Character Performance - Lip Syncing

Having fun with moving the lips, much better then essay writing and E&E work!! Though my cheeks hurt from trying to get the mount right!

Trend Research

Only found out what we had to do today, as I didn't understand before, but my research is done I believe. Thanks to the E&E tutor that explained it to me!

Zombie themes:

Zombies themes have been around for a long time, especially in older horror films. Now, zombies/zombie-like themes are becoming something that both games and movie companies are buying into, such as films like “Zombieland” and “The Crazies” or games such as the “Resident Evil” series and “DiRT 3”. Many games that did not start out as zombie games have jumped on the “zombie bandwagon” by launching downloadable content for existing games. Titles such as Call of Duty: World at War and Black Ops, Red Dead Redemption and DiRT 3 have all produced downloadable content for these games which include zombies. Also, there are games such as Plants vs. Zombies ( on the iPad, iPhone, XBox Live Arcade and PC platforms) and Zombie Lane (facebook application) which are are part of this recent zombie craze.

Online multi-player games over split screen co-op:

Many new games coming out are now stopping split screen co-op  and instead are creating multi-player experiences for the online space. Split screen refers to two or more people sitting together in the same room, playing the same game on the same screen. At the moment the trend for new games is that you will be able to play with others online, using the whole of your screen but solely one player per console. There has also been many massive multiplayer online games (or 'MMO’s') such as World of Warcraft and Rift which both rely on a connection to play. The problem with games becoming more dependent on using the internet for the multiplayer experience is that rather than two or more people playing with one copy of the game, each player must purchase their own copy. This is financially beneficial for the games companies, but expensive for the consumers. Also, there is the problem that if a server goes down,  players cannot play together where as with local split screen games players do not have to worry about this.

There are free online multi-player games, where it is free to download the game and play it. Games like this will normally have a service called micro transactions, which allow players to buy in-game items with real money to enhance their gaming experience. These items can be prosthetic like avatar mounts and clothing or actually enhance gameplay, giving an edge over players that choose not to pay for additional items or content  This seems to be a trend of its own, with more games like this coming out with extra items that can be purchased with real money - more recently Grand Fantasia (Nov' '10) and Metal Assault (Apr' '11). Game sites as; http://www.aeriagames.com/, http://www.gpotato.com/ allow players to download free MMO games, but also have items within the games that can be purchased.

Computer usage:

Computers have become part of our daily lives and this is a trend that looks set to continue. Computers are used for working as well as leisure, making it a normal day-to-day item in your home or office. Computers have grown to very few people having them when they started (due to the fact they were as big as a normal room), to millions of people having them around the world. The growth in computer usage has come with its own pro’s and con’s for both our health and lifestyle. On the one hand computers have allowed us to communicate faster with others and complete tasks faster that would have taken a lot longer by traditional processes. On the other hand, people spend many hours in front of a monitor which is damaging to our health. We move less, exercise less and can develop short-term eye problems or discomfort. There are protectors that are available to purchase to help stop the eye discomfort, which are available in a clip-on or film variation.

Fairytales:

Fairytales are making a comeback with revamped traditional tales such as ‘Tangled’ by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the ‘Shrek’ series from 2001 to 2010 with four films, ‘Red Riding Hood’ which recently released in cinemas on 11th April 2011. Fairytales can be said to be taking a darker turn, like with the film ‘Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale’ (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi192256281/) - a horror film with Santa himself. The remakes of old tales look like it is set to continue as the article from the 10^th of March 2011 on The Guardian's website shows. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/06/hollywood-remakes-fairytale-snow-white)

There are many different upcoming films such as; Jack the Giant Killer, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Brothers Grimm: Snow White and Pinocchio - all just from Hollywood alone. So marketing to these fairytale themes of a darker nature would be a good option as this trend is going to continue for a while.

Modern settings, but Old Plots:

A lot of different films have been coming out of the cinema, but a recent trend I have noticed is that many films have taken an old plot or theme and created a modem twist to it. Films such as District Nine (2009), Avatar (2009), Battle: Los Angeles (2011), Cowboys and Aliens (2011), Priest (2011) and Transformers (2007- 2011) all have a theme of invasion or uprising in them or both and all are either set in futuristic surroundings with modern day themes or older surroundings with futuristic elements. The plot of Avatar for example in a basic form tells the story of one race arriving at another planet to take an object for profit. The natural inhabitants of the planet are unwilling to surrender the object and instinctively defend what's their's. In the act of greed the invading race decides to take the object from them by force, while someone is trying to talk the natives into moving on. They don’t and rise against the invaders and protect their land, ending with a large-scale battle. This same basic plot can be said to run through many of the films listed above, where there is something to gain from invading another race with a large battle towards the end of the film, ultimately resulting in a one-sided win. This sense of eventual victory seems to be concurrent in most films throughout the last century and as this victorious feeling resonates well with an audience, it is a prime example of a trend that writers and directors have proven to take advantage of.

New Scene - Brewster's Millions

I thought that the scene that I had first chosen was nice, but Im not sure how I could change it for animation. So, I have chosen to do another scene which is later on in the film. The Scene is about thrity seconds long, but Im going to cut down the pause in between Brewster talking and Spike talking. This should help it fit into the twenty second time amount.