Reflection on Assignment 3

The idea of assignment 3 was developed from previous assignments which were about fences and “challenging the fence”. The word “chaos” was selected from the ten nominated words. In addition these ten words represented important points from my previous assignments.

Therefore in the assignment 3, I played with the idea of chaos. It was believed that “chaos” substantially represents disorder. However, I saw this word as an opportunity to express dynamic or energetic movements within an urban environment. The idea had been expanded in relationship to architecture. The theme building of the movie is based on this expression of “chaos”.

I admit that the expansion of the idea of “chaos” is one of difficulties among the projects. This idea is the center of the whole project.

Furthermore, when I animated the 3dmax clip, it took days to render the reflection and refraction of the glass materials. It was one of the painful jobs. It was not only time- consuming, but also when the rendered results were not satisfactory, it needs more efforts to find and fix the problems.

Nonetheless, the project trains my 3dmas abilities as well as video editing. Hopefully, I can apply this kind of 3d presentation skills to my graduation project next year.

Words about the video

Chao is a very interesting word that implies a lot of meanings. It may include the idea of dynamics, energy or psychological response. It is chosen to be the theme of this video.

The idea of this video is to show the intergration between building and urban fabric in a virtual environment. The objected building in this video comes with a chaotic structure, which building form and envelope are very diverse to the surrounding. As a result, that creates an identity for itself. In order to reveal its uniqueness, aspects of the building is emphasized such as its zoning, skeleton and form. The video also describes how the building situating within the urban fabrics, specifically certain movements are highlighted. The video animates air, ground and water transportations which are essential in injecting dynamics to the city. One of the social factors also is included in this video. The psychological response towards the rapid rate of urban development is described at the end of the video. However, through slow progress and rhythm background music, they help to relief the fear and perhaps creates a pleasant moment within intensive urban life.

Story Board

Final Video

10 x 20sec clips

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Inspirating Clips

Zaha Hadid

10 words selected

Experience
Segregation
Obstacles
Psychological
Fear
Chaotic
Identities
Dynamic
Pattern
Energetic

Reflection on assignment 1 & 2

From assignment 1 and 2, the theme of “fence” has been translated into two different abstract experiences. In the first assignment, I see fences as psychological barriers which imply fear from segregation and obstacles. Furthermore, psychological barriers encourage challenge. That is the reason why I borrowed the idea of hurdling, which the sprinter needs to cross over the hurdles, to reveal the feeling of challenge the fear. While in assignment 2, I have pushed along with the idea of obstacles in a more architectural sense. The rules of game in architecture especially structural issues are regarded as the obstacle and have been attacked. Consequently, chaotic building form and streetscape is produced, and perhaps they give distinctive identities to individual projects and places. More, such identities engage with the pattern of movement within the real city. The reality of form attacks the abstract idea of obstacle, eventually that confrontation creates a dynamic sense for the whole assignment.

In the technical areas of the assignments, 3d max modeling, Sony Vegas and Resolume editing provides have explored. Especially, the “reactor” function in 3d max contributes substantially, which the function helps to illustrate the pattern of movement (the green smoke) in assignment 2. Meanwhile, the editing in Resolume creates visual impacts to the video showing the reality of the city. Finally, background music also facilitate the progress of the video in two different sense, the music in the first assignment emphasizes on the idea of lost and fear, while in the second one, the music is more energetic, the beats provoking the idea of movement in urban city.

Assignment 2

Resolume and 3d max Clips

Resolume Clips
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3DMAX clips
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Images research for assignment 2

Story Board

100 Words for Assignment 2

The idea of “challenging the fence” in Assignment 1 is worth further exploration in Assignment 2. In reality, certain constrain such as building code or building budgets set up obstacle in Architectural Design. From time to time, the major difficulty and concern come from structure. Architects aim at modular/regular form for efficient and reliable structural performance. Moreover that confines variations and differentiations of form, as a result uniform streetscapes are produced. Building structures or streetscapes can be chaotic and random. It gives coherent identity to individual projects and places. Such identity implies pattern of movement, which becomes more dynamic in such a distorting space created.

Peer Review on Helen Lai

Project 1 Fence Animation
student name:_____Helen Lai______ Student Number:_3155561___

VIDEO:

1] Narrative/Thematics
Theoretical framework and the strength of initial investigation
Story boarding, visual research, testing of ideas and initial investigation into max
_8__/10
Comments:
There is good range of research video and images. Although there is wide spectrum of researches, they are focused on the idea of the contrast of order and chaos and they add depth to the contents/ metaphor of the final video.


2] Max Component
Complexity of form and motion. Conceptualization of source imagery/documentation, testing methods and processes of form generation etc.
__7_/10
Comments:
The exploding scene of the “fire work” at the very beginning is elegant and it is expressing the idea of chaotic movement.
The use of material in the later stage is less attractive as the lighting of the 3d modeling is not compromising.

3] Video Editing Component
Structure of narrative, background/foreground resolution, integration of source images, text and sound into animation. Resolution/readability of work and concepts.
__7_/10
Comments:
The movement in the video is very response to the melody and rhythm of the background music. The changing of scene is subtle as well.

Misc comments:

Overall is a very good video as well as audio input. The background music strengthen the whole video, meanwhile the 3d modeling is elegant (especially the fire work like effect). However you may also explore more on material on the objects in order to make the video much more enthusiastic.

Challenge--assignment one

Turn on the speakers~ it has audio!

My 50 words narrative

When i think of fence, i found that hurdle is an event that allow you to "jump over" the fence. Typically, fence is a device to segregate, however hurdle do a reverse thing. It sets up a psycological barrier to divert people or indicate possession. In the animation, i want to imply the fear of fence from perception of "psycological barrier". Also, I want to simulate the movement of a hurdler in an objective point of view. In advance, I want to show the "break through the fence" feeling as the object of my animation is about something diverse to typical perception of fence....The animation ends up with an idea of "challenge your fear".

Story Board-Challenge

Challenge is the theme of the animation. Overcome the fear of fence, and cross above it in an elegent manner like hurdling...

The animation is composed by four main part.

1.Escape--This is our psycological response to fences. Fences obstruct our way, and hence we de-tour or escape from it...we would not try to trepass it.

2.Lost-- Fences are ubiquitous....how can we escape from their confinment? This part is to refer to a sense of lost under such circumstances.

3.Axiety-- The courage to overcome the fear of fence. A spiritual preparation for the Challenge

4.Challenge-- Face the fear and jump over the fence..like hurdling..

Animation Experiment

Reactor--"collision"

Reactor--"confinement"

Light/ Shadow and material experiment -- "circumference"

Explosion Experiment 1

Explosion Experiment 2

Image Reserach

War Prisoner ... confined and fear

Confinement




Segregation --- psycological blockage


Fear

Failure

A Hope of crossing the fence

Chanllenge of breaking through the barrier

Excercise One

Hurdle Animation One

Hurdle Animation Two

Animation Collection