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Monday 21 December 2015

Personal Work : Strictly Inspired



Since I`ve been watching a lot of Strictly Come Dancing I decided to draw some of the poses since a lot of the dynamic poses along with the music is beautiful to look at. I took reference from the Paso Doble and the Argentine Tango which are two of my favorite dances :D .




Friday 11 December 2015

Space Oddities : Only God Forgives (2013)


Jumping ahead to Nicolas Winding Refn`s Only God Forgives (2013), a modern horror film
following the same footsteps as
Suspiria (1977) with mixed reviews due to its artistic view on the genre. Using the same colour theory and contrast in their scenes, Only God Forgives uses strong red, blue and yellow tones to create a dangerously sensuous atmosphere where instead of using red just for bloodshed, most of the time it is used to describe the lust and sexual atmosphere within the strip clubs or in the wrestling ring when Julian is going to get beaten by the cop. Overall, this film although having minimal plot was quite interesting to look at, where unlike Suspiria the soundtrack didn`t make the horror a terror for the audience.

Refn said, "Emotionally, our artistic expression consists of sex or violence. It all boils down to those two pure emotions that we have." (Ebert 2013) 

As far as that quote goes , the film conveys the message quite well , with these two emotions being all the characters seem to experience whether it`s talking about sex or sexual scenes being shown on the screen , it is always that or someone being brutally murdered. Although the message can wear thin as far as conveying it, Refn does this well.

“It is Chang who glides through the film with mysterious precision and ambiguity, calm and ruthless in his capacity for aggression, and for enforcing his own kind of natural justice on his own turf. Is he an avenger who punishes people – for seeking revenge? He could be a Zen master whose lifelong vocation is payback against payback, and whose students graduate with the loss of a limb. He could be a kind of black hole, drawing violent people in, nullifying them, cauterising them. Or perhaps he is just a Machiavellian figure with an instinctive gift for attracting and manipulating violence itself.” (Bradshaw 2013)

Although Chang may be seen as ruthless in his technique, his role in the film could be split between the villain and the hero. He avenges those who have been murdered yet at the beginning he toys with the victim, letting the one who murdered get killed by an `innocent` man who in fact has wronged indirectly. Although not the man’s fault, this still results in murder which argues he let the man walk into the slaughterhouse. Although linked to the violence and an avenger , there are parts of the film where one could argue his karaoke singing scenes are angelic and he could be classed as an `Angel of Death` with the other police officers being his disciples admiring him.

Moving onto Julian and his relationship with his mother, compared to previous films having been reviewed, instead of the female being the victim of relationships the male switches to this role in this film. Where his mother although caring treats her son as a tool in her plans to
avenge those who killed her `favourite` son. Insulting him freely and letting her treat him as if a servant , lighting up her cigarettes , killing anyone she wishes and sitting there while she insults him sexually and degrading any part of pride he may have. Although the mother has been listed as a godmother to the mafia , not only he acts this way with her ,but, when visiting the prostitute Mai,it is said his favourite act is to be tied up which suggests to his submissive nature.

Overall this film although subtly artistic was a simple film in the terms of plot , the scenery and set design set the atmosphere well, however, when sex and murder become the two main factors for this film the film gets slightly tiring and can become slightly repetitive. Overall the film was an enjoyment to watch and what was artistic of it was enjoyed thoroughly.

Bibliography :

Fig 1 (2013) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/Only_God_Forgives_poster.jpg


Fig 2 (2013) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://screenmusings.org/movie/blu-ray/Only-God-Forgives/images/Only-God-Forgives-082.jpg


Fig 3 (2013) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2013/09/writings-from-the-holy-texan/his-mother-s-voice-only-god-forgives-feminism.html

(Ebert , R 2013) Only God Forgives http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/only-god-forgives-2013

(Bradshaw, P 2013) Only God Forgives Review http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/01/only-god-forgives-review


What If!Metropolis : Matte Painting GIF + Final Matte Painting



Space Oddities : The Shining (1980)



Despite The Shining (1980) being a well-known on the internet, the quote `Here’s Johnny` has made the film a phenomenon. The Shining; directed by Stanley Kubrick has become a classic film which is a staple within the horror genre in modern culture. The reasons behind this include the convincing acting by Jack Nicholson, where he plays the part of a psychopathic madman of a husband who gets driven insane by the terror house. The soundtrack screeching within the audiences ears, so much so the suspense is unbearable. Kubrick does this well in both The Shining and 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968), he knows how to drag out a scene to unbearable lengths which makes some scenes terrifying just by playing the soundtrack and drawing out the chase as long as possible. 

The set design in this film , despite not being as obvious as Suspiria (1977) in terms of colour palette ,The Shining brings subtlety within it`s set where hints of red creep into Danny’s visions and as the hotel becomes more obviously corrupt. Along with the red, the hexagonal geometry in the carpet design give the impression of an invisible cage in which Danny sits in the middle of. The idea of this hotel being a cage is a consistent theme in this film , where the rooms seem to be an endless labyrinth of nightmares locked away and whenever you go down one corridor the next is exactly the same. Making the audience think there is no escape, just corridors with no end. One may also think this could be a metaphor for the madness the hotel inflicts, where the corridors are a cycle and the more times the cycle continues then the madder the family is driven.

“The movie is not about ghosts but about madness and the energies it sets loose in an isolated situation primed to magnify them. Jack is an alcoholic and child abuser who has reportedly not had a drink for five months but is anything but a "recovering alcoholic." When he imagines he drinks with the imaginary bartender, he is as drunk as if he were really drinking, and the imaginary booze triggers all his alcoholic demons, including an erotic vision that turns into a nightmare.” – (Ebert 2006)

The paranormal in this film is left ambiguous, where the hotel is powered by an unknown force and it leaves the audience perplexed as to if this is really the family going crazy
through isolation? Or if there is something more sinister at work. The paranormal would explain the bizarre events that happen in the film, however, especially at the end where Jack is shown in the photograph 50 years prior, this gets harder to explain. 

“ Here is the deletion, reported by the critic Tim Dirks: "A two-minute explanatory epilogue was cut shortly after the film's premiere. It was a hospital scene with Wendy talking to the hotel manager; she is told that searchers were unable to locate her husband's body."

If Jack did indeed freeze to death in the labyrinth, of course his body was found -- and sooner rather than later, since Dick Hallorann alerted the forest rangers to serious trouble at the hotel. If Jack's body was not found, what happened to it? Was it never there? Was it absorbed into the past, and does that explain Jack's presence in that final photograph of a group of hotel partygoers in 1921? Did Jack's violent pursuit of his wife and child exist entirely in Wendy's imagination?” – (Ebert 2006)

"You have always been the caretaker," Grady suggests menacingly. The evil may have always been there in Jack, The Overlook merely awakened it.” (Nathan, 2012). If this is true then this theory poses the question: If every person who takes the job as caretaker has always been the caretaker , are those accepted evil in some way to begin with? Or does the hotel implant the evil inside them? Or maybe those who hire the caretakers in on what the hotel actually is? Do they know who is evil and who is good and know who are capable or killing those they love?

Overall, despite the influence on popular culture to the point this film is classed as a classic horror, The Shining lives up to its expectation of being a horror that inflects terror within the audience, with convincing yet slightly theatrical acting from Jack Nicholson. Along with including a mystery filled plot, this film still lives on now with people still trying to figure out the mysteries behind the secrets in one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Bibliography : 

Fig 1 (1980) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 http://ambinet.pl/film/plakat/1714/shining_the.htm

Fig 2 (1980) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=69152

(Nathan , I 2012) The Shining Review : http://www.empireonline.com/movies/shining-2/review/

(Ebert , R 2006) Great Movie : The Shining : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-shining-1980

Space Oddities : Repulsion (1965)



Roman Polenski`s Repulsion (1965), is a horror which one would say is a horror where the audience has no idea what is happening. Reality and hallucinations mix in this film to depict a quiet salon worker, who has a horrendous fear of men. When her sister leaves town she

slowly begins to go insane, where the walls crack around her, hands grab at her from walls and she hallucinates herself being molested. This all results in murder and the audience is left unknown as to if she gets better from her mental state, nor is it explained why she has such malefic visions.

“This subtlety is characteristic of the structure and realization throughout. Mr. Polanski builds a towering drama with a skilful mesh of incidental stimuli. The dressed carcass of a rabbit on a platter becomes a monstrous symbol as the picture goes along. Small cracks in the walls of the apartment flow into crunching indicators of the heroine's crumbling mind.”- (Crowther, 1965)

When it comes to mental health in this film, one common theory when it comes to why she behaved the way she did was because of a childhood incident. Where it`s believed she was molested by a male adult figure and sparked her fear of men in particular and why she
doesn`t like them anywhere near her. Proof of this is inside the film where they look back at photographs, the main character (as a child) is shown glaring up specifically at a male figure, probably the culprit. 

Around the time this film was set during the sixties, mental health was an ambiguous thing slowly being revealed to the public where medication was not as developed nor did people entirely believe it was as serious as it was. This is shown in the sister’s behaviour where her boyfriend believes something is wrong with her and she should see a doctor, but, her sister immediately takes offence by it and denies it entirely. This may be because of how mental disease thought you weren`t right in the head, how you were seriously sick or not normal. This could be how her sister although caring for (her) cares a lot for her pride and appearance (as seen by near every seen we see her she is applying makeup or going to a social event.) It is not until the end where the consequences catch up we see the sister finally slightly accept that something is wrong and her sister cannot control the behaviour.

“The nightmare she creates for herself is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen in the cinema: the way scenes will end with bizarre hallucinations and jolts; the "assault" scene played out to the amplified ticking clock; the sudden, giant cracks she imagines on switching on a light” – (Bradshaw,2013)

Overall this film is a twist on mental health, where the audience can see the twist of mental health and how it distorts ones point of view on the world. Although dark and the acting wasn’t as convincing as some performances , the message and artistic view of this film is spectacular as the visuals make the audience believe she is seeing these hallucinations and make them seem as if they are real . As a final quote to sum up the beautifully made tragedy in this film, Bosley Crowther quotes “It is also a haunting adumbration of a small but piercing human tragedy, and it is almost a perfect specimen of a very special cinema-sound technique.” (Crowther , 1965)

Bibliography : 

Fig 1 (1965) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Repulsion_(1965_film_poster).jpg

Fig 2 (1965) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 https://blog.blcklst.com/2015/10/31-days-of-feminist-horror-films-repulsion/

Fig 3 (1965) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2044-one-scene-repulsion

(Crowther , B 1965) Repulsion (1965)  http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1739E471BC4C53DFB667838E679EDE

(Bradshaw , P 2013) Repulsion - Review http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/03/repulsion-review

Art Of : The City of Orabelle


Thursday 10 December 2015

What If!Metropolis : Crit Presentation


What If! Metropolis : Progression (Wireframe , base model , UV , UV + Light , Occlusion + Final Render)






What If! Metropolis : Final Render


Although the lighting on the church in the background has gone slightly strange , I am pleased with the outcome. Through the process I`ve learned a lot about lighting and when to calm it down when it comes to contrast lighting. I feel as if this relates quite a bit to my concept art and am pleased with the final outcome.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Life Drawing 2/12/15




What If Metropolis : Texture Update

After laying down the initial textures, I realised I didn`t have the Mental Ray plugin installed on my laptop which is why my render wasn`t coming out smooth . So far I feel as if the scene is rather empty and could do with some more buildings , I am also thinking of adding a ring around the trees to distinguish the fact that the trees are not growing out of cobblestones. 

What If Metropolis : Lighting WIP

Taking inspiration from the sunset and romantic tutorials , I used yellows and pinks to achieve soft lighting and used blue for the shadows. I wanted quite contrasting shadows but with soft warm lighting to give a friendly light atmosphere to the scene. I`m also going to add more lanterns as where my scene ends the lanterns are cut short.

Tuesday 8 December 2015

What If Metropolis : Matte Painting , Compositions , Tree UV and Lighting Test






After finally completing my UVs I wanted to experiment with lighting , I knew I wanted a strong point light coming from inside the tree ,however, I feel the area light behind is to strong and the shadows are to strong on the tree as well ,so, I will be fixing those . So far I`m getting the basics of the light done and also adding in the lanterns, as well as settling on a composition for my final render. 

Any suggestions for compositions I will be greatful as I am slightly struggling with the fact I feel my buildings are overcrowding the scene slightly and I feel it is slightly top heavy.


Sunday 6 December 2015

What If! Metropolis : Texture Painting

Buildings Base

Pathway

Lantern

Church Base

Stained Glass

Vine


I used the finding a base image and painting over it technique for the majority of these textures : Apart from the stained glass window . I will be working at a larger scale next time when it comes to the final stained glass texture , this time I wanted to test with the pattern and colour scheme to see how they work together. Looking back at my Production Art I also realised I had forgotten a window in the church ,so, I`ll go back and add that in.

Saturday 5 December 2015

What If Metropolis : UV Mapping




I`ve started UVing my models , however, despite this being a struggle at first I feel as if I`ve slightly gained better knowledge when it comes to UVing. This being said , I`m still unsure if I`ve done it correctly ,so, I appreciate any feedback if I have done any part wrong.


Thursday 3 December 2015

What If Metropolis : Lantern Progress


What If! Metropolis : Buildings WIP





Tree Building (Remade : Window Added, Roots Added + Top Filled)


Lower Class Building 1 (Window spacing adjusted, Vines added , side decorations shaped)


Lower Class Building 2  (Windows + back plane added)

To do : Finish Buildings (Windows + Vine decorations)
-Model Lanterns



@Simon @Alan Smoothing problem?


When I was cutting out the windows in my tree , I used the extrude tool and then used the edge loop tool to make sure it didn`t collapse,however, when I finished these strange curves appeared around my windows. The windows maintained their shape but these curves still appeared. Are they a problem and should they be fixed?