At the moment i'm just doing some observatins and drawings of more complex candlestick designs. For me, they are slightly to realistic and complicated and would take away that appeal that my basic candlestick has. Although i'm still looking at ways to show different characetistics and emotions plus if there are particular detailsi like in some of the images, i may add them to my original design which seems to be the most convenient at this time.
Interim Online Review 23/03/10
ReplyDeleteHi Ethan,
While I like the idea that the 'wounded' here is more emotional than physical, and the advent of electricity is a very nice idea, I don't think the actual content of your story is very successful; remember, the prime challenge of this unit is to get an object to think and perform in a particular way via the principles of animation; therefore, the 'wounded' characteristic is 'centre stage' and to be capitalised on; I'm not certain that it's 'big' enough in your story idea - or pure enough.
I have some alternative approaches you might want to consider;
see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3kPxWUbU50
This is the famous 'dying swan' - it's been spoofed many times because, essentially, the swan takes an age to die.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRp5nE0Hlsc
But imagine - a candle is on its final few centimetres of wax - it's burning down - it's dying - the spotlight is getting darker and darker as the light fades... Think about your 1 minute was the 'dying of the light' - the deathscene of a candle, as the wounded candlestick staggers about the place and the light grows dim; you could even use the music as a cue...
The essence of my feedback is this 'less is more' - I think you could have a blank set, lots of black, light source coming from the flame and the last moments... yes, it's the candle that's dying really, but I grant you some artistic license...
Meanwhile, for your essay, see following post re. the proper relationship between your introduction and the main body of your assignment...
Use your introduction* to state clearly the investigative intention of your written assignment and the means by which you are going to support your discussion; for instance:
ReplyDelete‘This essay will investigate the animated films of The Brothers Quay in relation to Freud’s theory of the Uncanny - with particular focus on Street of Crocodiles (1986) and The Comb (1990)…
Or
‘The stop-motion animator, Ray Harryhausen is arguably the father of modern day cinematic fantasy. What follows is an investigation of his life and work in relation to the development of special effects…’
Stylistically, it is often clarifying to begin with a key-note quote or bench mark statement that sets the scene for the discussion… for instance:
‘… the Brothers Quay's works are independent of any definable genre; indeed, the imitation of their unique style which can be observed in films of other animators are a complimentary gesture to the auteur style they have developed. Throughout their opus, a continuity can be observed - Quays' devotion to the marginal, the nobody and the unnoticed, elevated into the sublime…’ (Buchan: 1996)
In her essay, Shifting Realities – The Brothers Quay – Between Live Action and Animation, Suzanne Buchan observes that other animators have imitated the unique style of the Brothers Quay. This investigation seeks to trace that influence by comparing their short 1986 film, Street of Crocodiles with Henry Selick’s Coraline (2009)…
* If you can’t provide a succinct introduction for your discussion, chances are you’re not quite ready to write the essay. You need to make your argument clear – without one, you are submitting a ‘blancmange’.
When referring to a film for the first time, always give proper title (with capital letters!), release date and director; after that, you can use title only. Please check spelling of film title – if it’s a made-up word, the spell check won’t know the difference!
When referring to a person for the first time, use full name – after that, use surname only.
You must use Harvard Method for quotations!
Use footnotes for ‘additional’ information that is important or contextualizing but ‘outside’ of the main body of the essay.
Please double-space your written assignments!
You must provide a paper-copy at time of crit!