8:15 waking time, and as I made some tea and toast in the kitchen, Rory was up shortly too - he had a 10am-5pm schedule today. Left at about 9:30 but just after leaving the front door I ran back to the bedroom to do just another last check if everything was switched off and in place. I left the heating on, as it happens. Well there I go! Oh, and got a letter in the post box from TV License. They said I haven't told them I do not need one, which is a filthy fabrication since I did so the moment I received a letter formerly regarding letting the company know.
On the way to Maltings, I checked in Subway for a breakfast sub. Nah. Made my way further - and passing by Sainsburys, Su happened to depart from her house. We walked together up to Maltings, and I felt it was necessary to tell her what a gazebo was. Luko was behind us, and we headed to the place. What exactly is Maltings, anyway? It's a building for venues and clubs, seemingly. None of us were sure where the Cellar bar is - an undercroft in which our lecture is to be held. Asked at the desk who knew immediately that we were UCA students - it was right next to it. Oh! Ok. Everyone just next door heard and made headway.
Jon Weinbren, our lecturer whom I know finally remember the name of, was already in the cellar busy setting up the equipment: laptop, projectors and speakers. Su once again flustered on who to sit with, and decided on her other friends. She gave me a DVD on an animated movie she mentioned to me back on Monday, looks wacky and weird but worth a look. Jon eventually started off the lecture.
Today was mixing Computer Games Arts (whom had all stolen the back seats) and us, the Animation. Due to issues in budget restraints and asshole Film Production nicking our usual rooms, I think, mixing courses together (of which Jon used an unnecessarily technical term for that) was the way to roll.
Much of the lecture was based on the topic of anticipation and meaning. It got me racing because these are areas that, throughout my life, I always explored in the back of mind. Several books, including How to Draw Anime and Video Game Characters, advices the readers to 'surprise' the audience with unexpected outcomes.
The power point covered a variety of areas; one of the first being 'form'. Film Form, for instance, being "when we see patterns, we organise, arrange, anticipate and decode". There's the significance of artistic form and of course, form in moving image. The next part Jon taught us was expectations, one my favourite. What he was bring up numbers that revealed themselves with each click.
First, there was a 2. We were asked, what comes next? Suggestions made, some saying 4.
It was indeed 4. Next? 2. Few could guess. Then 6 came up, and the majority caught onto the math pattern. Up until past 8. With a large grin, Jon asked what was after 8.
Squirrel!
Naturally, no one saw it coming. The point was, our expectations were broken: we were surprised. Like babies reacting to a peek-a-boo, the twist on anticipation caused all of us to giggle and laugh. Actually, in my notepad, after jotting down the numerical pattern, one of the notes I written was: 'This is how some stories are written.'
Obviously I'm no story writer by any means, but I can't be far off to how that ever-revealing pattern of numbers relates to the controlled anticipations of the audience. (But do correct me if I'm wrong here, please)
The Powerpoint presented another facet of story telling:
Emotions represented in the artwork. Emotional response by the viewer. Dramatic irony. Jon quizzed us on what Irony means - I took a shot at the answer but nope. It's a tricky word to decipher correctly. (Many think they know, when the meaning isn't that straight-forward) I failed to jot in the rest of the slide that time.
To help us understand what anticipation and expectations, or rather breaking them means, we were shown an introduction to Toy Story 2. I couldn't remember much of the beginning despite watching it a bunch of times. When it finished on Rex grimacing over his weeny arms for failing at a very Space Ace styled game, Jon gave us an interesting question: "Why can what we just saw not be a video game?"
He let the animation side have first cracks at answering, some throwing technical answers even before the Computer Game Arts side were given the shot. They didn't get the answer either.
The camera shots are not plausible for the controller (at least one Rex was using). And, well, it's true. At least for the most part. Jon probably hasn't picked up on most games today having that overused SABOTAGING-SIMON-SAYS button pressing sequences which are there often to incorporate the same theatrical camera shots that we saw in Toy Story 2.
Before break, we were run through various meanings, that is: intended meaning (author's intention) and perceived meaning of the audience's interpretation. In terms of the latter, Jon gave us an example of a story he wrote back in his late 20s. It was about a free-spirited surfer from California who'd travel the world, being a beach guard for a time in Australia. Eventually he ran out of money whilst in Norway, but met his dad in a town. Needing some work bad, he shovelled snow with his whimsy surfboard. At some stage, his father is kidnapped by terrorists - eco-terrorists, in fact. Etc etc.
Anyway, Jon intended the story to centred around environmental damage, but to his shock and possibly dismay, his then-Producer revealed that he interpreted the story as being more about a father-son relationship, a cycle of breaking and forming it.
We then were shown more on meaning - a Taxonomy of it was displayed on a slide.
Basic surface level:
Relationship to the surrounding world.
Explicit meaning:
Often independent of context, a straight-forward reading usually shared by the audience and maker.
Then, the deepest,
Implicit meaning:
Often abstracted from both the context and the events of the film.
Example here are endings that leave the rest to your imagination. I don't mind this too much, and like it when it's done properly. If it's done in a throw-away feeling manner, it feels more like a pretentious cop-out to me. For the above 'meanings', The Wizard of Oz was used as an example.
During the 10-15 minute stop for a coffee, me, Luko and Subaru headed over to the cafe with all 50 other students. The line was crazy large of course, so neither of us bothered. Nor did Jon, who intended to get a drink but reluctantly headed back.
Back at base, Jon went onto the subject of Evaluation and Judgement. The distinction between personal taste and evaluative judgement. Internet communities are rife with hot-headed opinions, and if my good friend Josh ever saw this presentation he'd probably have his arms tightly crossed right about now.
To really drive this point home, Jon put on perhaps the most obvious example for a film. Not Twilight! Next to most obvious - MAMA-MIA. I haven't seen this film ever and...now I don't want to watch the rest. Cheese-ball opening (featuring a self-moving boat with no engine, what the fuck man?) and teen-squeelings shredding our ear-drums wasn't my tea at all. The moment Honey-Honey started to play, my very heart was being molested by this sugary girl filth.
Anyway, PERSONAL TASTE AND OPINION. The movie closed and all the students up-roared into a frenzy over the film - just the saw of reaction Jon was looking for. He was looking for 'Objective Evaluation', which was asking for a lot considering the film. I chipped in and said we, the guys, weren't the target audience. Jon rebutted by stating his two kids watch the film. Are they males? If they are males, what sort of AUTHORITATIVE FATHER FIGURE ARE YOU? :( You want your boys to grow up inspired by love-letters and girls prancing the Greek coast singing honey-honey?
The final topic (or one of) was element. Specifically, each motif usually has a function and it's executed through the notion of motif. Motif is indeed important, especially in props and objects, for that iconic value. Mr. Weinbren asked if we knew any props that had a motif, and for some reason I tried to use the back-gammon pieces from LOST as an example. Up came another film, and a familiar tune played. Indiana Jones! Of course. It was Raiders of the Lost Ark, upon which either I haven't seen or just somehow forgotten entirely. Well, off to pop-media limbo I go. Watching the introduction play out, I was reminded just how quirky and effective Stephen Spielberg's directing was. We were shown this of course for Jone's hat and whip. The day he hit the big screens, whips were slightly less on sexual connotation. (Or more, if someone had the hots for Harrison Ford)
Various other facts were explained on Motif, although I couldn't jot them down fast enough in my notepad, thus left with embarrassingly blank paragraph spaces.
We headed off, and I tapped Lucinda - the girl who assisted me in voice recording on Tuesday - to go and get a subway with us. I promised her one. She actually did go, which surprised me as I figured we were both displaying a mutual amount of hypotheticalism. (This counts as a word, ask Jon Weinbren)
Me, Luko and Lucinda went to Subway. The Italian B.M.T was the sub of the day and I stupidly bought a footlong worth of it. Combined with Lucinda's meatball sub (egh) and drinks, it came to £7.00. Uurggh.
We headed to the park, the place I had went to yesterday with Sophie, Jamie and PJ, and passed this morning to Maltings. There, we all talked about previous educations in college, flatmates and how it in the case of me and Lucinda, not being able to get a grant or loan. Also, Luko smokes? It caught me by surprise, I figured it was a recent thing influenced by his flatmates. Nay - he's done it since about 2 years ago. DARK ADULTHOOD SECRETS. Hate you, smokes.
We departed our separate ways. It was nice eating with Lucinda and Luko.
Got back home to Room 5 at about 3:15 despite finishing the lecture at 12:30. Rested for about an hour which I need to quit doing, and went to Waitrose for some milk and crisps. Kit was casually chatting away with Yannis, and then shortly Sophie, Jamie and James. This is the first time I've seen so much of him today. Caught him earlier skating down the student village with his buddies when I gave my farewells to Luko. Before everyone else arrived in the kitchen, Yannis and Kit were nosing through Georgia's NOW magazine looking at girls they'd want to have in bed. Upon Kit saying he'd want some black celeb, Yannis responded with "some jungle-fever?" Kit was taken aback by that statement, all WTF over it.
When everyone was up, Yannis, James and Kit avidly talked about Magic Brownies. I asked if you can have Magic Burgers. Of course! Any food can be made magical, which I wasn't aware of. (I know what they're on about here, just to clear things up) Yannis tried to further chip me on something, but James was telling me too. As I was listening to James' 2-cents, I could Yannis mumble "--ok and...I guess you're not listening, sorry." Prodded him after to repeat, guilt ridden.
As, and after cooking a Chicken Korma with rice, I chatted away to Rory when everyone was gone to that clothes-swapping party (seriously?). Of the things we talked about, aside from Gran Turismo and other PS3 games, was some of the stuff I learnt today in lectures. We also talked about the sad facts of life when you can't pioneer a great idea due to lack of money, shitty staff/company and other reasons when some other corporation instead does so years later. ('Sup, Apple) Rory told me of an Australian in his class today that was being freaky critical and cynical towards presented ideas of his fellow group members. Rory fortunately was not a part of this inferno group, but apparently one of the girls broke to a tear from that beat down. The course encourages critical decisions and comment, and that's cool. I just hope they put a stop on the people that throw an egotistical gauntlet on the centre of the table.
Went down here to write a blog since 8pm. It's now 10pm. Someone outside had a burglar siren, and my sister rung me up to SMS my dad about the location of the keys. He returns back from India tomorrow, whilst my sister is at work. Tomorrow, I head home yet again.
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