Lighting a Scene in Maya

This is my lighting assignment in Maya. I am new to

this software and I am enjoying getting to learned it.

Building a Scene in Maya

This is my first time using Maya so it took me a longer

time to finish the assignment but I had a great experience.

It was a nice break from videos.

Science Fact or Cinematic Fiction

Since I was a young child I have been fascinated with fast moving objects. My favorite toys were objects that could move fast and my favorite heroes were action heroes. I remember the first time I saw movies like Top Gun, Indiana Jones and the Matrix, which all blew my mind. When I was watching these movies I did not think about physics or if it was humanly possible to pull out the amazing action stunts, rather I let the magic of the movies carry me away. As time passed, movies got more complicated and I began to question if it was possible for me to reenact the action scenes I saw in the movies. I realized that it takes much more than a child’s imagination to be a real life action hero. Also, I understood that physics plays a large role in every day life activities. I did not always understand how physics worked but I knew that physics affected the way I move in this universe. Thanks to this class I am able to understand physics more in-depth and I am able to distinguish between science fact and cinematic fiction. Using one of Isaac Newton’s Law of Forces the Law of Acceleration I am going to examine one action scene from Top Gun, Indiana Jones and The Matrix Reloaded.

First let’s take a look at a scene from one of my favorite action movies of all time Top Gun (1986). What fascinated me about this movie is how Maverick (Tom Cruise) is able to manipulate the fighter jet in the air as if it was a car. He is able to manipulate the Law of Acceleration and escape from life and death situations. In this particular scene, Maverick and his friends encounter enemy fighter planes and they engage in battle. Maverick takes his the plane to incredible high speeds, which is not impossible, but at the same time he is able to move the plane left to right and up and down in less than a second. Even though the Law of Acceleration says that objects always change their velocity in the direction of the applied force, Maverick would not be able to pull that stunt in the real universe. We have to factor the speed of the plane, which is the force that is pushing the plane forward and also the forces that are pushing the plane left to right or up and down. It is possible to make a plane move up and down, but it takes a lot more time because the plane has to fight against air resistance and the force of gravity that is pulling it down. If the exact scene was re created in real life, the pilot would lose control of the plane or the plane would not be able to resist the forces pulling in different directions and it would break into pieces. Even though Top Gun was released in 1986 its special effects were credible enough that millions of fans fell in love with the film. By the end of the movie everyone wanted to be like Maverick and fly a fighter plane at incredible speeds and do impossible maneuvers. I know I did.

Now let’s examine my favorite childhood action films and heroes Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). In the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Jones escapes from a giant boulder that is rolling down towards him as he is running away. In this particular scene, Jones is removing a small gold statue from a pedestal inside a cave. Once the gold statue is removed a series of booby trapsactivate to protect the statue. Jones escapes these preliminary booby traps but soon the last trap is activated and a giant boulder rolls down a narrow corridor of the cave. In order to survive Jones has to run faster than the boulder and reach the exit before it crushes him. Now let’s examine this scene using the Law of Acceleration. It’s true that the greater the mass an object is the less it accelerates when acted on by one force. This is true when an object is moving on a flat surface and is only moving with the initial applied force. However, it is also true that a massive ball accelerates faster when rolling down a steeper slope. The boulder in the scene looks appears to be massive and is moving down a steep slope so therefore Jones will not be able to out run the boulder in our universe. Initially the boulder will start slow but once it hits the slope it will gain momentum and will increase its acceleration. We also have to take in consideration the mass of the boulder, which will determine the strength of the force that is pushing the boulder forward. Thankfully for my childhood hero Indiana Jones lives in movies where physics can be manipulated for his benefit. If I had not taken this class I would have believed that Jones could actually out run a fast moving boulder in our universe. This scene seems somewhat credible to people who do not fully understand the laws physics.

The final scene that I am going to examine is from The Matrix Reloaded (2003). Although I was much older when I first saw this film, the films hero Neo (Keanu Reeves) and the amazing fighting sequences intrigued me and stimulated my imagination. The physics of The Matrix series were not as questionable because the story line was placed in a future universe inside a computer system. By the third movie audiences knew that the laws of our universe will not apply to a computer program. So, the hero Neo had the audience’s approval to break the laws of our universe and entertain. In this particular scene Neo and Agent Smith have an epic battle where Neo fights off multiplying agents with ease due to his super human speed. Neo is extremely fast and agile, which allows him to use his hands with extreme speed and precision. His greatest strength is his ability to synchronize his mind and his body. Also, Neo accelerates and decelerates his body in a very short amount of time and move in his universe with great ease. If Neo was fighting in our universe it would be impossible for him to fight at a high rate of speed because of the forces of gravity. Even though in our universe we have the Law of Acceleration that would allow him to be fast, but his body and mind would not respond the same way. The torque in his joints would allow his body to be fast but in effect he would not have enough strength in his punches to send agents flying at the time of impact. Every time he would hit someone with great force he would receive the same force back. Neo would not be a great hero in our universe because his greatest strength is his mind. He fights villains that are in a universe that is controlled with the mind so; therefore Neo is a credible hero in his universe only. Audiences sometimes like movies not because they are credible but because they stimulated their imagination and allow them to dream beyond the retractions of this universe.

In conclusion, action scenes are very hard to make credible because they are supposed to stimulate the mind and give the audience a rush of adrenalin. Newton’s Law of Acceleration is one of the many laws that directors have to bend in action movies to keep audiences interested. Today directors have the ability to push the boundaries of physics further than before, because new technologies are able to do more within our universe. As a result they are using faster cars, flying higher using better planes and run faster using high performance shoes. As humans we are always challenging the laws of our universe and try to bend those laws of physics to fulfill our curiosities.

I have to say this was one of my favorite assignments this semester, because it allowed me to go back and revisit the reason why I love action hero movies. One of my favorite parts of this assignment was doing the research. I discovered that without the Law of Acceleration and Velocity movies would not be as fun and exiting to watch. A good action movie always has a great action scene in which the action hero is chasing the bad guy at incredibly high speeds. Acceleration is what keeps audiences on the edge of there seats breaking a sweat. The Law of Acceleration and Velocity is what helped me fall in love with movies when I was a child and it is what keeps making me millions of fans going back to the theaters.

Out Line For The Second Term Paper

Since I was a young child I have being fascinated with fast moving objects. My favorite toys were objects that could move fast like trains, cars and airplanes. I remember the first time I saw the movie Top Gun I was seven years old and it blew my mind away. Using the laws of physics acceleration and velocity I am going to examine one scene fro Top Gun and two other scenes from films that I have decided yet.

A . Introduction: Acceleration and Velocity I will examine how the laws applied to every day objects like cars, trains and planes. What make the objects accelerate and it’s the velocity realistic.

B. Using the magic of movie clips I am going to study how the law of acceleration works in different worlds. How the human body reacts to the laws of acceleration and velocity. How acceleration and velocity add suspense to a scene.

C. Compare and contrast: I will examine how the law of acceleration in use in the real world and how is being is being portray in films. How fast objects react in movies Vs in the real world.

D. Conclusion: One of my favorite parts of this assignment is doing the research. I love looking for scenes that contain fast moving objects is what make a good movie great. Without the law of acceleration and velocity movies will not be as fun and exiting to watched. A good action movie always have a great action scene were the action hero is chasing the bad guy at incredible high speeds. Acceleration is what keeps audiences in the edge of there seats breaking a sweat or two. In conclusion, the law of acceleration and velocity is what helped me fall in love with movies when I was a child and is what keeps making me going back to the theater.

Character Animation

I used a digital camera, a glass table, play-doh and a desk lamp. I created three characters out of play-doh. The story is bout two kids playing ball. The kids get mad and start fighting and for get about the ball. The two boys turn into small balls. The ball comes back, turns into a boy and he kicks the boys out of the frame. The ball enjoys his new body as boy and explore his the world in this new body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgeRE66zyck

Reverse Video Reference of Walking

Reverse Video Reference of Walking

The Laws of Physics in an Animation Universe

The laws of physics in UP

The film “Up” is one of my favorite movies of all time, because it is heart warming and is very inspiring. The movie centers around two characters Carl Fredricksen and a young boy Russell. Carl is a 78-year-old man who finally fulfills his and his deceased wife’s dream of traveling to a remote jungle to live. Russell is an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer that is seeking his next wilderness badge. Since Carl was young he had dreams to travel and so as his best friend Ellie who later becomes his wife. Ellie’s biggest dream in life was to travel to South American and live in Paradise Falls. As Carl and Ellie age together, Ellie became ill and dies which leaves Carl alone in their home. As a way to honor Ellie’s memory and escape a court ordered assisted living, Carl ties thousands of helium-inflated balloons around the house and takes off. While in the high above the city, Carl hears knocking at his door and to his surprise it’s Russell who was grasping to the porch of the house. The unlikely pair goes through a life changing adventure where they encounter talking dogs and an extinct bird. The movie seems to follow the laws of physics until Carl decides to fly away in his house taking Russell with him. The movie “Up” is an incredible story that takes the audience trough a rollercoaster of emotions, but it bends the laws of physics in order to create a compelling and entertaining movie. To demonstrate how the laws of physics are bent; lets examine how the animators bend the laws and allow the characters room to challenge gravity, air resistance, force, air pressure, impulse and momentum.

First, lets follow Carl and Russell through their amazing adventure to South America. In the scene where Carl decides to take off and travel with his house with just helium balloons does not follow the laws of physics.

[0:21:25]

The fact that it takes Carl ten seconds to lift and move an entire house slightly to one side of a frame, then in the next frame the entire house is in mid air in less than 1 second is not an accurate portrayal.

[0:29:59]

[0:22:02]

The house is relying on the forces of pull of the balloons to get lifted and on the air pressure for direction. If the house had an added force like a gas or electric power motor the scene would be more realistic. The animators do make the house move to one side when is five feet of the ground to indicate that they are following laws of physics of our universe but in reality that is not enough.

[0:21:57]

In addition, one would have to factor in the force of gravity, the weight of the house, the force on the ground, and the force off pull of the balloons. Further, one would need to calculate the air pressure to find out in which direction the house is moving and how far. While it is not impossible to lift large objects of the ground using a hot air balloon in our universe, the force pushing up has to be grater that the force pushing down. In Carl’s case in the real universe it would have being in possible to pull out the stunt in such small time frame.

Moving to the next point, let’s examine how the animators bent the law of air resistance to give Carl the ability to travel through the air with speed and precision.

[1:15:37]

In this scene, Carl manages to catch up to a moving blimp by speeding up with the house using the air current. Once he does catch the blimp, Carl manages to slow in to almost a complete stop next to blimp to save Russell from falling off the blimp.

[1:17:38]

In order for that to happen in our universe Carl would have to move up into an air current strong enough to allow him to achieve high speeds. In addition, the shape of the house and how much air resistance is pushing back against the house would need to be factored in.

[1:17:20]

In another scene, Carl moves close to the blimp and manages to slow his house to almost a complete stop. In the movie it takes Carl three seconds to slow down and two turn the house around. However, in order for this to happen in our universe we will have to factor air resistance the weight of the house and the time when he started turning to stop the house. At times like this the animators treat Carl’s flying house as if it was a car moving on the ground, because it is able to make quick turns and stops. In order to make such maneuvers an object needs friction to absorb the force of that is changing direction. I was able view pass the bend laws of physics because the characters actions fit within the story and that a low the characters to grow.

Moving to the next rules of physics we are going to examine how the animators deal with characters strength, force, impulse and momentum. In two to three scenes Carl and Russell direct the house from the ground pulling on a water hose. They manage to walk and pull the house in high and low altitudes. In one scene they are high up on top a rocky surface and drag the house using only their strength and body weight.

[0:36:08]

[0:34:09]

[0:32:42]

In this particular scene we would have to factor in the air resistance, the force of the

balloons pushing up, weight of the house, the body weight of Carl and Russell and their

strength. In order for this to happen in our universe, Carl and Russell’s body weight and

strength would have to be greater than the air resistance and the balloons force that is pushing

the house up.

In the next scene, Carl stops the house from sliding down a moving blimp by pulling on the

water hose that is attached to the house.

[1:24:28]

In this scene there are many laws happening at once. First we have to consider Newtown’s first

law, the Law of Inertia, which says that an object wants to keep doing what it is doing unless a

stronger force comes along to stop it.

[1:24:30]

The house is sliding down the wing of the blimp and by doing so it is gaining momentum based

on its mass. Also the blimp is moving, which is creating an air pressure force that is pushing the

house faster down the wing. If Carl had done this action in our universe, his strength has to be

greater than the mass of the house, the air pressure and the force that is pushing the house

forward. Also, there would need to be strong friction between Carl’s feet and the floor of the

blimp to allow Carl to stop the sliding house. Additionally, the surface of the blimp has to be

strong enough to absorb the force from Carl’s feet. If that was to be true we will see a

significant dent on the blimp surface were all the force was absorb from Carl’s actions.

[1:24:40]

[12:23: - 12:24:40]

Off course this happens in Carl’s universe, which allows him to bend the

laws of physics and by doing so he looks like a hero. The action follows the bent path of the

movie’s universe and this allows the action to feel ordinary and credible.

Continuing to the next scene, the animators of the movie also bend the laws of impulse and momentum. In this particular scene, three of the characters jump down from one moving object to another. Kevin the bird puts Russell and Doug the dog on his back and jumps out of the moving house and manages to hold onto a hanging water hose. If this was done in our universe Kevin’s impulse has to be greater than the force that is pushing him down. Also, the force created by Kevin’s legs when they leave the ground needs to create enough momentum in order to allow Kevin to break the houses glass window and move across the air.

[1:25:09]

In addition, Kevin’s momentum needs to be strong enough to allow him to break the air resistance and the gravity force that is pushing him down. We also have to factor in his total mass including the two characters he is caring on his back and the velocity of the house from where he is jumping.

[1:24:39 - 1:25:55]

The stunt is done within the rules of physics of the movie so its credible because it follows the laws of the movie’s universe.

To conclude with my analysis of the movie let’s look back and recap on how the animators bend the laws of physics to add a sense of adventure in the movie. By bending the laws the creators allow the characters to grow and move within the storyline. The characters are carefully placed in the story and have human like behaviors, which makes them believable. Once the audience is invested emotionally into the story the characters have room to move and bend the laws of physics. Being an action adventure movie, “Up” breaks many laws including the Physical Law but in animation films it is acceptable because we enter the universe of CGI. In the world of animation, we don’t hold the characters accountable if they don’t move within the laws of our universe. We push our reasoning to one side and follow the characters throughout the story with our imagination and emotions. In the end, “Up” is a fun and uplifting story allows the audience to enjoy the characters and adventures within their universe, rather than, the various laws of our universe that were bent and broken. Animation allows filmmakers to tell these fantastic stories and create exciting sequences and universes.