I’m looking forward to 2015, purely because of the animated films coming out. The line up is looking amazing with next year being the first time PIXAR releases two films in the same year. Check out some of the cool films coming soon:
Inside Out
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince)
Minions (extension of Despicable Me Series)
Anyone else ridiculously excited?
Well, well, well… anyone who’s watched an animated film in the last 15 years has probably seen the result of this legendary class of Character Animation at CalArts (California Institute of the Arts). Most of PIXAR’s founding members were students of the classic Disney artists in the 70s and 80s. This Vanity Fair article is such a good summary and insight into the cultural climate and history of animation at the time – the lead up to the animation revival of the 1990s/2000s. It is definitely worth a read. (Just click on the photo to go to the article!!)
I get so inspired by this story (and this group of youngsters). But I think the lesson to take away from this is that you must be determined, hard-working, but also courageous to take risks and new opportunities. Today, there is no guarantee that graduating from CalArts will automatically lead you to become an animation director. These directors graduated at a different time in history and I believe that there will be a new wave of animation in the future. The question is, who is willing to create a new path and lead this revolution?
Well, the digital revolution of character creation using digital computer software has finally been applied to television commercials. This Audrey Hepburn is life-like, organic, and beautifully lit. Visual Special Effects technology has come a long way since the awkward looking gaming characters that were not quite realistic enough. Initially, I like this ad because I’m a fan of Hepburn’s work.
Although there is something unsettling about bringing back Hepburn through digital technology. It seems that now more than ever before, people are loosing the ability to control their public image. How is it possible that a company can use Hepburn’s image to add to her persona without her written legal consent? I understand that celebrities are media constructs that are separate from the actual person, but nevertheless, it is the celebrities image that is at stake. I understand if it’s a fictional character based on a look-a-like, but this was intentioned to be Hepburn – her look, performance, aura, everything. If we can start bringing back celebrities from classical Hollywood, how will that change celebrity endorsements? And who will chose which advertisements the dead celebrities will star in? Will VFX threaten ‘the self’ image in today’s digital world?
Conclusion: Amazing, but unsettling
Some key dates:
1. It’s generally accepted that cinema was invented around 1895 with the first film made for projection: Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory. In the beginning, it is silent and in black-in-white (the first Coca-Cola bottle).
2. The first feature-lenght sound film to be projected was The Jazz Singer in 1929. However, not all studios immediately transitioned and believed that this evolution to talkies is good for the art form of cinema. Nevertheless, sound becomes the industry standard by the 1932-33.
3. The transition to technicolor changed the film industry between 1922-1955. This artistic transition varied the use of colour vs. black-and-white. Examples of this time: His Girl Friday, The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain (and the second Coca-Cola Bottle).
4. Hollywood started experimenting with 3D technology in the 1950s with Cinerama and 3D projectors. However, ultimately the technology was abandoned until it re-appeared in the mid-1980s with IMAX. According to the MPAA report of 2012, 41% of the screens in the US are equip for 3D projection, there were 36 3D films released in the US last year, and 48% of US viewers have watched at least one 3D movie in 2012. That brings us to today (and the third Coca-Cola Bottle).
5. The Coca Cola Company was founded in 1886. So funnily enough, it’s history is about as long as cinema.
Oh how far we’ve come! Time to put on my 3D glasses…. or maybe we won’t need them in the future?
Villy Tod's Blog 