"It’s been a long journey since the pseudo-pod in the Abyss in 1989 marked a major milestone for computer generated visual effects and the start of the onslaught of [digital] technology into the movie industry. The production of Avatar gives us another picture of how technology is liberating creativity. Directors can direct computer-generated and live actors in real time, in digital environments. The performance of actors can be augmented and/or transported to virtual characters. The availability of high quality, high fidelity prototypes for movies can help creative teams share their vision and have a holistic view of their work." - a useful summary of the technical innovations pioneered by Autodesk for James Cameron’s production of Avatar.
ZaNews, the satirical programme featuring life-size puppet charicatures of South African politicians is now showing on the Internet. Created by French executive producer, Thierry Cassuto, and controversial South African cartoonist, Jonathan Shapiro (Zapiro) the programme was orginally commissioned by SABC; but they shelved it - in horror - when they viewed the pilot which poked fun at powerful figures such as Jacob Zuma. Shapiro and Cassuto then took their pilot to the Mail&Guardian who posted it on their website. Bizarrely, SABC then tried to lay charges against M&G for theft: theft of a programme that they didn’t have the courage to broadcast. Meanwhile, as the legal shenanigans continue in the background, Shapiro and Cassuto, with sponsorship from the budget airline, Kululu.com and M&G have moved their show onto the Internet. As they keep reminding their viewers, the Internet is a place "where you can". With daily clips during the week and a longer recap on Saturdays, let’s hope that they go from strength to strength, shining the sharp light of satire on the antics of local politicians. (Watch it at www.zanews.co.za)
Mainly because I have a personal investment in it, but also because I’ve posted links to Soft Serve here before, and we’re involved in a musical/animation collaboration - take a look at a review on SPIN Earth of the latest Soft Serve show (last weekend 21st Feb @ GoGo Bar).
Criticised at ‘pure musical madness’ and ‘too far out there’… That makes me very happy! If you want madness and ‘far out there’ - make sure you attend our next show - details will be posted here…
Goethe Institute and the Digital Arts Division of the Wits School of Arts will be hosting German digital artist Friedrich Kirschner. The focus of the workshops and screenings and one day event will be the use of Machinima in creative practice.
What is Machinima? (machine + animation + cinema)
Machinima is a real world film making technique applied with in the interactive virtual world of 3D games. Basically, games are modified and altered so that scenery and characters (‘characters’ are not human they are objects or avatars) can be controlled either by human intervention or scripts – allowing the artists to ‘shoot’ movies within the virtual environment.
There are degrees of manipulation and modification – from the basic manipulation of the chosen games characters to the full replacement of the environment and characters. Kirschner in a series of machinima titled person 2184 replaced the 3D gaming environment and characters with photographs of an urban environment. In this way he created a graphic movie series on urban living. These were released both as a stand alone movies and movies that run in the gaming environment of Unreal Tournament.
All these sessions are open to the public and free of charge. Please book a seat for the workshop as space is limited. For more information and booking contact me at tegan.bristow@wits.ac.za
Machinima Screenings and Discussions:
To view full screening schedule (films and artist info) visit http://johannesburg.machinimag.com
Screening 1:
Art and Play - Machinima as a New Art Form
Date & Time: 18 February at 18:30
Venue: Goethe Institute Johannesburg
119 Jan Smuts Ave Entrance on New Port Road Parkwood
Screening 2:
Machinima Filmfest Selection
Date & Time: 19 February at 18:30
Venue: Goethe Institute Johannesburg
Guerrilla Animation Workshop:
Blending Video Games and Milk into Narrative
"Participants learn how to look at computer games as sandboxes for creative play and storytelling. After some initial experiments with Machinima, the workshop will show new ways of using simple tools like a webcam and a bowl of milk to create your own characters and environments, and how soy sauce can be used to move a digital puppet."
Date: Friday 20th February to Sunday 22nd February
(this will include Saturdays Live Scanning Event)
Time: 11:00 to 16:00 daily
Venue: WSOA Digital Arts Division – New Lab
DigitalConventBuilding, East Campus, Wits.
3D Scanning with a Bathing Suit
Live 3D Scanning Event – Make yourself 3D
“Participants can digitally scan their whole body using a small inflatable pool, a webcam and colored water. The overall procedure, the setup and the open-source software both for scanning and visualising will be explained and people can take their scans home to watch them on their computer, or even build their own scanning apparatus to a scale of their liking.”
