Pixar Short Films

This is one of my favorite animated short films.  Before the Pixar movie, A Bug's Life, this short film played.  I was five-years-old and I still remember this.  It is amazing that this short film with no diaglogue captivated me at that young age.  This is animation at its finest.  Pixar has a ton movies, but this is still by far my favortie animated short film of all time.

Imagine Dragons and It's Time

I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the band Imagine Dragons, but if you aren't prepare to be introduced.

Imagine Dragons.

Imagine Dragons was formed in Utah in 2009 and currently the band is based out of Las Vegas where they got their start. Their first studio album, Night Visions, was released on September 4th, 2012 and features their hit single It's Time.

I personally love "It's Time" because I really like this kind of alternative style of music. Some of my favorite bands are cut from the same cloth as Imagine Dragons, like The Black Keys, Parachute, Passion Pit, and others.

Imagine Dragons' first album, Night Visions

The music video preceded the release of the album, as it was a single,  and features the band in what appears to be a post-apocaplytic world. The video opens on a vast, bleak desert littered with remnants of civilization and devoid of vegetation. I really love the animation in this video because I love how forlorn and enigmatic the colors of the desert are. The use of blues and grays to make the viewer feel like the world really ended. Apart from the colors, I think the scene towards the end, where the storm breaks out and the band is seen running across the desert in an attempt to avoid it is really cool. And of course, when they drop that little glowing seed into the ground and all hell breaks loose, the animation used to show the smoke monster emerging from the explosion is incredible. That kind of animation must have taken forever because of the way in which it moves. It replicates the natural movement of smoke really well and it looks amazing in the video. The end especially is really cool when the smoke column rises into the sky and breaks the storm up allowing the sun to come through.

Overall the use of animation in this music video is amazing, and I thought it would be something everyone else might want to see.

Finally, if you recognize the song, it's probably because you heard it in the Perks of Being a Wallflower film trailer. I've added that just in case you wanted to see/hear it in a different context. Enjoy!

(starts at 1:16)

Motion Imaging Journal

I work in the back office space at the library on campus and one of my tasks is to check in the new periodicals. It's one of my more fun tasks because I get to read the cool magazines like People, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic, etc. But there are also a bunch of educational periodicals- which greatly outnumber the entertainment news. One of the periodicals that would pertain to our class is the SMPTE (which stands for Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) Motion Imaging Journal. Their website sums up the publication concisely, "Each issue covers a special topic including file-based workflow, compression, 3D, audio, distribution formats, advances in lighting, sustainability, digital cinema and much more." The journal is published eight times a year and every article is peer reviewed by a great board of editors. Some of the editors are affiliated with groups such as 20th Century Fox, HBO, Avid Technology Inc., and many more big names. If you are curious to look at the Motion Imaging Journal in the library the call number is 'Per TR845.S6' and it's up on the 4th floor. Found right beside the Motion Imaging Journal in the stacks is The American Cinematographer which discusses major motion pictures in theaters and the technical production for each one. I have found skimming through these is very interesting too!

Game of Shadows

      One movie that had impressed me with its detail is Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.  I remember watching it with my friends and commenting on how we take all the hard work put into making these industrial era sets and landscape for granted.  I always it funny with movies with large amounts of computer generated graphics, how so much work and money is put into designing the setting, despite it not serving a purpose more than as a backdrop.  Not that I have a problem with that though!

      What really blows me away is how the street ends after just one block and how it is actually just a green screen wall.  When I watched the movie initially I thought that they used a lot from a big movie studio like Paramount to film a long stretch of city blocks which they then decorated to look like the 1800's.  Another point I find interesting is how the cannons towards the end of the video are real, I wonder why they chose to use real weapons as opposed to building them on the computer?

Maya

I was watching my friends television show, Couples Clash, on ICTV.  It is a game show where two best friends or people dating, compete against another team by answering questions about their counterpart.  One segment had a 3D timer, in the shape of a heart, with numbers on it, that counted down every time the heart rotated.  I thought this was really cool because the heart was actually 3D with lighting and shadows and everything. I asked my friend Josh how he made the heart. He mentioned after effects and directed me towards a mutual friend that made it for him.

Having worked in After Effects for a little bit now, I am relatively sure that there is a way to make 3D models ( and since creating a light is an option for a layer, shadows and that kind of thing are definitely do able). I went and talked to Josh's friend.  Josh's friend said he used after effects a little but he also used maya. Maya is free for students and there are many tutorials online.  I am hoping to start messing around with maya soon since it works well with after effects and also because making 3D models intrigues me.  I thought it was pretty interesting that Josh also said that there aren't to many people (that he knows here) that can do after effects or maya.  It is comforting to me to know that we are learning programs that many other students do not know because I will be in L.A. next semester and knowing these things will help me get an internship, as well as a job once I graduate.

When Comics Come to Life

Last week, I explored a painting about the Boston Tea Party which took a 2D image and broke it down into layers. This week, I'd like to show you another example but go further. I present you with Coldplay's latest music video "Hurts Like Heaven".



In the video, the viewer is brought to a world where silence and grayscale is law until a few rebellious youths decide to break the norm and throw "sparks" all over town. These "sparks" are colourful and musical and they bring hope to the town. Everything seems fine until they're ambushed by the villainous Major Minus and his army stop the youths, and the viewer is left with a shot of another character named Mylo, foreshadowing events in future videos/comics.

Something to be said though about this music video is that it starts out showing the viewer that this is a comic book setting but begins to break that whenever the youths begin doing wondrous things with the "sparks" or when they are being chased. And by break I mean turn the 2D comic world into a 3D world where the camera travels through the motions of the kids.

This video was a collaborative piece from production company Passion Pictures, visual FX/animation studio Fortiche Production, Grammy-award winning British rock band Coldplay. and many other artists. I am looking forward to future videos that continue with the story and the exciting visuals.

Hurts Like Heaven is the second track off the Coldplay's fifth studio album titled Mylo Xyloto, released on October 24, 2011 by EMI.

Lap Slap App

Tomorrow I'm excited to be a part of the Park School's "Pitch It!" idea pitch session. Cody and I will be presenting a game that we developed last year that is in its prototype stages. I don't want to talk too much about it (we don't have our idea protected yet) but it is a 2D game developed in Unity, a 3D engine. I am extremely proud of the work we have put into it and truly believe that the game will be a success if it can make it to the android and mobile markets. Working on this game was my first real foray into the world of animation and motion graphics. One of the members and I worked on getting hands to animate. We began by looking for models of hands, or the assets of such, to work with and manipulate in Unity. What we found nearly blew our minds...getting hands to animate in 3D space was much more difficult than we anticipated. I'd never heard of rigging before this point and even now it sounds like an incredibly daunting task (but I really hope to get into that sort of thing). So we switched over to 2D animation, which I was just beginning to learn (and still am). My fellow art designer and I used Photoshop to construct the sprite sheets which were then loaded into the game and animated through code. It was fun and in the end I am proud of the prototype we built for the game. We hope to develop it further over the course of the year, if, i mean WHEN we are chosen by the panel of Park alumni. Here is a sneak peek screenshot of the up and coming big hit to the mobile markets: The Lap Slap App

Tangled!

Sooooooo I don't know if any of you have had to opportunity to see the Disney film Tangled, but I seriously love this movie. Tangled is the story of Rapunzel with a twist: Rapunzel was kidnapped as a baby when it was discovered by an evil witch that her hair of gold had magical properties. Her famous locks had the capability to heal injuries and restore youth and beauty when she sang a magic song. It sounds kind of weird, I'm well aware, but once you dig a little deeper into the story, it makes much more sense.

There are many things that make this film so enjoyable. The cast who voices the characters was simply perfect, led by Mandy Moore as Rapunzel and Zachary Levi (CHUCK, for those of you who might know him from the NBC comedy of the same name) as Flynn Rider, a thief who finds Rapunzel by chance and agrees to help her in her quest to go to a festival in the castle (where she doesn't know it, but she is actually the princess. Sorry I'm not sorry for that spoiler...). In addition, I thought it was pretty interesting that apart from Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, not very many of the characters actually speak. For example, Rapunzels' best friend is a chameleon named Pascual, and Flynn Rider is aided in his quest to save Rapunzel by a white horse named Maximus. Neither of these characters speak (because they're animals-DUH.) but they provide a lot of comedy in the film. The king and queen never speak either, and upon being reunited with their long-lost daughter, I think it makes all the difference to how the audience reacts to the film. You wouldn't necessarily think that an animated film would reconsider the use of voice in this way, but I personally think it makes it that much more powerful.

Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, and the chameleon, Pascual

However, I think the best part about this film, apart from the flawless animation is definitely the writing. In any animation, the story is almost always the most important aspect, and in this case that is most definitely true. Writing a film that is animated and making that film suitable and enjoyable for all ages is an admirable feat, and Tangled accomplishes this and much more.

I'd also like to take a moment to appreciate the animation of Rapunzel's hair in this film. To me, animating hair seems like a really tough job, and I feel like more recent animated films, such as The Incredibles, have done a really cool job of making hair look super realistic. In a film about a girl with super long hair, it definitely has to look as real as possible, and I think their use of animation is fantastic. It looks so realistic, as does the entire film, but I think learning about animation and then watching this film gave me a greater appreciation for how this film was made.

If you haven't seen Tangled, I highly recommend it. Even though it's a G-rated childrens movie, it's very classic disney and it will not disappoint. If you do give it a chance, let me know, I'd love to hear what you think! See you all tomorrow...

Tracking

I didn't have a whole lot this week to talk about. However, I did realize from my experience in the LA Program that the suspects cars and cop cars from CSI: NY had tags on them that said demo car and such. I was always wondering how they can cover that up with a real license plate in the actual television show. I realized it's done through tracking just like in the project we did in class with replacing and advertising sign on a taxi in New York.

Simplicity

This video includes animation and time lapse.  I love that these natural scenes are enhanced by motion graphics.  This takes something so simple and makes it even more beautiful.  After Effects does some pretty amazing things, but just utilizing a few effects can really enhance footage.

Batman Gotham Knight.

    One of my best friends is obsessed with comics so being the great friend that I am I promised him I would watch this Batman series with him this weekend. It's not that i don't like comics I just never really got that into them however this series definitely might have turned me over to the dark side.
     There are 6 fast paced unique episodes to the series and what I love most is that they all are directed and written by different industry professionals  (Writers: Josh Olson, David S Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg and Alan Burnett; Directors: Shojiro Nishimi, Futoshi Higashide, Hiroshi Morioka, Yashuhiro Aoki, Toshiyuki Kubooka, Jong-Sik Nam). This makes the series so interesting to watch. The reason being is that although there is a clear connection in between each episode within the story you really get to see how one idea (batman) being interpreted in so many ways. Its really quite beautiful and it really captures the essence of storytelling and how one story is unique to every viewer.
ENJOY

Shinedown Music Video

Staying with the theme of posting music videos, I have decided to post a lyric video for the song "Bully" by the band Shinedown. I first heard this song on the radio back home in June or so and I found it kinda catchy. I looked it up on Youtube and found this cool lyric video. I watched the video over and over again, but not because of the song, it was because I was fascinated with the graphics. Some of my favorite graphics include the flames and smoke at the :22 mark, the words that turn into a fist at the :32 mark, and how the word "bully" fades when the chorus kicks in. This effect is clearly intended to work in conjunction with the "fading memory" line. Also, I think the "push them to the dirt" graphic is cool. The "them" is pushed into the bottom of the video as a dust cloud flies up with the following words stepping on it. Again, this is being used in conjunction with the lyrics on the screen. I also think the synchronization of lyrics is perfect. The words pop up as their being sung. This must have been a tedious video to create, but I feel it was worth it. It's a great song with an even better video. Even if you don't like this type of music, I urge you to give this video a watch. It's only 4 minutes long. I think you'll survive.

Awesome Music Video

One of my favorite artists, Flying Lotus, just released his new album "Until The Quiet Comes." His music is a blend of hip-hop and electronic, with insane pulsating beats. Most of his tracks are instrumental with amazing energy just flowing out of them. He released a new music video which is all animated. Check it out.

It looks like After Effects was used in creating this video! I'm not a huge fan of performance based music videos and definitely enjoy videos made based off just the music. The video is pretty weird, but I think the visual style is so unique. Everything moves to the beat of the video. Watch the legs of the robots and how they walk. It's pretty cool to know that our class knows how to achieve this. I would really enjoy creating an animated music video just because you could do anything!

The Checkbox Effect

My last few posts have been related to movies or to music, so I feel it's time to change it up.  So today, I have decided to share a tutorial with you.  I stumbled upon this tutorial when trying to make something for my music video, and it helped a ton with what I used it for.

The tutorial is all about on and off expression combined with an expression control called checkbox.  In the tutorial they apply it to opacity to make it turn wholly off and on again.  However this will work with any kind of parameter, the possibilities are wide open here.

Ryan Boyle has many other tutorials, not just for After Effects but a few other programs as well like Maya.



After Effects On and Off Expression from Ryan Boyle on Vimeo.

Keyboard Shortcuts For Mocha

http://www.imagineersystems.com/support/Documentation/keyboard-shortcuts

The Revolution That Mattered

So some of you may know that Assassin's Creed 3, the next game from the titled series, will be coming out this month. It will feature half-English and half-Native American character Connor Kenway, an ancestor of the series' main protagonist Desmond Miles, and is set in Colonial America before, during, and after the revolutionary war where the story brings up the fact that maybe America wasn't fighting for freedom from the British but actually from Templar influence.

The reason why I want to talk about this upcoming release that has been buzzing around the video gaming world is because the marketing behind it's release is fantastic. Seriously, I've heard people get giddy over the trailers alone without ever seeing a second of gameplay. This is the Ubisoft's, the developer and producer, biggest marketing commitment in company history and even built this game to be able to be a standalone game for new people to the series. The company has even stated that in the first three weeks you could pre-order this game, they already surpassed the total pre-orders for the past two games, and the company allowed people to begin pre-ordering 7 months before the release which means that those numbers must really be staggering.

Attached below is one of the numerous videos from the marketing campaign that features a portrait of the Boston Tea Party that the camera flies into to see multiple different things from different angles, turning the 2D painting into a 3D world in itself. This choice really allows the people interested to get more flavor of the game while being submerged in the detail of the world before they could actually play and it is grand. A game that can express its story and setting using only smooth 3D animation instead of quick cuts of gameplay is really interesting and I look forward to not just playing this game when it is released but also watching more videos like this.



Assassin's Creed 3 is set to be released on October 31 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Windows PC.

Animation in The Hunger Games

A few weeks ago, the film The Hunger Games was released on DVD. Being a fan of both the books and the film, I was really excited to buy it. The best part about having it on DVD, though, was that it came with a lot of behind-the-scenes features, and I'm a total nerd for those. One of the coolest aspects of the special features, was definitely learning about how animation was used to build parts of the film.

film poster

While I'd seen the film in theaters- twice- I had never noticed just how graphics-heavy it was (which is probably a testament to how good they are). They even essentially built an entire city (the Capitol) using motion graphics. The architecture alone of the buildings is amazing, but the fact that they also had to make the gamemaker's control room almost entirely in 3D was really cool. I thought it was really interesting how nothing in that room was real except the tables and the chairs, and yet they made such a complex and detailed room.

The Control Room used by the Gamemakers

The Capitol city in the film

Overall, I think the use of animation in this film was perfect. It provided the film with enough futurism to make it seem like it was taking place in a different time and era without being over the top or overkill. If you haven't seen the film yet, I highly recommend it. I'm a big fan of Gary Ross and I think he did a beautiful job on it (apart from the abrupt ending, but we won't get into that now.)
See you all on Thursday!

Shapes to the beat

I really like the example of this video to be incorporated in my project. The elements in this video see really doable. Every time the bass hits, the square gets big and shrinks back down. And then later on they use different shapes and patterns that go to the beat of the music. Maybe I would want to take some of the shapes and place them in my own project as an overlay or something like that.

Dynamics of the Subway / Haisuinonasa (Official Video) from Keita Onishi on Vimeo.

3D Cube Tutorial

If you are having trouble with creating a 3D cube, here is the tutorial I used to figure it out!  As far as the gaps in between the solids, just play with the anchor point.

The VFX Bro Tutorials

I found this YouTube Channel that is a really cool addition to video co-pilot.  This guy shows you how to do some pretty cool stuff with clear direction.  He creates videos using different visual effects and then breaks it down for you so you can do it yourself.  His channel is broken down into After Effects Tutorials, Action Tutorials, VFX Downloads, and Cool Videos.  Below is a video that helped me catch up from the last class I missed!  Enjoy and I would highly suggest exploring the VFX Bro Channel!