Tuesday 9 November 2010

Interim Review Summary

Film Reviews:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/film-review-cabinet-of-doctor-calligari.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/film-review-metropolis.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/film-review-king-kong.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/film-review-wizard-of-oz.html

Story Research:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/unit-2-space.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/research-neverending-story.html

Thumbnails:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/extract-1-thumbnails-part-1.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/extract-1-thumbnails-part-2.html

Influence Maps:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/influence-map-1-woodlands.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/influence-map-2-sunsets.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/influence-map-3-lakesides.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/influence-map-4-mountains.html

Experiments:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/experimental-tree-village.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/depth-practice.html

Visualisations:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/photoshop-tutorial-forest.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/photoshop-tutorial-ivory-tower.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/labyrinth.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/lost-in-howling-forest.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/cheesie-wheezies.html

Life Drawing:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/10/life-drawing-week-6.html
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/life-drawing-week-7.html

Essay Proposal:
http://mickeyholman.blogspot.com/2010/11/unit-2-essay-idea.html

2 comments:

tutorphil said...

Interim Online Review 09/11/10

Hey Michael,

Lots upload for the IOR - nice. While it's clear you've been digging into the photoshop classes, generating thumbnails etc. and generally keeping your head down, there's something I can't find here. Come crit-time, students are going to be asked to explain their 'visual concept' and how it's driven the look, feel and production design of their three spaces. Put simply, 'WHY do they look the way they do?' In many respects, this unit is all about STYLE! What, for instance, are the rules governing your depiction of these spaces? What are the colour-values, systems of meaning and metaphor, systems of shape and form etc. that underpin the narrative purpose of the various environments? Without this understanding, you are, in effect, just making illustrations of scenes in a book - you're not designing 'a world'. Not only are you the concept artist, you are also the production designer, and the cinematographer too (because you design the lighting, placement of 'camera' or viewpoint too).

I want you to use your influence maps to define/arrive at your visual concept; for example; the village in the trees - you've depicted them stereotypically as Skull Island huts - but where's your research into the ethnicity of that architecture? What you've produced here is super-generic - almost a child's view. If you were in charge of designing these scene in real terms, that simply wouldn't be good enough. The same is true of all your scenes; what kind of forest is it? Pine/Rainforest - again, show me your visual concept, and most importantly, show me why your visual concept is the right one for The Neverending Story...

tutorphil said...

In terms of content, your reviews are solid - but I'm encouraging students to use them as opportunities to develop and properly refine their academic 'voice'. Many students are now producing formal, first-person free reviews, which bodes well for their first year written assignments - and beyond. Just watch your own style and continue to improve your technique.

In regard to your essay, please digest all the info below - especially the most recent post on the CGAA group blog re. satisfying the specific essay criteria; if you can shape your own material accordingly, you can progress with some confidence.


Here is a list of links back to the CGAA Group Blog, where I have recently uploaded loads of information regarding the way I want students to tackle their written assignments. As you now prepare your unit 2 assignments on production design, pay close attention to the advice given. I will be looking for clear improvement in terms of use of language, academic ‘voice’, use of conventions, argument structure and correct methods of referencing.

Academic style/Do’s & Don’ts

http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/11/cgaa-yr-1-written-assignment-stuff-or.html

1st Person to 3rd person conversions

http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/11/fao-1st2nd3rd-cgaa-students-from-1st-to.html

Use of footnotes

http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/11/fao-1st2nd3rd-cgaa-students-use-of.html

How to satisfy essay criteria/assignment presentation/hyperlink to referencing methods

http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2010/11/fao-cgaa-yr-1unit-2spacewritten.html

Also – be sure to check out the 2 student essays uploaded to myUCA/Space/Unit Materials – good examples of degree level written assignments. Take the time to read them.

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