Nice looking OGR - so thanks for taking the time to prepare it suitably, though you've got something odd happening on page 9 - I think you mean that,'in the eyes of the media, motels are viewed as creepy' - but the sentence structure is clunky.
Anyway - nice, concise bullet point summary of the uncanny according to Freud, though I hope your ability to be this concise is a sign that you know the concept very well indeed (as opposed to 'not enough'). Of course, the 'media' gets its unhappy view of American motels principally because of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (which we'll be watching in Semester 2) - and Vacancy and Identity are both movies that riff knowingly on this unease about the vulnerability of guests in these out-of-town motels. I think you should seek to develop this idea further, but I can't help observing that your decision to model the sign and not the diner itself is a bit of cop-out considering the creative challenge of the brief. Yes - you'll now have to complete those remaining Unit 2 tutorials to gain in confidence - but why wouldn't you want these skills? They're a part of what you're paying for after all, so not doing them (even though you barely passed) would be absurd. I don't think you need the post-apocalypse aesthetic in the mix either - the motel is a potent enough idea without that aspect of additional narrative. What I'd like to see you do is lots and lots of picture research to ensure real world reference is driving your digital set.
Check out this GREAT resource for visual reference - every link is a goldmine - just look at the peculiarity of the colours - part in due to the film stock of the photographs and how they've aged. I don't think you'd even need to go too 'horror' to bring out the uncanny feel here. Off you go then - go exploring - I want to see lots of great images on here soon.
http://www.lileks.com/motels/new11/index.html
Re. the written assignment; structurally, the first third of your assignment must deal with introducing, defining and unpacking Freud's ideas of what is uncanny (and why) and then extending that understanding to the 'uncanny valley' (which will mean also introducing and discussing the roboticist who coined 'uncanny valley' - Masahiro Mori). You need to accomplish all of this BEFORE you start dealing with the specific problem of realism in computer games. With this assignment, I'll be looking closely for evidence that students have actually done the background reading - so no excuses.
In your unit 2 feedback, I picked up on what is sometimes very conventional, literal and a bit 'local' about your creative development - by 'local' I mean that you don't travel too far from what you know when you're approaching your work. I want you to be a bit more of a 'citizen of the world', Lloyd - get out there and stretch your legs - oh, and I was being completely serious when we spoke in the corridor - get some sleep, Lloyd - and sort out your body-clock before you burn out. I've seen it happen to CGAA students. Take it easy and, if necessary, get your priorities sorted out.
OGR 13/12/2011
ReplyDeleteHey Lloyd,
Nice looking OGR - so thanks for taking the time to prepare it suitably, though you've got something odd happening on page 9 - I think you mean that,'in the eyes of the media, motels are viewed as creepy' - but the sentence structure is clunky.
Anyway - nice, concise bullet point summary of the uncanny according to Freud, though I hope your ability to be this concise is a sign that you know the concept very well indeed (as opposed to 'not enough'). Of course, the 'media' gets its unhappy view of American motels principally because of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (which we'll be watching in Semester 2) - and Vacancy and Identity are both movies that riff knowingly on this unease about the vulnerability of guests in these out-of-town motels. I think you should seek to develop this idea further, but I can't help observing that your decision to model the sign and not the diner itself is a bit of cop-out considering the creative challenge of the brief. Yes - you'll now have to complete those remaining Unit 2 tutorials to gain in confidence - but why wouldn't you want these skills? They're a part of what you're paying for after all, so not doing them (even though you barely passed) would be absurd. I don't think you need the post-apocalypse aesthetic in the mix either - the motel is a potent enough idea without that aspect of additional narrative. What I'd like to see you do is lots and lots of picture research to ensure real world reference is driving your digital set.
Check out this GREAT resource for visual reference - every link is a goldmine - just look at the peculiarity of the colours - part in due to the film stock of the photographs and how they've aged. I don't think you'd even need to go too 'horror' to bring out the uncanny feel here. Off you go then - go exploring - I want to see lots of great images on here soon.
http://www.lileks.com/motels/new11/index.html
Re. the written assignment; structurally, the first third of your assignment must deal with introducing, defining and unpacking Freud's ideas of what is uncanny (and why) and then extending that understanding to the 'uncanny valley' (which will mean also introducing and discussing the roboticist who coined 'uncanny valley' - Masahiro Mori). You need to accomplish all of this BEFORE you start dealing with the specific problem of realism in computer games. With this assignment, I'll be looking closely for evidence that students have actually done the background reading - so no excuses.
In your unit 2 feedback, I picked up on what is sometimes very conventional, literal and a bit 'local' about your creative development - by 'local' I mean that you don't travel too far from what you know when you're approaching your work. I want you to be a bit more of a 'citizen of the world', Lloyd - get out there and stretch your legs - oh, and I was being completely serious when we spoke in the corridor - get some sleep, Lloyd - and sort out your body-clock before you burn out. I've seen it happen to CGAA students. Take it easy and, if necessary, get your priorities sorted out.
I look forward to seeing those motels!
sorry - not 'diner' - motel.
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