CM 363 - The Pixar Story

I watched "The Pixar Story" documentary on Netflix yesterday and it was surprising in contrast to what had been discussed and shown with "Nanook of the North" and "The Plow That Broke The Plains." What we had discussed with those was the extensive use of prepping shots and dynamic shot choices. Switching scenery many times and adding jumps between wide and close, taking time with shots, developing silhouettes before showing faces, etc. "The Pixar Story" did not follow these conventions at all. Rather almost all the documentary was stock footage from movies discussed, still photography, and medium-close-up interviews. However, the interviewer was never pictured and the director never mentioned however. Also, the documentary was narrated by Stacy Keach who has a very deep manly voice. So while the stylistic camera choices did not follow this dynamic convention, the structure and "voice of God" was still very much in tone with early documentary.

What I appreciated about "The Pixar Story" was that due to its focus on stock footage and interviews, I did not feel there was a bias coming through or an agenda. I did not feel as if the filmmakers were pushing themselves onto the audience. Rather, it felt like a strong non-fiction piece with unpaid actors that was meant to tell a story in a very objective manner. Compared to almost all documentaries nowadays (as we discussed with Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock) it was quite refreshing to have a very focused and poignant story where I could fill in the gaps myself with my own spin. I found the film quite enjoyable and it was a nice history lesson of all the events that lead to the creation and success of Pixar. I did not know how involved certain people were in it and I feel it gave a very fair and balanced perspective on each side of the story.

So as shown, some aspects were altered, some stayed conventional, but regardless the movie was still successful as a documentary. I did not feel swayed or pushed, nor did I feel a devolvement into fiction. I would definitely recommend "The Pixar Story" as a strong example of objective filmmaking.

CM 363 - What Is Real?

In reading Chapter One of the "Documentaries" book, I was reminded of a Cracked article I had read recently. On page 26 of "Documentaries" it talked about how many of the travelogues of the time were faked, such as the Roosevelt safari or big game hunting. However, even though the footage of the terrain was faked and actors (Roosevelt look-alike), it was stated that the lions were actually shot and killed on camera.

The cracked article here discusses various "monstrous" movie events. Some are just directors being odd, but others reminded me specifically of this portion. The parts that came up in my mind were Number 7 (Noah's Ark), Number 5 (Ben Hur), and Number 3 (Cannibal Holocaust). With that Noah's Ark scene, it was discussed that the director did not warn people about the flood of water that would hit them, supposedly killing a few people in the process. This, in turn made the flood and panic look much more realistic, but at a price. While the film is fiction (as can be stated with the jungle safaris above), this scene was quite real (as with the killing of the lions). Again, with the Ben Hur scene, it was reported that the chariot race actually did happen as filmed, with the riders being in real peril. What better way to film a race than to film a race? In this sense, could one call this scene a travelogue or documentary piece as it was real people doing real racing even though it was in a context of a larger film? To what scope must we view "reality" in a piece in order to call it documentary? Can pieces of a film be documentary? For instance, if stock footage is used in context of a fiction film to further a plot (lets say, a period piece about Vietnam or WWII using real news footage to further the plot of the characters), does that play any role into the "realism" of the piece, or is it just as fictional as a movie that had no stock footage or "real" events?

Cannibal Holocaust I think is the most like the early travelogues in that it was completely promoted as "real" and the deaths of the animals actually happened on screen, just like the safaris and big game hunts that were discussed on page 26. In fact, audiences were so shocked by what they saw, the director of the film was sued for various abuse rights thinking that real people had died in the film. It was not until the director had the actors appear in court alive and well that the public started to believe him. In this sense, how "real" can a film be, and how much should we believe? Is it only because of the extreme nature that this film was put on trial? What about something Michael Moore makes. We all know he has an extreme bias and probably bends the truth to fit his entertainment needs, but why is he not sued and made public everything that he does? How do we know he is not paying people to do what he wants? In the same vein, we can look at reality television and wonder what is "real" or not about that. For instance, The Situation on "The Jersey Shore" made 5 million dollars last year through advertising and endorsements; but he never would have gotten the payroll had it not been for the show. Also, how much do we know came from the show? Most people believe reality TV is scripted anyway, so how can it still be called "reality?" Is it because it takes place in the "real world" as opposed to a world of fiction created specifically for the screen? Or, since these people on the Shore know they're on camera, and are getting paid for their antics, they probably play up who they are and act out in specific ways to garner better ratings and higher payrolls turning the "reality" program into something of fiction. In that sense, one could put Cannibal Holocaust and The Jersey Shore under the same label of fiction for non-fiction purposes.

So in this, I ask, what is reality and to what context and extent does that reality play into calling something fiction or non-fiction?

Final Flash Game

I was somewhat uncomfortable coding on my own which is why I went this route. Instead of copying and pasting the code in the tutorial however, I did write it myself while following so I could gain a better understanding of what I was doing. This made the process go a bit slower than expected so I didn't have much time to go back and try and add my own touches to the game. I'm still happy with the final product though and I did learn a bit along the way so even though it's so simple I hope it meets the requirements.

EDIT: If you don't like the sizing and such, you can see the full game Here.





CODE
Ship

package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.Event;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;
import flash.utils.*;

public class Ship extends MovieClip
{
private var mouseIsDown:Boolean = false;
public var myManager:BulletManager = new BulletManager();
public var myHud:HudDisplay = new HudDisplay(stage);
public var myEnemyManager:EnemyManager = new EnemyManager(stage, myManager, myHud);
private var bulletInerval = setInterval(createBullet, 200);

public function Ship()
{
trace("Ship added to stage!");
stage.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, moveShip);
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_DOWN, mDown);
stage.addEventListener(MouseEvent.MOUSE_UP, mUp);
myEnemyManager.spawnEnemies(4, 1);
myEnemyManager.spawnEnemies(2, 2);
myEnemyManager.spawnEnemies(2, 3);
}
private function moveShip(Event):void
{
this.x+=(stage.mouseX-this.x)/5;
}
private function mDown(MouseEvent):void
{
mouseIsDown = true;
}
private function mUp(MouseEvent):void
{
mouseIsDown = false;
}
private function createBullet():void
{
if (mouseIsDown)
{
var aBullet:Bullet = new Bullet();
stage.addChild(aBullet);
aBullet.x = this.x;
aBullet.y = this.y;
myManager.bulletArray.push(aBullet);
}
}
}
}

Bullet
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;

public class Bullet extends MovieClip
{
public function Bullet()
{
trace("Bullet fired!");
}
}
}

Enemy Manager
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.display.Stage;
import flash.events.Event;

public class EnemyManager extends MovieClip
{
public var enemyArray:Array = [];
private var _stage;
private var _bulletmanager;
private var _hud;
private var speeds:Array = [5,7,10];
private var explosionArray:Array = [];

public function EnemyManager(get_stage:Stage, manager, hud)
{
trace("Enemy manager added");
this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, managing);
_stage = get_stage;
_bulletmanager = manager;
_hud = hud;
}
public function spawnEnemies(num:Number, enemytype:Number):void
{
for (var i:int=0; i{
var anEnemy:MovieClip = new Enemy();
anEnemy.gotoAndStop(enemytype);
var enemySpeed:Number = speeds[enemytype - 1];
enemyArray.push({mc: anEnemy, eSpeed:enemySpeed});
_stage.addChild(anEnemy);
anEnemy.x = Math.random() * 400;
anEnemy.y = - Math.random() * 400;
trace("Enemy spawned: " + anEnemy.height);
}
}
private function managing(Event):void
{
for (var u:int=0; u{
enemyArray[u].mc.y += enemyArray[u].eSpeed;
if (enemyArray[u].mc.y > 450)
{
if (enemyArray[u].mc.alpha == 1)
{
_hud.addMiss(1);
}
enemyArray[u].mc.y = - Math.random() * 400;
enemyArray[u].mc.x = Math.random() * 400;
enemyArray[u].mc.alpha = 1;
}

for (var g:int=0; g<_bulletmanager.bulletArray.length; g++)
{
if (_bulletmanager.bulletArray[g].alpha == 1 && enemyArray[u].mc.alpha == 1 && _bulletmanager.bulletArray[g].hitTestObject(enemyArray[u].mc))
{
enemyArray[u].mc.alpha = 0;
_bulletmanager.bulletArray[g].alpha = 0;
var anExplosion:MovieClip = new Explosion();
_stage.addChild(anExplosion);
anExplosion.x = enemyArray[u].mc.x;
anExplosion.y = enemyArray[u].mc.y;
explosionArray.push(anExplosion);
_hud.addScore(10);
}


}

}

for (var l:int=0; l{
if (explosionArray[l].currentFrame == 10)
{
_stage.removeChild(explosionArray[l]);
explosionArray.splice(l,1);
}

}

}
}
}

BulletManager
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.Event;

public class BulletManager extends MovieClip
{
public var bulletArray:Array = [];

public function BulletManager()
{
trace("Manager added");
this.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, managing);
}

private function managing(Event):void
{
for (var i:int=0; i{
bulletArray[i].y -= 10;
if (bulletArray[i].y < -10)
{
bulletArray[i].parent.removeChild(bulletArray[i]);
bulletArray.splice(i,1);
}
}
}
}
}

HudDisplay
package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.display.Stage;
import flash.text.TextField;
import flash.events.Event;

public class HudDisplay
{
public var playerScore:Number = 0;
public var playerMisses:Number = 0;
public var showScore:TextField = new TextField();
public var showMisses:TextField = new TextField();
private var _stage;

public function HudDisplay(get_stage:Stage)
{
_stage = get_stage;
_stage.addChild(showScore);
showScore.x = showScore.y = 10;
showScore.width = 50;
showScore.height = 24;
showScore.selectable = false;
showScore.text = "0";
showScore.background = true;
showScore.backgroundColor = 0xCCFDFD;
showScore.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, depthChecker);
_stage.addChild(showMisses);
showMisses.x = 10;
showMisses.y = 40;
showMisses.width = 50;
showMisses.height = 24;
showMisses.selectable = false;
showMisses.text = "0";
showMisses.background = true;
showMisses.backgroundColor = 0xFF6464;
showMisses.addEventListener(Event.ENTER_FRAME, depthChecker);
}

public function addScore(amount:Number):void
{
playerScore += amount;
showScore.text = playerScore.toString();
}

public function addMiss(amount:Number):void
{
playerMisses += amount;
showMisses.text = playerMisses.toString();
}

private function depthChecker(Event):void
{
if (_stage.getChildIndex(showScore)!=(_stage.numChildren-1))
{
_stage.setChildIndex(showScore, _stage.numChildren-1);
}
if (_stage.getChildIndex(showMisses)!=(_stage.numChildren-2))
{
_stage.setChildIndex(showMisses, _stage.numChildren-2);
}
}
}
}

Action Script

HERE

package
{
import flash.display.MovieClip;
import flash.events.MouseEvent;

public class SceneJumpDemo extends MovieClip
{
var bones:Bones;
var snakes:Snakes;

public function SceneJumpDemo()
{
bones = new Bones();
snakes = new Snakes();

addChild(bones);

bones.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onBonesClick);
snakes.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, onSnakesClick);
}


function onBonesClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
addChild(snakes);
removeChild(bones);
}

function onSnakesClick(event:MouseEvent):void
{
addChild(bones);
removeChild(snakes);
}

}

Reflective Essay - Buttons

A button is an interactive symbol, either animated or static that has different outcomes depending on the interaction. It allows different scenarios to occur based on the type of button and other factors. For instance, it may make a sound, or change just by rolling the mouse over or clicking. The animation might change, the picture might change, or it could turn into something completely different. The design of a button affects its use depending on where the "hit" is and what the purpose of the button is. If a button is small but has a large hit area it could be deceiving where to roll and click or visa versa. A button could also be misleading as I attempted to do with my "Don't Click Me" button. The design isn't an animation or even an image so to speak, but it did have a design I hoped would lead people to interact in a very specific way.

I honestly don't know too much about buttons, digital or literal, so I'm not sure I can really comment on "great" ones. I do however have an appreciation for sarcastic buttons that one can see on backpacks and clothing. Ironic buttons are also enjoyable. If I want to discuss staying power I would probably comment on propaganda and those types of buttons for political reasons as they are the most common and are used by all countries / societies / governments. The wide appeal and what they try to accomplish is fairly fascinating. Everything from an "Obama / Biden" button from the last election to an anti-war or pro-communist button from the Vietnam War are used specifically to convey a message that is clear, concise, and important to the individual. The fact that these last and could be around enough to actually get people to think, or at least notice a point of view is very important.

20 Buttons

Here are my buttons. Enjoy!


HERE

Reflective Essay - Interactive Experiences

An interactive experience that I never tire of and is always vivid in my mind is the experience of being at Disneyland. Being from California, I have been lucky enough to go there more often than other people and it truly is an experience that I can never forget and always leaves a pleasant feeling to me. The drive to Disneyland always gets me piqued with anticipation, my heart starts racing, I start craning my neck to see signs or the buses/shuttles that take you to the park. And boy, once I'm parked and on one of those busses it's a field day. The smile cannot be wiped off my face. There is always an electricity in the air from the excitement from everyone around you, any age, that I have not felt captured anywhere else. Then of course as you get to the park you hear the all-to-familiar Disney songs from the main walkway and you hear the wondrous sound of the chirping when your ticket gets scanned. Main St USA, the smell of the churros and from the ice cream shop on the left, the sight of the horses, the sounds of the marching band, maybe even a parade which has just thrown confetti on the ground, and of course the chatter from everyone around you having the time of their life. To describe the rest of the park and what it means to me would take ages. But everything about it has me feeling like a kid again. I can let go and do and be whatever and whoever I want. The whole surrounding world disappears and it's just me, in the park, having the best time imaginable. To me, everything about it really is the happiest place on earth, and for that, it is one of my most influential interactive experiences.

Obviously no other experience can live up to the grandeur of going to Disneyland, so I'll continue with another very powerful memory. Over the summer I worked at Lionsgate in Santa Monica as an acquisitions intern, and that was crazy. My first day was a tidal wave of sights, sounds, expression, and emotion. Parking in the private back lot for interns, walking around the building, seeing the Lionsgate sign get closer with each step, the heat from a Southern California summer, the smell of exhaust from traffic (as is only possible in LA), the awkward feeling of my new "professional" shoes. Walking into the building and immediately seeing their private screening room with posters up for Buried, Last Exorcism, and Expendables, seeing posters and promotional material on peoples desks for other movies they've released, seeing rows of cubicles all personalized in a fun, interesting way (one person had a life size mummy statue on his desk). To say it was nerve-wracking and overwhelming would be an understatement. It was a great first day, but all the excitement made me sick... but I'd rather not discuss that "interactive experience."

My third experience would be any time I play baseball. It doesn't matter where, how long, or with who, it always makes me feel good and it always brings back floods of memories. Thinking I smell peanuts, pretending I hear the crowds from when going to games, thinking about Field of Dreams. The funny feeling of my bones and muscles twisting with each pitch and the impact in the palm of my hand with each catch. This experience is definitely the most subconscious to me on how it affects me. When I was younger all I wanted to be was a pitcher, I lived, ate, and breathed baseball. Everything about it got me pumped. So whenever I play all those feelings and other memories (like the previously stated games) come back. Obviously I don't really smell peanuts and Shoeless Joe isn't going to walk out and play with me, but those thoughts and feelings come anyway.

I think these experiences can influence my interactive media by trying to create something relatable to people. I want to think of things that can evoke an emotion from someone, not just from what I'm doing, but from how they feel about it, or how they might already "know" about it. What makes all my stated experiences similar is they all have other memories around them, Disney has the movies and ads and memories, Lionsgate has the movies and my preconceived ideas of "the biz," and baseball has my childhood. So if I can come up with something that means something very personal to me but other people can also find ways to relate to that would be my biggest accomplishment. I would love if it could be a marriage of conscious and subconscious thought going into and out of my media, but that can only be seen once it is made.