tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post8213789720257074336..comments2024-01-01T21:31:27.654-08:00Comments on UNCLE EDDIE'S THEORY CORNER: WHY I'M NOT A FAN OF "IRON GIANT"Eddie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-50276820153720001082007-02-21T20:47:00.000-08:002007-02-21T20:47:00.000-08:00For good dialogue I recommend "The Great McGinty"....For good dialogue I recommend "The Great McGinty". <BR/><BR/>For example, when McGinty explains how he became corrupted he starts off by saying, "You gotta learn to crawl before you can creep."J. J. Hunseckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04067327948394872768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-5943065711327083692007-02-21T20:45:00.000-08:002007-02-21T20:45:00.000-08:00NO. If you ever say Vader and Buster in the same s...<I>NO. If you ever say Vader and Buster in the same sentence again I'll murther you.</I><BR/><BR/>Murther? I don't know what that is but it sounds bad. Sort of like a combination of murder and mother. <BR/><BR/>And, yes, Buster Keaton and Vader is indeed an unfair comparison. Buster has subtle facial expressions, while Vader doesn't have any 'cause he's wearing an immobile mask.J. J. Hunseckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04067327948394872768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-27487457763879995442007-02-20T13:27:00.000-08:002007-02-20T13:27:00.000-08:00"Kali, do a post about why you think Vader is a ba..."Kali, do a post about why you think Vader is a bad actor. "<BR/><BR/>WHY? All I would have to do is put up a youtube link. JEESE.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-29019045495991895882007-02-20T13:25:00.000-08:002007-02-20T13:25:00.000-08:00"If you could only see the great gestures happenin..."If you could only see the great gestures happening under his dress."<BR/><BR/>I actually didn't write that. A certain silly loon used the computer after I did. I'm a decent person.<BR/><BR/>"Hey, Vader was like Buster Keaton, he had to act without facial expression!"<BR/><BR/><B>NO.</B> If you ever say Vader and Buster in the same sentence again I'll murther you.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-59327106923074553672007-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:002007-02-20T09:11:00.000-08:00>Why did you bring up Vader again? I can't figure ...>Why did you bring up Vader again? I can't figure it out. How about Opie after he killed that bird? An 8 year old boy can act better than Vader or this Iron Giant crap. <BR/><BR/>Hey, Vader was like Buster Keaton, he had to act without facial expression!<BR/><BR/>James Earl Jones is also a hell of a voice actor.<BR/><BR/>>Anchorman has its moments.<BR/><BR/>Hell yeah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-876520511252513762007-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:002007-02-19T12:12:00.000-08:00Everybody: So you guys aren't impressed with this ...Everybody: So you guys aren't impressed with this advice! Well, what are you waiting for? Post your own ideas and link to it here! I'm dying to see what techniques are out there! Just don't put up boring advice like "be yourself" or "just act natural." Courtship is too serious to waste time on techniques that aren't manipulative and Machiavellian <BR/><BR/>Boy, I didn't know that so many worldly guys came to this site. Maybe I should get an advertizer like Ray-Bans or leopard skin seat covers.Eddie Fitzgeraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-4794478749909974112007-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:002007-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:00Anon: Nice analysis of the spatial innovations in ...Anon: Nice analysis of the spatial innovations in that sequence! I can use some of the points you made in my storyboards. Thanks!<BR/><BR/>Mad Max: An acting analysis of the Worm film? Interesting idea! I'll try it!Eddie Fitzgeraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-38001978323217203742007-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:002007-02-19T09:46:00.000-08:00Kali: LOL! I seem to have hit a nerve!haha, KALI I...<I>Kali: LOL! I seem to have hit a nerve!</I><BR/><BR/>haha, KALI IS IN LOVE WITH DARTH VADER!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-16771029447222166662007-02-19T01:23:00.000-08:002007-02-19T01:23:00.000-08:00Another anonym, sorry.benjamn said:" The great per...Another anonym, sorry.<BR/><BR/>benjamn said:" The great perspective shift in the giant is easy to explain *snip*: the giant is 3D computer animation.<BR/><BR/>You forgot to actually explain it. Just saying "it's 3D" doesn't help. A 3D artist doesn't achieve the effect of enormous scale without knowing how to set up the scene.<BR/><BR/>Having said that, can i venture my inexperienced breakdown of the scene? i'll go ahead & do it anyway:<BR/><BR/>- The first step was to set up a good angle of view on the camera to produce the right perspective. Yes yes, we know that... and?<BR/><BR/>- After that, keep a relatively static camera position - "turn the viewer's head".<BR/>Because the camera sweeps (is that the correct term?), the background moves with the giant behind him, which represents an enormous change of _angle_ of view. That makes sense: as a static viewer, you would have to turn your head to see from one arm to the other - you wouldn't race over to the giant's other foot to get a closer look at his other hand. The result is also to make the clouds behind the giant move with the shift in angle of view - to make a background move, you need to turn your head, otherwise it stays still. A moving background represents an enormous shift in perspective. A static background is "ordinary" - you know that from driving down the highway.<BR/><BR/>- Keep the knees in sight - even the boy in sight the first time the camera sweeps across helps set the perspective.<BR/><BR/>- Notice how the rock and tree are always at the edge of the shot. The camera never puts the rock and tree right in the centre of your field of vision - i think that's the rule of thirds - robot's head in the middle, rock & tree in the 2 outer thirds of the screen.<BR/><BR/>*cringe* OK, I'm ready for a good lampooning now - don't hold back.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-40372688558886280232007-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:002007-02-18T23:35:00.000-08:00Marsellus Wallace vs Butch*note the music in the B...<A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DicYF4RQBnU" REL="nofollow">Marsellus Wallace vs Butch</A><BR/><BR/>*note the music in the BG.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-41616420025845684452007-02-18T23:29:00.000-08:002007-02-18T23:29:00.000-08:00I agree the dialog was weak. Record a conversatio...I agree the dialog was weak. Record a conversation with your friends.<BR/><BR/>Real people don't talk so expositionally, and expositional dialog is FAR less entertaining.<BR/><BR/>That's partly why I love Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight. Great dialog. Anchorman has its moments.<BR/><BR/>Think about the scene in Pulp Fiction where Marsellus Wallace threaten's Bruce Willis' character to throw the match. Compare that to the scene in Iron Giant. No contest.<BR/><BR/>>>It's intentional...at first he just treats it like a big cool toy or something. You know, how a real kid would treat a big robot they found. It's only later in the film that he grows to care for it.<<<BR/><BR/>I care more for toys at the start and grow to like them less over time. When I got Street Fighter 2 way back when, I wouldn't listen to my mother's pleas to eat my breakfast, lunch or dinner until I got tired of the game. Same thing with the Nintendo Wii. I skipped work just to keep playing it. Then I sold it after the first few days when I got tired of it.<BR/><BR/>Because the Giant is a character with feelings, the kid comes to care for "him" and not "it" on a deeper level, but the bad acting in this scene clearly depicts the stereotypical, oversimplified, generic, incorrect, and overall weak approach.<BR/><BR/>I still enjoyed the movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-27178229418447665862007-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:002007-02-18T22:23:00.000-08:00Kali: LOL! I seem to have hit a nerve!Kali: LOL! I seem to have hit a nerve!Eddie Fitzgeraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-21997499373468497302007-02-18T22:07:00.000-08:002007-02-18T22:07:00.000-08:00If you could only see the great gestures happening...If you could only see the great gestures happening under his dress.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-15898932331943186282007-02-18T21:30:00.000-08:002007-02-18T21:30:00.000-08:00Darth Vader does some great facial expressions.Darth Vader does some great facial expressions.Shawn Dickinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12489620525595098628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-88667208254066757112007-02-18T21:02:00.000-08:002007-02-18T21:02:00.000-08:00Kali, do a post about why you think Vader is a bad...Kali, do a post about why you think Vader is a bad actor.Max Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16301632532479439366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-90135282258955765272007-02-18T20:31:00.000-08:002007-02-18T20:31:00.000-08:00There goes your street cred.Why did you bring up V...There goes your street cred.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Why did you bring up Vader again? I can't figure it out. How about Opie after he killed that bird? An 8 year old boy can act better than Vader or this Iron Giant crap.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-12284072893890321482007-02-18T20:29:00.000-08:002007-02-18T20:29:00.000-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-64549303357532095642007-02-18T18:31:00.000-08:002007-02-18T18:31:00.000-08:00I agree, Darth Vader is one of the most awesomely ...I agree, Darth Vader is one of the most awesomely evil villians in film. And EVERYTHING he says is said for a reason! A strong reason! Hey Eddie, that would be great if you could post something about the acting in "Tales of a Worm Paranoia". I love the acting in that film, it's some of my favorite in modern animation years. I'd love to hear about that.Mad Max Winstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08862277704285344639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-26899658410074299632007-02-18T13:18:00.000-08:002007-02-18T13:18:00.000-08:00It's all about personality, and indeed it may be d...It's all about personality, and indeed it may be difficult for anybody's personality to break through the machine that making animated features can be. That's why I've always admired Spumco and all the others that have personality.<BR/><BR/>Same with live action movies. When people say they "love bad movies!" and then mention something really bland (like a Jennifer Love Hewitt movie...), I always go "no! that's not bad! It's just bland and boring." <BR/><BR/>Really "bad" movies that at least have personality (i'll use the most common example, Ed Wood movies) I can admire. If you can see someone's heart on the screen, despite everything else, it's not so bad.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>JordanJordanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13858465228077926840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-80399534511765717082007-02-18T13:07:00.000-08:002007-02-18T13:07:00.000-08:00Vin Diesal is a hell of a voice actor. He should f...Vin Diesal is a hell of a voice actor. He should front a death metal band.<BR/><BR/>I love that movie and I love that clip. I think Brad Bird is of the school of thought that movies and cartoons should be "realistic" and "convincing" which is the polar opposite of Eddie's view.<BR/><BR/>He wants cartoons to be like live-action filmaking. MODERN live-action.<BR/><BR/>He probably believes every character should be 3-dimensional, too, which explains the villain.<BR/><BR/>On the commentary for the Incredibles Brad Bird said he was very proud of the animation acting in the movie, he said there was tons of subtle stuff. I wonder if he holds the same belief for The Iron Giant?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-56124920275800547462007-02-18T12:36:00.000-08:002007-02-18T12:36:00.000-08:00I hope you don't mind anonym comments - especially...I hope you don't mind anonym comments - especially ones that are a bit off topic.<BR/><BR/>You have seen Darth Vader being a smartass, haven't you?<BR/><BR/>here-> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5blbv4WFriM&eurl=<BR/><BR/>I mention it because i find it an excellent example of character interaction, and since you mentioned Vader already...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-916849440203048342007-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:002007-02-18T11:24:00.000-08:00"When was the last time you told somebody...*anybo..."When was the last time you told somebody...*anybody* about the mind blowing "performance" you just saw an animated character give? What standard is that to hold something to?"<BR/><BR/>Well this doesn't have anything to do with Iron Giant, of course, but watching my new Ren & Stimpy Seasons 1&2 DVDs(not to pander or anything) I was actually raving to my wife on the phone how amazing Ren's acting was at times. "To describe it would need dozens of hyphens!," I said.<BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>The silences were not comfortable.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07820218738395288867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-90136053830689514002007-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:002007-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00Marshall: Shakespeare was only an example. Lots of...Marshall: Shakespeare was only an example. Lots of lesser people wrote interesting dialogue. You need to see some good film dialogue so you have something to compare this picture to. <BR/><BR/>Watch films like Mildred Pierce, Detective Story (b&w version), Double Indemnity, Wizard of Oz and cartoons like Clampett's Great Piggy Bank Robbery and the best of Jones' Three Bear cartoons.<BR/><BR/>Animation is full of great performances and I talk to my friends about them all the time. The hag in Snow White, Daffy reading the comic book in Piggy Bank Robbery, Ren Hoek and Mr. Horse in Ren Seeks Help...it would be a long list. We should expect great performances in animated features and acting opportunities should be written into the story.<BR/><BR/>Michael: Thanks for the kind comments and for the consistently interesting enteries on your own blog.Eddie Fitzgeraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-15285409203974276922007-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:002007-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00I love your new posts. Discussing a video clip. It...I love your new posts. Discussing a video clip. It's great. Keep it up!Max Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16301632532479439366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-23887678701492329612007-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:002007-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:00"Vader is super-intelligent, obsessed, suave, and ..."Vader is super-intelligent, obsessed, suave, and aristocratic."<BR/><BR/>Sorry Eddie.<BR/><BR/>NO.Kali Fontecchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11203562437910689569noreply@blogger.com