Scene 3 amendments

Made changes to some of the backgrounds which were in a low resolution.

Improved the news sequence with the explosion

I followed this tutorial:

• I really liked the look of the explosion in this tutorial. However like many others it required me to download the following plugin: http://www.redgiant.com/products/trapcode-suite/resources/
• I could not afford to buy the plugin ($399!!!), so I got the free trial
• I skipped the first half of the tutorial, as my explosion was not coming out of a visible bomb

• After creating my own explosions I added these to my already existing composition
• I think these look much more effective that the shape layer I used before
• My only issue is that I believe because I used a free trial it appeared to have a large red X on the layer
• I managed to mask over the red X for the most part, but it is still slightly visible
• Hopefully this won't be too noticeable, as I still think the overall effect looks good

Week 11: Scheduling

I've created a schedule for this week in order to plan my time. I'm hoping to get most of the components for this module nearly finished by the end of the week, so that I can start working on my other module next week. I've split up my tasks into different days so hopefully I should be able to get everything done.

Week 11: Tutorials

Workshop

• 00:38 - brochure pic
• More bounce on book kick
• Eyes going across and then hold
• Faster head tilt Alecia
• Move Marine's hand faster

Practical

• Timing on actions - walk cycles can be shorter etc

Title ideas:

Most people, including Paul, suggested that I give my piece a French title, therefore I tried to come up with something..

Easter week 2: Progress

This week I have been working solidly on production. I've put together the rest of scene two and added to scene 3. I still need to finish the conclusion.

Inspiration:

Process:

• I took inspiration from different newspapers I'd seen online
• I used the image trace to embed real pictures onto the cover of the papers
• I used photoshop to replicate the newspapers

Where I am now:

Strengths:

• I'm much happier with the narrative and I think it makes sense
• Although I haven't added much sound I think what I have so far works pretty well

Need to improve:

• Add titles to the beginning - could use wind sounds
• 00:31 - improve Manon's walk
• 00:33 - amend background colour
• 00:35 needs to be a shot in between
• 01:01 fix Manon's weird arm
• Add backgrounds (blue screens)
• 02:32 Fix animation of  explosion
• Add another shot to the ending

Sounds

Sound effects:
Text alert - oringz w36
Oringz-w436 - free mp3 and m4r download | Notification Sounds

Music:
Emotional and Dramatic Music - Reverie (Copyright and Royalty Free)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ72Z9S305I&index=2&list=LLhda1AjYMm8knzTKudNd9EA

whitesand - last goodbye
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPHVpCSJoeY&index=3&list=LLhda1AjYMm8knzTKudNd9EA


White sand no tomorrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At_-oo5fSv4&index=5&list=LLhda1AjYMm8knzTKudNd9EA

Nor'ledges - white zans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VNRzU2wIHE

Dialogue/speeches (le pen)

ambient - for seine bridge
http://www.freesound.org/people/Joljo/sounds/174816/

http://www.freesound.org/people/yadronoff/sounds/320380/

paper in wind
http://www.freesound.org/people/adejabor/sounds/153439/

Paper in wind 2
https://www.freesound.org/people/RossBell/sounds/389440/

News broadcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYNC6PnFbPA&index=2&list=LLhda1AjYMm8knzTKudNd9EA

news sfx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibXqB93Yd6g&list=LLhda1AjYMm8knzTKudNd9EA&index=2

vinyl sfx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOY8pXNu-ew

Book falling
https://www.freesound.org/people/theshaggyfreak/sounds/320285/

Reading: Folk Devils and Moral Panics - Stanley Cohen

Deviance and Moral Panics

• "A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests" p. 1
• Stereotyped in mass media
• Can have serious long lasting effects (i.e. Islamophobia since 9/11)
• Cohen argues in the case of youth culture - deviants and delinquents
• Generalisation of mods and rockers 
• Sceptical revolution  - questioning the media representations
• "Deviance is created by society" p. 5
• Every society has certain 'images' of its deviants
• The media provides already constructed/biased arguments as news
• "even if they are not self-consciously engaged in crusading or muck-raking, their very reporting of certain ‘facts’ can be sufficient to generate concern, anxiety, indignation or panic." p. 10
• "‘a considerable portion of what we call “news” is devoted to reports about deviant behaviour and its consequences'" p. 10
• Such news informs us of what's right and wrong
• Once filtered through media, representation becomes stereotyped
• News reports on disasters, or potential disasters create fear
• "Potential of threat"
• Sequence of disaster:
  1. Warning: a condition which may arise
  2. Threat: exposed to communication from others
  3. Impact: disaster strikes and reaction to death, injuries etc.
  4. Inventory: those exposed to disaster form a preliminary picture of what happened
  5. Rescue: help for survivors
  6. Remedy: more deliberate and formal activities to help those affected
  7. Recovery: the community recovers from the events - stabilised condition

Inventory

• Distortion and exaggeration
• Over-reporting of events
• Sensational headlines, melodramatic vocab etc.
• Knopp 'shotgun approach' - front page build up, splashing pictures
• Excessive hyperbolic language to a point where it doesn't even make sense (i.e. the use of trigger words such as Islamist, or terrorist)
• "The continued media use of the term contributes to an emotionally charged climate in which the public tends to view every event as an “incident”"
• Spreading mass hysteria

Easter week 1: Progress

I started to develop scene 2. Manon checks her phone and reads a news article.

Inspiration:

Researched articles in french of the attacks, looked out for key words used and what  kind of imagery was used. I used the websites of different news sources, aiming for a mixture of left and right wing and neutral.

• Key words: terror, death, Paris
• Creates a sense of fear

 

• Iconography: police with guns, citizens, memorials, Paris locations such as eiffel tower. 

Process:

• Created the appearance of an iPhone lock screen with a News notification
• I re-created an icon, inspired by the one used on iOS 10

• I then used an image I found on Google which was similar to the iconography I'd researched: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04qx7h4
• Using an image of Police makes the audience aware that something serious has happened, but at the same time makes them feel protected
• Rather than using the 'image trace' feature, I used the paintbrush tool to follow the basic shapes of the officers

• On another layer I created a screen showing a news article with the image above

• Need to fill in the background imagery
• Manon has a weird arm in a couple of shots

Research: French news

Since my new storyline will have a strong focus on the news and headlines, I thought I'd research some French news sources. I will look at these different websites to find how they've reported on previous incidents, and use a similar style in my own work.

Brainstorming

Today was spent re-organising my ideas so that I can resume production on my project.

I very roughly sketched the images I'd like to follow in my sequence:

• Manon pulls her phone out of her pocket
• Close up of her holding her phone
• A French flag waves in the air
• Citizens anxiously check their phones/newspapers
• Close up image of the news on the TV
• Crowds of people watching the news on TV

I know that I had to improve the atmosphere of the scene 2, so that it contrasts the deserted locations in the opening scene. Therefore some videos people had recorded around Pont de l'Archeveche to get a sense of the sounds around the area.

I then conducted some more research into Le Pen and her policies. I wanted to use this idea to build a frame work for my narrative. Main ideas:

• French patriotism
• Fear of immigrants
• Reclaiming France by getting rid of immigrants

I then brainstormed some new ideas for my third scene. I didn't want to get rid of what I had already, but still it had to make sense with what I'll be adding to scene 2.

Finally I re-wrote my shot list following the research I'd done today. I feel a lot more confident in my idea now.

Further Research

I spent most of the day researching on how to improve my animation.

Camera

I researched some camera techniques. I like the 'dolly zoom' or vertigo effect. I think this could be a really cool effect to use in my animation is it creates an uneasy, dramatic effect.

• This effect is created by zooming in whilst moving the camera backwards on a dolly
• Although mostly used in live action, it was also used in other animated films such as Ratatouille

• I tried recreating this effect on my phone's camera
• Not too sure how effective this would look within animation

Sound
I researched which movies had the best scores. I shortlisted the following films:

• Moonlight
• La La Land
• The Shining

I think I like classical music for my piece

Feedback

Showed my mum what I have done so far with my project 

Her advice:

• Change the colour of the padlocks on the bridge as they blend together too much
• Add some more life to the second scene - mayb a boat going past on the bridge
• Spider diagram for title ideas
• Better sound quality - perhaps shattering glass in the disaster scene

Viewing log

As I was starting to feel quite uninspired by my project, I decided to watch something to reignite my imagination. I chose to watch the tv series Black Mirror is it deals with conspiracy. The pilot episode just so happened to be very relevant to my idea. The idea is centred on the Prime Minister's daughter being kidnapped and having the news go to the press. *Spoiler alert* the deeper message of the episode is that the public get so caught up in what's in the media that they lose sight of what's happening in reality. This is really interesting to me, as I want to convey a similar message within my own project.

Key ideas:

• Social media vs Mainstream news
• Checking news on TV, laptop etc
• Breaking news
• Rising pace
• Scrolling through Twitter

Further Research

Articles on nationalism:
The rise of anti-immigrant attitudes, violence and nationalism in Costa Rica
http://theconversation.com/the-rise-of-anti-immigrant-attitudes-violence-and-nationalism-in-costa-rica-73899

• Costa Rica adverse to conflict, violence and poverty
• Congressman, Ricardo Toldeo, critical of immigrants - wanted to close Nicaragua borders
• Divide between 'white', middle class, educated Costa Ricans, and poor, dark-skinned Nicaraguans
• "Citizens feel that their way of life is under threat"

It's Not Just Trump: A Toxic Right-Wing Nationalism Is Rising Across the Planet
http://www.alternet.org/world/its-not-just-trump-toxic-right-wing-nationalism-rising-across-planet

• Politcal leaders gave voice to converns over globalisation
• Trump anti-Islam; radical
• Between 1991 ad 2011, China closed 2.4 million American jobs
• Right-wing parties in Europe scored votes by using nativist, anti-islamic responses to globalisation

Opinion: The nationalist wave in the U.S. and Europe that liberals still don’t get
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-nationalist-wave-in-the-us-and-europe-that-liberals-still-dont-get-2017-03-20

• Geert Wilders - nationalist candidate in the Netherlands
  - lost election
  - strong (racist) views towards immigrants
• "Nationalism assumes distinctions"
• Nazi Germany wouldn't have happened without obsession with national identity
• Nationalism at the root of our existence
• Poor people more affected by immigration
• Hitler played on the fact that citizens didn't have much to be proud of after WW1 and the Great Depression, except being German

Nationalism is driving us towards a hard Brexit that puts Britain at risk
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/article-50-theresa-may-brexit-nationalism-driving-us-to-hard-brexit-pat-mcfadden-labour-a7656151.html

• Theresa May recently evoked Article 50
• No more access to the Single market
• Customs Union membership rejected
• Advocators don't care about economic consequences

Overall thoughts:

• There seems to be a strong divide between nationalism and globalisation
• People are using their "patriotism" as an excuse to be racist/xenophobic

Articles on Marine Le Pen:

Marine Le Pen promises crackdown on immigration and globalisation

https://www.ft.com/content/9854f5e4-ebc3-11e6-930f-061b01e23655

• Supports chanted "France! France!" and "On est chez nous!" ("This is our country")
• In favour of Trump's victory
• Considers radical Islam barbaric (evoking fear within her audiences)
• Anti-immigration
• Wants to make it harder for migrants to become French citizens
• "There is no rightwing and no leftwing any more," she said. "There is only those who support globalisation and patriots"

Le Pen says uncontrolled immigration has pushed France to the brink of ‘CIVIL WAR’

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/778995/marine-le-pen-french-election-president-civil-war-immigration

• Blames France's practically 'non-existent' immigration policies for refugee crisis
• "The situation is spiralling out of control, and things can only get worse"
• Some migrants refused to integrate into French society
• “They have intimidated and threatened France via a series of anti-French and terrorist attacks. Civil war is no longer a dream, but a real possibility.”
• Radical extremists, not migrants, were the 'enemy'
• The FN leader added that all citizens had to “learn to love France,” and that, if elected president in May, she would let the French nationals decide “who can be French” via a nationwide debate on citizenship.

note: I don't know how credible this information is since there are no sources

France election: Why people are voting for Marine Le Pen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/39109365

• Her supporters want their country back
• Some believe that she isn't racist - they just support the French way of living
• Others support her as they want to be protects from immigrants

note: this video was really interesting to see the first hand perspectives of Le Pen's supporters, rather than just reading about her

What are Marine Le Pen's policies?

http://www.euronews.com/2017/02/09/what-do-we-know-about-marine-le-pen-s-policies

• I said the evening of Trump’s election that this is not the end of the world, it’s the end of a world. The EU world is ultra-liberalism, savage globalisation, artificially created across nations. I believe that this world is dead,” she told BBC Radio.
• Wants to distance herself from her father's far-right legacy
• Claims to be "In the name of the people"
• Has a strong stance on law and order - visited prisons
• Wants to create a new world order
• Wants to leave the EU - finds it a "failure"

Overall thoughts:

• Has the belief that you must have an extreme love for you country otherwise you can't be a part of it
• Promotes her 'patriotism' by using immigrants as a binary opposition

Week 10: Workshop and Practical

Workshop
In class today, we all viewed each other's projects in their current state and were given feedback.

My strengths:

• Visual style - including colour scheme, background and character design

Things to consider:

• Think more about sound
• Cut down on narrative as there may be too much to animate, and the story could be too complex
• Make the backgrounds move consistently, some move more than others

I found this feedback really useful in knowing what I have to improve. It was also useful in increasing my confidence in what I have so far.


Practical
In this session I sought help from Paul on how to improve my storyline. I showed him what I'd written for the brochure, and he gave me some suggestions on how to amend this. I'd re-written my story so that rather than using terrorists as the antagonist, I would metaphorically represent them with aliens. When I pitched this idea to Paul he was very unsure of it (as was I to be fair). Instead he suggested that I focus more on the wider agenda, which would be to frame my narrative around media.

I thought back to an artist we'd looked at during second year who would be relevant to my work this year.

Mark Fiore

• American political cartoonist
• Uses humour and satire
• Summarises current events

Paul suggested I look at some other artists work:

Peter Howson

• Howson is a Scottish painter
• Worked as the official British war artist during the Bosnian Civil War in 1993
• The image above denotes a mixture between real life influences of war, and fantasy elements such as the mummy/zombie
• I think this is relevant to my own work as I'd like to combine fantasy elements, in a metaphorical sense

Fransisco Goya - The Black Paintings

• Paintings from around 1819 to 1823
• Quite dark and scary

Week 9: Reflection

Strengths

• I went back over the first scene and made adjustments. I think this has helped my project as the colour scheme is now consistent
• Taking time to research and develop my concept

Weaknesses

• I feel bad because I haven't made any progress in terms of production. I would have liked to work on more scenes than I have done so far. Subsequently I feel as though I'm behind
• Still unsure about my new storyline, I don't know if it is a strong enough idea. Hopefully once I speak to my tutors, they'll be able to point me in the right direction

Brochure text and Photos

Text:

Set in a dystopic Paris, after the city was affected by an alien invasion. A new government regime divides the country and its citizens alike. Two sisters, Manon and Alecia, must find a way to put their differences aside to support their familial bond. Film title is an animated short film that explores themes of survival and finding hope through hard times

The narrative was inspired by recent terror attacks in Paris, such as Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 and the coordinated attacks throughout Saint-Denis in November 2015. A headline which read “A year of attacks leaves Paris’ streets emptier than usual” demonstrates how an international moral panic has left citizens fearful.  Arguably this moral panic has been propagated throughout the media with world leaders in the US, the UK and France alike aiming to popularise nationalism by spreading a sense of fear of the other. Film title innocuously alludes to this issue by using a combination of fantasy and drama, following the bond between two sisters with conflicting beliefs.

The visual style of the film was inspired by the short film Somewhere Down The Line (2014). The use of flat design, hand-drawn animation and a heavily stylised colour scheme subverts the mainstream preference for hyper-realist, 3D computer-animation. Film title aims to spark a re-emergence of the classic animation style, but with a modern influence. Contextually, the film draws inspiration from animation with a political influence such as Persepolis (2007) and Zootopia (2016), all of which deal with heavy subjects but use the animation medium as an easily digestible form.

Thoughts:

• I still haven't been able to come up with a name for the piece
• I like the images I've created, although I hope they're not too vague

Research for new ideas

For my new idea I've thought about using aliens as a metaphor for the other. I want to highlight the issue of nationalism that has been omnipresent recently, with world leaders such as Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen focusing on national identity. I believe that this creates a fear of the other. Within my narrative I could allude to this issue, with Alecia conforming to the ideology presented in the media as she becomes fearful of the aliens, however Manon is more open minded.

I created a list of how my narrative would relate to conventions of the dystopia genre.

I also created a list of how alien invasions are presented within the media. Most of the films I'd seen already, therefore I just re-watched their trailers to refresh my memory.

This was the interview that Paul suggested I watch. I didn't know much about the French Election prior to watching this video. Le Pen seems to have a similar way of thinking to BNP leaders or dare I say it, Donald Trump. I think these kind of opinions draw people apart, rather than bring people together

Further articles:

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/marine-le-pen-bbc-newsnight-interview_uk_58db7a78e4b01ca7b4283033

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36653381

I amended my shot list with the changes I wanted to make. I thought about using bits of sound from Le Pen's interviews.