Sometimes the stars & Mechanical Apple

Mechanical Apple

Mechinal Apple is an award winning animation studio run by Ari Gibson and Jason Pamment. The company is based in Australia and does work for films, video games and commercials, as well as producing many short films such as Sometimes the stars, Motorbike, Winter fox and Bronte. Their work uses mostly of 2D and sometimes 3D animation for environments and background.

I came across Sometimes the stars when I opened the "music video" for 'Sleep dealer - Nozomi'. The video uses the animation to the background of the music by doesn't credit the original creators. I was a bit upset to find out that the rip off video had more views that the original.

The animation style used is really awesome while still being relatively simplistic. This is definitely something I will be looking at over the break to improve my 2D animation abilities.

Mechanical Apple website

http://www.mechanicalapple.com/#

Sometimes the stars: Original credited YouTube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQxPWT-ifyI

Sleep dealer - Nozomi 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKzzniTfMnQ

Watership down 

Director: Martin Rosen

Year: 1978

The film received a G or U rating upon release, meaning that it was viewable for all ages. As of 2012, the BBC has received complaints about the films U ratings every year since its release.

While the film looks nice and is well voice acted, the film's story feels very cookie cutter. There was never a point where I couldn't guess where the film was going next.

The story's main themes seems to be among the power of faith, cunning and a group.

By today's standards the film is still not suitable for children

I would personal not recommend the film. Outside of the 3 mains characters I had no clue who was who and beside the gore there is nothing really interesting about the story or animation.

The BBC is remaking the film into a four part mini series, however I do not feel that this is a good idea. The story simply does not have a episodic feel to it and I don't think that any adaption would make the story interesting.

1980s

Hollywood Blockbuster films

- "High Concept films"
- Familiar plots that could be easily described
- Highly stylish and high quality production
- Aimed for mass appeal

Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer

- Top Gun
- Beverly hills cops
- Flashdance

Teenage comedy

- Revenge of the Nerds
- Porky
-Screw Balls\

John Hughes

"Coming of age"

- Ferris Bueller's day off
- The Breakfast club
- Weird Science

Sequels EVERYWHERE

few sequels before the 80s
- many

Horror

John Carpenters highly successful Halloween (1978) caused a revival in the horror genre.

- Halloween
- Friday 13th
- Nightmare on Elm street

Action Sequels

- Terminator
- Die Hard
- Rambo

Spoof movies

- Airplane
- Naked gun
- Spaceballs

Animation

- Tron = Mixed animation and live action film
- Who framed Roger rabbit = Most expensive film of the decade costing 70 million.

Science ficiton

- Blade runner
- The Thing
- Robocop
- E.T.
- Back to the future

War films

- Gallipoli
- Full Metal Jacket

Adventure

- Goonies
- Never Ending Story
- Labyrinth

Howard the duck

- Regarded as one of the worst and least successful big budget ever made.

Batman 1989

- directed by Tim Burton.
- opened the door for the current super hero film boom.
- Film was a success making 411 million and the merchandise 750 million.
- The film budget was around 35 million.


In your own experience, has there been a sequel that is worse than the original film?

- The matrix - over use of special effects, less character development and terrible story



In your own experience, has there been a sequel that is better than the original film?

- Empire strikes back - Irvin kershner (1980)
- The Dark Knight - Christopher Nolan (2008)
- Terminator 2
- Mad Max: Fury Road - George Miller (2015)
- Avatar: Legend of Korra - Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko (2012 - 2014)

Robocop

Robocop was directed by Paul Verhoeven in 1987. Verhoeven is also credited with directing "Starship troops (1997)" and "Total recall (1990)".

Robocop explores themes of justice, revenge, corruption and capitalism. In particular the film looks at the impact of cooperate  and individual greed has on a society when that individual is in a position of power.

While the film is entertaining, it isn't something I would sit down for an engaging and thoughtful experience. The film tries to come off as serious but ends up just being silly. There are a lot of one liners that just come off as taking the piss. As a "serious" movie, the film does not stand up as there are just to many things that seem silly or forced. If your looking for a bit of a laugh and mindless violence/ gore, then this would be a good film. However its themes are ones that are simply better done by other films such as "Alien".

The Wall

Year: 1982
Director: Alan Parker
Animation Director: Gerald Scarfe
Screenplay: Roger Waters

"The Wall" is an interesting film that uses rather horrifying imagery to convey meaning. The story follows 'Pink' a boy who loses his father in war, grows up, becomes a rock star then has a mental break down and drug overdose. The imagery is powerful and works well with the music, however the first half of the film feels more like a music video than a movie with a lengthy narrative.

The main themes of the movie involve madness, growing up without a father, control over others and prosecution.

The 2D animation style work is awesome and complements the themes of madness and insanity well. The figures are horrible morphing creatures with disfigured features.

I would say the film is mix of a musical and drama film.

Lillian Schwartz

- 20th century American women from Ohio
- An artist and pioneer in computer animation
-Pixelation, UFOs, Kinesis, Collage

1971's "A Christmas Carol"

-Made by Richard Williams
- Original made for Tv, but was later released in theaters.
- Won the 1972 Oscar for best animated short film.

Serge Danot

- Made a pilot for the Tv series "The Magic roundabout"
- 500 episodes of stop-motion series were made between 1963 - 1970
- In 1970 a feature film was released called "Dougal and the Blue Cat"

 Rene Laloux

- Made "The Fantastic Planet" of 1973
- Based on the novel Oms en Serie by Stefan Wul
- About a society where humans have been taken to another planet to be pets
- Film alludes to social concerns of fascist repression and war as well as alternative culture and Eastern mysticism

Piotr Kamler

- Made "The Step" 1974
- Experimental abstract stop motion film

Renzo Sayoko Kinoshita

- Film called " Made in Japan" created in 1972: an animation about the Japanese culture putting the economy before anything else.
- Made what is considered to be one of the most disturbing and harrowing animations of all time in 1978, called "Pica-don". An animated depiction of the nuking of Hiroshima.

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata

- Created a Tv series "Heidi' in 1974, an adaption of a children's book by the same name.
- Miyazaki and Takahata went on to found Studio Ghibli, making famous animated feature films such as "Spirited Away" and "Howl's Moving Castle".

Ivo Caprino

- Perfected a techniques of manipulating characters in real time (an early version of animatronics)
- Later switched to stop motion and created "The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix" 1975.
- The film took 3 and a half years to make.
- The film was huge in Norway, creating box office records that still stand and was shown daily for 28 years.

William Feigenbaum and Jozsef Gemes

- Made a children's film called "Hugo the hippo" 1975 that became a cult favorite with adults.
- The first international release of a length animated film from Hungary.

Bob Godfery

- Made "Karma Sutra Rides Again" in 1971 during the 1970's adult animation craze.
- About a middle aged couples behind closed doors hobby - Sex in it's many form.

Sad moments

Childhood

- Iron Giant - The Giant's death
- Private Ryan - Captain Miller's final moments

Adulthood

- John Coffee's execution - The green mile
- Brooke's death - shawshank redemption

A decade under the influence - Part 3 - Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Late 60's and early 70's - Distrust of the government and authority, Protests.
Watergate, Vietnam,

Film makers are allowed to show moral ambiguity
 - Hal Ashby - Shampoo
 - Milos Forman- One Flew over the cuckoo's nest
 - Martian Scorsese - Taxi Driver
 - Coming Home - Hal Ashby
 - Sidney Lumet - Network
 - Rocky - John G. Avildsen
 - Jaws - Steven Spielberg
 - Star Wars - George Lucas
 - Heaven's Gate - Michael Cimino

Bread and Circus

Uplifting film and animation moments

- V for Vendetta - V's speech
V asks the population of England to stand with him against the corruption of the government on the 5th of Novmeber
- Nightmare before christmas ending
-  Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void Cinematic
-World of warcraft: warlords of draenor
- Overwatch; Dragons short