WIM OGR 2 by alfie gunter on Scribd
Wednesday, 22 November 2017
Monday, 13 November 2017
Friday, 10 November 2017
@Phil What if? Metropolis Thumbnails 116-118
I was considering using one of these as my composition shot and using the bridge as my hero prop.
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
@Phil What if? Metropolis thumbnails 101-106
Drawings 103-106 are designs for buildings that would be in the fancy area of the city
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Film Review: Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990) is the story of a man with unusual hands and due to being left in isolation because his creator died he struggles to tell whats right from wrong. Edward lives in a Gothic castle that is found high up on a hill and down below is a suburban neighborhood where Peg the Avon lady takes him in to try and live a "normal" life. His abnormality attracts attention from everyone in the neighborhood, but gets taken advantage of and shunned as quickly as he is accepted.
This story is "told gently, subtly and with infinite sympathy for an outsider who charms the locals but then inadvertently arouses their baser instincts." (Lee, 2014)
The suburban neighborhood is an example of a cookie cutter lifestyle, the houses seem to all be the same designs, little colour variation, the whole neighborhood just seems so similar. This could be symbolism for Burton's time at Disney, "I just feel like a foreigner" (Burton, 2012 NY times article), which the Gothic castle would then represent him as an outsider. Furthermore, there is the attitudes of the neighborhood which seem to fit in with the cookie cutter lifestyle or more so an old fashioned view of a suburban neighborhood. The wives all gossip among each other while also being two faced and also seem to need to know everything that goes on in the neighborhood. As put in the Telegraph, "pastel-hued American suburb, where the husbands go to the office at exactly the same time, and the wives bake apple pies and gossip over the garden fence." There are a few scenes that demonstrate this well such as; when the husbands leave for work and what seems to be moving in sync, and when Edward first arrives and all the woman gather to try and find out about him. Overall, I think the idea of a cookie cutter lifestyle is useful in this film in the sense that it then helps to emphasis the abnormality of the situation Peg is put in by bring Edward home.
One of the standout scenes in this film was the TV show scene. In this scene people ask Edward questions and a few of the questions were based on having surgery to get regular hands and then no longer being special. The fact Edward has scissorhands makes him interesting and unique, however the people in this suburb think if he no longer had them he'd just be like them. This is interesting because it links a little to the idea of a cookie cutter lifestyle, Edward is like a circus attraction in a scene that he has something that don't, which also makes him unique, different and standout. Nevertheless, these people also seem to neglect the idea that maybe with normal hands Edward would still be as talented, but because he is different and possibly because of there normal, similar lives it wouldn't matter because he'd no longer be Edward Scissorhands.
Overall, the movie was very enjoyable having never seen it before it was hard to tell what you'd be getting yourself into, but in the end a film worth watching.
Bibliography:
(Lee, 2014): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11298442/Edward-Scissorhands-review-a-true-fairytale.html [Accessed on 7/11/17]
(Burton, 2012): http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/movies/tim-burton-at-home-in-his-own-head.html [Accessed on 7/11/17]
Illustration list:
Fig 1: http://www.impawards.com/1990/edward_scissorhands_ver1.html
Fig 2: https://www.boredpanda.com/movie-locations-edward-scissorhands-suburb-now-then-pictures-voodrew/
Fig 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiBZ6krki6Q
Monday, 6 November 2017
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Toolkit Maya - Common shaders
Ceramic
Chrome
Silver
Glass
Glow without object
Glow with object
Gold
Plastic
Wednesday, 1 November 2017
Film Review: La Belle et la Bete
(Fig. 1, Poster)
La belle et la bete (1946) is a film that was released one year after the horrific events of WWII. This fantastical fairy tale film was made with the intention of allowing people to escape the realities of a post war France and enter a fantasy land. Director Jean Cocteau also made this as an adaptation of the fairy tale and not as a "children's film". This can be seen through the film with its sexual undertones "obvious undercurrent of eroticism" (Mcnab. G, 2014). He wanted to still include the message that the fairy tale gets across to its reader, "Anyone who has an unhappy childhood may grow up to be a Beast." (Ebert. R, 1999).
(Fig.2 film still)
Due to the time period this film doesn't display any groundbreaking special effects. In the film you see what the special effects were like at the time, which most probably would have amazed audiences. For example, the interior of the castle demonstrates this well with the arms that stick out of the walls holding candle sticks as Belle enters the castle. Also, the busts that are further in the castle the head and eyes follow Belle as she walks around the room. These effects are what take the audience living in a post war society and can fully immerse them in the viewing experience. Although, as mentioned before these effects aren't exactly groundbreaking as stated in a Guardian article "Its special effects are prehistoric compared to those of our digital 21st century" (Bradshaw. P, 2014). However, also as mentioned earlier the film carries out its job of providing an escape even if the special effects aren't up to today's standards.
The way that the film develops characters is interesting as well as considering the gender roles at the time. Belle is made out to be one of the least interesting characters at the beginning since her main role was taking care of her father and cleaning the house. As for the Beast he is terrifying and fearsome at the beginning when he intimidates Belle's father. However, later on these roles change as Belle gains more independents and Beast calls her his "master". Similarly, Beast becomes very submissive and more self conscious when Belle stays at the castle. "The Beast falls in love with her, but the Beauty rebuffs his proposal of marriage, while nonetheless softening towards him, and there is something bizarrely romantic in her holding out in this way, and in the Beast's very un-beastlike gallantry" (Bradshaw. P, 2014). This links to the previously mentioned erotic undertones as Belle leads the Beast on and at this time the man would be the on to take charge, but Belle seems to be the one that does that.
Overall, this film created a great escape to a fantasy world when the people of this time needed it most. It's also amazing to see how much this film has influenced the later adaptations.
Bibliography:
(Bradshaw. P, 2014) - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/02/belle-et-bete-review
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
(Ebert. R, 1999) - https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
(Mcnab. G, 2014) - http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/la-belle-et-la-bete-film-review-cocteaus-forties-fantasy-is-still-a-thing-of-real-beauty-9035506.html
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
Illustration list:
Fig 1 - http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSx769h-b23VnEjPsu0QzmWXfea-dkvMywf-OByO08Yb-O-XWOP
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
Fig 2 - http://alienexplorations.blogspot.co.uk/1979/05/cocteaus-beauty-and-beast.html
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
Fig 3 - https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1001902_beauty_and_the_beast?
[Accessed on 1/11/17]
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After some talks, I was advised to step away from my sketch book and try using a different medium on a bigger scale. I then got... -
Presentation 1 by Alfie Gunter on Scribd