#forefront

[oh-dear-so-queer]

The fact is that two-spiritedness, homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgender are at the forefront of some of the most significant scientific re-visionings of our time – in which the gap between indigenous and Western perspectives is finally being bridged – yet their contribution is rarely, if ever, acknowledged by Western scientists. When prominent chaos theoreticians, biodiversity experts, and post-Darwinian evolutionists invoke the teachings of tribal peoples, they are usually unaware of the pivotal role played by homosexuality and transgender in these indigenous belief systems, or in the lives of the writers, storytellers, and visionaries who give poetic voice to their scientific concepts.

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

#book quote #biological exuberance #bruce bagemihl #nonfiction #two spirit #homosexuality #gay #lesbian #bisexual #transgender #forefront #indigenous knowledge #traditional knowledge #western science #chaos theory #biodiversity #post darwinian evolution #acknowledgment

[renherh]

Forefront 5---Luca

The film is about Luca, who yearns for the world above the sea, but his parents keep scaring him by teaching him that land is dangerous, but Luca still yearns for it and eventually goes to land without his parents knowledge, makes friends, and wins a competition. It was published in 06.18.2021.

This animation uses a new technique, 'transformation', which I had not known much about before, so I wanted to learn more about this transformation between two objects. This kind of technological transformation has been practiced by artists before, so it's not an innovation. Then Pixar Animation used a 3D transformation this time, Designers think it was a “magic trick”. In this animation, the team designed two Lucas, and when the Kraken Lucas transformed into a human, they made the Kraken Lucas invisible, including his tail, and then chose the level of fading you wanted. I think it's like realistic twins where no one notices they've replaced them. Then when the scales came in or the hair grew out, the team would add POP, through my research, I learned that "POP" is an animation engine. When a numeric value is changed, use a spring effect to animate it.Which means adjusting the animation curve. For the technical transformation of the animated sea monster's 'scales', my research revealed that they were using MASH, a toolset in Maya that allows for an easy-to-use system of motion graphics and visual effects programs to be built in Maya. The profile shows that it first creates a mesh, then fills the arm with scales (geometric shapes), and then produces gradients. The animation supervisor Venturini (2021) said that "As they didn't have a real sea monster to base the character's movements on, but they took inspiration from marine iguanas, which have arms and legs that hang there when they swim under the sea, a bit like an alligator or crocodile, and then the tail moves in a left-right pattern rather than up and down like a dolphin, so they reoriented the sea monster's fins to show the audience that "It" is not human. Therefore, for this technical transformation, I expressed a desire to learn and use it in my future animation work.

References:

Alexander, B. (n.d.). Pixar’s ‘Luca’ sea-monster Boys Were Inspired by iguanas, and There Were Originally Three. [online] USA TODAY. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2021/06/18/pixar-luca-sea-monster-maps-sea-iguanas/7740739002/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

Contributor, C.J.D.N. (2021). The Animation and Effects behind Pixar’s Luca, Now Streaming. [online] Disney News. Available at: https://news.disney.com/luca-animation [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

Davis, V. (2021). ‘Luca’s Innovative Back and Forth Transformations from Sea Monster to Human. [online] Animation World Network. Available at: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/lucas-innovative-back-and-forth-transformations-sea-monster-human [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

Inc, F. (n.d.). Origami Studio — Pop Animation. [online] Origami Studio — Pop Animation. Available at: https://origami.design/documentation/patches/builtin.bouncy.html [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

Read, E.S.N.T.T.L. min (2021). Pixar’s Luca Sea Monster Transformation Effect Tutorial. [online] 3DArt. Available at: https://www.3dart.it/en/pixars-luca-sea-monster-transformation-effect-tutorial/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

The Walt Disney Company. (2021). The Innovation behind the Stunning Transformation in ‘Luca’. [online] Available at: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/the-innovation-behind-the-stunning-transformation-in-luca/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2022].

#practice 2 #forefront #Youtube

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[ruporas]

dragon meat, you, and me

#marcille donato #falin touden #farcille #dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #tw blood #tw body horror #tw gore #as a normal farcille fan this revival has been on my mind since i first read it and getting to watch it is like yippee!! #like messy revivals are everything - the consequences that will haunt u for the rest of the time they are alive #the initial hopeful moments where it all seemed well but quickly descend to That not being the case - losing not only the bit of evidence #evidence that your dream may work out but also someone you deeply care about in the process… marcille my Beloved #ofc wholly thruout the journey - at the forefront of it - getting falin back was the most crucial point but so wuickly :(( it was lost #on the other end its crazy to think about the compoments of falin now - human - dragon (dungeon) - marcille’s magic and desperation #the food the crew cooked (digested) - she is made of many parts!! #also i did not realize how medical it feels to draw smth like this. i dont usually explore the inner parts or use a lot of blood #in my work so rendering everything and looking up refs it felt quite magical (?) #ruporas art

[xtremeservers]

CES always gives us an exciting look at ... https://www.xtremeservers.com/blog/ces-2024-the-new-windows-pc-gaming-devices-coming-from-our-top-partners/?feed_id=114871&_unique_id=659f5c115c9ce&CES%202024%3A%20The%20New%20Windows%20PC%20Gaming%20Devices%20Coming%20from%20Our%20Top%20Partners

#Featured #Popular #Xbox #always #exciting #forefront #gaming #gives #hardware #innovation #look #pc #technological #Whats

[stil-lindigo]

an ex-zionist jewish man recently went a bit viral on tiktok for sharing exactly how he sees zionism tie israel to the jewish identity and his personal experience with breaking away from it - I think it’s a really great watch.

He also made a follow up talking specifically about how he learned to humanise Palestinians, and a really integral part of it was his school, which would often bring in Palestinian speakers who’d share their perspective (here’s a link to it).

#tiktok against all odds inspires a lot of hope in me bc of how prevalent palestinian support is over there #so much of the younger generation is so media literate and articulate about standing up to oppression #and getting perspectives like this I think is really beneficial when it comes to understanding where Zionist talking points come from #I don’t particularly think right now our priority should be reaching out to zionists or anything #it should always be Palestinians at the forefront of activism our activism #but this is educational. Zionism is not Judaism and this proves that. #it’s never too late to turn away from oppressive propaganda and have empathy for your fellow man #palestine #israel #free palestine #from the river to the sea

[joesanimationblog]

Forefront Post 10

The Balcony

The Balcony is 2D animated film created by writer and director Anya Martin and released on the 30th of April, 2022. This film is about a man named Matt who goes out to his balcony and sees someone on a balcony across from him, despite the distance between them theres a real sense of connection and warmth from this interaction in an otherwise cold world. I really like the muted palette of the film and the textured lines. The overall artstyle works realy well and matches the mellow tone of the film. 

While other blog posts are about using space and motion to expand the world, this one is about how staying in one place can create atmosphere and communicate ideas surrounding the characters life or mentality. As the name of the film suggests, the majority of the film takes place on a balcony. Matt, the main charcter, is painted to be lonely and melloncholic. His dreary appartment's washed out palette evokes feelings of fatigue and isolation. When a stranger from the balcony opposite his comes out and calls him, these ideas of isolation are made more apparent. The contrast between the party balcony radiating light and Matts cold flat is a great way of framing the life of Matt as someone who feels disconnnected and distant from other people.

Matt is presented from a mid shot almost every time we see him, and the girl is always far away. The barrier between is made even more obvious by the water running where a road would be. Maybe this is playing with the idea of no man being an island. I like how human this story is and how it embraces how small it is and how small the character feels. 

To be sincere and tell a story where nothing really happens asides from a moment of lonely reflection is breaking away from the conventional use of animation as the "silly medium". There are many animes that tackle stories like this, but this is one of the first modern animations ive seen that really is trying to represent the reality of human loneliness without making it more than what it is. The types of stories which audiences are hungry for is changing, and with this change, western commercial animation must grow.

References

Anime vs. Western Comics and cartoons - reelrundown. Available at: https://reelrundown.com/animation/Anime-vs-Western-Comics-and-Cartoons (Accessed: 12 August 2023).

The Balcony (2022). YouTube. 30 April. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb75vQK6dzk (Accessed: 12 August 2023).

#Forefront #Youtube

[lrussellconceptart]

Forefront Identification - Environments

As I have researched before about the demand for jobs in the concept art industry, it is apparent that Environment artists are also in high demand as well. As we can see from this screenshot of LinkedIn (typed in environment artist) this job for Splash damage requires an artist that can build assets in 3D as well as understands Unreal engine 4. As seen below Splash damage create shooter and SciFi games which will require future employees to understand creating apocalyptic environments such as there game Gear Tactics.

This is another search on LinkedIn from the company AAA trying to find an environment artist presently. Once again requiring excellent 3D knowledge and skills and an excellent understanding of lighting. With games released such as God of War and Monster Hunter Rise, you will be expected to design for more fantasy-based environments.

Due to environment artists being in demand, I want to expand my skills and try and develop some of my own environments. As I am inspired by games such as Monster Hunter and Horizon zero dawn, I a more drawn to the fantasy side of things. Researching the forefront is very insightful because it allows artists to keep improving their skills and creating works in current demand to impress employers.

Image referencing:

Image 1: Screenshot taken from LinkedIn with results for environment artist

Image 2: Студия-разработчик gears tactics анонсировала новый эксклюзив для stadia - outcasters (no date) 3DNews. Available at: https://3dnews.ru/1015727/studiyarazrabotchik-gears-tactics-anonsirovala-noviy-eksklyuziv-dlya-stadia-outcasters (Accessed: 17 August 2023).

Image 3: Screenshot taken from LinkedIn with results for environment artist

Image 4: Black, T. (2023) 19 best AAA Games of 2022, Gameranx. Available at: https://gameranx.com/features/id/290692/article/18-new-aaa-games-of-2022/ (Accessed: 17 August 2023).

#forefront #environment

[rohitgurumith]

FOREFRONT 10 : THE BATMAN (2022)

This film is one of my favorite films be it in terms of entertainment and in terms of finding references for lighting, shot selection, and storytelling techniques. I've learned a lot from this movie and john wick 4 and I will be starting to apply those to my projects once I'm done with my major project. I can draw inspiration from the film's visual style and composition. Matt Reeves is known for his attention to detail and visual storytelling, and this film definitely had unique and visually striking scenes. From the lighting choices to the use of color, I have studied the film to understand how to create mood and atmosphere through visuals.

I read this article from Variety which featured the cinematographer Greig Fraser talking about a lot of cinematic aspects of the film. there was a point where he explained how he just assigned 2 lights to 2 characters and stuck with it throughout. this is something that I've always wanted to do in my films as well, which is being able to tell a story with just light. I've also analyzed the film's shots and framing to gain inspiration for my own future work.

this film also delves into the psychological aspects of the characters, providing a deeper understanding of their motivations and inner struggles. As mentioned in the above video, The narrative depth has inspired me to explore similar themes in my own work, whether it's through illustrations, paintings, or other visual mediums.

Understanding how the film presents complex characters and their emotional journeys can help me tell more compelling stories in my own creations. this film also features intense action sequences. I've studied the film's choreography, camera movements, and editing techniques to understand how to capture dynamic and visually stunning action sequences and also find inspiration in these sequences to depict motion and energy in my own work at some point because one of my future works is a part of the action genre and it will involve action sequences so this film will definitely teach me a trick or 2 and help me achieve those intense dynamic sequences.

REFERENCES :

Reeves, M. (2022) The Batman. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Viramontes, D. (2022) How ‘the Batman’ cinematographer Greig Fraser reinvented the Dark Knight’s big screen presence, Variety. Available at: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/batman-cinematography-greig-fraser-batmobile-1235197570/ (Accessed: 23 August 2023).

Tomasso, P. (2022) Why the Batman is so beautiful.: A cinematography video essay, YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/STynLl-2FqU (Accessed: 23 August 2023).

#forefront #major project #Youtube

[critterbitter]

A trip down memory lane! Though the tower seems to have changed…

Celestial tower! Built during the direct aftermath of the Founding Unovan Civil War, it remains a cultural landmark in memory of those lost in the fire and storm.

Time has dulled the scars left behind by the twin dragons. Today, the tower is primarily used as a mausoleum (the preferred method of burial are urns) and, well, a tourism site. Legend says if you climb to the top of the tower and ring the bell, you can lay your ghosts to rest. But mostly? You can ring a GIANT bell.

Course, you gotta GET to that bell first.

Masterpost for more pokemon shenanigans here!

#my love of old backrooms esque buildings once again crawls into the forefront #celestial tower #now that’s a fun name! #sounds similar to… say… celestica #maybe even celestica ruins #but bah! lets talk about the funny patrat kids forgetting to explain to their pachirisu friend just where they’re scurrying to #elesa really just said: weird architecture! seems familiar! #meanwhile ingo and litwick are verbally sparring and emmet’s desperately trying to make sure they dont get lost #(spoilers they get lost) #pokemon #art #sketchbook #myart #submas #fanart #pokemon ingo #subway boss ingo #subway boss emmet #pokemon emmet #gym leader elesa #pokemon elesa #litwick #tynamo #blitzle #nimbasa trio #anyways stairs are nightmarish all my homies hate stairs

[devakey]

Forefront 10:  Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) and its Use of Colour

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners presents a colorful, eclectic ride through a dark, futuristic setting. It delivers spectacularly on its animation and artwork and action sequences. Albeit having impressed with it’s style, it has been criticised for its lack of character and depth (Kauffman, 2022).

Animated Adaptation of a Video Game

It is the latest in a long list of anime adaptations of video games. Unlike other successful adaptations of similar nature such as Arcane (2021) and DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (2021), Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was far more successful than the video game upon which it is based. In fact, it ended up raising awareness about its existence and aiding in the game receiving an expansion due to its popularity (Jennings, 2022).

Image: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) | Netflix Original series

Animation

The show was animated by the Japanese Studio Trigger under the supervision of the Polish CD Projekt. Studio Trigger has animated some very impressive anime and is held in high regard. It has worked on several futuristic projects, and their experience comes through in Cyberpunk : Edgerunners.

Their fluid, frenetic style combines flawlessly with the tech-laced world of Cyberpunk 2077, making for an enthralling, action-packed visual adventure (Jennings, 2022).

Image: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) | Netflix Original series

Colour

The stylish character designs and the radiant neon color palette of both the characters and the world make for a vibrant, electric visual which truly ties the visual and animation styles together. The detail of the red outline on characters represented in the net adds to the coruscating visuals of the series.

The show uses the boldest, brightest colours and pairs them with muted shades of its complementary colours to bring the most visually satisfying palette to its screen. Not only is it visually pleasing but also very appropriate given the  futuristic setting and concept of the series.

Image: Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022) | Netflix Original series

Connection

Although I generally tend to rely on less vibrant and more analogous colour palettes in my own work, I used a heavily complementary palette for my visual depiction of the poem Because I Could Not Stop For Death by Emily Dickinson. I used colour to symbolise connections within objects and emphasise contrast in others.

For my Red vs Blue animation, I deliberately picked the very striking, RYB colour scheme, using only shades of the primary colours. It helped me isolate the protagonist and bring emphasis onto key details. It helped me build the aesthetic that I wanted to portray without much detail in the lineart. Colours fill life into a scene and can be used to support concepts and execute various themes.

Without the brilliant use of colour in the series, the world of Cyberpunk would not have felt as cohesive but striking. Its colour scheme, apart from the character and background design, is a key component in placing it in the futuristic timeline.

References

1. Kauffman, A. (2022) ‘cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ - style lacking substance, The Emory Wheel. Available at: https://emorywheel.com/cyberpunk-edgerunners-style-lacking-substance/ (Accessed: 20 June 2023). 

2. Jennings, C. (2022) ‘cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ proves that anime is the best medium to adapt video games, Collider. Available at: https://collider.com/cyberpunk-edgerunners-proves-anime-is-best-medium-to-adapt-video-games/ (Accessed: 20 June 2023). 

#forefront

[local-space-gay]

I’m so Normal about this

#god it was so cathartic #to see queer people at the forefront of this movie #hhhh #nimona #nimona movie #nimona spoilers #ballister blackheart #ballister boldheart #ambrosius goldenloin

[ecoamerica]

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

#ACLA24 #ACLA24Leaders #youtube #youtube video #climate leaders #climate solutions #climate action #climate and environment #climate #climate change #climate and health #climate blog #climate justice #climate news #weather and climate #environmental news #environment #environmental awareness #environment and health #environmental #environmental issues #environmental justice #environment protection #environmental health #Youtube

[reith-sheep]

Forefront 2 Dog and Boy

This is an example of what I learned while writing about how AI can help animators animate faster. The Dog and the Boy (Netflix 2023) AI-assisted animation is an animated short with 147,927 views that use AI to generate animated backgrounds. Although its appearance remains a source of intense public debate, it shows the potential of using AI to save animators' time and financial resources.

Ryotaro Makihara believes that incorporating the latest creative techniques into his work will ultimately strengthen Japanese animation and expand its possibilities. For my subsequent animation work, I can use AI to give me more ideas for my creative style or as an aid to my background painting. It can help me save a lot of repetitive work and time on my animation, and provide more background angles to my animation without spending too much effort.

However, I think that while AI technology can go some way to saving animators time and labour, it has also come in for some criticism. An over-reliance on AI technology can lead to animators losing their unique creativity and artistry. In addition, the use of AI technology to generate animation backgrounds may also result in all backgrounds looking too similar and lacking in individuality and uniqueness. Therefore, while using AI technology, I need to remain creative and innovative in order to maintain the quality and uniqueness of my animation work and the potential ethical issues that may arise from my use of AI in animation, such as copyright issues with the use of other people's work in training data. It's important to have a diverse range of viewpoints when incorporating AI in animation since this technology can offer significant opportunities for advancement.

reference

Netflix クリエイターズ・ベース、rinnaとWIT STUDIOとの共同制作プロジェクト、アニメ「犬と少年」を公開。クリエイター支援の可能性に一手を。 (no date) About Netflix. Available at: https://about.netflix.com/ja/news/the-dog-and-the-boy (Accessed: May 7, 2023).

Japan, N. (2023) アニメ・クリエイターズ・ベース アニメ「犬と少年」本編映像 - Netflix. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9DpusAZV_0 (Accessed: May 7, 2023).

#Youtube #Forefront

[mccodylim]

Jump 🦁 Jump 开工大吉 • 顺顺利利 01.02.23 . #acrobaticliondance #liondance #tongtongchiang #airwalk #lionjump #cny2023 #forefront #forefrontinternational (at FOREFRONT) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoXXi4jJX7R/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#acrobaticliondance #liondance #tongtongchiang #airwalk #lionjump #cny2023 #forefront #forefrontinternational

[publictaknews]

Tina Phillip: TV shows have always put women at the forefront

Content on television is often called “regressive”, but actor Tina Phillip considers this an unfair tag for the medium. On the contrary, she credits the small screen for telling women-centric stories. “The constant debate about TV content being regressive needs to be done away with. For me, television is the only medium that has put women at the forefront of stories and portrayed powerful…

View On WordPress

#forefront #Phillip #put #shows #Tina #women

[joesanimationblog]

Forefront Post 9

Catopolis 

Catopolis is a 2D animated short film by animator Victoria Vincent aka Vewn that was uploaded to her YouTube channel on the 6th of June 2022. I saw this film when it was first released and it inspired me to start this course; now I sit watching it as my studies come to an end. Enough poetry... let's get into the breakdown! 

The visual style of this film is familier as it seems to take inspiration from many of the Adult Swim projects in its rough line work and saturated colour palette. The skewed perspectives and wonderfuly coloured scenes take the real world and make it more than what it is, Vewn's design choices reframe what we know in a way we dont know it. 

While a skewed perspective city with bright colours have existed before in animations going back to the 50s there is a clear modern illustration influence creeping in. The work of Vewn reminds me of three of my favourite illustrators, Kihojise, Philip Lindeman and my former tutor Jim Stoten. I see Vewn's work liing somewhere between these artists styles but this is not to say that her work is dirivitive, far from it.

Jim Stoten always stressed the importance of making lots of work and not being attatched to it, of expressing your mind all the time and not being critical of it, but instead to produce work constantly and then pick out your favourites. I have found that when I work in this way, I am so much more capable of recontextualising existing ideas in creative new ways. Rather than trying to inovate by pushing something new, you end up innovating through a combination of old ideas mashed together. 

This is what Vewns work seems like it is doing and i believe this is why their work has found such a large audience in such a small amount of time. In Vewns work there is so much to enjoy that it doesnt feel like you need to notice when things arent quite right. 

Catopolis (2022). YouTube. 6 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnv8tHyOJE (Accessed: 01 August 2023).

Munday, R. (no date) Catopolis - animated short film by Vewn (aka Victoria Vincent), Short of the Week. Available at: https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2022/06/15/catopolis/ (Accessed: 01 August 2023).

#Forefront #Youtube