There are Six main classifications, based around famous type faces and their connotations.
Type has a metalinguistic function
Kenesics - Gestures that emphasise and change word meaning
Type classifications:
Humanist
Old Style
Tansitional
Modern
Slab Serif
Sans Serif
in 1450 the printing press was invented
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Contextual studies lecture - High Culture and Low Culture
Avante Garde - Avante Garde is described as innovative and ground breaking work that goes against the rules of established work.
Avante garde artists challenge conventions, post modernism may be seen as a form of avante garde
Leeds College of Art encourages avante garde thinking.
Inovation: Creating something new
Experimentation: The process of working in different ways to achieve something new
Originality: Work that is not based on existing work
Two approaches to Avante Garde art:
Art that is socially committed (Art created for society)
Art that seeks to expand what Art is (Art for Art's sake)
Examples of Artists that follow the Art for Art's sake ideology are:
Jackson Pollock
Chris Burden
Clement Greenberg
Avante garde artists challenge conventions, post modernism may be seen as a form of avante garde
Leeds College of Art encourages avante garde thinking.
Inovation: Creating something new
Experimentation: The process of working in different ways to achieve something new
Originality: Work that is not based on existing work
Two approaches to Avante Garde art:
Art that is socially committed (Art created for society)
Art that seeks to expand what Art is (Art for Art's sake)
Examples of Artists that follow the Art for Art's sake ideology are:
Jackson Pollock
Chris Burden
Clement Greenberg
Contextual studies lecture - French New Wave cinema
French New Wave Cinema of 1950s/1960s
Many New Waves:
British New Wave cinema, however the French movement was most prominent and influential, with a focus on Paris.
La pointe Courte (1954) by Agnes Vardu starts off the new wave
New Wave Film-makers included:
New wave is described as: Speaking in the vernacular, with contemporary speech, dress and mannerisms
Jean Paul Sartre described new wave as Existentialism with films that:
Many New Waves:
British New Wave cinema, however the French movement was most prominent and influential, with a focus on Paris.
La pointe Courte (1954) by Agnes Vardu starts off the new wave
New Wave Film-makers included:
•Jean-Luc Goddard
•François Truffaut
•Claude Chabrol
•Jacques Rivette
•Eric Rohmer
New wave is described as: Speaking in the vernacular, with contemporary speech, dress and mannerisms
Jean Paul Sartre described new wave as Existentialism with films that:
–Stressed the individual.
–Experience of free choice.
–Absence of any rational understanding of universe.
–Sense of absurdity in human life.
–In indifferent world, existentialist seeks to:
–Act authentically
–Use free will
–Take responsibility for all their actions.
–Avoid playing out roles pre-ordained by society.
New Wave French films were often shot on location, shot using cheap and lightweight equipment with Experimentation encouraged.
Tuesday, 27 March 2012
Blade Runner Titles
Hey guys, for my context of practice brief I was tasked with creating a practical piece based on my essay title. Because in my essay I had been looking at opening titles and transmedia, I decided to create a game level in the style of Bladerunner. Even though I left most of the game assets untextured, I attempted to use particles and lighting to recreate the atmosphere of the Bladerunner opening scene.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Contextual studies lecture - Italian Vernacular cinema
Film is not the art of scholars, but illiterates.
Fellini is taken seriously as an auteur.
Comments on the superficiality of middle class existence.
Films that are associated with style and sophistication are seen as worthy of critical appraisal.
There is a lot more to italian cinema with Audiences, historical and social interests and economics.
A major aspect of Italian cinema is spaghetti westerns, with The good, the bad and the ugly being a famous example.
Italian films woud often be shot without sounds and then dubbed in a wide range of languages and released in many different countries.
Italian films include:
Giallo (Detective films)
Spaghetti Westerns
Mondo/Cannibal fims
Poliziottesco - police procedural
The finale of The good, the bad and the ugly is famous for its, use of sound, music, the lack of dialogue, use of eyeline/cutting and montage, differences in scale, use of the camera to tell the story, fragmentation of the body and catholic references.
Giallo is Itallian for Yellow and references the series of cheap paperback crime and mystery novels.
The protagonists are usually American or British and visiting Italy and often work in the creative arts.
The killer is notified by their use of, Black gloves, black hat and black overcoat, disguising of gender and priests are often used.
Fellini is taken seriously as an auteur.
Comments on the superficiality of middle class existence.
Films that are associated with style and sophistication are seen as worthy of critical appraisal.
There is a lot more to italian cinema with Audiences, historical and social interests and economics.
A major aspect of Italian cinema is spaghetti westerns, with The good, the bad and the ugly being a famous example.
Italian films woud often be shot without sounds and then dubbed in a wide range of languages and released in many different countries.
Italian films include:
Giallo (Detective films)
Spaghetti Westerns
Mondo/Cannibal fims
Poliziottesco - police procedural
The finale of The good, the bad and the ugly is famous for its, use of sound, music, the lack of dialogue, use of eyeline/cutting and montage, differences in scale, use of the camera to tell the story, fragmentation of the body and catholic references.
Giallo is Itallian for Yellow and references the series of cheap paperback crime and mystery novels.
The protagonists are usually American or British and visiting Italy and often work in the creative arts.
The killer is notified by their use of, Black gloves, black hat and black overcoat, disguising of gender and priests are often used.
Contextual studies lecture - Auteur theory
The Auteur theory is that the director moulds the film.
Notable Auteurs are Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrik.
Sarris describes the Auteur as having Technical competence, a distinguishable style and interior meaning to their films.
Hitchcock is notable for having a long career beginining in the early years of film.
He has worked in both European and American cinema, regarded as having innovative films and is regarded as the master of suspence.
He uses expressionist lighting, tells his stories visually, experiments with the use of a subjective camera and uses a dolly zoom.
He also uses a clever use of montage and cutting to create tension.
He joined the film industry as a set designer in 1920.
in 1925 he was sent to germany and worked with Murnau on Nosferatu.
His first film as director was The Lodger in 1927.
He is notable for subjective camera shots, such as in Champaign, or Jamacia inn.
A notable Hitchcock quote is "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?"
Most famous fim is Psycho in 1960.
Hitchcocks style is:
Expressionist,
He cameos in his films as part of his signature.
uses visual narrative.
Continuous use of actors.
obsessive use of blondes.
unconcerned with realism.
Notable Auteurs are Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrik.
Sarris describes the Auteur as having Technical competence, a distinguishable style and interior meaning to their films.
Hitchcock is notable for having a long career beginining in the early years of film.
He has worked in both European and American cinema, regarded as having innovative films and is regarded as the master of suspence.
He uses expressionist lighting, tells his stories visually, experiments with the use of a subjective camera and uses a dolly zoom.
He also uses a clever use of montage and cutting to create tension.
He joined the film industry as a set designer in 1920.
in 1925 he was sent to germany and worked with Murnau on Nosferatu.
His first film as director was The Lodger in 1927.
He is notable for subjective camera shots, such as in Champaign, or Jamacia inn.
A notable Hitchcock quote is "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?"
Most famous fim is Psycho in 1960.
Hitchcocks style is:
Expressionist,
He cameos in his films as part of his signature.
uses visual narrative.
Continuous use of actors.
obsessive use of blondes.
unconcerned with realism.
Contextual studies lecture - Graffiti/Street Art
Graffiti has roots in cave paintings that depict scenes of everyday life. First discovered in 1940.
Ancient Roman graffiti carved into stone. This also continued in the middle ages across europe.
Kilroy first appearance in World War 2 with the slogan "Wot no....."
In the 70's Spray can graffiti evolves alongside hip-hop culture, making the Language of the streets visible, announcing a presence and saying "We will not be ignored"
Jean-michel Basquiet gains notoriety as SAMO (pronounced as SAME-OH)
SAMO meaning Same old Shit, starting out as a private joke, regarded as Neo-expressionist.
Grafitti becomes a part of Video Game culture, with comments on the lack of availability of technology and brands in the eastern bloc.
Games such as:
TATS CRU (1997)
Bomb the World (2009) PS2
Jet Set Radio (2000 - 2003) on Xbox
Sideways New York (2011) PS3
Tagging in GTA games
feature cel shaded animation, and have Graffiti as a major part of gameplay.
Invader Mosaic art features the space invader and spreads across france and 22 other countries.
Banksy is a famous graffiti artist.
Graffiti art gains political elements with Shepard Fairy's Obama Campaign as well as the war of resistance on the wall of palestine.
Ancient Roman graffiti carved into stone. This also continued in the middle ages across europe.
Kilroy first appearance in World War 2 with the slogan "Wot no....."
In the 70's Spray can graffiti evolves alongside hip-hop culture, making the Language of the streets visible, announcing a presence and saying "We will not be ignored"
Jean-michel Basquiet gains notoriety as SAMO (pronounced as SAME-OH)
SAMO meaning Same old Shit, starting out as a private joke, regarded as Neo-expressionist.
Grafitti becomes a part of Video Game culture, with comments on the lack of availability of technology and brands in the eastern bloc.
Games such as:
TATS CRU (1997)
Bomb the World (2009) PS2
Jet Set Radio (2000 - 2003) on Xbox
Sideways New York (2011) PS3
Tagging in GTA games
feature cel shaded animation, and have Graffiti as a major part of gameplay.
Invader Mosaic art features the space invader and spreads across france and 22 other countries.
Banksy is a famous graffiti artist.
Graffiti art gains political elements with Shepard Fairy's Obama Campaign as well as the war of resistance on the wall of palestine.
Contextual studies lecture - postmodernism
Post Modernism is characterised as being less serious and having inverse ideals to Modernism.
Post Modernist ideals:
Exhaustion,
Pluralism,
Pessimism,
Disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
Post Modernism begins to emerge in the 60's,
Jean Tinguley's art piece "Homage to New York", is built to destroy itself.
Leslie Fielder describes Postmodernism as "A Post-culture against the elitism of Modernism.
Begins in the 60's
by the 1970's it is fully established and becomes a recognised style in the 80's.
Established in the era after modernism.
On 15th july, 1972 at 3:32 PM modernism dies according to Charles Jenks. Post Modernism is described as tearing up the rulebook.
Park Hill flats in sheffield are renovated by the postmodernist firm, Urban Splash.
The high art/low art divide begins to crumble.
Las-vegas is seen as a post modernist city.
The Cyberpunk genre is seen as as a post-modernist dystopia, with films such as Blade Runner and Akira following post modernist styles.
Andy Warhol is a prominent Post-modernist artist. Post Modern artists mix high and low cultures, with aspects bing seen in popular culture, such as Kraftwerk album covers.
Post Modernist ideals:
Exhaustion,
Pluralism,
Pessimism,
Disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
Post Modernism begins to emerge in the 60's,
Jean Tinguley's art piece "Homage to New York", is built to destroy itself.
Leslie Fielder describes Postmodernism as "A Post-culture against the elitism of Modernism.
Begins in the 60's
by the 1970's it is fully established and becomes a recognised style in the 80's.
Established in the era after modernism.
On 15th july, 1972 at 3:32 PM modernism dies according to Charles Jenks. Post Modernism is described as tearing up the rulebook.
Park Hill flats in sheffield are renovated by the postmodernist firm, Urban Splash.
The high art/low art divide begins to crumble.
Las-vegas is seen as a post modernist city.
The Cyberpunk genre is seen as as a post-modernist dystopia, with films such as Blade Runner and Akira following post modernist styles.
Andy Warhol is a prominent Post-modernist artist. Post Modern artists mix high and low cultures, with aspects bing seen in popular culture, such as Kraftwerk album covers.
Contextual studies lecture - modernism
The following are my notes from the Modernity and Modernism lecture:
Modern: Came to mean contemporary by the 19th century but has now come to mean improved.
Modernity: Used to mean progress, came about during the industrialisation and urbanisation of the 19th century.
Modernism: the process of modernisation begins in 1750 with increased urbanisation.
The increased usage of trains causes the world to seemingly shrink thanks to being able to get from point A - point B faster.
There are changes in the relationship with society along with a turn to science, and cities become the hub of social life, and fashion becomes a form of expression.
There is a rivalry between London and Paris, with the Eiffel Tower seen as a symbol of Modernity.
GMT becomes the agreed upon standard time.
The original centre of Paris is a slum, Napoleon replaced the centre of Paris with Boulevards.
Streetlights become electric.
Stress of city life leads to psychology labs. People begin to drink Absinthe to escape the stress.
Technology is seen as changing the world for both the better and the worse.
Film is regarded as witchcraft.
The city becomes the focus subject for artists. Optical science and the creation of pixels leads to new painting styles. New art looks at time, space and movement. There is increased emphasis on Anti-historicism, truth to materials, technology and internationalism.
Modernism reaches its peak with Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus movement, Bauhaus principles include Form follows Function and other Modernist ideals.
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Borderlands
Upon their arrival on Pandora, players are met by a colourful variety of both human and non human characters, both friendly and hostile. The game also features an atmospheric soundtrack that combines eastern and western folk music to create an exotic desert feel to match the visuals of the game. The games visuals really set the game apart from most mainstream 1st person shooters such as the Call of Duty franchise. The game features towns that appear to either be made from pre-made dwellings or out of scrap metal, with scrap piles littering the more urban landscapes and wheels being used as decorations. The more rural and desert sections of the world are populated by alien plant life that bears similarities with earth plants in similar locations.
However what has piqued my interest is the upcoming sequel, as a fan of the first game I am looking forward to see the improvements and new additions that are to be added to the game, Additions include different weapons models for different manufacturers, DAHL manufactured weapons would have a more modern look and feel while Tediore would come across as being cheap plastic disposable guns like the munition equivalent of a bic razor.
I am also excited to see the plot advancements in the upcoming game, the new playable characters and the back story elements that may be added to the original characters.
Alternative Racing Games
Now, I'm not normally fan of Racing games, titles like Gran Turismo and Forza having no interest to me, but I have found I am a fan of racing titles that push the boundaries and show a bit of imagination and create racing environments and events that would not take place in the real world.
My long time favorite of these was Naughty Dog's Jak X: combat racing, a spin off of their Jak and Daxter series on the PS2. Alongside the racing, the game also featured an inter-vehicle combat system that would further add to the challenge, and rich otherworldly environments from the other games in the series. Another major selling point for me was the soundtrack, composed by Dean Menta (ex guitarist of Faith no More) and Billy Howerdel (guitarist of A Perfect Circle) both musicians of whose bands I am a big fan, provided an adrenaline charged atmosphere to the races, each track both fit to the hectic combat and to just cruising down the tracks.
My long time favorite of these was Naughty Dog's Jak X: combat racing, a spin off of their Jak and Daxter series on the PS2. Alongside the racing, the game also featured an inter-vehicle combat system that would further add to the challenge, and rich otherworldly environments from the other games in the series. Another major selling point for me was the soundtrack, composed by Dean Menta (ex guitarist of Faith no More) and Billy Howerdel (guitarist of A Perfect Circle) both musicians of whose bands I am a big fan, provided an adrenaline charged atmosphere to the races, each track both fit to the hectic combat and to just cruising down the tracks.
However since upgrading to PS3 I have only played the game on occasion, so my love for racing games has gradually been overtaken by other genres. Although since the PSN hacking, sony offered two free games to players and I downloaded WipeOut HD, the latest installment in the the WipeOut series.
WipeOut is a long running series of Sci-Fi racing games that sees the player controlling anti-gravity hover-ships, the game also features a prominent Electronic soundtrack by licensed artists ranging from Chemical Brothers to Kraftwerk.
Recently I bought the PS3 racing title, Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Although I knew about the game and had seen it advertised, I had very little knowledge of what the game was about so I initially dismissed it as another racing game. However when I finally got the chance to play the game I was blown away, the game had an insane attitude and featured motorbikes of varying models competing against monster trucks and the cabs of HGVs and other vehicles of varying sizes.
The game also features a wide ranged and varied soundtrack, ranging from thrash metal artists such as Megadeth to drum 'n' bass artists like Pendulum.
Iron Sky: Community funded feature film
Since its announcement I have had an interest in the film Iron Sky. Iron sky has finished production but will not be released in UK cinemas until April 20th. However the film's premier at the Berlin film festival was met with surprisingly positive reactions, especially considering the films subject matter.
Iron sky's premise is an unusual one, especially for a European production, and is set around the idea that in 1945 at the end of the 2nd world war, a group of Nazis travelled to the moon and built a hidden base there, and in 2018 they return to earth.
Another unusual aspect of the film was its funding. The production team were unable to get a high budget from a film studio, so they instead turned to an alternative approach. The film was funded almost entirely by potential fans, each offering small donations to the project through a project kickstarter.
Iron sky's premise is an unusual one, especially for a European production, and is set around the idea that in 1945 at the end of the 2nd world war, a group of Nazis travelled to the moon and built a hidden base there, and in 2018 they return to earth.
Another unusual aspect of the film was its funding. The production team were unable to get a high budget from a film studio, so they instead turned to an alternative approach. The film was funded almost entirely by potential fans, each offering small donations to the project through a project kickstarter.
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Warren Ellis
Hey y'all, I recently attended an early screening of a soon to be released documentary about comic book writer Warren Ellis whose works include The Authority and Transmetropolitan.
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As a comics fan, including several comics I have read that were written and created by Ellis, I found this event to be useful in not only understanding how comics writers work, but the transmedia possibilities that comics have. Warren Ellis has allowed for a film adaptation of his comic RED, and has also written prose and the story for the videogame Cold Winter.
I found the documentary and interviews within to be very interesting, and having a personal interest in comic book writing, this documentary has been an invaluable resource. Documentaries like this allow the viewer to gain an insight into the creative process behind the writing of comics like Transmetropolitan. Warren Ellis in particular draws inspiration from his personal experiences and views, as well as his understanding of the world.
Warren Ellis has also influenced many other comics artists and writers, and created an online space for comics fans and established and aspiring writers/artists to interact and give each other advice. This was the Warren Ellis forum which has since been shut down. A prominent transmedia writer who Ellis inspired is Claudio Sanchez, the frontman for the band Coheed and Cambria whose name and lyrics are taken from Sanchez' comic book series the Amory Wars, for which Sanchez has also written a novel.
Warren Ellis also has an interest in technology, a prevailing theme in his works is the rapidly advancing technology of today, and a dissatisfaction with how it has turned out. But he has also used the internet as a direct medium and created the free online webcomic titled FreakAngels.
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