After Effects: Scared Voldy

Concept Art For Level Menu

Here are some designs that I made of the menu of the game. Each circle represents a level. Each level is a stage of cell division. Obviously, the player must complete one level to progress onto the next.

Let me know what you think.

Cancer Cell Research

Here is a .gif  image that I found that I thought would be a good way to represent a cancer cell as it has a sharp structure and looks somewhat evil.

Maya Tutorials: Tail

Maya Tutorials: Object Exchange

Maya Tutorials: Eyeballs

Research and Stuff: Super Meat Boy

Another game, more ideas about the design of levels

Research and Stuff: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Michel Gagne and his awesome silhouette art. The Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet video game isn't 8-bit but I liked the design of the levels. It has a strangely biological look to it and that has helped me with my ideas towards the designs of the environments for the levels.

Research and Stuff: Polytron's Fez

What I want the game to look like is more of an 8 bit, RGB platform game. One of the games that I am looking into is:

Fez: 

This is a game about an 8 bit 2D character who realises that his world is 3D. That is an aspect that I liked and want to bring that into this project.

The Last Project. Of Year One

So, Commission. This is the last unit that we will be working on for the first year.
What we are required to do is create a 2 minute 3D animation of the cell cycle/ageing/cancer or all of the three.

What I planned on doing was create a trailer for a platform video game that explains the cell cycle. Each of the phases of cell division would act as a level and the characters would be the cells and anti bodies present in the system of a human body. I thought that I might put the cancer cells as the bad guys (obviously).

Another aspect that I would like to include would be the use of telomerase as a points system to level up.

Here is some information that I found regarding telomerase and telomeres.

A telomere is a repeating DNA sequenceat the end of the body's chromosomes. The telomere can reach a length of 15,000 base pairs. Telomeres function by preventing chromosomes from losing base pair sequences at their ends. They also stop chromosomes from fusing to each other. However, each time a cell divides, some of the telomere is lost (usually 25-200 base pairs per division). When the telomere becomes too short, the chromosome reaches a "critical length" and can no longer replicate. This means that a cell becomes "old" and dies by a process called apoptosis. Telomere activity is controlled by two mechanisms: erosion and addition. Erosion, as mentioned, occurs each time a cell divides. Addition is determined by the activity of telomerase. (view animation)

Unit Five Final Presentation

Tilt- The Ecstatic Spinning Top

Chair Sequence

Aaand here is the chair sequence.

Walking Person/Limping Person

In this walk sequence, the character appears to have a limp. I like it, although he is not meant to be limping. I shall improve it. In the meantime, enjoy the limping dude!

Bowling Ball

And here is the bowling ball.

Bouncing Ball

This is the revised bouncing ball. It's less squishy! =)

Maya Tutorials: Rigging: Piston

Animator Profiles: Lotte Reiniger

Tapping into shadow puppetry, Lotte Reiniger's films demonstrate beautifully, the art of storytelling through shape and silhouette.
Reiniger's film Cinderella, is a take on the fairy tale. The film uses the silent film principles of narration by frames containing written dialogue and storylines.

Fig 1: Lotte Reiniger

 Reiniger was one of the first to create animated films. She was an animator during the facist rule in Germany. The use of papercraft was taken to a new level. As stated by MovieMail.com, "(Lotte Reiniger's films) are highly intricate, yet also opaque, inviting viewers to fill in details with their own imagination, thus creating a captivating aesthetic as commanding today as ever."Cummings, Doug. (2008). Movie Mail: The Quality Film Shop. Lotte Reiniger: The Fairy Tale Films.

Reiniger originally studied acting with director Max Reinhardt. She then collaborated with an experimental animation studio at the age of 20 where she brought to life, her silhouette art that was popular in Indonesia and China.

Fig 2: A Still From Cinderella (1922)

  In 1954, Reiniger created Alladin and The Magic Lamp. Many of her short films were made for the stories from the Arabian Nights. This particular one was made for Primrose Productions which was a company founded by Reiniger's husband.

These fairytales are not the standard Walt Disney stories. Reiniger adopted most of her stories from The Grimm Fairytales. As a result, they have a certain darkness to them and are, in some cases, a bit disturbing and gory.

Fig 3: A Still From Aladin And The Magic Lamp (1954)

  In Alladin and the Magic Lamp (1954), The soothing watercolour backdrops beautifully complements the dark, opaque structures of the characters. It is a wonderful visual experience as well as an entertaining story that is short lived and therefore, enjoyable. As reviewer Sarah Cronin states, "(The silhouettes are) used to a great effect in creating a sense of drama"Cronin, Sarah. (2008). Electric Sheep: A Deviant View of Cinema. Lotte Reiniger's Fairy Tale Films.


This style of animation is unrivaled by anyone else. In the opening scene of Cinderella (1922), the character, Cinderella is created using a pair of scissors out of raw material. This is a great catalyst to the imagination of the audience and shows beautifully, how a character is brought to life via the art of animation. As reviewer Dan North states, "Animated figures provide archetypal rather than definitive renderings of fairytale characters, and particularly in Reiniger’s monochromatic stories, the images allow space for the viewer’s imagination to fill in the gaps"North, Dan. (2009). Spectacular Attractions: Film in All Its Forms.Lotte Reiniger's Cinderella (1922).


Bibliography:

North, Dan. (2009). Spectacular Attractions: Film in All Its Forms.Lotte Reiniger's Cinderella (1922). At: http://drnorth.wordpress.com/2009/10/20/lotte-reinigers-cinderella-1922/

Cronin, Sarah. (2008). Electric Sheep: A Deviant View of Cinema. Lotte Reiniger's Fairy Tale Films. At: http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/reviews/2008/12/02/lotte-reinigers-fairy-tale-films/

Cummings, Doug. (2008). Movie Mail: The Quality Film Shop. Lotte Reiniger: The Fairy Tale Films. At: http://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/film/dvd/Lotte-Reiniger-The-Fairy-Tale-Films/

Illustration List:

Fig 1: Reiniger, Lotte. (c Unknown). At: http://lolitasclassics.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/lotte-reiniger-1899-1981.html

Fig 2: Reiniger, Lotte. (1922). Cinderella. At: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danrn/4015363042/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Fig 3: Reiniger, Lotte. (1954). Aladin And The Magic Lamp. At: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30214152@N06/5408461542/sizes/z/in/photostream/