Heading: off to Melbourne

I have a mates wedding this weekend and the Pussycat and I are going to have a bit of a weekend away.

Have a great one, back on Tuesday.

Watching: Miss Potter

Miss Potter isn't the type of film that I'd expect to be blogging about but I saw it the other night and enjoyed it so there you go.

It tells the story of Beatrix Potter, creator of an immensely popular series of childrens books at the turn of the last century including Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddleduck. (Check out her bio on Wikipedia here - though it contains spoilers if you plan on seeing the film).



The film itself is just beautiful - girly but beautiful. Renee Zellwegger puts in a great performance as Miss Potter, Ewan McGregor is equally likeable as her publisher/suitor, life in Edwardian England (at least if you were quite well-to-do) seems pretty nice and it is shot in a way that gives it a real lushness. (Or I guess that could have been done in post-production but you know what I mean).

It does tend to follow the classic Hollywood 3 act structure, so you know that something significant will happen about at the 1/3 and 2/3 points but even that didn't seem forced and what surprises there were in the plot were completely unexpected and a little sad. (I may have even gotten lumpy throat at one point but if you repeat that I'll deny it :)

The Potter characters were used in a really nice way as well - animated to give them extra character and to highlight the relationship that Miss Potter (being all so very Edwardian it seems almost improper to call her Beatrix) had established with them in her extraordinarily cute imagination.

Here's the trailer.



(Ooh, nearly forgot about Emily Watson - who I've liked ever since I saw her in the Lars Von Trier heartbreaker Breaking the Waves - who also rocks in this film)

Making III: the walkthrough video of the lamest FPS game ever.

Ok, this is probably the last post on my first FPS game (though I'll let you know when I make something a little more exciting).

I used another nifty programme called Fraps to take a screen-capture of walking through the game last night and have squished it down to a suitable size for YouTube. As a result, the sharpness of the image is gone but based on the screenshots that I put up here the other day, you should still have some idea of what it's like.

(Here's an example of one of them - click on it for a full-sized version)



Here's the video.




I also realised last night that the background image I used in the second question was taken from the third level. Oh well.

Watching: short::seasons Autumn'007

Ok, so this was a couple of weeks ago now but I've been busy alright - sheesh :)



short::seasons is a quarterly short film screening held in Canberra, showcasing some of the things that have been made locally in the past few months.

This screening was pretty well attended - though I'm guessing that by the carry on when most of the films started that a healthy proportion of the audience had been involved in the films in one way or another.

Kudos to everyone for getting out there and having a go - the quality of films varied greatly but it was an interesting bunch. (Unfortunately none of the filmmakers or organisers appears to have heard of YouTube)

Here are the things I liked about them. (It's too easy to be critical and mean online and frankly it's a bit boring. The wannabe film maker in me has a few opinions though so maybe I'll add - what I would have done - recognising that I didn't)


Love, War and Auditions
Comedy 7.00 mins
Produced, Directed & Written by: Patrick J Gallagher
Auditioning for the first time in a new town, a young actress meets her nemesis.

Simple idea well performed and competently made.
I would have: quickened the pace a little


Scott the Phone
Drama 7.00 mins
Produced, Directed & Written by: Benoit McCullough
The relationship of Rob & Jill is tested by the actions of their phone.

Nifty idea with lots of potential and some good gags.
I would have: expanded on the phone gags a little more (call waiting?) and made the end clearer.


All Sorts
Comedy 7.00 mins
Produced & Written by: Hana Tow & Clare Martin Directed by: Hana Tow
When driving a cab, you meet all sorts of people

Well edited and an ambitious idea in some ways. Credit for making it in 10 days.
I would have: focussed more on the whimsical and the cabby


Lucy's List
Drama 6.00 mins
Produced by: Jess Camilleri & Andrew Babington Directed by: Andrew Babington Written by: Jess Camilleri
Welcome to Lucy's world. It's one not indifferent to that of your own. She is a normal girl with normal everyday routines. A routine to which she keeps a list. Yet, this list is different; this list is beyond everyday thoughts and imaginings however simple it may first perceive.

Really liked the concept, the use of depth of field in camerawork and the slightly emo mood.
I would have:not changed much at all


Canvas
Drama 7.00 mins
Produced, Directed by: Bobby Farquhar & Ben Patrick , Written by Bobby Farquhar
What price is freedom, are any of us ever free? Should we be responsible for our own actions or are we all victims of our own confines?

Ambitious and technically well made (nice digital effects).
I would have: made the point more clearly to avoid seeming like a showreel piece


Next Try Wins
Drama 7.00 mins
Produced by: The Holgate Brothers & Ian Thomson Directed & Written by: The Holgate Brothers
"Next Try Wins" centres on two brothers trying to escape a discouraging family life through Australia's favourite sport, Rugby League.

Simple timeless story, well shot, edited and performed. Very Australian in it's slightly aimless drifting quality.
I would have: made more of the Dad and/or made it about AFL :)


Only He Knows
Drama 17.00 mins
Produced, Directed & Written by: Dallas Bland
In one dark night, Paul confronts his own demons and faces the truth about himself he has buried for so long.

Dark and well paced, some good intense performances, great blood makeup.
I would have: tightened the story a little, made the end clearer. (Pussycat thought this was great as it was)


The Butterfly Quilt
Drama 16.00 mins
Produced by: Matthew Fallon Directed by: Marisa Martin Written by: Geraldine Martin
A film about creativity, friendship and new beginnings.

Professionally made, nice quilts, interesting performances.
I would have: worked on the dialogue more and perhaps the story. (Pussycat was worried I thought she liked it as it's about craft stuff - she felt it was quite anti-men, which I didn't particularly get)


Tinfoil Hats
Drama 4.50 mins
Produced, Directed & Written by: Sebastian Becher Miles Nicholls Eddie Telfer
People in Canberra are going missing

Some interesting ideas and a bold attempt at quirky. Made in 10 days.
I would have: spent more time on the story


The Swordsman
Drama 11.00 mins
Produced by: Alex Chapman Directed & Written by: James Lane
A dark fairytale exploring the wages of human emotion upon the desire for spiritual harmony

Stylish and very well shot, nicely edited, good low-key performances.
I would have: trimmed some of the slightly repetitive "mystical Eastern" dialogue and included an actual swordfight


Rig & Mortis
Animation 3.75 mins
Produced, Directed & Written by: David Doepel
Who says hate is just a human emotion?

When I realised that this was made in 1996, I was more impressed with the CGI animation. Cute story, good music.
I would have: not overplayed the same gags


KeyTROP30
Comedy 1.00 mins
Produced & Directed by: Belinda Barancewicz Simon Cadman Written by: Belinda Barancewicz
Two commercial directors resort to desperate measures

Visually speccy and some funny ideas
I would have: made the point of the thing clearer - perhaps with voice over.


Blind Love
Comedy 9.00 mins
Produced by: Joe Kisch Directed by: Bruce Davie Written by: Joe Kisch & Bruce Davie
Donna and Andy, told by the fertility Doctor to conceive immediately, get stuck in a lift for two hours with a Blind Man. Do they or don't they take the chance for a quiet shag?

Nicely performed and shot/edited.
I would have: gone with a slightly less cliched punchline.

Reading: about Neighbours

People mock me for my love of Neighbours but I don't care. It's good clean schlock with distinctly tongue in cheek undertones that gently takes the piss out of modern suburbia while simultaneously celebrating it.

Nice to see Catherine Deveny in The Age today taking up the cause.

I WASN'T LOOKING forward to watching Neighbours. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that I have undergone chemotherapy and given birth without drugs, so watching three episodes of Neighbours should be pretty similar. But with more fake tan.

I psyched myself up by chanting, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

And I kept reminding myself that it was my duty as a reviewer and as self-appointed Fairfax-funded ambassador for truth. It was going to be like pulling off a Band-Aid. Commit to it, make it fast and do it in the bath so it hurts less.

So I set up the laptop and hopped in the bath. That's right, I was watching Neighbours naked and wet. You want the truth? You can't handle the truth. It was time to brace myself.

As the credits rolled and that familiar music excreted, I was very afraid.

But the show is hilarious. It's an absolute ball-tearer. This shouldn't have a Logie nomination for most popular drama, it should be cleaning up the comedy awards.

With episode titles such as Look Who's Stalking, Just What The Doctor Frauded, Quack Of Beyond, Give Priest A Chance and Assault And Pepper, this is the funniest thing that I have seen on Australian TV since they chained up a nana in a nursing home on Today Tonight.

Making II: the lamest First Person Shooter ever.

On Friday I mentioned that I'm using a very nifty piece of software called FPS Creator to build a game as part of an assignment for Interactive Multimedia Design.

It's been a bit of a learning curve and there may have been the odd moment or 12 of despair but at around 2am this morning, it was all done. (Technically it was all done at around 12.30am but that's the time of day when you forget that you haven't saved your work for about 2 hours, isn't it).

I'm mildly concerned that the game doesn't want to play on the work computer but given the way the IT people here lock everything down, I'm assuming that something crucial has been deactivated in the machine. (Assuming is the same as praying, right?)

I can show you some screenshots at least - these are images that appear when the player walks over certain points.

The purpose of the "game" is to test knowledge that the player has developed in another learning object that I developed previously. It's basically a multichoice quiz, with 3D action as well as audio.

I toyed with the idea of adding monsters/enemies and the ability/need to shoot them but couldn't quite work out if they should pop up when you got an answer right or wrong. In the end, some problems with having a level that was apparently too big which slowed the game down to an unplayable 3 frames per second (as opposed to the normal 30) made the decision for me. I stripped out everything I could and now it runs very smoothly.

Anyways, here are the shots - when they appear in the game, my dulcet tones kick in as well, reading out the text. (Click on the pics to see the full sized version)


(Beginning instructions)(Click here for the audio)


(Question 1)


(Question 2)


(Question 3)


(Question 4)


(Wrap up statement)

Ok, so just a supporting statement to come and it's all sorted. When I get the chance (and assuming you want to see the world's lamest first-person-shooter in all it's educational glory), I'll take a screen capture of the game too. Stay tuned.