The Visual Effects of House

Currently storyboarding, with a little help from House. Thanks to Ms Alanna Butchart for sending me this. I now have a better idea of how to do the “zooming into the body” shot.

Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance

Seeing as both John and Angus had told me to watch this film, I thought I’d better do it. This quiet Saturday morning, after much trawling of the internet for an HD version that didn’t break the bank (a quick skim of reviews made it clear that this was a film to be watched on the biggest screen possible, in the highest resolution possible), I finally rented it off iTunes. I must admit that after seeing the trailer I was a little cynical – could I really watch an 86-minute film made entirely out of abstract images, with no discernible plot?

I am happy to report that Koyaanisqatsi well and truly blew my mind.  The cinematography is staggering – particularly given that it was filmed on a tiny budget.

It also opened my mind to the possibility of a documentary without words. The music – a sublime soundtrack by Philip Glass – and the title Koyaanisqatsi (from the Hopi language, meaning ‘life out of balance’), were all it needed to get its point across – in fact, I feel that the presence of a narrator would have greatly detracted from the message of the film.

It was also interesting to see where so many directors got their ideas from – Koyaanisqatsi made the use of time-lapse in film ubiquitous, from clouds to cars in cityscapes – yet even today I think the original is best.

The trailer for Koyaanisqatsi (I don’t think it does the film justice, personally)

Research Poster 2

Research Poster progress. Still very sketchy (both text and design), but getting there. Needs more pictures and less words I think.

Research Poster Layout

 

I made a start on the research poster today. The colours are not final at all, but I’m pleased with the fonts and overall layout. Will start writing the text content tonight.

Mudbox Behaving Badly…

In what felt like an eerie repeat of my final year as an undergraduate, Mudbox decided to throw a giant tantrum. Nothing broke, as such… but it wasn’t liking the UV map (despite nothing overlapping) and was throwing errors and artefacts in everywhere. So I decided to cut my losses and start again, this time using Photoshop. Here’s how it’s looking.

Still something odd going on with the displacement maps (making the models “explode” – I took them off for this render), but otherwise I’m quite pleased.

Mudbox Update

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s paint job. May have gone slightly overboard on the grunge.

Peer Review

Slightly overdue post about yesterday’s peer review – I did a short presentation on the project to the rest of the group. Got good feedback overall, plus a few film recommendations now on my “to watch” list, including this one:

I’ve attached the presentation slides in full.

Mudbox Sculpt

So this task has been a foray into the world of non-organic modelling and texturing, which is a bit of a departure for me – having only modelled characters previously, I tend to play fast and loose with the sculpture tools.  This has forced me to be a bit more controlled, especially where the stitching is concerned! I now also know how to make a custom stencil. This gets painted tomorrow.

Production Line

Today I’ve been looking at examples of production lines in film, games and television – from the literal to the fantastical. I’d like to present the protein production in a similar way and these should give me some good storyboarding ideas.

Writing an Abstract

Programme of Study too confusing? Have a gander at the current abstract for the project, written as part of an assignment.

Abstract

Regeneration: Visualising the Life Cycle of Tumour-Suppressing Proteins

Sarah J C Gillespie

In this age of stem-cell research, genetically modified food and in-vitro fertilisation, cell biology researchers are often portrayed in the media as shadowy puppet masters, meddling with genes and changing the course of nature (Ball, 2011).  From the broadsheet newspapers to the American presidential debates, it seems that everyone has an opinion on what it means to be alive.  Sadly, such opinions are often misinformed and coloured by prejudice.  The cell biologists are unable to defend themselves as they find it difficult to communicate complex data in layman’s terms.

This is where art has a role to play. Researchers have begun to look at ways in which art can be used to bypass the jargon words that prevent scientists from communicating with the public. In his PhD thesis, Designs for Life: Art, Science and Collaboration, Dr Paul Liam Harrison (2009) explored printmaking as a means of breaking down interdisciplinary barriers. In Visualise: an exploration of an artist’s approach to 3-D computer visualisation in clinical radiology, Dr John McGhee (2009) investigated the role of computer visualisation as a liaison between doctor and patient.

Recent documentaries have also begun to explore this relationship. The documentary Inside the Human Body (BBC, 2011) used stunning CGI visuals to show the inside of the human body in a way that it had never been visualised before.  Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell (BBC, 2012) went a step further, transforming the world of the cell into a surreal universe, complete with futuristic sound effects and camera moves taken straight from the sci-fi movie canon.

For my Master’s project, I will collaborate with Professor Angus Lamond at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression. We will develop a narrative to visualise an aspect of the Lamond Lab’s research that would otherwise be difficult to explain.  The final outcome will be a 1-2 minute long documentary film combining live action and CGI sequences.  Specifically, I intend to convey the life cycle of one of the many tumour-suppressing proteins studied in the Lamond Lab.  These proteins are created in response to a crisis, such as DNA damage caused by exposure to UV rays.  The proteins are allowed to survive for long enough to fix the problem before being destroyed. This area of research has great potential for compelling narrative as there is a clear beginning, middle and end: the protein is created, it solves the crisis, and then it is destroyed. (Lamond, 2012)

One of the most pertinent questions relating to the brief concerns artistic licence: how does one strike a balance between scientific accuracy and the demands of entertainment?  Cell organelles, generally, are clear, so colouring them in film is already dispensing with reality (Lamond, 2012).  Another important question to ask is: is a narrator necessary to the film? And if so, what style of narration has the greatest appeal? I intend to compile an online questionnaire in order to find out the answers to these questions.

Technically, I hope to develop my skills in Maya Dynamics. I think that approaching the research from a narrative point of view will keep my options open so that on finishing the course, I can choose freely between a career in the animation industry and a career in research.

References

Ball, P., 2011. Unnatural: The Heretical Idea of Making People. London: Random House.

Harrison, P. L., 2009. Designs For Life: Art, Science and Collaboration. Ph. D. University of Dundee.

Inside The Human Body. 2011 [DVD] London: BBC. (Narrated by Michael Mosley. VFX by Jellyfish Pictures).

Lamond, A., Professor of Biochemistry at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, 2012. Artistic licence. [meeting] (Personal communication, 23 October 2012).

McGhee, J., 2009. Visualise: an exploration of an artist’s approach to 3-D computer visualisation in clinical radiology. Ph. D. University of Dundee.

Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell. 2012 [Documentary] London: BBC. (Narrated by David Tennant. Directed by Mike Davis. VFX by Intelligent Creatures)

Bibliography

 Ball, P., 2011. Unnatural: The Heretical Idea of Making People. London: Random House.

Harrison, P. L., 2009. Designs For Life: Art, Science and Collaboration. Ph. D. University of Dundee.

Inside The Human Body. 2011 [DVD] London: BBC. (Narrated by Michael Mosley. VFX by Jellyfish Pictures).

Lamond, A., Professor of Biochemistry at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression, 2012. Artistic licence. [meeting] (Personal communication, 23 October 2012).

McGhee, J., 2009. Visualise: an exploration of an artist’s approach to 3-D computer visualisation in clinical radiology. Ph. D. University of Dundee.

McGill, G., 2010. Molecular Movies. [online] Available at: http://www.molecularmovies.org

Monroe, K. R., 2008. Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical and Political Issues. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Planet Earth. 2006 [DVD] London: BBC. (Narrated by David Attenborough).

Secret Universe: The Hidden Life of the Cell. 2012 [Documentary] London: BBC. (Narrated by David Tennant. Directed by Mike Davis. VFX by Intelligent Creatures)

Sharpe, J., Lumsden, C. J., and Woolridge, N., 2008. In Silico: 3D animation and simulation of cell biology with Maya and MEL. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.

Ware, C., 2004. Information Visualization: Perception for Design. Second Edition. Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.