Story Ideas and Notes

- Over-the-shoulder view of a fly as we follow it on its journey through the 1950s from stereotypical households where the family is watching a commercial on the latest 'automated washing machine', through to A-bomb testing facilities before coming to a climax as the fly perching on-top of the missile that launched Sputnik-1.

- Cynical, comedy-driven infomercial advertising the 'technology of the future' all the while completely ignorant to what the future truly has in store. (eg: "In the far-off year on 1990, we'll be living in floating houses and driving in flying cars!"). Done in the style of campy 1950s animated films or using blank shapes for form people and objects, (The Incredibles art style) or with realistic textures (Monty Python art style).

Keywords to take into consideration:

Ignorance.

Fear.

Paranoia.

F.A.O. Anecdote Studios Team

Meeting Suggestion

I think we should meet tomorrow

Any objections to 10am in the Baseroom?

Narrative : Tutorial Notes : 27th Sept

Tutorial Notes : 27th Sept

I took notes during our tutorial with Alan.

Suggested watching: 

• Pleasantville

• Twilight Zone 

• Goofy Films

• Watchmen

Notes:

• Fear Based Age
• Invention for defence and attack
• Roswell, Aliens

• Speculation - Roswell smokescreen

• Alien = Russian - Scared of own shadow

• Atomic energy a magical thing

• Military and Government scared of each other

• Perfect Family - 2.5 kids

• Look at America in the 50s

• Fear of Fear of Fear

• Messages - say something about today, set in the 50s

• American Dream - struggle for perfection

• Twilight Zone - 50s

• Assassination of JFK

• Russian Films - to tell their public they'll be the first in space

• Watchmen Film - extrapolating

• Play with lack of knowledge - Fear, Ignorance, Duck & Cover 

(Jonny buys a new Robot)

• Obsession with gadgetry

• Goofy films

• World of tomorrow from the view of the 50s

Logo design colours

Just putting up some colour designs of the logo and the font colours that would go with it. The fonts used here are just the first two fonts from the previous 2 posts. @Team- Let me know which ones work best so I can start firing on with the blog background! :D

More Logo Designs

Using the feedback I've received,I've created more designs as to see which font works best. 

The shapes: We have agreed on design 2

Narrative : Research : Berlin Airlift

The Berlin blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, theSoviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road and canal access to the sectors ofBerlin under Allied control. Their aim was to force the western powers to allow the Soviet zone to start supplying Berlin with food and fuel, thereby giving the Soviets practical control over the entire city.

In response, the Western Allies organized the Berlin airlift to carry supplies to the people in West Berlin.^[1][2] The United States Air Force and the British Royal Air Force flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing up to 4700 tons of daily necessities such as fuel and food to the Berliners.^[3]

By the spring of 1949, the effort was clearly succeeding and, by April, the airlift was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. The success of the Berlin Airlift brought embarrassment to the Soviets who had refused to believe it could make a difference. The blockade was lifted in May 1949 and resulted in the creation of two separate German states.^[3] The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) split up Berlin.^[3] In remembrance of the airlift, three airports in the former western zones of the city served as the primary gateways to Germany for another fifty years.

Wiki

Narrative : Research : Iron Curtain

The Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. On either side of the Iron Curtain, states developed their own international economic and military alliances:

• Member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and theWarsaw Pact, with the Soviet Union as the leading country.
• Member countries of the European Community and of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and associated countries with the United States as the leading country.

Physically, the Iron Curtain took the form of border defenses between the countries of Europe in the middle of the continent. The most notable border was marked by the Berlin Wall, which served as a symbol of the Curtain as a whole.

The events that demolished the Iron Curtain started in discontent inPoland,and continued in Hungary, German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia and Romania. Romania was the only country in Europe to violently overthrow its communist regime.

Wiki

Logo Designs 2

After taking in the feedback from team mates, here I have redesigned the logos with the spurs set in different directions. I've also added some effects to make it appear more 3D-ish, however numbers 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 I have added some thick lining around the edges to give it a stylized look. So far I am liking numbers, 2, 4 and 6. 

Narrative : Research : The Atomic Bomb

The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in 1945. These two events represent the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.

Following a firebombing campaign that destroyed many Japanese cities, the Allies prepared for a costly invasion of Japan. The war in Europe ended when Nazi Germanysigned its instrument of surrender on 8 May, but the Pacific War continued. Together with the United Kingdom and the Republic of China, the United States called for a surrender of Japan in the Potsdam Declaration on 26 July 1945, threatening Japan with "prompt and utter destruction". The Japanese government ignored this ultimatum, and the United States deployed two nuclear weapons developed by the Manhattan Project. American airmen dropped Little Boy on the city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945, followed by Fat Man over Nagasaki on 9 August.

Within the first two to four months of the bombings, the acute effects killed 90,000–166,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000–80,000 in Nagasaki, with roughly half of the deaths in each city occurring on the first day. The Hiroshima prefecture health department estimated that, of the people who died on the day of the explosion, 60% died from flash or flame burns, 30% from falling debris and 10% from other causes. During the following months, large numbers died from the effect of burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries, compounded by illness. In a US estimate of the total immediate and short term cause of death, 15–20% died from radiation sickness, 20–30% from burns, and 50–60% from other injuries, compounded by illness. In both cities, most of the dead were civilians, although Hiroshima had a sizeable garrison.

On 15 August, six days after the bombing of Nagasaki, Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, signing the Instrument of Surrender on 2 September, officially ending World War II. The bombings led, in part, to post-war Japan's adopting Three Non-Nuclear Principles, forbidding the nation from nuclear armament. The role of the bombings in Japan's surrender and their ethical justification are still debated.

Wiki

Sputnik 1

Sputnik was the very first man-made Earth satellite, successfully launched by Russia on October 4th, 1957. This satellite initiated the space race, pushed humanity forward into the space-age, caused the American Sputnik Crisis and also triggered a new age of technological, political, scientific and military advancements. The satellite, scientifically, was considered highly valuable due to its breakthrough in the development of human technology.

It was, however, also highly controversial as it launched during the cold war. The American public became very paranoid after hearing the news of Sputnik's successful launch as the heated rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States of America began after World War II. Many believed that the same mizzle that launched Sputnik into the atmosphere could also launch nuclear warheads across the world, reaching its target in only a few minutes.

Soviet stamp used as propaganda and depicting Sputnik orbiting Earth

After the initial launch of Sputnik, some American films took the idea of the space-age technology of the Soviet Union and turned it into propaganda. Rocket Attack USA, released in 1961 was intended to gather support from the public to create an anti-missile programme The film is based upon the idea that the satellite was collecting information and spying on the American public for Soviet Russia.

Duck and Cover Propaganda

'Duck and Cover' is a method of protection against nuclear explosions and its effects. From the 1950s onward,  it was taught to many generations of  American children due to the events of the Cold War which took place during the Atomic Age. The intent of teaching children the 'duck and cover' act was to protect them in the event that an unexpected nuclear attack may take place.

When ducking and covering, children were taught to immediately duck under their desks and assume a prone -like position.

Such propaganda for 'duck and cover' was widely distributed in the forms of posters, public service announcements and animated civil defense films such as "Duck and Cover", released in 1952 and directed by Anthony Rizzo

An example of this can be found in "The Iron Giant", released in 1999 and directed by Brad Bird. The animated film takes place in the Atomic Age and in one particular scene, we see the one of the main characters, Hogarth, in school watching a piece of propaganda film showcasing the 'duck and cover' message. The black and white film is very reminiscent of the 1952 animated film and may have taken plenty of inspiration from it.

F.A.O. Anecdote Studios Team

Reminder

1) Group Meeting:

Thursday 27th Sept 2pm Baseroom

Post-Up and bring in Research documentation for discussion

2) Group Tutorial:

Thursday 27th Sept 3.40pm Baseroom

Narrative : Period Research List

Narrative : Initial Group Roles

Narrative : Initial TO-DO List

Project Introduction : Narrative

On Monday 24th September we were given a new project brief.

The aim of this project is to create a 1 - 11/2 minute animation as a small team, using mainly 3D computer generated imagery, with the allowance of 2D animation and live action footage if we choose.

The topic of which is a period in time, chosen at random by one representative from each group in the form of a mystery golden envelope.

Our topic is:

1945 - 1960

The Atomic Age

This blog will show our thought processes, pipelines and everything else along the way to our complete animation.

When all the groups have created their masterpiece animations, 

each animation will be slotted together to create a 

CGAA Exclusive Portmanteau Film

 through time from the Middle Ages to The Unkown of 2050

Logo designs

After looking at the ideas we've all agreed on the idea of a cogwheel for our logo and an animated one for our ident which will be up soon. For the logo, Tom and I have been designated to design them. For the moment, here is some logo designs which that I came up with, the name font will be focused on later:

Welcome to Anecdote Studios

Welcome to Anecdote Studios.

We are a small team of university students studying 

BA (Hons) CG Art & Animation at 

 UCA Rochester 

The Team :

Tom Farrington

Personal Blog

Joey Ku

Personal Blog

Nat Urwin

Personal Blog