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fake-colors · 1 month

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Sam Says, propose a visual effect to go here.

youtube link to original

open captioning in video, video described below the cut, abridged vfx credits also below the cut

[video description: vertical video beginning with Sam Reich at his podium on Game Changer.

Sam: Jake, Sam Says, propose a visual effect to go here.

Jacob Wysocki: I think I'm going to do one for me

Sam: Love that

Jake: And make a dream of mine come true

Lou: Mm

Jake walks out in front of the podiums: Here's the order of operations that will happen and then I'll act it out

Sam: Cool

Jake: I'd like to get hit with an energy beam

Sam: Okay

Jake: And I wanna go Super Saiyan, and I want the hair and the like *makes whooshing air sounds*

Vic, impressed: Oh

Lou, grinning: Pretty sick

Jake: And then maybe I shoot a beam

Sam: Oh yeah

Jake: If that's okay

Lou: Hit 'em with a Spirit Bomb, baby

Jake: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Sam: Awesome! I'm in

Vic starts moving back: Should we get out of his shot for this?

Jake: Yeah, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool

Lou walks offstage: Let it rain

Jake readies his stance: So the beam comes—aaaaah!!

a large anime/cartoon styled beam hits Jake as he screams

Jake pants as smoke rises from his body

Jake raises his head: You haven't seen all my powers. Hhuuuuu-AAAaahhhh!!

static crackles around him, intensity lines radiate from his body while he charges up and action music builds

Jake roars and stomps changing into his new, spiky, yellow, anime hairstyle. He pants with the energy it took to transform. The background wavers from his intense aura

Jake chuckles: Heh, is that all you got? *shoots a laser from his right hand*

the screen is divided like a comic book or manga, showing Jake shoot the beam from multiple angles with intense music.

he relaxes and the visual effects fade away

Sam: Hell yeah!! Love that, Jake!

Jake flips out a blue, vfx sword from over his shoulder

Lou, excited: Is there a sword at the end?!

Jake, gleeful: Yeah, it was a sword at the end like Trunks, like Trunks sword *repeats the motion flipping another sword out* Hi-yaaah!

/end video description]

some of the credits from the full episode who were likely involved in the super saiyan effects-

Editor: Sam Geer Sound Mixers: Lalo Guzman, Eric Rothstein, Akash Singh, Steve Yasui VFX/Motion Graphics Supervisor: TJ Gonzalez Visual Effects Artist: Wolf Kirchner Additional Visual Effects by Spitshine VFX

#dropout tv #game changer #jake wysocki #jacob wysocki #vertical video #youtube shorts #z

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laf-outloud · 1 year

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https://www.tumblr.com/teamfreewill2pointo/712702643707035648

From what I've gathered, S&L is 5m/ep, TW is 4.7m/ep, Walker is 3.5 m/ep.

I don't know if these numbers are accurate at all, but IF they are - how TF does a FIRST season show with practically all green actors with little to no name recognition cost soooo much? We know it wasn't the vfx/sfx because those were TERRIBLE (Jensen did say at JIB that they cut money from other areas to pay for the expensive finale music and I'm guessing a bunch of that was the fx budget but still). So where did all the money go? We established it wasn't fx, it clearly was NOT wardrobe either, we know they spent a LOT on music but I don't know about enough to hike the budget per ep that much.. so was this all the stunt casting? Did they really blow the budget casting a bunch of spn alum that half the audience didn't even care about? We know new watchers wouldn't know any og spn cast so it was all for the handful of AA's and hellers who, lets be honest, only watched for Dean or dest*el so the stunt casting wasn't even all that necessary for them either.

Plus shows only get more expensive the longer they run. S&L is on s3 and they have some pretty impressive vfx for a cw show so I'm sure that's where a chunk of their budget goes. Not to mention there are quite a few decently well known names on the show which always ups the budget. And Walker is also on s3 and are much cheaper. I get that Walker doesn't need as much vfx as a DC show would but they have still managed to keep their budget low even though they are 3 seasons in. Where is TW going to go? The money they spent per ep was a waste and it will only get worse. They claim they want to bring in MORE stunt casting if they get a s2 which will ramp up the budget. I'm sure Jensen will want more expensive music and D will probably try to do something stupid with wardrobe. I would HOPE they would put more money to fx in the future but we know they won't bother with silly things like that when they can spend money on their friends and background music!!

So, pure speculation, since the proof provided is 'from what I've gathered,' (though I have seen others mention TW is fairly expensive to produce).

But, if this is the case, then I do have to wonder where that money's going, because it certainly wasn't being spent on the show. I know Jensen said he gave up his salary for the last episode so they could get Led Zeppelin, and they probably saved money in other areas for that, but I also have to wonder what his and Danneel's EP salaries were for the other episodes. Not to mention, they had to hire a few more EPs when the Ackles proved themselves incompetent at the job.

If those numbers are accurate, there's no way they're getting a second season, especially not on the CW. The WB already said they would support Superman & Lois. Funny they didn't mention supporting TW.

#ask box #anti spn prequel #what a train wreck #the winchesters cost speculation

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jonfucius · 9 months

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Great Star Trek Rewatch - Enterprise S1

Originally posted on Twitter 20 August 2019 - 6 September 2019

Enterprise Season 1 is up first. Mini-reviews will document my progress.

Broken Bow: a fantastic pilot episode sets up the unfairly-maligned prequel series. This is my ultimate “comfort food” episode. 10/10

Fight or Flight: the first scene on the Axanar spaceship is creepy. I’m glad Hoshi gets a focus episode so early in the series, but it leans way too heavily on the fear of flight trope. The armory set is cool. 7/10

Strange New World: ENT’s first planetary away mission. The sinister flowers are a nice call back to TOS. The breakdown scenes are nicely acted. Well-executed body horror with the transporter mishap. 7/10

Unexpected: Yeah, it’s the “Trip gets pregnant” episode. The pregnancy jokes are tone-deaf, but the truly alien Xyrillians and their ship are an interesting addition to the franchise. T’Pol’s gambit to broker détente is very Spock-like. 6/10

Terra Nova: I love that ENT is filling in its own history while filling in the history between STFC and TOS. Kids surviving disaster is shades of “Miri”. The “alien” makeup is on point, and the guest cast (incl. the great Erick Avari) is excellent. 7/10

The Andorian Incident: ENT’s first truly excellent episode after “Broken Bow”. I wish they had focused on the Vulcan-Andorian conflict the first two seasons instead of the Temporal Cold War. Jeffrey Combs’ best character, Shran, makes an immediate impression. 10/10

Breaking the Ice: A rogue comet leads to an encounter with a stuffy, arrogant Vulcan. Capt Vannik is, I think, supposed to come off as arrogant, but to me comes off as a caricature. The effects are good and the Vulcan snowman is good fun. 8/10

Civilization: ENT’s first alien disguise mission. Riaan is a charming, determined local who impresses the audience and Phlox with her detective skills. We get to meet the Malurians before their off-screen extinction in TOS. Otherwise a cromulent episode. 6/10

Fortunate Son: Some folks are born made to haul cargo Ooh, they're slow to go And when the Nausicaans say “Give up your cargo” Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't for me, it ain't for me, I ain't a fan of Fortunate Son 5/10

Cold Front: Our heroes host a religious event, while Silik and Daniels advance the Temporal Cold War. The temporal observatory is a slick piece of VFX. Otherwise, it’s pretty slow for a high-stakes episode. Phlox continues his campaign for Most Interesting Man in the World. 7/10

Silent Enemy: I can’t put my finger on it, but something about this episode just clicks for me. Maybe it’s our heroes cut off from Earth, the enigmatic aliens, or the crew coming together to upgrade their own ship. Just a fun plot-driven episode. 8/10

Dear Doctor: No Prime Directive? No problem! Epistolary episodes can come off as trite, but I enjoy this one thoroughly. One of ENT’s best hours. Phlox is given great development here. The late Kellie Waymire pops up again as Cutler, and it’s a shame she left us so soon. 9/10

Sleeping Dogs: the Somraw is a cool retro design. T’Pol, Hoshi, and Reed spend most of the episode in a sinking ship. Bu’kaH is slightly overacted, but otherwise fine. Somewhat derivative of DS9’s “Starship Down”. Still, an okay romp. 6/10

Shadows of P’Jem: ENT isn’t serialized like DS9 or DSC, but it’s great to see consequences from the excellent “Andorian Incident”. Another fine call back to TOS. 9/10

Shuttlepod One: Strip away the Trek trappings and the scenes on the NX-01, and you’d still have a damn fine one-room two-actor play. More Reed on the heels of “Silent Enemy” is my only complaint. 9/10

Fusion: Ehh. The v’tosh ka’tur are an interesting concept. T’Pol being repulsed by the idea of a mind meld is interesting, though I wish Tolar suffered more consequences for what he did to T’Pol. 5/10

Rogue Planet: Interesting concept, competently done, but nothing special. Shout out to the late Stephanie Niznik as the Wraith. 6/10

Acquisition: As Ferengi episodes go, this one isn’t awful. A smaller number of Rules exist at this time. The episode bends too far to keep our heroes from finding/figuring out who the invaders are. The guest cast is top-notch, including three Trek vets. 7/10

Oasis: I liked this one better when it was a DS9 episode called “Shadowplay.” 2/10

Detained: An episode that has become somewhat more prescient in today’s world. It’s fun to see Dean Stockwell and Scott Bakula share scenes again, but it’s an otherwise paint-by-numbers plot. 6/10

Vox Sola: I like what they were trying to do here, but I still don’t get much out of this one each time I watch it. Invention of the forcefield comes a little too easily (and early). 6/10

Fallen Hero: I’m a sucker for race-against-time episodes. Fionnula Flanagan is a delight as V’Lar. Just a well-executed bottle show. 8/10

Desert Crossing: Another trope I always fall for, the “two characters lost in the wilderness” trope. Clancy Brown steals scenes like none other. Would’ve been fun for Mayweather or Hoshi be trapped with Archer. Still, fun to learn more about Archer & Tucker’s friendship. 8/10

Two Days and Two Nights: Our heroes finally make it to Risa. Unfortunately, the Reed/Tucker subplot is marred by juvenile and transphobic humor. Hoshi’s subplot is charming in its own way. Phlox’s scenes are hilarious. Archer has to deal with the fallout from “Detained”. 7/10

Shockwave: A slam-bang finale that starts with an appropriately somber tragedy. Just when the audience thinks our heroes have saved the day, the rug gets pulled out from under everyone. Stranding Archer in the future is a fun twist on plots like “Time’s Arrow”. 9/10

And with that, Season 1 of Enterprise comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 7.12/10. Highest score(s): “Broken Bow,” “The Andorian Incident”. Lowest score(s): “Oasis”

#star trek #star trek enterprise #Great Star Trek Rewatch

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discotreque · 3 years

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LwD 2.05: An Embarrassment of Dooplers

So I was a little nervous about this one! I hadn’t heard any spoiler-spoilers, but screeners have been out for weeks now, and I’d heard a bunch of individual, vague, non-spoilery hints about (1) big character moments, on the scale of a mid-season finale even though the show’s not taking a mid-season break; and (2) an ending that would make me cry.

I guess I imagined something relatively serious and dramatic, like “No Small Parts”? This show makes me cackle with laughter and giggle with nerdy glee and “d’awww!” at heartwarming friendships every week, but it’s only ever made me cry once—and then I was impressed that they were going to get there from the wacky hijinks we saw in the brief teaser.

The lack of a cold open made me apprehensive too—in my experience, that’s typically a sign that there’s so much plot in the rest of the episode that they need that extra scene—but after ~21.5 minutes of aforementioned hijinks, I was having so much fun that I’d completely forgotten about the alleged tear-jerker at the end…

…and they were not the tears I was expecting.

I didn’t think I’d be smiling and crying!!!! That was wholesome as SHIT!!!!!

I almost can’t believe they earned that—but they totally did.

After a Mariner–Tendi episode and a Boimler–Rutherford episode, we’re back to the “usual” Season 1 pairings… except the relationships between these characters have changed since Season 1. Mariner still feels thwacked in the abandonment issues by Boimler bailing for the Titan, and Rutherford’s having a tiny little existential crisis about losing an entire year of his life.

Both of which are extremely understandable and very heavy situations—and both of those situations get resolved because everyone in them is vulnerable with each other and honest about their feelings—AND that honesty and vulnerability brings both pairs of friends closer together. Are you kidding me?? I would watch SEVENTY seasons of that shit. Put it in my veins.

Onto the notes:

So basically Dooplers are Tribbles, but for cringe comedy instead of slapstick? Ohhhhh boy.

Look at Ransom the diplomat, tossing his own fork on the floor! I like that he’s actually a pretty competent Starfleet officer, despite also being a completely ridiculous person.

Wait a second, is that—OH HOLY SHIT, THE DOOPLERS ARE VOICED BY RICHARD KIND.

It makes sense that B. Boimler would find William annoying—who likes seeing their own flaws reflected back at them? And who could be a better reflection of one’s flaws than one’s literal duplicate?—but most interesting to me is that it implies on some level, Bradward knows the stick up his butt is a flaw. (Does William?)

Why does the Cerritos model have working phasers?!?!

I’m loving hot pink as the currently en-vogue colour for “dangerous sci-fi energy” in animation (cf. almost every previous episode of this show; Into the Spider-Verse; other stuff I can’t remember right now). As a former child of the 80’s, I’m living for it… but as a former teenager of the 90’s, I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to age as poorly as the harsh neon green of The Matrix, every Borg appearance on Voyager, and like 80% of the websites I made in high school…

SKANTS! SKANTS! SKANTS!

That fake-out joke with the fly-by over the Cerritos model was in the season trailer weeks ago, and I was so enthralled by that handsome lady that the sticker coming into frame still got me good 😂😂😂

BECKY Mariner????? omg yes

Some top-quality Boimler screams in this one. Poor Jack Quaid must drink gallons of throat-coat tea when he records.

One of the great things about Star Trek to me is that you never know what you’re going to get from any random episode. A murder mystery? A road trip? A spooky thriller? A cheesy romance? Broad comedy? Body horror? Didactic political screeds shrouded in tissue-thin science-fiction metaphors? Brain and brain, what is brain??? And after this many years of watching, you’d think I’d be hard to surprise. But if I ever told you I thought I’d see a Blues Brothers–style car chase through a frickin’ shopping mall on an episode of Star Trek, I would have been straight-up lying to you. I loved it, it worked for me, my jaw was on the floor and I was clapping with joy—but I’m definitely comfortable calling this one “unexpected.”

It’s CAPTAIN SHELBY!!! And an ancient babydyke crush rose from the depths of my childhood subconscious… (Also I think her Number One is based on the original makeup—eventually deemed too complicated—for Saru? Now that’s a deep cut.)

In 20th-century Trek, you almost never got to see what was going on inside a starship from the outside. Even after they switched from physical models (where it was next to impossible on a single episode’s budget) to CGI (which was still in its infancy, still not exactly cheap, and still broadcast in SD anyway), it was a rare thrill to see any meaningful interior details in an exterior shot. Disco’s modern VFX have given us some tasty, tasty treats in that department, but nothing quite as sublime as all the pink Doopler light glittering through the Cerritos’s windows.

Mariner says she’ll take her contact Malvus down with her, and threatens that they’ll end up “in the same cell.” Malvus is a Mizarian, a species introduced in TNG’s “Allegiance,” in which Captain Picard is held in a mysterious prison with one. I think I see what you did there, McMahan?

Bartender… so hot… lesbian circuits… overloading…

The Tendi and Rutherford C-story was, well, a C-story within a 22-minute episode, so there wasn’t much to it, but the one scene that mattered actually mattered a lot. I’m ambivalent on whether they should end up romantically involved—I’d prefer they don’t, but they’ll be one of the cutest couples in Trek history if they do—and as long as they keep that pure, sweet friendship between them at the heart of whatever else happens, I’m on board.

Carol Freeman was already one of my favourite captains before this season, and she’s been steadily moving up the list. The quiet throughline about her ambition to be on a better ship has been fascinating so far, and it’s starting to actually make me feel a little conflicted: I’m of course rooting for Captain Freeman to recognize her worth, make Starfleet recognize her worth, and become the ass-kicking captain of a hero ship that she’s clearly ready to be—but that almost surely means she’d be kicking ass off-screen, because LwD isn’t about those kind of adventures, and I’d be devastated not to have Dawnn Lewis on the show every week. So I’m kind of on the edge of my seat about this one!

I had so many favourite jokes this week I put them in a separate list:

“Even the replicated water on the Titan tasted better” is a low-key brilliant dunk on people who can’t shut the fuck up about the cooler places they used to live.

“Ooooh, they have a Quark’s now! That used to just be an empty lot where teens would make mistakes!” ← That’s literally me every time I go back to where I grew up. I felt so Seen™ I almost hid under a blanket.

“I would never go down the stairs!” (evil grin) (goes up the stairs)

The “well, shit” expressions from Mariner and Boimler as their crashed car sank right into the water… which started to bubble innocuously… and then the bottles of Data bubble-bath popped up, paying off a joke I thought had already been paid off—that was the one that woke up my poor cat this week. Just exquisite timing.

“YOUR PAGH IS WEAK, AND IT DISGUSTS ME!” “I don’t even know what that is, but I don’t like your tone!”

“Okona’s in there? He’s not even Starfleet! This is outrageous!” made me shout “NO!” at the screen like I was scolding my cat for scratching furniture. (She did not wake up that time.)

Best background joke: the neon sign at the dive bar advertising FREE SHOTS & BEERS. (Get it? Because they’re on a Federation starbase? Where nobody uses money?)

And of course Quark merchandised DS9.

This wasn’t just a standout episode of Lower Decks, this was a brilliant episode of Star Trek, period. The Dooplers, though extremely silly, are nevertheless also a clever sci-fi metaphor for real and relatable personal/interpersonal issues, and an effective plot catalyst for meaningful character growth from all four of our ensigns and the captain.

The jokes were hilarious, the action was kinetic, the A-, B-, and C-plots linked up thematically, the visuals were consistently and thoroughly gorgeous, the character beats—between Mariner and Boimler, Tendi and Rutherford, Mariner and Capt. Freeman—were all genuine, heartfelt and wholesome, and the references to other Trek canon were both deep and deeply affectionate.

Only 15 episodes in, and this series knows exactly what it is, exactly what it wants to do, and knows that it can knock our socks off doing it. Mike McMahan has said in recent interviews that the back half of S2 (and the apparently almost-fully-written S3) is a straight line uphill in quality from here—which surprised me at first, because McMahan seems like a pretty chill dude who doesn’t normally brag about his own work like that.

But then the Prophets sent me a vision of my space dad Ben Sisko, who reminded me of the words of 1930’s baseball player Dizzy Dean:

“If you can do it, it ain’t bragging.”

[Thanks to cygnus-x1.net for the screenshots this week—I was too lazy to do my own.]

#star trek #star trek lower decks #lower decks #lower decks spoilers #lwd spoilers #amy's episode notes

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kisilinramblings · 3 years

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This is so interesting, thank you !! Also I'm French and I've heard a lot about Fort Boyard without watching so I had no idea the themes were so similar, but given the amount of references and Easter eggs in Miraculous, I wouldn't be surprised if it were a conscious nod !

Would you do a comparative analysis of Marinette's and Adrien's different transformations please please please ? (And possibly between Aspik and Viperion's transformation ?) 🙏

Ok, so, this is going to be long. I will limit the screen capture, but I’ll put down link to any transformation I am referencing.

Ladybug | Lady Noire | Multi Mouse

Alright, so let’s begin with Marinette’s most common transformation : Ladybug!

At the beginning, we see the camera framing Marinette at a normal angle before the character up herself up, thus offering us a subtle low angle shot.

Low angles serve usually to give the impression the character is bigger, superior. And Marinette is no exception. Once Tikki has entered her Miraculous, Marinette is elevated. She is becoming a superhero. Her hair and clothers are being blown just like a cape blown by the wind. It’s a dramatization effect. The wind may not make sense, but it adds some flair and epicness.

Next is the mask. Mostly because I want to compare Marinette’s first transformation vs the one she now has.

During her very transformation in Origins, LB’s mask appears on its own as well as the rest of her costume, without doing any movement or big choregraphy. It showed Marinette as being passive. The transformation sequence there reflected how much Marinette was taken aback by all of this and didn’t know what she had to do then.

After her Origin’s though, after finding her resolve to help, Marinette knows what to do when there is a problem and will act. And this is what her -- or any other Holder really -- do by moving around to trigger their costume appearance. They don’t need to, but it communicates to us they are putting the mask on in order to do something about the situation at hand.

After that, the rest of Ladybug’s transformation sequence is inpired by gymnatics. So, while the show never showed Marinette having gymnastic class, this could be part of her past, that she has taking gymnastic lessons before. It also constrast with the clumsy Marinette, showing us instead that as Ladybug, she is elegant, in control of her movement before finishing with a powerful pose.

Speaking of gymnastics...

Multi Mouse’s transformation is fully inspired by it. The vfx are even shaped like ribbons themselves

Marinette’s pose at the beginning says action, but at the same time, instead of elevating herself, she bows down. Discretion is the word. And it was her goal when she put on the Mouse Miraculous. She will be making herself small and go under the radar. And during the tranformation, at one point, she goes completely off-screen as if she was evading it.

Honestly, I am curious to see and compare with Mylène’s when we will finally see it.

As for her Lady Noire’s transformation, it’s very much inspired by Chat Noir’s very own sequence. The Miraculous being raised up high above the head before the transformation begins, making her mask appear with one hand swipe. Her feet are grounded instead of giving the impression she is floating. The fury swipes at the end. So yeah, overall, inspired by Chat Noir, but her attitude feels a bit more feral to me, has a more raw energy to it. There is one moment that is varie a lot though. And it is when she puts the ears on.

Adrien in comparaison has a close up on the top of the head only. With Marinette though, we see her whole head, and she is like sighing of relief. Considering she said later the Chat Noir’s costume was lighter on the shoulder, this could be why. She doesn’t have as much responsabilities to handle as Lady Noire than as Ladybug.

All right, that’s all I had to say about Marinette’s transformation. Let’s now take a look at Adrien’s.

Chat Noir | Mister Bug | Aspik

Adrien’s transformation sequence starts with a very dynamic shot, as if he is punching something (or breaking the walls that surround him). He also has his other fist in the air, ready for action.

Once that done, he takes a pose, showing off, being dramatic, extravagant.

Before lifting his hand high above his head while keeping his head low. Interestingly enough, Lady Noire do the opposite. She looks upwards.

So, Adrien tries to be confident, but appears also humbled down? This is also done to contrast with Ladybug.

Also, I remember the 2D pv had transformation sequence already (back when it was Félix) and this very composition was present back in the day. In other words, this little segment of their respective transformation was meant to represent the yin and the yang.

As for the rest of Chat Noir’s transformation, no much comment. Him doing a fury swipes as well as his final pose as always strike me as him going into character. My hero theme is a cat? Alright, I’ll do a cat-like pose because I think it would be cool. And I know I am writing this after Lies, but even before that episode and the scene at the art club, Adrien likes to be able to goof around. So he jokes, he acts like a cat. It’s a way to express himself as well as an exploration of himself as he is unable to do so with the expection on him as a civilian.

Next, his Mister Bug’s transformation.

Just like Lady Noire takes a lot of inspirations from Chat Noir’s sequence, Mister Bug takes inspiration from Ladybug’s. But there are still some aspect that are still Chat Noir’s. Like the raised fist.

In fact, his sequence is very combative compared to Ladybug’s. The choregraph gymnatic sequence is replaced by a series of kicks. Though, I think the goal was to show boys can be Ladybug too if they want and this was a way to appeal to them. Still, this might be also our first clue about how Chat Noir is transposing himself in Ladybug’s role. He shows close combat move while the Ladybug Miraculous power isn’t optimal for close combat. We don’t even get a yoyo shot like it is the case with LB.

Finaly, Aspik’s.

The beginning is pretty similar to his Chat Noir’s transformation, but more... contrived? Less expressive? Tuned down? I dunno how to qualify it. I also love how we can still see his ring, but he is putting it behind him. Like how he is leaving his Chat Noir’s role behind in order to become Aspik. Because this is what he did during Desparada. He abandoned to be Chat Noir so he could be fitting (and flirting) with Ladybug as Adrien.

The last element is the lyre weapon. It appears only at the end of Aspik’s transformation, but Aspik doesn’t interact with the instrument at all. Because Adrien cannot play that instrument. And funnily enough, when it is Luka who holds the Snake Miraculous and transform into Viperion, the lyre is precisely the first thing that Luka appears and interacts with it to make the rest of his costume appears.

All that to show that Ladybug didn’t choose the right person for the Snake Miraculous during Desperada.

I think that covers everything I had to say about both Marinette’s and Adrien’s transformations. I hope you have enjoyed this!

#mure-sauvage #miraulous ladybug #marinette dupain-cheng #adrien agreste #ml analysis #long post

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hcolleen · 2 years

Video

youtube

Villain Therapy: Gollum, Smeagol, and Dissociative Identity Disorder

Can you overcome greed and selfishness? Can compassion help someone who's been through and done things like Gollum has?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright talk about some of the aspects of Gollum's personality and journey that could be seen as mental illness, what aspects are just choices he makes, and what may be caused by circumstances he finds himself in (or supernatural powers like the ring. I mean, the precious.) They talk about the differences between multiple personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder, our potential for greed and selfishness, how understanding leads to compassion and compassion leads to healing, and why the Lord of the Rings is one of their favorite trilogies of all time. They also do some pretty great Gollum impressions (and give serious props to Andy Serkis and the VFX team).

Jonathan's note: while the clinical information presented in this episode is accurate, there is more to the story. Since filming I have gained insight from several persons with dissociative identity disorder. In some cases it is not experienced as a core personality with alters to be integrated, but as a system of personalities living harmoniously. In these cases, there is nothing to "cure." There is more to cover on this subject and we look forward to doing so in future videos.

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greencrusader13 · 4 years

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My impressions on The Rise of Skywalker (Spoilers below the cut)

So I just got back from seeing The Rise of Skywalker, and I thought I’d share some of my initial impressions on it. Still need some time to digest a lot of it, so my overall opinion is probably still quite malleable.

The Good

The cinematography - as it has been for the entire sequel trilogy - was great. There are so many shots that look so cool and are a delight to see.

Rey and Ben continue to be very interesting characters, and their Force bond was without a doubt one of my favorite parts. The way their realities blend and mix despite being in different locations is done very well, and used with some sincerely interesting consequences. Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley give solid, believable performances.

I can’t quite think of another movie in the post-Disney era that references the EU quite to the extent of this one. If you’re familiar with it, you’ll probably catch several little easter eggs here and there.

The story left few unanswered questions. Whether or not you like the answers is another thing altogether, but we did get answers.

The Less-Than-Good

Movie had a slightly rushed beginning. Similar to Rogue One, the second and third acts are much stronger than the first.

Story decisions I didn’t quite care for, which will be elaborated on below the cut.

Similar to The Force Awakens, too much of the movie felt like it was trying to stand on the shoulders of the movies that came before it. Criticize the prequels and The Last Jedi all you’d like, but damn if they didn’t try to have their own identity. Lando could’ve been easily swapped with someone else and little would’ve changed. It felt more like they were just going “oh hey that’s Lando. Remember him?”

Rose got frickin’ sidelined. Her actress deserved better than that.

My biggest problem with the sequels hasn’t changed: it still feels like these movies are products rather than something that has a reason to exist. There’s an egregious lack of macro story, and I really shouldn’t be lost when I ask what it’s trying to say. The movies never really justify their own existence.

From here on out I’ll be discussing SPOILERS, so proceed with caution.

The Good - Spoilers

Leia’s death was perfect. It was done in a respectful manner that served the story and matched her characterization. It was kinda touching, actually.

YELLOW FRICKIN’ LIGHTSABERS ARE NOW PART OF THE FILM CANON

Rey hearing all the voices of the Jedi that came before her was really nice. I’m not one who’s seen The Clone Wars or Rebels or anything, but from what I understand characters from that could be heard among the voices. I particularly liked hearing Qui-Gon again; he was my favorite part of The Phantom Menace.

Little detail, but I thought they did a good job with the VFX for de-aging Luke and Leia during that one flashback. Granted, the lighting was dark so there wasn’t much detail to be seen, but from what we did see it looked pretty good. Nothing in the uncanny valley.

Poor Hux, but I laughed when the typical “wound me so they don’t buy my betrayal” trope backfired horribly on him. Also loved that his entire motivation for assisting the Resistance was “f*** Kylo Ren.”

Ben Solo doffing his Kylo Ren look in favor of something simpler really added to his redeemed appearance. Also loved seeing a more Jedi side of him.

The Neutral

This topic is divisive from what I’ve seen, but I’m chill with them introducing Force Healing into the canon as something Jedi can just do. It’s been present in games as a mechanic all the time and I believe some other sources as well, so it doesn’t contradict anything. And what I believe Anakin sought was the ability to spare someone from death outright with no cost to the self. I dunno. I think it does raise some issues, but nothing that can’t be explained. Besides, I already used it in my SWTOR fic, so I’d be a bit of a hypocrite to take issue with it.

The Less-Than-Good - Spoilers

Okay, let’s get it out of the way: I hated that they killed off Ben Solo at the end. Poor guy deserved his redemption at the end. I know some people don’t regard him very highly, and that some people have a more punitive approach to wrongdoings, but I’m not about that. If we’re talking TvTropes, this should’ve been a Redemption Earns Life moment, not a Redemption Equals Death one. Plus the Skywalker bloodline has officially died out now, which really sucks IMO. I’d seriously be okay with them retconning his death somehow and bringing him back. Hell, let’s pull a Star Trek and make Episode X: The Search for Ben Solo.

Rey being a Palpatine felt so tacked on it wasn’t even funny. It felt more like they rushed into trying to find someone important to relate her to so they could address that looming question about her parentage, but even then I liked what they were going for in The Last Jedi where she was no one important, and that destiny doesn’t require you be tied to someone already prestigious.

Enough celebration endings. It’s been present in four of the nine main series movies. Feels too repetitive at this point.

Minor gripe, but when Anakin spent his childhood enslaved on Tatooine, and Luke grew up wanting to leave the desert planet behind, it feels wrong leaving the last living memory of the Skywalker family buried there. You’re just ditching them on a place they never wanted to be.

Overall, I’d rate the movie a 7/10. I had fun seeing it, but I doubt it will leave any lasting impressions besides just being another entry in this saga. Go see it if you like Star Wars, but once should be enough.

#star wars #star wars: the rise of skywalker #the rise of skywalker #rey #kylo ren #ben #ben solo #episode ix #episode 9 #movies #jj abrams #daisy ridley #adam driver #the emperor #palpatine

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simonaj1804 · 3 years

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Problem solving

During this stage of project I’ve had a lot of problems to solve. Coming from me studying long-distance to mental health issues to technical issues. I’ve been waiting for my application for pre-settled status which has not been resolved yet and since COVID has been a big problem past year and a half almost I couldn’t leave my country or afford coming to the UK. Nor living in the UK due to family problems and disagreements about my parents not wanting to support me financially. I have been coping for about past 4 years with anxiety and depression which at times come in kind of waves or episodes so finding motivation and inspiration to move forward and work hard has been very difficult sometimes. It has been playing a big role to get around it since it’s untreated. I have developed insomnia and eating disorders as well so any energy I would have left would mainly end up going into actually daily tasks so I can properly function. My parents have not made it any easier because both of them have a lot of personal problems or problems with mental health and physical health. I have gotten through and I’ve been still working hard to do my best even with carrying still these major problems through. Technical problems mainly came when I needed to start shooting the video which was impossible for me as I have my phone camera damaged and I cannot afford my own camera, I didn’t have access to borrowing a camera from my University because I lived outside of the UK as well and I couldn’t claim any benefits because again I am not at the moment in the UK. So I have made my computer suffer little by little and start to attempt to edit after about a year of not editing in After Effects which felt somewhat rusty but I quickly got back into it. I have borrowed footage from someone with who I used to collaborate and talk to (he is studying VFX and 3D Modelling course on his Univeristy) so he had spare footage and also a good camera to film with if I needed anything extra. Having connections in past year has made me realise how important it is to just make a good impression on people and interest them to gain their trust and have them offer help or any possible support. I attempted to still contact my student support/student finance to help me get new RAM for my computer since it’s getting old and it is the reason why my computer is slow as my parent’s income is low and my country has been for almost half a year in lockdown but it was no help. I figured that precomposing or rendering short parts of the video will be more helpful and easier to render over and over afterwards so my computer doesn’t overheat. With that I have gotten through (even with some crashes still). I will attempt to post an audio of my computer when it was rendering one of the compositions, it sounds pretty funny but in the moment I though it’s about to burn since it was working almost as heaeter when I sat next to it (I have burned my motherboard and CPU previously).

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Behind the Scenes on Inside No. 9’s Most Terrifying Episode

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Warning: contains spoilers for Inside No. 9 ‘The Harrowing’

“It was ‘WTF!? Oh my God! I’m not going to sleep! Why did you do that to me?!’” The moment the credits rolled on Inside No. 9’s series one finale ‘The Harrowing’, director David Kerr was deluged with messages. “People were very responsive,” he laughs. “We’d gone for something bold that was properly horrible and would haunt them. There’s not much out there that scares a horror fan because they’ve seen it all so many times. That’s the challenge. You want to hit people with a visceral, palpable gut punch that they didn’t see coming.”

Job done. The final shot of 2014’s ‘The Harrowing’ is truly deserving of the episode’s title. A schoolgirl, stripped, bound to a chair, gagged and anesthetised, whimpers in terror as the filthy curtains surrounding a four-poster bed begin to part. One necrotised cloven foot touches the floor, followed by another. A contorted, emaciated figure emerges, naked but for a soiled nappy, with curling fingernails and clouded eyes in a grey pock-marked face. It staggers towards the helpless girl, hissing a single world with demonic glee: “Mischief”

Kerr describes the image as “pretty strong meat” and few would disagree, especially considering that the meat in question was paid for by a comedy budget. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s anthology Inside No. 9 has never fitted neatly inside either the stall of comedy or drama. It’s one, the other and both at the same time. “Unfortunately, there isn’t a channel that has a horror department in the same way as comedy,” says Kerr. “That’s what we need to get going!”

Helen McCrory and Reece Shearsmith (BBC)

Kerr directed every episode of Inside No. 9’s first series: six half-hour films, each with a different setting, cast of characters, and tone. ‘The Harrowing’ is Shearsmith and Pemberton’s tribute to horror cinema classics, a specialist subject. Before starting work on the series, Kerr anticipated being schooled by the pair in obscure 1970s horror and rare Giallo movies they wanted to reference, but that wasn’t how it went. “’The Harrowing’ was very much a full-on genre film, and indebted to the Hammer tradition and the Amicus tradition of portmanteau horror, and though they have a tremendously deep knowledge of all that material – more so than me – Reece and Steve were actually very non-prescriptive.”

The script came to Kerr in a perfect state with plenty of detail, he remembers, but aside from some specific Vincent Price nods in costume and make-up, the creators were open to visual ideas – as far as the cash would stretch. “Always with Inside No. 9, budgetary challenges rear their head. You’re trying to make something that feels like a film, but you’re trying to do that on the budget of an episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys”.

It was clear there wouldn’t be the money for a full-body VFX transformation for the demonically possessed Andras who makes such an impression in the final scene. Like most limitations in Inside No. 9 though, it turned out to be a creative blessing, says Kerr.

Andras is the eldest of the three Moloch siblings, brother to the vampiric-looking Tabitha (Helen McCrory) and Hector (Reece Shearsmith). He lives in an upstairs room of their freezing Gothic mansion, kept tied to the bed and fed like a baby on milk formula and Rusks. Fifty years earlier, we’re told, Andras was possessed by mischief demon Castiel, an infernal spirit now in search of a new home – hence the anesthetised babysitter, Katy (Aimee-Ffion Edwards).

“You’re always wary of showing the monster, but we knew that we did want people to see Andras. A lot of the conversations ahead of the shoot were about what we could do with our limited pocket of money to make him properly scary, but in a way that you could still feel that he’s human. He’s right on the border between a poor, neglected sibling who’s just been left to stagnate in this room with a dirty nappy and untrimmed toenails. We wanted him to be just at the outer limit of the neglected human, but not to push him into a totally risible demon caricature state.”

Director David Kerr and actor Sean Buckley (David Kerr)

Casting Sean Buckley in the role was key to keeping a grip on the character’s pathos, says Kerr. He describes Buckley, who sadly passed away in 2016, as a hugely gifted physical performer. “He had a great physique and an amazing face, and he really understood the kind of contortions that would be useful for Andras when he was writhing and for his walk. The main thing was the physical tautness that he was going to be feeling when he’s writhing in the bed in chains. Sean just got it.”

As reference material for Andras’ look, Kerr and the team went to a range of sources: The Pale Man from Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, Dickensian ghosts and the Pee Pee Demon from Joss Whedon and David Greenwalt’s Angel. The character’s make-up was the work of Lisa Cavalli-Green, who brought in skilled prosthetics designer Kristyan Mallett to create Andras’ horrific set of teeth. “We went for details,” says Kerr. “Planning a shot, it was very much about half seeing him through that veil. As ever with horror and comedy, you’re just holding back the reveal. Again – testament to Reece and Steve – they didn’t give Andras tons of dialogue. Less was definitely more.”

The opposite applied to the episode’s Gothic location; in that case, more was definitely more. Kerr remembers his first look at the 19th century Highgate mansion that served as the Moloch house exterior (16 Broadlands Road, N6, if you’re planning a visit). “It was a real ‘we’ve got to use this’ moment. Reece would like to live there, incidentally, that’s going to be his home one day.”

For the interiors, it all came down to the staircase. Inspired by the grand staircases in films like The Others, The Orphanage and The Woman in Black, Kerr’s team went looking for similar. Another reference was more comic-horror. “For Reece and Steve, the characters of Tabitha and Hector felt a little bit like Addams Family characters. I found one of the original Charles Addams cartoons with a staircase in it and then found Langleybury and the staircase was almost identical. That was a real Eureka moment.”

Charles Addams cartoon and Langleybury (David Kerr)

The interiors were filmed in Langleybury, near Watford, which has also been used in the filming of Harlots, a 2011 Great Expectations and feature film The Little Stranger. The atmospheric, dilapidated interior with a galleried area and a series of ante-rooms was perfect for Shearsmith and Pemberton’s script. “You just felt – what could be behind those closed doors?”

Taking viewers up to those closed doors were Steadicam shots by specialist operator Alf Tramontin, whose previous work includes the Harry Potter films and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity. Kerr aimed to achieve “a prowling point of view” and designed shots very specifically to draw the eye through the house and give the impression there were whole rooms and wings that were rarely used. John Carpenter’s Halloween was an inspiration for the choreography of those shots. “It’s all about the girls, Katy and Shell (Poppy Rush) creeping up the stairs and just not being able to quite see past the corner, putting the audience in their point of view in terms of what might be behind a door, or a covered piece of furniture beneath a dust sheet.” The dusts sheets covering the furniture fed into the unsettling idea that you’re not quite sure what lurks beneath, says Kerr, before adding with a laugh, “that was also so that we could just put any old crap underneath without having to rent a lot of expensive props!”

Custom props were made for the hellish pictures on display in the Moloch hall. Production designer Brian Sykes had reproductions made of 15th and 16th century paintings depicting the Harrowing of Hell. “That was tricky, because really you wanted a whole gallery of these things, just to feel they were everywhere, but the flip side of that is if Tabitha and Hector had this stunning art collection, maybe they wouldn’t live in such a ratty house. The fact they only have a few of those paintings makes you think ‘are they for real? Is this all a bit of a con?’ And that’s what you want the audience to be asking themselves.”

A crucial part of directing the audience’s feelings in the episode is the work of Inside No. 9 composer Christian Henson. “He’s so inventive and brilliant,” says Kerr. “None of those films sound alike from a score point of view.” For ‘The Harrowing,’ Henson drew inspiration from the Giallo vintage synthesizer used in the Goblin score for Dario Argento’s Suspiria, and once again, from Carpenter’s famous Halloween theme.

Poppy Rush and Aimee Ffion-Edwards (BBC)

That’s a lot of horror talk for 30 minutes of television commissioned under a comedy banner. The comedy though, is very much there in ‘The Harrowing’, which begins as a fond pastiche of the kind of lurid characters found in Hammer Horror films such as Roger Corman’s Vincent Price-starring House of Usher. Kerr knew that guest star Helen McCrory had the colours to make Tabitha something special. “Helen just took to it and had that voice and poise. The character’s this sort of grande dame, larger than life.” McCrory and Shearsmith’s performances are expertly pitched to riff on the theatricality of those stars of vintage horror.

“So much of the film plays in a fairly camp register. You meet Hector and he’s Vincent Price-ish, a slightly campy eccentric. Tabitha is almost like a sort of Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard, shuttered in the chateau. They’re oddballs, and they’re funny and bicker like an old couple. By the time Hector pulls out the guitar and is singing Lord of the Dance, you’re thinking ‘this is bordering on ludicrous!’, and then it’s about how far can we push that comedy and turn the corner to something properly dark. The Lord of the Dance silliness takes your guard down, I hope, so that by the time Aimee-Ffion Edwards’ character is sitting there and Castiel in Andras’ body is advancing towards her, it’s properly horrifying, and you’re thinking ‘I didn’t see this coming’.

“They are twins, comedy and horror. They’re both the cinema of sensation, you’re trying to create a visceral reaction from people. Fear and laughter are proper physical reactions in people, rather than intellectual ponderings. You want to incite those reactions and you do that by getting ahead of the audience and not letting them get ahead of you. And that’s always been the genius of a script by Reece and Steve. That’s what they do.”

David Kerr’s festive film Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse will air this Christmas on Sky One and NOWTV.

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Inside No. 9 is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.

The post Behind the Scenes on Inside No. 9’s Most Terrifying Episode appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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chiayulu · 4 years

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Reflection: Learning Outcomes and New Skills

Learning outcomes

One of the obvious learning outcomes is to explore me in terms of skills and thoughts. It allows me to consider as an animator what I have to do, know, and equip. That means evaluation and criteria become the essential elements to reflect and analyse. To be honest, I am for sure not good at reflection. I seldom leave self alone to come and think but it is a good practice on reflecting on my own, others’ artefacts and techniques. Also, this is the power to support improving and self-learning. I believe even the major project comes to the end, the skill can along with entire life.

Moving to Forefront writing, making posts allow us to think and connect to the newest events in the current industry. It is a method to familiar with animation industry, although we still cannot understand the industry well and I might not analyse forefront, animations, and related technology in-depth due to not including and touching the exact workplace. When I struggled to explore more forefronts, Tutor Alex and classmates were kindly sharing fantastic websites and learning methods. These resources are blogs, video platform, and podcast programmes. Cartoonbrew is one of my favourite resources. The blogs do not include comments and criticism. It's like pure animation news. I usually learn the newest and popular animations from here. Another resource, The Duncan Trussell Family Hour (DTFH), a podcast platform, is impressed me. The podcast programme invites guests who are creators and artists to interview for an hour. It's a casual interview and interviewees share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences from their artworks. The contents are pretty interesting but I have to hear and repeat serval time for my poor English listening proficiency. I prefer free to listen to it without stress, so I haven't listened to many episodes now. These resources allow us to grab related animation information directly and detailed the current controversial issues.

The uesful resources are listed here.

sketch practice resources for live-action

https://line-of-action.com/

Industry news blogs

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/

Criticism and analysis articles for animation

https://www.fantasy-animation.org/

A category on Vimeo selecting worth seeing videos, called Vimeo Staff Pick Animation

https://vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks

Industry news blogs

Animation world network https://www.awn.com/

DTFH, an hour-long podcast programme

http://www.duncantrussell.com/episodes/tag/dtfh

New Skills

Outer Space Zoom (AE layer parenting)

matte painting

Workflow for 3D character (MAYA > Zbrush > Substance Painter > MAYA)

Rendering smooth mesh with low poly in Maya Arnold and Maya V-ray

Topology skill and clean up topology method in MAYA 2020 and 2019

Model head with a 4-sides panel on topology

Rig method in MAYA 2020 (2020 update: Offset Parent Matrix)

I have listed the most helpful new skills I learned in this project above. The outer space zoom helps me to achieve specific zooming out effect for the project. It uses After Effects basic function, layer parenting, to control and create effects. In my project, this skill has to go with matte painting. It also allows me to generate clips cheaper. That means I don't need to create massive and large 3D assets to achieve the goal. Besides, matte painting is one of the common methods to assist VFX. However, from an evaluation aspect, I didn't do it well. If check this clip from my project, it can be told the difference. I need spending more time to draw matte painting to let it looks like 3D. During the production process, although I consider it is a cheap method to produce, it still stuck my laptop for so long. I think having this experience let me understand a specific methodology on VFX and I will know how to manage the time next time. Next, the 3D character workflow is the most informative knowledge to me. It presents the way professional being an expert on making a 3D character. 3D artists usually model a basic shape on low poly in MAYA, then sculpture more details for a model in Zbrush such as cracks, skin texture, and scar. it is interesting to note that this action might not make file being massive because it can transform sculpting into depth data. while the depth data connects with the low poly model in MAYA, it presents a soft mesh and details in visual. However, it still is considered as a low poly model in MAYA. Substance Painter is an Intuitive painting and texturing tool on the 3D model but the model has to be clean up the UV mapping first, then start painting. It’s quite different from early texture method in Photoshop. It makes texture perfectly along with a model with any unnatural and obvious seam. Regarding topology, it is an essential criterion for modelling. A clean and accurate topology can prevent issues from the following rig and animate steps. However, it is hard to create a model without any topology issue. MAYA provides some tools to solve this problem. Because of Maya new updates function in 2020, the solutions are the difference between version 2020 and 2019 as long as rig methods are changed by this. This phenomenon presents that with technology advanced, procedure and work methods are also renew again. As an animator, we have to keep learning new thing to vibrant our skills and ideas, or we might get rid of the fast-changing world.

Going through this project, I find so many skills deserve to note and learning, but I cannot accomplish all of them in the short term. I have listed every interesting topic, animation industry news platform, learning sources, artists, techniques, and skills on paper. I feel I refill power, while I have a new direction to work hard and learn.

#FMP #Major project #reflection #learning outcomes #New Skills

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exilesofembermark · 6 years

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Game Dev Update | 3.12.18

“THIS is what I see on my screen.” - Your Opponent

So proud of the Victory image from the UI work we’ve been doing, figured we’d better show the other side of the coin this month. Hopefully, you won’t see this screen too much (unless you’re playing me, in which case enjoy this screen-- remind me I said that on launch day).

Last update, we gave a follow-up to our publishing announcement, detailed the Exiles end-of-battle sequences, and introduced concepts for Archmage Edyrin Zaan, who played a key role in Embermark’s Collapse many, many years ago. This time around, we’ve got gameplay and crafting updates, a look at Edyrin’s cohort and warcaster friend Elle Manigold, info on our coming First-Time-User-Experience (your intro to the game) and a look at how we’re going to try and quickly tell you story elements as you pass through this fantasy world we’re working on.

CRAFTING EVOLVED

The crew here at Gunslinger is working at a fever pitch right now, implementing all of the learnings we’ve had over the course of the last several months about everything from combat (which has been detailed in dev updates here and here) to systems to the way players build characters over time. We’re aiming at a result that brings build strategies to the forefront, communicates what happens during battle in a much more straightforward way and increases the tastiness of loot.

And that’s what we’ll cover this time around-- loot and how crafting has evolved. The loot system is pretty straightforward-- A Common item-- say, a sword, has specific stats on it (how much damage it does, any affects to the player’s core stats like Strength). A Rare Item has a prefix-- say, Mighty. Making a Mighty Sword. That prefix has up to 2 stat effects as well (like a plus to STR and CON). An Epic item has a prefix and a suffix-- say, of Shenanigans and that suffix comes with stats or special effects of its own. Making a Mighty Sword of Shenanigans. Legendary items are bespoke designs and very special and delicious.

Before the current design pass, you could Craft random items for a specified slot (like your Chest or Head) as well as Salvage stuff you didn’t want and create items from specific recipes. You could also Upgrade items, which wasn’t super interesting-- it was just the equivalent of leveling an item.

To make the Forge more user-friendly and increase the fun part of loot management, we’re making the following changes:

Salvage is moving over into your main inventory in the Character screen, since that’s where you usually want to get rid of stuff

Everything you can make is now a Recipe, even the random stuff (so there will be a “Forge Random Sword” recipe as well as a “Forge Mighty Sword” recipe)

Upgrade is replaced with Transmute. So instead of simply leveling a sword from low to high, now you can change its attributes with a reroll, like changing the item’s STR buff into another stat like SPD or CON, depending on how you roll. This will be a feature with limits-- you won’t be able to turn anything into anything else. You can change one attribute, but that will lock the others.

EDYRIN ZAAN - NOW IN COLOR

Last Update, we shared the sketch concepts for one of the pivotal characters of our fantasy drama -- the Archmage Edyrin Zaan, who started the wheels turning toward the collapse of the continent and the otherworldly shenanigans that made Embermark a forbidding, chaotic place.

Now we’ve fleshed him out a bit, and he will be making appearances throughout your journey across the land (see the glimpse at the Narrative System below). Is he friend or foe? You may have a hand in deciding...

(btw, if you’ve been paying attention to the Dev Updates, that staff may trigger your imagination)

ELLE MANIGOLD: THE CATALYST

Edyrin didn’t come upon the dangerous practice of summoning-- or of manipulating Mystic power-- alone. He had help.

Enter the deadly warcaster, Elle Manigold, whose story will be revealed over time. Her upbringing, her power and her relationship to Edyrin all had massive ramifications on the continent that’s come to be called Embermark. Have a look at the visual development of this battlemage, who you may or may not fight (but you will definitely want her weapon).

THE TPWER HAS A BEACH BALL

Our friends at Industrial Toys (the studio Gunslinger was born out of) sent us a housewarming gift for the new space we moved into a little over a month ago. It’s a ridiculously large beach ball that caught some infamy momentum on Reddit, given its potential to inflict terror and bodily injury. We’re currently trying to figure out what to do with it. Suggestions welcome in the Exiles forums.

THE NOT-A-BAT

“There are no rats, bats, wolves or skeletons in Exiles.” - TheWizard on multiple occasions

Fine, I lied about the wolf thing (but see-- ours are cool). Well, this is most certainly not a bat. But it is a horrible flying face-eater, and you don’t want it eating your face when you encounter it in its various ecosystems (out in the jungle, deep in the caves, etc).

This nasty is well on his way toward giving us a base for flying enemies, so stay tuned for his color, model and flaps next Update.

THE FIRST TIME USER EXPERIENCE (OH, AND THE NARRATIVE SYSTEM)

We’ve been threatening testing for a while now, and while I’m not reporting a date for that yet (*sideyes the Exiles in the Discord channel), I am reporting a plan. With the gameplay evolutions and the PVE system coming online, it’s time for us to get the game ready for a new player to experience it. Thus, our next big milestone is a working First-Time-User-Experience (FTUE) that teaches the basics of the game and levels a character to about Level 10. With that comes a couple of new systems-- the Tutorials System and the Narrative System.

The Tutorial System isn’t super exciting (I mean, I’m excited about it, but sharing the part of a game that many players go “can I skip” isn’t what I’m all about right now, so suffice it to say, there will be one, it will show you what to do to get started and then it will get out of the way for your climb to heroism).

The Narrative System is more exciting -- to share, anyway. One of the ambitions of Exiles is to tell a sweeping fantasy story in many ways directed by players’ actions. The system we’re building to tell that story lets us do just that. There are three parts to it:

1) Trackable Items

Just about anything players do in the game is tracked-- the fights, the wins/losses, the enemies killed, the foes bested, the factions helped or hindered, the narrative choices one makes, the aggregate leveling done, the events outcomes, you name it. This provides the Exiles designers a bed of history from which to trigger events and tell stories about what’s gone on in Embermark.

2) Talking Heads

Seen below, this is your paged spoken-word info. Characters will appear on-screen, point you toward important stuff (Quests, new map locations, events) and disappear. You’ve seen this a million times in games, but we’ll make it easy to digest quickly.

3) (Human) Written Episodes

After every Season (which is currently a month of real-world time), Episodes of Tales of Embermark will be published, outlining the ongoing narrative and player actions that went down during the preceding Season, creating a historic log from the beginning of the game and hinting at things to come.

FROM BANDIT TO BOSS

Along with the FTUE comes a string of baddies for players to smash (or be smashed by). Wildewoods, the Zone that you see above and the training grounds for new players, has all sorts of nastiness to encounter, including wolves, ogres, elves (who aren’t really nasty, but they will shoot you with poison arrows) and a scheming band of bandits known as the Darkeye Syndicate.

We’ve shared in the past our method of creating endless variation for NPCs (particularly humanoid NPCs), and this is the first in-game implementation of that system. The Quests we’re designing to onboard a new player will involve these thuggy outlaws, a semi-organized rabble preying on new Exiles and the folks in Wildewoods alike, all built off of the same model, using gear that’s reusable for player characters.

And I couldn't resist a quick shot of the bandits’ Cutlass ^... cuz it’s got a skull on it.

And I didn’t claim there wouldn’t be spiders, did I? Cuz there are-- and they’re also going to chomp your face:

youtube

We just rigged it up yesterday (see video), so we should be incorporating our 8-legged enemies into quests and battles very soon.

DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER…

We’ll keep sharing details as we head toward testing (remember to PM TheWizard on the Exiles forums with your device type if you want in on closed testing & beta later), and you can count on early impressions from the testers throughout our various channels.

If you haven’t already, follow along with Exiles development on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’ll find you. And SMITE you.

CONNECT WITH OTHER EXILES

If you want to hear about the game, ask questions or connect with others who are helping the development team think about features, design and narrative, hop into the Discord Channel for live chat and say hi– it’s a friendly crew with plenty of daily/weekly/sometimes-planned shenanigans.

BONUS: A BASHER

Because it’s not an RPG without a ridiculously large, painful-looking 2-handed basher:

BONUS BONUS: ETHEREAL VARIANTS, ANYONE?

Ethereals in Embermark aren’t from here. They’re from... over there. Thus, the Ethereal NPC we’ve shown in the past isn’t necessarily always going to be one of fire-- or of heat-- or of an elemental variety. Sometimes, they’ll be from/of/based on other makeups. Take a look at this video from our VFX crew (of one!) showing how many setups we might explore...

youtube

(and for those of you in a clicking mood, here’s that Ethereal dying-- he seems almost... surprised)

#gamedev #rpg #fantasy #ios #mobilegame

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discotreque · 4 years

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Picard 1.08: Broken Pieces

I'm so tired, y'all. My cat ate one of my hair elastics, because she's an idiot, and she was up all night puking extremely loudly all over the apartment. I have reached the age where I can't just bounce back from a sleepless night with a couple of Red Bulls and sheer force of will, so I'm kinda wrecked.

But I don't think I've ever been so wrecked that I couldn't ramble about Star Trek for a minute, so—shall we?

Spoilers:

We open on Aia, "The Grief World," possibly the most extra name for a planet in all of Star Trek canon.

This flashback is set 14 years ago, and Ramdha is present. But when we met her as one of the disordered Romulan xBs, they said she and her ship were assimilated 16 years ago. Either I'm misremembering or that's an obvious error. Which happens—I'm not mad, just confused.

Speaking of confusion: we see only female Romulans experiencing the Admonition (cool name btw), and Oh mentions a tradition passed down from their "foremothers." Are the Zhat Vash a female-only sect like the Qowat Milat? If so, what's Narek's deal? Or are only women Admonished, and male Zhat Vash agents just have to take their word for it?

None of this actually matters. I told you I was tired.

I really liked the scene with Narissa and Ramdha, mainly because I like Peyton List a lot and she got to show some complexity for a change, but Narissa remains an uncompelling villain to me. Even if she thinks she's working to save trillions of lives, she's indulging in an awful lot of sadism along the way; you get the impression she'd be torturing and murdering people even if she weren't an anti-android crusader.

They told us up front that Rios had a tragic backstory, but wowwwww. Two weeks in a row, this show gets us grieving for a character we've never met—impressive.

Prop watch! The phaser Raffi pulls on Soji looks more like a 21st-century firearm than any weapon we've ever seen on Star Trek, which added some possibly-unintentional heft to the scene. You just don't get the same visceral reaction seeing someone held at dustbuster-point.

The return of Admiral Fucking Bongwater! I worry Oh's going to get her before this is all over, though.

More infinitesimally tiny nitpicking: the JJ Abrams movies introduced the idea that phaser bolts on "stun" are blue, and ones on "kill" are red, and as far as I could tell, the first two seasons of Discovery used the same convention. (Which is a retcon I'm fine with: it makes fight scenes more visually understandable.) We've seen both red and blue phaser fire on Picard, and every confirmed phaser kill has been from a red shot. This episode, we see Seven shoot a bunch of Romulans with blue bolts, but later Narissa says they were killed by phasers. I don't know what to believe anymore!!!

I have literally never been more attracted to Jeri Ryan than in this episode. What a babe.

Every conversation about Data on this show ends up making me weepy. "He loved you" was the heavy hitter line, of course, but Picard saying that he felt as limited in his own emotional capacity as Data also had me reeling.

I totally called the engineering hologram being Scottish. Is it a terribly clever joke? No. Did I know they would be powerless to resist it anyway? Yes. Did I laugh my ass off when it finally came to pass? Absolutely I did.

Moving stars around the galaxy is pretty cool, but I read a novel once where some hyper-advanced aliens were moving stars back in time. Way cooler.

The physical comedy in the scene with Mr. Hospitality the close-talker and Raffi, who has a basic normal sense of personal space, was hilarious.

Rios is a sad boy who listens to sad songs on vinyl records and reads sad philosophy books. So basically he's every guy I knew in my 20's, zing!

Say what you will about the writing on this show, but the acting is almost uniformly phenomenal. I've heard more than one actor say that being on a show with Sir Patrick Stewart makes you instinctively up your acting game, and honestly, I think it shows all over the place, even when P. Stew's not in the actual scene.

All of that last point was basically to say Jeri Ryan is also acting her ass off this episode. I always thought she was a great actor, all the way from her debut on Voyager, but she is taking it to another level here and I cannot look away.

Can't decide who's showing off more in the scene with all the holograms: Santiago Cabrera or director Maja Vrvilo. Standing ovation to them both.

Raffi calls Rios's record player a "Walkman," which is adorable.

I will literally bet money that, had we seen Beautiful Flower (RIP), he would have been played by a relatively makeup-free Brent Spiner. Furthermore, I predict we're going to see another android from that line (i.e. Spiner returning sans the Data makeup) before the end of the season. And if it doesn’t happen and I remember to, I will call myself out.

Agnes is like "I promise I won't kill you," and Soji's just "Like you fucking could."

There was a cute moment on the Ready Room this week when Wil Wheaton mentioned seeing an early cut of this episode without most of the VFX, and Jeri Ryan's immediate reaction was "Oh, so I looked like a total idiot!"

All those Borg being vented into space was rugged as fuck. This show has gone to some lengths to establish individual Borg drones as not only victims, but victims who can potentially be saved. On TNG and Voyager, you cheered when a Borg cube blew up. On this show, when thousands of drones are unceremoniously killed, it feels like the massacre it is.

Everyone who's been whining about the nasty, nasty language on this show is going to have a fucking field day with this episode.

Speaking of f-bombs, I get the feeling Picard should have called Clancy back with the news that her head of security is a Romulan agent. Seems like information she should have, um, ASAP?

When Soji took over La Sirena with zero difficulty I burst out laughing. Like father, like daughter!

I am extremely interested to see what happens next with this Borg cube.

Picard's speech to Rios feels like the thesis of this whole show. I like it.

And fuckin' Narek is still around. Ugh.

Next week is Part 1 of the two-part season finale: "Et in Arcadia Ego." How's that for a title?

#star trek picard #star trek picard spoilers #picard spoilers #amy's episode notes

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