ARK (2005) movie review

Well Lets hope that this review will make it on to the site, as my last 8 or 9 reviews have still not been published over the last 5 months so I'll have to put this review elsewhere on other sites also as Amazon cannot be relied upon, shame really, I have lost a few reviews because of them as I didn't save them anywhere else and Amazon have been completely non responsive about this. anyway here is my review for the film. I didn't expect this to have such a great storyline as well as stunning visuals after watching a few of these region 1 CGI offerings including Kaena the prophecy and Dragon Hunters, I initially thought this would be the weaker of them, but I was wrong, (I haven't watched Delgo yet so I can't compare it to that) The film feels very final fantasy like so if you enjoyed the spirits within or advent children you will like this, the visuals are just as rich as those movies, perhaps a little more game-looking, I suspect that maybe the film was made using a game building software or engine, I don't know much about that so I can't really be sure, however the colors, textures and details are very good and definitely on par with, if not a little below the final fantasy films. This was by far the superior film in contrast to Kaena the prophecy, (dragon hunters is too different to give it a fair comparison, with that being more like ice age, igor etc) having a much more solid storyline and more rounded and three dimensional characters, the voice actors were also very good and I never felt that any of them were wooden or lacking in depth aprt from a few minor issues with facial/voice matching, for example, when the queen is shouting out a speech in one scene, her face would have benefited from more expressions, as her face didn't look as passionate as her speech, but things like this only happened far and few in-between and didn't effect the overall brilliance of the film. The theme of the film is not so unfamiliar, the Korean animated feature "Sky Blue" has alot in common with this film in terms of the story as I'm sure alot of other films have, ie: separation of races, dome like city's amidst wasteland, (Ergo Proxy) fantasy elements, slavery, man rescues child from opposing race and raises as his own, (I know I've seen this done before but can't remember where?) but despite all of these similarities to other films the film still works on many levels, holds your attention and still offers some surprises along the way. The characters are well fleshed out , even the minor ones and you do feel some sort of connection to them and you are bothered about what happens to them, whether good or bad. Whilst watching this I also thought of a few live action films such as Bladerunner and the 5th element, maybe even a little minority report, just for one or two touches like the backgrounds or the feel for the environment. This is definitely a must for fans of anime, especially if you like sci-fi, fantasy, mecha, although it was not overloaded with mecha and mecha was not a main theme, just that there were a few robots around but not all the time, nor was there any signs of a cyborg entourage, but there was a little robot bird thing to add a touch of quirkiness to the fil but nothing was too OTT or overdone which is what I liked about it. Some parts would have benefited from a little more explanation but for what was covered in the time alloted I found it easy to follow and understand and no rushed, (90% of the time) A great movie definitely worth watching if you can, yes it's quite expensive to buy at the moment, especially as it is not a region 2 release, so you will need a multi region DVD player to watch. It's probably worth paying out for if you can get it for less than £20 considering that it's hard to find, and if you like this sort of thing you probably won't mind spending that to watch and own it so why not! If you are a fan of anime, particularly sci-fi/fantasy then I would definitely recommend it if you don't mind CGI, if you liked" Kaena the prophecy" then you will like this as it's a much more solid venture all round, If you like world cinema such as Pans labyrinth, Belleville sisters etc then again you might enjoy this, obviously it's not for people who don't like sci-fi or animation etc but I guess if you are looking at this page then you are already mildly interested so all you need to do now is get it and watch it! how I rate the film/brief summery Visuals 10/10 (stunning, special effects were excellent too) Vocals 9.5/10 (very good voice-overs, forgot I was watching an animated feature) Characterization 8/10 (good strong characters, especially the laeding roles) Character design 9.5/10 (everyone looked different and were not too stereotypical, besides maybe the bad guy) Story 9/10 (excellent story, only loses a mark because it's been done before, but the director has still made it unique in may ways) Concept 10/10 (I really like the idea behind the story, although simple I think it makes for a good story and it has) Execution 9/10 (this is where most ideas fail flat but I'm pleased to say this was not the case here and that it was handled very well!) So my final thought is that this was a great film, great story although done before it was executed well enough here to make this a clear winner, I would also recommend Kaena, although it wasn't executed as well and there was some technical glitches it had more innovative character designs, and a more imaginative world, it also felt much much more unique in it's story, visuals etc, although the leading protagonist in that film was not as visually pleasing as this one, the film still gets my vote, Definitely buy this, "The Ark" if you can and are interested, and if your hesitating between this and Kaena just buy them both, they are very different in their methods but similar in story, (sort of) and are both rewarding viewings, with this one rating slightly higher for me, but then again you may prefer Kaena depending on your tastes so I'd say get them both together, you won't be disappointed (beware that there are some time frame rate issues in Kaena but it's not too bad, maybe a little distracting)

Big Lurch, Antron Singleton rips open Tynisha Ysais's chest and eats part of her lung and face as a result of smoking PCP

OK so totally irrelevant to my work but this is something I found whilst researching cannibalism for my latest brief, I'm still reading about it hours later! lol it happened in 2002 but this is the first time I have heard about it and it's just shocking cause you associate this kind of psycho s*** with white males between the ages of 21 and 36 or whatever the statistic goes, in fact you rarely come across a black serial killer at all, you may get gun crime, gang crime, drug crime, theft etc with them but you never hear of a black serial killer or murderer in the context of being a psycho killer, ie: ripping people up and eating them etc, you might hear of a gang shooting or stabbing but that's as gross as it gets, the sole aim is to wipe their enemy out, only rarely do you hear of it going a bit further such as a face being smashed in etc in extreme revenge cases, and don't get me wrong I am not condoning any of these acts, I am just stating that in general you associate the sickest most lurid and grotesque crimes with white men within a certain age group, just look at FBI profiling and you'll see the pattern.

Of course I have heard of a few strange cases involving black people, such as a mother who killed her child and then tried to eat him after decapitating him and cutting his stomach open, this women was extremely poor and uneducated and also mentally insane, another case like this involves a hispanic women who did get to partially eat her son before being caught, she too had mental problems and was uneducated, authorities were aware of her health problems but failed to do anything about it.

Again when I found out about this upcoming black rapper committing such a heinous and sick crime I was doubly shocked! Ok so rappers tend to rap about killing, sex, drugs, violence etc, but cannibalism? there may be expressions such as "tear your face off" but I seriously doubt it is meant literally, the authorities are having a field day with this one claiming that rap music is some how responsible for this act, which I find preposterous! The guy had been smoking PCP for 5 days straight, (or just the night before I have read various accounts so not sure which is the accurate one) a drug I knew nothing about but have since reading about "BIG LURCH" a.k.a. Antron Singleton discovered alot more about. It is basically a very strong hallucinatory drug that people are smoking with weed more and more to increase the effect of weed/marijuana. PCP is also known as angel dust, (oh I do remember having known about it before, in the film "friday" in the scene where Chris Tucker smokes some and then thinks he is a chicken, I never understood why at the time, guess I do now! so that could bring on a whole new discussion about drug use being made 'funny' in films and on TV but I won't start that one right now.) supergrass and killer weed.

Here is some information on PCP from a government website:

PCP. The use of PCP as an approved anesthetic in humans was discontinued in 1965 because patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. PCP is a “dissociative drug,” meaning that it distorts perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment (dissociation) from the environment and self. First introduced as a street drug in the 1960s, PCP quickly gained a reputation as a drug that could cause bad reactions and was not worth the risk. However, some abusers continue to use PCP due to the feelings of strength, power, and invulnerability as well as a numbing effect on the mind that PCP can induce. Among the adverse psychological effects reported are—

• Symptoms that mimic schizophrenia, such as delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered thinking, and a sensation of distance from one’s environment.
  
• Mood disturbances: Approximately 50 percent of individuals brought to emergency rooms because of PCP-induced problems—related to use within the past 48 hours—report significant elevations in anxiety symptoms.⁴
  
• People who have abused PCP for long periods of time have reported memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to one year after stopping PCP abuse.
  
• Addiction: PCP is addictive—its repeated abuse can lead to craving and compulsive PCP-seeking behavior, despite severe adverse consequences.

Here is another excerpt from an article written by Cecil Adams for straightdope.com, this covers the affects of PCP in some other cases and also mentions the case of big lurch:

Now, Jim. It's not like cannibalism is a frequent consequence of PCP use. Only one case has turned up that I know of, involving Antron Singleton, a would-be rapper using the stage name Big Lurch. In 2002, after he was found walking around Los Angeles naked and covered with blood, his roommate Tynisha Ysais, 21, was discovered dead on the floor of their apartment with her chest slashed open and her internal organs exposed. Pieces of her right lung, which had been removed from her body, appeared chewed and torn, and there were teeth marks on her face. Singleton's lawyer claimed his client had tucked into Ysais after a five-day PCP binge had made him psychotic. An insanity plea was rejected, and Singleton was sentenced to life in prison without parole; a similar incident soon found its way into an episode ofCSI.

Huh, you say. Sounds like PCP isn't the drug of choice when you're looking to get mellow. Maybe not, but PCP, known technically as phencyclidine and on the street as angel dust, horse tranquilizer, etc, has its defenders, or at least apologists, who say tales of homicidal rage are exaggerated and recall the hysteria surrounding cocaine, LSD, and marijuana in earlier eras. A riffle through the clippings offers evidence for both sides of the argument:

• Houston, a 21-year-old rising R & B star said to have been battling PCP use and mental problems, went to his hotel room while on tour in London in late January, ostensibly to read the Bible, and gouged out one of his eyes. His publicist denied reports that he had earlier attempted to jump from a 13th-floor window. PCP isn't mentioned in later accounts of the incident and the guy definitely had other issues, so this one can't be confidently pinned on the drug.
• According to the New York Daily News, in 2002 a 30-year-old Brooklyn mother killed her 7-year-old daughter while high on PCP, stabbing her more than 35 times and also repeatedly stabbing a neighbor who tried to intervene.
• In a 1980 special issue on PCP, the Journal of Psychedelic Drugsreported that, on the one hand, (1) some stories about PCP-induced dementia were demonstrably embroidered or otherwise unreliable--for example, Baltimore college dropout Charles Innes blinded himself while in jail after swallowing a canister of drugs, but there was no proof the stuff was PCP; (2) the vast majority of PCP experiences were nonviolent; (3) you could find eye gougings, superhuman strength, and whatnot attributed to drugs ranging from LSD to ergot; (4) PCP users took gobs of other drugs too; and (5) the one recreational drug indisputably linked to crime was alcohol. On the other hand, theJournal's contributors went on to say, PCP had played a role in plenty of stunningly senseless violence: (1) a 17-year-old boy made a sexual advance on a 14-year-old girl after both had smoked "superweed" (here meaning marijuana dosed with PCP); when she resisted, he concluded he was being attacked by a wild animal and strangled her; (2) a man cut off one of his partner's testicles at the latter's request while both were high on PCP; (3) one chronic PCP user "branded himself by burning a cross on his chest"; (4) a 38-year-old man smoked superweed, cut off the head of his dog, and attacked a stranger on the street with a razor; (5) high on PCP, a man waved down a car, shot and killed a passenger, then frolicked on the freeway firing in the air before being subdued; and (6) a 29-year-old man smoked a PCP "crystal joint," entered a pregnant woman's home, stabbed her, killing the fetus, killed her two-year-old child, and when found was running down the street with a knife, naked and bloody, yelling, "Hallelujah, I'm Jesus!"

PCP was studied in the 1950s as a human anesthetic but after reports of delusions, psychosis, and other side effects was restricted to veterinary use and eventually discontinued. It surfaced briefly as a recreational drug in San Francisco in 1967, reappeared in the 70s, and during the 80s became popular in urban black neighborhoods. The drug lost favor during the 90s but some reports indicate it surged with the new century, finding a market among a segment of clubgoers and ravers. It's described as dissociative, meaning users are more or less aware but feel oddly detached. Is PCP inherently dangerous? Given the continuing litany of horror stories after 40 years of street use, it seems clear this stuff is in a different league from LSD and other drugs with which it's often compared. The argument can be made that it unleashes violent outbursts mainly in people who were unstable to start with. But let's face it, much the same can be said of a gun.

(I also read about another black man taking PCP and then slicing off his face in segments and feeding it to his dogs, he even ripped his lips off! he survived due to the drugs in his system and when police pumped the dogs stomachs they found parts of his face and his lips, there are pictures of this on the internet, it's pretty gross)

I personally feel a bit sorry for this big Lurch, I know I am a sucker cause I always feel sorry for the bad guys in the movies when they get their comeuppance in the end, but I can't help but feel this man has just been thrown in jail to rot because of the fact that he is a black rapper, what if he was a white policeman instead? but the circumstances were exactly the same? would he have been given the same fate? or would he have got the help he needed?

I am not condoning what Antron Singleton has done, and smoking PCP was wreckless and stupid, he himself claims to have had mental issues on his own website, for example he says he saw a friend get killed in front of him prior to this and never got any kind of counseling for it, he should not have been smoking PCP, especially if he knew beforehand that he had 'problems' that could affect his behavior on the stuff even more.

It seems to me that he didn't know what he was doing, and does not seem to have any recollection of what he did, his website claims that there was a pitbull in the house that could have caused the injuries, although I'm sure that forensics are not stupid and would know the difference, plus human flesh that was not his own was found in his stomach? He didn't eat alot of her from the pictures I have seen, which makes you wonder well if it was truly an act of insane cannibalism surely he would have eaten more of her flesh? why would he want to eat a lung? then he was found wondering the streets naked, clearly messed up on the drugs.

or then again I could be wrong, he could be one of these rappers who shows little respect for women, raps about them being whores etc and then felt he was so above her that he could consume her, but it still doesn't make sense. Although he does come across as a bit egotistical from an interview on his webspace, claiming that the other rappers in his group were made successful from his 'gifts' and that this is the thanks he gets.

He never once apologizes for taking Tynisha's life, whether consciously or not- he still did it, he does however leave a message for the girls mother but all it seems to say is that the media etc will try and turn her against him, and something about love and god, but no apology, which I found odd.

Nor does he make any attempt at all really to address what happened on april 10th 2002.

There is also a contradiction, he says in a blog post that his attorney made up the part about him walking around naked on the street to make it appear as though he were mad, and also that he did not have any recollection of saying that the world was ending and he had to find the devil, that his attorney had again thrown that in to make him look insane, (like he'd need help)

yet on a fox news interview with Antron from his cell, he himself states that the last thought he can remember having in his head was that of the world ending and needing to find the devil and stop him. So it may be that he did say that but had no memory of it but was told he said it and decided to stick with it, but what IS clear to me just from reading his blog posts is that there is definitely something not right with his mentality, I do feel for him but at the end of the day he did commit this crime and cannot simply be allowed to walk free, I think he should be in a mental institute undergoing therapy for as long as it takes to get him the help he needs.

Oh he also states that he is beaten by guards in prison whilst cuffed, and reportedly has suffered spinal damage and a broken rib amongst other things, and has also been drugged up so that he gets confused with his story, whether this is true or not I do not know but would not be surprised, Michael Jackson also suffered sever abuse from police officials, police, prison guards- the majority of them are scum, they probably do their jobs because they are racist/prejudist and want to enslave and or carry out their own personal justice on said criminals.

I almost forgot, the record labels "stress free entertainment" and "black market activities" released his first solo album whilst he was in prison, the album is called: "It's all bad" and was released in 2004. The sickest thing in this whole case is the fact they they chose to use a picture of Big Lurch on the cover with a silver platter in his hand with a human SKULL on it! how insensitive and sick can you get? this is advertising at it's worst! and using something negative and upsetting such as a young womens murder to sell music! They are making it funny! and yes it is to a degree because we are very far removed from the whole thing, but when you put all fun and jokes aside, (there are plenty floating about due to the rarity and unusual nature of the case, not to mention it involving a 6"6 black rapper named big LURCH) and step back from the humorous undertones you can see how F***** up it is that they could release that image for the album cover considering the circumstances, to me this is almost as bad if not worse than the crime!

Anyway I have spent too much time on this already I have work to be doing! what do you think about the Big Lurch case?

newest version of "presence"

PPD2 company research

As part of our PPD2 brief we have to contact potential employers ans establish a list of companies we would like to work for with details of the managing directors or who we need to speak to.

As I am very seriously considering moving to Buxton I decided to start there, I have found 2 studios there who deliver visual solutions for other companies.

The first are called: NCH audio visuals, they were formed in 200 and have 20years experience in the industry, they are a family run business. The guy I need to speak to is called Nick Hollis and I have information about his previous work in the U.S and his contact details.

They specialize in tourist videos, training films, events, promotional films and weddings etc.

I plan to contact them this week to arrange an interview or meeting if possible to show them a show-reel of my work, (something I haven't done yet, maybe a DVD of what I have done so far would be better as I will be doing a show-reel at the end of the year anyway which will have all my work from Digital media and access on it)

The second company are a division within the health and safety executive within the government and they are based in Buxton, this is the main site and is 550 acres in size, they also have smaller field offices spread throughout the UK.

I recently found about about the HSA and HSL on my hairdressing course, so it's funny that a few weeks later I find that I will be speaking to them directly about future career possibilities!

I will be contacting the visual presentation section who work on videos and photo's of accident sites, they also research accidents and create 3D mock up's of potential accidents for educational videos. (I wish I had paid more attention in Maya now!) they have a FAST editing suite and use silver? I will have to find out what that is exactly because I haven't used it before, oh and they also make PDF's, something we have not done, but I am interested in writing and scripting so I may be able to utilize these skills in that or other areas.

They have a roland RD7 MP3 recorder and a microdrome, these sound interesting so I will look into what they are and what they do a bit further, and they use adobe premier pro- again something I have not used but I will ask about at uni/college.

I have already spoken to a relative that works there, so my next step is to contact the head of VPS who are expecting my call and arrange a date and time to go and see them.

I am nervous and excited at the same time! I just need to pick up the phone tomorrow and sort something out, I rang today but missed him so I'll try again tomorrow.

Best geta dvd made too so they can have a copy of everything I have done!

self portrait

one of my old vidz from youtube!

Cannibals/moving image

I also like this intro to death note, (the 2nd series) more so at the start, I love how the music and the visuals fit together, again you can see the effect I like being used, the overlay's etc.

Video eefects

I have been re-watching a show in english called "ergo proxy" and I really really love the intro and the effects used, the way it goes with the music etc. The song used, "come and save me" by Kiri is very similar to the "somebody save me" song from Smallville, so here someone has added clips from the smallville intro to the ergo proxy intro, they have added their own fonts in the style of ergo proxy and they have kept the song from ergo proxy.

I would really like to use this flickering cinema style text overlay's in my video for the cannibals brief, but using different colors.

Here is the original ergo proxy intro:

CGI FILMS

I've been looking at some rare CGI films, well by rare I mean they are not big mainstream movies and are not made by popular production houses such as pixar, dreamworks, etc and are not immediately made in the U.S!

Here are some that I have been looking at but I have not been able to watch them yet as they are not released on UK region 2 DVDS, but I may import some of them as I have a region free player!

ARK (2003) Kenny Hwang

The planet Alcyone faces certain doom. The remnants of its two civilizations have crowded together in a great place of refuge, a domed metropolis carried upon the back of an enormous robotic city-god….the Ark. The inhabitants of Alcyone must leave the planet or perish. Designed by the Cevean people with the help of a mysterious priestess, the Ark was captured by the warlike Storrions, who forced the Ceveans out into the wastelands and now reside in it. Without the priestess' guidance and knowledge, though, the Storrions have no way to pilot or control the Ark. The daught of the priestess, Amarinth is the only one who can control and pilot the Ark. The epic story of two peoples separated by ignorance and hatred, and the doom that faces them both. It's the story of a young girl struggling to realize her independence - and finding much more in her future than she ever expected. And it's the story of a massive city, silent for almost a century, and now brought to life in great uprising and deliverance. Full of incredible sci-fi action, intense drama and brilliant, eye-popping visuals.

Kaena the Prophecy (2004) Pascal Pinon

"Originally a computer-generated, animated feature presented in 3-D, the French-American Kaena: The Prophecy still looks eye-poppingly spectacular in a regular, two-dimensional format. The post-apocalyptic tale concerns an adventurous young woman, Kaena (voiced in English by Kirsten Dunst), who is a member of a race--one of many--that inhabit an enormous tree called the Axis, rising 100 miles from Earth's surface. While her people's leader, Opaz (Richard Harris), insists his tribe's sole purpose is collecting sap and honoring the gods who provide sustenance, Kaena is more interested in exploring. Signs that the Axis might be dying sends Kaena on a mission to find out why; along the way she encounters a slavemaster race, the Selenites, and their vicious queen (Anjelica Huston). Fantastic to look at, Kaena: The Prophecy is graphically dense, constantly moving, and truly inventive when it comes to designing creatures that appear equal parts vegetable and animal. --Tom Keogh"

Dragon Hunters (2008) Guillaume Ivernel

From KIDS FIRST!: Get ready to hold your breath as you get whisked along an adventure to save the magical, floating, medieval, and breathtakingly beautiful world from an evil dragon. This impeccable animation tells the classic adventure of a band of eclectic characters focused on a single mission to save the world. Zoe dreams of joining valiant knights on exciting adventures, but because she is a girl the king has other plans in mind for her. A gentle giant, Lian-Chu, and his opportunistic friend, Gwizdo, call themselves Dragon Hunters, but seem to have an issue with getting paid. When Zoe sneaks out and accidentally meets the Dragon Hunters, she decides that they will be the ones to slay the dragon, and she also decides to join them. Not all dragons are evil in this film; a lovable small blue dragon serves as the sidekick creature of the group. This empowering film shows that girls can be courageous and adventurous, at times even more than male adults. The creative and striking animation provides constant eye-candy, and perfect timing dishes out steady laughs. The animators provide a slew of new and interesting creatures to encounter and outsmart, as well as some interesting new conceptions of physics. This film includes some violence as well as some intense scenes, however the conflict keeps the pace moving and hurdles the plot forward. The rapid succession of chases, innovative creatures, and problem solving group dynamics keeps an audience of both children and adults consistently entertained. 80 min.; Ages 5-8.

Delgo (2008) Jason Maurer

"Delgo is a computer-animated film that is at once fantasy, action, and drama, with an added dose of comedy. The most amazing thing about the film, besides the fact that it was 10 years in the making, is its rich graphic rendering of a world that's unlike any other. The backgrounds have an almost painted quality and the contrast of the stark, resource depleted planet of the Nohrins and the natural, dreamlike world of Jhamora is striking thanks to intense color saturation and an impressive level of visual detail. Despite its uniqueness, Jhamora is plagued by an all-too-common conflict rooted in the cultural and moral differences of its two peoples. This epic story follows two young teenagers, Nohrin Princess Kyla (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Lockni Jhamora native Delgo (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who share a common dream of cultural acceptance and cooperation as they fall into friendship and then love. Exiled Nohrin Sedessa (Anne Bancroft), who was banished from Jhamora for killing King Zahn's (Louis Gossett Jr.) wife (Princess Kyla's mother), and General Raius (Malcolm McDowell) kidnap Princess Kyla--an event which leads to Delgo and his bumbling friend Filo (Chris Kattan) being imprisoned for the crime and incites war between the two peoples. Can peace possibly return to Jhamora without the total extermination of either the Nohrin or the Lockni people? Battlefield action on the ground and in the sky is intense and omnipresent throughout the film and the story is interesting, if not original, but the animation is at times rather choppy and almost video-game-like and somehow the film just isn't all that engaging. Bonus features include commentary with co-writer and producer Marc Adler, co-director and co-writer Jason Maurer, and animation and visual effects supervisor Warren Grubb; a behind the scenes look at how the voice talent shaped the film's characters, a featurette detailing the composer's and sound designer's thoughts about the sounds of Delgo; meet the characters and creatures functions, and six deleted scenes. (Ages 10 and older) --Tami Horiuchi "

90's movies

I was just looking at some of the hit films from the 90's and found it interesting how so many came out one after the other with the same theme or characterization. This came about because I watched a film with Beyonce in it called "Obsession" and although it was decent, I couldn't help but think of the films it was paying homage to and how they were so much better handled, and then I wondered, why are the 90's femme fatal films better than today's? is it because of MTV culture? is it because everything is now diluted and mass produced to the extent that it is affecting films as well as music? I went to see the surrogates a while back too as the concept hit a chord with me as I had been thinking of writing a story for a while and it had very similar themes to that of this movie, however I was a bit disappointed with the way it was executed, such an excellent idea, but again, it was too conformist to "Hollywood" ideals, with the all american ending and over the top dramatization that prevented it from being a much better film.

I find myself looking more and more to world cinema to find some kind of enjoyment and originality, well nothing can be truly original, but in Hollywood you see the same principles over and over and over again, so it's nice to watch something different, even the J horror which was once a niche market has now become a sea of mass produced grudge girls, floating feet and twisted spines! I saw these traditions in an American film the other week, "the Unborn" and what a pathetic load of cack that was! It basically stole all the scare scenes from several Japanese horrors, such as the old man doing the spiderwalk, (well the famous spiderwalk first appeared in "The Exorcist", the only mistake there being that the director only filmed the walk from the side, failing to get more angles and takes, and as we know now from later films that it looks far more terrifying from the front!) reflections in mirrors etc and just mish mashed them all together in a film that has a ridiculous plot, is barely coherent in it's story-telling and is just plain daft and utterly pathetic and very badly acted!

Anyway rant over, I just thought I would blog about it, here is a list of some of the femme fatale films from the 90's:

Final Analysis 1992 (following 1986's No Mercy)

Basic Instinct 1992

Disclosure 1995

Single White Female 1992

The hand that rocks the cradle 1992 (not quite femme fatale but kinda)

Sleeping with the enemy 1990 (not femme fatale but lays in a similar vein)

The last seduction 1994

Devil in a blue dress 1995

Fear 1996

Poison Ivy 1992

Rational: Optional pathway

After only having a week to decide on a brief and to come up with some ideas, I have decided to go with the Cannibal brief, this was my first choice, however I was worried that too many others would chose this one and I was concerned that my ideas were taking on too much of a quirky funny undertone, which is fine if I were to present this as a comedic finalization, however I wanted it to be different somehow and well thought out. Because of this I turned to the Undertaker option and thought about having a serious attempt at making the job role appeal to school leavers, I planned to liaise with recruitment agencies and to also speak to 16yr olds in schools, but maybe this was a bit too ambitious, especially considering we are not given very much time with this.

So back to the cannibal brief, I have decided to approach this from a serious angle, it is far too tempting to make it humorous, and that will be a challenge in itself, but I think it will ultimately be more challenging for me to present this as a serious and rational idea.

In relation to my pathway I have decided that I want to do this as an advertising campaign, Ideally there would be posters, flyers, a TV advert, radio jingles, etc, however I feel this is just a little too over the top and time consuming so I think a TV ad or a short documentary for TV will suffice.

The reason I chose this brief in the end is because I felt I was able to generate more ideas and I felt it was the best one to have as a documentary style advert, I have plans of interviewing "cannibals" (not real ones of course) and making the viewers sympathies with them and see them as human beings and not monsters, my plan is to attack the stigma surrounding cannibalism head on and break down each "assumption" or "notion" about cannibals by using facts and statistics to deliver a reasonable argument that is "for" cannibalism entering society as a way of life. My idea may be a little sci-fi, but I am still going to deliver it in a serious manner, but I am not going into any more detail on that note because I disagree with posting your entire game plan on your blog, after all we are technically competing with each other so why we are expected to post our ideas on here is beyond me! I have my work copied a few times and I don't like it and if I can avoid it happening I will! what I will say is that I am approaching this as as though I am the charity involved and it will be delivered as an campaign!

Who Am I??

after reading my "about me" description in the post above this one, well below it now! I decided to have another go, after all that was just a quick BLAH that came out of my head and into my fingers in the early morning hours! I was high on tiredness, yet half asleep so here are 2 more attempts at getting it right:

1. I am currently in my final year of foundation Degree Digital Media at Leeds college of art, making this my 4th year at the college. I can't really define my work as having any particular style as everything I've done seems to be different and random. (Like me!) I get alot of different ideas and so my work could end up as anything! I would say I am inspired by cartoons and comics, but also little things like this strange women on the train the others day, the little things that most people don't notice or maybe don't have time to see, like the way a silverfish freezes up when it feels vibrations in the hope it won't be noticed! or the way the train station itself seems to be most alive at night when there is no one else around! I pick up on these things and write about them, or store them in my head for reference. I like creating narratives, I like my work to flow from beginning to end, even if it is only 20 seconds long it has to have a story, somethings that people will remember or at least want to watch to the end to see what happens! My strength as a digital designer definitely lies in my passion for creating a narrative and a mood, I am interested in the visual construction between image and sound and I like to animate using 2D software and my own hand drawings. I want to bring "the world" to life using digital media......

2. I am currently in my final year of foundation Degree Digital Media at Leeds college of art, and I specialize in story-telling using a range of mediums including interactive based content. I would say I am inspired by cartoons and comics, but also the little things that most people don't notice or maybe are not bothered about, like this strange women on the train the other day, I imagined her whole life in 2 minutes! or the way a silverfish freezes up when it feels vibrations in the hope it won't be noticed! OK so I admit I have an overactive imagination, always have, but that is what I like about me and I feel this only helps me in my line of work. My strength as a digital designer definitely lies in my passion for creating a narrative and a mood, I am interested in the visual construction between image and sound and I like to animate using 2D software and my own hand drawings. I want to bring "the world" to life using digital media.....

I'm using the 2nd one for now as it's shorter and more to the point!

Who I am

We were asked to come up with a quick statement that represents who you are as a digital designer today, I wasn't sure up until that point as I want to do so many things, but for some reason or another it just "clicked" in my brain today what it is that i'm good at, but where I am going with it I am not sure but I have a few ideas...

here goes:

"My name is Kelly LeBronc, and I specialize in 2D animation and moving image. What drives me is my passion for story-telling, which I like to adapt into my work. To me everything is a story waiting to be told, and I am there to tell it! the way I see it is that people like stories, they remember them, they stick in your head for years to come, so why not use this method to promote your products? my aim is to create tailor made narrative solutions using the medium of digital media, photography, and interactive based content to produce something that is completely unique, engrossing and extraordinary, If you are ready to change your posture and want to adapt to something different and innovative, click the contact me button and get ready!"

finished! god is that cheesy and sales pitchy! well I'm not 100% sure if that is what I was supposed to do, it's 2.22am and I am having a cuppa and going to bed! so I'll worry about it tomorrow at least I did something!

ppd2

Legend of the dragon kings! I was watching this anime yesterday and it just reminded me of how funny 80's cartoon were! and also from a technical point of view I noticed alot more in terms of how things were done, there was so much cheating on movement! cut outs of characters moving on the screen, panning and scanning across stills, plain backgrounds and there was this fight scene which was so funny you didn't get to see what happened, you just saw one guy as a still image fly across the screen, (moving background of stripes and stuff) with his mouth open and the voice over yelling something along the lines of: "yarrrr! I'm going to cut you.....with my sword!" and the other guy is there as another still grinning, (the bad guys looked really evil and disgusting in 80's cartoons, nothing like the glammed up baddies now!) he's like half dragon so looks hideous, and he says: "no-one can beat me, because I have just injected myself with dragons blood! hahahahaha!" unnecessary pause... then: "into my bod---eeee...hahahaha" LOL as if he'd need to add that! then they fly at each other, you hear a punch sound, and before you know it the other guy is on the ground! needless to say I found it quite hilarious and thought it interesting to see how much animation has changed since then! although I still think the 80's cartoons are funny to watch now, for the outfits especially, but the underlying themes involved seem to be alot better than todays stuff, which is rather random and doesn't have any kind of moral tale to tell as most of the toons back then did! ie: Captain planet, care bears etc!

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I've been searching for studio's on the net that specialize in motion graphics and video editing etc that are in or around Buxton as I plan to move there when I finish this course, there is only one company there and it is family run! but I have got the name of the person who runs it and their contact details so when I have the money to get on a train I will give him a call and arrange to go and see him. I plan to question them about the industry, setting up your own business and if I could do a placement there. I will also look around Leeds and other areas although I don't think they'll be any good to me. It's a good job I am undertaking a secondary qualification because the job market seems scarce!

I have also been looking at some title sequences but I will blog about them later as all the files are at home.