Adaptation: Maya Tutorials Week 3

Adaptation Presentation

Adaption Pitch by Michael Holman

Adaptation: Maya Tutorials Week 2

Adaptation: Pre-Pitch Presentation

Adaption Presentation by Michael Holman

Adaptation: New Direction

After talking to Le about my ideas, she recommended I take a look at a novel called 'Pure' by Julianna Baggott, especially in relation to my initial idea of adapting an environment from fallout shelters and nuclear precautions. Here's a little synopsis of what the book entails;

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . . 
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . . 
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her. 

Time to get reading!!

Adaptation: Maya Tutorials Week 1

Adaptation: Cold War/Atomic Black Comedy

Following up the idea suggested by Alan, I have looked into a couple of films that mock the Cold War and fear of the Atom. The first of these is Dr. Strangelove, a 1964 black comedy film directed by Stanley Kubrick that ridicules the nuclear scare.

The second film is The Atomic Cafe directed by Jayne Loader.  Released in 1982, this is documentary that mocks the absurdity of the governments guidelines and propaganda using quotes from them such as;

Civil defense film: Be sure to include tranquilizers to ease the strain and monotony of life in a fallout shelter. A bottle of 100 should be sufficient for a family of four. Tranquilizers are not anarcotic, and are not habit-forming.

And;

Army information film: When not close enough to be killed, the atomic bomb is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

Adaptation: Individual Tutorial Week 1

After discussing my ideas with Alan during my individual tutorial, he pointed out that there are several flaws to the each of my first three ideas that would prevent them from working. The main flaw in each was the lack of source material to adapt from and admittedly most of the starting ideas were based out of my imagination rather than an actual source. Focusing on elements of my first idea though,  I raised the idea of using Cold War propaganda and pamphlets as a source material and see if I could take it from there. Alan suggested doing a 'propaganda vs. reality' animated short focused on enviroment design, almost mocking the government guidelines and improving on them. In order to do this though I would need some periodic pamphlets and guidelines, something I doubt will be easy to find but it's worth a shot. To the internet!!

Adaptation: Starting Points and Ideas

Finding a starting point for this project is a struggle due to the wide variety of subject material we can choose from and use; it's all about finding something that 'clicks' with you, something you're interested in. With that said I have found a few topics of interest that I could develop into digital environments for this project.

The Atomic Age
My first idea is to create an environment based on American societal fears of atomic weapons, radiation and warfare during the early years of the Cold War and the reactions and precautions taken against them. So for this I would be researching into the increase in civil defence and precautions such as the 'Duck and Cover' drills carried out in schools, the increase in military presence and the construction and use of fallout shelters.

Increased Pollution
This idea would adapt upon the growing amount of pollution and its impact on the environment.

Impending Fuel Crisis
This would adapt upon the decrease in fossil fuels and the subsequent aftermath when they run out. I would look at how the world might cope by resorting to other forms of energy, like steam (steampunk world)

Unit 2 Space Extracts
Now I know Phil and Alan both agreed adapting from a project we have already done is pretty much a no-go but I'm going to put this idea up anyway as a sort of last resort incase my other ideas fall flat on their faces. So going back to the second unit of the first year, we were tasked with developing environment concepts from given extracts from various books. However we were each given one book to focus on which means there is the possibility of adapting a digital environment from one of the sources I didn't look at. A few examples are;

- The First Men in the Moon by H.G.Wells
- A Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
- The Time Machine by H.G.Wells

And so on...

Adaptation: Let's Get Started

Ok Ladies and Gents, lets get this Adaption project under way, shall we? 

So simplifying from the large briefing post I put up earlier, the goal of the Adaption project is to adapt from a source, be it a novel, poem, article, piece of text, music, etc. and develop it into a form of CG such as an animated short, a digital environment or character design. Having given this some considerable thought and assessing my strengths and weakness from past projects, I have decided that creating a digital environment is will be the focus of the project. I have focused on digital environments in previous projects and have found them to be enjoyable and fun projects to do, as such is my reason for choosing to create one for this project. 

So, let's get Started!!! :D

Adaptation: Project Brief

Project: Port Folio 100%

Part 1 - Creative Pipelines:

The “Adaptation: Professional Practice” project marks the mid-point of your degree studies and the beginning of your personal journey towards a professional career. In order to make this transition successful it’s important to identify the type of work / industry you would like to be a part of in the future and develop a suitable creative methodology (pipeline) that produces project work with similar and appropriate outcomes. Therefore as a foundation for this project you are asked to identify a creative methodology (pipeline) which suits your career aspirations (examples shown below).

• Animation (Animated Shorts)
• Animation (Film)
• Animation (Game)
• Digital Set Design for Film
• Digital Set Design for Animation
• Digital Sets Design for Game
• Character Design for Film
• Character Design for Animation
• Character Design for Game
• Commercial Artist
• Documentary or Education
• Music Video

Part 2 – Adaptation:

Q. What is the definition of the word ‘Adaptation’?

A. ‘Adaptation’ describes a process of interpretation and transfer from one medium to another. For example, a piece of music being visualised as a music video or a book being imagined as a film.

For this project you are asked to create visual work adapted from your choice or source (starting point). For example, this could be a book, a poem, or a piece of music transformed into an animated short, character design, or digital set (see below). The visual work (outcome) will be made with your chosen ‘pipeline’ and career in mind.

• Music to Music Video
• Music to Animated Short
• Text (Novel, Short Story or Article) to Digital Set for Film*
• Text (Novel, Short Story or Article) to Digital Set for Game
• Text (Novel, Short Story or Article) to Character Design for Game
• Text (Novel, Short Story or Article) to Character Design for Film
• Text (Novel, Short Story or Article) to Animated Short
• Poem to Animated Short
• Artwork / Painting to Game
• Information or Data (History, Science or Art) to Documentary Film
• Information or Data (History, Science or Art) to Educational Package

* An example pipeline “Digital Sets for Film” with creative methodology is shown over the page:

Key Criteria:

The theme of the project will vary depending upon your choice of pipeline and source material. However, your project outcome must meet three key criteria:

• From what to where with rules? This aspect can be summed up by the phrase ‘Fit for purpose’. With each choice you make you will encounter ‘rules’ that need to be embraced and used or deliberately broken. In a games context this can be everything from theme, to game play, to genre, to technology limits.
• Who for? – Establishing which age group or audience your work is targeted at can radically change your design approach. It also helps to focus your designs and practical work.
• Publishing context & staging (marketing)? – Marketing your work and convincing an employer that your work is ‘Authentic’ and ‘Fit for purpose’ often involves staging your work ‘As real’. Present your work to an audience beyond the UCA.

Project Outcome & Submission

• Project work (Final Piece): The outcome for the project will be derived from your choice of
  pipeline and through discussions with tutors during tutorials.
• A Making of... Document: You are asked to produce a ‘making of..’ document that illustrates each stage of your creative ‘pipeline’.
• Blog: You are asked to maintain your blog for the duration of the ten week project
• Demo Reel: In order to begin the process of creating a demo reel you are asked to take one element of your final piece and present it as show reel content. For example, this could be model, an animation, or visual effect.
• Technical Tutorials: All class technical tutorials completed and uploaded to your blog.