Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday, February 01, 2007
My New Hero
I say new hero but really, it has been building up to this over the years. Some of my favorite pieces of animation is in Dumbo, more specifically the two scenes with his mother, near the beginning when she is bathing him and later when she is in jail. To me, there is nothing like this in animation. The emotion, and life that is in these scenes, the truth that comes through is so powerful as to cause one to be a at a loss for words.
These scenes, in fact most of the animation of Dumbo, is animated by one man. If that wasn't enough he is also the animator who did the devil on night on bald mountain in fantasia, Stromboli, the giant in mickey and the bean stock and the wizard from Mickey's piece in fantasia, among others.
His name is Vladamir Tytla, though he is more commonly known by Bill Tytla. He is beyond amazing.
These scenes, in fact most of the animation of Dumbo, is animated by one man. If that wasn't enough he is also the animator who did the devil on night on bald mountain in fantasia, Stromboli, the giant in mickey and the bean stock and the wizard from Mickey's piece in fantasia, among others.
His name is Vladamir Tytla, though he is more commonly known by Bill Tytla. He is beyond amazing.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Taxi Driver - Reactions
The following is my reaction to seeing taxi driver for the first time. Parallels - I am 3/4 of the way through Lolita which has as a main character a girl of about the same age as Iris.
The score, the main song, the jazz line, it meant sex/prostitution/corruption/filth. It played throughout the whole movie but the only place where someone actually played the song was when the pimp was romancing iris.
I thought that he was going to turn out to be a killer. He turned out to be viewed as a hero. But he had a failed attempt at killing the mayor. What would have happened if he had killed him. Why did he think needed too.
It seemed like the movie was like a vigilante film where the vigilante is a real person, and the score is trying to make it seem like he's a vigilante, but he's just a slow man. He isn't the smartest person. The whole movie makes me feel slow. He wasn't afraid of doing any job. He didn't have direction. But he was true to himself. He didn't cover up his loss of direction with a pretense of knowledge. This reminds of the fireman character in I hearthuckabees. I love this character. This was like a parallel character, un-educated version, brought up and burnt by Vietnam, dunno if the setting is too late for that though.
The movie was very dark, in it's lighting that is. I think it was supposed to convey the mood of the night in the slums of new york. I've never been but it certainly had the feeling what it might be like.
A lot of movies that I really like, a lot of movies from the 70s and 60s, they have interesting dialoge. In other words, the words we use every day, at least the one I use, the stock answers that I quip out because I don't give myself the time to actually think about the question or am just to slow/lazy to really respond, these movies don't use them. The characters stand there and seem to have real connection, they are really relating to each other. Or should I say that the dialogue is supposed to convey the idea that they are. I think Annie Hall does this well.
good night
The score, the main song, the jazz line, it meant sex/prostitution/corruption/filth. It played throughout the whole movie but the only place where someone actually played the song was when the pimp was romancing iris.
I thought that he was going to turn out to be a killer. He turned out to be viewed as a hero. But he had a failed attempt at killing the mayor. What would have happened if he had killed him. Why did he think needed too.
It seemed like the movie was like a vigilante film where the vigilante is a real person, and the score is trying to make it seem like he's a vigilante, but he's just a slow man. He isn't the smartest person. The whole movie makes me feel slow. He wasn't afraid of doing any job. He didn't have direction. But he was true to himself. He didn't cover up his loss of direction with a pretense of knowledge. This reminds of the fireman character in I hearthuckabees. I love this character. This was like a parallel character, un-educated version, brought up and burnt by Vietnam, dunno if the setting is too late for that though.
The movie was very dark, in it's lighting that is. I think it was supposed to convey the mood of the night in the slums of new york. I've never been but it certainly had the feeling what it might be like.
A lot of movies that I really like, a lot of movies from the 70s and 60s, they have interesting dialoge. In other words, the words we use every day, at least the one I use, the stock answers that I quip out because I don't give myself the time to actually think about the question or am just to slow/lazy to really respond, these movies don't use them. The characters stand there and seem to have real connection, they are really relating to each other. Or should I say that the dialogue is supposed to convey the idea that they are. I think Annie Hall does this well.
good night
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Art
The following was spurred by this.
Art is impossible, those who succeed do so by chance, except, maybe Michelangelo, he's created 3 pieces which are peerless and renowned as timeless classics. All three have a different feel, one which was not even the medium he was most proficient in.
I think there are many points to art, some of which we will never know of. One is timelessness, a way for people to leave a mark, the pyramids succeeded in that. Another is aesthetics, yet another a way to convey an idea or feeling, to be able to relate. Art can also serve as a impetus for questions. Everyone seems to think that art should be this or that, it shouldn't. People should allow for all these functions to be explored instead of saying, oh that doesn't look like anything, or, oh, that's ugly. Well yeah, that's not what it's trying to do, art doesn't have to be pretty, realistic, funny, sanitary or anything else.
Why can't people just try and understand art that they don't get? Why do we have to use one set of scales for every single piece of art produced? Why does any one piece of art have to be all things at once? Michelangelo's pieta is amazing, it's technical brilliance is mind-blowing and it is important to have beautiful things around you, it's part of being human. But it isn't all things at once. It's story is old, been done a million times. What's it's message? What truth does it convey to us? It tells a snippet of a part of the Bible, but even that's an excuse. It's an exercise in creating the illusion of human motion and emotion in stone.
Banksy uses stencils, he spray paints on walls, then his art gets covered up by people who think that it's a gang symbol, an indication that there are too many poor people. His art is transitory, it's technically proficient, but he's not even close to Michelangelo. Is he a lesser artist? He makes people think, his images are clever, interesting, sometimes provocative.
Art is impossible, those who succeed do so by chance, except, maybe Michelangelo, he's created 3 pieces which are peerless and renowned as timeless classics. All three have a different feel, one which was not even the medium he was most proficient in.
I think there are many points to art, some of which we will never know of. One is timelessness, a way for people to leave a mark, the pyramids succeeded in that. Another is aesthetics, yet another a way to convey an idea or feeling, to be able to relate. Art can also serve as a impetus for questions. Everyone seems to think that art should be this or that, it shouldn't. People should allow for all these functions to be explored instead of saying, oh that doesn't look like anything, or, oh, that's ugly. Well yeah, that's not what it's trying to do, art doesn't have to be pretty, realistic, funny, sanitary or anything else.
Why can't people just try and understand art that they don't get? Why do we have to use one set of scales for every single piece of art produced? Why does any one piece of art have to be all things at once? Michelangelo's pieta is amazing, it's technical brilliance is mind-blowing and it is important to have beautiful things around you, it's part of being human. But it isn't all things at once. It's story is old, been done a million times. What's it's message? What truth does it convey to us? It tells a snippet of a part of the Bible, but even that's an excuse. It's an exercise in creating the illusion of human motion and emotion in stone.
Banksy uses stencils, he spray paints on walls, then his art gets covered up by people who think that it's a gang symbol, an indication that there are too many poor people. His art is transitory, it's technically proficient, but he's not even close to Michelangelo. Is he a lesser artist? He makes people think, his images are clever, interesting, sometimes provocative.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Jenny Lewis
I love, l. o. v. e., love, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Rabbit Fur Coat is an albumn with few peers. If you have not listened to it, through, beginning to end, at least 20 times, you need to. Goodnight folks!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
A History of Non-Violence
So, I have started watching the webcasts for the Introduction to Nonviolence class at UC Berkeley. The first one is pretty cool, a quick overview of what is going to be talked about. More specifically he talks about the idea behind the non-violence theories, with a model for situation which involves positive and negative energy, and how they apply to a real-world situation.
His basic outline is that you have negative energy situations and positive energy situations and that you can introduce negative or positive energy to those situations and they will change to the corresponding energy that you introduce. So, if you are in a negative situation, the real way to deal with it is not to approach it with a negative energy response but a positive energy response.
I'm not sure what I think about all this, I suppose I will reserve judgment until I get further into the course but my initial reaction is that it all sounds well and good but is not too practical. However, thankfully, I believe that this will be dispelled by the class as I think that's it's purpose, to show that non-violence is in fact practical, with Ghandi being the prime example used.
I think that I will try and pick up the required texts for the class, there are only two and I doubt that they would be too much, especially if I found them second-hand. I don't know how I will find the time to do this all but, I suppose I can try. I waste a lot of time on random crap and while it's all and good this might be a nice thing to do instead of something random, we'll see. If anyone is reading this and wants to go through this with me you are more than free to mirror post on your own blog. ;-) Or, if you prefer, in the comments section of each post things could be discussed. Just a thought.
His basic outline is that you have negative energy situations and positive energy situations and that you can introduce negative or positive energy to those situations and they will change to the corresponding energy that you introduce. So, if you are in a negative situation, the real way to deal with it is not to approach it with a negative energy response but a positive energy response.
I'm not sure what I think about all this, I suppose I will reserve judgment until I get further into the course but my initial reaction is that it all sounds well and good but is not too practical. However, thankfully, I believe that this will be dispelled by the class as I think that's it's purpose, to show that non-violence is in fact practical, with Ghandi being the prime example used.
I think that I will try and pick up the required texts for the class, there are only two and I doubt that they would be too much, especially if I found them second-hand. I don't know how I will find the time to do this all but, I suppose I can try. I waste a lot of time on random crap and while it's all and good this might be a nice thing to do instead of something random, we'll see. If anyone is reading this and wants to go through this with me you are more than free to mirror post on your own blog. ;-) Or, if you prefer, in the comments section of each post things could be discussed. Just a thought.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
CA!
When I close my eyes, which I won't be able to do for another hour or so, I see tangent handles and animation curves. This animation, I was excited about, but now, I've run out of time to work on it and I'd really like to start over from scratch. I can already see so many mistakes that I've made, parts that I could make better, cleaner, more readable. And we aren't working on animation for the rest of the semester in my CA class. Though I still have TA to fall back on. Sigh, I don't want to end this project but, alas, I have to. Though! we can resubmit! Though I probably won't have time to do so. I should though, I think I'd learn allot from doing it over.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Work In Progress
This is what I've been burning the midnight oil for. It's due friday so I should have a fully rendered version then.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Yoshitaka Amano!
Today, in the month of October on Friday the 13th, if the year 2000 and 6, Yoshitaka Amano visited Ringling, It was so cool. I and a group of other students were able to eat lunch with him and ask him questions. Then we went to a lecture hall where the rest of the students were and he gave a demonstration, drawing four pieces in ink right there in front of us, I have video. I also have pictures of me and a group of other people with Amano but they are on a friends camera, I will add them later. Till then, feast on videos of said demonstration. So awesome, you don't even know.
P.S. I am sorry for the low quality shaky footage, it was so much cooler in person :-(
Amano Painting a moogle
Amano Painting a villian from Final Fantasy - Amazing
Amano Painting Sephiroth, partial
coming soon
Amano Paints Vampire Hunter D
P.S. I am sorry for the low quality shaky footage, it was so much cooler in person :-(
Amano Painting a moogle
Amano Painting a villian from Final Fantasy - Amazing
Amano Painting Sephiroth, partial
coming soon
Amano Paints Vampire Hunter D
Thursday, October 12, 2006
More Lions
I was exploring different styles, the first one is supposed to be very graphic and is from photo reference and the second I think is kinda Dr. Seuss-y/Chuck Jones, but I'm probably being delusional in that.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Sarasota Water, Blech
I just received this e-mail,
" We have just been informed that the City of Sarasota has shut off the water to a number of on-campus locations and plans to have it off for at least two hours today. It is essential that you BOIL WATER you plan to use for drinking or preparing food FOR THE NEXT 72 HOURS."
This, after having the same thing happen all of last weekend! What is wrong with these people, Florida has the worst water that I have ever had, in my life! It's so frustrating not being able to just drink water out of the faucet. I have to buy it somewhere, or get a filter, and that's just ordinary Florida water. Now the city decides that they are going to take it to the next level and make us boil our water, next thing we know we'll have to take it by bucket out of the bayou! So annoying.
" We have just been informed that the City of Sarasota has shut off the water to a number of on-campus locations and plans to have it off for at least two hours today. It is essential that you BOIL WATER you plan to use for drinking or preparing food FOR THE NEXT 72 HOURS."
This, after having the same thing happen all of last weekend! What is wrong with these people, Florida has the worst water that I have ever had, in my life! It's so frustrating not being able to just drink water out of the faucet. I have to buy it somewhere, or get a filter, and that's just ordinary Florida water. Now the city decides that they are going to take it to the next level and make us boil our water, next thing we know we'll have to take it by bucket out of the bayou! So annoying.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Craziness!
So, North Korea appears to have tested a nuclear bomb. What will be the effects of this? What will the UN's response be, what will China's stance be? Will Japan change they're pacifist Constitution? Is the United States at risk? Will they sell nuclear weapons to terrorists? How will George Bush be prevented from screwing things up? This is huge, only time will tell what the full ramifications of this are.
Bucky Whickshire
A new Bucky Whickshire for the new American Youth! Copyright, me! Don't steal my stuff.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
The most random website, ever
'Learn how to make Mayan Hot Chocolate, like in the movie Chocolat, or make a vase filled with fish.' all at andreas.com
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Bay Area
I really like this webcam, they have a timelapses of the previous day, everyday, so you can see an entire day in the space of a couple minutes. Oh, remember as you watch that timelapse, which I know you are, that it isn't the sun going around the Earth, but the earth rotating on it's axis, freaky! Oh, also, the rays that come through the fog near the end are called Crepuscular rays, aka sun rays, aka God rays.
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