. . .♥ gratia ♥. . .

Line Test: Headturn

2008-10-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

Line Test: Running Animal

2008-10-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

Running cycle of a puppy.. :))

Line Test: Walk Cycle

2008-10-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

Line Test: Shocked

2008-10-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

animation exercise: facial expression(shocked)

Sad to Happy ( Facial Expression)

2008-09-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Line testing (bouncing ball)

2008-09-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Line test activity for animation

Boundin'

2008-09-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

Boundin' is a 2003 Oscar-Nominated short film from Pixar.

A sheep dances proudly in his southwestern landscape, until one day his wool is sheared and he is left naked. He's depressed and shy, until a cheerful jackalope comes along and shows him how to leap proudly and not to be ashamed. The moral of the story is what counts more is what's on the inside or your inner personality. :)

The animation and music are fine and the characters are cute. It is a good story but not as good as other Pixar's short stories. The story also has a good moral. :))

Stick Fight

2008-09-01T04:09:00.000-07:00

This is indeed cool. I like the bloody effects and its being horrible. :)) A stick figure tries to take the world and fights everyone he meets. The fight scenes are really cool and the blue man is awesome.

The sound was quite repetitive and there were some flaws in the video.
The animation was just simple but it is freaking good in spite of its few flaws.

The Piano

2008-09-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

This animation is about an old man who shares his life story through songs.

This may not be so interesting to some but the story behind it is so beautiful. It is inspiring. It may not have words but the feelings and emotions were clearly expressed. The music is nice and the animation was done smoothly.

A True Gentleman

2008-09-01T03:07:00.000-07:00

An old woman met an old man while crossing the street. In the middle of the street, they had a conversation perhaps getting to know each other. They talked without thinking that they are in the middle of the street. Few moments, a vehicle passed by and bumped the old woman. What a tragedy! The old man just didn't care. :(

The storyline was good but quite predictable that one of them will be bumped by a vehicle but how it happen was not predictable at all. The characters look so funny.

This animation is awesome. :))

"Sometimes, being polite isn't the best way to act"

The Fountain

2008-08-28T02:03:00.000-07:00

This animation is about a bird and the little boy who became instant friends. They met in a park and the two of them wanted to take some drink from the water fountain. The bird came first and just stared at the old man who drinks from the fountain wishing that he can also take a little drink but the old man ignored the bird. Few moments later, a little boy is coming and would also like to drink water from the fountain. The boy cannot reached it and so tried different ways in order to reach the fountain but sad to say, he was unsuccessful. Finally, the bird helped him and in return, he also helped the bird. Both of them were able to drink water from the fountain.

The moral of the story is perhaps, trying to help out others. When we do something good to others, something good will also come to us. :))

The storyline was good and was brilliantly told. The characters and their facial expressions were great. The animation was awesome. It was done smoothly. I love the bird-it was cute. The background was also fantastic but the music was not that so good.

The Amazing Skateboarder

2008-08-28T01:22:00.000-07:00

This animation is about a skater who tries to run away from the police for the crime he did not commit. He was just skating one night and along the street, he almost bumped a cat. He was able to avoid the cat and on the other hand, the cat jumped on a car and this made the car alarm on. The skater got distracted with a alarm and fell down because of that thing. He grabs the thing and this was the beginning of his wild adventure. It would show that even simple things can possibly ruin our lives or could possibly bring adventures. The police was trying to catch the skater just because of that thing and its quite silly. :))

The story concept was just simple yet good. I like the skate moves- that was awesome. The animation was quite good. Edges on the car and the main character were visible. The sound effect is also good. It helped enhance the story.

Love at First Roach

2008-08-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

This video is about the adventure in a dirty old kitchen of a suave cockroach and a goofy rat. The story is kinda' weird-- a cockroach and a rat nevertheless, it is nice. :)) The adventures of the cockroach in the kitchen were great.

The animation is good, the setting is nice and the characters are quite fine--the rat doesn't look like a rat and the cockroach doesn't really look like one. :)) The rat has big ears similar to that of a rabbit. Nevertheless, the animation is smooth and as a whole, "Love at First Roach" is really good. :))

Happy Tree Friends - Eyes Cold Lemonade

2008-08-08T04:43:00.000-07:00

I really like Happy Tree Friends that is why I've chosen one of its episode and included it in. :)

The Happy Tree Friends are cute, cuddly animals whose daily adventures always end up going horribly wrong. No matter how innocently their day begins, it always ends in mayhem. Traveling through picturesque settings and speaking in a kooky language all their own, the Happy Tree Friends never know what chaos lingers just around the bend.

The story is really cool. It is funny yet bloody. Animation is smooth throughout, the characters are cute and the sound effects really enhanced its creepiness. :))

Devil vs. Angel

2008-08-08T04:05:00.000-07:00

This animation is about a devil who tried to outsmart the angel through the use of a vending machine. Apparently, the devil failed. The story is fine yet predictable. The angel's act was quite odd. I guess that was the twist of the story. :)) The angel should not have laughed at the devil because by nature, angels are really good. She should have helped the devil from that vending machine.

On the other hand, the story tells its viewers that evil stuffs could never outwit the good ones and it also tells us that even the good ones can also hurt others in defense of themselves. :)) Anyways, the animation is smooth and the two characters were well done. The sound effects helped enhance the video.

" And I love " by Wayne Brennan

2008-08-08T03:38:00.000-07:00

This music video is about this young couple's sweet love. The guy is somehow reminiscing their sweet moments together. It also shows that the guy loves the girl so much because there's this moment when he was just alone and he would see the girl's face at the sky and also at the end of the video we can see several pictures of the girl. What a romantic story. :)

The story is so nice and romantic. I like the scenes in it especially the part where the guy is walking along the shore and the river scene. How cute. :) The animation was smooth, camera shots are good and the characters were well done. I also like the song.

The story is simple yet romantic and it really matched the song. What a lovely music video. :))

Sweet Robbery

2008-08-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

There have been a robbery at Grannie's house one night but it failed. The robber pretended to be Grannie's grandson but infortunately, Grannie recognized that it was not her grandson. The robber was later on caught by the police.

The story itself is nice. I find it cute actually. The animation from its background to the characters is good except that the house is a bit similar to that one of the cartoon series at Cartoon Network. :)) The characters are similar to that of SIMS and the dancing of the robber is a bit stiff but personally, I find I cute:)) Its sound effects is also good.

I guess the moral of this is that we should not underestimate old-aged people. Though they are old still they can recognized relatives an stuffs. Its not all the time that we can fool them. Be careful (There are moments that they can make us dance :) )

Disgrasya (Jack and Jill Adaptation )

2008-02-12T03:25:00.000-08:00

This video is about a careless student who throws a banana peeling at the wrong place. Someone stepped on it and as a result, this guy fell from the stairs. This video was done by me and the rest of the group 4. Niño served as the cameraman, Edmund was our director and Errl, Christoferd and Ryann J. the banana man, were the actors. Me and Jojie worked during the pre-production. We worked on the story concept and the storyboard with Niño. During the shooting of this film, the two of us just assisted the director, cameraman and the actors. And oh, Vanli Oliveros was also part of the pre-production stage. ☺
With this activity, I have learned basic editing using Adobe Premiere. It was kinda hard and it really takes time but I had a great time. It was also through this activity that I have come to realized that making a film is not as easy as what I have thought. We need patience and there must be unity within the group. ☺

Trip to Quiapo by Ricky Lee (A Review)

2008-02-03T03:48:00.000-08:00

Trip to Quiapo is a scriptwriting manual by renowned scriptwriter Ricky Lee. In this manual, he shares his knowledge, learnings and experiences regarding scriptwriting. It shows a step-by-step process in scriptwriting, from concepts to final draft. Moreover, Lee also shares his ideas about a scriptwriter's life and life itself.

Scriptwriting can be compared as to how we can reach a certain place (e.g. Quiapo); one may choose the usual way which describes a typical writer who follows all the rules in filmmaking and whose works can be predictable and uninteresting; the second one chooses to explore other ways to reach Quiapo, goes first to another place and later on, discovers a new way to reach Quiapo. The second one describes an innovative scriptwriter who chooses to explore the rules and formulas in film and creates unique and creative stories. The last one did not reach Quiapo nevertheless, discovered a place like Quiapo; this kind of a scriptwriter has the courage to break the rules; they are those who can lead the way; they are geniuses and they are those who set standards.

Experience is always the best teacher and so as a scriptwriter, we need to discover new ways in order to produce good stories. Learning the rules, formulas and norms in filmmaking is easy but if we are just to follow all these stuffs, there will be no originality at all. There are no standards as to what a good or a bad film is. Everything changes. As a scriptwriter, we need to find new ways, discover new things and explore more. Let our imaginations rule and allow that "little person" inside us to work tremendously. Look beyond what our eyes can see, think out of the box, allow our emotions and creative ideas rule. Know the rules so you may know how to break it.

Lee also described how scriptwriters and scripts work. The script will be read by the staffs ,it may receive a lot of criticisms and may undergo several changes, the scriptwriter will work together with the director, cinematographer, the editor and other crews. There will be arguments even fights but as scriptwriters, we have to collaborate and work in unity with the production team.

Lee's manual will not teach us how to a write a story instead, Life will be our teacher. According to the author, writing is an act of faith. We have to take risks. We may fail several times but then try, work, and most of all, allow that "little person" to work in us 'til we are able to write a good story. Take courage, be confident, and have passion in everything you do til you are able to discover a new Quiapo.
Trip to Quiapo is a not a typical manual. The mode of writing was informal. The author seemed to do story-telling. He expressed his views, learnings and knowledge through story-telling, setting examples and sharing his personal experiences and personal testimonies from people in the film industry which helped the manual achieve its objectives.

The book is intended for those who would like to learn about scriptwriting. The author's objectives is to share his ideas in scriptwriting and motivate readers. In order to give readers a clear view of what scriptwriting is, the author shared basic concepts, relate it to movies and shared views from people in the film industry. These ways made the book unique because it was not just all ideas but also a mix of experiences.

Aside from discussing about scriptwriting, it was also successful in imparting ideas about life. It gave a clear vision of what life is and shared stuffs on how to bear with unbearable things. There was a part in his book wherein he put a connection between a scriptwriter's work and the usual encounters we have in life. There were dillemas both in scriptwriter's work and life itself. He would always say "take risks" which I would say its absolutely true. Sometimes, we should also get out of our comfort zones to realize that life has more to offer.

But the book befall in some of its film examples. Some of its target reader may be young aspiring scriptwriters who could hardly relate on it. In some cases, its examples were unfamiliar because the movies were way way back. Nevertheless, the book was a motivation for aspiring scriptwriters. It helped in waking those "little people" within us and had helped in shrinking doubts.

Basic Directing Workshop

2008-01-31T03:43:00.000-08:00

The AICG held a workshop on basic directing with Direk Mangansakan II as resource speaker. I have learned much about film, directing, script, storyboard and different camera shots. I also had fun although there were moments that I was just talking with my seatmates and worse, I am just day dreaming. :D
Film is actually any motion picture which has story, directory, cinematography, sound and music, design and editing. Direk stressed out the resposibilities of a director. A director directs the look and gaze of a film. He is responsible in the over-all production of the film. He also visualizes the script and develop what he wants his audience would see. He also added that to be a good director you should have passion, discipline, patience and works well with the cast crew and not to forget, directors should watch more films and read more.
Shots are building blocks of a film. We have to decide what kind of shot to take so that the message will be delivered clearly to the audience. There are several types of shots. Close shots (extreme, close-up) are good for conveying expressions and emotions. Medium shots are good for establishing figures and body languages. Long shots usally show locations.
Storyboard is also a great help in the visualization of the film. It is a set of drawings of the different scenes or shots. It provides an overview and allows the production to check whether the presentation is accurate and complete.
It was a fun and fruitful workshop. I've learned a lot and I'm looking forward for more of this. :D

Blogging101

2008-01-29T04:42:00.000-08:00

Blogging was not a new word for me but I only have a little idea about it. I have heard this stuff since I was in High School but I have never tried it until I reached college. Our teaher asked to create one for requirement purposes.
A blog is a site where you can write stuffs on and are being read by many people. It is actually an online journal that is available in a web.
Last January 23,2008, Mr. Ryann Z. Elumba, our ITMM teacher conducted a seminar called "Blogging 101". During the seminar, he shared lots of thoughts about blogging. These were the things I have learned in Blogging 101:
Blogging is a very good tool in sharing your thoughts to other people. You can write or post anything that interests you or others but we have to take note that we only have the reader's attention for few minutes so as much as possible blogs must be brief.
Blogs can be customized. We can add widgets, videos, photos and many more onto it. All we have to do is to add page elements on it. The look and feel of our blogs are important because they attract readers but we should put in mind that the content is more important.
We can actually earn money through blogs. Of course, in order to have it, we should post blogs more often. More readers or viewers means more chances of earning.

Blogging is really good. Aside from those I have mentioned,in some ways, it actually enhances our writing skills which is very important.

Well, thanks to the one who introduced blogging, to AICG for organizing such seminar and to Sir Rye for imparting us ideas about it.

Computer Aided Instruction

2008-01-27T17:53:00.005-08:00

“Computer-aided instruction” (CAI) refers to instruction or remediation presented on a computer. Examples of CAI applications include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of complex objects, and computer-facilitated communication between students and teachers.

CAI improves instruction for students with disabilities because students receive immediate feedback and do not continue to practice the wrong skills. Many computer programs can move through instruction at the student’s pace and keep track of the student’s errors and progress. Computers capture the students’ attention because the programs are interactive and engage the students’ spirit of competitiveness to increase their scores. Also, computer-assisted instruction moves at the students’ pace and usually does not move ahead until they have mastered the skill. Programs provide differentiated lessons to challenge students who are at risk, average, or gifted.

Computer-aided instruction packages are effective for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is that students like learning in the environment that the computer has to offer. CAI packages of today are much more user-friendly and entertaining than their predecessors. Students can now work at their own pace regardless of the level at which they are supposed to be. This promotes self-confidence because it gives the student a feeling of control over what they are learning. These packages are also effective because they deal with more practical examples than those in any textbook and give students virtually a hands-on experience. Students may be exposed to experiences or simulations that they would not normally encounter.

In some applications, especially those involving abstract reasoning and problem-solving processes, CAI has not been very effective. Critics claim that poorly designed CAI systems can dehumanize or regiment the educational experience and thereby diminish student interest and motivation. Other disadvantages of CAI stem from the difficulty and expense of implementing and maintaining the necessary computer systems. Some student failures can be traced to inadequate teacher training in CAI systems. Student training in the computer technology may be required as well, and this process can distract from the core educational process. Although much effort has been directed at developing CAI systems that are easy to use and incorporate expert knowledge of teaching and learning, such systems are still far from achieving their full potential.

Although CAI has come a long way, there are still areas for improving and in spite all of the challenges facing computer-aided instruction, some companies believe that its benefits outweigh its drawbacks they also believe that one of the first steps in designing an effective CAI program is to do so with these obstacles in mind.

http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/computeraided_math.asp
http://ug.cs.dal.ca/dispproj/cai.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553343/Computer-Aided_Instruction.html

Video Compression

2007-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

Video compression refers to reducing the quantity of data used to represent video images with the goal of retaining as much of the original's quality as possible. Compressed video can effectively reduce the bandwidth required to transmit digital video via terrestrial broadcast, via cable, or via satellite services. “Compressed” means that the information is packed into a smaller space. There are two kinds of compression: lossy and lossless.

Lossy compression means that the compressed file has less data in it than the original file. In some cases this translates to lower quality files, because information has been “lost,” hence the name.
Lossless compression is exactly what it sounds like, compression where none of the information is lost.
Video compression or codecs(a short name for coder-decoder, the software that takes a raw data file and turns it into a compressed file ) has several kinds. These are as follows.

MPEG series

MPEG4

MPEG4 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group), the committee that also developed MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. It is the result of another international effort involving hundreds of researchers and engineers from all over the world. MPEG-4, (also known as ISO/IEC 14496) was finalized in October 1998 and became an International Standard early 1999. The fully backward compatible extensions under the title of MPEG-4 Version 2 were frozen at the end of 1999 and received International Standard Status in early 2000. An MPEG standard that can be used for Internet, broadcast, and on storage media, MPEG-4 offers improved quality relative to MPEG-2.

MPEG2

Aimed primarily at compression of D1 sized video for television, MPEG-2 is the chosen format for the majority of digital television broadcasting, including DVB and DVD. Although MPEG2 is not aimed at the mobile market, it runs efficiently on the VideoCore platform. It offers good picture quality and supports widescreen.

MPEG1

MPEG-1 is the first of the MPEG series of standards. It is used in video CD applications. This compression technology enables approximately one hour and a quarter of VHS-quality video and audio to be stored on a 680 Mbyte CD. The quality is roughly comparable to that of VHS. Almost every computer in the world can play this codec, and very few DVD players do not support it.

H series

H264

H.264 is the culmination of both the ITU-T's H.26x series and ISO/IEC's MPEG standards. The two standards bodies collaborated to form the ultimate in video coding standards. H.264 draws upon the technology of both parties to offer unprecedented bit rate efficiency and high quality video. It is suitable for all of the latest video streaming applications, as well as video storage and services requiring low delay or low bit rate. H.264 creates a standard that provides good video quality at bit rates that are substantially lower than what previous standards would need

H.263+

The H.263 standard is published by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). It supports video compression and coding for video-conferencing and video-telephony applications.

H.261

Used primarily in older videoconferencing and videotelephony products, H.261 was the first practical digital video compression standard. Essentially all subsequent standard video codec designs are based on it.

JPEG
JPEG is an industry-standard compression scheme for lossy compression of still images. The JPEG standard does not specify a file format. The codec uses the popular JFIF (JPEG File Interchange Format).

JPEG2000

JPEG2000 is a pure, still-image compression based on the wavelet transform. It offers a better compression rate than the old JPEG.

Microsoft series

WMV

Windows Media 9 Series delivers the same quality audio and video quality at about 1/3 the bit rate of MPEG2 and about 1/2 the bitrate of MPEG4 Simple Profile.

http://desktopvideo.about.com/od/glossary/g/compressformats.htm
http://www.broadcom.com/products/software/mobmm_videocodecs.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_codecs#Video_codecs

The Bee Movie

2007-12-13T05:01:00.000-08:00

The Bee Movie was about Barry B. Benson, a bee who just graduated from college and is disillusioned with his lone career choice: making honey. Barry discovers humans have been stealing and eating the honey and subsequently decides to file a class action lawsuit against humans. After winning the lawsuit, bees stopped working. Barry then realized that without bees pollinating the flowers, plant life is dying and producing no more oxygen and so together with Vanessa, they made way to solve the problem.

The movie was not just a comedy that would change everything we thought about bees but also sends a meaningful thought about life. While watching the movie, I come to know that works are not measured on how big or small they are. What is more important is you do not harm anyone. We are not measured by the kind of work we have but by the we deal with life and how we can be of help to others. The scene that strike me most was the moment when everyone was trying to do something in saving the flowers. It was not just colorful but it also shows that all of us can be a part of solving the problem.

Having these significant learnings, I can possibly add life situations, its solutions and sort of encouragement of how we can be of help to our society in a creative way. It may be in a sort of blogs, presentations etc. :-D

The great and glorious masterpiece of
man is to know how to live to purpose.
Michel de Montaigne

The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by
going beyond them into the impossible.

Arthur C. Clarke

Production Crew

2007-12-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

Filmmaking or video production typically involves a large group of people yet oftentimes, viewers only give importance to those people playing the roles and thus, setting aside those people behind the camera. Film production consists of five main stages and each stages has a group of people having different tasks.

First is the Development stage wherein the script is written and drafted into a workable blueprint. Person invovled in this stage is the Producer who creates the condition of the film, initiates, coordinates, supervises and controls matters such as fundraising, hiring key personnel, and arranging for distributors. In the movie "Enchanted" by Disney, the producer was Barry Josephson who is a veteran in the movie industry.

The next is the Pre-production stage in which preparations are made for the shoot and the cast and crew are hired, locations are selected, and sets are built. In this stage, typical crews include the director who is primarily responsible for the acting in the movie and managing the creative elements. Kevin Lima, the director of Enchanted who traces his fascination with animation and brings characters of imagination to life is an example; the casting director who finds actors for the parts in the script .This normally requires an audition by the actor. Lead actors are carefully chosen and are often based on the actor's reputation or "star power" ; the location manager who finds and manages the film locations; the production manager who manages the production budget and production schedule; the director of photogpraphy or cinematographer creates the photography of the film. Don Burgess, Enchanted's director of photography is an example; the art director manages the art department, which makes production sets, costumes and provides makeup & hair styling services; the production designer creates the look and feel of the production sets and props, working with the art director to create these elements; the storyboard artist creates visual images to help the director and production designer communicate their ideas to the production team.

Next to pre-production is the Production stage wherein the film is crearted and shot. The property master (also known as prop god) is an artistic and organizational employee in a production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring and/or manufacturing any props needed for a production. A script supervisor is responsible for maintaining the film's internal continuity and for marking the production unit's daily progress in shooting the film's screenplay. Film editor is responsible for pulling together all of the elements of story, dialogue, music, sound effects, visual effects, rhythm and pace of a film. In the making of a film, the editors usually play a dynamic and creative role and the sound editor is the one resposible for selecting and assembling sound recordings in preparation for the final sound mixing of a program or motion picture.

The fourth stage is the Post-productionon in which the film is edited, sound effects, music and any computer effects are added, and the film is completed. in this stage, the dilm editor assembles the film.

And the final stage is the Distribution stage wherein movies are released in cinemas, and or to DVDs and VCDs.

*source: wikipedia.org
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/enchanted/