Entertainment Design Week 2
18.1.2018 // Week 2
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Entertainment Design
Lecture/Tutorials:
The lecturer started off the week by discussing concept art and its applications in the entertainment industry, as well as VFX and the animation pipeline. Concept art is visual storytelling, and is not as simple as coming up with drawings of characters or settings. Oftentimes, the concept artist is also juggling photomanipulation, framing, perspective, interiors, materials, and industrial design, among others within a single piece. Most of the concept artists draw throughout film production, as they are crucial in providing the visuals that help the entire production team work towards the same cinematic vision. We also looked at mise-en-scène, which essentially refers to the arrangement of everything that appears within the frame, from the actors, lighting, décor, props, to the costume.
We then delved into the role of motion graphics in the film and TV industry and discussed the difference between motion graphics and animation. It was inspiring to see the motion graphics by pioneers such as Saul Bass and Maurice Binder, as well as the more contemporary designs such as those seen on MTV. Personally, I'm quite interested in the cinematic, rather abstract qualities of film and TV title sequences. So I looked up a few videos online that study the qualities of good film/TV title sequences.
Today, the lines between motion design and animation are continuously being blurred. Although animation and motion graphics seem to belong in the same category, a key difference lies in its purpose. Animation films aim to tell stories and are character-driven, whereas motion graphics focus on advertising and promoting a brand. And it is this aspect of commercialisation that distinguishes it from animation.
Assignment Progress:
I started out with some sketches, whilst looking around for ideas on how to make the poster more interactive and interesting (lol). I considered everything from metallic ink printing, lunar calendars, to unconventional poster sizes and shapes (my lecturers screamed/squawked at that one). So I toned it down a little and will be working on a retro, surreal collage poster. Naturally, Méliès will be the focal point of the poster, with fantastical creatures and beings from his films bursting out into the foreground. I'm just hoping to hit that right balance of magic, fantasy, wonder, and weirdness.
I've also started compiling some visual references (my favourite part of any project), including vintage posters, videos, and patterns. I want to capture the look and feel of the videos I've featured here, and the Coldplay video below is supposed to be reference for the moving collages in the movie poster. I'm trying to incorporate some elements of AR, but I doubt I have much time left.
Some more visual references, such as the L'Illustration 'Noel' cover (1896/97) by Alphonse Mucha and the sheet music cover designed by Eugène Grasset for Jules Massenet's "Enchantement". The colours, type, and composition make me want to cry.
Research Question:
Filmmaking is a craft, what are the stages involved from beginning till end and how does it differ between live action and animated films?
Filmmaking is, as the name suggests, the process of making a film, which involves several stages. The main stages of film production are the same between a live action and an animated film, but there are slight differences in the way the script and film content is treated.
Development of the film comes first, where a concept from an existing play, book, movie, or an original idea is conceived and eventually turned into a script. A film distributor may be consulted early on to assess the likely market and financial success of the film. Once the screenplay is prepared, the film is pitched to potential financiers, directors, and actors. When a pitch is approved, and contracts with relevant parties have been signed, the film may proceed into pre-production. Structurally, there is no difference between a screenplay for an animated movie and a live-action movie. But because the very nature of animated films make them a much more visual medium than live action films, the script for an animated film will need to be more descriptive. As Scott (2011) puts it,
"Most live-action scripts require no special description for what’s taking place on the screen. A car chase is a car chase. And it’s up to the director to interpret it. But that’s not always the case in animation where the visuals are very often something we’ve never seen before, so they can’t be described in a few words."
During pre-production, plans, designs, and schedules are made in preparation of filming. The film is pre-visualized by the director, and may be storyboarded with the help of illustrators and concept artists. Locations, costumes and props, equipment, and music are prepared. The cast and crew are also recruited at this stage.
In production, the raw footage and other elements for the film are recorded during the film shoot. For live-action films, work schedules of key cast and crew members need to be coordinated and synchronised, as certain scenes require several cast members and most of the crew to be physically present at the same place and time. The production stage in an animated film involves more steps, since a live action scene is recorded while an animated scene has to be "made from scratch". For starters, the voice talent can record their takes in the recording studio at different times and may not see one another until the film's premiere. Once the voice recordings have been made, the production team then go through the following steps:
At this stage, the images, sound, and visual effects of the recorded film (be it live action or animated) are edited and combined into a finished product. Once this is done, the movie is now considered locked, and is ready for the distribution stage. This stage involves both releasing the movie into theatres and DVDs, and promotion of the film via press interviews, film showings and film festival activities.
As discussed, the stages of filmmaking are more or less the same for both animation and live action films, and a lot of hard work goes into each film. The constructed realities in these films not only provide insight into ourselves and the world we live in, but may also inspire us to make something good out of it.
References:
Dems, K. (2010) What are The Five Stages of Filmmaking? Available at: http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/77345.aspx (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
Moura, G. (2014) Mise-en-scene. Available at: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene-in-films/ (Accessed: 1 February 2018)
Pixar, (no date). Pixar's Animation Process. Available at: http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/pixars-animation-process.html (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
Scott, J. (2011) The Difference Between Live-Action and Animation Writing. Available at: https://www.awn.com/blog/difference-between-live-action-and-animation-writing (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
Chia Yee Hsean (0322352)
Entertainment Design
Lecture/Tutorials:
The lecturer started off the week by discussing concept art and its applications in the entertainment industry, as well as VFX and the animation pipeline. Concept art is visual storytelling, and is not as simple as coming up with drawings of characters or settings. Oftentimes, the concept artist is also juggling photomanipulation, framing, perspective, interiors, materials, and industrial design, among others within a single piece. Most of the concept artists draw throughout film production, as they are crucial in providing the visuals that help the entire production team work towards the same cinematic vision. We also looked at mise-en-scène, which essentially refers to the arrangement of everything that appears within the frame, from the actors, lighting, décor, props, to the costume.
We then delved into the role of motion graphics in the film and TV industry and discussed the difference between motion graphics and animation. It was inspiring to see the motion graphics by pioneers such as Saul Bass and Maurice Binder, as well as the more contemporary designs such as those seen on MTV. Personally, I'm quite interested in the cinematic, rather abstract qualities of film and TV title sequences. So I looked up a few videos online that study the qualities of good film/TV title sequences.
Today, the lines between motion design and animation are continuously being blurred. Although animation and motion graphics seem to belong in the same category, a key difference lies in its purpose. Animation films aim to tell stories and are character-driven, whereas motion graphics focus on advertising and promoting a brand. And it is this aspect of commercialisation that distinguishes it from animation.
Assignment Progress:
I started out with some sketches, whilst looking around for ideas on how to make the poster more interactive and interesting (lol). I considered everything from metallic ink printing, lunar calendars, to unconventional poster sizes and shapes (my lecturers screamed/squawked at that one). So I toned it down a little and will be working on a retro, surreal collage poster. Naturally, Méliès will be the focal point of the poster, with fantastical creatures and beings from his films bursting out into the foreground. I'm just hoping to hit that right balance of magic, fantasy, wonder, and weirdness.
Some more visual references, such as the L'Illustration 'Noel' cover (1896/97) by Alphonse Mucha and the sheet music cover designed by Eugène Grasset for Jules Massenet's "Enchantement". The colours, type, and composition make me want to cry.
Hopefully I make enough progress by the next post!
Research Question:
Filmmaking is a craft, what are the stages involved from beginning till end and how does it differ between live action and animated films?
Filmmaking is, as the name suggests, the process of making a film, which involves several stages. The main stages of film production are the same between a live action and an animated film, but there are slight differences in the way the script and film content is treated.
Development of the film comes first, where a concept from an existing play, book, movie, or an original idea is conceived and eventually turned into a script. A film distributor may be consulted early on to assess the likely market and financial success of the film. Once the screenplay is prepared, the film is pitched to potential financiers, directors, and actors. When a pitch is approved, and contracts with relevant parties have been signed, the film may proceed into pre-production. Structurally, there is no difference between a screenplay for an animated movie and a live-action movie. But because the very nature of animated films make them a much more visual medium than live action films, the script for an animated film will need to be more descriptive. As Scott (2011) puts it,
"Most live-action scripts require no special description for what’s taking place on the screen. A car chase is a car chase. And it’s up to the director to interpret it. But that’s not always the case in animation where the visuals are very often something we’ve never seen before, so they can’t be described in a few words."
During pre-production, plans, designs, and schedules are made in preparation of filming. The film is pre-visualized by the director, and may be storyboarded with the help of illustrators and concept artists. Locations, costumes and props, equipment, and music are prepared. The cast and crew are also recruited at this stage.
In production, the raw footage and other elements for the film are recorded during the film shoot. For live-action films, work schedules of key cast and crew members need to be coordinated and synchronised, as certain scenes require several cast members and most of the crew to be physically present at the same place and time. The production stage in an animated film involves more steps, since a live action scene is recorded while an animated scene has to be "made from scratch". For starters, the voice talent can record their takes in the recording studio at different times and may not see one another until the film's premiere. Once the voice recordings have been made, the production team then go through the following steps:
- Voice talent
- Reels
- Colour scripts
- Models
- Sets
- Shots
- Animation
- Shade
- Lighting
- Rendering
At this stage, the images, sound, and visual effects of the recorded film (be it live action or animated) are edited and combined into a finished product. Once this is done, the movie is now considered locked, and is ready for the distribution stage. This stage involves both releasing the movie into theatres and DVDs, and promotion of the film via press interviews, film showings and film festival activities.
As discussed, the stages of filmmaking are more or less the same for both animation and live action films, and a lot of hard work goes into each film. The constructed realities in these films not only provide insight into ourselves and the world we live in, but may also inspire us to make something good out of it.
References:
Dems, K. (2010) What are The Five Stages of Filmmaking? Available at: http://www.brighthub.com/multimedia/video/articles/77345.aspx (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
Moura, G. (2014) Mise-en-scene. Available at: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/directing/mise-en-scene-in-films/ (Accessed: 1 February 2018)
Pixar, (no date). Pixar's Animation Process. Available at: http://pixar-animation.weebly.com/pixars-animation-process.html (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
Scott, J. (2011) The Difference Between Live-Action and Animation Writing. Available at: https://www.awn.com/blog/difference-between-live-action-and-animation-writing (Accessed: 2 February 2018)
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