Ultimus/Evaluation

I remember having this crazy idea to make a movie out of a little over a year ago. This idea was totally conceptual, and one of the most reminiscent things about it was how revolutionary I had envisioned it to be. It wasn't supposed to be a clone of Cloud Atlas, or even Looper from the start. This idea was almost completely original when I first came up with it; a way to have one individual relive their mistakes, and continue to elude from them was the concept, and this had always fascinated me. Then I began to write about the character a bit more, slowly adding detail that was (is) subtle in the film, but was needed to further motivate the production is this picture. I thought of a concept where this character had lived for hundreds of years, and how gaps in time demonstrate how the smallest interruptions (the characters' actions) in space time can cause a reaction that was written to be apparent, but not obvious, in the film's original script. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out how I was going to convey this sort of idea; that's when I came up with the process of having 'lapses' between each of his different lives in different time periods, with the original script having all of their actions closely knit and apparent for various, and yet one simple reason. It was the idea of how 'one' can either live with regret for the rest of his/her life, or run from it and leave the likes of faults in the past where it belongs. Besides the small cuts I had to make specifically for the animation, I believe it has lived up to the script's expectations, even if the majority of the audience won't understand the film. The script was written with it originally being a challenge to the viewer; it was written as a test, an enigma for people to try and understand, to ultimately argue the meaning (or probably just the point, in effortless conversation) of Recall¹.

The final cut of the film has color corrected scenery, fixed animations/effects, and a soundtrack.

Visions6 Response

This year, Visions was interesting and especially for me because I was actually a part of the staff last year, so I thought it would be interesting to see the festival as a spectator once again. I attended the entire festival (with the exception of the video race and dessert reception), and from what I witness everything was organized very professionally. This year’s short films and lectures were all very interesting, but compared to last year I think that Vision’s Six wasn’t too concerned with their proclaimed theme of the festival, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some of the films that stood out to me were the animations, especially Still the Animation. I’m not going to describe what happens in still, but I did want to quote on the fact that it described the overall theme almost perfectly. In an age where animation is primarily target who younger (occasionally older) viewers, Still takes a concept and uses this to not only exploit a format for its backdrop, but also exit the screen with a great open ending. After film block one was the keynote address/Q&A featuring Jaclyn Gramigna, who did an excellent job with her presentation; this addition to the festival was interesting (and nostalgic), especially since Jaclyn was the first to win the Visionary Award a few years ago. After her presentation, I briefly left the festival because I wasn’t participating in the video race, however I did return to see the video race screening which was surprisingly fantastic. Skipping ahead to the conference block, I found my friend Travis’ paper intriguing, and also Garrett Spake’s presentation to be somewhat interesting as well. I think Garrett did a good job addressing some of the merchandising/rebranding issues that Hollywood has done in the past. Film block two was fantastic. I think that the highlight of the block (just in my opinion) was Pirouette. I feel like this animation, judging from the consensus of thoughts that people gave whom I had spoken to, thought that the Red Witch was astronomically better than any of the other animated films showcased this year. Pirouette is probably the most underrated animation/film that Visions Six had to offer this year. Overall, the festival was epic and it only keeps getting better every year.    

Marketing & Distribution Plan

http://riveramike15.wix.com/recallanimation 

The Fine Cut/Mid-April Update

I finished the fine cut today, and now I can focus on fixing lesser things in the film. The last few things my computer should be able to fix are the backgrounds for One; in each shot, the background is still grey so the color would have to change. The problem with this color is that it's too similar to the past, and with that being the only exception, every other time period looks pretty damn good, or at least passable. Green is the present, red is the future, and black/white is the past, but what should the final hue for the unknown era be? After I've finished the the dozens of One shots, everyone will see witness the color, and hopefully realize why it was chosen. Now for sound; so I was finally able to create a soundtrack for the film, by attempting to match the time period while simultaneously adding a more contemporary tone to the music. There is also the addition of the shock transition that transports the viewer between the four distinctive time periods (Two being the least visited), so hopefully that works for everybody. That's all.

Super Early 2nd April Update: Music

This week I'm going to be working on sound. The priority will be music for Recall; there are four different time periods, and three prominent concentrations that determines the type of music needed for each individual shot. As far as the editing is concerned, each piece will begin with the first shot of their respective time periods. Because the film is somewhat rapidly paced, the music will be cut according to the shot, but the most important aspect is that each piece will pick-up where it left off based on the shot the film is on. This pretty means that four (three) different pieces will be playing simultaneously, but not together, from beginning to end. The present will have something contemporary playing, possibly something that resembles pop music.. but I'm not too concerned with this since it has a smaller presence in the film compared to the others. The past will have something classical playing in the background, but hopefully it's not going to be too uppity. The two future(s) will have music that is similar to one another, but also distinctive in their own respective ways. And that's pretty much what the plan is for music.

First Week of April Update

I was able to come up with new ideas for my project, but nothing that can fix the background issue within the majority of the film. It was difficult in the pre-production to pinpoint the exact amount of items I needed to create for Recall, thus making it a huge scheduling nightmare; if I had continued with my work flow involving a focus on creating all of my materials prior to animating them, I wouldn't have been able to have a rough cut made in time. That's kind of why the cut looks bad. Bare bones, and spineless because the models are bland and the characters are unable to represent a time period. Feedback indicates this one was botched, so I'll be adding whatever is necessary to fix this mess to the point where it at least can hide the worse parts.

Last March Update

So like everyone else around this time of year, I've been hammered with tons of work from other classes including this one. It's been difficult trying to focus most of my attention on one particular project, so production on all of them has been constantly delaying. I'm going to try and focus on transitions for my film this weekend, and the week after I can begin working on the soundtrack for the film if there will be one for it. I'm still deciding whether or not I want to design sound for my film or if I want to keep it silent and create a soundtrack for it instead. I'm convinced that it can work both ways, if they're both done really well. I think I've already mentioned the lightning effects I've been thinking about using for the transitions between time periods; the shot would have a character perform the appropriate action, and the quick, yet elaborate effect would appear and signal the viewer to the next shot. Other ideas I've had include extending a few shots with others by creating montage sequences, or tweaking camera movements that could make the film more impactful in a discreet way. Besides that, just the editing would be the primary focus, as it is now. That's all.

Update: The Rough Cut

Before watching the first rough cut of the film below, I just wanted to say that it was fun to make, and that's really it. I know a lot of people aren't going to like this animation because it's not informative, and it's not cute or warm hearted or anything. You can't make everybody happy, viewers will have to make due with what I've got. some of the shots in the film are a bit wonky, but besides that I'm really happy that I was able to finish this on time; this gives me leeway to work on the effects in the film. Some of the 'memory transitions' will involve shock effects in between each shot. There are also parts of the film that will require blurring, materials that will cover unprotected shots, and grunge filters that will probably make the film pop. Lighting too. One last thing about the rough cut, there are no effects implemented at all, just as a warning.

The rough cut:

Update/Color Shots

So far it's been pretty great not having to worry about the amount of work I finished last week. The initial animations are done, but the shots still need to be fine tuned as well as edited (plus the sound work bonus). Some of the shots outweigh the rest that are in the film. What I mean is that there are several moments in the film that steal the glory away from others, and this is usually caused by the imagery; either the size or style is effecting this issue, but it shouldn't be a problem to fix the compositions (especially since the majority of the shots are all connected with the Illustrator files). I'm still deciding whether or not I should include individual sounds in Recall. The music will still be a part of it, but I'm not exactly certain how effective other sounds would be. This notion is probably due to the lack of dialogue in the film, as there is literally none whatsoever. And if adding sound does help illustrate the actions on screen then great, but it's probably not needed. Fun fact: the original cut of the film was twelve minutes long with the extra footage that had to be removed. The latest version is now three minutes plus a second long roughly edited and without any effects, including the transition visuals. Below is a brief edit of shots I out together, in their colored but 'rough states'.

Spring Break Update

After months of planning, weeks of writing, and hours upon hours (and a few more months) of working, I've finally completed my rough animation today. It's like I've been freed from my cage, and now I'm able to soar and enjoy the pleasures of liberty and fulfillment. Although the animating is done, my work is not yet finished. I'm still using this entire month and all of April to edit and work on the sound design for my film, hopefully producing noise which rival's that of THX (not really). I'm just glad I can relax for now, and focus on tweaking my film 'til the very end.

Pre-Spring Break Update

I'm happy to say that I am almost done with the rough animations of my film! Within the next couple of weeks, I'm going to try and finish the animations so that I can begin editing my film as soon as humanly possible. As far as the project goes, I've finished the first iteration of my character, and most of the fourth; they both take up the majority of the entire film, as they are the most vital to the concept of the project. The other two manifestations of the character are very little, in terms of both their involvement and their effect on the film. The reason for this is because both of them serve as 'passages' between One and Four, the two that are pivotal to the main point of the film (if anyone understands it in the end). Two is a character that embodies pure, almost sensitive side of the character, while lapsing with One distinguishes that Two is there to carry an alternative look at One's humble manifestation. Basically, Two is what was, what can, and what One could have been if that makes any sense. Three is what One was, and what One could have been. Four is what One will be, and what he was.

Weekly Update

This week I will not be posting any videos or screenshots of my project online, and that's actually because I'm waiting until this Wednesday to present those progression clips in class. Note: the clips I'll be bringing in a couple of days are rough cuts and not fully completed just yet. Next month is when I'll start adding nicer/crisper effects to as many scenes as it's needed. I'm afraid that people still won't be able to picture my vision completely because there's only so much you can do in a certain amount of time. This also isn't an excuse for me not to add more detail in my animation, I'm just saying if I had more time I could absolutely broaden the scope of my film and the image that people are able to see. I've said a few times that this film was originally written as a live action short feature, but I'm trying to apply it towards as many different genres (mostly formats) as I possibly can. This could even be a part of something much bigger, maybe even a segment of the live action animation hybrid idea I've had for quite a while now. Even though it may look like a trip, it still wouldn't qualify as an experimental, I don't think.... it's still a concept. This animation, the story is just a concept that I wanted to explore. So besides the surplus of info, I'm close to finished with the animations of my film.

Project Update/Screenshot Preview

So this weekend I was able to finish all of ONE's artwork and animations (which by the way looks really good), and now I'm moving on to FOUR's artwork and animations this week. With the exception of the setting, I don't think FOUR's artwork or animating should be a problem because I'm going to be basing the look off of ONE's original design. Now when I say this, it doesn't mean I'm going to totally cop y ONE's look for FOUR; I might change the color of his clothing, even add a few layers, and I will definitely be changing his facial features. As for the other two variations of the main character, it shouldn't be a problem completing their shots because of how little the amount is, and how easy it should be to animate (especially since I'm not drawing an entire bridge for the two). I'm already excited for next month, especially since I will be adding some new effects I've never been able to exploit in any of my earlier films.

Below are a few newer screenshots of my film, please enjoy:

Presentation

Artwork/Animation Update

So far I've been working on One's scenes in the film. Everything is flowing according to plan; I should be able to finish the initial artwork and animations for every individual in the film by the end of the month. Next month would provide ample time to work on the editing. Although editing the film would probably the most tedious, I think that overall the experience would be a blast, considering I have never edited an entire short animated film ever. After editing, my next task is sound design. I'm positive that I can really make an sound impactful in Recall, its just a matter of finding or recording the best/correct sounds that are the most reminiscent with the film's content. I'm also hoping the sound is as crystal clear as that audience can project it, whenever it has to be screened in May (or April?). One problem I've had so far, could probably be the changes I keep making in terms of the overall style; I like these changes, but ultimately they might just pile on up and I will eventually have to make cut backs. That's not something I would want to happen, especially if it interferes with the narrative of the film. Otherwise, the changes are okay, hopefully. Below is a screenshot of what my schedule for February, or this month looks like. This will be included within the presentation for my assignment three:

Storyboards/Update and Sneak Peek

So far the project has been pretty smooth, everything's on schedule and there are currently no speed bumps. The production is really a matter of learning and relearning things that I've used before, and it's basically just a joy ride. Making something from scratch feels pretty darn good, and I'm positive that this project is going to be absolutely great. For those of you who are reading, my current work habit is like this; I start with one character of the film, and finish each and every shot with that version of the character. After that, I move on to the next, and what's great about this strategy is I think is that every time I move on to another character, the amount of work for that person gets shorter.

What I'm saying is that I'm working on the character with the most shots, and moving down the list of characters who have fewer shots. The more I work, the more the outlook of this project becomes clear to me. I'm just glad that I'm used to killing hours of time editing items, because if I hadn't this project would have already driven me crazy ages ago. But this entire process of creating objects in Illustrator and animating the parts in After Effects is just too much fun. If the video works, below is a clip of the first official shot of my film (I'll bring it to class on Wednesday). Note: this isn't how the final product of the footage will look like after post-production.

Also, my storyboards. Please don't judge my crappy drawings!

Story Outline/Act Structure

Recall: Act Structure in Segments

Before I organize the story of my film in the ‘act structure’ format, I wanted to clarify that this film doesn’t have a structure to begin with. The story itself is a continuously loop from beginning to end, with cuts so rapid that any structure is almost unclear. Actions from every version of the same character in the film carry the plot towards the end; the actions are the story. There is no real conflict, no resolution (it’s open-ended), and no separate acts to begin with. But for the sake of the assignment, here is a glimpse at what my film would look like if it was formatted as a three act structure.

ACT I:

In the first act, our protagonist is waking up in a dark alley, covered in glass with blood soaking the forehead. Our protagonist’s vision is blurry, but the foggy vision clears up after introducing the present-day version of the protagonist, or TWO. Two wakes up, and fixes the blurry vision issue by putting a pair of glasses on. The film cuts back to One, who sits up from off the ground while shaking off small shards of glass; One then sees a pistol, and after grabbing and studying it, sets it back on the ground. The film cuts back to Two, who is sitting by the bedside, and after standing up Two starts walking.

ACT II:

In the second act, as Two continues to walk, the film cuts to the past version of the protagonist, or THREE. Three walks at relatively the same pace as Two, reaches the end of the study and sits in a chair below a desk. The desk has an assortment of papers scattered on it. There is one blank page that stands out from the others, and Three decides to examine it. The film cuts to One, who stands up and is immediately cut off by Three’s current action of studying the page. The film cuts to One, who is still unable to remember what is or had happened. One then notices someone next to him face down on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding the body. The film cuts to Three, who puts the page back on the desk. After a few short moments of thought, Three slides the chair away from the desk. The film then cuts to the future version of the protagonist, or FOUR. Four is seated in a similar fashion that of Three’s. Four removes a tablet from a jacket, and skims through a message that’s displayed.

ACT III:

In the third act, the film cuts back to One, who is panicked from hearing people in the distance closing in on the location. One is forced to pick the side arm off of the ground. The film cuts to Four, who puts the tablet back in the jacket pocket, and cuts back to One who is also tucking the weapon in the jacket. One is entranced by the identity by looking through the corpse’s wallet. The ID has a red X on it. The film cuts to Four, who reaches for a tracker and turns it on; One hears a small beeping sound, and turns to find and object with a blinking red LED on the back of the jacket. The film cuts back to Four, who stands and removes a side arm from the jacket after hearing the confirmation noise. One grabs the side arm from his/her jacket, loads it, and sprints forward. Four walks forward. Shots are heard from behind One, to continues to run in the opposite direction.

Treatment & Character Bios

Recall Treatment

Alleyway Perspective :

Our protagonist wakes up in an alleyway with no recollection of what is or has happened. Certain actions made by alternate versions of the protagonist effects what he/she does in the unclarified timeline. He/she wakes up (sight is foggy at first, lapsed by TWO’s glasses*) covered in blood and glass, and sits up while shaking off small shards of that glass. He/she then picks up the pistol on the ground, and after studying the weapon’s exterior decides to place it back on the ground. ONE stands up and pauses, but then (lapsed by THREE’s blank page*) struggles to remember exactly what is going on. ONE then sees an inanimate body just a few yards away, a pool of blood surrounding relatively close to the corpse. After a slight panic, ONE hears a group of people (in this case “headhunters”) close by, and quickly picks up the side arm from off the ground. Tucking the weapon (3^rd lapse) inside his/her jacket, ONE shuffles through the dead assailant’s pockets and finds a wallet. He/she shuffles through the wallet, and finds an ID with a red X and the word “never” written on it. A (4^th lapse) small beeping sound is heard nearby, and ONE turns to find his/her jacket marked by a tracker with a blinking red light. ONE grabs his/her side arm, cocks it, and runs.

Bedroom Perspective (PRESENT DAY):

The first alternative of the protagonist seen in the film is the present day setting of a bedroom. Sitting up covered in notes (one of which contains a clue/marker about the ending <being the word>) and recollecting every page. Placing the notes in a folder, and sets it aside away from his/her bed. Finds his/her glasses (1^st lapse), and puts them on prior to standing by his/her bedside table with the folder of notes. He/she puts on a pair of shoes (boots or slippers), and walks.

Study Perspective (PAST):

The second alternative of the protagonist is an older individual from the past. Following the arrival of TWO, and as a continuation THREE walks past a vast amount of books (the second clue concerning the ending will appear on any shelf <being a forcefully noticeable bible, or something else>) on his/her wall, and sits in a chair in front of his/her desk. THREE scrambles through a pile of notes spread all over the desk, and then separates a blank page (2^nd lapse), studying it somewhat attentively. THREE then sets the page back down, just above another page that is communicating the word “will”. After pausing, THREE slides in his/her chair away from the desk but does not stand up.

P.L.B Park/Lot/Bridge Perspective (FUTURE):

The final alternative of the protagonist is set in either one of these three locations; the settings include a park, lot, or a bridge. Still seated from THREE’s perspective, FOUR is also seated; on a bench to his/herself, FOUR stares at the floor in front of his/herself. FOUR then pulls out a tablet and reads a message with lettering in code. After reading the message, FOUR (lapse for tucking the weapon) tucks away the tablet in his/her coat, and reaches for a tracker. FOUR then (lapse for the red tracker) pushes the button, and waits patiently for a signal to be heard from the tracker as a target confirmation. After FOUR tucks his/her tracker away, he/she stands and removes a side arm from his/her coat pocket. There is an inscription on the barrel of the pistol with the word “end”.

ONE's Bio:

One is trying to remember what is happening in his/her situation. The protagonist wakes up in an alleyway, but with every second gone by an action is made in either the past, present, or future that directly effects the protagonist's own actions. Covered in shards of glass, a broken window, someone lying face down a few yards away, and sirens wailing in the distance. What could they mean? Please don't cringe at that.

TWO's Bio:

Two lives in the present era of the film; this alternative of the protagonist is a middle-aged individual who is woken up by the connection with One. This alternative of One is the representation of stability, setting the very foundation that the other two (three) alternatives will mentally trample over. We see very little of Two in the film because of the amount of disparity between the other three.

THREE's Bio:
Three is essentially the protagonist's wiser self. This alternative represents the past in the film, and is set in a Victorian era (for now, unless I change it to Ancient Egypt); THREE is currently in a study of some kind, with books trailing in shelves on the wall behind the protagonist. These shelves lead up to Three's desk, where there is a stack of papers and a clue about One's situation (barely). 

FOUR's Bio:
Four is the final alternative to One, and is responsible for creating the link that loosely explains the majority of One's situation. Four's body is set in the future, not common with One's current timeline. Four is a 'headhunter', one who takes contracts and kills people for a living. That being said, Four never really kills anyone in this film. Four's purpose is to complete the cycle that is linked between the other two (three) alternatives.