The Horrifying Rant!

So I know i said I'd write a blog about my internal project yesterday, but I actually was very productive in another project, my Research Project.
After spending a good time reading what is expected of me in the 3000-4000 words research paper, and what is necessary in such a paper, I've come to realise that there are not enough words for what I want to talk about. I thought it would be a in depth discussion, but apparently not the case. The extra section like 'background to research', 'research methodology' and 'description of proposed practice' can surely be merged into other areas. Why waste entire sections for this headings when it is a creative course, I'd understand more if it were a soical/science dissitations, as then it is obviously advantageous. But by giving entire sections away means having to write more than just a few sentences and writing something more substantial to justify having it as a section, right?
I don't know, maybe my lack of experience is showing, but there is not much logic behind it, yet others have done it in the past. Although with this is mind, after reading the example given to us as reference from someone last year, their discusson section was mostly pictures?!! They too didn't have enough to space to write. Maybe I'm being too optimistic in what I intend to write and will be glad to have so few words.
Anyway least I have a structure in place and a topic that interestes me. In fact I went to see 'Hotel Transylvania' yesterday. Good film, not great, but definitely would watch and enjoy it again.

In terms of animation I actually expected more extreme poses, it was great what they accomplished don't get me wrong, but it didnt have the wild takes I was expecting after reading some of the articles that Genndy Tartakovsky wanted it to be like the wild Warner Bros. and Tex Avery Cartoons.

They've done an awesome job at finally a new way to animate, rather then try and copy the kingpins Pixar. Its very much like Tex's work in the grand era of Walt Disney. Animation needs a fresh perspective, I know the picture above shows some extraggeration, but it wasnt like that all the way through the film, in fact some of the extreme emotions didnt really show till towards the end , which i dont understand as dracula had plenty bursts of rage since the beginning of the film. I would love to have seen it pushed more.

In fact that is what my finally year is all about, pushing the limits of animation. Tartakovsky's team had to re program and script how the rigs and models would morph so as to make it smooth and not crumpled or disfigured in a horrific mess. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about doing it, but I know they used Maya. so thats what I intend to learn today, wish me luck.

Everything but!

So Lately it seems I can concentrate on learning everything but what I have to, for example I have been studying Neanderthals, homosapiens and the famous Lucy. None of which have anything to do with animation or 3d in anyway.
I need to get my focus back on track, so this evening I spent most of the time looking for topics on the new film Hotel Transylvania, and I am loving what I've read so far, in fact tomorrow I have insisted with my other half we go see it and on top of that I have ordered the art and making of book.
I found this really good little tidbit into the behind scenes animation of it on dengeek.com http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/hotel-transylvania/22999/hotel-transylvania-a-look-at-the-animation-style
Which even includes a little clip of the pre materialed models being animated. It describes how they replaced the in between blur that usually happens in animation with a  step by step key frame and nickenamed it Genndy blur. Ontop of the modellers and riggers having to do this and create a new engine software, they would give their extreme pose of say Dracula, in which Grenndy Tartakovsky would draw over the still of the extreme pose on the Cintiq ensuring that the 2d extreme style inspired by the Warner Bros. and Tex Avery style (as quoted), would be transferred into 3d! The film director was so determined to have this, he would draw over it!! Love it, it's everything Pixar is not, and is exactly what I am looking for, he steers clear of the realistic CGI stuff that everyone is trying to do and creates something a cartoon should be! Love it
Anyway I'm really looking forward to the book arriving which should be over the next week or so, I've also ordered "Why is that so funny? A Practival exploration of physical comedy" which is also quite fitting as I've been watching the Marx Brother films, wasn't sure what to make of them first but "Duck Soup" actually made me giggle out loud!

Besides all this book ordering and laughing to myself I also had a major panic when I realised we had another project this term, internal client project! Da..da..duuuhh..... So in my hectic busy family week last week I had to pull together a presentation for an idea I didn't have, well lucky for me I work well under pressure, in fact I'm rubbish if there's no pressure, I procrastinate, a lot! Anyway back to the main point at hand, this week I'll be creating an animatic/storyboard of my idea which I came up with the night before! It's actually pretty good. In fact tomorrow I'll write up a post entirely dedicated to it as I'm going to try and read my tex avery book now.

Here's the YouTube link to fatboy slim video Rig here, right now. Inspiration to my internal client project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R795KiMD4zs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Weird I know...

Due to the workload I've not had chnace to upload anything onto my blog for a while. So... Sorry for that. Well I've managed to complete a presentation and handed in my first essay. Also had a big realisation as to how hard it is to read and write. Due to not having done it in a while, it has been a real hinderance, but i keep telling myself practice will make perfect. Im currently trying to read Tex Avery: King of Cartoons by Joe Adamson, really interesting but takes me three reads of the same page to actually get it and make it stick which as you can imagine being very very tidious.

Anyway I'm determined to do it, especially as its the only thing that is going to help towards my research project.

Here is my presentation for my Research Project:

Avery Presentation from simone Hunt on Vimeo.

Then we have the designs and idea for my enterpanerial idea, it is for my Context 3 essay. Hard as i quickly gave myself a crash course in business and investors, along with the inner workings of 3d technology, kinect and Infra Red lights and sensors.

Not bad considering I had no idea what Infra Red even was let alone how the sensors work together, and IR Light or what use the RGB Camera is to a Kinect. Anyway I did it and I'm quite chuffed with my little self. It could possibly wipe out keyboards and the mouse, who knows.