My thoughts of MAGICAL storytelling in film - Part 1

I've watched some film that has the theme of magic. 

Film list: Now You See Me, The Illusionist, Oz the Great and Powerful, and Prestige.

Animation: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

There are some of the consistency in use of scene element and I'm going to list them down as my analysis to help me develop my storyboard.

#1 Spiral/ Circular Swirl

Swirl and Spiral are commonly used element that creates the illusion of falling into hole/ tunnel. It suggest direction, a path from one location to another location, potentially twist of dimension.

Oz the Great and Powerful - Tornado + hot air baloon

Oz the Great and Powerful - Opening Title Sequence

A Series of Unfortunate Events - Opening Title
(hot air baloon + spiral elements)

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore - Tornado

Now you see me - Poster

Swirl & Spiral in Op Art 

The vector op art below are collection that helps me to develop my storyboard in creating dimension, transitioning in the adventures.

Monument Valley Game

The Making Video

I shared this project in my 5 4 3 2 1 poster before. But back then I haven't personally played the game. I've got a chance to play the actual iPad game today. It's mind blowing to me. Although I have watched how it works in youtube video demo, personal experience as a user is still amazing.

It puts together the visual theory of facet and perspective with good colour combination to create impossible architecture as game environment. Then it also has very good interactive graphic management to allow interactive feedbacks in the game. The smaller cube in the architecture of the building can be rotate to allow player to avoid the obstacles and take alternative path to the goal.

The game uses very creative condition checking to avoid confusion of architecture control for player to navigate in the game. The twist and turn of the building reveal extensive levels challenge at the same time create surprises to the player.

Monument Valley Game UI

This gif animation explains the features of rotating the architecture element in
the game environment to create alternative path to allow player to reach
the intented destination. By rotating the pink colour cube with little circle
emboss from the surface, will then change some part of the architecture in the game.  

This game uses simplicity art style. Simple shapes, with different brightness to create the 3 dimensional environment and then became the condition of character's movement.

This ui shows the multi-dimension of the ground for characters to move from one place to another.

With the ability to rotate some part of the architecture of the building, it helps the main character to continue her journey by shifting the enemy's walking plane to a opposite dimension that it'll never block main character's way. Some times, player can also shift the plane of the architecture so that the main character can walk on the continuing path when the architecture of the building is connected in certain point of view.

Connecting the dots

I have a post on the contextual research blog writing some of my thoughts after collecting some amount of research from Trompe-l'œil, Teatro Olimpico, Forced Perspective, Light and Shadow, and Human Psychology of visual perception.

Collectively from all my post in this blog and the contextual study blog, I summarise some of my thoughts in a post. read my Put Together Thoughts post here.

Preproduction - Projection Mapping

I found one of the ways artist uses sketches and projector to test out projection visual. The images below are screenshots of the video by Dane Luttik, titled, "Augmented Reality - Projection Mapping"

Initial Mirror & Projection Testing

After collected some variety of optical illusion artworks, I think it'll be good for me to start experimenting on some of the potential interest I have in the project.

Below are my testing summary:

#1 Resolume

After testing on its mapping features with the built-in videos provided, I've got some idea of video content can be manipulated through cropping, perspective distortion to match surface and sequence of video can be set to create a narrative experience. 

The control of timeline in Resolume (observed from other project online) is also available by setting keyboard input or midi input. 

There's also a mic input control function allowing audio data to control video properties like height, width and etc. 

#2 Mirror Reflection

TESTED this one 

90º - Two mirrors at a right angle (90º) show two complete 
reflections and one composite reflection. An angle less 
than 90º shows two straight reflections and two partial reflections

Have not test, but found from online: http://angelgilding.com/Multiple_Reflections.html

120 Degree Reflection

72º - At 72º you see 4 complete reflections.

60º - At 60º you see five reflections – four straight and one composite.

45º - At 45º you see the object reflected 3 times in each mirror and one
composite reflection for an apparent total of 7 reflections – or
8 if you count the object itself. Unless the mirrors are very large,
it is hard to see into an opening of less than 45º.

Parallel - When two mirrors are parallel to each other, the number
of reflections is infinite. Placing one mirror at a slight angle causes
the reflections to curve.

Multi-Faceted Mirrors - Increasing the number of flat mirrored surfaces
or facets increases the number of reflections, but what you see
depends on where you stand. The number of complete and partial
reflections changes as you view the mirror from different angles.

Testing Summary

After exploring the video mapping possibilities, interactive control of video content and the characteristic of mirror reflection, I found out that I can project visual onto the floor and it'll create reflections in the mirrors depending on the degree of 2 mirrors facing each other.

This could possibly give me options to play with more kaleidoscope visual due to the reflection. But because of the reflection, it'll also affect my narration in the projection mapping sequence. No matter what visual I projects on the mirror or ceiling or floor, it'll turn out to be a pattern design.

I've also searched on the price of the mirror, with the measurement of 100cm x 200cm, the mirror without any framing, or wooden back support, it's going to cost RM168, plus the frame and finishing, it'll cost RM200 per mirror. So, after thinking through all the points above, I'll remain using Resolume as my mapping software, but mirror will not be my choice of projection tool at the moment.

Sketches and Organisation of Thoughts