Hey Phil I'm sorry this took a little longer to put up, I hope you like it and that it seems ok. The second part of the OGR should be up either tonight or tomorrow morning.
I appriciate your patience and I apologise once again.
I think your story is cute - but perhaps you need to actually show what Eustace is feeling/seeing that prompts his change into the Crimson Corn. I like the banjo string breaking - and then maybe you could do this superfast zoom towards the horizon, and we see a scene of an old-school-style hold up in some old roadside diner - but only for a moment - and then the camera zooms all the way back - and then your script resumes.
As character design is going to be so key here, I really want to you consult and use the design principles outlined in Andrew Loomis's Basics of Drawing Cartoons and Poses - which is available on myUCA/Story/Unit Materials - don't just draw your characters - design them. The other really important resource on there is Shot-by-Shot by Jeremy Vineyard - which is an illustrated glossary of camera moves etc. Use these resources, Nick, to lend professionalism and polish to your story idea.
Re. your written assignment - see the general advice that follows - and Nick - don't make me nag you - get your reviews on here, because a) you need the practice and b) I don't want you falling behind or somehow deciding I don't mean you - I DO mean you, so get on with them - make the time.
1,500 word written assignment that analyses critically one film in terms of the relationship between story and structure; you should consider camera movement, editing, and order of scenes.
Okay - so while the challenge of the assignment doesn’t state it explicitly, as soon as you start to discuss narrative, editing or sorts of shots, you’ll be using a technical or specialist language – with specific terms with specific histories and contexts. Therefore, in common with all your assignments so far (and all future assignments!), you need to introduce and define your specialist/technical terms BEFORE you start discussing your specific film or case-study.
For example, if you were planning to discuss the famous shower scene from Psycho, which is an example of ‘montage editing’ – you would first need to introduce and define the term ‘montage editing’ – and in so doing, refer to its origins and cultural ancestry (i.e. its broadest context). In written assignments you have to ‘show that you know’ – you have to demonstrate your knowledge of the subject area by showing that YOU understand its various components. You couldn’t discuss Psycho’s shower scene effectively WITHOUT referencing Sergei Eisenstein (the ‘father’ of montage editing), and, by extension, the ‘rules’ of Hollywood ‘invisible editing’ (from which Eisensteinian editing was such a departure).
Likewise, if you were interested in the ‘continuous take’ of ‘Rope’ – then in order to discuss this technique in context, you’d still have to introduce and define ‘editing’ in general terms, in order to prove Rope’s distinctiveness.
If you’re dealing with narrative structures – i.e. the ‘non-linear’ structures of Christopher Nolan’s Momento or Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, you first need to demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the ideas and uses of ‘non-linearity’ in story more generally.
Another reoccurring weakness in your assignments is your introductions; remember, there is no actual content in your introduction.
Your very first line should state plainly and clearly what the investigative thrust is of your assignment – and that’s all. “This assignment analyses critically the use of non-linear narrative in film, with particular reference to Christopher Nolan’s Momento (2000).”
Job done! That’s it. No more – nothing else.
Next, you list the KEY research sources you’ve used (i.e. the ones your essay will now go on to reference), and your reasons for consulting them (i.e. their usefulness to your argument). You should be specific here – give titles, authors and publishing date etc. Put your titles in italics. There should be no waffle here at all, so avoid sentences like ‘Sources include websites, books and films…’ Also, you don’t need to give the film you’re studying as a source, because that’s been made obvious by the first line of your introduction. If, however, you’re looking at some associated films, then you should include them here – but always give your reason for their usefulness to your discussion.
Finally – your intro should offer the reader a summary of points – the logical sequence of subject matter that will take your reader from ‘not knowing’ about your subject to ‘understanding’ your subject. This is where you – the writer – must give this ‘logical sequence’ some proper thought – get this bit right and your assignment will flow from one point to the next in a satisfying way.
Hi – sorry for any duplication, or if you’ve done it already, but I’ve been prompted to prompt students about completing the Student surveys before the deadline – which is fast approaching. It’s possible that some of you are experiencing difficulty logging in or finding your login details. If you are experiencing difficulties, can you email sss@ucreative.ac.uk
When you’ve completed it, can you leave a ‘done it’ on the original blogpost below.
Hey Phil I'm sorry this took a little longer to put up, I hope you like it and that it seems ok. The second part of the OGR should be up either tonight or tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteI appriciate your patience and I apologise once again.
Nick
OGR 15/02/2012
ReplyDeleteHey Nick,
I think your story is cute - but perhaps you need to actually show what Eustace is feeling/seeing that prompts his change into the Crimson Corn. I like the banjo string breaking - and then maybe you could do this superfast zoom towards the horizon, and we see a scene of an old-school-style hold up in some old roadside diner - but only for a moment - and then the camera zooms all the way back - and then your script resumes.
As character design is going to be so key here, I really want to you consult and use the design principles outlined in Andrew Loomis's Basics of Drawing Cartoons and Poses - which is available on myUCA/Story/Unit Materials - don't just draw your characters - design them. The other really important resource on there is Shot-by-Shot by Jeremy Vineyard - which is an illustrated glossary of camera moves etc. Use these resources, Nick, to lend professionalism and polish to your story idea.
Re. your written assignment - see the general advice that follows - and Nick - don't make me nag you - get your reviews on here, because a) you need the practice and b) I don't want you falling behind or somehow deciding I don't mean you - I DO mean you, so get on with them - make the time.
1,500 word written assignment that analyses critically one film in terms of the relationship between story and structure; you should consider camera movement, editing, and order of scenes.
ReplyDeleteOkay - so while the challenge of the assignment doesn’t state it explicitly, as soon as you start to discuss narrative, editing or sorts of shots, you’ll be using a technical or specialist language – with specific terms with specific histories and contexts. Therefore, in common with all your assignments so far (and all future assignments!), you need to introduce and define your specialist/technical terms BEFORE you start discussing your specific film or case-study.
For example, if you were planning to discuss the famous shower scene from Psycho, which is an example of ‘montage editing’ – you would first need to introduce and define the term ‘montage editing’ – and in so doing, refer to its origins and cultural ancestry (i.e. its broadest context). In written assignments you have to ‘show that you know’ – you have to demonstrate your knowledge of the subject area by showing that YOU understand its various components. You couldn’t discuss Psycho’s shower scene effectively WITHOUT referencing Sergei Eisenstein (the ‘father’ of montage editing), and, by extension, the ‘rules’ of Hollywood ‘invisible editing’ (from which Eisensteinian editing was such a departure).
Likewise, if you were interested in the ‘continuous take’ of ‘Rope’ – then in order to discuss this technique in context, you’d still have to introduce and define ‘editing’ in general terms, in order to prove Rope’s distinctiveness.
If you’re dealing with narrative structures – i.e. the ‘non-linear’ structures of Christopher Nolan’s Momento or Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, you first need to demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the ideas and uses of ‘non-linearity’ in story more generally.
Another reoccurring weakness in your assignments is your introductions; remember, there is no actual content in your introduction.
Your very first line should state plainly and clearly what the investigative thrust is of your assignment – and that’s all. “This assignment analyses critically the use of non-linear narrative in film, with particular reference to Christopher Nolan’s Momento (2000).”
Job done! That’s it. No more – nothing else.
Next, you list the KEY research sources you’ve used (i.e. the ones your essay will now go on to reference), and your reasons for consulting them (i.e. their usefulness to your argument). You should be specific here – give titles, authors and publishing date etc. Put your titles in italics. There should be no waffle here at all, so avoid sentences like ‘Sources include websites, books and films…’ Also, you don’t need to give the film you’re studying as a source, because that’s been made obvious by the first line of your introduction. If, however, you’re looking at some associated films, then you should include them here – but always give your reason for their usefulness to your discussion.
Finally – your intro should offer the reader a summary of points – the logical sequence of subject matter that will take your reader from ‘not knowing’ about your subject to ‘understanding’ your subject. This is where you – the writer – must give this ‘logical sequence’ some proper thought – get this bit right and your assignment will flow from one point to the next in a satisfying way.
Hi – sorry for any duplication, or if you’ve done it already, but I’ve been prompted to prompt students about completing the Student surveys before the deadline – which is fast approaching. It’s possible that some of you are experiencing difficulty logging in or finding your login details. If you are experiencing difficulties, can you email sss@ucreative.ac.uk
ReplyDeleteWhen you’ve completed it, can you leave a ‘done it’ on the original blogpost below.
http://ucarochester-cgartsandanimation.blogspot.com/2012/01/national-student-surveyinternal-student.html
Many thanks – and remember, this is your opportunity to create change and assist course teams in terms of resources etc.