Creating Stereoscopic Images

Recreating Lights and Cameras in Maya

Original Image

Recreation 1

Recreation 2

Lighting a Scene in Maya

3-Point

2-Point

1-Point

Third Term Paper

My first two term papers scores were both above 80; I will not be writing a third term paper.

Outline for the Third Term Paper

The Parting of the Red Sea is a classic scene that been interpreted many different ways throughout cinematic history. This essay is a comparison between an animated and live action version.

The Ten Commandments uses composited imagery and matte paintings for to achieve this special effect while Prince of Egypt

Thesis:  In Prince of Egypt, the sea erupts outward from Moses's staff, while The Ten Commandments version shows the sea parting as if blown by a powerful gust of wind.

Descriptions/Observations:

Prince of Egypt

• Moses strikes his staff into the water and the water is propelled outward
• The sea parts radially at first then splits open like a seam
• The water appears pushed outward by force, rather than moving on its own
• The sea remains parted and held in place by strong wind

The Ten Commandments

• "God's wind" plays a stronger role in depicting the parting of the water
• The sea splits open in a straight line 
• Before the sea opens up, there is a visible moment when one composited shot transitions to the next.
• As the water continues to part, opening up a path for the Israelites, the wall of the water is noticeably a different matte plate than the water still parting in the distance.

Conclusions

Considering the time in which each film was produced, I think both were successful in portraying the Parting of the Red Sea. Prince of Egypt is ultimately more convincing because of the close-up shots of the animated water bursting from Moses's staff, but the use of composited matte paintings and practical effects in The Ten Commandments deserves recognition for ingenuity and craftsmanship.

Character Animation

Like my previous stop-motion animation, this one was also created using My Macbook's webcam and Flash. I decided to animate a lump of clay because its malleability allowed for a wide range of motion. I planned the entire sequence by first playing around with the clay, seeing which forms would animate in the most convincing way. Once I figured out the forms and actions that I found most appealing, I animated the whole sequence straight ahead. I then imported my photos in reverse and textured the timing.

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction?

The older we get the harder it becomes to get absorbed by works of cinematic fiction. Educated minds tend to reject anything that seems implausible, even in fantasy worlds existing solely on a computer or television screen. This is especially true for artists trained to think critically about the physics of motion as they are applied to 2D animation or live-action CGI. One of the most commonly broken laws of physics in cinema is Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Known simply as the action-reaction principle, this law stipulates that a pair of forces affect any two objects that interact, meaning that a force cannot be exerted in one direction without receiving an equal amount force in the opposite direction. Ignorance of this physical law is most often seen in depictions of projectile motion, from energy blasts to superpowered kung-fu kicks. Understanding the decision to break away from reality requires a keen analysis of specific scenes from both live-action and animation. In Avatar: The Last Airbender, the X-Men movie franchise, and The Matrix Trilogy, the action-reaction principle is violated in order to service certain mechanics of the storyline and for dramatic effect.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Avatar) is an animated kung-fu fantasy series that aired on Nickelodeon. It rose to popularity because of its inventive way of choreographing dynamic fight sequences without showing violent imagery. The world of Avatar is based on traditional Chinese martial arts and ancient Eastern philosophy; the four warring nations within this world each have a mastery over the one of the natural elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Aang, the protagonist, is an “Air Nomad” and thus has the ability to bend air to his will, controlling the current around him to leap great heights, or project gusts of wind from his hands to push back any attackers. In the scene below, Aang goes one-on-one with Toph the Blind Bandit, an Earthbending child prodigy who goes on to become his trusted friend and mentor. In this short fight, Aang uses his airbending skills purely as a defensive measure, blasting bursts of wind to evade Toph’s attacks, or to push her back. Yet upon closer inspection we see that the laws of physics are inconsistently applied to the mechanics of Airbending. If Aang’s air-blasts are strong enough to launch him up into the air when aimed at the ground, then by Newton’s Third Law of Motion, the same air-blast should push him backward when aimed forward against an oncoming attack. Granted, the oncoming attacker, be it a boulder or a person, might not give the same amount of resistance as the ground because of a smaller surface area, Aang should still move backward by a distance relative to force of his airblast, instead of remaining planted solidly in place. In the end, Toph loses the fight because Aang’s air-blast pushed her out of the ring, but if Airbending followed the law of action-reaction, then both fighters would lose because the opposite force of Aang’s air-blast would push him out of the ring as well.

The fantastical world of Avatar justifies the show’s deviation from Newton’s Laws of Motion. According to its creators, the various “bending arts” are unaffected, or at least affected differently by physical laws because their power comes from spiritual energy like Chi, rather than natural forces like gravity or electromagnetism. This way of deviating from reality is not unique to animation. Many live-action films, particularly comic book adaptations in which CGI is used heavily for special effects, bend or simply ignore the rules of physics to allow characters to use their superpowers. Cyclops from the X-Men movie franchise is prime example of this kind of cinematic fiction. Like Aang, Cyclops’s superpower is unaffected by the action-reaction principle. He is a mutant with the ability to project concussive beams of energy from his eyes. Taking the appearance of bright ruby-colored light, these “optic blasts” exert a tremendous amount of force on any object(s) with which it comes into contact. Remarkably, Cyclops himself receives no recoil from the impact his optic blasts. In fact, he is easily able to walk forward while keeping a constant beam that destroys everything in his path. This, of course, would be impossible in the real world. The beam’s recoil on Cyclops would likely break his neck as he is pushed backward, considering the amount of force exerted on his targets. There are a number of explanations for how Cyclops is able to resist the effects of recoil, but the most plausible (as far as comics are concerned) comes directly from the official Marvel website’s character profile. While the explanations are based entirely on science fiction, it is important to take these mechanics into consideration when trying to understand how superpowers work in the X-Men universe, and why the director of the live-action counterpart chose to bend the rules of physics. Cyclops’s eyes are essentially portals to an alternate dimension through which the red beams of energy flow. They emanate from his eyes constantly, and so can only be controlled by his eyelids, i.e. when the beams come into contact with his skin. Similar to recoilless rifles which allow some of the propellant gases to escape out of the rear, the backward momentum created by the optic blast’s impact is thrust into the alternate dimension instead of on Cyclops’s body, allowing him to move freely while maintaining a steady discharge of pure destructive power.

If having mutated body parts acting as portals to another dimension seems far-fetched, then fighting inside a computer simulation might be a bit easier to grasp. The last offender in this investigation into crimes of cinematic physics is Neo from The Matrix: Reloaded. The fight sequences in this second installment of The Matrix Trilogy are more theatrical, and so more prone to inconsistent physics. In the famous chateau fight scene, Neo faces off against six opponents attacking all at once. Using the power of his mind to bend the laws of physics within the Matrix, Neo is able to pull off incredible stunts like doing a backflip twenty feet into the air, or sending his foes flying across the room with a single kick. The latter is by far the least convincing special effect in the entire scene. Fortunately, each kick shot in a way that focuses the viewer’s attention on the action part of the stunt, and away from the reaction that would logically follow. The camera tracks Neo’s enemies as they fly across the room, crashing into various marble upholstery and other props. Giving audiences a visual thrill ride is an effective way of distracting them from the obvious limitations of real-world physics. By combining complex yet fluid choreography with high-octane action, the creators of The Matrix Trilogy are able to get away with egregiously inaccurate physics.

To bend the rules, one must first know the rules. Newton’s Third Law of Motion is a simple principle that can be misconstrued in a surprising variety of ways. Separating scientific facts from cinematic fiction is not only an eye-opening exercise in critical thinking, it is a vital step towards a more active viewing experience. Basing plots around science, or “science” is an emerging trend in the entertainment industry. As students of this field, it is our responsibility to explore and understand how professionals apply basic scientific principles to push the creative boundaries of film-making.

wc: 1242

Outline of the Second Term Paper

Newton’s Third Law of Motion in Animation and Film

Introduction:

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. A pair of forces affect any two objects that interact. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the forces on the second object.

Thesis:

Newton’s Third Law of Motion is often ignored in animation and live-action CGI to service certain mechanics in the storyline and for dramatic effect.

Examples:

1. Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender creates powerful gusts of wind from his hands without being pushed backward.
2. Cyclops’s “optic blasts” from the X-Men movie franchise have no recoil.
3. Neo sends men flying across the room with a single kick in The Matrix Reloaded while being able to remain in place.

Example A: Avatar: The Last Airbender

• Brief description of storyline and the mechanics of “bending” the elements.
• Description of how airbending works specifically
• Explanation of how scene breaks Newton’s Third Law

Example B: X-Men

• Brief description of movie universe
• Explanation of Cyclops’s mutant superpower
• Optic blasts are a concussive force
• Dissection of individual scenes from example video clip
• Comparison to rocket launchers illustrating how optic blasts would work in real life

Example C: The Matrix: Reloaded

• Brief description of movie universe
• Description of fight scene mechanics within the context of the film’s universe
• Explanation of how scene breaks Newton’s Third Law
• Comparison to real world physics

Conclusion:

• Summarize Main Points
• Restate thesis

Reverse Video Reference

Stop Motion Animation of Falling

To create this animation, I used a pin, a cork board, my Macbook's built-in webcam, and the Photobooth app to capture the images. I used masking tape to create borders for the edge of the frame, and dental floss keep my arcs smooth since I was initially having a lot of trouble getting the object to fall/bounce in a straight line. I planned everything out by first doing rough tests in Flash, but the actual stop-motion animation was done straight ahead using The Odd Rule and FDHT to guide my spacing. I then imported all the images in Flash, textured the timing, and animated the intro as well as the orange blob at the bottom.

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

While some animated feature films strive for realism, others seem to do away with the restrictions of the real world completely in order to deliver a unique take on storytelling. Sylvain Chomet’s The Triplets of Belleville not only falls under this second category, it does so with refreshing creativity. Taking cues from early Fleischer Brothers animation and French comic books, Triplets breaks the rules of physics in order to create a world that caricatures our own. The laws of physics in The Triplets of Belleville are inconsistent, adding to its charm and originality. A deeper analysis, however, reveals that the film does not break the rules of physics randomly. In fact, the physics always change in favor of the protagonists, aiding them in times of peril while adding humor to the film’s otherwise darker themes.

Also known as Belleville Rendezvous, The Triplets of Belleville is a wacky transatlantic adventure filled jazz, bicycles, hand grenades, and the power of parental love. Madame Souza, the main protagonist, is a devoted grandmother to Champion, a sullen orphaned boy who grows up to be a contestant in the Tour de France. When the French Mafia kidnaps Champion as a part of their twisted gambling scheme, Madame Souza sets out to rescue his beloved grandson with the help of the Triplets of Belleville, a geriatric trio of Jazz-Age scat singers. Even before her daring rescue mission, Madame Souza displays feats of superhuman strength. It is worth noting that while her actions may seem ordinary when taken out of context, they are remarkable considering her old age and that her right foot is significantly shorter than the left. Nevertheless, she is able to keep up with her grandson’s bicycle training effortlessly, riding along on her tricycle on cobbled streets sloping 45 degrees steep. She maintains a steady pace as she pedals uphill, showing no signs of struggle while her grandson pushes forward slowly. She seems to defy gravity because her weight appears constant regardless of the direction in which she is traveling. A character moving upward against gravity should gain weight, or at least appear to do so, but Madame Souza does not. Champion, on the other hand, is visibly heavier  and slower as he pedals along the same steep slopes.

Madame Souza’s superhuman strength can also be seen when she finally sets out to rescue her grandson. Spending her last franc on a flimsy plastic pedalo, she goes after Champion’s captors, braving rough storms and tidal waves. Yet again she does so with relative ease. She pedals her way across the entire Atlantic Ocean, against the current, without being swept off course or losing track of the ocean liner she is chasing. She actually manages keep up with the ship, just as she did with Champion during their training sessions. As impressive as this may seem, the sheer power behind Madame Souza’s legs is most apparent at the end of the film when she stops a speeding car using only her foot. Fed up with being chased by the relentless French Mafia, she decides to face them head on, sticking her foot out in their path essentially  causing the car to “trip” over and crash. This break from reality is as convenient as it is comical. The rules of physics are broken in order to give Madame Souza a fighting chance the against numerous gun-wielding mafiosi chasing after her. Yet, superhuman strength and durability are not unique Madame Souza. Her allies, the Triplets and Bruno the dog, also have their moments of physical shenanigans. Earlier in the chase, the Triplets are able to turn the cycling machine around tight corners by reaching out and holding onto street signs, using their arms as a pivot. Because the cycling machine is obviously much heavier, the Triplets’ spindly arms would break if this was attempted in the real world. The laws of physics in Chomet’s animated universe ignore the effects rotational inertia on both the cycling machine and the Triplets. The amount of torque required to turn such a heavy object is far greater than the tensile strength of the Triplets’ arms. Finally, during the race leading up to Champion’s capture, the medical van on which Madame Souza and Bruno are riding gets a flat tire. Undeterred, Madame Souza uses Bruno as a spare tire when the van driver fails to fix the problem. Bruno bites onto the axle, and they drive away while he remains completely unharmed.

Another example of Belleville’s conveniently inconsistent physics is in its portrayal of explosions. Once again, the difference lies in the situation under which the explosives are used. When one of the triplets goes frog hunting by throwing a hand grenade in a nearby pond, the explosion ejects the water vertically in a contained cylindrical column, instead of up and outward in a more violent conical spray. The explosion also does no damage to the triplet herself, despite the shallow water and her being only about seven feet away. In contrast, when the same hand grenade is used against the French Mafia, the resulting explosion is visibly more destructive. The theater catches fire while the Triplets and Madame Souza manage to get away unscathed. Even Bruno, who is also only a few feet away from the explosion, is spared. The chase scene that ensues contains most of the film’s physical gags.

The French Mafia face several obstacles in their pursuit of Madame Souza and the Triplets. In such a dire situation, the protagonists are lucky that the laws of physics are on their side. They make their escape using yet another hand grenade to blast open an exit on the theater’s brick wall. Unsurprisingly, the explosion leaves the protagonists without a scratch. This is when the laws of physics go from flexible to completely irrelevant. At one point during the chase, one of the Mafia cars crashes into a baby stroller; the car is completely destroyed while the stroller remains safe and sound, as if nothing had happened at all.

The Triplets of Belleville shows that breaking that laws of physics can be an exciting new way to tell a story. Grounding the physics in an animated universe in reality lends believability, but bending the rules is necessary in creating a unique and entertaining world in which an audience can fully immerse themselves.

word count: 1052

Outline for First Term Paper

Introduction

Film: Sylvain Chomet’s Triplets of Belleville

Thesis: The rules of physics are inconsistent throughout the film, adding humor to its otherwise dark themes and aiding the protagonists in times of peril.

Body Paragraphs

Hypothesis 1: Madame Souza has superhuman strength

• She is able to keep up with her grandson’s bicycle training effortlessly, all while blowing on her whistle without missing a beat.
• She is able to cross the entire Atlantic ocean on a pedal boat

Hypothesis 2: Indestructibility

• Bruno the dog is used as a spare tire yet remains unharmed.
• One of the Triplets is able to change the direction of the pedaling machine with just their arms
• Madame Souza is able to stop a speeding vehicle with just her foot

Hypothesis 3: Inconsistent explosions

• One of the  triplets throws a grenade into a pond to gather frogs for dinner. Explosion is only a few feet away yet does little damage to her.
• In a gangsters’ theater, the same grenade is used yet does considerably more damage than before.

Conclusion: While the inconsistent physics in the Triplets of Belleville may turn some viewers away, it actually adds a creative twist that benefits the storytelling.

Video Analysis of Path of Action

Tracker Video Analysis of Falling

Shooting Video Reference

Mini-Portfolio

Greetings! I am John Fabic, an aspiring concept artist here at San Jose State's Animation/Illustration program. Painting is my life, but up until this point I have been focused on painting expressively. Now I want to spend more time exploring/understanding the effects of light and shadow on color and form so I can create realistic renditions of imaginary worlds. I have had several traditional painting classes, but hardly any science classes. My scientific knowledge comes mainly from biology and geology classes, and countless Youtube videos. 

These are my final paintings for The Forest Project. 

This is the very first animatic I ever made. Old and crude, but I still like it :)

The First Post

I had a most wonderful summer!