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

1976 - 1980 animation

1976 - 1980

USA/Canada 

Caroline Leaf 

-created "The street" (1976)
- Started with sand animation, later moved on to using paint on glass for animating.

Belgium 

 Eddie Lateste and Peyo

- In 1958 the cartoonist pevo created Les Schtroumpfs (TheSmurfs) which first appeared as comic strips in a Belgain magazine.
- 10 black and white animted smurf shorts were made for belgain TV in the 1960's
- In 1976 a feature length colour movie was realeased called "The Smurfs and the Magic flute" which was directed by lasteste and peyo
- The Smurfs were made into a animated TV series 1981 by Hanna Barbera

Italy

Bruno Bozzetto

- Created Allegro Non Troppo 1976
- Focuses on different aspects of life using mythology and science fiction themes and set to pieces of classical music. Also uses a mix of live action and animation.

UK

Jeff Keen 

- Made "The cartoon Threatre of Dr Gaz 1977"
- Used a mix of stolen clips from monster and sci fi movies.
- Made "Instant cinema" in 1962

Martin Rosen

- Made "Watership down" 1978
- Based on the dark, violent book by Richard Adams, depicting cruelty of nature and man.

Roger Mainwood 

- Halas and Batchler was one of the first studios to use CG, as early as 1969.
- The short Autobahn 1979 was directed by Roger Mainwood who used a computer at London's Imperial College but the primitive images it produced were little used in the film.

Australia 

Yoram Gross 

-Made Dot and the Kangaroo (1977)
- Used the technique of laying animated characters over photographic backgrounds
- Sold well internationally and seven sequels were produced.

I thought this was a bit silly and over the top, but it was probably the animation that was least like a simulated drug trip.

Croatia

Zdenko Gasparovic

- Worked for Zagreb Film and directed "A dog's life" in 1966.
- Work for Hanna-Barbera in the USA then returned to Croatia and worked on the Tv series "Professor Balthazar".
- Made "Satiemania" in 1978

Russia

Yuri Norstein

- Created "Tale of tales" in 1979, a follow up to their earlier film "Little Hedgehog in the Fog" 1975.
- Story consists of fragmented, interlinking stories with the intention of being a human memory.
- Uses multiple techniques, mainly cutouts with multi plane backgrounds and foregrounds.

Scenes from Animation that "Blew my mind"

Childhood

- The Iron Giant - Iron Giant's sacrifice
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Pod Race = I watched this as a kid and just remember the feel and power of this scene. The sequence is like a short film inside a full length film. Between the sound design, high speed action, destruction and tension, as a child in the early 2000's I was hooked.

Adult 

- Starcraft 2: Cinematic trailers

- Bloodborne - Lady Maria and Ludwig: The Holy Blade (Boss fights)

- Full metal alchemist brotherhood - Envy vs Mustang

- Get Jinxed - League of Legends = While this is only a music video for a character in a video game, this video hooked me like nothing else has. No is the song one of my all time favorites, the animation is amazing. The proof of my obsession with this video, when it was released in 2013, I watched it on repeat for 5 hour straight.

A Decade under the influence.

break up of the studio set up, owning actors
1970 - new audience, new young directors,

Vietnam, woman's movement, black rights movement
New music, new politics, new culture and presence of mind
Audience wanted things that challenged what they knew, more real people and situations.
Anti glamour, artists choice. Intergirty. Counter Culture.

Woman under the influence (1973)
Easy Rider (1969)

Bad Language and content

"Dirty Harry" and "The French Connection"


Child

-Lilo and stitch - Pretend to be a monster, destroying a toy city
- Bug's Life "YOUR FIRED"
- Morph from treasure planet - Spider psycho
- Avatar - Sokka "Appa ate Momo!"

Adult

- Sammy J and Randy
- Camp Camp - Episode 5 - I WARNED YOU CHILD
- Tucker and dale vs evil

Semester 2 week 3

Semester 2 week 3

1930's to 1960's

Hollywood new Wave

Little fugitive - Morris Engel (1953)

Alfie - Lewis Gilbert (1966)

Georgy Girl - Silvio Narizzano (1966)

Blow up - Michelangelo Antonioni (1966)

New York New Wave

On the Bowery - Loinel Rogosin's documentary (1956)

Robert Frank - Pull my Daisy (1959)

John Cassavete's - Shadows (1959)

Shirley Clark - The Connection (1961)

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Written by Robert Benton and David Newman.

Based on the real life bank robbers and murders.

Notable for its depiction of sex and violence.

The Graduate (1967)

Director Mike Nichols

Fritz the cat (1972)

First X-rated animation 

Director Ralph Bakshi

Scary or disturbing examples from animation and film

- Opening of "We happy few" (Video game)

- Kholat (Video game)

Semster 2 Week 1

 SEMSTER 2, WEEK 1

Andrei Khrjanovsky

The Glass Harmonica 1969

A cut out paper style that reminds me of the work of Terry Gilliam from Monty Python

Walt Disney

Disney - The Jungle book 1967

Interesting that it was the first animation to be matched up to prerecorded voice acting.

Terry Gilliam 

Storytime and Monty Python's Flying circus. Brilliant, always funny.

La Jetee

Very interesting style. Beautiful shots and complex story telling about time travel. The storytelling however is relent on the narration. The use of still shots and sounds makes for a very slow paced film that focuses on the emotions of the unnamed protagonist and his search through time.

The greatest strength of this film is the way it uses both still images, character focused storytelling and sound to create atmosphere. It's biggest weakness is the fact that the audience's understanding of the story is totally relent on the narration.



Who made the film?

The film was written and directed by Chris Marker. The music was made by Trevor Duncan.

What year was it made?

La Jetee was released in 1962

What did the director state La Jetee was influenced by? (or was a remake of)

La jetee is slightly inspired by Vertigo, with one scene paying homeage to the Alfred Hitchcock film with a copied setting.

What films have been influenced by La Jetee?

La Jetee influenced films such as "12 monkeys" and "The Time Traveler's Wife"

Semster 2 week 2

Cinema Verite and direct cinema

In the 1930s  and 40s, the use of lipsync 35mm film meant that camera were too big to carry around. By the 1962, technogical advancement made it possible to use smaller and more portable cameras that could be carried by one person.

Cinmea Verite

- The prescene of  the filmmaker must be acknowledged
- The principal method is participation between film makers and the subject
- Commentery is vital, whether in voice-over or through on-screen presence
- The audience is free to identity with the film-maker's or the subject's position and point of view.
- Fly on the wall style of interview

Direct Cinema

- Film-maker should be unobversed
- The principal method should be observation
-

Surrealist Film Movement

Surrealist Film Movement

The surrealist film movement started in the 1920s in Paris, France. While it is debated when the movement ended, there is plenty of evidence that the style is influencing people.

Related to the the Dada movement, the Surrealist movement started in the late 1920s after WW1. The first surrealist film recorded was "The Seashell and the Clergyman" by Germaine Dulac. Surrealist films focus on the subconscious and uses techniques such as shocking imagery, juxtaposition and rejection of normality and logic.

A modern example of a surrealist film maker is David Lynch, an American director famous for the "Twin peaks" series and films such as "Rabbits". In "Rabbits", Lynch uses many techniques to create his surrealist feeling. The film is not always shown in chronological order, much like a dream, causing confusion as to the nature of the story. The movie sound is also a part of the surrealist film, with the characters line being projected in a voice over manner and the stereotypical sitcom audience laughter appearing at almost random points. In another part early on in the film, the setting suddenly turn red and a demonic voice can be heard as if just around the corner.

.

Ub Iwerks 

Ub Iwerks is credited with working laong side Walt Disney to create their most iconic character, Mickey Mouse. Iwerks was also the chief animator for "Silly Symphonies" and creator of oswald the lucky rabbit. Iwerk is credited for his work on developing xerographic and the mixing of live action and animation. The animator also won an academy award for his special effects work on Alfred Hitchcocks "The birds". While Iwerks is the creator  of Oswald the Lucky rabbit, he worked as Walt Disney's lead animator for many years.

Ub Iwerks was the lead animator for "Steamboat Willie".

Oswald the lucky rabbit 

Steamboat Willie

Provide an overview of the conventions of Italian Neo realism films.

-Preference for filming on location
- Using non professional actors
-Preference for natural lighting
-Documentary style of photography
-Avoidance of complex editing and post- production processes likely to draw attention
-Stories were focused on the poor and working class

Bicycle thief review

Bicycle Thief Review 

Notes

Slow, very slow.
Characters are a bit unrelatable.
Film takes a while to explain the stakes
Why does he not just steal another bike?
Boy is more active than the Father
Long anxiety, build ups little pay off

not a great film
bike represents the man lively hood
The actors work well
father becomes more and more desperate and angry
Boy starts to feel ashamed of his father and hurt by his actions

Review

The bicycle thief is a rather slow film that takes a long time to tell a story where very little actually  happens. The film centres around a man called Antonio trying to support his family in post WW2 Italy. When he gets a well paying job that requires a bike, the Antonio's bike is stole while he works meaning he is unable to do his job. While I think the beginning of the film is well paced and sets up the story well, the rest of the film does little with the premise. Antonio's

Maybe the film was a master piece of Neo-realism, but by today's standards "The Bicycle Thief" is slow and rather boring. One of my major problems with the film is just how thick the protagonist is portrayed to be and how silly the film is at times. It takes Antonio most of the film to realise that he will probably never find his original bike and that even if he finds the man who stole his bike, he has no proof of the theft and the thief has probably already sold the bike. It is only at the end of the film that Antonio even thinks of stealing a bike and even when given the prefect scenario he still messes up the theft by peeling at what is basically jogging pace. When Antonio steals the bike, He is close to a large crowd of people leaving a stadium, many of who are on bikes. If he had biked faster and driven into the crowd, he could of easily lost his pursers. The other problem with Antonio's assault on the thief and the attempt bike theft is that when Antonio commits these acts everyone in the general vicinity drops what they are doing and rush to intervene. The assault on the thief is particularly silly as 50+ people pour out of nearby buildings to assist the thief. I can understand some people might hear the racket and investigate, BUT 50+????

While I understand that the director and writer's were trying to portray an every man with good morals, I find it hard to relate to a character who lets his moral get in the way of logical and his own survival. Antonio state in the film that the lost of his job will result in his family starving, yet it takes him so long to realise that the solution to his problem is to steal someone else's bike.

Overall I feel like that "The Bicycle Thief" is a slow film that delivers very little build up. The supposed everyday life of the poor man feels very circumstantial and the events of the film seem to be driven and caused by general lack of logic thought.

Euan Frizzell

Frizzell was born and raised on the Canterbury Plains. He is credited with making over 200 animations in commericals and children's shows. Some examples of Frizzel's work for children are "The Wizard and his Magic Spells (1984)" and "Shopping with a Crocodile (1986). In the mid 70s he studied for a Diploma in Visual Communication in Design at Wellington Polytechnic and went on to train as an animator at Halas & Batchelor studio in England.

Euan Frizzell became a icon for NZ after animating Magaret Mahy's " The Great White Man-Eating Shark". The success of this one animation lead to Frizzell to animate four more of Magaret Mahy's children's stories. These tales were "The Boy with Two Shadows", "Keeping House", "The Witch in the Cherry tree" and "The Three-legged cat". Another part of Frizzell's work was animating famous cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, Duffy Duck and Fred Flintstone. Without a doubt, Frizzell's work on the Mahy children's tales and classic cartoon characters inspired many New Zealand kids to pursue animation as a career.

Some of Frizzell's more recent work includes animating the demon/ devil in Glen Standring's "The Irrefutable truth about demons" and acted as lead animation on the set of Jonathan King's remake of "Under the Mountian". Frizzell is credited with work in many fields of animation, including 2D, 3D, VFX and Claymation.

Euan Frizzell died on 23 September 2012.

http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/euan-frizzell/biography
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/obituaries/7857096/Frizzell-put-life-and-soul-into-animated-characters

German Expressionism

German Expression film making occurred after Germany's defeat in World War 1 in the late 1910s and lasted to the late 1930s/ early 1940s. These films focused on intellectual topics and themes of maddness, betrayal and loss. Compared to the films of the rest of the western world (which were mostly action and romance films) the German expression films are considered much deeper and thoughtful. Lighting, scenery and atheistic were all manipulated to enhance the mood of the film and did not have to reflect reality. An example of this is painting exaggerated shadows on the walls instead of using realistic lighting.

The German Expressionist movement influenced many genres and people. The movement most noticeable impacted (and possibly created) the horror, film noir and Science fiction. The movement produced some of the most famous early horror films such as Max Schreck's Nosferatu and Robert Wiene's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The German Expressionist movement also influences the science fiction genre. An example of this is the comparison between Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and Ridley Scott's "Bladerunner" (seen below). Both films use impossibly high structures in their scenery that cast shadows over the surround urban landscape.

A contemporary film maker influenced by German expressionism is Alex Proyas, director of "The Crow", "Dark city", "Knowing" and "I Robot". "Dark City" particular seems like a blend of "Metrpolis" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" with a film noir/ science fiction plot set in a large city and shot using deep shadows.

 Proyas uses the techniques of deep shadows to create menace, not only for the antagonists (such as in German Expressionist horror films) but also to create an underlying menace for the city itself. The lighting not only casts dark shadow but also creates eerie colors and pictures.

 The film also uses symbolism similar to that of which can be seen in the works of German Expressionists and the likes of Tim Burton, with patterns like huge spirals drawn on the walls and on corpses being important to the plot. "Dark city' even shares the themes of madness and manipulation with the German Expressionist movement.

Vsevolod Pudovkin

Vsevolod Pudovkin: Editing Theory

Vsevolod was born in 1893. He was a Russian actor and director, first inspired to prusue the carrer after watching Griffith's "Intolerance". He believed that editing was more important to the story that the performance of the actors. He recognized that the order of the shots shown to the audience has as much of an impact as the subject matter of the shot. In other words, the organization of the shots in a film can determine the meaning of the sequence and guide the emotions of the audience.

Vsevolod came up with the following five 'methods' of editing or shot sequences.

Editing Types

1: Contrast: Show the audience two different types of scenes, causing the audience to compare the difference in the shots to create meaning.

2: Parallelism: To show the audience certains shot that have certain similar elements, making these elements or ideas stand out. Comparing the similarities between shots.

3: Symbolism: Creating meaning by showing imagary with similar meanings. Using the idea or attached meanings of a symbol or symbols in muiltple shots to create another menaing. ( A match and the rising sun = meaning heat)

4: Simultaneity: Showing two shots that are set at the same time but in different locations. Simultaneously showing two different scenes by cutting between them as events unfold. Creates meaning via contrast, Same time different events.

5: Leit Mofit: A reoccurring shot, theme or symbol. (Jaws underwater POV for the shark showing danger).

D.W. Griffith, Birth of a Nation

D.W. Griffith, Birth of a Nation

Birth of a Nation is based on the novel and screenplay "The Clansmen" by Thomas Dixon Jr. The film portrays the white confederates as the heroes and the "marauding" black men as the villains. After their reformation in the 1920s, the KKK started using "Birth of a Nation" as a recruiting tool. The film was widely criticized for its portrayal of American Americans, shown the black men as rampaging, unintelligent and sexually aggressive towards american white woman.

In response to "Birth of a Nation" Africa American born director Oscar Micheaux made "Within our gates". The film portrayed a different America, showing what life was like for colour minorities under white supremacy.

D.W Griffith followed the film up with "Intolerance", a movie that tried to give off a much more liberal vibe.

George Melies, The magician of cinema.

George Melies

French born magician and filmmaker credited with creating many new film techniques. These techniques include substitution splices, multiple exposures of film, time lapse, live action stop motion, dissolves and fades, hand painted color film and stop frames.


These techniques can still be seen today, with techniques such as dissolves and cross fades still being common methods of changing scene in modern cinema. His use of live action stop motion would eventually give rise to stop motion animation and claymation and use of time lapse is now wide spread.


Out of my "Top 10 movie" list many have been influenced by Melies work in some way. Melies work in stop motion lead to the create of the style used in Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. Melies had a heavy influence in the creation of the Science fiction genre of films with movie such as "A trip to the movie. The Science fiction would later create four of my favourite films "Donnie Darko", "Looper", "Predistation" and "Ex Machina". Films such as "American Beauty", "Green Mile", "Into the wild", "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil" and "Boyhood" all use editing and special effect techniques pioneered by George Melies.