This is another excellent tutorial from Small W Studio with a Halloween slant, because the topic this time is Film Noir. He covers a number of different aspects of the CGI 3D animation process, but the two I got the most out of were resources and techniques for building the set, and using lighting to set the mood. The later is particularly important for Noir, since it is all black and white, and what is in the spotlight or in the shadows helps advance the story, not just create the atmosphere. This particular tutorial was created for the Reallusion iClone software suite, but the principles and most of the resources will work with any 3D modelling and animation package you have. That includes free projects like Blender and DAZ, so don’t think you have to pay an arm and a leg to get creative and make your movie.
Terrestrial Human
So far I haven’t found any sci-fi or fantasy movies this week that aren’t horror, which I suppose makes sense, Friday being Halloween and all. So this might be a good weekend to check out something you haven’t seen yet from previous weeks, or re-watch a good one. I am considering going to Guardians of the Galaxy for the 5th time, as a for instance, possibly my third time seeing it in IMAX, if it hasn’t left the IMAX theaters yet…
I did not find any genre programs in movies or TV this week, but their are a few in Anime. Fairy Tail – Part 13 brings more magical chaos and collateral damage in episodes 143 through 153. Hellsing Ultimate: Set 3 has the renegade vampire taking on more of his evil counterparts across Europe during WWII. Finally One Piece: Collection 10 has episodes 230-252 for those who enjoy friendly pirates.
SCANDAL are four women who can seriously rock, and they have announced there will be US dates on their upcoming world tour, Hello World. So far they only have dates and cities listed for Japan, with the tour there scheduled from January through March, to be followed by stops in Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, the UK, and the USA, not necessarily in that order. If you are wondering what they sound like, here is a taste; the first track is Shunkan Sentimental , the second is Awanaitsumorino; Genkidene (I Don’t Plan On Seeing You; Take Care), and the third is Kagen no Tsuki (The Waning Moon). Note that the third song title was the name of a Manga that was turned into a live action movie in 2004, and also the name of the opening song in 2007’s Princess Mononoke anime; this song has nothing to do with either of those things.
In 1938, the Nazi’s were poised to take over the world, and one of the tools that gave them the power to attempt it was the Enigma Machine. This device let them encrypt their communications in a way impossible for anyone else of the time to break, and Europe was at risk of being lost because of it. But then a very small group of mathematicians led by the legendary genius Alan Turing became the team assembled at Bletchley Park to break the code. In the process, they re-invented the modern computer, for the first time since Babbage’s Difference Engine. This movie, The Imitation Game, is another retelling of that very exciting and important story, and this time they have Benedict Cumberbatch doing Turing, a man who had a lot in common with Sherlock Holmes, so the casting is perfect. The film is on the festival circuit at the moment, I can’t wait until it hits the theaters on November 21st!
The teaser trailer for the latest variation: Avengers: Age of Ultron. It won’t hit the big screen until May of next year, but I love that we got to catch a glimpse of it up front.