Anecdote day and Ss2 work

Things which are more obvious after Friday's lesson

This last lesson was greatly beneficial for me as a task to bring a joke or as anecdote was set the week previous, As no one knew where this was going did so anyway and the results were actually better than anyone thought,joke wise everyone had a laugh or two.
Once each joke was told then the tutor would go over the joke/anecdote told see where it could be improved and Analise each persons performance visually with movements or how the joke was told. The main points learnt for me which can refract in my work will be the sense of timing,pause,positioning, posture and being ready is more about confidents than ready with lines as i found myself looking over my lines when i was reassured and got up and told the joke was fine.

One structure of telling a joke was,

1. (start off with) Recently . . . 
2. (relatable) Topical . . .
3. Explain . . . (empathy)

Also when telling a joke there was an element of if the end of a true story sucks simply "Don't let the truth get in the way". While telling a joke performance was greatly important to improve the telling of the joke and make it more visual. If talking with separate jokes to make explanations about something your talking about when going back to main joke make sure the punchline is clear.

If the gag is walking along talking to someone you think you know then when coming to the end of the explanation if animated make prop or door the end of the gag.

When telling a story if its true then smells and looks help tell the story rein acted. This is very implacable when watching creature comforts the sound isn't in a studio they have gone out and recorded them on the spot so gives a sense of atmosphere. When doing or getting someone for a voice over don't tell them the character just the way of the performance making the performance more open.

Lesson learnt - Making an animation from a joke or an anecdote is much clearer than thinking of one off the cuff in a library, a scene acted out can tell a lot more about a character than characteristics listed on paper.

Ss2 Update

For my character design sheets i will take less time on drawing out actions and traits and show them acted out or screen short for short animatics,Looking at research apart from the mood board the main thing most interested on going on was a short film called Easy street  a Chaplin film where the character sorts out a rough neighbourhood by becoming a cop where to take control has to take out the biggest pest.

                             


Also another film which was a referencing point from the silent films was Buster Keatons Cops film shows a helpless character just going about his day having cop after cop chasing him for something which   he isn't all to blame for, showing great humour in always getting out of the way of the cops then getting into trouble with another.


                              

Then next week i will be attending Bristols slapstick festival most likely go for just the Friday but hopefully will try and go to two of the events on the Saturday's as well, should have another post before.

Specialist study 2 things to be done

Starting Specialist Study 2 this week where il be creating my final Student Animation which will be within the same structure of specialist study 1 but with more time, experience and possibilities. There is also a module Professional practise to put my showreel,website and c.v together.

What needs to be done and thought about if will be doing

• Moodboard/mindmap
• Character Design/Storyboard/Set look
• Animatic/X-sheet
• Lighting test (set/character)
• Credits/start up look and colour/bnw
• Sound Voice overs/Sound effects

Apart from the professional practice these will be my main consern with other events and arrangement that will help in preparation to doing specialist study 2 e.g slapstick festival and talking to local animators and getting their opinion on my work.

Leaving this post while going over my dissertation this came up and to pay respect to Buster Keaton here is his live ( very funny ).

                                 

Ss1-Acting Inspiration in Physical Comedy for the Animator

Buster Keaton (acting)


This is the first gag which really stood out by Buster Keaton which was simple yet effective because of the sutlety of what is going on as you think you know whats going on then suprises the audience with a little gag.

Chaplin film (acting -Downey Jr.)
the next gag which is simular to this is on the Chaplin film starring Robert Downey Jr. when he reads a post from the bottom to top which is a simple gag but to do takes inventiveness and creativity also to pull off is another thing.

Buster Keaton (acting-steamboat bill jr)
This hat gag has so many things which make it great the three part gags,the way buster can make the ausience know what is going to happen before it happens then still makes it funny with his reaction, there is also the camera being the mirror for the scene which works perfectly would like to bring a likeness of all these aspects into my animations.



The physical acting of keaton shown when can fall over with such acrobatics but also make it belivable this next clip show Keaton fighting the wind and going against it where just captures the audience so well.



This next clip is probable some of the best comedy acting ever just so well placed timed and reaction to what is happening.



The General -Buester Keaton
This clip as the train leaves is well put together and like before the timing for when he notices whats happening is spot on along with his reaction,there needs nothing else to that scene its kept simple which is a good thing.



Chaplin clips (Acting)
This next clip from Charlie Chaplin which is all about small movements not really full body acting just small actions at a time which the audience will pick up on and add to the empathy of the character which your portraying.



A scene from Goldrush showing Chaplin eating his own shoe was acted out so well i know he was known as a perfectionist and would do takes till something was perfect but the casual nature which eat mouthful is acted out just makes it that bit more beliveable.



there was another clip which is helpful from the goldrush where chaplin is excited from seeing this girl and is jumping round the room shown and analised by Ed Hooks last year.

Fred Astaire -(working with props/objects)
Found this guy great just flows with an objects and brings life and imagination to things around him which in a way is also used a lot in slapstick but this would have come after buster/chaplin era.



Jackie Chan
How Buster Keaton became a big infuence for Jackie Chan, Chan talks about this in his biography and openly says where he gets most his material from like Picasso said "Great Artists Steal" which is true if you watch this clip below proves how Buster Keaton made physical comedy great.

Slapstick Festival

Also the Slapstick festival i spoke about in my previous post which is very promising which is on this coming January in Bristol,recently found this showreel of pictures from this years slapstick festival-


this seems very promising and will be very excited if i get the all clear and get to go.

Shaun the sheep film you say!

taken from the bbc site

Aardman Animations plan new Shaun the Sheep film

Shaun the Sheep is filmed at Aardman's Bristol studio

Continue reading the main story

Aardman Animations, the Oscar-winning company behind Shaun the Sheep, has started work on a new feature film starring the character.

Writers at Aardman's Bristol HQ have begun developing a script for the film, which is hoped to be ready by 2013/14.

The company won an Oscar in 1993 for the Wallace Gromit film "The Wrong Trousers" and then again in 1995 for "A Close Shave".

The first TV episode of Shaun the Sheep was shown on the BBC in March 2007.

'Slapstick films'

Aardman creative director Richard Goleszowski, 51, said one of the inspirations behind Shaun the Sheep was the 1920s silent movie star Buster Keaton.

Mr Goleszowski said: "My goal is to make a modern day silent movie starring Shaun. When we started writing the television series we stuck a picture of Buster Keaton on the studio door.

"I grew up watching slapstick films and some of the jokes have become embedded in my psyche."

He said that the senior team at Aardman had been thinking about running screenings of silent films to help the newer animators develop their skills.

'Remain silent'

He said one of the reasons he had originally developed Shaun the Sheep as a non-speaking character was because animation with dialogue is time consuming and expensive.

He said: "I thought making him silent would make it cheaper and easier but it makes life more difficult.

"Telling a story through pictures means you can't cut corners. It's very cinematic and involved."

Richard Goleszowski will be speaking at the Silent Comedy Festival in Bristol on 30 January at 1400 GMT at the Watershed.

This proves great news for my future to aspire to work for a feature like this would be a dream come true and proves that silent slapstick comedy is ever important and should never be forgotten and would be proud to see it grow and be a part of that.

Ss1-Deadline coming and Slapstick Festival

Firstly thought i'd include a post on my current progression on my specialist study 1 updating what will happen from now until the deadline of the 8th of december, for my showreel i will be concentrating on showing my animating acting ability by shooting a short clip around 15-30 seconds showing a scene from 'The General' animated but will show a simple scene that still works showing silent comedy.

     

          Secondly just browsing the internet and found some great news about a silent comedy festival which is held in the same place as Encounters the animation festival i went to last week,the silent comedy festival will be help in january and has some big names another reason for the General picture is about because they will be showing a new score. (more information below)

Now in its unprecedented eighth year, Slapstick Festival’s annual silent comedy gala presents three comic film masterpieces celebrating the great silent comedians of yesteryear. Our special host for the evening is the inimitable comic actor and writer Griff Rhys Jones, supported by ‘master of ceremonies’ Chris Serle.

Buster Keaton’s feature length classic comedy, The General (1926), is considered a masterpiece of cinema. Set in the American Civil War, Buster Keaton plays Jonnie Gray, who is unable to enlist in the Confederate army because he is needed as a railroad engineer. His sweetheart, who thinks he’s a coward, won’t talk to him until he’s in uniform.

The evening will also feature shorts from Laurel & Hardy in The Finishing Touch (1928) and Charlie Chaplin in The Adventurer (1916).

Plus, all of the films will be accompanied live, including a world premiere of a new score for The General, composed and conducted by Guenter A. Buchwald and performed by The European Silent Screen Virtuosi and Bristol Ensemble. The Matinee Idles, featuring Paul McGann, will also perform on the night.

Ss1-Buster Poster and Inspirational xmas films

Buster Keaton Poster has arrived!

ROUND 1- Buster Keaton Poster

A little treat to go up on the inspiration part on my wall, a lot of the posters were vintage and all had different styles simplistic posters and comic style like the one above which I had to add to my wall portraying busters on screen character and the suttle expression used throughout his films.

Getting into the Christmas spirit 

With some old classics re-mastered Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer and Santa is coming to town.

Stop motion classics which have good christmas stories for younger audience.

Both £3 in Tesco's and worth it to get styles and ideas from.

Clear throughout watching these christmas classics the techniques they used but the way they apply then in a neat way is interesting to see with replacement mouths and fixed strong armatures but clean and neat sets and the costumes and animal clothing were impressive and gave me ideas for when animating cloths which help also try other materials like silicone or latex and maybe try carved wood with material on top.

Ss1-Research into Buster Keaton

Research and inspiration for essay and when animating.

Found this on play the other day and saw it was six discs of great films which have in relation a lot of films which i've already refrenced before in my case study and when looking at films from the uni library.

The large collection will help me when coming to animate a character in the humour i want to be portrayed also the when coming to my dissertation which is going to be difficult for me personally so the more research and things i look an in the field im writting about the better the essay which come out.


Brief description from the site and the films included
A collection of 28 films featuring the 'Great Stone Face' himself, Buster Keaton.

Buster Keaton is one of the trio of great comedy geniuses that the silent era produced and, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, can still be considered one of the great comics of all time. Buster starred in both features and shorts and, as proof of his enduring popularity, his 1927 masterpiece The General was voted number 18 on the AFI-Top 100 Funniest films of all time in June 2000. 

Buster has profound things to say about man and modern life; famous for his high-speed timing and inventiveness which have never been surpassed in the history of cinema. His films remain today as fresh, modern and as wonderfully funny as when they were made. 

Films Comprise:

1.One Week
2.The Saphead
3.Convict 13
4.The Scarecrow
5.Neighbors
6.The Haunted House
7.The Goat
8.The Boat
9.The Playhouse
10.The Paleface
11.Cops
12.My Wife's Relations 
13.The Blacksmith
14.The Frozen North
15.The Electric House
16.Day Dreams
17.The Balloonatic
18.The Love Nest
19.The Three Ages
20.Our Hospitality (Thames Silent Version) 
21.Sherlock Jr. 
22.The Navigator
23.Seven Chances
24.Go West
25.Battling Butler
26.The General (Thames Silent Version) 
27.College
28.Steamboat Bill Jr. 
29.The Great Stone Face (1968 documentary)

Ss1-Silent comedy reference and research for dissertation

   Paul Merton's "Silent Clowns" miniseries from 2006. There are three comedy geniuses he talks about 'Buster Keaton','Harold Lloyd','Charlie Chaplin' and 'Laurel and Hardy'. Im posting four sections of  clips here for reference and to look back on throughout my dissertation and practical work.


First off Buster Keaton.














Harold Lloyd















Charlie Chaplin














Laurel and Hardy

Ss1-Case Study on One Week

Case Study on One Week

 One Week stars Buster Keaton and Sybil seely as a just married couple off to start their new life together with a new house to be built from scratch and live happily.They come into challenges which see them tackle each problem in true silent slapstick comedy style always keeping you glued to the characters throughout giving empathy for the two main characters.

  The plot consisted of the married couple arriving at their new home to find they must actually build it giving Buster Keaton, who is also the director, the freedom for the first time in his own film. He creates obstacles for the characters giving three gags which concluded back to the story which found them with a house looking like a puzzle not put together right.The end sees the house become demolished on the railroad tracks.Buster puts a "for sale" sign on the pile leaving instructions on top, both Buster and Sybil walk off together.

   
Buster and Sybil seemed to play the characters very believable without taking themselves to seriously especially when finding out that Sybil was only 18 years old when starred in as the bride. This showed her companionship and loyalty which made each gag  from Buster that much smoother and believable to watch. Buster having this his first directed film made,in his opinion it was a inferior effort to debut with, which showed his need for perfection from the start of his career.

  

There were many film techniques throughout the film using a montage to tie each shot together. Having the music help to keep all of the key parts more evident, especially having it  as a silent comedy from 1920 there was a need for the music to match each scene. 

   

   There were many types of shots, having the opening scene wide and the end scene likewise almost seeming like their telegraphing the start and the end of the film. Keeping the main focus throughout the middle on the characters and the house, the shots are kept to a lot of parallel action that comes with all Buster Keaton films.

From what I know this wasn't taken from any short book or story, which would have been interesting but there wouldn't have been as obvious action and slapstick, which is used throughout the film. The action and slapstick comedy is done to the point of looking animated like tom acting on what jerry does Buster acts solely on the situation.

The reason for choosing this film was because of the sheer nature of slapstick comedy taken from the roots on which i can be inspired by and create my own narratives in a similar yet original nature, which stands out and would elevate my creative stills in animation. Specifically stop-motion, the most modern day comparison would be the likes of Shaun the sheep. This would have been interesting to write about, the spark from old silent slapstick comedies is what made me choose One week by Buster Keaton.

One Week in full below enjoy!

                             

Specialist studies research in slapstick comedy

Little old sketch i did the other day which i jazzed up in photoshop to give a silent movie feel which works as an introduction i think.

For my Specialist Study my end product will be,

 "An educational narrative using a combination of slapstick and classic silent comedy to engage a young audience".

My key goals to achive in this first part of my specialist study are-

• Short snippets of 10second animation clips.
• Keep to an audience age range of - 4 to 7
• Most likely be choosing a illustrated report over disertation.
• Key medium will be stop motion.
• Clips done on cannon slr and milo at uni.
• Entering competition called Canimation and submit by 15/11/2011.

Documenting material which will be referenced starting with books,

Each book provides the keys to understanding a director's career,from their earliest projects to their most recent films, alongside a complete filmography and stills. The books were recommended for film students to use as a referencing resource which came clear they had to be mine especially for when writing my Illustrated report.

Dvd researching.
Taking advantage of my uni library resources after my much needed library presentation yet still appreciated, after speaking to one of my wise tutors on my specialist study.  Recommended some silent movie geniuses, which have been a good watch so far getting through a box set of Buster Keaton proving an enjoyable watch also noticing some rules of thumb and getting some ideas.

At the start only really seeing the period of silent films as Chaplin and of course laurel and hardy im glad i now am researching which is giving me more ideas.

Notes,research and more refrencing material will be more frequently be put up also more and more tests as soon as my copy of Dragon stop motion gets ordered which will be me set to stay in dark rooms for a couple of weeks and see a beard that even Gandalf would be proud of.