Selvaria 3D Model by Makushiro

Browsing deviantart like I do now and again for updates I came across this 3D model. I cried. Her textured budget and tri count is so massive! I don't know what I'd do with all that!! I think I'll attempt a 3D model with that tri and texture limit(not to mention I'll have unlimited time to do it) and see what I can do. I know Mitch Small mentioned one of the things he did in the summer to practice 3D was to model characters from art you like. I think I'll do that. Will be interesting!

source: http://makushiro.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d46mtpv

Movie Review: Angel-a

I'm not one for black and white movies and neither for french films as I generally find them boring and predictable. Well this movie was predictable I didn't find it boring. I liked how the scenes were put together, almost photographic. The opening scene with the main character talking I felt was a little bit dragged out and probably could have been done in a more Guy Ritchie style with a still then continue to role sort of thing.

The main character was interesting to say the least. I found him very annoying for a small man and too confident for his own good which I'm sure was the point. When he meets the female lead and they have their little journey it felt awkward. I know she was there to help him from the off set but the way he would speak to her and the way she would speak didn't feel like a mutual beneficial arrangement sort of thing...more like one of those horrible comedy movies where they get married by accident and try to be nice but ultimately fail but then at the very end up falling in love.

The female lead who is Angela was very...stiff. I mean I know she's tall and it's a bit difficult to flow when you're that tall but I mean she was like mantis style there. I didn't really feel I believed her. Maybe that's the point because of who she is but like most of the movie I felt awkward watching her. She was pretty to look at though sometimes when the angle was right!

The ending was quite nice and heart felt although I really didn't like how rough the main character was being with Angela on the bridge. I actually thought she was going to break with the amount of force he was using on her. Other than that the ending was beautifully done. It was a pretty alright movie that had it's good moments I don't think it's something I really want to watch again though. Maybe when I'm old and future movies are just rehashes of my childhood...oh wait that's already happening! One thing I didn't realise until just now that it's done by Luc Besson...I love The Fifth Element. I see he has a fetish for abnormally tall women. Saying that as well they're very similar looking.

Artist Review: Alphonse Mucha

I haven't done one in a while and I thought I might do Mucha. He's quite a popular favourite and it's clear to see why. He's the man that basically labelled prints back in the day. He has such an elegant style and although it wasn't his choice to actually do lithography he beasted at it!

His intentions when he was young was to be a painter and all though he did do some his career came from the lithography he did. Nouveau became very popular with what he produced and went on to do The Slav Epic which is painting produced by alphonse depicting Czech and Slavic people. Shortly after completing this work German troops invaded and he was arrested and interrogated. It's believed during this time his health degraded badly and shortly after being released, died from a lung infection.

After his death the art he had produced was stored away as at the time it was believed to be 'reactionary' and the German's at this point had no interest in his work. His work was later shown some 25 years later.

His art is inspiring to many artists and is constantly revived when artists mimic his style. Mucha's works have inspired many comic book and manga artists and other artists in general and will continue to inspire future artists. I myself find his work incredible and although realism is a big part of my course I would love to do a project on him.

The colors he uses are subtle to each other and the boarders really reflect an almost pop out effect against the painting itself. Some of them seem very fairy tale as well and the way there is a mix between detail and silhouetting is beautifully done. I like his seasons set the best. I think it really shows an interest and stylish flare to season paintings a lot of artists try to do.

From left to right: Winter, Autumn, Summer, Spring.

Character Design in Games

So this week we talked about what makes a character. There are a few fundamentals that I think should be followed to creating a great character which has been echoed in all successful games to date. I’ll generally talk about these topics in this article.

Character Design to me is the representation of a fictional world seen through the eyes of this character you control. You experience their world through them, a medium of sorts…not the one that talks to spirits mind you. Sometimes you see them in front of you and other times you see them sometimes but it’s mostly you being them, in other words first person rather than third person.

The visual representation of  the character is important but is also carefully tweaked and mastered to make sure that it not only fits in this world but it’s something you can relate to. This is a massive task that I expect only high IQ people to do but somehow there are a few men and women out there that imagine these guys from their common brains. A few examples of some seriously over-rated but memorable characters are, Altair, Kratos and my least favourite Master Chief (or as I like to say master chef). Now as I like to disagree with the general male public these characters are memorable for the way they look, sound, act and their attitudes towards situations which include minor wounds to the body or massive exploding shit that rocks the universe. They relate as a human to the consumer which is what sells.

I know there is a misconception of most people that fantasy games are stupid looking and are crap but as they say, different strokes for different folks but it all boils down to what relates to who. If I talk about your average Joe who doesn’t really seek cultural influence will typically find master chief a great guy because he’s important, burly and has a gun. Someone who is interested in more exotic things and of a more fantasy nature will probably prefer a character like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII because he’s got cool, spikey un-natural worldly hair and holds a massive sword somehow on his small tiny body. Character design really is just who you want to target.

If you take a game studio like EA versus Square you’re going to get two completely different character sets because they’re targeting completely different audiences. Ideally they’d love everyone to go for their game but people are different for a reason which is why characters are created differently. Now the thing that these two very different studios have in common is that they make these characters seem human, compassionate and empathetic. You need characteristics of real human beings otherwise you aren’t going to relate. Now you could argue that an ogre for example doesn’t relate to a human at all in which case I put to you that it does because weather you  seem them as this war hungry green monsters they also have a sense of collective and pride which gets them in these wars in the first place. How can you not relate to that?

I think something a lot of games fall short on, which I consider to be a big importance, is racial definition. Sure you can have a bunch of strange and wonderful creatures plodding along in the world but what’s the point of them if you don’t get to interact with them. Something I think Mass Effect does quite well to represent. You’re full conversation and back stories with these other races makes you feel more connected to them and care more for them, in other words you empathise with them. You can see a repeating pattern here of what I think is important. A game I think that does poorly in this is Final Fantasy XII bar one race because she’s in your party. There are a ton of cool races in this game but yet you don’t interact with them very much at all and the only race you do is a bunch of bunny people. I’d rather talk to the funny blue guy sitting on the bench then the bunny lady.

The most memorable character for me in my life so far is Nemo from Finding Nemo. I know it’s a recent film but when I saw the movie I just felt more connected to him than any other character I’ve seen in my life. A child who is loved and cared for by their single parent but ultimately rebels because of feeling trapped under their love. I think every teenage growing up feels this pressure from their parent(s) and as you watch the movie you see how regretful and overjoy he becomes as he eventually he realises his mistake and shows just how much he really loves his dad and he becomes a better fish for discovering what his father was trying to do. Every child feels scared leaving their parents for the rest time and its shock at the start but you slowly realise you are capable on your own.

I think an important part of this connecting to people and me included is how real the situation is. It is a life experience which Pixar generally uses in its movies. The character might be a fish but they stick a couple of big eyes and some eyebrows in there for expression with a big nice mouth for expressionism and WALA! You have yourself a fish that connects to you through expression and life experience.

Now I don’t think just the way it looks and the way the story pans out is enough. The voices all the characters have in the movie have to relate to you as well. You have the dad who is very attached to his son, over protective and also a little bit boring because they’re afraid of leaving their child for a period of time, you have the son that’s really enthusiastic, excited and curious about the world around him but is ultimately rocked by the revelation he’s restricted by the one true person he trusts. The way these characters act reflect through their lines. When Nemo is told he can’t do something he rebels and says the most hurtful thing he can think of. If you did have good writing for characters you really wouldn’t understand the way their creators intended them to connect to the audience. An example of complete utter confusion in character connection for me is Silent Hill 2. I didn’t get one single character in that game apart from they’re fucking crazy. I’m sure there was more to them but I really couldn’t be bothered when I heard how annoying and dull they sounded.

Stories I love are generally about a deep life changing time or scarred moment in your life. With the Finding Nemo story you also get UP. A man spends his entire life with the woman he loves for her to die before they could achieve their dream together. He becomes entangled in what he thinks they were meant to do but all along they’d done what they had set out to do. I like the feeling of connection through emotion. It feels more real to me then some guy blowing up a planet.

So these things I find important in a character design. It doesn’t have to be an over the top design but one that brings out a true connection through their general being. Since my teen years my opinion on characters has changed. I used to be into the really fantasy type characters with the horrible voice acting that really didn't look like those clothes should be staying together like that. I now want a character that's more believable. A man who's been to war shows the scars, shows the draining of life from his eyes and the terrible realization of the things he's seen. A man that looks broken. A buff man with a gruff voice who thinks it's cool to shoot guns doesn't seem like a true person to me. 

Too much bloom in games you say?

So a couple of weeks ago we were talking about how bloom and gloss seems to be overused in games these days. It would appear that I stumbled upon the best example of this today for too much bloom. Prepare your eyes, it's BLOOMING BRIGHT!! This is from syndicate. I haven't played or even heard of this game but there you are...way over the top. I think I'll go find a gloss one to post now.

Saw this and went daaaaaayyymm.

Source

Black Hawk Down Review

I've seen this movie a few years ago and, well, I turned the channel. I'm not one for war movies and stuff so when I watched it recently all the way through I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed it. If only for the man that gone blown to pieces! *Evil laugh*

It's one of few movies that only progress. You never see any back track areas or flash back moments in the movie. Everything you need to know is there. Everything that you are required to know has been shown to you. That's a cool idea to be honest. One thing I always hated about movies and TV show, not to mention a particular game, is the amount of flash backs they throw in there either just to waste time or to tell you something that you wouldn't have been able to figure out without it...which most of the time you figure out anyway.

It seems sort of a mono-coloured movie. The tint throughout makes it seems like an event in the past and in essence it is. The whole area in which the movie takes place is a marvel really. It's incredible to think that it's not real because it really and utterly seems real. It's definitely a place I thought would have existed.

I didn’t realise the number of actors that were in this movie. I think spotting all the actors was more of a shock to me then the storyline! I couldn’t believe how well they all suited their roles as well. They all seemed like their characters and it really seemed like a unit. It’s the same with the army base as well. It feels like they’ve moved in, made it their home and are having the best of craic in a place they don’t want to be in.

I thought the movie dragged on a bit but I didn’t feel that that any of the scenes should have been cut. They all seem relevant to a certain degree which I have to say, I haven’t seen that much in movies.

The visualisation of the shots is also something quite unique. Most would sacrifice for another angle to save time or budget for special equipment but having all the angles as they are in the movie reflected somewhat of a human vision. What someone is seeing in these shots, not what a camera is seeing. It felt like you were there not stuck at the side looking in.

It’s a pretty good movie. I said before I’m not keen on them but I’m glad I at least watched this fully to appreciate how visually intense this movie is.