Tuesday, 20 October 2009
Thursday, 15 October 2009
The Pitch - Initial Ideas
I have chosen to undertake the production of a short story. The main reason I have chosen this brief is because it gives me the opportunity to produce an animated sequence, and due to my interest in Anime, it is something i would like to have a go at myself. I've had a go at animation before, but this gives me the opportunity to try harder and gain something from it.
Before i can start production on the short story, i will need to do some initial research looking into some of the generic conventions and styles that are apparent in short stories, and more particularly animated short stories. I'll need to look into the different ways characters are introduced, if any, and also the different techniques used to forward the narrative.
I'll need to produce a detailed storyboard that will help me in the production stages. this storyboard will show camera angles, camera and protagonist movement, and also clip duration. I'll also need to come up with a good plot, that may or may not follow the typical conventions of short films.
Before i can start production on the short story, i will need to do some initial research looking into some of the generic conventions and styles that are apparent in short stories, and more particularly animated short stories. I'll need to look into the different ways characters are introduced, if any, and also the different techniques used to forward the narrative.
I'll need to produce a detailed storyboard that will help me in the production stages. this storyboard will show camera angles, camera and protagonist movement, and also clip duration. I'll also need to come up with a good plot, that may or may not follow the typical conventions of short films.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
Production Company Logo Design
Here is my original sketch for my production companies logo. Seen as a lot of my work is inspired by japanese culture, anime and manga, i thought i would dedicate the logo in some way to the style or culture. i immedaitely thought of using a word and translating it to japanese and using that. i also looked at different Kanji symbols that i could use. In the end i used the word for crazy which is Muchuu. as i thought the word sounded quite cool. When designing the lettering i again thought back to japanese culture, and their 'Kawaii' culture, Kawaii meaning cute, and all things round, big eyed and cuddly looking. so i went for a soft bubbly bold font that's loose and curvy and bends round like a rainbow, further refering to kiddy things.
I wanted the colours of the logo to represent cuteness and fun and colour, so i went for a bright colourful palette and multicoloured lettering, again to refere to the kiddish look.
Production Company Background
20th Century Fox are one of the most major American film studios in America. It was created after the merging of two separate companies, 20th century films and the fox film company. Once joined the company began to be very popular, and today is now one of the biggest and most popular Film studios. It is famous for franchises such as X-men, Star Wars and Die Hard, and was the company that brought Shirley Temple to our screens.
The 20th Century fox logo was an art deco design by artist Emil Kosa, Jr. The fanfare was originally painted on layers of glass and animated frame by frame, these days it's all produced digitally.
Paramount Pictures Corporation is a world renowned film production and distribution company which was formed back in 1912 and is currently owned and part of Viacom. It is said its the most profitable film company. It is responsible for some of the most well known films and is one of the oldest film production companies. The Paramount mountain has been the companies logo since its creation, and even now, it is one of the oldest logos around, and a world recognised symbol. The company is responsible for films such as What women Want, Saving Private Ryan, The Italian Job and also original national treasures such as Popeye.
Both film companies are major names, and their images can be recognised all over the world. One of the major differences between the two, is that Paramount are not only a film production company, but also a distributor.
Monday, 28 September 2009
Exhibition
The various ways of presenting and exhibiting short films is just as diverse as that of movies and music videos.
Film festivals are one of the more obvious places to view a series of short films. A film festival is usual an annual event that showcases various films that usually follow the theme of the evening. For instance it may be a robot theme, and therefore the organisers will choose some of the best robot related films to show. These films can be recent releases, old favourites, or even international films. The festival can even be dedicated to a particular actor or director, it's completely up to the organisers of the event. But it is at film festivals where award winning short films are likely to be showcased and first officially shown to the public or attendees.
Another way of presenting short films or a series of short films is via DVD. Animation companies that produce the short films are likely to release a DVD collection of their films so they are available for buying and owning. Animation companies like Pixar have done this on numerous occasions, releasing their official 'Pixar Short Film Collection' DVD.
Collaborative DVD's are also created, such as Batman: Gotham Knight, and The animatrix. This is where various animation companies produce a short film based on the same character or story idea, and each animation studio have their own take on how the characters and setting are presented, usually using their own particular style.Another way short films can be showcased within DVD's is in the extras or the special features. Normally trailers for related features are put here, but it is also common for short films that relate to the main feature to be displayed here. For instance, The film '9' is due to be released in cinema's soon, based on the short film by Shane Acker, but when the film is released on DVD, it is likely that the original short film will be in the special features or extras for anyone to watch that may not have seen the original story.
Due to the expanding technologies of the world of today it is possible to gain popularity through the Internet. Anyone is able to create websites and show their own work to the entire world. Thanks to websites like Youtube, Vimeo and Megavideo, it is even possible for people with no knowledge of creating websites to upload their own videos they have created. This makes the Internet the easiest place to find and view short films. Many Oscar award winning short films by students from various universities around the world can be found by searching on Youtube alone. And using searcgh engines like Google you can easily locate various producers of short films and other works, amateur or professional to delve into.
Open Research
As I plan on producing a short animated film, I will be directing all my open research at animation, animation studios and various techniques used in animation for short films.
Essentially, and most commonly, a short film follows a very loose path that includes lots of enigmas leaving the story very open ended. This approach tends to work best as it requires no final outcome, and no introductions of time, location or character need to be included.
Another approach for short films, most commonly related to that of Pixar's animated short films, is that of comedy. Presenting a quick, comedic sketch visually, allows for everyone to enjoy the film and immediately be pleased. These allow for a quick fix of entertainment, but can soon become old and loose their touch, which is why it's important for the studio to keep producing new sketches.
Short films can also have that sympathetic factor. Like the film 'kiwi' by Pixar. The film starts with you thinking, 'aww, what a cute little bird', then you wonder what it's doing, nailing long logs into a cliff, must be something cool because the little bird is so cute. Then you see it's a tree. Curiosity rises. Then he jumps and pops his little wings out, the camera turns and you can see that he has simulated flying by falling, just so he can feel like a real bird and you get another 'awwwwww!' from the audience, then the tear of joy runs down his face and that's it, everyone is immediately in love with kiwi. It becomes a massive hit because it's nostalgic, the bird is cute, and it makes some people laugh.
Different short films can also collaborate to tell a story or a number of different stories, as long as they are all based around the same idea. Take the 'Animatrix' for example. Lots of short films, each no longer than 10 minutes long, created by various different animation studios, to tell their side of the matrix story. The thing that makes the 'Animatrix' a good focal point of research for short animated films, is you can see the many different approaches that can be taken just to present a story based on the same idea. You can see a number of different animation styles, from clean lined styled animation in 'Beyond', to the more sketchy loose semi-real look of 'Kid's Story'.
This form of collaboration of short films is also apparent in 'Batman: Gotham Knight', where once again, the different studios each produce a short film based upon a similar idea, in this sense, Batman. And much like 'Animatrix', each short film has it's own style of animation, usually related to the animation studio that created it.
Around the world short films or 'shorts' are expected to be very different durations. In Europe, a short film is expected to be anything from 1-15 minutes, and the story usually involves a plot twist or is dedicated to showcasing visuals and or appearance. whereas in America, a short film is usually expected to be no longer than 50 minutes, and typically revolves around one character and the events the befall upon him/her. An example of a longer 50 minute short film could be 'Dead Leaves', an animated short film from japanese animation studio Production I.G. and directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, also known as 'Mr Toonz'.
The story is centered around the two main characters, Retro, who for some reason has a TV for a head, and Pandy, and their escape from the DL (dead leaves) prison facility. The film is one of my all time favourites, and it's made by one of my favourite animation studios. Although focusing on the characters as expected from a longer duration short film, Dead Leaves also is a visually stunning piece of animation that break the boundaries between real and surreal.
Short films have so many conventions, it all depends on the creators wants and needs. The plot can be entirely open ended, usually used for short films of a duration of around 1-10 minutes, or it can be a short story that follows a character as he/she is making there way through a series of events, or meeting a character. Aesthetically, short films have no conventions at all. Short films are a good way to showcase a style or idea without having to spend years on it to get it finished (unless of course you want to).
Essentially, and most commonly, a short film follows a very loose path that includes lots of enigmas leaving the story very open ended. This approach tends to work best as it requires no final outcome, and no introductions of time, location or character need to be included.
Another approach for short films, most commonly related to that of Pixar's animated short films, is that of comedy. Presenting a quick, comedic sketch visually, allows for everyone to enjoy the film and immediately be pleased. These allow for a quick fix of entertainment, but can soon become old and loose their touch, which is why it's important for the studio to keep producing new sketches.
Short films can also have that sympathetic factor. Like the film 'kiwi' by Pixar. The film starts with you thinking, 'aww, what a cute little bird', then you wonder what it's doing, nailing long logs into a cliff, must be something cool because the little bird is so cute. Then you see it's a tree. Curiosity rises. Then he jumps and pops his little wings out, the camera turns and you can see that he has simulated flying by falling, just so he can feel like a real bird and you get another 'awwwwww!' from the audience, then the tear of joy runs down his face and that's it, everyone is immediately in love with kiwi. It becomes a massive hit because it's nostalgic, the bird is cute, and it makes some people laugh.
Different short films can also collaborate to tell a story or a number of different stories, as long as they are all based around the same idea. Take the 'Animatrix' for example. Lots of short films, each no longer than 10 minutes long, created by various different animation studios, to tell their side of the matrix story. The thing that makes the 'Animatrix' a good focal point of research for short animated films, is you can see the many different approaches that can be taken just to present a story based on the same idea. You can see a number of different animation styles, from clean lined styled animation in 'Beyond', to the more sketchy loose semi-real look of 'Kid's Story'.
This form of collaboration of short films is also apparent in 'Batman: Gotham Knight', where once again, the different studios each produce a short film based upon a similar idea, in this sense, Batman. And much like 'Animatrix', each short film has it's own style of animation, usually related to the animation studio that created it.
Around the world short films or 'shorts' are expected to be very different durations. In Europe, a short film is expected to be anything from 1-15 minutes, and the story usually involves a plot twist or is dedicated to showcasing visuals and or appearance. whereas in America, a short film is usually expected to be no longer than 50 minutes, and typically revolves around one character and the events the befall upon him/her. An example of a longer 50 minute short film could be 'Dead Leaves', an animated short film from japanese animation studio Production I.G. and directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, also known as 'Mr Toonz'.
The story is centered around the two main characters, Retro, who for some reason has a TV for a head, and Pandy, and their escape from the DL (dead leaves) prison facility. The film is one of my all time favourites, and it's made by one of my favourite animation studios. Although focusing on the characters as expected from a longer duration short film, Dead Leaves also is a visually stunning piece of animation that break the boundaries between real and surreal.Short films have so many conventions, it all depends on the creators wants and needs. The plot can be entirely open ended, usually used for short films of a duration of around 1-10 minutes, or it can be a short story that follows a character as he/she is making there way through a series of events, or meeting a character. Aesthetically, short films have no conventions at all. Short films are a good way to showcase a style or idea without having to spend years on it to get it finished (unless of course you want to).
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