Muzzle Flash effects tutorial

This tutorial is for a gunshot effect done entirely in final cut express.  Even though it describes a specific result, it explains many different techniques and effects that can be used on their own.

 When browsing the youtubes, most examples of stop motion have little to no story and are made to focus on the animation.  I'm not saying this is a bad thing, in fact it is rather GOOD.  When I look for stop motion videos on youtube, I am almost always looking for something that is short, good quality, and fun to watch.  I enjoy looking at the technical aspects and wondering how things were done.  A good example of that type of video would be the artist/filmmaker/channel "PES".  ANYWAY I am not analyzing those at the moment, so I will stop talking about them.  HERE. this short film is called "Zero."

This is a brilliant example of an animation driven by narrative. There is an interesting Combining of material characters and sets with computer generated environments.  Despite the "virtual interference," the stop motion animation is not detracted from.  The film is so narrative based, that I found myself forgetting about the animation completely at points.  The story is sweet and thought provoking; except for the ending.  I thought that part was a little weird.

The uploader states in the comments that the yarn figures were 20 cm tall.  They were most likely likely shot on their little sets and front of little green screens (for the exteriors and backgrounds).  I think the mouths of the yarn people are animated, since the strands that overlap their mouths do not twitch between frames.  At first I thought that they might have been using construction paper mouths, but then I decided otherwise, as their movement under the string was too clean.

It seems that yarn people are becoming very popular.  A full length movie was release in the past couple of years titled "9."  That movie was based on a 9 minute computer animated short film about yarn people with numbers on their chests (!) in a post-apocalyptic fallout setting.  To me, it seems a little too similar to  "Zero."  Also, as I was searching for a video to share, I came across two other animations about yarn-beings.  Coincidence? I think not.  Youtube is obviously corrupt.

Response to the Response(s)

     After watching and listening to these reports from other sources, I am much more confident in my opinion of the whole "KONY 2012" fiasco.  The address from the Prime Minister of Uganda was the most influential.  Here we are given information directly from the source, with no flashy media styling to distract from the point of the video.  This video is so simple, I think recording is a more fitting word.  This man seems very level headed and looks to be the perfect mediator for the situation: He understands the good will of Jason Russel, his video, and Invisible children, and he knows (or ought to know) what is going on in the country which he represents.  I am glad to know that the topic is being challenged and that it is not just mindlessly accepted by everybody who has seen the documentary.  It has now been proven that the video did in fact have flaws concerning misinformation.   But instead of tearing down the video and everything that it stands for, this may reinforce the meaning of "KONY 2012."  I think that identifying the issues in the video makes it much easier to take it seriously. The way I see it, the problems with the video can now be addressed, and I will be able to stand behind behind the cause with confidence.

Kony essay

                 The case of the KONY 2012 fundraiser documentary perplexes me.  This is the first time I’ve seen the video.  The topic has been out in the open for a very long time now, and there are mixed feelings towards the video’s authenticity and content.  Due to the incredible publicity this issue has gained, and what I have already heard about it, I found it difficult to watch the video from an objective point of view.  I understand the good cause that this video stands for, however I am very skeptical of it as a whole.

            From a technical standpoint, this is a professional-grade documentary.  That was apparent from the beginning, with the opening sequence of the globe.  The visual and sound quality throughout is very good, and there were hundreds of actors/participants.  Some very fancy computer graphics were used, such as the 3-D snapshots of Joseph Kony.  Filming for this documentary must have taken hundreds to thousands of hours, taking into account the international variety of locations.  Considering all of these factors, it leads one to believe that a hefty price tag was necessary for production.

            That said, I found myself spending a good deal of time questioning the video and wondering where the information came from.  I felt like the film was trying to manipulate the audience.  Of course it is obviously meant to manipulate, because it is a fundraiser, but I also felt like the video was claiming to be a source of irrefutable evidence in itself.  The video appeared to be aimed at those who would not question what they were told, and even worse, appeared as though nothing need be questioned in the first place.  Very few resources were cited in the monologue; it was comprised mostly of repetition.  The entire monologue was drastically one-sided,  I know nothing of Joseph Kony except for wahat he looks like and what he does, or is accused of doing.  Kony’s name was drilled into the viewers’ minds, but there was nothing to back it up.  For all I learned from this video, Kony could be fake.  If somebody made another video of equal quality saying that Kony was a good guy, I wouldn’t know who to believe, due to Jason Russel’s lack of apparent credentials.  I already don’t know who to believe, as the video has already received so much backlash.  

A Recipe for Cult Classic: "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World"

I have never seen a movie quite like "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World."  While at first glance it seems like the average teen action/romance/comedy movie that was just made to look pretty and make money, after actually WATCHING it, it really is quite different than expected (at least it was for me).

"Scott Pilgrim vs the World" is based on a graphic novel series.  The film is made of the raw stuff of alternative pop culture.  Every aspect of the movie is highly stylized to mimic videogames and comic books.  What "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" does to set it apart from all of the hollywood "fluff" movies that are nothing besides big booms and special effects (*ahem* transformers), is how it truly does connect to the viewers within its target audience.

The stylized nature of this movie is enough to make it a cult classic.  The story seems to take place within two overlapping worlds simultaneously: the dull, boring, but comfortable world of Toronto, Canada (where Scott Pilgrim lives), and the very bright, loud, colorful videogame-inspired world that seems to follow Scott's girlfriend, Ramona Flowers.  The electronic style of the film is what makes it difficult to place within a genre.  At first I thought it was action, but as I thought about it a bit more, I began to feel like I was watching a musical.  This may be a very odd comparison (I thought it was at first), but I couldn't help analyzing the idea.  In musicals, at seemingly random parts, characters break into song spontaneously, often times very well choreographed with random strangers in public.  An elaborate dance number ensues, and afterwards, everyone goes along as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.  In the case of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," take the same idea, and replace the elaborate dance numbers with intense, action-and-electronic-effect-packed fight scenes.  The same principles of bystanders not noticing anything out of the ordinary still apply, except instead of tap dance duets that they do not notice, it's super crazy flying kung fu moves, floating level bars, an arcade announcer, and superpowers.

The innumerable references to videogames and other aspects of geek culture make this movie something that many will treasure for years to come.  There are dozens of "inside jokes" that may confuse some viewers (if you don't get it, you shouldn't be watching this movie).  The references to "The Legend of Zelda," vague videogame facts, and hipsters make the target audience of young adults and teenagers feel noticed.  The writers clearly knew how to get into the heads of young people and find what they really care about.  And to top it all off, the stylized effects and and clever references are all tied together by a brilliant screenplay that is absolutely perfect in its imperfections.  The dialogue is exceptionally believable, filled with half sentences, fake words, and nod towards not really caring for grammar in the nicest way possible, which is a key characteristic to the masses of today's youth.  

All in all, "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is a perfect formula for a cult classic that is sure to relate to any person within its target audience of young, hip people who don't want to be called "hip."

Poem project plan

Muriel Rukeyser: Night Feeding

Deeper than sleep but not so deep as death


I lay there dreaming and my magic head


remembered and forgot. On first cry I


remembered and forgot and did believe.


I knew love and I knew evil:


woke to the burning song and the tree burning blind,


despair of our days and the calm milk-giver who


knows sleep, knows growth, the sex of fire and grass,


renewal of all waters and the time of the stars


and the black snake with gold bones.



Black sleeps, gold burns; on second cry I woke


fully and gave to feed and fed on feeding.


Gold seed, green pain, my wizards in the earth


walked through the house, black in the morning dark.


Shadows grew in my veins, my bright belief,


my head of dreams deeper than night and sleep.


Voices of all black animals crying to drink,


cries of all birth arise, simple as we,


found in the leaves, in clouds and dark, in dream,


deep as this hour, ready again to sleep.

So for the poem project, I will be taking a more psychological approach.

I will base the video on the above poem- “Night Feeding,” written by Muriel Rukeyser.

The movie will be either predominantly or entirely in black and white.

The video will follow a girl at the end of the day.  She is about to go to bed.

The “narration” that is the poem will begin as she is falling asleep.  This will mark a sort of transition between the real world and her subconscious.

When her eyes close and she is clearly asleep, a figure appears next to the bed.

This figure wears all black clothing, however its head and hands are covered in old bandages. 

This character follows the girl through the house but she does not seem to notice it.

It is unclear who or what the figure is.  He seems to be some sort of burden that she has come to live with.

            Filming will take place next weekend at my Aunt’s home.  It is a very old farmhouse, and the location of the “predictability” video (the one with the dogs).

The mystery figure will be an actor wearing a costume.  I will make the costume over the course of this week.

STUDY GUIDE 3

THE ADVENTURES OF SHARKBOY AND LAVAGIRL

Cinematography Analysis

1.) In the end of the film, the boy leaves the dark, scary dream world and returns to his boring, normal life in the real world in pursuit of the main antagonist.

2.) The boy makes his own decision to follow the villain, demonstrating confidence and courage that he did not have at the beginning of the film.

3.) When he leaves the dream world, it is rather tranquil.  The boy and his friends are considering the issue at hand while on some sort of platform floating in space.

4.) When he enters the real world, he is surrounded by chaos.  There is a tornado, the classroom has been ripped open, and everyone is screaming.

5.) CONCLUSION:  Before entering the dream world of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, the boy was unhappy, and although life was dull, it was still overwhelming at times.  When he entered the dream world, he was overwhelmed and scared as well, however he had no choice but to adapt.  Through his experiences in the dream world, the boy discovered that reality can often be more chaotic and dangerous than anything else one could imagine.  In the real world, he saw that fear and chaos can indeed be overcome, and that one need only trust in oneself to reach a goal.