The assassination of Jessie James

One of my favourite films a while back was the film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. (2007) The way this film plays out really draws you in even though you do know what is going to happen, from history and of course from the title itself! What is interesting is looking at how the characters develop and how Rob Ford’s obsession with Jesse James turns into an opportunity for him to be someone. The development of his character is steady and chilling, whereas the character of Jesse is much more edgy. The film itself is shot at a slow pace, with slow piano or guitar music (mostly) and in very sharp focus so you feel like you get to know the characters, you know that most of Jesses gang are dead or in prison and he is using this Robert guy in desperation really, and also out of a need to keep doing what he does. I love how the film is slow paced and yet draws you into it completely, it is more about whats going on in his head than a traditional gun slinging western, you realise that Jesse actually is fed up with his life, the great days of him as a hero are over, he wants to die, and realises that this Robert Ford is his man, weak, obsessed and in need of the reward money, and he sets out to ensure that if he kills him, he will not get to be the hero, but that Jesse will remain the hero even after death. The cinematography was amazing they used old camera lenses taped over the cameras to give a blurred effect to the film edges like the old style movies, and, for example used some bleaching to enable the scene with the train robbery – held at night- have a bit more contrast and to be more realistic the only light coming from the carriage lamps, as it would have been.

Final game done in unity

SCENEOGRAPHY – REFINED BRIEF Name :Finn barmer Project Brief : FAIRYTALE Project Title : Castel/Goblin village in a swamp Broad Audience : Child / Teen Mood / Atmosphere : Tranquil Scene Description A decayed village / castle in a swamp Time of Day : 9 pm EXTERIOR Explanation / Backstory of Scene : Many years ago their once lived a family of goblins in a swamp. The village had to be abandoned for various reasons not known to you the player. It has been said that in this village lays a forbidden treasure of great value and mystical powers. Many people have ventured into the village but no one has ever come out. Your mission is to explore the village in search of it but beware of what’s around the corner as it may just kill you.

While researching ideas for swamps I came across this site explaining the though processes behind a series of games, very similar to the idea I had been coming up with, though this was a later world being develop in a series o settings. This image above was a fisrt idea where the designers had come up with another planet where everything was metal. I love this image, the steaminess is great, in this case they thought it too industrial and after a lot of brainstorming came up with the design below which they used as a base for their next game setting. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/194 “You can see that this first concept by Carl Critchlow, while very beautiful, looks too industrial. The color pallet of browns and blacks is too expected. We wanted to try and get some bright-green color in to represent the corrosive necrogen mist that devours everything living in the Mephidross Swamp. I had this idea that the necrogen could bubble out of the ground, like lava does in the Pacific. I wanted to see bubbling sores on the metal plane’s surface that built up as the necrogen oozed out. Mark Tedin went to work, and by his third sketch he had something we could use.”

Basically they eventually came up with this design for a swamp,. Which is much more organic but I like the colour palette they have used, and the graphics for the swamp too, kind of fairytale like but also gritty with the dark colours mingling with bright greens, I like how with these images you think you recognise the landscape but when you look closer you realise that they are not made form materials you are expecting and though it looks like a ruin, you cannot be sure that it is not something that is growing rather than decaying.

this image also came up in the research, I like the idea of the building being absorbed back into the earth, another advantage of using timber, but the image is not at all what I want to create, but I like the theme of the building being eaten up by its environment and might try to develop this.

While looking for images of decaying buildings I found this shot by a Michigan photographer in an article about decay in Michigan, USA.” Photographing Michigan” I love this image, at first I thought it was a drawing…it has a magical quality,and I want to have a magical quality in my game. The clouds are awesome. I think I want to develop this idea about decay and so I am going to look at doing my building for my assignment in timber, this gives great textures, and also eventually the game could use the decay, floors could collapse etc, also I like the sounds that will be available with this kind of structure, creaking and groaning of a timber structure in a humid swamp like setting.

I found this image of structures built on swamps, I like the contrasting sloping piers and the almost ludicrous idea that you can use a timber structure in such an unsuitable setting!! This also made me think about stilts, possibly another element for the games development, what is going on in the swamp below the castle..for example.

Assets for my game with texture

All my Maya work for my scene