I can’t tell if venturing into the videogame-as-movie business was such a good idea for Boll, but that one film has not deserved the disastrous 1.6 imdb rating.

While watching this really worthwhile film (an exception is the cheesy and annoying soundtrack btw.) I got the feeling of “hey, I’ve seen that before”. Then it hit me: Alien! I don’t know if this is a well documented fact, but if you look a bit closer at structure, character orchestration and theme, this film closely resembles Alien from 1979 (imdb, wikipedia).

First, there is this diffuse threat, the gang in Assault and the beast in Alien, that is prominent throughout the whole film. One member of the group, the father in Assault and Kane in Alien, was outside and when he comes back in brings the threat with him.

In Alien, the location under siege are the crew quarters on board the Nostromo space ship, in Assault it’s the police station Precinct 13. As soon as the father/Kane is inside, the mean antagonist of the movies, of which we never see a clear face, goes into attack mode.

The character that expresses her fears and conveys the panic and confusion to the audience is Julie, in Alien this role is Lambert, reacting with a striking similarity in hysteria and even dialogue.

Looking at it from today, James Cameron seems to have been very aware of the relationship between Assault and Alien. While writing Aliens (imdb, wikipedia) it appears as if he had revisited Assault to extract further structural elements for the Alien sequel.

Further on, in Assault, the film features defense action, with the gang climbing in. Very similar to what we got to know from Aliens. Actually so closely that while watching Assault you wait for Hudson or Vasquez sealing doors with a torch. Then, the Assault plot takes us into the basement of the station, in the Alien movies we get to see the innards of the Nostromo or the Weyland-Youtani habitat.

Vasquez in Aliens offers Gorman to keep a grenade back to kill them both, a promise she will keep later on while crawling through one of the tunnels (the basement in Assault). In Assault Leigh does the same offer to Napoleon. The strong character of Leigh, by the way, is a close fit with Ripley in Alien, although Leigh isn’t exactly the protagonist.

A very interesting finding while researching the similarities between Aliens and Assault is that Cameron actually named a character Bishop! A character named Ethan Bishop was the lead, the police officer supervising Precinct 13, in Assault.

Bishop along with Ripley is a group of outsiders in Aliens, where the marines think they run the show. In Assault, the three convicts first seem to pose a further threat on the group in the station, while in reality and later on in the movie they become their closest allys - just like Ripley, Bishop and the marines in Aliens.

In order to break out, the group in both movies makes a plan. In Assault, the first attempt is that someone has to crawl through the drain system tubes to reach a car parking in front of the building. It has to be someone with a special capability: to short-circuit and start a car without key. In Aliens, someone has to crawl through a tube to reach a communication link terminal, to remotely steer the drop-ship shuttle down for a pick-up. Bishop is selected with his special capability: only he is able to steer the ship with robotic precision.

Once you’ve found out the parallels, the similarities become obvious. As said, I don’t know if this is a known fact, but if I am the first to notice it, I’d like to write my copyright under it.

You might ask if this belittles the merit of Alien and Aliens. I do not think so. Only in very few cases, art is a completely original process. The Alien/Aliens “homage” is a very good example of telling an appealing story twice through a change in setting while keeping the overall structure. And for every science-fiction fan the Alien franchise is an interesting twist and update on the Assault story. It is evidence that universal themes in literature (and film) never die.

But let’s start at the beginning. A good story isn’t good because of the acting, it is good because of the drama, the specific dynamics the playwright has put into it. The screenwriter is the one who creates great characters and it is the screenwriter who puts all these great characters into the high drama the story unfolds just in front of our eyes.

David Mamet once said, I won’t quote him literally, that he isn’t so fond of “serious acting”, the magical “art of acting”. For him, acting is more like craftsmanship. He used to tell his actors things like “look angry!” and rolls camera. But if Mamet is right, where do all these big moments in acting history come from? Is it really the actor?

Who can tell. For sure, in most cases the actor wasn’t the one who invented the story. The writer is a guy with thick glasses everyone makes fun about. The type of guy you would call up at the very end to join your team, back in the days at school. But it was this guy who wrote the stuff the superstar actor is about to do and to say. Once, in the golden era of Hollywood, writers were the rowing slaves of the system, they even weren’t allowed to join the crew on set.

The set is a good prompt to continue this rant. As the audience, we are inclined to say: oh, this was good acting! But who was responsible for that? Did anyone of us see the actual shooting on set? Seen the actor forgetting his lines. Have we heard the director’s commands? Seen the number of re-takes? No. Somebody just says: “good acting”, and everyone on the media junkett will parrot this opinion, because acting is such a subjective and mysteriously art-form.

There are numerous perspectives you can take tackling the question of good acting. One of it (mine) is to say: there isn’t so much magic in good acting. There is just an actor who managed it to not ruin the cleverly woven fabric of the story and the character. The actor just fits the part - as easy as that. This is why most actors do not actually act that much. They just act out themselves.

“The method“, as taught by Strasberg/Stanislavski is meant to bring the actor into a position where she/he authentically feels like the character and thus is able to reproduce authentic feelings. Acting as a psychological process. Okay. But how much simpler is it to just be like the character? It is not such an achievement if you are a mafia type of guy and thus can quite convincing play a mafia type of guy.

The Academy seems to honor, besides a few others, mostly two categories of actors: the beautiful superstar actor who dares to play a very ugly character, preferably by heavily changing their own appearance. And the actor who works therapeutically on his own life while filling a part in a film or play. So the basic receipt is to (a) gain weight, lose weight, use an ugly rubber nose or some other sort of makeup to fill your part, or (b) be a former drug addict, victim of some crime or the like to prepare for your role as drug-dealer/drug-addict or mass murderer/cop respectively. In all these cases you are basically yourself, but everyone will regard “facing your fears/trauma” as good acting. And such a fit in real life and played life is very welcome in promoting the film/play in the media. Good acting?

Rewind to the poor writer: she/he managed to write an intense story with intense moments. The director is talented enough to translate the written word with the help of the cinematographer and everyone else on the crew into a stream of intense images. The actor is the one who says the lines, in the very focal point of all this, the overall setup. Blam, what a great moment on film. Who is responsible? Of course, the great art of the actor - who in fact just managed to not ruin the scene.

The whole process of casting is basically finding someone who fits the part. If you are looking for a perfect villain, in most cases someone who already looks evil in a way will be a good fit. An actor physiognomally needs to fit the part. So acting is a mixture of the actor’s overall appearance, the gesture and voice. If everything comes in right, there you have it, “good acting”. But wait, where was it again, the art of acting..? Seems it got lost in all the other main criterias.

As said, there are numerous ways to look at it. Acting can be an art-form, in the very few cases where the actor’s attitude (towards acting and the role) and the specific challenges of a certain part meet. It can!

And an actor can make or break it. Please note that I did not say “a good actor…”. To sum it all up (and to placate everyone a bit), for me, it is important to understand that film and theater is a team effort. A single actor can add the final polish, but in every case it is not the singular effort the star-system is making us believe it is. Take my post as a pledge for a more pragmatic acting approach.

Over the past years ILM has used a number of off-the-shelf commercial 3D and effects software products like Softimage and Maya. But as every hero needs to have his custom weapon, ILM is recently moving away from commercial packages towards a proprietary in-house solution called Zeno.

Now, what is ILM’s Zeno? While venturing a bit into the CGI-VFX world myself I happened to run into this nebulous tool mentioned in VFX related articles. Time to start some online research:

Over at cgsociety, the ILM wiki page gives some insight. Zeno is now the main building block of their in-house pipeline, kind of a backbone serving the artists and various stages throughout the production cycle. More can be found out on vfxworld, where Lucasfilm’s CTO Cliff Plumer gives away some information about the nature of Zeno: Zeno is like a collaborative scene file, a concept CG artists might know from blender and the Verse extension. All artists work on a common stage where changes applied by one artist migrate across the whole project. Zeno is also a set of tools, modules that aid in the creation of certain effects. Some additional information can be found here and here. The modular architecture allows ILM to hook-in even the game development department. Lucasarts works with the help of a module called Zed. Lucasarts’ Brett Rector talks a bit about it in the “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” game production diaries, here and more in diary #13 (go here and in the flash applet navigate to “Game Info” > “Production Diaries” > “Brett’s Production Diary #13″ - or read a german translation).

We have learned that ILM Zeno is more like a framework and not a magic tool that replaces original ideas (surprise!). Every FX shop in the world uses more or less sophisticated collaboration tools, the local LAN, shared folders, frameworks like Verse or in-house tools and helpers.

This thread at vfxtalk opens the scope and is a good snapshot of what other top shops like Rhythm & Hues are using. Go there to see some actual screenshots from their proprietary software. Anyone with screenshots from Zeno?

Please note: many tutorials will need a 2D/2.5D animation software like After Effects CS3 or a 3D application like Cinema 4D. Free alternatives are Jashaka for 2D work and Blender for 3D. [in square brackets I will note which software is needed..]

Books

Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects: Essential and Advanced Techniques, 4th Edition the definited guide by Chris & Trish Meyer who coined the term “motion graphics”! [After Effects]

After Effects in Production: A Companion for Creating Motion Graphic [After Effects]

After Effects and Photoshop: Animation and Production Effects for DV and Film, Second Edition [After Effects]

Video Tutorials

Modeling Basics [Cinema 4D]

80s/90s Lens Flare [After Effects]

Stadium Lights [Cinema 4D]

Working with Modo AND Cinema 4D [Cinema 4D, Modo]

Workflow and render templates in Cinema 4D [Cinema 4D]

Model a Game Dice, Model a Golf Ball [Cinema 4D]

Flames in After Effects [After Effects]

Track Mattes in Cinema 4D and After Effects [After Effects]

Animated Stroke in Blender, poor man’s version [Cinema 4D/Blender]

Fire [After Effects]

Write-On Effect [After Effects]

Lights in After Effects [After Effects]

A cardiogram signal in AE [After Effects]

Simulating Snow [After Effects]

Animation: ‘Motion Sketch’ makes animating easy!, part 2 [After Effects]

Animation: Book with turning pages tutorial [After Effects]

Basics: A 3D background [Apple Motion 3]

Optical Flow Retiming demo [Apple Motion 3]

3D Camera [Apple Motion 3]

Rotating Earth [Apple Motion 3]

Text outline, fill, etc. [After Effects]

Matrix Raining Code How-To version 1, version 2 [After Effects]
Written Tutorials

3D Stroke How To [After Effects + plugin & alternatives]

Tracking and replacing Objects [After Effects]

Advanced Tracking and Replacing [After Effects]

Expressions 101 [After Effects]

Expressions: RGB to HSL Expressions [After Effects]

Lens Flare in AE Lens Flare, Trapcode Shine (and improvements) [After Effects]

Designing Motion Graphics part 1, part 2: Scripting, part 3: Code [Flash]

Rippling Circles [After Effects]

3d Particle Orientation in Particular [After Effects]

Camera Shake with Motion Tile and Expressions [After Effects]

Simple Type / Text in front of Background [After Effects]

Type FX with ‘Set Matte Filter’ [After Effects]

Camera Wobble grunge-style with Track Mattes and Background [After Effects]

Introduction to Trapcode Form [After Effects]

Morphing [After Effects]

Prism style Glow [After Effects]

Flying Numbers: “the internet” with Expressions [After Effects]

Spirograph Effect [After Effect]

Sin City look with Silhouette Roto [After Effects]

3D Text [After Effects]

Alpha Channels , Drop Shadow [After Effects]

Parenting with a null object [After Effects]

ow to use a spreadsheet to generate Lower Thirds, Slates, Titles, etc. in After Effects [After Effects]

Handwritten Text [After Effects + Photoshop]

Motion Tracking [After Effects]

Optical Brightness [After Effects]

Looping Flag [After Effects]

Exploding Logo to Particles [After Effects]

Particles gather to form a Logo [After Effects]

Flowing Light Line [After Effects]

Swinging smooth Background [After Effects]

Moving Block Pattern [After Effects]

Electrocardiogram [After Effects]

Suware line pattern, like in circuit boards [After Effects]

Logo disappears like a flame [After Effects]

Division , Rotation & Combination [After Effects]

3D multiscreen [After Effects]

Flowing Light [After Effects]

Splash Logo [After Effects]

Ink Bleeding Effect [After Effects]

Velocity Control [After Effects]

Flying through a tunnel , also [After Effects]

Light Sabers in AE [After Effects]

Blogs & Portals

Motion Graphics Blog by Chris & Trish Meyer

Graymachine MG blog

Clipland Showreels hosting (many mg reels)

motiongraphics.it

xplsv.tv

a directory of fx shops

Andrew Cramer’s blog

Ayato Fujii’s tips blog

Creative Cow

Pixel2Life

After Effects help

Layers Magazine AE tuts

Chiny’s blog

blog on motion-graphics.org

Tools

Omino’s Kaleidoscope PlugIn for AE

More…

tutorials

creative cow

A few years ago, I discovered this gem of early Hollywood film history while browsing John Clute’s Science Fiction: The Illustrated Encyclopedia. Pictured was a still from the film, a couple in front of a large reflecting pool - and the majestic Lamasery dramatically lit in the background. As I found out today, this still is from a scene that is actually not in the film. Capra decided to restage this particular sequence into a garden. Anyway - although you might find this tidbit of trivia interesting, there a two major things I noticed while watching the film that I haven’t expected. As it seems, this black & white milestone has influenced a number of movies. Some references are well known, others appear to be unresolved yet.

Lost Horizon and Indiana Jones

Lost Horizon and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom share a lot. This is no secret. There is the core group of adventurers: the worn hero Robert Conway, his comic sidekick(s) and a hysteric blonde. The ride begins with the group entering an old airplane, a DC-2 vs. a Ford Trimotor 5-AT-B in Indiana Jones. Flying over the mountains, they get a chance to take a nap, until all hell breaks loose and the plane goes down, crashing onto a sort of glacier. Later, after a good shower, they all meet again on a large dinner table.

Actually, I wasn’t prepared to discover yet another George Lucas source. Only a few days ago I wrote about analogies between 633 Squadron and Star Wars. I hope this chain breaks before it becomes a habit. One last thing: when Conway is dicovered by a group of Chinese villagers and carried away, doesn’t that remind you of the scene where C-3PO and R2D2 get carried away by the Jawa? OK, I’ll stop now…

Lost Horizon and The Black Hole

As Lost Horizon progresses, the overall atmosphere and pace began to remind me of another film - but I could tell which one. Then it hit me: Disney’s The Black Hole (wikipedia, buy)! There is crazy Dr. Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell) greeting the group in true Captain Nemo style, in his castle worthy dining room. They get to like each other, especially Harry Booth (played by Ernest Borgnine) is fascinated by the doctor.

A number of miraculous discoveries later, Booth is actually willing to stay on Reinhardt’s magical ship (doubling Conway in Shagri-La). He admires the scientific achivements (Conway in Shangri-La admires the Lama’s spiritual attitude). But despite of all enchantment, the group is finally leaving the place in a hurry. Although the promise of Shagri-La turns out to be true, while The Black Hole’s ship is an unholy graveyard, the parallels between these two films are striking.

A final word on Captain Nemo style dining:

Well, chandelier dinners and mysterious invitations aren’t trademarked yet and surely Lost Horizon hasn’t invented them. But as it seems, this type of “arrival and greeting of the group” is a common factor within the genre of travel-to-a-secret-place films. Hints of this can be found in multiple James Bond movies, they appear in Jules Verne type of films like 20000 Leagues under the Sea, Atlantis: The Lost Empire , Viaje al centro de la Tierra (The Fabulous Journey to the Center of the Earth) and more.

He might appear like an empty sheet of paper in terms of feature film direction. But, as it is the case with icebergs, there is much hidden below that. Browse over to his website to have a look at some of his recent works and a bit of indirect CV through magazine articles about him. As you soon will discover, Kosinski is one of the most interesting and remarkable commercial directors around. Joseph Kosinski’s in-depth filmography can be found here.

After browsing his work log, the first discovery will be that Kosinski was the driving force behind the stunning XBOX 360 spots that followed the already classic “Believe” series of XBOX Halo commercials. The multi award-winning “Mad World” for Gears of War and “Starry Night” for Halo 3 are remarkable adverts. To top it all, have a look at “Les Jumelles” for Nike. This commercial is a piece of art and totally blows you away in terms of aesthetics, the combination of live action and computer generated imagery and the integration of motion graphics.

This kind of outstanding talent can’t be around for long without being discovered for the large screen. This is why Kosinski is currently attached to the remake of the 1976 sci-fi cult-hilt Logan’s Run, scheduled for 2010. I am quite sure that this one won’t again turn out as cheesy as the 70s version!

Another rumor is that Kosinski will also helm the sequel to Tron. As it seems, the guy is currently passed around as the expert for reviving long-tail, first-flop-then-cult-hit movies. We’ll see. This factoid is still so fresh, even the 2010 Tron imdb page has nothing to tell us yet.

Until then, you might wan’t to kill some time reviewing the classic versions of Logan’s Run and Tron again.

Then I knew it: that is the trench run from Star Wars! (Officially now Star Wars IV: A New Hope(wiki)). In the 1964 film, a group of pilots has to fly through a narrow fjord while the Norwegian anti-aircraft fire is targeting them. In Star Wars Luke and his allies fly their X-Wings in a “trench” on the Death Star’s surface to drop abomb, exactly as in 633, on a specific target.

Of course, when you’re thinking you’ve discovered something new about Star Wars, go online and you will find out that there is already a chapter of the official fan club discussing just this detail. Same with 633 Squadron: a bit of research brought up - this duality is actually a well known fact.

George Lucas has told so in various interviews, as Wikipedia knows. And there is a discussion if the closest match is 633 Squadron or The Dam Busters (wiki, see Influences) from 1955. More evidence here. Decide for yourself.

You can have a look at the overall style of The Dam Busters here, or watch the 633 Squadron trailer here (an excerpt from the trench sequence can be seen starting at 2:15).