hey! havent posted in awhile! Quick update on things; Windows 7 doesnt have a driver for my capture card so that idea is in Major jepourdy. That said have come up with a back up plan in doing a possible series of game reviews that are fillmed with a few of my friends as a back up project but to be honest that isnt likely.
In terms of our Lost parody, just finished really rough storyboarding and will have them up in a couple of days (or a week if im feeling lazy) for peoples critisisms or praise! (if praise i will love you long time lol) . Getting pretty excited about it and next tuesday will have a meeting with lauren about it all. Will post all about that when it happens! In the meantime I lost the game, and im off to contemplate a weekend of Art Hwk ... FUN!
Thursday 29 October 2009
Monday 26 October 2009
Theres something wrong with this post! 'What is it?!' A post is something on a blog, but thats not important...
Recently I found an article on filmreference.com that looks a little - but in an in depth way, at Parody. Two key aspects that I found interesting was the viewpoint of Freidrich Jameson that Parody should rightfully be a Pastiche, and that Parody uses 6 techniques to create a comedic effect. The 6 Techniques it lists are:
Reiteration: which is the process by which the parody establishes its connection to the source text, using, for example, horses to evoke the western, handheld cameras to evoke the documentary, and so on. Many parodies take great care in reproducing the iconic elements of the source genre. (Directly sourced from the article as best describes the technique)
Inversion : This is when the parody completely opposes the nature of the parodied. The example that was given in the article was the Cannibal: The Musical stage production that in essance is creating a joyous community feeling to horrific violence.
Misdirection: Using Conventional methods to build up a certain feeling (ie: Melodrama) before completely misleading the audience by breaking that feeling, normally due to the use of comedy. For example in Airplane! a representation of a shady bar is conveyed to the audience and the protagonist is narrating on top, commenting on how unsavoury characters and brawls were the norm. Then there is a traditional Poker scene involving a cheat, and when the camera zooms out it reveals two girl guides who then begin to brawl, completely contrasting the mood created by the narrative and build up.
Literalization: When the most literal meaning is used instead of the contextual meaning. For example in Airplane 2: The sequel when the Love interest says the character Simon is 'Falling apart'. The camera cuts to Simon and his arm falls off. The iconic reply '...And don't call me Shirley' was born in Airplane! from after the Protagonist asks the doctor something, saying 'Surely you don't mean ...'.
Extraneous Inclusion: When a conventional representation includes items or elements that are completely out of sorts. Again using Airplane 2 as an example; a character is buying some items from a shop. One of which is a timebomb that when mentioned the sales woman picks it up from a shelf full of normal gift shop items, despite the obvious break in convention.
Exaggeration: takes an aspect of the source text and renders it absurd through excessive emphasis. This technique can apply to simple objects, like the enormous helmet worn by the character Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in Spaceballs (1987). It can also apply to narrative or stylistic conventions, as in The Naked Gun , which references the discreet Hollywood practice of cutting away from sex scenes to symbolic images of curtains blowing in the breeze or fireworks exploding. The montage of images in this love scene (flowers opening, a train entering a tunnel, an atom bomb exploding into a mushroom cloud) is both more suggestive and more extensive than the convention permits.
(Sourced directly from Article as best describes the technique)
Reiteration: which is the process by which the parody establishes its connection to the source text, using, for example, horses to evoke the western, handheld cameras to evoke the documentary, and so on. Many parodies take great care in reproducing the iconic elements of the source genre. (Directly sourced from the article as best describes the technique)
Inversion : This is when the parody completely opposes the nature of the parodied. The example that was given in the article was the Cannibal: The Musical stage production that in essance is creating a joyous community feeling to horrific violence.
Misdirection: Using Conventional methods to build up a certain feeling (ie: Melodrama) before completely misleading the audience by breaking that feeling, normally due to the use of comedy. For example in Airplane! a representation of a shady bar is conveyed to the audience and the protagonist is narrating on top, commenting on how unsavoury characters and brawls were the norm. Then there is a traditional Poker scene involving a cheat, and when the camera zooms out it reveals two girl guides who then begin to brawl, completely contrasting the mood created by the narrative and build up.
Literalization: When the most literal meaning is used instead of the contextual meaning. For example in Airplane 2: The sequel when the Love interest says the character Simon is 'Falling apart'. The camera cuts to Simon and his arm falls off. The iconic reply '...And don't call me Shirley' was born in Airplane! from after the Protagonist asks the doctor something, saying 'Surely you don't mean ...'.
Extraneous Inclusion: When a conventional representation includes items or elements that are completely out of sorts. Again using Airplane 2 as an example; a character is buying some items from a shop. One of which is a timebomb that when mentioned the sales woman picks it up from a shelf full of normal gift shop items, despite the obvious break in convention.
Exaggeration: takes an aspect of the source text and renders it absurd through excessive emphasis. This technique can apply to simple objects, like the enormous helmet worn by the character Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in Spaceballs (1987). It can also apply to narrative or stylistic conventions, as in The Naked Gun , which references the discreet Hollywood practice of cutting away from sex scenes to symbolic images of curtains blowing in the breeze or fireworks exploding. The montage of images in this love scene (flowers opening, a train entering a tunnel, an atom bomb exploding into a mushroom cloud) is both more suggestive and more extensive than the convention permits.
(Sourced directly from Article as best describes the technique)
Saturday 24 October 2009
Youve been Psyched out!
The other day, I sat and watched two comedy films, one a general comedy (Step Brothers), and the other a Sports Parody ( BASEketball). Both were awesome because they created comedy through manipulating the way certain aspects were represented.
Synopsis of stepbrothers : Brennan Huff and Dale Doback are both about 40 when Brennan's mom and Dale's dad marry. The sons still live with the parents so they must now share a room. Initial antipathy threatens the household's peace and the parents' relationship. Dad lays down the law: both slackers have a week to find a job. Out of the job search and their love of music comes a pact that leads to friendship but more domestic disarray compounded by the boys' sleepwalking. Hovering nearby are Brennan's successful brother and his lonely wife: the brother wants to help sell his step-father's house, the wife wants Dale's attention, and the newlyweds want to retire and sail the seven seas. Can harmony come from the discord?
The 40 year old characters that Will Ferrell and John C Reilly portrayed had the personality traits of a ten year old and that strange contrast with the action and age of the characters generated most of the films comedy( and the fact that there were chewbacca masks and industry strength, nightvision goggles!!!) It makes me wonder whether a similar technique could be used in our movie
Synopsis of BASEketball Two losers from Milwaukee, Coop & Remer, invent a new game playing basketball, using baseball rules. When the game becomes a huge success, they, along with a billionaire's help, form the Professional Baseketball League where everyone gets the same pay and no team can change cities. Coop & Remer's team, the Milwaukee Beers is the only team standing in the way of major rule changes that the owner of the Dallas Felons wants to institute.
BASEketball is a really good sports parody and an intresting way that it creates a comedic effect is by stuff that happens, Out of the main scene that is happening (ie: someone playing solitaire on a computer behind a news reporter in the studio, 'Squeak' getting tied to the garage door and getting stretched out by the opposing team as Coop and Reemer walk across the screen talking). That is another way we could film our scenes for a comedic effect.
Here is a trailer for BASEketball: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi79233305/
Note: descriptions of films and BASEketball trailer sourced from imdb
Synopsis of stepbrothers : Brennan Huff and Dale Doback are both about 40 when Brennan's mom and Dale's dad marry. The sons still live with the parents so they must now share a room. Initial antipathy threatens the household's peace and the parents' relationship. Dad lays down the law: both slackers have a week to find a job. Out of the job search and their love of music comes a pact that leads to friendship but more domestic disarray compounded by the boys' sleepwalking. Hovering nearby are Brennan's successful brother and his lonely wife: the brother wants to help sell his step-father's house, the wife wants Dale's attention, and the newlyweds want to retire and sail the seven seas. Can harmony come from the discord?
The 40 year old characters that Will Ferrell and John C Reilly portrayed had the personality traits of a ten year old and that strange contrast with the action and age of the characters generated most of the films comedy( and the fact that there were chewbacca masks and industry strength, nightvision goggles!!!) It makes me wonder whether a similar technique could be used in our movie
Synopsis of BASEketball Two losers from Milwaukee, Coop & Remer, invent a new game playing basketball, using baseball rules. When the game becomes a huge success, they, along with a billionaire's help, form the Professional Baseketball League where everyone gets the same pay and no team can change cities. Coop & Remer's team, the Milwaukee Beers is the only team standing in the way of major rule changes that the owner of the Dallas Felons wants to institute.
BASEketball is a really good sports parody and an intresting way that it creates a comedic effect is by stuff that happens, Out of the main scene that is happening (ie: someone playing solitaire on a computer behind a news reporter in the studio, 'Squeak' getting tied to the garage door and getting stretched out by the opposing team as Coop and Reemer walk across the screen talking). That is another way we could film our scenes for a comedic effect.
Here is a trailer for BASEketball: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi79233305/
Note: descriptions of films and BASEketball trailer sourced from imdb
Tuesday 20 October 2009
''Noooo I can sense the RAM disappearing ......'' - Chris
Finally found out that chris's (my brothers) computer CAN use the dazzle which is awesome news! however at the moment, having a bit of problem getting it to actually work which to be honest i expected. Wednesday after seeing Age of Stupid, im likely to meet up with dom and get him to see if he can get it to work.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Some say ...
This week...Lauren came up with another idea for a possible power for a person. People could read HIS mind. It could make for some interesting moments between the characters and was a really good idea!
Meanwhile! A not so good idea was that of the opposite guy. Lauren mentioned that would be hard to film and make obvious he goes the exact opposite way to where he wants to go. We'll have to come up with a better character power ... with 20% less saturated power.
And on that bombshell ...
Meanwhile! A not so good idea was that of the opposite guy. Lauren mentioned that would be hard to film and make obvious he goes the exact opposite way to where he wants to go. We'll have to come up with a better character power ... with 20% less saturated power.
And on that bombshell ...
Cardcaptor Kyle strikes again (and by again I mean for the first time)
Finally got the dazzle platinum capture card, so am really close to being able to film the machinima in my free time between sorting out our actual Project. Me and Lauren have decided that I will do the 'filming' but she will help out with the editing when im finished! Its getting pretty exciting, but that said the prospect of another storyboard that ill have to do is less appealing! =p
Image sourced from http://www.venturaes.com/dazzle/images/dazzle_vcp.jpg
ps: bought Son of Ranbow so will watch that soon and maybe analyse?
'Hes psycho Semiotic - that boy needs therapy...'
Last week we learnt about Semiotics, which initially was quite confuzzling but after looking at it in detail,I found it linked well with our topic. Heres the stuff I found out:
Semiotics is the study of signs and meanings. However for the purpose of a semiotic study, a sign is any physical object with a meaning. When looking into the significance of signs within our society there is always three key areas that need to be assessed and those are; the sign itself, the way this sign is integrated or the system of which it is placed and finally the culture that the sign operates within. A key theory about Semiotics is that in relation to signs there is only the Signifier (the actual sign) and the signified (that which the sign refers to within a society or consciousness). This view came from the structuralist Saussure. Later Roland Barthes pushed Saussure’s theory beyond that of the sign and the topic which a sign conjures. He believed that a Signifier had two sets of meanings. The blatant one which is often the purpose or cultural identity of a sign (Denotation) and the meanings that are much more personal or relative to the context of where or when the sign is (Connotation).
This theory links heavily with the idea of parodying. To parody, conventions, ideals and storylines must be studied, and furthermore manipulated. In a way those 3 key parts of the makeup of a genre are a signifier to the perspective audience. For instance if an audience sees a romantic comedy they immediately know the meanings and general possible outcome. They are not surprised because we live in a culture where most films follow conventions. Parodies work to change that which is signified, whilst the signifier isn’t changed at all. Normally in a film, the signified is the denotation of what it could mean. Now despite this there will always be connotations created from the denotation and a parody often harnesses those connotations that are out of context with the films storyline and are normally random, and uses a comedic connotation in place, whilst fitting the storyline around it.
In order to successfully parody, it will require knowledge of what the audience is thinking at a certain moment or signifier, division of the connotations from denotation and use of the most comedic connotation in the scene that is being parodied. Other conventions and signifiers within film can be similarly changed for an effect, that can be in some ways significant because it is, as was said, a society where conventions make up most films thus making changes more noticeable.
Semiotics is the study of signs and meanings. However for the purpose of a semiotic study, a sign is any physical object with a meaning. When looking into the significance of signs within our society there is always three key areas that need to be assessed and those are; the sign itself, the way this sign is integrated or the system of which it is placed and finally the culture that the sign operates within. A key theory about Semiotics is that in relation to signs there is only the Signifier (the actual sign) and the signified (that which the sign refers to within a society or consciousness). This view came from the structuralist Saussure. Later Roland Barthes pushed Saussure’s theory beyond that of the sign and the topic which a sign conjures. He believed that a Signifier had two sets of meanings. The blatant one which is often the purpose or cultural identity of a sign (Denotation) and the meanings that are much more personal or relative to the context of where or when the sign is (Connotation).
This theory links heavily with the idea of parodying. To parody, conventions, ideals and storylines must be studied, and furthermore manipulated. In a way those 3 key parts of the makeup of a genre are a signifier to the perspective audience. For instance if an audience sees a romantic comedy they immediately know the meanings and general possible outcome. They are not surprised because we live in a culture where most films follow conventions. Parodies work to change that which is signified, whilst the signifier isn’t changed at all. Normally in a film, the signified is the denotation of what it could mean. Now despite this there will always be connotations created from the denotation and a parody often harnesses those connotations that are out of context with the films storyline and are normally random, and uses a comedic connotation in place, whilst fitting the storyline around it.
In order to successfully parody, it will require knowledge of what the audience is thinking at a certain moment or signifier, division of the connotations from denotation and use of the most comedic connotation in the scene that is being parodied. Other conventions and signifiers within film can be similarly changed for an effect, that can be in some ways significant because it is, as was said, a society where conventions make up most films thus making changes more noticeable.
Thursday 8 October 2009
Britains got Superpowers - The auditions! (if only that was a REAL show ... =/)
I was coming up with some rough ideas of characters 'abilities' while wandering round the house over the last week or so. So far we were trying to draw ideas from lost as it is the basis of our parody, and I know that in lost there was two moments that we can parody quite well; the flashbacks and a polar bear that is found on the island.
As Flashbacks are integral to Lost I was trying to think of a gimmick that could make them some sort of Ability. Then I thought, what if they always turned out being adverts? so basically the main character can be having a flashback but in someway it turns out being an advert.
The polar bear will blatently fake as we have no access to a real polar bear(*sigh ..*) so me and lauren were thinking a plushie ...that KILLS!! that made me think, Could we have someone who could talk to plushies? but then again, what if they could talk to another type, but not that type and get eaten? thats another possible idea.
The final idea was to have a character who can always go in the exact OPPOSITE direction to where he actually wants to go. that could in a way prove to cause problems and maybe solve the problem at the end?
Anyways only rough ideas so yeah peace out and any feedback saying 'oh that would be aload of poop' would be apprieated ...or ignored
As Flashbacks are integral to Lost I was trying to think of a gimmick that could make them some sort of Ability. Then I thought, what if they always turned out being adverts? so basically the main character can be having a flashback but in someway it turns out being an advert.
The polar bear will blatently fake as we have no access to a real polar bear(*sigh ..*) so me and lauren were thinking a plushie ...that KILLS!! that made me think, Could we have someone who could talk to plushies? but then again, what if they could talk to another type, but not that type and get eaten? thats another possible idea.
The final idea was to have a character who can always go in the exact OPPOSITE direction to where he actually wants to go. that could in a way prove to cause problems and maybe solve the problem at the end?
Anyways only rough ideas so yeah peace out and any feedback saying 'oh that would be aload of poop' would be apprieated ...or ignored
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)