The cinema of Michael Bay:an aesthetic of excess

The hyper-kinetic action films of Michael Bay have come to exemplify the commercial, technical and aesthetic transformations of contemporary blockbuster cinema during a period in which the dynamic, disorienting effects of media convergence are reconfiguring viewing practices and remodelling cinematic institutions. However, despite their commercial success and cultural visibility, these films remain more or less absent from academic criticism of late twentieth and early twenty-first century global cinema, except in dismissive asides as examples of the aesthetic and intellectual limitations of contemporary, post-classical Hollywood cinema. Through a close analysis of the $130m film Bad Boys II (2003), described in Rolling Stone as ‘the cinematic equivalent of toxic waste’, this article examines the key stylistic and thematic features of Bay’s cinema, arguing that the director’s films are marked by a distinctive ‘aesthetics of excess’. Discussing such features as narrative structure and spatial organization, the highly affective representation of movement and intense colour, and an insistently ironic self-reflexivity, I argue that Bad Boys II is a systematic exploration of inter-related modes of excess in terms of circumstances of production, style, narrative economy, and thematic focus. Drawing on Paul Willemen’s analysis of the ‘Sirkian system’ in Douglas Sirk Hollywood melodramas, this article explores the components of the ‘Bayian system’

THE ADAPTATION OF 3D VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES TO THE 2D GAME PLAY MECHANICS OF THE BEAT-EM-UP GENRE

In this paper, we address some of the technological issues and shortcomings that led to the recession in popularity of the Beat \u27em up video game genre. In particular, we adapt current technological advances and apply them to 3D video game development to mirror the mechanics of the 2D Beat \u27em up genre. We describe our assembly-line approach to 3D asset production that permits quick development of multiple and varied characters and environments. Our approach to 3D camera placement provides the same viewpoint used in the 2D game approach. We have developed various scripts to streamline the animation process. In addition, levels are designed retroactively with a go right\u27 mentality, and various programming techniques that facilitate swappable, and multiple enemy types with didifferent AI behaviors. Finally, we apply current hit detection technology to the spirit of the Beat \u27em up

Drawing from motion capture : developing visual languages of animation

The work presented in this thesis aims to explore novel approaches of combining motion capture with drawing and 3D animation. As the art form of animation matures, possibilities of hybrid techniques become more feasible, and crosses between traditional and digital media provide new opportunities for artistic expression. 3D computer animation is used for its keyframing and rendering advancements, that result in complex pipelines where different areas of technical and artistic specialists contribute to the end result. Motion capture is mostly used for realistic animation, more often than not for live-action filmmaking, as a visual effect. Realistic animated films depend on retargeting techniques, designed to preserve actors performances with a high degree of accuracy. In this thesis, we investigate alternative production methods that do not depend on retargeting, and provide animators with greater options for experimentation and expressivity. As motion capture data is a great source for naturalistic movements, we aim to combine it with interactive methods such as digital sculpting and 3D drawing. As drawing is predominately used in preproduction, in both the case of realistic animation and visual effects, we embed it instead to alternative production methods, where artists can benefit from improvisation and expression, while emerging in a three-dimensional environment. Additionally, we apply these alternative methods for the visual development of animation, where they become relevant for the creation of specific visual languages that can be used to articulate concrete ideas for storytelling in animation

Implications of the uncanny valley of avatars and virtual characters for human-computer interaction

Technological innovations made it possible to create more and more realistic figures. Such figures are often created according to human appearance and behavior allowing interaction with artificial systems in a natural and familiar way. In 1970, the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori observed, however, that robots and prostheses with a very - but not perfect - human-like appearance can elicit eerie, uncomfortable, and even repulsive feelings. While real people or stylized figures do not seem to evoke such negative feelings, human depictions with only minor imperfections fall into the "uncanny valley," as Mori put it. Today, further innovations in computer graphics led virtual characters into the uncanny valley. Thus, they have been subject of a number of disciplines. For research, virtual characters created by computer graphics are particularly interesting as they are easy to manipulate and, thus, can significantly contribute to a better understanding of the uncanny valley and human perception. For designers and developers of virtual characters such as in animated movies or games, it is important to understand how the appearance and human-likeness or virtual realism influence the experience and interaction of the user and how they can create believable and acceptable avatars and virtual characters despite the uncanny valley. This work investigates these aspects and is the next step in the exploration of the uncanny valley. This dissertation presents the results of nine studies examining the effects of the uncanny valley on human perception, how it affects interaction with computing systems, which cognitive processes are involved, and which causes may be responsible for the phenomenon. Furthermore, we examine not only methods for avoiding uncanny or unpleasant effects but also the preferred characteristics of virtual faces. We bring the uncanny valley into context with related phenomena causing similar effects. By exploring the eeriness of virtual animals, we found evidence that the uncanny valley is not only related to the dimension of human-likeness, which significantly change our view on the phenomenon. Furthermore, using advanced hand tracking and virtual reality technologies, we discovered that avatar realism is connected to other factors, which are related to the uncanny valley and depend on avatar realism. Affinity with the virtual ego and the feeling of presence in the virtual world were also affected by gender and deviating body structures such as a reduced number of fingers. Considering the performance while typing on keyboards in virtual reality, we also found that the perception of the own avatar depends on the user's individual task proficiencies. This thesis concludes with implications that not only extends existing knowledge about virtual characters, avatars and the uncanny valley but also provide new design guidelines for human-computer interaction and virtual reality

Narratives of Crisis and Independent Cinema: Production, Aesthetics, and Ideology in the Films of Ramin Bahrani

This dissertation examines the first six U.S. feature films of Iranian-American director Ramin Bahrani in order to explore key connections between various industrially independent production modes and the aesthetic and ideological qualities of the films. Bahrani’s films are divided into three distinct periods based on the production mode in which he was working at the time, here characterized as microbudget, guerilla-style independent, Indiewood, and digital streaming productions. Each chapter explores the production mode in question, including production histories of the relevant films, and then discusses key connections arising between production strategies, aesthetics, and the films’ ideological and historical import. Ultimately this dissertation raises questions about how what “independence” means in a contemporary and increasingly digital filmmaking landscape, as well as how audiences are asked to receive and understand socio-politically engaged films via aesthetics, production narratives, and exhibition context

Adapting Cultural Storytelling Styles to Modern Media

In the face of modern media, it is inevitable that certain cultural art forms will fade in popularity. Some may even fade out of existence altogether. However, there are continuous efforts to reframe these cultural gems in contemporary forms to preserve them for the younger generations. Digital media, such as animation and video games, provide the perfect vehicle to bridge the gap between traditional and contemporary. This paper investigates how storytelling practices have been carried through time and the creative ways they have evolved in the face of an ever-changing mediascape. To support this research, I present a narrative in storyboard form that borrows stylistic elements and techniques of Chinese opera. The Beijing and Sichuan opera substyles were specifically chosen for their dramatic presence, vibrant costuming, and Sichuan opera’s face-changing act known as bian lian