We Moved!

I felt like this blog was going downhill, so in an attempt to revive it, I moved our location and went in a different direction. The new site is less art history, yada-yada-yada, and more of what I'm doing and what I'm trying to do.

Looking forward to the new direction.

Bizy Dreaming

We Moved - http://bizydreaming.wordpress.com/

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is an animation revolving around a young girl and her family moving to a new home. Before they reach their destination they are brought into a "parallel universe" showing their true character. This animation is very much about greed as well as love and kindness.

In Spirited Away the animator uses bright and vibrant colors to illustrate a surreal world, even at the colors are saying something. In Metropolis, the colors feel darker, but doesn't give off an ominous feeling. These two animations, in general, are very good examples of developed worlds and world views, unfortunate characteristics of some sorts. Animation techniques such as camera angles and panning emphasizes hierarchy or importance of one thing versus another.

Metropolis

In the movie Metropolis, the animator uses the three types of camera angles: worm's eye view, bird's eye view, and normal angle view. The use of worm's eye view within the crowd of people in the very beginning of the movie was used effectively because it makes you feel small in the midst of the larger crowd. Also in the same light, it illustrates the theme of Metropolis and the rise of the ziggurats. The animator also uses bird's eye view during the the same setting - immediately after he uses worm's eye view. The bird's eye view is an example of the rise of the ziggurats and how it will be towering over the people.

In the very beginning, just as the title appears, the animator pans out and just as it stops, a large vessel hovers over and drives into the screen. Panning in this scene was very cinematic because two opposite actions are occurring (in worm's eye view) - the screen panning outwards and the vessel driving inwards - giving you that feeling of smallness and inferiority that is reiterated throughout the movie. The opening scene reminds me of one of the scene's from the movie Independence Day, when the spaceship (U.F.O) is hovering over the White House and the rest of the East Coast.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

In Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events, three wealthy children's parents are killed in a fire at their home. When they are sent to their distant relative, Count Olaf, they find out that he is plotting to kill them and take their fortune left behind by their parents.

In the end credits of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, where most of the computer animation is done, the animator reinforces the material/content of the movie with very macabre closing. To reinforce the macabre theme throughout the movie - the animator slowly pans into the three children only the small raft while displaying the end credits. Just as the children are within a reachable distance, they are picked up by a silhoutte of their relative, Count Olaf, and shortly after they float off into the sky. The animator illustrates the children's loneiness by placing them on the raft in the middle of the ocean.

The animator also reinforces the content of the movie with the material chose for the end credits. The animator reuses desolate and macabre settings such as the cemetry, the valley the children ride their bike through, and the use of leafless trees. The animator also reuses creepy eyes throughout the ending.

Haiku - We Much Prefer Candlelight

So today didn't go as expected - I thought everything would go downhill in regards to the haikus. Everyone seems to have put in quality effort towards their individual animation, which you have to pay homage to. Even though mine was incomplete it was still successful in some ways.

For today, I was assigned to critique a animation by Chris Meyers, another classmate. He was the first to showcase his animation and I was impressed. Despite the difficulties to get his desired effects - his animation was very successful. "We Much Prefer Candlelight," was illustrated by, a matchstick lighting a candle - done in fotoshop. I really liked how the matchstick moved in towards the candle and after the candle was lit, the camera zoomed out of the scene.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed, 1926

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is based on the stories from "Arabian Nights." The evil magician enters the courts of The Great Caliph, impresses them with a magical horse, and tricks Prince Achmed into riding the flying horse. Prince Achmed is taken on adventures were he meets and falls for the Pari Banu. The entire film is animated using the silhouette technique - paper cutouts - against a tonal background.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed is one of the earliest animated films, and truly a pioneer for present animation. Currently, I am unable to make this or any animation similar to this one. The use of the limited palleted animation helps simplify the project, from my perspective, because it minimizes the detail needed to illustrate what is going on - decreases the signifcance of a background, and limits the actions of the characters to a handful.

The most recognized and contemporary animation, that comes to mind, similar to The Adventures of Prince Achmed is the iPod commericals with silhouetted characters dancing to the music. Another piece from this animation that I always see in cartoons today is the use of perspective. Even though the atmospheric perspective in the film was an artisitc decision, it is always seen in cartoons today.

Negative Space

Hans Haacke: The 9-11 Poster Project

Hans Haacke's Poster Project appeared on scaffolding's and walls throughout New York City from March 11-25, 2002. I don't recall ever seeing or actually noticing these Posters throughout the city because I was oblivious to detailed and everything other than Yugi-oh cards and video games. I was about 12 or 13.

On the 7th year anniversary of Sept. 11th, I almost forgot what today was and what happened. No intention is made to say that the event is done and over with or even minuscule because it affected me directly also. It just shows how well we (I) coped with the event. In addition, being out here in Connecticut is almost a breath of fresh air - just being away from a direct connection with the "negative space" in the city.

Personally, I think Hans Haacke's Posters effectively describe/portray Sept. 11th better than any poster or "We Will Never Forget" slogan. Such a simple design represents so many different things as did Sept. 11th. He uses the negative space as a symbol of the missing tower - that is what I saw when I first looked. When you first look, you also notice what is behind his poster. And that is where I feel he best portrayed 9-11. Everybody was simply living their lives, carrying out there day-to-day activities. I remember me and my cousin was just getting on the train at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, my brother was in class in Lower Manhattan, all my friends were still at school, and so-on.

Creative Time offers the Poster Project as a screen saver, the underlying background occupies the void. Creative Time