What If? Metropolis - Thumbnails 1-49

I'm sorry these took so long to get up, and it's not all of them, I have some more somewhere that I couldn't find yet.

I know some of the sketches are hard to see but that's because I sketched them very lightly.

Repulsion - Film review

Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965) is a black and white psychological horror film following Carol Ledoux (Catherine Deneuve) as she suffers through a mental breakdown.

Fig.1

The soundtrack of Repulsion really adds to the scenes, which in some cases meant there was no soundtrack other than the sounds of a ticking clock, which draws you in further due to there not being any out of place music distracting from the scene. "the overriding acoustic effect is one of invasiveness, of unwelcome sounds overheard" (Horrigan 2009)
There are also scenes where the sound is merely the ambient sounds of the scene, but then evolves into music masking all other sounds while the camera focuses on Carol's glassy eyed stare as she sinks further into her own nightmare. "a soundtrack carefully composed of distracting, repetitive noises" (Silver 2014)

Fig.2

"Polanski transforms Carol’s apartment into a shadowy world of nightmarish fantasy." (Fraley 2013)
The set itself also shows Carol's deteriorating state, with large cracks in the walls that come and go and can't be seen by others, which is an interesting point as at the start of the film Carol mentions a crack in the wall that hasn't been fixed yet to her sister (Yvonne Furneaux), who doesn't seem to know what she's on about even though you would think that if there was a crack in the wall in the first place, she would have noticed it, and thus is one of the first indicators that something is wrong, rather than just being able to cast off her blank look at the start of the film as ditzy-ness, or daydreaming about a man as others in the scene implied.
As well as cracks, the walls also manifest arms that stick out and attempt to grab and grope Carol as she goes past. The arms all appear to be male arms, which add into the idea that Carol only sees men as dangerous predators, and with the few interactions she has with men, can you really blame her? The first man we see speak to her does so in a crude, sexualising way, the man who appears to be her lover forces a kiss on her when she clearly doesn't wish for it and then later breaks down her front door, which is a rather threatening act when the only motivation behind it is wanting to be with her, and then the landlord attempting to force himself on her, the only man she interacts with that isn't seen to be after her in a sexual way is her sister's boyfriend, but he still has his moments of no regard for Carol's personal space or belongings.
The sudden appearance of the cracks and the hands keep a constant reminder of the horror element. "the sudden, giant cracks she imagines on switching on a light – they always creep me out with a thoroughness that run-of-the-mill horror movies never achieve." (Bradshaw 2013)

Fig.3

Bibliography:
Images:
Figure 1, Poster (1965) [poster] At: http://discreetcharmsandobscureobjects.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/repulsion-dir-roman-polanski-1965.html (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Figure 2, Film still (1965) [film still] At: http://www.themoviedistrict.com/repulsion-1965/2/ (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Figure 3, Film still (1965) [film still] At: https://dcairns.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/ (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Quotes:
Bradshaw, P. (2013) Repulsion - review At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/03/repulsion-review (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Fraley, J. (2013) Repulsion (1965) At: http://thefilmspectrum.com/?p=18863 (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Horrigan, B. (2009) Repulsion: Eye of the Storm At: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1207-repulsion-eye-of-the-storm (Accessed on 21 November 2017)
Silver, C. (2014) Roman Polanski's Repulsion At: https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2014/02/11/roman-polanskis-repulsion/ (Accessed on 21 November 2017)

Life drawing - Lesson seven

This lesson was to practice using colours and putting a bit of depth into the images by adding background details, I used watercolours for this one.

 The first drawing was about 30 minutes, I know the arms are badly proportioned and the cloth on the floor looks more 2D than it should, but other than that I'm kinda happy with how it came out.

 The next set of ten drawings ranged from 1 minute to 3 minutes long, the point of interest in them was meant to be the stool, as the model is using it in each drawing. I'm pleased with how most of these turned out.

Our last drawing was 25 minutes. I'm not pleased with the proportions in this one, but I do kinda like how the colours came out. It was more practicing of shadows and colour depth.

Maya - Lesson nine

This lesson was about putting textures into our scene.

Life drawing - Lesson six

This lesson I used markers to try and get some colour depth.

I'm happier with the face on my first drawing.

 The second drawing set was eight quick drawings ranging from 1 minute to 4 minutes and there's a couple in there that I'm proud of.

 Our next set of drawings was with constant movement from the model, which I enjoyed even though others didn't. The movement meant it was difficult to be able to draw a singular pose, so I just drew whatever I could do quickly, which was mostly just a few lines for the form.

The last drawing was 15 minutes, and I tried to use it to practice some shadows.

Black Narcissus - Film review

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's Black Narcissus (1947) is a melodrama surrounding a group of nuns attempting to start a convent on the Himalayas.

Fig.1

Black Narcissus, whilst set in India, was filmed near entirely in a London studio.
The backgrounds of the mountains and trees were all matte paintings, and the aerial shots of the palace are shots of miniatures.
The landscapes are not of any specific area, although they may be reminiscent of  certain locations. "Gentle, green hillsides [...] suddenly turn into vertiginous canyons when viewed from another angle." (Kehr 2001)

Fig.2

Colour plays an important role in the film with reds used to signify passion, a stark contrast to the nun's clothing, which is white to signify purity.
The red colouring is used in some cases, glaringly obvious, and in others, subtle.
As the film progresses Sister Ruth (Kathleen Byron) is shown to have red rimmed eyes, which get more prominent the more she succumbs to her desires, and this adds to a scene nearing the end where she faints and you're unsure as to her mental state until she opens her eyes, and shows the red and lets you know that her next plans are rather sinister. "Used as a thematic device, colour became a way of externalising the nuns’ secret thoughts, their repressed emotions and desires." (Lukas 2009)
Nearing the end of the film, Sister Ruth is show to brush herself off of the convent by donning a red dress, and further cements it by applying red lipstick in a seductive manner.

Fig.3

The soundtrack of the film helps in displaying the emotions of the scene, and it would sometimes take the place of speech in a scene for an even bigger impact. "Brian Easdale's score makes obvious emotional points, never rising above the mundane." (Gillett 2008:77)




Bibliography:
Images:
Figure 1, Poster (1947) [poster] At: https://www.flicks.co.nz/movie/black-narcissus/poster/ (Accessed on 14 November 2017)
Figure 2, Film still (1947) [film still] At: https://fanwithamovieyammer.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/154-tie-black-narcissus-1947-dir-michael-powell-emeric-pressburger/ (Accessed on 14 November 2017)
Figure 3, Film still (1947) [film still] At: http://glamourdaze.com/2012/09/1940s-makeup-the-famous-lipstick-scene-in-black-narcissus.html (Accessed on 16 November 2017)
Quotes:
Gillett, P. (2008) Movie Greats: A Critical Study of Classic Cinema [online] At: http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=228604 (Accessed on 16 November 2017)
Kehr, D. (2001) At: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/94-black-narcissus (Accessed on 16 November 2017)
Lukas, K. (2009) At: http://sensesofcinema.com/2009/cteq/black-narcissus/ (Accessed on 14 November 2017)

City idea

My idea for a city based on Gustav Klimt's work is a feminine, decadent city based around the Vienna area and with some Japanese influences? (As Klimt is influenced by Japanese art)
Mosaic like brickwork?
It looks inviting but has a dark underbelly, because the way Klimt paints women makes them have an almost supernatural quality to them, especially with their beauty.
I was thinking of having a scene in which you can see the big beautiful side with gold and with the swirling patterns from his work, but then having something like a side street that shows the darker side and trying to use different lighting to show this.

Edward Scissorhands - Film review

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (1990) is a dark fantasy film about love and how society treats those who are different to the mass.

Fig.1

The story revolves around a young man called Edward (Johnny Depp) who was created by an inventor (Vincent Price) but left unfinished when the inventor died, leaving him with scissors for hands and alone in a large mansion.
He is found by a kind woman, Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest), who insists that he come live with her and her family in a normal suburban neighborhood.

Fig.2

The neighbors are strangely fine with Edward and his scissor hands, they accept him readily and become even more infatuated with him as his natural talents show. "One problem is that the other people are as weird, in their ways, as he is: Everyone in this film is stylized and peculiar" (Ebert, 1990)
But the moment Edward is arrested they all turn their backs on him, leading to the ending being a mob baying for his blood.

Fig.3

Edward Scissorhands is based around Burton's own feelings of isolation growing up, but it also seems to show the social stigma around people with learning disabilities. "Burton's modern fairytale has an almost palpably personal feel: it is told gently, subtly and with infinite sympathy for an outsider who charms the locals but then inadvertently arouses their baser instincts." (Lee, 2014)

Edward is naive and easily led astray with the right words, and also is shown to have difficulty in understanding figurative speech, which means his actions are less calculated than others will be, and he takes the fall for something that he didn't fully realize the consequences of, but the only person who appears to take any of this into consideration is the police officer who arrested him and shows concern for Edward's mental health and in the end attempts to placate the neighbors hatred with the implication that he had killed Edward, even though he had allowed Edward to run away back to his mansion.

Fig.4

The surroundings of the film are beautiful, with the Gothic castle overshadowing the 1980's suburb, and the clothing and hairstyles too, but the film's writing falls into a bit of an out of character seeming cliche for an ending. ""Edward Scissorhands" also reveals Burton's willingness to occasionally dip into his barrel of cliche's in order to finish a story. " (Propes)



Bibliography:
Images:
Figure 1, Poster (1990) [poster] At: http://cafmp.com/17741/edward-scissorhands-2/
Figure 2, Film still (1990) [film still] At: http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/8102/ten-things-you-might-not-know-about-edward-scissorhands
Figure 3, Film still (1990) [film still] At: http://scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/style-idol-ladies-of-edward.html
Figure 4, Film still (1990) [film still] At: http://www.dkf.pwr.wroc.pl/terminy-projekcji-1/rok-2014/
Quotes:
Ebert, R. (1990) At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/edward-scissorhands-1990 (Accessed on 7 November 2017)
Lee, M. (2014) At: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/11298442/Edward-Scissorhands-review-a-true-fairytale.html (Accessed on 7 November 2017)
Propes, R. (s.d) At: http://theindependentcritic.com/edward_scissorhands (Accessed on 7 November 2017)

La Belle et la Bête - Film review

Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (1946) is a French fantasy story about love, surrounding the beautiful Belle (Josette Day) and a beast (Jean Marais).
It is based on a story written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont which has been recreated by others, most notably by Disney.

Fig.1

The story starts with Belle's father gaining a fortune and promising to buy gifts for his daughters, only for him to lose the fortune immediately, causing him to have to navigate through a forest alone at night which leads him to stumble, lost, into the Beast's castle.
The next morning he picks a rose for Belle, which enrages the Beast who asks for compensation in the form of one of the daughters living with him, of which Belle decides is her job.

Fig.2

The Beast tells Belle that he will ask her to marry him every day, who refuses, but as the time goes Belle finds herself liking the Beast more, as he turns out to be kind despite his monstrous appearance.

Fig.3

The films use of special effects along with costume help the fantasy of the story, whilst still not completely drowning it in unrealistic imagery, making it seem believable. "Henri Alekan’s subtle black and white cinematography combines with Christian Berard’s masterly costumes and set designs to create a magical piece of cinema" (BFI)

Whilst the film isn't inherently a children's film, it does have a dream-like and childish feeling at points. "a film that dared to be naive, asking its audience to revert to childhood, the better to accept its practical magic." (Malcolm, 1999)

Cocteau considered himself as a poet rather than a film maker, and made his films in a way that reflects that. "Cocteau wanted to make a poem, wanted to appeal through images rather than words, and although the story takes the form of the familiar fable, its surface seems to be masking deeper and more disturbing currents" (Ebert, 1999)


Bibliography:
Images:
Figure 1, Poster (1946) [poster] At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:La_Belle_et_la_B%C3%AAte_film.jpg
Figure 2, Film still (1946) [film still] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89SQgutc7aA
Figure 3, Film still (1946) [film still] At: https://wecanthearthemime.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/la-belle-et-la-bete-1946/
Quotes:
BFI (s.d) At: http://www.bfi.org.uk/education-research/education/gothic-classroom/la-belle-et-la-b-te-1946 (Accessed on 7 November 2017)
Ebert, R (1999) At: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946 (Accessed on 7 November 2017)
Malcolm, D (1999) At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1 (Accessed on 7 November 2017)

What if? Metropolis - Gustav Klimt research

Some simple preliminary research into Klimt.

Maya - Lesson eight

This lesson we were adding texture to our alleyway scene.

Photoshop & digital painting - Lesson four

 This lesson we were given two slips of paper, one with an animal written on it and one with a piece of furniture written on it and our task was to combine the two. Mine were koala and wardrobe.
There's an image missing here where I drew a few koalas and wardrobes and then just tried to shove them together in a rather bad fashion, but then I got to this.

We were supposed to have turnarounds of our finished piece done, but due to bad circumstances I haven't been able to do anything like that, although I might when I have bits of free time because I do actually like my concept here.

Life drawing - Lesson five

This lesson I used ink and water again, and tried to experiment with line thickness and block shadows.

Our first set was seven minutes each.

The second drawing was 30 minutes. there are areas where I think the lines went well, and then areas where they went a bit too thick.

Our last one was another 30 minutes and we were told to focus on something we have trouble with, so I chose to try and do a close up of the face, and I like to think I did pretty well for someone who tries their hardest to not draw realistic faces.

It's not the best in the world, but I'm pretty certain that's the best nose I've ever drawn. 

Maybe next time I'll focus on hands and feet.

Maya - Lesson seven

This lesson we assigned different textures to balls.

Before rendering

Render