CS Research

     I am about 2/3 weeks away from the hand in for our cs work and so this week have been preparing my first draft version to be looked at. We have the option for our hand in to fully write a chapter of the essay and summarise the rest., or to do a more detailed summary of each chapter. In my mind it seemed more beneficial to use this first term to get a section of the essay to its completed standard, even though I can make changes for BA8, therefore I opted for the first choice. A very strong direction of my work so far has been the use of fairytale/folktale in "Django Unchained" and based on my research I had so much to say about it I considered that this should be the basis of my first chapter.
     This website http://elodieedjang.wordpress.com/essays/essay-one/ kickstarted a huge amount of the ideas I discussed within this first chapter. I began talking about visual references to fairytale in Django and other Tarnatino works such as "Inglourious Basterds".


     These images are used to draw comparison to the story "Cinderella" where Prince Charming identifies Cinderella with her abandoned shoe, the Nazi officer from "Inglourious" in this scene identifies a woman in much the same manner.

      These next images discuss this relationship further with the disfigurement of Nazis by Brad Pitts character in Inglourious being compared to the eye gouging of Cinderella's sisters in the Grimm's version of the tale. With both examples being a visible penance for the subjects misdeeds.
     This last example was particularly important to me as in Django there is a strong similarity within the "Mandingo" (slave fighting) scene where one slave is "punished" for his loss with the same eye gouging.





      Another visual reference to fairytales can be found in the use of intertitles within the films.




This gives the audience a sense of a story being told. In my essay I have begun to look out how the calming innocent effect of this fairytale structure is being used to create strong contrasts with the violence and horror of the film, which in turn amplifies the effect it has upon the audience.


   












     I have also been looking back at some of the work we did last year regarding narrative theory in folktale, such as Propp's action spheres. In order to properly comment on the relationship between these theories and the narrative structure of Django I have borrowed "Morphology of the Folktale" (V. Propp) from the Uni library.


     I have started to draw strong comparisons to the character functions found in Django, where Django is the hero, Dr King the donor, Broomhilda the princess etc. I have furthered this by showing how the folktale structure of characters is mirrored by a folktale told within Django itself by Dr King. This folktale happens to be the legend of "Seigfried and Brunhilde" (who represent Django and Broomhilda). The full story can be found here http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=712

     I have also found a very good site here (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-django-unchained-siegfried-20130413,0,4870063.story#axzz2jFcyJqLc.) that compares Django and Seigfried further comparing villain "Calvin Candie's" imprisonment of Broomhilda in the hotbox to the dragons similar imprisonment of Bunhilde in the castle.

     This is about as far as I have taken my research at this point I have included my references here:

David Ng. 2013.'Django Unchained' pays homage to Wagner's 'Siegfried'. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-django-unchained-siegfried-20130413,0,4870063.story#axzz2jFcyJqLc. [Accessed 18 November 13].

Jerome Magazine. Undated. TARANTINO’S FAIRYTALE: WHAT YOU DID NA-ZI, THE GRIMM TRUTH ABOUT INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://elodieedjang.wordpress.com/essays/essay-one/. [Accessed 05 November 13].

Metoperafamily. Undated Synopsis Siegfried. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=712. [Accessed 06 November 13].

Propp, V, 1928.Morphology of the Folktale. 2nd ed. USA: The American Folklore Society and Indiana University .

Django Unchained, 2012. [DVD] Tarantino, USA: Columbia Pictures, The Weinstein Company

Inglourious Basterds, 2012. [DVD] Tarantino, USA/ Germany: Universal Pictures, The Weinstein Company, A Band Apart, Zehnte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Visiona Romantica

I will continue to add to my essay following its review by my tutor.

Comic Influence

     Reflecting on my past research has encouraged me to think a little on the story and style of my game outside this one particular scene. I have always quite enjoyed comic book style art and to see this influence in the artwork for my inspiration game has encouraged me to consider this style around my project, even if we do not see this directly in my scene. I considered the possibility that my character would be joined on specific dates of their life when significant events are occurring. We would join the character as they awake and each time there would be perhaps a written or spoken narrative bringing the player up to speed. I feel like this additional story element would be the perfect accompaniment to the character I am trying to entwine within this environment.
     A good indication of the kind of effect this would have can be found in this video compiling the narration of Max Payne 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeEmGqmQ5FM
     As I said whilst this feature wouldn't be easy to highlight when building my 3D environment I think it may lend itself as artistic influence towards things such as my design document.

I thought of some more things!

     I have now completed the concepts for my bar scene. However before I got on to this I started thinking about the function of my environment, as in why would the player be there, what would be the point. This made me think that unlike Max Payne, I don't want my bar to be a level that you walk though, but more like a base or home location in an open world game. As this idea came into my mind I started thinking of other inspirational sources that were more similar in their function and I felt it was important to mention them here.
 
  GTA- The Lost and Damned- Whilst GTA IV did have bar scenes within it L&D's storyline focused upon a biker gang who's base was located in a dirty, rundown, old bar much like what I have in mind.

     The stripper pole on the right ties in with the more seedy kind or atmosphere of this location. The necessity of the cage has presented a grim outlook on some of the more unsavory customers you could expect to find here.
This functions as a hideout for the player and as a place where the game can be saved etc, as well as being the location of several missions and storyline events. This particular expansion of GTA did not permit the player to change outfits, the character was expected to be wearing gang uniform, however a wardrobe option would normally be available at safehouses within this series. Importantly the location also includes minigame options for the player like snooker and cards. This is something I would like to prepare for in my scene as I feel the more interactive the base is the more appreciative the player is of it. Furthermore minigames like this are sometimes even my favourite part, the checkers tables in Assassins Creed 3 are an example of. They can also provide a nice variation in the gameplay from time to time which can be refreshing, particularly if you were perhaps stuck on a certain level in the storyline missions and fancied a break.


     GTA V
Another GTA example this time the most recent release. I found this to be particularly useful as one of the bases later in the game happens to be a strip club.


    The location as it is happens to be much better kept and much more well funded than what I have in mind however it is useful to me to see what my environment will be a cheap imitation of. Strip clubs already have a reputation of being pretty tacky, garish colours, neon lights etc. so I am hoping that my example of an impoverished attempt at recreating it will really have an unpleasant seedy quality that will effectively give the player a strong sense of the kind of environment their character is surrounded by.

     Like in the Lost and Damned this base has functions the player can perform. On top of those listed already (game saves, outfits etc.) Players can plan missions, save vehicles in parking spaces, consume food/drink, and obviously interact with strippers. The last option can also then allow them to date the said stripper if they wish. These are all ideas which like the sound of. I only plan to create the interior of my environment for this project so the parking situation is less important however I particularly like the idea that, a little like GTA, the character could be running multiple operations which could all be managed from a particular location within the bar. I also like the idea that players could, retool, refuel, and rest should they need to at this location.
      These games have given me a little more to consider in the planning of my environment. With this in mind I will now start to put together some ideas of what it should look like.

Bar concepts.

     I was a little concerned about starting my concept drawings for the 3D work I am doing. There is always the worry that my drawing style wont be in keeping with my work once I start modeling. For this reason I had a look first at some of the artwork surrounding my inspiration games.

GTA5


     Max Payne 3

   
     When I look at these images the art style isn't necessarily reflective of what we see in game. I would say that these picture are all slightly comic-esque whereas the games themselves seem to revel in realism. The comic style is perhaps a particularly appropriate feature for Max Payne, considering the strong Film Noir theme that accompanied the early installments of the series. However all these images effectively convey the kind of atmosphere we see within their corresponding game and it occurs to me that achieving this, regardless of art style, is the more important thing.
   
   

          I decided that first I should have an idea of my layout, even if I choose to deviate from this later on. I have made sure that there will be different areas to accompany the various "functions" of the location. Players will be able to consume food drink from the bar for example, the cellar will likely hold some kind of office set up (mission management) and a mattress for sleeping on. The bottom left corner has a pool table and I will try to include other games by having a dartboard on the wall, card decks on tables etc. The top left corner will be the "adult entertainment area" (although I think this would apply to the entire bar anyway) and just tucked in from the bar would be the dance floor where like in games such as GTA or Sims, players could meet potential girlfriends/dates.

     An important idea to me, again to show just what kind of place this environment is. would be to make sure the player feels some kind of separation between these areas. People would be visiting the place for different reasons and have next to no interest in what the other customers are doing there. People in the strip club aren't interested in hanging out with the pool player, who likewise don't care if you came in just to play some cards, or to try your luck on the dance floor. This again will make lighting important I feel- in this case securing an invisible kind or partition to show that this area of the bar is quite different from the next. Once again this shows the true nature of the venue. Whilst a more established building may have different rooms VIP, Bar and Dance areas, we are seeing a small pokey building try to encompass all of these with its low cost all in one set up. 

     The adult entertainment area I think will be one of the most noticeable parts of the bar. With its loud, unignorable lighting an general griminess I think it will catch the eye of the player wherever they are in the bar. I have tried to get this griminess across by making sure that from the walls to the sofas to the tables, every surface looks as though it is still dirty from years of dirt, mud, and spilt drinks that have never been cleared up. It has been raised up a level and a railing put round to give the impression of some kind of modest/privacy however, as with most of the bar, no real effort has been taken to ensure this.

    

     This gives a quick overview of what I would call the general area of the bar where customers would sit and drink. You can see the general unkempt nature and the lack of effort to make sure that bottles are cleared away, or even just picked up so they don't spill all over the floor.

     

     

     This image show the bar as I picture it. The main details to focus on here are the general deterioration of the place eg. holes in the bar where the wood has been kicked through, the lack of a freezer to chill any drinks. The extremely limited choice of drinks, one brand of beer and a small assortment of spirits and the weapon on the lowest shelf, indicating the bar owner may frequently be required to defend themself.

     

     I am still a little undecided on what the toilet area will look like. I decided the bar would only have one bathroom for men and women but I am not sure whether I will keep the lighting as it is, with quite a lot of the disco light shining through, or to use stong but cold lighting to make it quite an unfriendly almost clinical looking area, a bit like the bathroom in the opening scene of "Saw". I will continue as I am and review this later. 

Saw- Bathroom Scene

     I decided now that my next step is to do a very simple block out version of this scene in Maya as I feel this will allow me to settle on particular feature before I begin my major research into I will achieve all my desired effects.

Studio work- Bar- Inspirations

     Since our session last week I have been spending time thinking about what I would like to do for my studio project. As stated before I was already considering a 3D environment such as a bar. I started to think about the kind of bars that I prefer to go to. Generally I prefer somewhere with a sense of character, often accompanied I find by a reasonable amount of deterioration, and adorned with various artifacts that have been picked up over the years. I feel I would find it preferable to create this kind of scene then an immaculately clean and well looked after building with no real atmosphere to it.
     Whilst I don't have an exact idea for the game setting my environment would fall into, I have an idea for what the scene should be like. I think I will pick a foreign location for my building, somewhere where health and safety would not be an issue, fights would break out regularly, with a seedy atmosphere and a plentiful amount of illegal activity.
     My first step was to get as much inspiration for my idea as possible. A strong example of this kind of scene that I particularly enjoyed is in one of the levels of Max Payne 3. Much like the criteria I had for my own idea this takes place in a lawless slum in Brazil where safety regulations in public buildings would be the least of anyone's worries.

     One of major things that appeal to me is the sense that rich Western culture has infiltrated the location. This attempt to appeal to tourists with merchandise, such as the gaudy shirt max is sporting in this image, is something I feel I should include in my scene to add character to the environment. I would also like to show this by having big name brands, or knock off versions, of food, drink, clothing etc within the scene. Obviously I cannot use existing brand but it should still be possible to emulate this.

     The sense of dilapidation is also something I want in my scene. Whilst this image does not quite capture the same mood as my bar, it is from the previous Max Payne set in American, it does give a idea of the grime and disrepair I would like to put forward in certain areas of my game. My main intention is to get the impression across that this is a no frills kind of establishment where the decor and general cleanliness are thoroughly ignored by patrons who are there purely to satisfy their vices by any means necessary

     Lighting has often been a weak point in the final presentation of my work, and one of the points raised by my tutors when deciding on the project was the opportunities for lighting within this piece. Being a bar/club there will be many variances of shiny materials, chrome, glass bottles, polished wood etc which will all reflect light differently.
     In keeping with the seedy atmosphere I also intend to include an "adult entertainment area" within my scene. As before this is where people will be coming to satisfy their various urges and therefore rather then trying to dress it up as a "classy establishment" it will consist of cheap fluorescent lighting and grubby furniture. This lighting around the snooker table in this area gives a fair example of how I would like this to come across.  
      Some other relevant features of the image would be the snooker table and the posters on the wall. If this was somewhere people were spending a lot of time I imagine pub games would be a popular choice. Posters on the wall I can imagine would be an alternative to putting fresh paint on the walls. It would also be another example of rich Western media infiltration where American music and cinema that may appeal to tourists.

     This image shows far too grand a scene for what I have in mind however I did want an example of the set up behind the bar, and to some extent the style I am trying to avoid.

Overall the Max Payne series also sets a benchmark for the type of realism I would like to achieve in my 3D piece when it is finished.




Another, if somewhat indirect, source of inspiration is the anime series and subsequent game adaption "Afro Samurai". The art style is far too comic book for what I have intended however it is a brilliant example of the "Western influence/infiltration" I have mentioned before. Whilst the series is typical of Japanese Manga in many ways the use of Samuel L Jackson, a very Western icon, as a character voice subverts this somewhat.
The protagonist himself is clearly inspired by Blaxploitation characters such as the ones below.


This cross of cultures I will try to infuse slightly with my own work, cheapening the aesthetics of the bar even more with its tacky tourist appeal. My next step is to start formulating my ideas and deciding on the layout of my actual scene. I will begin this now and then update.

CS

     After some thought I decided that as I enjoy film as much as I do, it would be good to relate my research report to movies in some way, something along the lines of film/game adaptions was going through my mind. However on speaking to my tutors it was agreed that I would be able to focus on a film of my choice (I picked "Django Unchained". I decided my research report question would be something along the lines of "What are the film techniques used within Django Unchained, and what are their relevance to other media?"
     To prepare for our next cs session I began thinking about some of the areas I would start looking at. After some discussion with my tutors and some basic research on the film I came up with the following ideas.
Tarantino's use of fairytale:
-"Inglorious Basterds" relation to Cinderella, lost slipper, disfigurement as penance
-Disfigurement also appears in Django
-Both films use intertitles that set the scene in fairytale style eg. Once upon a time..
-Seigfried and Brynhilde legend told within film runs parallel to narrative, further more it also happens to be a German folktale
-Relationship to narrative theories- character functions/action spheres, Vogler's  Hero's journey, Levi Straus's Binary Opposition
-Song featuring in soundtrack tell separate stories themselves
Other possible areas of focus could include:
-Tarantino's controversy- publicity?
-Genre relationships, Blazing saddles (second link through use of humour), Red Dead Redemption (second link through controversy/publicity
-Blaxploitation as an inspiration for the film

This will give me some areas to focus on for my project. We also had a group tutorial where we were directed to various online sources that would help us find reference material. However a lot of these were game related so I have had to look elsewhere for more material. I have bought copies of both "Empire" and "Total Film" magazines (the Django editions) for any material they may produce.

Return to Uni

     After some debate on leaving this year I eventually decided to remain on the course and complete my final year. As we are already about three weeks into our first term this requires me to catch up a little. My first task is to decide what I will be doing for my projects.
    Contextual Studies this year will consist of a 5000 word (or 10,000 if we wish) research report upon an area of our choice. The BA7 portion of this is a started but not complete "draft" version. It has however been emphasized that the word draft does not mean that our arguments is in bullet point or note form, but just that the is more to be written or expanded upon.
     We will be working on one studio project for the entire year. There were several options for the area we wanted to explore, 3D environment/characters, user interface, level design, concept art and interactive narrative. The last one does take my interest however I do think it would be something I would rather explore in my own time. Therefore I am pretty sure I would like to continue looking at environmental assets. So far my ideas only go as far as some kind of pub/bar scene