Narrative: Modelling Tracy (Eyes,Mouth and Eyebrows)

So here is Tracy so far. Her face is pretty round (most like a porcelain doll) and I kept her eyes big to make her a cute 10 year old girl. For now she look like an alien but I guess she will be much better with hair. I've got two versions of her one with eyelashes and one without. Which works best? :P

Narrative: Tracy's Modelling- Blocking

And so it begins!. She looks cute already :D

Maya: Cartoon Character Skinning Part 1 and 2- Creating Joints and Binding

He's coming to life now! I am actually excited to start modelling the characters for our Narrative :)

Maya: Cartoon Character UV Mapping Part 5 and 6: Hair and Misc (UV Mapping Completed!)

And my little guy is ready for skinning! :D

Postmodernism: Essay Notes and Links (after taking in Phil's Advice)

These are a few useful links and notes I found that should be great to consider in the essay. I will eventually gather more :)

Postmodern Essay Notes

Maya: Cartoon Character UV Mapping Part 3 and 4: Shoes and Head

Ironically, the head was the trickiest to model but the easiest to UV Map  :O

Narrative: House Modelling Process

In this Narrative Project I was given the task to model the house and the Characters of our Trailer/Animation. The house is an easy one to do but the real task is the characters. I hope I can do my best on this as I am not the most confident person in maya but my character modelling tutorials are doing well so I don't see why not.

So here is my first creative work on this project.

Maya: Cartoon Character UV Mapping Part 1 and 2: Legs, Shirt and Arms

A special thanks to Jon Stewart for his online help with my geometry which made my UV mapping hard to do. One thing you need to know about UVs is: they will show even the tiniest flaws in your geometry so you better have a decent model to start with. Hope this will be a good lesson to me so I pay more attention in modelling. :)

Evaluation of Unit 2: Character Design

It's been 10 weeks of Year 2 already and we are done with our first project. Time went so fast, yet everyone produced a huge amount of work and did really well at their crits. I am glad Justin mentioned that we are the strongest group so far with a great number of talented people.
To be very honest, this project was the one I was looking forward to since Year 1. I have always been interested in character design and having a professional to show us the hidden grammar behind characters was something I certainly anticipated. I wanted to make the most of these 10 weeks as you never know when we will get an opportunity like this ever again.  I learnt so much during those 10 weeks but there is so much more ahead of me. And I believe I did make the most of it as I could see it from the feedback I got in my presentation.
So all in all I cannot wait to put the knowledge I grasped into my own characters, and of course turn them into 3D.

Note: Need to improve in presentation skills. Be more excited about my work.

Character Design: The Character Bible of Ada Sar Tsang

Character Design Bible

Character Design: Additional Character Concept- Dumpling

I know ..I know..I named her after a Chinese Dish again but it's funny. :P

Character Design: Ada creating a Sandstorm Concept

I cam imagine the whole style changing when Ada fights or performs he magic powers in the desert. It could be turning into a Chinese Painting on handmade paper. Oh and her green eyes would light up showing the power of the Jade Sun.

Character Design: CD Design

Simplistic, quick, straightforward..done!

Character Design: China Town in Cavern Concept

This is the hidden Chinese town Ada was raised in and was taught all about Kung Fu. The "Jade Sun" is right outside the entrance of the cave, symbolising the power source of the town.

I tried to go for a realistic style to it but it didn't work out so went for a more abstract one which looks more exciting. I am very proud of this one. I am finally happy with an environment I designed. :)

Character Design: Wyatt's Revised Final Pose

I am so glad I changed his pose. Looking back at the first one I absolutely hate it.
Anyway, it's much better now. And with the jade medallion you can see his source power! Whoop!

Character Design: Choice of Template Design

For my template I wanted to use a soft colour to bring out my work. A suttle Brown is the best and it fits my western theme (desert colour) as well as the eastern(handmade chinese paper). It looks almost like a painting with Ada riding her dragon in the desert.

Character Design: Action Poses

Now that's more like it! They are alive now! I wanted to keep it sketchy to show their structure. I think it works :)

@PHIL : Postmodern Essay Structure (1st Attempt)

Hello Phil,
This is the essay structure I have up till now. The main Body of the Essay will be divided in parts (paragraphs) which are numbered. I have worked out that I might be able to include Postmodern theories of 3 Philosophers but I am not sure if it's too much. Oh and I am still in the process of collecting different reviews on Scream like you told me.
Thank you.

Postmodern Essay Structure

Maya: Cartoon Character Head Modelling Part 9, 10 and 11- Eyebrows, Replacement Eyes and Bringing the Model Together

It's finally done! After tweaking him again I believe he looks a lot better now. Now move on to UV Mapping :)

It's Done :D

Eyebrows and Replacement Eyes

Maya: Cartoon Character Head Modelling Part 6 and 7: Ears and Hair

Slow progress but at least it's getting there. I had to tweak his face again to make him look less cute- even though he doesn't look exactly like Alan's model I think he's acceptable. Oh and apparently I've got 'The cute Syndrome' according to Alan, meaning that I want to make everything look cute (including this character)-hence the round features I gave him at the beginning.

Character Design: Wyatt's Final Pose

I am not sure about this pose. It looks boring to me so I might have to redraw him. I don't think he is directly distinguished as the villain in the all 3 pose. EEeek what to do ....

Character Design: Noodle's Final Pose

I tried using colours that compliment Ada as he will be on her side most of the time. I think they fit well together :)

Character Design: Wyatt's Expressions

His face has been modified through drawing it over and over again but I believe he has a completed character now: sneaky, secretive, sly and always up for no good. The power of the Jade Sun is conquering him and he gradually becomes a solid object-but he doesn't know yet.

Character Design: Wyatt's Turnarounds and Colours

So here are his Turnarounds. It took me a while to work out his really distorted face and the design of his arm but he looks a lot better than the first concept. I am plaesed with his final outcome.

And this is a quick concept of him trying to work out his colours. I will use earthly colours for his clothes to create a contrast with his bright green jade parts. Getting there..

Character Design: Wyatt's Development

Wyatt is finally getting more interesting now and more believable. His outfit makes him look more like a cowboy with a poncho than just a monster. Can't wait to refine him.

Narrative: Film Review on "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)

FIG.1: Film Poster

Director: John Huston

Producer: Hal B.Wallis

Year: 1941

Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet

Jon Huston's The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart is one of the most famous detective mysteries ever made and is considered as the first in the dark film noir genre in Hollywood. Apart from its popularity in the film noir genre, it is distinctive in inaugurating or changing crucial aspects of film history.  Apart from paving the way to the FilM Noir Genre, The Maltese Falcon became a major influence for all the modern subgenres of Noir like Post Noir (or Neo Noir), Tech Noir and Cyberpunk.

FIG.2: The Cast

Before moving to the subgenres it is vital to understand the origins and the characteristics of Noir itself. The term film Noir describes a film that has a dark content and outlook. It's aesthetics are deeply influenced by the Art Movement of German Expressionism, an art movement that first appeared before the First World War and involved theatre, painting, sculpture and even film. It isn't based on realism, but it is more like representations of realism. Pioch's explanation is more understandable:  "Characterized by heightened, symbolic colors and exaggerated imagery, it was German Expressionism in particular that tended to dwell on the darker, sinister aspects of the human psyche.`Expressionism'' can be used to describe various art forms but, in its broadest sense, it is used to describe any art that raises subjective feelings above objective observations."(Pioch.2002) In a cinematic aspect, Expressionsm was displayed in a way that made the viewer look deeper into the psyche of the characters and in combination with the dark, claustrophobic environment it made it even more enticing. 

FIG.3: The Falcon

The Maltese Falcon has all the traits of a typical Film Noir. It involves doomed heroes, manipulative people and hidden political agendas that are revealed throughout the film. It is a mixture of mystery, romance and thriller- a mashup of emotions. The characters often seem lost in the dark smoke filled rooms they are set in and often end up not even recognising themselves. Another interesting fact of the film that is seen in onward Noir influenced films is the famme fatal which is the portrayal of the woman as the illicit desire of the male protagonist. In film Noir, the gender roles changed: the woman is often the strongest character or even the villain. They were the ones who could control male protagonists and sometimes made them commit murder for their own sake.

Film Noir continues to inspire modern film making and created whole new genres based on its distinctive imagery. Neo Noir was named as a separate genre around 1970, with visual elements that included low lighting, big use of lighting and shadow and weird camera placements. Neo Noir films, are aware of modern circumstances unlike classic Noir Films. And then there is Tech Noir and Cyberpunk which is a combination of film Noir and science fiction. Tech-Noir  is any story that relies on technology for an integral part of the premise, while simultaneously using noir techniques to tell that story.

In conclusion, The Maltese Falcon is a film that pays tribute to the Film Noir Genre. It was the one which started everything that involves Film Noir today and it will still inspire generations to come, whether it is combined with futuristic traits or not.

Bibliography

Pioch, Nicolas (2002) Expressionism. Wed Museum: Paris At: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/tl/20th/expressionism.html (accessed on 14/11/2011)

List of Illustrations

FIG.1: Film Poster At: http://nighthawknews.wordpress.com/2010/11/18/top-100-novels-59-the-maltese-falcon/ (accessed on 12/11/2011)

FIG.2: The Cast At: http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%20Summaries/M/Maltese%20Falcon,%20The%20(1941).htm (accessed on 12/11/2011)

FIG.3: The Falcon At: http://wakdjunkaga.wordpress.com/longer-items/lone-operator-sam-spade-flawed-hero/ (accessed on 12/11/2011)

Character Design: Ada's Final Pose

She is finally done! (I think) I had a lot of fun bringing her to life and colouring her in. Now time to move on to Noodle and Wyatt for a change.
For her lace design I used an image I found online, including the detail on her belt. For the background on the second image I used The Color Of Website and came up with an interesting pattern from the word Asia. I am not sure if it's too distracting but at least it's a good idea to somehow use it in the Character Bible.

The Color of..Asia?

Belt Detail

Lace Detail