Developing my concepts and art

Now that I had a solid ground as to how I was going to go about the project, I decided to start developing my concept and molding it. I was very intrigued by the idea of the wooden puppets especially pinocchio style characters. I wanted the look to be old and used.I started focusing on the arm and the working of a puppet arm as well. Found helpful and reliable information about the marionette puppets and arm. I wanted to use bits and pieces of the inspirations I found and put together a unique model of my own!  I started working on my own concepts and started putting pieces together with the different motivations and ideas I had in mind. I made up my mind that I wanted to go for the old wooden look with a discarded feel to it. I started with a simpler look and concept and also used the wooden maniken to aid me with the concept.

Research in depth

I decided that if I needed to get a clear idea of what I wanted to employ for the project I needed to research in depth about my idea and concept. I went through many different robot models and source images and finally realised that I was intrigued by the idea of wooden toys and dolls. I had an image in my mind about my childhood playing with wooden dolls and their originality. I wanted to head in this direction but needed the idea to be more solid in form and decided that I would use wooden puppet arms. Again I gathered inspiration from the internet but also wooden stick models I had at home. Here is the link to one of my source images I was inspired by. http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_174/1186942719l4h3oL.jpg

I also realised that I needed to get into the mechanics and fundamental workings of the arm and how it would possibly move and function. I had a look at a couple of videos on YouTube in which puppet shows clearly showcase Short, Jerky and very rigid movements of arms. I was also inspired and based my model on these images I found .  I also found a great video which showcased the movements of a wooden arm extremely well which would help me immensely with the project.

Robot Arm concepts

I had a couple of ideas in mind for the robot arm project and I first and foremost wanted to seek some inspiration for the project. I browsed through 3D robot models on the internet and I found many of them to be innovative and unique. They each had a personality of their own beacuse they were characters and I wanted personality to influence my work. This was the link where I found the robotic models and these were a few that inspired me. http://www.designzzz.com/realistic-3d-robots-illustrations/

Film form

For generations film have been used to engage the audience in its own way and create a unique take on issues, emotions, people and many other topics. Films have always followed a pattern or style through which it depicts a point of view or subject matter. This is where film form become important as it creates a structure or foundation that is carried throughout a film. It essentially organises and loops the “plot” of the film from various scenes and produces a signature style throughout the film. For example the films “The kite runner” and “Love actually” have distinctive film forms to convey the message of the film.

For example in the film “The kite runner”, the film was based on the metaphorical life of an Afghani boy living 20 or so years back which already creates a particular style and direction that the film shoud be heading in. It has a personal, journal like form and can be seen a biography or flashback of someone’s life. The film allows the audience to grow with the boy through his sufferings and fear and experience the tranistions that he goes through in his life. It tries to convey the messages of patriotism, cross-culturalism and the issues of a country that once was peaceful. There is a strong cultural link in the movie seen through the joy of kite-flying and the pesonal stories hidden beneath it. It showcases an organic, culturally rich and passionate style which is centred around the art of kite-flying.

The film “Love Actually” has a distinctive message and portrayal of the word ‘love’. It is based on the intertwined stories of many different characters whose experiences all lead to the foundation of the film that “love actually is all around”. The style is similar to theatre where various characters are used for one defining meaning. It follows a journey that showcases different aspects and stories of people who lead back to the common theme of the film. The film form is very stylised as it has a realistic aspect and a contemporary take on romance. The film uses the various characters very well to potray the unity and variety of the message trying to be conveyed.

The imapct of sound in film

Souund plays a massive impact in films as it amplifies and creates a certain emotional atmosphere for the viewers. It drives the effectiveness of a scene and propells the basic nature of a film. A very good example would be the film “Apoaclypse now” where sound was used extremely well to resonate the setting and surroundings in the movie. Sounds can be used as excellent communication tools without the need of dialogue as it can deliver the message emotionally. It adds depth and meaning to a film.

In the film Apocalypse now, sound had set the mood and overall emotion to the film in the starting sequence. The mook synthesiser was used to resonate the sounds of helicopters echoing the sounds of war and destruction. This was an extremely effective technique as it connects an idea or situation with a particular sound effect. A very unsettling and uncertain atmosphere was set through the song played in the starting sequence as well. The audience were taken to a place illustrated by the power of sound and compelled them to think about the horrors of the Vietnam war. The synthesiser faded in and transitioned into the next scene where the protagonist was reminiscing about war and his life. It allowed the viewer to be consumed and hypnotized by the sound. This created a great effect as it positioned the audience in the character’s situation and empathised with him.

Sound had also played a major part in the rest of the film especially in intimate moments with the character involved for example when he is alone and scarring memories of war were running through his mind, sound aided and emphasised the suffering he was going through. There was also soft, calm jazz music that occassionaly played when the character was narrating or when no particular action was involved. This technique was probably used to suggest a passive mode in the film with a certain amount of ambiuity associated with it. Sound was also used well in the scene of the air bombing sequence with the classical anthem playing in the background, creating a sense of building pressure and adrenalin. It was also used as mockery, used to show a point of view about the Americans and their way of fighting with an arrogant attitude. The film showcased great techniques and use of sound as a powerful tool in film-making as it affects emotion.

Wittness, Film Analysis

This movie focuses on society as a whole in my opinion as it outlines the differences between various cultural and ethnic groups in a global community. It was a slow movie but each scene built up the movie and the end product was sophisticated and clean. The witness pulled apart the human psychology, desires and the aspect of belonging. It used basic foundations such as these to portray the different groups underlaying in society.

The aspect of belonging and cultural connection was seen in the first scene where a group of Armish people walked in a united manner, looking forward. This was a powerful yet simple way of displaying the idea of a close-knitted culture and family. There was definately the idea of conflict and change which were seen when the main character Harrison Ford was introduced in the story. This is where different groups and cultures clashed as each one did not quite know how to interact or even connect with one another. There were quick and abrupt shots used to emphasise the uncertainty and uneasiness.

The movie really wanted to portray basic human psychology and desires such as love, fear and hostility. It focused on the tensions of each groups of society eg: the chaotic and corrupt nature of American society and the difficulties of Armish people especially the younger generations who were caught between their values and contemporary lifestyle. There was a bridge that connected the two groups which was struggle and survival.

The aspect of change was established int he first scene when a storm was brewing in the background. The diffrenences of the city and country reflected the lives and cultures of the two groups. The gloomy weather and dull colours of the country side potrayed uniformity and ridgidity in contrast to the mayhem and reckless outlook of the city.