1. Why did you take this class?
Ever since middle school, I always wanted to go BOCES and especially do something related to art so, when I took the tour of the school and saw Digital Media, I just knew I had to come to this class. Even at the interviews, I meet with Christina and to this day, we're really close friends and even going to college together. Pretty much, I took this class because I wanted to. I love the arts and animation and video production has always interested me from a young age but, I just didn't know it back then.
2. In general, what did you like most about this class?
The atmosphere, I can come in the class and i know I'm welcomed. Unlike my high school classes, the instructor actually likes me. Funny to think but, I know it's true. My fellow classmates are my friends and I consider them that, I love working with everyone and I simply love the overall feel of the class. I can learn here, and I have learned these past two years.
The curriculum is also a lot of fun, stressful, yes but it's a whole lot of fun when you have to do a project. Some of m favorites being the 11 second club from last year and the explosion exercise from this year, lots of fun!
3. In general, what did you like least about this class?
Nothing to be honest. Thinking from both years, I see nothing wrong with the class as we are taught well, do notes, critique each others works and just simply, the class is positive and is a positive atmosphere. As I stated above. Maybe the only thing is time constraints and due dates but that's on me when it comes to controlling my time and organization. So yeah, nothing at all!
4. What was your most favorite project and why?
The documentary, even though it wasn't my best project and it's in need of more footage that I shot at cons, it was a whole lot of fun compiling it together and actually, I got to talk to my brother more because of it. Cosplay has always been a huge part of me and doing this, people got to understand it a bit more and again, it's not the best but I view things as if, if I had the most fun doing it, that's the best.
5. What was your least favorite project and why?
I don't have a true lest favorite project but, my worse project in my opinion, has to be a tie between my class competition an my video poem. I had a vision for what I wanted them to look like and it just didn't work out correctly, but also, it would have to be because I'm a horrible actor when I'm on camera trying to convey emotion. Unlike my documentary where, I was taking about something I'm passionate about. They could have been better and they weren't my best.
6. Discuss the overall effectiveness of the instructor (for example: preparation, availability, interest, content knowledge, expectations, etc.).
Ms. Licata is definitely the best teacher/instructor that Iv'e had in years. You're able to talk to her at anytime about anything and she is extremely helpful when you need her. I actually learned in this class, these past two years hold my favorite memories for my last two years of high school. Ms. Licata gave use projects and simply, we did them. The class is a lot of work but when you have a good, hard working teacher, teach you. You're in for success.
7. What are the most valuable things you learned in the class?
Anything animation related. This class gave me the idea of what I wanted to do for my career. Learning how to animated with an exciting experience and I can't wait to learn more in college. Learning how to use the programs through long lessons helped a whole lot and hey, this was the first class I've ever been in where I used my first Mac. Kind of cool!
In all seriousness, this whole class has information that is worthy of remembering and using it later in life, from the principles of animation, to learning how to make particles, learning Premiere and even After Effects.
8. Do you feel that this class will help you achieve your future academic or career goals? How or why (or why not)?
DEFINTELY.
This class kick started my college experiences and help me along then any other art class I took. One of the best decisions of my life. I'll remember this information for next year and the next 4 years and I'll be learning more and more so, this helped me a lot to start off everything.
9. How could this class be improved?
Stick with whats good. Don't change a single thing in my opinion, it's not broken at all. This year our class has won awards and got noticed and if thats a good thing then, something is being done correctly in this class and we definitely need to get noticed a whole lot more often.
10. Additional comments:
It's been a fun two years everyone. I'm gonna miss every single one of you guys and we definitely need to keep in contact and do things together when we're not busy. I'm going to miss the dank memes in class and the horrible puns from everyone. The inside jokes and just, everything. You guys are my friends, no matter what and I also can't wait to college with you guys too. That's going to be fun also and to Ms. Licata, I might not be the greatest student, I might not be the student with all the awards, I might not even be a good student but, you taught me a whole lot. I'm going to miss Digital Media and I hope things go well in the future. Maybe a reunion in the future?? Possibly. haha.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Captain America Has Taken Over My Life AGAIN (Blog # 54)
Graduation is way to close and it's super scary. *screams*
But it has to happen.
This week nothing really happened except for my stress about my final film and actually filming it which I kind of did but I had to cut stuff from it. But OH WELL. I didn't really learn anything else either, possibly that I can actually write essays and not have my English teacher continuously yell at me for it. *yay*
Captain America always makes me happy but Pre-Serum Steve Rogers just makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside, he's just a major cutie (not to mention Peggy Carter does the same thing to me but-) I re-watched CA:TFA this weekend with my friend Karissa and now she understands why I call her my Bucky. So that was a lot of fun.
But, for something bad, a four year friendship with a close "friend" of mine ended and I'm happy it did. They were extremely negative and mean about a lot of things and always acted like a 5 year old, in a bad way so, go me for making my own life better.
Summing it Up:
Me to Captain America:
But it has to happen.
This week nothing really happened except for my stress about my final film and actually filming it which I kind of did but I had to cut stuff from it. But OH WELL. I didn't really learn anything else either, possibly that I can actually write essays and not have my English teacher continuously yell at me for it. *yay*
Captain America always makes me happy but Pre-Serum Steve Rogers just makes me all warm and fuzzy on the inside, he's just a major cutie (not to mention Peggy Carter does the same thing to me but-) I re-watched CA:TFA this weekend with my friend Karissa and now she understands why I call her my Bucky. So that was a lot of fun.
But, for something bad, a four year friendship with a close "friend" of mine ended and I'm happy it did. They were extremely negative and mean about a lot of things and always acted like a 5 year old, in a bad way so, go me for making my own life better.
Summing it Up:
Me to Captain America:
The Shins (Video # 20)
A really cool music video and song by a band I just discovered last week and I'm in love with their feel with the music and the stop motion animation is simply screaming with atmosphere which I adore and it's really well done.
So Much Stress (Blog # 53)
Art Brings Stress??
. Even now, film making and any art form is an odd choice in career from the usual, firefighter or doctor that many children pick but then come the odd balls who wanna become film makers or whom wanna go into the art field. Well, when it comes to making films, it's not the most sound career since it's never a solid job, you never know whats going to happen that day or how a shot is going to turn out or all of the above. It's an unknown job of unknown occurrences.
Being an artist on screen, having a vision is something everyone has and you put your vision out there and it may not go well in the box office because the audience didn't understand it. It's a true fear and it does happen to many directors whom make films.
So, when a movie works, it's usually luck. A roll of the dice that lands just right with the audience in mind. Not all films are going to win an award based on the writing or whatever, sometimes it's just trial and error or just the love of the art of doing it.
Stress Happens to All
. Stress happens to the best of us when it comes to anything we enjoy or what we want people to enjoy. It's a natural thing and to have film makers constantly stressed with how things are going to happen, from the production of the movie to the reaction from audience, it's almost like showing your parents something you drew when you were young and hoping for them to be proud of you. It's almost exactly and when they don't like it, you'll try harder. Now that's a film maker, they keep trying to connect to that audience for the correct reaction that could happen at any time.
. Even now, film making and any art form is an odd choice in career from the usual, firefighter or doctor that many children pick but then come the odd balls who wanna become film makers or whom wanna go into the art field. Well, when it comes to making films, it's not the most sound career since it's never a solid job, you never know whats going to happen that day or how a shot is going to turn out or all of the above. It's an unknown job of unknown occurrences.
Being an artist on screen, having a vision is something everyone has and you put your vision out there and it may not go well in the box office because the audience didn't understand it. It's a true fear and it does happen to many directors whom make films.
So, when a movie works, it's usually luck. A roll of the dice that lands just right with the audience in mind. Not all films are going to win an award based on the writing or whatever, sometimes it's just trial and error or just the love of the art of doing it.
Stress Happens to All
. Stress happens to the best of us when it comes to anything we enjoy or what we want people to enjoy. It's a natural thing and to have film makers constantly stressed with how things are going to happen, from the production of the movie to the reaction from audience, it's almost like showing your parents something you drew when you were young and hoping for them to be proud of you. It's almost exactly and when they don't like it, you'll try harder. Now that's a film maker, they keep trying to connect to that audience for the correct reaction that could happen at any time.
The DO'S and DONT'S (Blog # 52)
Lessons to Learn
. When it comes to getting into the animation industry, you'll most likely become overwhelmed but, what truly reflects your work and whom you really are, is your demon reel that your future employer would look at. The combination of your best works into a small film, it's what represents your work and if you should be hired or not. This article shows what you should and shouldn't do while making your demo reel. Only put in your best work, even if you might have a more sentimental feel towards something else, only put the best because it shows you, at your best and not at your mediocre. Also, do not make the reel into a full length movie, make it around 1-2 minutes since employers have to browse other reels as well, take that into consideration. Make it short and simple but interesting so they remember you. Like a movie, start with your "action scene" you want to wow the viewer of the demo but, make sure to wow them once more at the end for a great climax. Use interesting shots so again, you're remembered for your creativity and work.
Not everything needs a soundtrack, sometimes, no sound makes things better and not distracting to the viewer and when audio is used, you don't wanna muddy it up with extra audio that makes it hard to hear anything else, other than that beautiful score.
Just to add the cherry on top, it's not a bad idea to have a physical portfolio to show them as well, to display other talents other than animation, examples being, character design and paintings.
Truly Worth It?
. I would say this is a good article to follow by when constructing a demo reel and from looking at the examples, they are well constructed and well paced. Having to make one in college, I'd definitely take my tips from this one.
. When it comes to getting into the animation industry, you'll most likely become overwhelmed but, what truly reflects your work and whom you really are, is your demon reel that your future employer would look at. The combination of your best works into a small film, it's what represents your work and if you should be hired or not. This article shows what you should and shouldn't do while making your demo reel. Only put in your best work, even if you might have a more sentimental feel towards something else, only put the best because it shows you, at your best and not at your mediocre. Also, do not make the reel into a full length movie, make it around 1-2 minutes since employers have to browse other reels as well, take that into consideration. Make it short and simple but interesting so they remember you. Like a movie, start with your "action scene" you want to wow the viewer of the demo but, make sure to wow them once more at the end for a great climax. Use interesting shots so again, you're remembered for your creativity and work.
Not everything needs a soundtrack, sometimes, no sound makes things better and not distracting to the viewer and when audio is used, you don't wanna muddy it up with extra audio that makes it hard to hear anything else, other than that beautiful score.
Just to add the cherry on top, it's not a bad idea to have a physical portfolio to show them as well, to display other talents other than animation, examples being, character design and paintings.
Truly Worth It?
. I would say this is a good article to follow by when constructing a demo reel and from looking at the examples, they are well constructed and well paced. Having to make one in college, I'd definitely take my tips from this one.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
LANGUAGE (Blog #51)
Graduation is coming in fast and not gonna lie, I'm both scared and excited for it to come.
So this week, nothing truly eventful has happened, just me buckling down for this last few weeks of school and getting ready to film for my final project next week which, I definitely hope will come together. Getting ready for prom also, got my dress and all and gonna get all prettied up cause, I don't do it often!
Besides that, for my final project, I really wanna plug in a small animated part into it, like showing someone texting someone else in a little text bubble. I'd love to do that, if not, I have another plan for it.
This week has been alright, things have been chill and I'm doing some more digital art, gotta do more pencil art again but I'm doing that again! (AND YES, I'LL DRAW YOUR RAPTOR FOR YOU, BRIAN) PLUSSSS, two behind the scenes pictures have been shown, one for James McAvoy being baled for his part as Xavier in X-Men: Apocalypse and one of Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes for Civil War,
*SCREAMING INTENSIVES*
Nothing sad happened either, only if you count the 20 times I cry a day BUT, otherwise, it was a good week.
Summing it Up:
So this week, nothing truly eventful has happened, just me buckling down for this last few weeks of school and getting ready to film for my final project next week which, I definitely hope will come together. Getting ready for prom also, got my dress and all and gonna get all prettied up cause, I don't do it often!
Besides that, for my final project, I really wanna plug in a small animated part into it, like showing someone texting someone else in a little text bubble. I'd love to do that, if not, I have another plan for it.
This week has been alright, things have been chill and I'm doing some more digital art, gotta do more pencil art again but I'm doing that again! (AND YES, I'LL DRAW YOUR RAPTOR FOR YOU, BRIAN) PLUSSSS, two behind the scenes pictures have been shown, one for James McAvoy being baled for his part as Xavier in X-Men: Apocalypse and one of Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes for Civil War,
*SCREAMING INTENSIVES*
Nothing sad happened either, only if you count the 20 times I cry a day BUT, otherwise, it was a good week.
Summing it Up:
MARVEL is Bringing us a Science Lesson (Blog # 50)
Tony and Bruce Bringing the Facts
. As we all know, Superheros are the modern day "greek gods" of the generation and have been giving readers fantastical and cliffhanger stories for decades as MARVEL has been around since 1939 and has taken the world by storm with the production of several successful movies all starting with the man himself, the millionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark. With the release of The Avengers in 2012, MARVEL has grown in popularity and has grown to mass levels in the box office creating more and more fans by each movie. Though, enough with the introduction. We know MARVEL could create memorable characters that are relatable but also, powerful and were role models to all because of what they could do. Though, with further investigation and it no time on our hands, many of the Avengers we know have more to them than what we preserve.
Looking at Tony Stark and his Tony Snark, Tony has a brilliant mind that is able to create his Ironman suit to help protect the Earth from evil badies, making him fly and throw repulsion blasts all over the place but, when thinking of it and with the help of this video, it's actually revealed that his suit is and possibly is made of a nickel titanium alloy A,K,A "nitinol" which is much more lightweight and could actually take a lot of damage which, is what Tony would need and to add to that, his arc reactor, as we know, had to be changed back in Ironman 2 because it was slowly killing Tony because of the Palladium. He did in fact, create a new element to keep himself alive and made a new arc reactor. Seems implausible but, that is fiction as many scientists have created offspring elements and we have been doing it so to have Stark do the same, isn't as far fetched as many would think it to be.
Moving on down the line to the leader of the Avengers and the most badass female on the team, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff are two members that don't show off as much as let's say, Thor and The Hulk but for what they have, it's quite astounding.
As we know, Steve Grant Rogers was given super serum back in the 40's to make him the ultimate super soldier which turned his asthmatic, 95 pound self to a 6 foot beef cake with heightened strength, speed and even a faster healing rate. Not on Wolverine's level but still rather helpful. Natasha Romanoff, with biotechnology enhancements she's practically the same as Cap with quicker healing and a profound knowledge of fighting styles and killing methods, being an assassin and all. Though, this could be explained as well through the explanation of our white blood cells. Macrophages help with healing, simple right? Wrong, with Cap and Black Widow, there's pump out more quickly to heal there bodies much more quickly than a normal human body, Now, going to Captain America's vibranium shield, how is able to withstand a hit to it without breaking, here's a thought. When Thor hits Cap's shield, light is created before the force thrusts everyone to the ground. Through sheer force, light energy is created and then repelled back.
Let Us Analyze
. Science and MARVEL just fit well together and it all makes perfect sense on why things happen. Thinking of several heroes of even villains in the MARVEL universe, science could back up their actions or why they are, the way they are. Looking at my favorite comic book team, The X-Men, mutants are explained to have a special DNA gene called, the X-Gene that are handed down at birth through the father and not the mother and then comprehends what mutant ability that child will have. It makes sense and it's just, because.
Science could explain why thinks happen and why they are there which, is why I like and enjoy MARVEL.
Dragons Are Coming (Blog #49)
Let's Create a Dragon
. At Pixomondo is Frankfurt, Germany, is the home for the three dragons of Game of Thrones and the senior animator and rigger, brought these creatures to life. Florian Friedmann helped in other films such as, The Hunger Games, Hugo, Star Trek into Darkness and some German films until he helped on the hit tv show. For animating these dragons, Friedmann won a VES Award for his part in the show and for his animation of these character. In the beginning, their rigs were much more simple and not as heavy as they are now, Friedmann explained. The rig was re-built with each coming season as they grew bigger and bigger to their size now. Soon new animations were added to make them fly, muscles were added and animations of the horns and scales and by now, they are extremely heavy. Though, with more details, comes more animation controls, over 400 controls. Each spike, each frill has an animator and each finger is animated on their own. Though, making things easier, each three dragons have the same basic rig and just small details are changed when needed to fit that dragons proportions. With the aging of the dragons, many things had to be fixed and changed along with, making more problems that need to hidden which is competely fine as problems are gonna happen at any point, and problems could be covered. And other animals could create the ultimate animal as they are good for reference to understand a creatures movements.
I Like Dragons.
Not watching Game of Thrones yet, I haven't seen the progression of the dragons yet, until now and it's extremely impressive of how much time is put into these three dragons and that the rig is so many controls on it to give the dragons true life. Friedmann deserves more recognition for his is teams work on these dragons and all the other work they have done in my opinion. Using animals for movement and to combine them to something you want is a great method and using yourself as an actor, I have seen before and even if it's funny, it does help in the long run.
. At Pixomondo is Frankfurt, Germany, is the home for the three dragons of Game of Thrones and the senior animator and rigger, brought these creatures to life. Florian Friedmann helped in other films such as, The Hunger Games, Hugo, Star Trek into Darkness and some German films until he helped on the hit tv show. For animating these dragons, Friedmann won a VES Award for his part in the show and for his animation of these character. In the beginning, their rigs were much more simple and not as heavy as they are now, Friedmann explained. The rig was re-built with each coming season as they grew bigger and bigger to their size now. Soon new animations were added to make them fly, muscles were added and animations of the horns and scales and by now, they are extremely heavy. Though, with more details, comes more animation controls, over 400 controls. Each spike, each frill has an animator and each finger is animated on their own. Though, making things easier, each three dragons have the same basic rig and just small details are changed when needed to fit that dragons proportions. With the aging of the dragons, many things had to be fixed and changed along with, making more problems that need to hidden which is competely fine as problems are gonna happen at any point, and problems could be covered. And other animals could create the ultimate animal as they are good for reference to understand a creatures movements.
I Like Dragons.
Not watching Game of Thrones yet, I haven't seen the progression of the dragons yet, until now and it's extremely impressive of how much time is put into these three dragons and that the rig is so many controls on it to give the dragons true life. Friedmann deserves more recognition for his is teams work on these dragons and all the other work they have done in my opinion. Using animals for movement and to combine them to something you want is a great method and using yourself as an actor, I have seen before and even if it's funny, it does help in the long run.
Here's Some StevRayBro (Video #19)
StevRayBro is an animator and artist on youtube that I'm a fan of and his digital sketchbook video for FNAF is great for it's simplistic drawings and coloring
ENJOY
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