We had a production team meeting and made some decisions about where the film wasd going. We had the basic idea that our film was going to take place in a large factory, and that this factory wouldf be some kind of recycling plant for disused robots. Therefore most of the scene would consist of a coveyorbelt on which these robots would move along. There would be some worker robots on walkways, examining and possibly extracting data (or memories?) from the disused robots.
We thought of possible focusing in on one particualar robot, one that was diefferent to all the others, one that had different memories. These memories could be visually displayed on huge screens around that plant and we would capture the reaction of one of the worker robots when it sees the memories of this particular robot, and therefore we have the basis to form a basic plot.
Boimechanoid
I found this rather unusual stop motion animation, "Biomechanoid" by Peter Mehren and Havard Andreas Steensen, and thoght it might be useful to look at. It is inspired by the likes of The Brothers Quay and Jan Svankmajer, therefore is rather grim, but contains some interesting robotic animation. It is about two robots who find that when they adopt human faces they start to have human emotions. This idea of robots having feelings and the surrounding themes such as digital data juxtaposed with memories could be an interesting concept for the twist or revelation that we need in our film to make it a story and not just a visualization.
Akryls
This video realized in 2002 by Yann Couderc, Xavier Henry and Bruno Hajnal was their final project at Supinfoom.
This video takes the idea of environments to a new level by creating several massive environments and performing an epic fly-through with the camera. I believe this can take away from the filmic language of a piece but here is purpose is for us to be veiwing the world through the eyes of a small flying robot.
Although impressive this somewhat inspired up to strive to take a more conventional approach in terms of cinematography. We wanted the shots to be quite standard so we could be able to convey a message through the filmic language and not just have a flythrough.
This video takes the idea of environments to a new level by creating several massive environments and performing an epic fly-through with the camera. I believe this can take away from the filmic language of a piece but here is purpose is for us to be veiwing the world through the eyes of a small flying robot.
Although impressive this somewhat inspired up to strive to take a more conventional approach in terms of cinematography. We wanted the shots to be quite standard so we could be able to convey a message through the filmic language and not just have a flythrough.
Sunflare
I find this video interesting to look at from an editing and compositing point of view, especially as this will be a key area I will work on to help complete the final piece.
In "Sunflare" the editing contains a series of quick cuts and close-ups, much like the previous Starcraft video. This is useful to take note of for future reference.
The lighting in this video is minimal and there is no real environment being displayed, just a black background. It is useful in terms of modeling, looking at the shapes of the machines and also if we were to do any type of piece within the music video genre, as this video relies heavily on the music to carry it through.
In "Sunflare" the editing contains a series of quick cuts and close-ups, much like the previous Starcraft video. This is useful to take note of for future reference.
The lighting in this video is minimal and there is no real environment being displayed, just a black background. It is useful in terms of modeling, looking at the shapes of the machines and also if we were to do any type of piece within the music video genre, as this video relies heavily on the music to carry it through.
Starcraft II
This trailer for Starcraft II by blizzard is also top notch robotic animation and is much closer to the type of thing we want to achieve. The machines in it look more conventional like what we know. They have similarities with those of a car assembly line and therefore are useful to look at for the animation, texturing and lighting. (The game is out early next year in case you were wondering!)
458nm
click below to play videohttp://nofatclips.com/02007/05/23/458nm/458nm_640_polynoid.mp4
There is some amazing robotics animation in this piece by Polynoid here and they do well to create a gloomy, dank atmosphere. I think it subsequently won a load of awards at short film festivals too...
In continued to search for material which contained different types of robotic animation to see how it worked as film and for later on when we come to model and animate..
MOLOCH
Concerning the overall mood and ambiance of this atmosphere we were trying to create I recalled a short film I saw named 'Moloch' by a group called Platige back in the summer during the London International Animation Festival which stuck in mind for its success in creating a certain level of depth in its environment. The film is about a machine god, represented by a human figure where comes out of a giant factory full of machinery and proceeds to go on a killing rampage.
I find that the textures and especially the lighting effects work well and are integral to making this atmosphere believable, and that this was something to bear in mind for us later on...
http://www.molochfilm.com/
CVA201 - 2007
It was clear from the initial talks amongst the group that we wanted to do something a little edgy and a little dark and atmospheric for this project. "Environments" suggests a clear focus on the senses; sights, sounds helping to create a believable place. To do this most effectively we decided on creating something with a cold, sterile mood, as we thought we might be able to really convey the sense of atmosphere connected with the environment.
With 'Heath Robinson' machine videos in our heads we set to work and came up with a basic idea involving robots, conveyor belts and recycling. And at that point I set out to do research that might inspire us further...
With 'Heath Robinson' machine videos in our heads we set to work and came up with a basic idea involving robots, conveyor belts and recycling. And at that point I set out to do research that might inspire us further...
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