Music research

    I'm enjoying research, even as the project comes to a close, so I decided to delve a bit deeper into music so as to properly introduce it into my film if I do follow through with any music choices. Some fun terminology review is that music can affect productions in two ways, and these are by ways of soundtracks and scores. A score is music specifically composed for a film, while a soundtrack is any music featured in a film. Both can affect films differently, and I'll outline how.

    A soundtrack includes any third party music, from popular songs, to songs made more popular by the film's release. One such example is in Nirvana's Something in the Way. The song wasn't part of many live setlists for the band when they performed, but with the release of The Batman, the song exploded in popularity, topping at number two on Billboard's digital US Rock chart, and being featured in many memes and TikToks. Not to mention a 1200% increase in Spotify streams for the song after the movie's release. As with any preexisting media, movies can affect previous releases, bringing them back from obscurity just by being featured in a soundtrack.

    Similarly, although not so much, scores can also become fairly popular because of a film, or vice verse. Many iconic scores promote the film, as just the first few notes can make you think of the film. Even if the film wasn't well received, a score can live on, and even be alluded to by previous releases. Scores being reused also isn't uncommon, as all three Jurassic Park films either allude or outright include tracks from the original film. Similarly, new film scores can allude to previous incarnations, as is the case with almost every Spider-Man incarnation. In the original Sam Raimi sequel, a woman plays the original 1967 cartoon theme on a violin, and it later returns in Marc Webb's sequel as Peter's ringtone. An orchestral rendition also appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming's Marvel Studios opening. 

    

    Scores are typically made around the time filming is wrapping up, and editing has begun. However, there is nothing that says you can't do otherwise. For Guardians of the Galaxy, director James Gunn had composer Tyler Bates prepare music before the scenes were filmed. Starting with the music can often help give direction to a scene, and can even lead to better flowing stories as music doesn't have to be forced to follow a scene. This also streamlines editing, as following the beats of a song are much easier when you have the beats to begin with, as opposed to finding a part of a song that fits with a scene. 

    Music composers can really be fans of a classic just as much as any fan, and they prove it by incorporating or adapting classical themes into more modern reconditions. Likewise, directors, producers, and music supervisors can also find what modern songs fit with a movie, especially given how most movies take just under a year to release.

    Aside from this, I found a lot of inspiration from other films, like A Silent Voice, which features a very simple score, with piano being the most frequent instrument. The score has very interesting detailing, as some tracks were partly based by Bach's (yes, the 270+ year old composer) Invention No. 1 in C major. One of the big things to me is the amount of effort that goes into creation, especially when so much is left out. For the film, composer Ushio made 82 tracks, of which 61 are featured in the official soundtrack, with 50 of them actually playing in the film. The bland, three letter titles were also an idea of Ushio, who kept these identification codes as they were so they could be interpreted by listeners however they want. The featuring of Bach's songs are also important, as his original work could be split into three, which Ushio used to also split up the movie into thirds. The amount of effort that goes into this soundtrack and film as a whole will always fascinate me, and as I learn about more films and their soundtrack, I appreciate music composing even more.

Obligatory inclusion of tracks and album cover for detailing and ~aesthetic~

Detailing

     Gambling is pretty fun, which is what a lot of detailing comes down to. Sometimes it goes well, and you can fill in the blanks easily with things that make sense, and add more to the scene in more ways than one. Previously with the fire escape, there was nothing else to the scene, but now we'll add a lot more structure to it, using logic.

    Following our city setting, we can choose another piece that helps us out a lot, in some pretty advanced ways, an HDRI. Leaving a lot of details about it for a later entry, they basically provide a 360° image, which we can use for our background (they also stand for High Dynamic Range Imaging, which gives light input to the scene, but that's not the case right now.)

One of the advantages of an HDRI is not needing to model a background, but it doesn't provide the depth you would otherwise have with a full model

    With a background in place, a lot of other things fall into place. However, a disadvantage is that sometimes things don't line up, whether it's due to perspective or size, or anything else that would otherwise be impossible in our simple plane of existence.

   We won't be breaking the laws of physics just yet, which is why we need to attach the ladder to something, in this case a wall. But what type of wall? A brick wall? Glass? Plain concrete? Well, it just comes down to whatever looks best, or sometimes what is within your capabilities.

Just like any other medium, one small change can have drastic effects on your scene

    With those three choices in place, I chose to learn a bit more about realistic texturing, and ended up going with brick, as it adds depth to the scene, while also helping me learn new skills.

    Every choice you make affects your end result, even more so when physically recording something, as such, you have to be even more careful with what you end up choosing, as dedicating yourself to an idea might mean you end up wasting time. 

    Again, using models, or textures, or anything else that someone has previously made as a stand-in example, or even as part of the final product, can help streamline your scene creation process, as you won't have to spend as much time to make something, although at times finding something that works without error might be a bit difficult.

    When putting a lot of details together, scenes can appear more realistic, if that is your end goal. Sometimes, however, you can add too much, which can cause a lot of issues later on, such as file sizes, processing speed, and physics renders (another goodie for another day). As such, it's always good to have an eye on your end product, either by checking on it regularly, or keeping it visible at all times, as is the case with the little camera view on the left panel.

Rendered image teehee

From Scratch

     To me, one of the greatest downsides, and conveniences, of working with 3D is the freedom to make anything from scratch. As a blessing, working from scratch means everything will be exactly how I intend it to be. Scenes can be arranged however I want, with as much depth as needed, and as simplistic as I want if you need to crunch. But this much freedom also hinders, as everything has to be made. Choosing to leave a detail or two out in the first few steps causes a significant lack of detail in the final product. But how do I intend of using this to its fullest potential so as to save time but still make something detailed? By prioritizing what matters. 

An example of what it's like to start a new project in Blender

    Focusing on a few of the most important scenes or sequences I want, I'll be able to fully detail them, without needing to compromise the rest of the film. When outlining a scene, or even a single shot, you need to create a story, otherwise you'll just be padding out time. For example, in the following sequence I'll create a shot, with the intent of introducing a character.

    Starting off with an idea, I want to have the setting be a city, and so I chose a fire escape to start off with. But to link everything together I had to play around with some ideas first. One way to find what works is by starting somewhere, so doing some research helps a lot. I personally like to use models, so I used this model from KnightFallows to start somewhere. Playing around with it helps me think of something that works, as motion helps tell a story better than anything else.

A bit hard to navigate, but this is somewhat the process I go through when coming up with ideas from scratch

    With the main point/s down, you can flll in the rest with whatever makes the most sense. And if things still look a bit too dull, you can add more details to make a scene more dynamic.

Oh, how I yearn to be a documentary

         I really don't know where I stand on the title, but it really just comes down to me enjoying documentaries. Getting personal with a topic or person is interesting, especially when it's presented in a realistic (or seemingly realistic) way. Another project I worked on earlier this school year was a documentary project. Before doing so, we had watched some other documentaries in class, all of which I enjoyed. However, when creating my own, and later reviewing it, I was not pleased with the results. Most of it really boils down to a lack of involvement, and again clashing ideas and expectations from group members. I was not invested in the project overall, even when there were moments where I really connected with the people I was interviewing. In retrospect, I don't want my portfolio project to go the same way. This year has been disappointing for me, in plenty of different ways. I can't stand not being able to make something that actually represents me, so I really do want to find a way to get it across to a potential audience. 

        Sentimentality, rawness, and candidacy are all things I want going forward; or at least in this project. It's my last(?) project here, and it not going well would really say more about me than the project. I really want to take a bit of everything from what I've done these past two years in school, but the best example of what I want to strive to create is exactly that, a genuine, candid production. As for the documentary part of it, well, it's right here. I want to document everything I do, plan on doing, or don't end up doing, in whatever way I see fit. I actually feel hopeful that my reflection process will have improved since last year's blog, and I think it'll work if I put in more effort than I previously did. Going above and beyond in my reflection, even if the final project isn't as good will still give me something to look back on. Obviously I want everything to go well, but the blog now means more to me than the project itself. I can now see exactly where I went wrong in my reflections, and understand everything behind it, rather than the project that stands for it.

        I want to bring everything together, more so for myself than anything else. I want to bring in more videos and screenshots of what I'm working on, more late night ramblings, more sentimental posts showing that I am at an impasse, and how I'm going to get out of it, and more posts showing that I actually managed that. I redownloaded screen recorders, and learned how time lapse videos work on my drawing programs. I'm doing everything I can to give myself a safety net I can fall back to whne I need to get back up. I actually feel motivated for blogging and documenting everything I do. Now it just comes down to continuously working to maintain it.

        Both these posts have been funny, as they outline the different sides of the same coin. The coin is still the same, as I want to make something I'm proud of and can grow on. But, I conflict in wanting to make something that reflects me, while also wanting to outline the process of it well. It seems like hopeful wishing, but I've seen other students do both, and I haven't lost all hope in achieving the same thing. 

Film Distribution (Theoretically)

         Who doesn't like regrettably looking back on past projects? Me, of course. Since I am kind of required to comment on it I will, but I would have mentioned it regardless, so this doesn't really count as my "pissy" blog post. Working on a film distribution project for a film that doesn't exist (and hopefully never will) was okay. Receiving a script, or at least the concepts of one, and having to create promotional material for it was enjoyable. While I certainly like creating my own stories and ideas, even if they end up in my personal writing collection, never to be seen by someone else, I still enjoy letting it out. The problem is, when I create something that others will see, and it doesn't come out the way I want it to, I shut down. I want the things I make to come out good, and I want to be able to fully understand the process used to make it, so that I can improve on it, or make something new from a part of the process later on. 

        With this project, I understood everything. I knew how to analyze genre, I knew how to compile information and create a viable production, and I knew all the ins and outs of distribution that were taught to us. I enjoyed that much as it was straightforward. I could talk to my teammates and suggest films to research, or genre conventions we could adopt. Not to mention, we were working with a horror/thriller. Things couldn't possibly be more straightforward than that. The story was simple. Everything up until the trailers was simple. I want things to be the same with my portfolio project, as doing a lot more work then needed, and thinking about my project in a deeper way was good for me, and helped me appreciate my work and ideas. I want to highlight on research as being knowledgeable on the topics I'm using for a project will help me make a better production, and help me outline an area to focus on.

        Conversely, I also need to stop doing as much deep work and thinking if it hinders my final product. When working on the trailer, things were confusing, but I still hadn't progressed on my work, mainly because I thought I'd be doing it with my teammates, or a fraction of it at least. Even if I'm not proud of my work, I need to get it done, both to look back and learn from the experience, and to get an actual grade. Finding this balance is hard, so I came up with a rather simple and obvious solution: asking others. If I'm ambiguous on my work, I'll ask people who I'm working with for their thoughts, and if most of them agree that it's good, I'll move on, and maybe revisit if I have the time and see a need for improvement.

        With film distribution, contact with my other group members should have been a lot better. But the little communication we had was good. I worked on some things that one of my group members praised, but the first thing I felt was doubt. I have constantly been upset by my work, even when others like it, or don't think of it as harshly. The distribution project was one of a series of wake up calls for me, all saying that my work was fine, and the resentment I hold towards it should not hold me back. I want to keep growing and improving my work, but it never feels like I'm making any progress, and I really am not. Hopefully I can change that, little by little, both with this project and the ones that come after it.

Portfolio Project 2, Electric Boogaloo

         Welcome to Rodrigo's new and improved AICE Media blog! Not really, it's still much the same, but this time, we got rid of the letter "S" in "AS Level". Jokes aside, transitioning to A level has been pretty weird. It doesn't even feel much like a transition as almost everything is still the same, or feels continuous at least. We're still doing group projects, we're still being creative, many of the people I shared online classes with are here; but at the same time things are noticeably different. Being in class feels nice, and seeing new people is refreshing. But again, the class is still the same at heart, so what can we do to spice things up? I have some ideas, some of which I'll be letting on as time goes by, but ideally I don't want things to go like they did last year. And so, let the fun and chaos begin.

Dream Eater

        Due to blogger's file size limit, here is a lower-res version

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