Creating Stereoscopic 3D Images

This was a strange assignment for me. I had a lot of trouble getting past the colors, but I enjoyed it! I really love the colors that you get with the pink and green glasses, like the one below:

Next, I tried creating 3D images with the red and cyan filters:

Recreating Cameras and Lights in Maya

Building a Scene in Maya

Outline for the Third Term Paper

I.                    In Byron Howard and Nathan Greno’s Disney movie “Tangled” and Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim,” both films use special computer software to generate glowing effects in the jaegers and Rapunzel’s hair.

II.                 Tangled

     A.                 Iman Sadeghi developed new software to help light and animate Rapunzel’s hair.

         1.                  Lights hair realistically but still allows for artistry

      B.                 Convincing. Still seemed realistic for hair that glows when Rapunzel sings.

III.              Pacific Rim

     A.                Mirada Studios uses computer software to composite elements, images, and colors in order to convey any glowing parts of the jaegers that the pilots use.

     B.                 Successful, because the glowing lights on the jaegers feel like they are really coming from the robots.

IV.              All in all, both films successfully made use of computer software in order to create their desired effects with glow.

Stop-Motion Character Animation

When I was trying to figure out which of my figures to use, I wanted to do something that I could get a chuckle out of. I tried to imagine each character not acting like themselves, and Tyrael stuck out to me. He is one of my favorite characters from Diablo 3. He is a great warrior and always rather serious, so I kept imagining him as someone who did not know what he was doing and who was rather useless. My animation was simple. I set Tyrael up against a door and posed him in a resting position following into a shrug, as if someone had asked him a question and he was just standing their uselessly. 

Reverse Video Reference

This assignment was a lot trickier than it looked. Trying to get everything down perfectly was pretty difficult!

Extra Credit: Silicon Valley Comic Con

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the first Silicon Valley Comic Con!

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

It is often said that “rules are made to be broken.” While I do not necessarily agree with that statement, in some cases it is true that – for the sake of storytelling – the rules can and should be broken. More specifically, one must bypass the rules of physics when it comes to visual media, as is often done in animated shorts and films, live action movies, and music videos. In a way, it is the visual equivalent of exaggerating moments in verbal stories – embellishing parts that must be embellished and omitting parts that would slow down the pace of the tale. In Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Joseph Kahn’s Taylor Swift music video for “Bad Blood” (2015), and Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch (2011), each director bends Newton’s Third Law of Motion, also known as the Action/Reaction Principle, in order to better tell their stories.

                One movie which breaks Newton’s Third Law of Motion is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Specifically, in the film, right as Roxy (Ramon’s ex-girlfriend) starts a fight with Scott (Ramona’s current boyfriend), Ramona steps in and stops Roxy from flying through the air and kicking Scott. When Ramona stops Roxy, Ramona does not even flinch or move when she takes the kick. Normally, due to the Action/Reaction Principle – which states, “For every action force there is an equal reaction force in the opposite direction” – the audience expects Ramona to have at least experienced some follow-through movement due to Roxy’s kick. However, Ramona does not move, and therefore she jars the audience by contrasting the expected with the unexpected. In doing so, Wright embellishes the true beginning of the fight, which is not between Roxy and Scott but between Roxy and Ramona. Despite the contrast, the fight still reads as believable, because Wright establishes the broken rules of Scott Pilgrim’s world early in the film. In fact, without the broken Action/Reaction Principle, the story itself would not have flowed nearly as well from that point.

                Another movie which break Newton’s Third Law of Motion is Joseph Kahn’s music video for Taylor Swift’s song “Bad Blood” (2015). In the music video, Kahn sets up the premise for the animosity between Swift’s character Catastrophe and Selena Gomez’s character Arsyn when Arsyn kicks Catastrophe out the window of a building. After the fall, Catastrophe lands on and crushes a car with noticeably more force than you would expect coming from a tall, thin woman. Not only that but the video continues with Catastrophe still alive and singing immediately after her crash. Realistically speaking, Catastrophe would have died from her fall. However, to me, the most jarring visual was the impact that Catastrophe had on the car, because the reaction of the car did not appear to match the force of Catastrophe’s fall. Evidently, because the music video is all about tough women, Kahn broke the Action/Reaction principle in order to emphasize the strength of Swift’s character by having her sing and still live despite her accident. Also, had the film been more realistic, the music video would have ended upon Catastrophe’s crash, which, needless to say, would have severely impaired the flow of the story. However, the main purpose, most likely, for Kahn choosing to portray the crash the way he did was to punctuate the true beginning of the song, which opens up on Swift lying down on the destroyed car. All in all, Kahn successfully broke Newton’s Third Law of Motion in order to tell the story he wanted to tell, frame the song intentionally, and to continue the flow of his and Swift’s storytelling.

                In addition, Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch (2011) breaks Newton’s Third Law of Motion. For example, during the fight scene between the first of the three giant demon samurai and Baby Doll, Baby Doll actively parries the first samurai’s weapon. When Baby Doll parries, the samurai quickly recoils with its weapon. Upon observation, the quick recoil of the looming CGI mechanical warrior betrays its own weight and mass. Specifically, looking even closer at one particular detail, the way in which the samurai and Baby Doll interact, when Baby Doll parries, the Samurai’s reaction to Baby Doll’s action makes the Samurai’s heavy weapon appear lighter than it should be. Truthfully, considering the Action/Reaction Principle, the samurai’s recoil should have a slower acceleration reacting to the force of Baby Doll’s parries. However, because the world of Baby Doll’s imagination is clearly fantastical, breaking Newton’s Third Law of Motion is not all too jarring to take the audience out of the moment. In fact, by breaking that particular law, Snyder suspends the audience’s disbelief just enough to give them hope that Baby Doll might stand a chance against her adversaries, allowing the story to progress with a proper flow. All in all, while Snyder does break the Action/Reaction Principle, he does so with enough intention for the fight scene to read believably and smoothly within the film.

                In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) directed by Edgar Wright, Taylor Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood” (2015) directed by Joseph Kahn, and Sucker Punch (2011) directed by Zack Snyder, each film breaks the Action/Reaction Principle, more formally known as Newton’s Third Law of Motion, in order to achieve a better flow and clarity within the stories that each director attempts to tell. In Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Wright deviates from the Action/Reaction principle most evidently in his fight scenes, such as the scene in which Ramona prevents Roxy from kicking Scott. Also, in Kahn’s Taylor Swift music video “Bad Blood,” the first instance in which Kahn breaks Newton’s Third Law of Motion is in the beginning when Catastrophe falls with great impact on a car and proceeds to sing. Finally, in Snyder’s Sucker Punch, the broken law of physics presents itself evidently within the film’s fight sequences, such as in the fight between the giant demon samurai and Baby Doll. All in all, all three films have the same error in physics, yet all the instances in which that particular law is broken works for the shared purpose of each film and most films ever made – which to tell good, fluid stories.

Outline for the Second Term Paper

I.                   Action/Reaction

II.                Scott Pilgrim

     A.                 Ramona stops Roxy from kicking Scott                                                                    

     B.                 Ramona doesn’t even flinch after kick

III.              Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood Music Video”

     A.                 Beginning, lands on car faster and with more force than she should

     B.                 Still alive, singing after falling into the car

IV.             Sucker Punch

     A.                 Samurai fight scene

     B.                 Baby Doll keeps parrying the Samurai’s weapon and the way the samurai and her interact, it looks like the samurai’s weapon, which should be very heavy, is lighter than it should be

V.                Conclusion

     A.                 All have the same physical error but they all work for the purposes of their film

Stop Motion Animation of Falling

For class, I had to create a stop motion animation. This was my first time ever animating stop motion and it was a fun and interesting process. The whole concept behind my animation was "playing with food," so I decided to shoot it in my kitchen using things I'd find around my house. For my monster, I ripped and cut a couple of shapes out of construction paper for the head and the tongue and drew on an eye and nostril, then used a magnet to act as a hinge where both jaws meet. For the little food bit, I used another magnet. After that, it was just a matter of taping the papers to my refrigerator. I used my ball toss reference from a few assignments ago to time and plan my animation. I then shot it on the Stop Motion Studio app. After that, I added a title card and looped my animation on Adobe Premiere.

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

            In truth, the thought of defying gravity—of battling the impossible—has captivated the world since the beginning of time. Stories of dragons, monsters, and supernatural warriors fill the pages and screens of the world’s literature and media. As a whole, society loves nothing more than seeing people beat the odds; they root for the hero. They want to see the hero battle the impossible—to see them defy gravity. In fact, that is the very reason video games, comic books, and comic book adaptations are so popular during times of hardship. They bend the laws of physics in ways that engage and entertain the audience. One specific comic book adaptation, director Edgar Wright’s 2010 film “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” excels in particular. “Scott Pilgrim” is about Scott, a 23-year-old bassist who must battle his girlfriend Ramona’s seven evil super-powered exes in order to win her heart. In “Scott Pilgrim,” Wright breaks the laws of physics in our own world in order to create a humorous yet epic movie that pays homage to video games and comic books around the world with its use of supernatural energy, exaggerated paths of action, and strange inertia.
            Firstly, “Scott Pilgrim” uses supernatural energy to enhance the events and struggles that occur throughout its entirety, which particularly manifests itself through the superpowers. For example, when Scott fights Ramona’s first evil ex-boyfriend Matthew Patel, Matthew generates and shoots fireballs at Scott. Obviously, humans naturally cannot naturally generate fire from thin air. In that particular way, “Scott Pilgrim” breaks the laws of physics. Another example of supernatural powers manifesting themselves is in Ramona’s third evil ex Todd Ingram, who possesses telekinetic vegan powers. One such specific power is Todd’s ability to fly—or rather, levitate. In fact, twice during Scott’s bass battle with Todd, Todd levitates toward Scott. By floating, Todd breaks the law of gravity. Furthermore, another example of superhuman power are the giant energy monsters that appear to fight each other during Scott’s battle with the Katayanagi twins, Ramona’s fifth and sixth evil exes. Specifically, as Scott’s band Sex Bob-omb and the Katayanagi twins battle each other in Battle of the Bands, their music generates energy monsters—Sex Bob-omb summoning a giant yeti and the Katayanagis summoning twin snow dragons. In the end, after a several back-and-forth-blows, Sex Bob-omb’s yeti wins. In this case, summoning giant energy monsters is highly improbable; the physics is completely ignored. However, all considering, the way in which Wright breaks the laws of physics only serve to enhance the heroism and comic-book feel of “Scott Pilgrim.”

            In addition, to create the larger-than-life comic-book hero feel of “Scott Pilgrim,” the movie used exaggerated paths of action and a lack of gravity in several of Scott’s fights with the evil exes. For example, in Scott’s fight with Matthew Patel, Scott sends Matthew into the air with an uppercut kick, jumps high and uppercuts Matthew again, barrages him with a flurry of punches, and lands a final punch that sends Matthew hurtling to the earth as Scott floats and watches from above. According to the law of gravity, Scott should have to the earth rather than floating above Matthew. However, by Scott floating as Matthew flies toward the earth, Scott holds the position of power in the fight. Therefore, by breaking the law, the story of Scott’s success during his fight with Matthew Patel is enhanced. Another example of exaggerated paths of action is in Scott and Ramona’s second evil ex-boyfriend Lucas Lee’s fight. During the fight, Scott and Lucas charge at each other and jump into the air, at which point they meet and Lucas kicks Scott backwards through a backdrop. According to the laws of physics, their jumps should neither have had the trajectory nor the power to send Scott flying through the air. In that case, to dramatize the battle and accentuate the comic-book feel of the movie, Wright breaks the laws of physics. To further the examination of exaggerated paths of action, one must also consider Ramona’s fight with Roxy, her fourth evil ex. During the fight, Ramona dodges a hit from Roxy by flipping backwards high into the air with her giant hammer. Truthfully, Ramona’s jump looked far too weak to be able to manage such a high jump while toting a heavy weapon. In such a case, Ramona’s jump breaks the law of gravity, like in the other fights, just enough to enhance the comic-book feeling without being overtly ridiculous.

            Additionally, in “Scott Pilgrim,” the movie uses strange inertia during the battles to truly push the comic-book superhero vibe. For example, when Scott faces Matthew Patel, Scott blocks Matthew—who was in the middle of a 100 mph flying punch—stops him midair, punches him backward, and sends him tumbling through the air. However, even when bending the laws of physics, there is still a realistic sense of inertia and gravity when Matthew lands on his feet. Specifically, Matthew’s motion is stopped by the ground, an equal and opposing force. In turn, “Scott Pilgrim” twists the laws of physics but still manages to provide a tangible sense of existence, ultimately making the “Scott Pilgrim” world believable. Also, when Scott battles Todd, the power from Todd’s bass sends Scott flying through several walls without slowing him down until Scott reaches the last wall. In the real world, the power of Todd’s bass would not have been enough to push Scott through three walls, but also Scott would have slowed down a significant amount after hitting the first wall. Instead, Scott kept going. In such a case, Wright dramatizes the attack and pushes the comic-book vibe, effectively enhancing the story and action in “Scott Pilgrim.” Furthermore, in the fight between Ramona and Roxy, Ramona blocks Roxy from kicking Scott midair and each girl holds their pose for three seconds in real time—much like Scott did in his fight with Matthew. In reality, Ramona would have blocked Roxy, who then would have proceeded to drop to the ground due to the law of gravity. However, in having the girls hold their pose, Wright enhanced the superhero, comic-book feel of the movie by emphasizing that key moment of the fight when it begins. All in all, Wright effectively uses strange inertia to form a cartoon-y yet tangible world in which the characters of “Scott Pilgrim” live, enhancing the story and making it entertaining to audiences.

            In “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Edgar Wright bends the laws of physics to create an entertaining yet realistic world for the audience’s beloved super-powered comic book heroes and villains. Notably, Wright uses supernatural energy to empower the characters. Also, Wright makes use of exaggerated paths of action and a lack of gravity in order to push the comic-book feel of the movie, which sets the tone for the film. In addition, Wright utilizes strange inertia to not only amuse and excite audiences but also to help shape a world in which superheroes make sense to exist in. By intentionally breaking the laws of physics in the “Pilgrim” world, Edgar Wright enhances the comic-book and video-game feel of the movie to make it more entertaining to audiences and stay true to the comic.

Outline of the First Term Paper: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

1. Introduction
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
2. In Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010),” the movie breaks the laws of physics in our own world in order to create a humorous and epic movie that pays homage to video games and comic books around the world with its use of supernatural energy, exaggerated paths of action, and strange inertia.  
2. Supernatural energy
1. Matthew Patel fireballs
2. Vegan powers
3. Giant energy monsters that battle
3. Exaggerated Paths of Action/Lack of Gravity
1. Scott vs. Matthew – Scott sends Matthew into the air with an uppercut kick, jumps high and uppercuts Matthew again, barrages him with a flurry of punches, lands a final punch that sends Matthew hurtling to the earth as Scott floats and watches from above.
2. Scott vs. Lucas Lee – Scott and Lucas charge at each other and jump into midair. Lucas kicks Scott backwards through a backdrop.
3. Ramona vs. Roxy – Romana dodges a hit from Roxy by flipping backwards high into the air with her giant hammer.
4. Strange Inertia
1. Scott vs. Matthew – Scott blocks Matthew who does a 100mph flying punch, stops him midair, punches him backward and sends him tumbling through the air
1. However, there is still a realistic sense of inertia and gravity when Matthew lands on his feet.
2. His motion is stopped by the ground, an equal and opposing force.
2. Scott vs. Todd – Bass sends Scott through several walls without slowing him down.
3. Ramona vs. Roxy – Ramona blocks Roxy from kicking Scott midair and they hold the pose for three seconds real time.
5. Conclusion
1. By intentionally breaking the laws of physics in the “Pilgrim” world, Edgar Wright enhances the comic-book and video-game feel of the movie to make it more entertaining to audiences and stay true to the comic.

Video Analysis of Path of Action

No matter how many times I started over and reuploaded, Tracker imported my video upside down. I'm also not sure why but Blogger is not letting me upload my recorded Path of Action.

Tracker Video Analysis of Falling

Shooting Video Reference

Mini-Portfolio

My name is Kitt and I’m an animation/illustration major at San Jose State University. 

I have taken a multitude of art classes since arriving at SJSU, from traditional foundation classes where I learned perspective, anatomy, how to figure draw, painting, animation, to more advanced classes in which I learned to utilize skillsets from my foundation classes and apply them on a more conceptual level in digital programs. I have taken a basic physics class prior to Physics of Animation and I’m excited to learn more about how to apply the science to my artistic work. In addition to this class, I am currently taking an intermediate animation class, a beginning visual development class, and a media and culture class. 

After I graduate, I am hoping to not only continue playing video games that I love, but to also, as a visual development artist, create games that other people will be passionate about.

On my journey to become a visual development artist, I have created many different paintings, from class pieces to sketches done in my own downtime. Below is a “Hero tree” concept painting I did for a beginning digital painting class:

When I’m not in class, I like to do little paint sketches to experiment and get to know different mediums, such as this portrait I did of a friend:

While I love illustrating, I also like learning about animation. I hope that in the future, I’ll be excellent at both. Below is my final demo reel for a beginning 3D animation class I took a couple semesters ago:

The First Post

Kitt, reporting for duty!