Monday 31 October 2011

Car Modelling Part 6: Filling in Part A


Review on District 9

Review on District 9 (2009)

District 9

The film's director Neill Blomkamp originally tried to make a film based on Microsoft's popular first person shooter video game Halo. Blomkamp even made digital shots promoting the game's 2007 release, but unable to get financing for a Halo film he stated to work on a science fiction story with similar traits which Andrew O'Hehir mentions in a review. 'When Financing for that fanboy wet dream finally fell apart, Blomkamp began working on a long-percolating idea: Take an archetypal science-fiction story - in this case, the story of humans' first contact with extraterrestrial aliens - and set it against the explosive social realities of contemporary Johannesburg, South Africa, his hometown.' (O'Hehir, 2009) Although it was being filmed in South Africa they needed somewhere that would portray a slum. They found a place where people were really being evicted and what was seen in the film as dirty run down huts used to be homes to occupants, as explained by Meredith Woerner in a review. 'The District 9 alien homes were actually shot in a recently evacuated area of impoverished housing. The homes you see the aliens getting evicted from were homes that humans had recently been kicked out of, for real.' (Woerner, 2009)   

Alien Eviction

The aliens in the film are symbolized as illegal problematic aliens which is what this world deals with all the time. Chris Hewitt addresses this in a review on Empire online. 'Like District 9, Alive in Joburg addressed the problems faced by genuine illegal aliens, stranded in a city and a country whose track record on tolerance is, shall we say, questionable. But this is not just a comment on apartheid (to wit: it's wrong); District 9 has more pressing matters on its mind, not least the savage treatment meted out to Zimbabwean refugees by indigenous black citizens. As we see the aliens exploited, abused and treated like pieces of meat by a corrupt government, it's clear that they operate as allegory, albeit one so thinly veiled it might as well be wraped in cling film.' (Hewitt, 2009)

Alien Armored Suit  


Rating;
            

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Blomkamp, Neill (2009) District 9 [Poster] At: http://moviecarpet.com/2009/07/09/district-9-new-poster-and-trailer/ (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

Figure 2. Blomkamp, Neill (2009) Alien Eviction [Screen cap] At: http://www.trespassmag.com/invictus-district-9-a-south-africans-perspective/ (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

Figure 3. Blomkamp, Neill (2009) Alien Armored Suit [Screen cap] At: http://ajmass.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

Bibliography

Hewitt, Chris (2009) District 9 http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/ReviewComplete.asp?FID=136353 (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

O'Hehir, Andrew (2009) Is apartheid acceptable - for giant bugs? http://www.salon.com/2009/08/12/blomkamp/ (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

Woerner, Meredith (2009) 5 Things You Didn't Know About District 9 http://io9.com/5341120/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-district-9 (Accessed on: 31.10.11)

Saturday 29 October 2011

Villain Designs


Improved Hero Design

Influence Maps

Hero Influence Map


  • Bald Eagles
  • Bikers
  • Punks
  • Leather Jackets
  • Harley Davidson
  • Microraptor Dinosaur
  • Turians from Mass Effect
Sidekick Influence Map


  • Californian Quails
  •  Punks
  • Leather Jackets
  • Valiant
  • Bugsy
Villain Influence Map


  • Harpy Eagles
  • Mass Effect Weapons
  • Star Destroyer
  • Sulaco
  • German U-Boats
  • Nazis
  • Krogan from Mass Effect
  • General Von Talon

Saturday 22 October 2011

More Defined Hero


I still need to work on his outfit more

Review on The Day The Earth Stood Still

Review on The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)


The Day The Earth Stood Still

The film was based on the 50s craze of UFOs reported to have been spotted in the sky's, as mentioned by Mark Bourne in a review. 'By 1951, reports of UFOs headlined in all the papers. Beginning in '52, George Adamski and other "contactees" would gain a goony celebrity by writing about encounters with wise, benevolent Space Brothers who, attracted by our atomic bombs, came to Earth in saucers delivering messages of warning and salvation.' (Bourne, 2003)

Inside The Space Ship

20th Century Fox Producer Julian Blaustein proposed the film idea about the flying saucers craze and what would it be like if it really happened and how would the country react to it. Head of production Darryl F. Zanuck was intrigued by this and allowed Blaustein to proceed with the film. A search to find a source for the film began, as explained by Karl Holzheimer in a review. 'Finding nothing that interested him, he finally stumbled across a short story by Harry Bates titled "Farewell the Master." He didn't much like the story. But was caught by the beginning of it in which an alien vessel lands on the Mall in Washington and, when at last a man and a huge robot emerge from the ship, a crazed spectator kills the man. Blaustein engaged writer Edmund H. North to write a screenplay. Not much of the original short story found its way into the screenplay. The alien's name, Klaatu, was retained and the giant robot called Gnut in the original story became Gort. The initial description of the ship's landing was altered but the location retained, as was the impenetrable nature of both ship and robot. North's finished screenplay incorporated Blaustein's initial concept of a documentary-style story and Bates's description of the ship, Klaatu and the re-christened Gort.' (Holzheimer, 2010)

Klaatu and Gort

The fear in this film during its time is about the nuclear era and what if something happened, as mentioned on grouchoreviews.com. 'The Day the Earth Stood Still may play corny today, bit its message about global harmony still resonates, and it's important to remember how sensationally vital it was to an early-'50s audience full of post-Hiroshima neuroses as the Korean and Cold Wars heating up.' (grouchoreviews.com, 2011)

Rating;

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Wise, Robert (1951) The Day The Earth Stood Still [Poster] At: http://thelivingneshorrorreviews.wordpress.com/2011/08/13/the-day-the-earth-stood-still1951/ (Accessed on: 22.10.11)

Figure 2. Wise Robert (1951) Inside The Space Ship [Screen cap] At: http://www.moviediva.com/MD_root/reviewpages/MDDayEarthStoodStill.htm (Accessed on: 22.10.11)

Figure 3. Wise Robert (1951) Klaatu and Gort [Screen cap] At: http://www.totalfilm.com/features/the-seven-ages-of-sci-fi-part-two (Accessed on: 22.10.11)

Bibliography

Bourne, Mark (2003) The Day The Earth Stood Still: Fox Studio Classics http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/d/daytheearthstood_fsc.shtml (Accessed on: 22.10.11)

Groucho Reviews (2011) The Day the Earth Stood Still http://www.grouchoreviews.com/reviews/3280 (Accessed on: 22.10.11)

Holzheimer, Karl (2010) Film Review: The Day The Earth Stool Sill http://www.midnightpalace.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=260 (Accessed on: 22.10.11)


Hero Head Design

Monday 17 October 2011

Prop Research for the Villain

Weapons


For the villain's weapon a large heavy weapon would be suitable, maybe having it be a part of his arm.

Influences;

 Gatling Gun


Bio Force Gun

M920 Cain

Avalanche

SpaceShip

The villain's vehicle would be a lot larger than the hero's. Even though he would be based on a space station,  a large star ship would be useful for chasing the hero.

Influences;

Star Wars: Star Destroyer

Aliens: U.S.S Sulaco

German U boats and Battle Ships









Prop Research for the Hero

Weapons

For his weapon I am going to make it a tool he uses to help fix his space ship. It will be a multiform hand held tool which although is very useful at repairing things could also be quite dangerous if used as a weapon.

Influences;

Plasma Cutter

Line Gun

Plasma Saw

Gravity Gun

Portal Gun

Space Ship

The Hero's spaceship will be a two man vehicle, space for the hero and sidekick. It can operate in space as well as hover along on a planets surface. 

Influences;

Harley Davidson, the popular choice for bikers.




Star Wars: Star Fighter

Mass Effect: Normandy

Sunday 16 October 2011

Review on Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story

Review on Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story (2007)

Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story 


The Tingler

His films were popular because of this, it was like a theme park ride and perhaps the very first interactive film. People could get involved with the film, feel a part of it and have fun in the process, as mentioned by Felix Vasquez in review on FilmThreat.com. 'Castle involved you in his movies, he convinced you that his films were horrifying and would perhaps scare you so much that you'd need a death certificate, or rental to a local coffin place. He's the epitome of what movies are supposed to be, fun attractions that the entire audience can be apart of, that you can only get a taste of with revival theaters who are ballsy enough to continue Castle's fun house tricks.' (Vasquez, 2008) Without all these gimmicks Castle's films would be bland and boring, maybe Castle new this, or maybe he wanted to try something different that no one had done before, as mentioned on seanax.com. 'Castle's films are all about ideas over execution, showmanship over style. He tends to be slack in his direction, better with startled shrieks than slow building tension, but he can layer in the gruesome details and spring a shock cut with the best theme.' (seanax.com, 2009)

Rating:


List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Schwarz, Jeffery (2007) Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story. [Poster] At: http://www.altfg.com/blog/film-festivals/fantasia-film-festival-2008/ (Accessed on: 16.10.11)

Figure 2. Castle, William (1959) The Tingler. [Screen cap] At: http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2008/04/jeffrey-schwartz-spine-tingler/ (Accessed on: 16.10.11)   

Bibliography

Koehler, Robert (2007) Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Storyhttp://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935479?refcatid=31 (Accessed on: 16.10.11)

Sean Axmaker (2009) The William Caste Film Collectionhttp://www.seanax.com/2009/10/18/new-on-dvd-william-castle-film-collection/ (Accessed on: 16.10.11)

Vasquez. Felix (2008) Spine Tingler! The William Castle Storyhttp://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/10743/ (Accessed on: 16.10.11)


Rough Villain Designs

Different Shapes


Head Designs