How Effective Are Animations Based On Real Life Events

Animated Documentary - Barefoot Gen

Barefoot Gen is a Japanese animated movie (anime) that aired in 1983 and was created by Keiji Nakazawa. The movie follows the struggle of a family during the near end of the 2nd world war when the Americans dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima.

The animation touches on a very sensitive moment of Japanese history and it does a very good job of using different animation techniques to emotionally touch the audience by meeting the atmosphere that describes the total devastation of this disaster.

The beginning of the scene shows American pilots giving each other orders to accurately drop the bomb over the city from their plane and when they do the camera watches the bomb fall from a birds eye view all the way down until it hits the floor. The suspense and build up makes viewers feel uneasy because they know what is going to happen but that feeling is there for a long time however long the bomb falls. The next scene is also a very slow paced build up which Im guessing signifies the bombs energy moving out until the explosion happens to suck everything back in and it does this by slowly fading out the sound until silence and during that the colour fades out so it is black and white. All of a sudden without a beat its all fast paced the colour comes back but with warm colours, pink, orange, yellow and it shows people, citizens burn and decinerate with massive detail and close ups which is the climax to impact the audience especially because it equally shows the same thing happen to children and babies. From there it shows the other civilians who aren't close enough to the blast to be incinerated being crushed by falling buildings and hit by flying debris. 

This scene as an animation is enough to emotionally touch any person who watches it and it is because of the techniques used which are designed to exaggerate real life so I think this is just as effective than the disaster in real life. 

Recap On Cinema 4D

In this process and production session we looked at a basic overview of the software Cinema 4D to recap on its functions and features. We looked at the basic tools used to create and edit models and tools to animate those models.

The X, Z and Y Axis in a 3D Interface

Because Cinema 4D uses 3D and it is viewed on a 2D computer screen the software uses an axis so the camera can rotate around a 3D plain and the user can accurately place the object within the world. The green arrow represents the Y axis which allows the object to move up and down, the red arrow represents the X axis which moves the object left and right and finally the blue arrow represents the Z axis which moves the object back and forth.


Move Tool

After clicking on this symbol the user can drag and move the object/model on screen along the X, Z or Y axis.


Scale Tool

The scale tool allows the user to extrude the shape or object on either of the 3 axises. Clicking on the green arrow and dragging up will make the object longer going up and dragging down on the green arrow will make the object shorter.


Rotation Tool

The rotation tool allows the user to rotate the object around any of the 3 axises. The object will stay in the position it is at and depending on which axis is chosen the object can rotate in different directions.


Adding a Object

This tool simply adds objects to the scene, at the moment the cube object is selected but if the tool is clicked and held it will display other objects that can be added to the scene.


The Pen Tool

The pen tool draws 2D lines and allows the drawing of 2D objects which then can be converted into a 3D object. If the tool is clicked and held it will display some 2D shapes that can be chosen as a preset.


The Floor Tool

The floor tool adds useful objects to the scene, at the moment the tool is set to floor but if it is clicked and held it brings up other useful objects. The floor tool is used for putting a surface underneath an object which will either be used to set a scene or/and be used to interact with the object as a collision effect. The other tools include backgrounds and foregrounds which allow to put in walls or simply have a coloured background behind the object and sky and environmental skies which allow to put in a coloured ceiling or even a realistic sky effect.


The Camera Tool

The camera tool inserts cameras within the scene which is what the final video will see after the render. There are different cameras with different jobs, the ordinary camera will show the scene wherever it is a put, the target camera will follow a object it is assigned to and the motion capture which will move on a created path.


The Light Tool

The light tool simply adds light to a scene. If the scene is rendered without any light source the video will be completely black and nothing will be seen. There is a basic light which will project a light as bright as a light bulb, there is a target light which is a light source that will follow an object, there is a sun light which is a light source that is much brighter than any of the other lights and there is is a spot light which projects a circle of light.


Animating Using the Timeline

The numbers on the timeline are the number of frames during the time of the video. The green square shows which frame is displayed on the window above the timeline. To animate an object it first needs to be selected and then the attributes that are going to be changed need to be locked in by clicking the button next to each attribute. For example if the size of the object is changed a place on the timeline will be selected and then the attribute for the size of the object will clicked to be locked which will create a little blue box on the timeline to show this. Then another point on the timeline preferably a frame higher than the previous frame will be selected where the change in size will happen, the attribute that was locked in the other frame will now have to be changed either a higher number to increase the size or a lower number to decrease the size, then the button next to the attribute number will need to be clicked again to lock the attribute number in the frame. Now when the timeline is played, when the little green box hits the first frame where the attribute was locked in, the object will begin to change size until it reaches the second frame where the attribute number was changed there the object will reach the final size. 

What Did I Learn?

I already knew each tool and had a basic understanding of Cinema 4D but it was a helpful and refreshing reminder of the software. The session is was really useful to me because I want to start using Cinema 4D more. 

Presentation Assessment Feedback

In this seminar session I received feedback on my presentation about my chosen subject (motion capture in the video game industry) that I am interested in and would like to research.

My presentation itself went very well I had a lot to talk about because I understand the subject I am looking into and I am very interested in the content. I also think I did a good job with picking out the best key points to talk about that summarise my background research so far which lead to my presentation being presented in good time.

Feedback: 'Your presentation was presented very well, you went into a lot of detail with each point you made which tells me you understand the subject you are looking into. The approach you have taken so far is a very good start because you have given a basic overview of the history of motion capture and the video games that used motion capture and what changed throughout this history. Now you need to look into what made these changes? And why these changes happened?'

Feedback: 'Your images are too close to the edge, if your presentation is presented on a projector the projection could cut off the edges which include your images'

Feedback: 'Make your presentation more visually engaging instead of a standard black on white basic presentation design.'

Feedback: 'Referencing is important. A reference list is when you directly use information from a source and that source is displayed at the end of your presentation. A bibliography list is a list of sources that you looked into but didn't use any information. So you can't have a bibliography without a reference list.'

From the feedback given I will go back and change my presentation and apply this feedback to my essays and presentations I do in the future.

The Economy in Business

Lower the price for a product higher the demand from the public.

Higher the price for a product means higher demand for stores to supply it.

Government try to make the public happy by managing the economy all the time. The government use taxes to raise money to spend it on the benefit of the country.

The taxes pay for police, NHS, Armed forces, Education etc. Tax is also used to affect the public in the way they spend money.

Tax increase leads to people having less income in their job. This starts a chain reaction of the persons purchasing habit and changes their demands for specific products. E.g. expensive products get forgot about and cheaper brands become more popular.

People will demand a pay increase from their firm and if the company accept it means they may have to get rid of other people because they can’t afford all the people they have employed. This then increases the cost for benefits because more people become unemployed.

Interest rate are also important to the management of an economy. Interest rates is the cost of borrowing money e.g. students loan. In a company the idea is they borrow money from another company to then make the money back and then make a profit because of this basically every company is in debt somewhere.

Finances 

About the control of money and flows of money. Definitions companies need to know.

• Money means the cash you own. (Short term)

• Money means the cash you have plus the cash you can get. (Long term)

• Money means the cash you have plus the cash you can get and the loan credit you can get. (Long term)

• A cost is something you have to give to get something you want.

• A price is what an item is actually sold for.

• A profit is when there is a positive difference between cost and price (price is greater than cost)

• Income is money coming in if its cash or credit.

• Expenditure is the amount of money going out (spending)

• Debt is how much money is owed to you or how much money you owe to someone else. (often seen as the negative)

• Credit is how much is available to you beyond what you have. (Often seen as a positive element)

Two types of costs for a company: 

a direct cost meaning costs that are directly attributable to its use.

A indirect cost is a cost towards a attribute that is harder to justify because of the way it is used e.g. heating a workplace because it applies to everyone that works there.  

Personal costs

Cost of running the business, costs that can’t be directed to a client like the heating, lighting, building repairs, management costs etc.

Costs of undertaking projects, costs that can be directed to clients like the production costs and the design costs. So companies have to charge a little more than what the project costs which is payment for the time the job takes so the bills back at the company can be paid and then a profit can be made.

Summary and What Did I Learn?

This lecture was about how a company can fit in with the UK's economy and how finance works within the country. This information prepares me to understand how a company works financially and how I get paid by the company is affected by taxes etc. Overall I learnt that what ever the government do to the economy if it is increasing the taxes or reducing how much money people and companies can borrow affects everything and everyone financially over a matter of time, and it happens as a chain reaction. E.g. taxes increase, people get paid less, People ask for a raise, the company have to let people go because they have increased other people's wages, more people become jobless, thus the benefits cost increases.  

Buyer Behaviour

Buyer Behaviour Process

Businesses have a structure that encourage people to have an interest in their products using the way people think when they are looking to buy.

1. Need Recognition - A commercial or something to grab the buyers attention.
2. Search - The buyer will now search websites and stores for the product 
3. Pre-Purchase Evaluation - They also look up reviews for the product.
4. Purchase - If the buyer likes what they see they will buy the product.
5. Consumption - This is the time when the buyer will use the item.
6. Post-Purchase Evaluation - The buyer will decide what they think of the item (good, ok, buy again, bad, vile).

The market make commercials to interest people and if that person is interested they will remember the product which affects their buyer behaviour process.

80:20 Rule or Pareto

20% of people want to make the choices and be in charge.

80% of people are happy with a steady income and living life at home.

How Do People Decide Which Product They Want?

• Memory - People go to their memories to remember previous commercials that stand out to them and then they review the good and the bad with the product.

• Aesthetics - People like to find a product that matches their personalities and says something about who they are.

• Emotion - People buy a product because it makes them happy and excited.

• Genetics - The gender of the person can decide which product they get, depending on what it is used for and what it looks like. 

• Logic - The intelligence of a person can determine which product they buy because of how technical it could be to use or it could be a product that is used in a specific profession.

• Range of Choice - Having a lot of choice in design and style of a product improves the range of people who will buy.

• Attitude to risk - Some people will get a product or not get a product depending on what other people will think of them.

• Nature of problem - If a product is really technical or is hard to use it will put the buyer off the purchase.

• Religion/Belief -People might not buy a product because it could against their beliefs depending on their religion.

• Legal Issues - Products can be available in some countries but illegal in others depending on the laws within a country.

• Views of loved ones - The views of friends and family can encourage a buyer to purchase a product or put them off.

• Financial  Issues - Some people can't buy a product because they simply don't have the money.

Business 

There has to be a 2 way flow between business and design within a company to effectively deliver the work. Design need to consider that the business side have market issues like who the product should be targeted at and will the product offend anyone. Research then goes underway looking to solve the market issues, macro environment issues and ethical/social issues. Designers can use the research to use targeted marketing to create a product that makes everyone happy.

Summary and What Did I learn?

This lecture was about understanding how people as consumers think when they want to buy a product and how a company can use this knowledge to make advertisements swing their way. I have learnt that companies actually have a lot more to think about than the standard I have a idea that needs to be on the shelves statement. When a company is coming up with a idea for a product the people working on it really think about every aspect on what could be when the product is released, they ask themselves a million questions: Who is it targeted at? Would it offend anyone? How would it stack up against this companies product? If I was a buyer for this product what would I think? All these questions are researched to find a answer to make the launch of the product do the best it can.

How Has Motion Capture Developed?

The Standard Motion Capture Suit

The standard motion capture suit that actors use in movies and games are made up of a black tight costume that are covered in balls that light up. How it works is the actors are surrounded by cameras and the actors will act out their scene in the suit and the cameras record just the balls of light which is why the suits are black. The recorded footage on the cameras will only have the floating lights and they will be in the shape of a person, then the footage is imported into animation software and applied to a 3D model of a character who will act out the exact same movement as the actor did.

Facial Expression and Lip Movement

As technology improved, new techniques appeared for people involved with motion capture. Before motion capture could only capture a broad overview movement of the persons body but now it can capture the facial expression and lip moment of the actors face. This feature speeds up the character development process because now animators can allow motion capture to move the characters face automatically without them having to input them in manually. It also increases the realism of characters because if the lip movement and facial expression comes from the actors during their scene then that is the accurate emotion for the character during the story.

Xsens MVN The Modern Day Motion Capture Suit

The company Xsens developed a new motion capture suit that is designed to be more universal and comfortable for people wearing the suits. The suit looks like a everyday jump suit that people would wear for exercise but just inside the zip is the battery that allows the suit to be wireless. Now instead of the glowing balls stuck on the suit they are plastic flat pads the cameras can pick up and the reason for this is so the actors can do more stunts without anything on the suit getting in the way. 

Motion Builder

Auto Desk is a company that make various 3D modelling and animation software and they developed a program called Motion Builder. Motion Builder is software that specifically supports motion capture, someone uploads captured motion and a 3D model and the program applies the movement straight to a virtual skeleton that now moves the same way the actor did when they acted out the scene.

Virtual Cinematography

Early in days of motion capture the process was the actors acted out the scene and the animators took the footage and applied it to a 3D model to see what the final outcome looks like, if anything is wrong like the movement itself it would have to be filmed all over again. Now because processors have improved in computers motion builder has the ability to see what the motion capture applied to a 3D model looks like in real time so the actors can adjust there and then until it is right.

  
Reference List

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/a-brief-history-of-motion- capture-in-the-movies-91372735717.html

https://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/motion-capture- explainer/

http://www.xsens.com/products/xsens-mvn/

http://listverse.com/2010/06/30/15-more-firsts-in-video- game-history/ 

When and How Did Motion Capture Start?

Snow White Rotoscoping

The first recorded version of motion capture was in the feature film Snow White in 1937. The version of motion capture that Disney used was called rotoscoping. Rotoscoping is when someone traces over real footage frame by frame and then uses the drawings in an animation, they capture the movement that happens in the video footage and then apply that movement to a character in a cartoon. The scene in Snow White where Snow White is dancing with the dwarfs was made using rotoscoping, the animators of Disney recorded a man and a women dance exactly how they visioned Snow white would dance with the dwarfs and then they traced over the video footage frame by frame replacing the people dancing with Snow White and the dwarf. 

Waldo

During the 1980s a couple of students in University designed and developed the first ever motion capture suit and named it Waldo. Waldo was then used in the Nintendo's Mario trade show to create an exciting experience for the fans of Nintendo, there was a giant screen with a projection on it and Waldo was linked up to the giant Mario that would appear on the screen and then an actor behind the scenes would  make Mario move and interact with the audience.

Rise of the Robots (1994)

In 1994 a game came out on the Sega Mega Drive called Rise of the Robots and it was the first game to attempt to create the movement of characters in motion capture. The game was a fighting game one player stood on the left and the other player on the right and they would fight until one of the players health completely depleted. Games at the time were made and animated using pixels because video games were animated frame by frame but because this game used motion capture it couldn't use pixels as captured motion can't be applied to pixels, so the game developers used sprites which is when the character is morphed from an object to an object and not created from scratch. The game received mixed feedback with good reviews about the how the game's movement looks really real and fluid however the bad reviews came from the games gameplay that most people found too simple which overall made the game boring to play.

  

Jar Jar Binks (Star Wars The Phantom Menace)

In 1999 the first prequel of the Star Wars saga was released and it was the first live action movie to create a character in CGI using motion capture. On the set of the Star Wars movie an actor was wearing a motion capture suit and at the same time wearing a costume of the character Jar Jar Binks, the motion capture suit was used to digitally capture the movement of the actors during his scenes while his character costume was to remind the actors which character he was playing. After the filming was done the motion caught from the Jar Jar Binks actor was applied to a computer generated Jar Jar Binks that would replace the actor on set in the movie.

Reference List

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/a-brief-history-of-motion- capture-in-the-movies-91372735717.html

https://www.engadget.com/2014/07/14/motion-capture- explainer/

http://www.xsens.com/products/xsens-mvn/

http://listverse.com/2010/06/30/15-more-firsts-in-video- 

game-history/