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.

STUDY GUIDE 2

"Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked"

camera movement analysis

This sequence is predominantly filmed in "shot, reverse shot"

Clip begins in a quick pan left, showing four clothed rodents, one of which is holding some sort of fruit.

The pan is immediately followed by a slower, shaky track right, showing the four rodents and then two more, making for a total of six rodents.

Cut to quick, shaky pan right of lush jungle foliage.

Cut to a long shot of the six rodents.  The one with the fruit hands it to a rodent wearing a red shirt in the middle of the frame.

Cut to rodent in blue shirt and glasses pulling a green cord.  The camera pans right with his movement.

Cut to shot which is reverse of the last.  Now an apparently female rodent in a pink skirt is pulling an identical green cord in the opposite direction.  Camera pans left with her movement.

Cut to medium shot of jungle foliage and what appears to be a human figure behind a large plant.

Cut to long shot of rodent in red holding the fruit against the green cord as a sort of sling shot.  The rodents holding the cord are not in frame.  The three remaining rodents are on opposite sides of the rodent in red, with fearful expressions.  The rodent in red releases the fruit and stumbles backward as the fruit flies toward over the camera.

Cut to medium shot of woman emerging from foliage.  As she comes into full view, the fruit strikes her on the forehead.  The women puts her palm to her forehead and exclaims in pain.

Cut to high angle shot of rodents huddling together in fear.  The woman's exclamations are heard in the background.

Cut back to medium shot of woman.  Her hand is still on her forehead, but she is now speaking and rocking back and forth.  Camera tilts and pans slightly to adjust the frame as the subject is moving.

Cut to medium group shot of rodents looking up at the woman (she is off screen at the moment).

Cut back to woman, who is beginning to calm down.  She lowers her hand, puts down her bag, and begins to approach the rodents.

Cut to over-shoulder shot from behind the woman.  Her left side is out of focus in the right side of the frame, and the camera tracks forward, tilts up, and cranes down to follow her steps forward.  As she kneels, the rodents scurry up a rock that was behind them the whole time.

Cut to reverse shot from behind rodents.  As the woman is kneeling and the rodents are climbing the rock, the camera tracks forward towards the woman (the rodents are now out of focus).

Cut to long shot of all six rodents speaking to the woman.  

Cut to medium shot of woman responding to rodents.

Cut back to long shot of rodents.  The rodents arrange themselves for a dance number, and the camera makes a small, shaky pan left to center the group of rodents in the frame.

Cut back to medium shot of woman watching rodents with a surprised expression.

Cut back to over the shoulder shot from behind woman.  The rodents are now singing and dancing.  They are well choreographed.  The group is not quite centered.  They are offset slightly to the left side of the frame.  The frame is balanced out by the left side of the woman's head on the right side of the frame.  As the rodents perform,  the camera tracks forward and tilts down until the woman's head is completely out of the frame and the rodents are more centered.

Cut to medium close-up of woman as the rodents are still performing off-screen.  She looks confused.

Cut back to long shot of the rodents, who are still performing.

Cut to medium shot of woman, who interrupts the rodents.

Cut to long shot of rodents, who have stopped performing.  The rodent in the pink skirt begins conversing with the woman.

Cut to medium shot of woman, who responds to the inquiries of the pink-skirt-wearing rodent. 

Cut to medium shot of rodent in glasses and blue shirt, who was pulling the green cord earlier.  The camera is shaky to stimulate a sense of panic.

Cut to long shot of all six rodents.  The rodent in the pink skirt is responding violently to the woman's statement, and grabs another rodent's collar as an impulse.

End sequence.

STUDY GUIDE 1

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 2

screenshot analysis

We are presented with a high angle two-shot which focuses on two small dogs.  The dog on the left is a light brown, with dark eyes and a black nose.  It is wearing a hat and what seems to be a tuxedo with a pink corsage.  The dog's legs are short, and this characteristic is emphasized by the large cuffs on the tuxedo jacket.  His ears are large, as well as his eyes.  All of these physical characteristics suggest that the dog is a chihuahua.  The dog on the left has white fur, dark eyes, and a black nose.  This dog's ears are smaller than those of the first.  The dog on the right appears to be a chihuahua like the one on the left.  The white dog is wearing a white dress which resembles a bridal gown.  It is also wearing a tiara and veil.  The bridal gown seems to be a better fit than the tuxedo is for the other dog.  Both dogs draw equal amounts of attention, as they occupy roughly the same space.  A small bit of the white dog's gown is cut out of the frame.  The camera is tilted down for a higher-angle shot, making the dogs seem smaller and diminutive.  The dogs are presumably in  a church.  Directly behind them, one sees a drop, representing a step up to the altar.  The dogs are in focus, and the foreground and background are not.  in the background one sees an aisle lined with pink and white flowers.  In the foreground, one sees part of the leg of a person encroaching on the left side of the frame.  The dogs are well-lit.  The brown dog is in a darker light compared to the white dog, however nothing is obscured by darkness.  The strongest light is on the right side of the white dog, making the white gown seem all the more brilliant.  On the opposite side of the shot, the left side of the brown dog is more shaded.  Overall the brown dog is a darker entity when compared to the white dog, due to colors and lighting.  The dogs' expressions are different.  The white dog appears to be looking at something or someone off camera, and does not appear phased by its situation.  The brown dog looks a good deal more somber.  The shape of its eyes and its posture imply feelings of discomfort and shame.

THIS IS REALITY.

lol no



I am not a fan of reality television, and THIS IS WHY.
ABC's "The Bachelor" is quite terrible, in my opinion.  I shudder at the fact that some people out there might actually think that this is "reality."  I feel bad for those people.
While the editing and quality of this series are definitely of a professional degree, what bothers me is the substance and what the show claims to be.  Like I said, I feel bad for those people who are fooled into believing that this is legitimate.  The directors and editors manipulate the situations and magnify conflicts in a very efficient manner.  But seriusly, OMG, the drama is liek waaayyyy crazay.
But, one cannot even justify considering what "actually happened."  You may find yourself thinking, "I bet the conflict between Amber and Ashley wasn't that serious; When you think about it Brad just talked to Ashley more.  Amber probably wasn't that upset, the editing just makes it look like that."  But then immediately after that you realize, "This is an incredibly stupid show about an incredibly stupid concept called polygamy.  It deserves no thought beyond that which I just provided."
It is, in truth, an incredibly stupid concept.  Take fifteen women, "Hey, you seem like an attractive young lady with a relatively promising future.  Would you like date a complete stranger while he is also dating a dozen other women like you?  If you win, you get to marry him!"And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is REALITY television.
It should still be taken into consideration that the people who made this series may actually be super geniuses, seeing what thousands of americans instinctually want in a television series (yes, tv is now human instinct), and exploiting all that in one endless, mindless series.  Kudos to the network to successfully dragging this show through, what, 16 seasons, now?
I would hope that the people behind "The Bachelor"are just in it to milk it dry; and know that what they are making is tv junk (who isn't ;D).  I mean, even though it lacks any substance or trace of meaning, I would totally accept a job from this show, just for the necessary funds for life.  of course there is no way I could spend my entire career on the set of the show with the most rapid brain cell rate of decay.  I would say that at  a maximum, I might be able to spend six months working for them.  And even then I could just barely live with myself.
So all television is basically just a distraction for people to escape momentarily.  Kind of like a mental mini-vacation that lasts thirty minutes to an hour.  Sometimes, you just go somewhere fun, like disney world (those are cartoons). Sometimes, you go to a halfway decent resort (these are sitcoms and dramas). Sometimes you just want to sit on a park bench and read the paper (this is watching the news).  Shows like the one up top however, are like spending a night in a really crappy motel just so you don't have to clean up after yourself.

NEW Mocumentary plan

MOCUMENTARY

For the next project, I will make a participatory mocumentary.  The story will focus on a boy, possibly me, who is making a documentary about a popular videogame that he does not like.

The game, called “Skyrim,” is supposedly a really big deal, but the main character does not see why it is so special.  His friends keep trying to convince him to play it, but he will not give in.  The main character will make a participatory documentary about his experiences before, during, and after playing Skyrim.

One of the friends lets the main character borrow his copy of Skyrim, and bets 40 dollars that that he will like it.

The majority of the second half of the film is comprised of a sort of video diary.  Everyday, the main character records himself playing the game for a little bit.

At first, he is not impressed by the game, however as the days increase, he becomes obsessed to a dangerous degree. 

As the days pass, he goes to greater measures to obsess over the game.  He barricades himself in the basement, blocks out all windows, and severs himself from the outside world entirely.

Things start to go wrong: the electricity goes out, he runs out of food, the television starts affecting his eyesight.  Everything that could go wrong does go wrong.

The dialogue will be largely improvisational, however since there are not many scenes with any characters besides me, this should not be too much of a problem.  I will be the main character, since this is a participatory mocumentary. 

Here is a brief script draft for the scene with dialogue.  These are just points that will be covered, for the most part it will be improvisational.  Some ideas for the video diary (before things start going bad) are also included.

Jacob: I just don’t think it looks that great.  I don’t know why people are flipping out about it. 

Friend: Dude, you’re crazy. It is actually the best game I have ever played.

Jacob: I‘ve seen videos; its glitchy as hell and the graphics are like the Atari.

Friend: are you kidding me?

Jacob: I know its open world and I guess that’s cool, but it just doesn’t look that stellar. It definitely does not deserve all the hype.

Friend: All right, that is not acceptable.  I will drag you into this store, take a copy of Skyrim, and shove it in your mouth, just so you will play it.

Jacob: So you will buy me a game that I don’t even want?

Friend: No way I’m not spending sixty dollars on you.

Jacob: well I’m not either

Friend: All right.  How about this. I lend you my game for a week, and if you like it, give me forty dollars.

Jacob: All right, and since I won’t like it, what happens then?

Friend: your choice.

Day 1

All right lets do this. Skyrim.

Bethesda blab la don’t really care

All right lets sit through this ten-minute cut scene.

Whoa that’s like some freaky cat-person.  All right lets make him even weirder WHOA you can give him a mohawk

Wow this is boring.

Bla bla dragon burning my face. Save me bla bla.

Day 2

Aaa skyrim suckssssss

Shoot fire from my hands thbpth

Okay and there is a elephant chasing me  aaaand I’m dead.

KOYAAAAAAAAAANISQATSIIIIIIIII

When introduced to Koyaanisqatsi, I was expecting a more traditional nature-against-modern-man sort of documentary.  I thought that it may be something like the Planet Earth series, with narration over impressive shots of nature.  Needless to say, my expectations were a bit off.  While watching the film, it became more and more clear that this is a very unique work.  I have never seen anything quite like Koyaanisqatsi.  Some may say it is not a documentary at all.

Koyaanisqatsi is in someways very similar to the Planet Earth series, with the extreme wide shots of various natural and unnatural environments.  However it is very different, considering its lack of narration and the very slow pace.  The beginning of the film was, in my opinion, the only boring part.  There were interesting ideas, such as showing the parallels in the ocean and the clouds, and all of the shots were very beautiful, but there was not enough variation.  After a few very slow minutes, the monotony of deserts and the, the ocean, and clouds started to get to me.

I most enjoyed the shots of industry and human "civilization."  A few shots stand out to me in particular, such as the jumbo jets swimming through the mirage.  The images of people and the things they have created somehow dehumanized people themselves.  Set to the ominous music, the civilization shots were unsettling and almost creepy.

In my opinion, Koyaanisqatsi is more of an experimental film than documentary.  Unlike most documentary films, Koyaanisqatsi does not deliberately feed information to the viewer.  As a documentary, this film would require too much inference.  As an experimental film, I don't think that there are many better than this.  Koyaanisqatsi delivers a meaningful message through a structure comprised of incredible visuals and a very powerful musical score.