renowned movie 'Shrek' (2001) but doesn't indulge in this but rather skims over it and pushes it under the carpet to get back on track and speak about the almighty Pixar in all it's greatness. 

They discuss the studio as an artefact of history, speaking of how they created the first 3D animated movie, the pioneers in this newly found technology. 

'The Pixar Story' (2007) is an inspirational documentation of Pixar's rise to greatness. It's is a piece of cinema that can inspire audiences, just like Lasseter was once inspired by the book 'Walt Disney's Art of Animation' which he gives credit to within the film. 

In conclusion, Leslie Iwerks has created a wonderful piece cinema that gives audiences a real look at what its like for this creative studio to create the movies we all love, it's fascinating and works like a feature length version of a DVD's bonus features. A genuine joy to watch.

Illustrations

Figure 1. 'The Pixar Story' (2007) [Poster] At:http://img.lum.dolimg.com/v1/images/open-uri20150422-12561-1hhgrek_8fe53fd2.jpeg?region=0%2C0%2C2000%2C2818 Accessed on: 27/11/20106

Figure 2. [Film Still] At:http://staticmass.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/dvd_pix.jpg Accessed on: 27/11/2016

CHARACTER // MARSHALL, MARY AND MANDY DESIGNS

CHARACTER // ENVIRONMENT // PAINTING FOR WALL

CHARACTER // REFINED BODY SHAPES // MARSHALL AND MARY

CHARACTER // MARSHALL, MARY AND MANDY COLOUR DESIGNS

CHARACTER // MANDY COLOUR DESIGN

Name Badge Version

'Hello my name is' Version

Plastic Apron Version

CHARACTER // PROP DESIGN // HOUSE PLANT

CHARACTER // MARY COLOUR DESIGN

MAYA TUTORIAL // LIP SYNC

FILM REVIEW // MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)

Fig.1 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Poster

'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) Directed by George Miller, the film that sees the characters go one way and then come straight back. Why? Well to exploit the petrol fuelled, high energy car chases of course. Miller keeps the character of Max, played by Tom Hardy on the edge of calm, his aggression comes out when it's truly needed, Robbie Collin of The Telegraph says 'With it's spare dialogue and dazzlingly choreographed and edited stunts, Miller's film often feels like a great silent movie - albeit a very loud one.' (Collin, 2015)

Exploitation cinema can be seen throughout many films and 'Mad Max: Fury Road' is just a small part of it. The Exploitation of something, for example, sex, nudity, explosions, can all drive the film towards a particular market/audience. In recent films there seems to be an an increase of Dwayne Johnson castings in big budget Hollywood movies, a likeable actor who gets people to see his films.

This idea of Exploitation was once and still is mainly seen in low budget b-movies but can also be seen in big budget cinema.

Fig.2 Film Still

'Mad Max: Fury Road' uses this idea of exploitation to its advantage. The plot is simple, they must make their way to the green land only to find its not there and then they go back to where they came from whilst simultaneously fighting their way through a post apocalyptic wasteland against the evil overlord Immortan Joe and his half-life boys.

Fig.3. Film Still

Director, George Miller, exploits particular people's love for cars and explosions to drive his film (no pun intended). He relies on the audience to enjoy a film that's soul purpose is to be a loud, destructive car chase whilst pushing ideas of feminism.

Max, played by Tom hardy is pushed to the side in this film by a strong figure known as Imperator Furiosa, played by Charlize Theron. She is the hero of this film, (although her name isn't in the title) the hero in a world overcome with masculine tone.

Adding this struggle of femininity to both the character and the story gives the film another dimension, so it's not just a film filled with exploitation, it deals with real world problems in a special way throughout. 

In conclusion, 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) is a truly astonishing film, full of action and underlining real world tones. It attracts a wide variety of audiences, fans of the previous Mad Max Trilogy and also fans of the A-list cast within the film. Overall, it is a great film to watch and will one day be considered a classic within the history of cinema. 

Bibliography:

Collin, R (2015) Mad Max: Fury Road Review: 'A krakatoan eruption of craziness' At:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/mad-max-fury-road/review/ Accessed on: 20/11/2016

Illustrations:

Figure 1. 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) [Poster] At:http://cdn2-www.superherohype.com/assets/uploads/gallery/mad-max-fury-road_1/11110866_658246694280855_1682386295316885693_o.jpg Accessed on: 20/11/2016

Figure 2. [Film Still] At: https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ff_madmax_f.jpg Accessed on: 20/11/2016

Figure 3. [Film Still] At: http://images.popmatters.com/misc_art/f/furiosa-madmax-650-1.jpg Accessed on: 20/11/2016

CHARACTER // MARSHALL COLOUR DESIGN

 

 

CHARACTER // PROP DESIGN // MARSHALL'S GIFT