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skamenglishsubs · 29 days

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Subtext and Culture, Young Royals, Season 3, Episode 1

Season 3 picks up a short while after the jubilee speech by Wilhelm. Both Wilhelm and Sara have been absent from school for a noticeable amount of time, so maybe a week or two later? The show isn't very diligent in ensuring a perfect timeline, but this would put us in early March perhaps? Anyway, we're off to the castle for a meeting to deal with the fallout of Wilhelm's speech and Sara reporting the video to the police.

Subtext: The Queen is so pissed she's not even looking at her son, a reversal from the opening to season 2, when Wilhelm was pretty pissed at his mom.

Subtext: This is probably the first time that Wilhelm gets a hint that the Queen is seriously ill.

Cinematography: Same procedure as last season! Every season opens with a fourth wall break where Wilhelm stares in to the camera during the opening titles, defiant as ever.

Culture: For practical reasons the end of season 2 was filmed in April 2022, while the beginning of season 3 was filmed in February 2023. That said, the spring in Sweden can be pretty fickle, and it's not uncommon to have surprise snowfall as late as April. If you want a cinematographic interpretation of this scene, it's supposed to show how cold and unwelcome Simon feels arriving at the royal palace.

Cinematography: In reality, the monarch would be the last one entering a meeting after everyone else has arrived, but having Simon arrive like this makes it look more like he's entering a court of justice or some kind of disciplinary meeting. It's of course not a coincidence that the royal family represented by Jan-Olof is all on one side of the table, while everyone who has been causing them problems is on the other side.

Subtext: Jan-Olof is trying to minimize the video, by using "so-called", and by calling it an intimate video and not a porn video. However, for something to fall under the definition of "revenge porn", it's enough to depict people in an intimate situation, it doesn't have to meet the much higher threshold for when it's considered actual pornography, so he's at least admitting that it was an illegal video.

Culture: Nordiska Motståndsrörelsen is unfortunately a real organization of actual neo-nazi white supremacists in Sweden, with offshoots in neighbouring countries.

Lost in translation: The subtitles are struggling here, it's "piss person" in one, and "shitty person" in the other. The former is literally what they're saying in Swedish, but the latter is probably the better expression in English.

Also, we've been told that August's stepdad, Rickard, is one of Sweden's best lawyers. What that means is that he is probably a well-known criminal defence lawyer, and has probably been handling the defence in high-profile cases, and if you're defending obviously guilty criminals, you tend to get a lot of shit from the media and people in general, even though what you're doing is necessary for a fair justice system. This sounds like his way of dealing with that.

Culture: It's a pet peeve of mine that no-one seems to know that the name of the Swedish currency in English is kronor, not crowns. Simon is getting 1.2 million kronor, which amounts to about 105,000€ or $115,000.

Subtext: Linda isn't wrong, they're being strong-armed here. They have some sort of legal counsel, and they wouldn't have to pay any trial costs even if they don't win, but they can't afford to match the resources that August's stepdad can bring, and might get nothing in the end.

Culture: We don't know what Årnäs looks like or how large the estate is, but a quick check shows that you can buy a typical manor house and some farmland in Sweden for tens of millions of kronor. However, the amount of land that some of the other guys were boasting about at the Society party in season 1 would be worth several hundreds of millions of kronor, so it's unlikely that Årnäs is as large as that, because August would have a lot more options if his total net worth was in that ballpark.

Culture: Realistically, Simon isn't wrong. Even if August was convicted on all points, he wouldn't be sentenced harshly because of his age, because he's a first-time offender, and because it's a non-violent crime. He would most likely just be fined a large amount of money and ordered to pay damages, so settling isn't that bad.

Cinematography: The low winter sun creates some lovely golden light, so we know we're in for some sweet love between the boys. Another detail is the difference in how they're dressed and how they're carrying themselves. Wilhelm is tall and proud, he's at home, he's in a suit, he's sure of himself, while Simon is the guest, the intruder, and is almost shrinking away in his oversized purple shirt and jeans. Yes, yes, colour theory, I know.

Subtext: A nice little flashback to season 1 when Wilhelm said the same thing when he visited Simon's place.

Lost in translation: Simon is actually saying "Var det såhär i din dröm?" - "Was it like this in your dream?", which is a reference to the rather steamy dream Wilhelm had at the start of season 2, when he was lying in this exact bed.

Subtext: Absolutely no-one is fooled, everyone knows our two idiot boys were sucking each other's face a minute ago.

Subtext: Both Linda and the Queen are hearing about their sons' awful behaviour for the first time at this meeting. Linda had no idea Simon had been dealing drugs, and Kristina had no idea Wilhelm threatened August with a gun.

Culture: I have no idea here. There's no real-world example for this in Sweden, you can't put someone into the line of succession by giving them a title. The show is just hand-waving this. Alright. Ok. Fine.

Culture: All adults in the line of succession can be called upon to be acting Head of State, if the monarch is indisposed or on vacation or something. This means that once Wilhelm is 18, he would occasionally have to step in and do the job, even though he's not king yet. If there are no royals available for this, the duty falls to the speaker of the house, Riksdagens Talman.

Cinematography: We're returning to Hillerska after the episode intro at the royal palace, so we're treated to a little montage of what those gosh darn rich kids have been up to in the meanwhile, so here's a horse to remind us that some of them are still riding! This is the only horse we'll be seeing this season, because the show really isn't about Rousseau after all.

Subtext: Madison is doing Tarot, and she's got Three of Wands reversed and Four of Wands reversed. The first one represents obstacles and lack of progress, and the second one represents home conflict, instability, and lack of support. A bit on the nose, don't you think?

Subtext: It's true, but the show is also calling out itself for the somewhat inconsistent weather we've been seeing due to actual shooting schedules.

Culture: Graduating gymnasiet in Sweden has a bunch of elements that are the same pretty much across the country, and then there are regional differences and individual school differences. I recognize only a few of the things Fredrika rattles off, but it makes sense that a place like Hillerska has a ton of traditions.

Subtext: All the girls have noticed that Felice isn't doing too great, but Madison appears to be the only one that actually cares. Fredrika still hasn't stopped talking about all the crap the third-years are gonna do, because that's apparently more exciting. However, the trucks she's talking about are pretty common, this is what we in Sweden call a Studentflak.

@hanna-kin wrote a long post on Swedish graduation traditions, and I reblogged and added some stuff here: https://www.tumblr.com/skamenglishsubs/684659770007961600/its-that-time-of-the-year-again-and-if-season-2

Culture: It seems Minou isn't the head of PR for the royal court anymore, this is Farima, and we've actually seen her all the way back in season 1 when she was instructing Wilhelm to smile more in the photographs. Either way, it seems like she's got a promotion, and she's probably not wrong in her assessment. A bunch of old farts would balk at the idea of the monarch being in a same-sex relationship, but a lot of others would see it is proof that the monarchy can change with the times. There were quite a lot of fans in Team Monarchy after all. 👑🌈

Lost in translation: Linda actually says "Du har utegångsförbud", which means curfew. Grounding kids isn't really a thing in Sweden, to us it's some kind of weird thing that only happens in American teen shows, along with detention. What the fuck even is that?

Subtext: Unlike in season 1, Simon now consistently speaks Swedish at home to his mom, further showing us how distant he is from her, and from himself to some extent.

Lost in translation: Linda actually calls Sara a "hemmasittare", which is a Swedish term used for kids who simply refuse to attend school, typically for mental health reasons. What to do about the problem is a hotly debated political issue, and let's leave it at that.

Subtext: This is how the culture of secrecy and solidarity against outsiders work at schools like this. Everyone is abused, everyone participates in abusing younger students, and everyone is told to shut up about it. Every house guards their "secret" initiations to outsiders, to foster loyalty to each other, to your house, and to the school. It's cult behaviour 101.

Cinematography: The show does it's usual trick with the sound design where all outside noise disappears as Simon and Wilhelm retreat into their little bubble, but there are still people in the frame this time, even though we can't hear them, because this time they're snogging in public. Oh, and everyone needs to update their colour theory, new colours dropped, pink and orange, what does it all mean??!?

Blink and you miss it: The list of activities for the point hunt includes:

Tattoo "Hillerska 4-life" on your arm.

Take a selfie at the back of a police car.

Give someone a buzz cut.

Dance the balloon dance in public.

Sext a teacher.

Get a piercing somewhere.

Blink and you miss it: I love Vincent so much, he's just the worst. Oh, and it looks like he's wearing a $2000 Valentino sweater, but I'm not 100% certain.

Subtext: Neither Ayub nor Rosh agrees with Simon when he says he's gonna reply to idiots online, but unfortunately they're not telling him off, because that would lead to less drama in the season.

Blink and you miss it: Ayub and Rosh are talking about going on a hike to Talludden with their school, Marieberg, which is why we're gonna encounter them out in the woods in the next episode. Spoiler alert!

Subtext: Wilhelm puts up the first stanza of a poem by Karin Boye called The Shield Maiden. In English, the poem goes: I dreamed about swords last night. I dreamed about battle last night. I dreamed I fought by your side armoured and strong, last night.

Blink and you miss it: Wilhelm's desk has a ton of stuff, but he's also kept the broken frog prince snowglobe, and he's still got Erik's lighter and cigarette case from season 2.

Lost in translation: The comment in Swedish uses the word "bögar", which isn't quite as offensive as "fags". However, it's more offensive than "gays", so I understand why the subtitles went with this choice. It's one of those words that is offensive or not depending on context, and it's certainly offensive in this one.

Subtext: The soundtrack is on point as usual, highlighting the animosity between Wilhelm and August.

Blink and you miss it: Someone ordered a Horse Girl Desk™ from the props department, and they sure delivered all the horsey things! The book is the Swedish edition of Not on a White Horse by Nancy Springer:

From the day twelve-year-old Rhiannon spots a lost white Arabian gelding in the woods near her small Pennsylvania mining town, her life finds a focus as she learns to deal with family problems and decides the direction her life will take.

As you do.

Subtext: As a throwback to season 1, this time it's Sara's turn to make a surprise visit at their dad's. He is surprised and starts cleaning up his place, but he seems to be in better shape than when Simon originally turned up. His place is just messy, there are no signs of drinking and smoking unlike last time we saw him.

Culture: Who goes to New York to suntan? No-one sane, but sun-starved Scandinavians get a bit of cabin fever after a long dark winter.

Culture: Fake IDs aren't really a thing in Sweden, you're allowed to legally drink at 18, and underage kids are much more likely to have an older friend or sibling or alcoholic parent buy them some booze for a private party instead. Sure, they exist, but equipping your friend group with a bunch of fake IDs to go clubbing is not how it's done.

Subtext: Simon drew a heart on Wilhelm's hand and suggested he get that as a tattoo. Wilhelm objected because he's "not allowed to" as a royal, but here he is, redrawing it on himself, almost as if he's toying with the thought, defying the rules.

Subtext: Simon doesn't know anything about the initiations since he's a lowly external student, and even though they're boyfriends, Wilhelm automatically tries to play it down. He knows it's true though, he doesn't question that, he just doesn't want Simon to know about it because it's humiliating to talk about it.

Cinematography: A++ Main Villain Entry Walk.

Culture: The Swedish Schools Inspectorate is a very real government agency that has the very real power to shut down schools that are mismanaged in any way, either academically, or socially.

Culture: Just a quick reminder that every single third-year student is 18 or 19 years old at this point in time, and therefore they are legal adults, which means the school has less authority over them. However, since it's a boarding school, they can enact and enforce regulations for boarders, and kick them out from their houses if they disobey the rules, which effectively kicks them out of the school while technically not doing that.

Cinematography: I love the camera angle here where we just about see Vincent giving Wilhelm the evil eye for indirectly causing this.

As a closing note, this season felt a lot less subtexty to me, compared to previous seasons. On the other hand, a recurring theme now is the airing of secrets, of exposing the systems that create toxic environments like this, so in line with the theme, a lot of characters are voicing things that were left unsaid in previous seasons.

#young royals #young royals subtext #young royals analysis #young royals season 3

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canmom · 24 days

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Ping-Pong The Animation: eps 1-3

So Masaaki Yuasa [AN12, AN28, AN150] can do no wrong, right? OK, well, I'll admit Ride Your Wave was kinda mid, and Devilman Crybaby goes hard as hell at the beginning and end but sorta treads water in the middle, but... generally speaking! No-one does it like Yuasa.

For reasons I don't really remember, I didn't get very far watching Ping-Pong The Animation some years ago. It should be entirely my shit: Yuasa pulling in a gang of wildly creative animators to put their unique spin on something. However, the first episode didn't entirely hook me, and I never got round to trying the second before something else punted 'watching Ping Pong' out of my brain. ADHD, y'know.

This is a shame because even the very next episode seriously goes, as does the one after that. But also this anime isn't entirely what I was expecting (crazy sakugafest full of Yuasa weirdness). Not to say it doesn't do a lot of really unique stuff with its cinematography and animation, but these first episodes at least are more about like... dissociation! ennui!

But more on that in a mo. First I wanna continue the thread of 'how do you animate sports'.

So, ping-pong, or table tennis. Not a sport I know much about, I'll be honest. (To be fair I don't know a lot about sports in general outside of some very specific niches. The sports I've pursued so far are rather eclectic: swimming, fencing, tai chi chuan, and roller derby; I never got particularly far in any and it's been years since I've done them.)

I'll inevitably be drawing a lot of comparisons to The First Slam Dunk, the other sports anime I've watched recently. I do think it's a productive comparison though! Both of them bring something of the visual language of manga into their presentation in unique ways. I have not yet read the Ping Pong manga, but it's by Taiyō Matsumoto, otherwise known for scifi manga like Tekkonkinkreet (god tier movie, still need to read the manga) and Number Five. So that's a pretty impressive track record!

If you go take a look at some scans of Ping Pong, what will immediately jump out is the shaky, rough line style and unusual camera angles and compositions.

The stylisation is also very different from a lot of manga. Noses are fully drawn, eyes are realistically small, and in contrast, lips and mouths tend to get the emphasis - as well as hands.

Knowing this makes a lot of the creative choices in the anime make sense! It also adopts a shaky lineart style, and makes use of heavy line weights and spotting blacks to add definition. It also has a lot of crazy closeups and layouts, and it loves a visual metaphor. But most of all, the most striking element of this anime is how often it loves to split the picture up into little panels...

...which [eli]'s subs do a really good job of typesetting, incidentally, moving the dialogue to fit naturally into the split composition. And while this shot with 7 smaller shots is perhaps on the extreme end, splits of three or more are pretty frequent. It's a really interesting way to evoke the effect of seeing a whole page of manga

So, as you proooobably know, ping-pong is a game of bouncing balls off a little table and directing them into places the opponent will find it hard to hit them back. From watching this anime I picked up that there are a number of styles of holding the racket (e.g. 'penhold grip' and 'shakehand') and approaches to hitting the ball (e.g. 'chopping'). A lot of this pretty much went over my head, but honestly it didn't matter, since the narrative significance was pretty much always evident.

Compared to basketball, though, ping-pong is a pretty tricky sport to make visually interesting! Sure, you have the players running to and fro, and that can lead to some interesting poses, but how do you get the drama and tension into this?

Ping-pong additionally is all 2D, it doesn't have the sort of resources that Toei could throw at making the best looking 3DCG basketball game ever. It is limited to a TV-feasible drawing count. So it has to make use of clever limited-animation tricks to get the most impact out of fewest drawings.

Let's take an example sequence from episode 3. A minor character is about to get his ass kicked by Tsukimoto. Tsukimoto is something of a pingpong prodigy, and yet he is very emotionally closed-off and even standoffish; he doesn't particularly seem to like the game very much, and doesn't particularly feel inclined to flex on other players and get into the status games. But other players, like Wenge, have heard about him and want to see what he's got.

First we have the setup. Other characters are observing and discussing the game. Since ping-pong tends to involve very rapid exchanges, it can follow the classic shōnen model where there's a lot of talking, flashy fight sequence, more talking...

The cut happens in two steps, maintaining the vertical dividing line. This approach to cutting is used a lot in Ping-Pong, and it's quite a creative way to keep visual interest when it's using a lot of largely static shots. The panel on the right is more animated than the panel on the left, a naturalistic depiction of bouncing the ball off the table.

Things start moving faster here. A rapid pan on the image on the left disguises the fact that this anticipation pose is actually not moving at all. This then goes into a rapid, explosive moment as this guy serves.

The final pose is held for a couple of seconds while the voiceover line discussing his intended move finishes. This sort of elasticity of time is a very Osamu Dezaki type of move - it's something that Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata actually really disliked.

A sound effect hits as Tsukimoto appears on the right in silhouette, anticipating his reaction, and setting up the next shot which leaves the split picture and hides the background for just a moment, as if to put us in Tsukimoto's shoes: he only sees the ball.

Tsukimoto follows through and holds this pose - the ball is the only thing moving here. The ball moves mainly on 2s while Tsukimoto moves on 3s and 2s, and he and the ball move on alternating frames. He holds the pose as the ball zips off to the right (bouncing off the corner of the table), with a speed lines-like effect. At the end of the shot, the ball freezes in the air for the moment while the sound echoes.

The actual table-tennis round lasts just seconds, and the drawing count involved is pretty minimal, but it does a lot with those drawings.

We go back to voiceovers and reactions in the next few shots, returning to the split video as Tsukimoto's opponent thinks about how he'd really rather be at the beach...

Often, these comic-like compositions will change one panel at a time, and while one panel is animated another panel will be still, naturally moving your eyes across the screen. It is an approach similar to some experiments I've seen in 'animated comics' viewed in a web browser, where the panels do not appear all at once, but enter with some animation.

So this is the sort of animation technique that Ping Pong uses. It's effective! Elsewhere the cuts are used in a less direct, continuity-editing way and more in a juxtaposition/montage way. For example, Wenge's desire to return to China is symbolised by match cutting/fading to shots of an aeroplane.

And there is a recurring image, which I'm sure will be expanded on, of Tsukimoto hiding in a cupboard and wishing for a tokusatsu hero to come save him from his isolation. As Tsukimoto's feelings about himself change, the toku hero is replaced by a robot. At this points it starts to feel like an outright Ikuhara anime.

There is occasionally a little bit of CG, mainly when Tsukimoto uses a different type of racket surface, and the way the ball and racket make contact is the crucial thing that the shot is trying to convey...

It gets the job done, but I'm glad they stuck with 2D for most of it.

So I went in the first time expecting like, crazy elaborate sakuga - and to be fair, the OP, animated by none other than Shinya Ohira, delivers on that front - but if anything what I've seen so far in Ping-Pong is actually a triumph of storyboarding and limited animation techniques. I think back then I didn't have the eyes to appreciate it in the same way.

OK, that's the film nerd stuff, but what about the story? Ping Pong follows two school friends, Makoto Tsukimoto aka "Smile" (right), and Yutaka Hoshino aka "Peco" (left). Smile is defined by a flat affect and a standoffish persona. He's just going through the motions. He's very good at ping-pong, but to him it's just a way to pass time, and he's scornful about the idea of caring all that much about it. Much like Shinji with his casette player, Tsukimoto is pretty much always staring at a handheld games console rather than make eye contact with anyone.

Peco on the other hand is the more childish one - playful, kinda arrogant, very much an 'emotions on his sleeve' kinda guy. He sulks when he loses and gloats when he wins, and is constantly seen with bubblegum or other kinds of candy. He provides a lot of our commentary when he chats with the other players.

日本語上手 readers probably noticed the tsuki (moon) vs hoshi (star) symbolism thing they've got going on here!

High-school table tennis in this story seems to be a rather 'tough love' kinda world. Most of these players tend to look down on those who can't meet their level. Going easy on someone is seen as weakness, or cultivating bad habits, by almost everyone. Tsukimoto doesn't play at his full potential because he isn't as invested in winning as all these weirdos, but it seems that might be starting to change...

The coach is interesting. He's an old man and fairly disdainful of the club at large, and prone to speaking English randomly with a heavy accent. But he gets excited at the prospect of getting Tsukimoto to unleash his full potential, in terms that are repeatedly metaphorically compared to romance/marriage.

And when Tsukimoto gets sick of it, he challenges him to a game, with the stakes as...

Cue Makima/Beatrice images here I guess.

Tsukimoto de facto wins when the coach collapses, but this episode marks a change of heart. He starts to think of himself as a robot - the affect of a robot replacing the affect of the toku hero in his fantasy. And in this way he does what people seem to want and plays ping pong with mechanical precision, expressed once again in visual metaphor (shot here from a cool transformation sequence)...

What if I just dissociate harder? This is gonna end well.

So it really is one of those kind of like 'ennui of being a teenager' kind of stories - c.f. say FLCL. 'Boy with complicated emotional landscape' is Yuasa bread and butter, but the particular variant here seems a little unusual for him - they tend to be a little more earnest. I'm curious to see how Tsukimoto develops.

I am definitely enjoying the arrogant Chinese player Kong Wenge. Dude's got a lot of screen presence, and while I'm sure he'll get shown up sooner or later, he makes for a very fun antagonist of sorts.

In comparison to Slam Dunk... one thing that's significantly different about table tennis is that it's an individual rather than a team sport, which means it's harder to have an ensemble cast all contributing to the protagonists' eventual victory - instead it's about a lot of individual arcs interweaving with each other, individual duels. Besides that, it does seem like it will be following a similar arc of a character in an emotional hole (grief for Ryota, depression for Tsukimoto) finding new meaning and purpose through sports - though I can't be sure how things are gonna go for Tsukimoto here!

The tone however is quite different. Even when it's silly, I feel like Slam Dunk is a very sincere story. There's little detachment or irony, or false consciousness - with perhaps the major exception of Ryota's mother, who lets her own grief and trauma get in the way of understanding her son. But ultimately 'why would you care this much about basketball' is not a question that anyone would ask in Slam Dunk. Even the judo guy in the manga who's trying to recruit Sakuragi is just as hot-blooded about his own sport of choice.

There's a difference in like, general affect about the players as well, which has something to do with the sport itself. Yeah, Sakuragi's superpower is his 'genius' ability to predict rebounds, and there is plenty of strategising in Slam Dunk - but basketball is still a sport that very much emphasises physical power, and as much as Slam Dunk will work hard to sell you on a clever trick pass, the visuals are also emphasising the speed that players are dashing, the height they're jumping, their physique. Table tennis by contrast seems to be a sport that's more about prediction and mind games.

That said it is equally just like Matsumoto's style being different from Inoue's. Now I know it's by the guy who wrote Tekkonkinkreet, a lot about this series falls into place! There's a sense of tension here, of being fundamentally at odds with the world. The autismfeels. This is reflected also in the drawings - the characters don't entirely seem comfortable in their embodiment.

So if that's what I'm getting from just three eps, I'm very excited to see what the remaining 8 have to offer. This series is probably too long to cram into Animation Night format, but we'll see...

#anime #manga #ping pong the animation #masaaki yuasa #animation

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thirstyvampyr · 4 days

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About me

Mina • 39 • french • bi • multifandom • depressed, lazy & horny

Asks and messages open, feel free to tell me to fuck off and call me out on my bullshit, always happy to learn. I'm not very smart but I try my best. Come and go as you please because I don't control when I change obsessions.

Tags masterpost (wip because aaahhhhh)

Barry Keoghan:

main • art • behind the scenes • boxing/working out • dancing • movies • nudity • photoshoots • press/interviews • shitposts • social media • thirst

Barry's movies & shows:

saltburn • the banshees of inisherin • the batman • eternals • the green knight • short film • calm with horses • chernobyl • black '47 • american animals • dunkirk • the killing of a sacred deer • light thereafter • candy floss • for you • mammal • north • '71 • stay • wasted • stalker • top boy

Barry's characters:

Ben • Curtis Biddick • Dominic Kearney • Druig • Dympna Devers • George Mills • Jonny McGee • Joe Walsh • Joker • Martin Lang • Oliver Quick • Pavel • Pavel Yefremov • Scavenger • Sean • Sean Bannon • Spencer Reinhard • Tommy

People I love:

Julian Casablancas • Pete Doherty • Britney Spears

Things I love:

horror • vampires • the libertines • the strokes • cinema • cinematography • favorite movies • letterboxd • art • photography • knitting • dancing • music • reaction videos • fics • smut • edits • favorite posts

Gaming:

stardew valley • skyrim • sims 4 • fallout 4 • fallout new vegas • fallout 3 • fallout 76 • rimworld • gta v • enderal • nexus • modding

Ships:

pete and carl • liebgott • gallavich • speirton • winnix • ranson • hannigram • quickstart • clegan

Misc:

personal posts • wisdom • memes • made by me • resources • made me laugh

#resources #wip #this is my house and i like my house in order tyvm #i will complete it when i can but for now this will do #now i can't delete this blog ive done too much on it :P

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aloneandforsakenbyfateandbyman · 2 years

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It’s dumb that Americans hate on Bollywood for being too outlandish, flamboyant and “tacky” when Hollywood movies are low IQ asf. Like no one is denying that Indian movies can be cheesy but the US is literally out there marketing superhero CGI movies to grown ass adults where men in underwear and tights save the world.

Also Americans making musicals is just a huge no-no it’s like so behind what we have in Bollywood. I love classic Hollywood musicals w/ Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron but omg the modern ones are soooo bad. Like compare this bland mayo $5 aesthetic:

To the luxury, elegance, colourfulness, beauty, and cultural richness of Bollywood musicals which have 1000x better music, dancers, set design, cinematography, actors and choreography:

There is just no comparison! My eyes and ears feel violated by the highest budget 2000s Hollywood musicals whereas even Bollywood movies that are terrible will still have an amazing song or two in the soundtrack.

Yet you will never see any Bollywood movie in the Cretin Collection or released widely in the US maybe bc of jealousy idk why… India has just mastered the art of audiovisual spectacle in a way the West cannot despite having much more $$ and resources!

#bollywood

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miyakuli · 1 month

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Gonna try again to guess the oscars winners for tonight x'D even though I haven't watched every movies (but I watched enough I think xp)

Best picture

Who I want to see win: Oppenheimer

Who'll win: Oppenheimer

Best Directing

Who I want to see win: Nolan or Lanthimos

Who'll win: Nolan

Actress in a Leading Role

Who I want to see win: Sandra Hüller

Who'll win: Lily Gladstone

Actor in a Leading Role

Who I want to see win: Cillian Murphy

Who'll win: Ciliian Murphy

Actor in Supporting Role

Who I want to see win: Mark Ruffalo (PLEASE HE IS AMAZING IN THIS ROLE!!!)

Who'll win: Robert Downey Jr

Actress in Supporting Role

Who I want to see win: America Ferrera

Who'll win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Best adapted screenplay

Who I want to see win: Poor creatures

Who'll win: The Zone of Interest

Best original screenplay

Who I want to see win: Anatomie d'une chute

Who'll win: Anatomie d'une chute or Winter Break

Best international film

Who I want to see win: The Zone of Interest

Who'll win: The Zone of Interest

Best Animated feature

Who I want to see win: Spiderman (or Nimona but I really doubt it ><)

Who'll win: The Boy and the Heron

Best Original score

Who I want to see win: Poor Creatures bcs DAMN

Who'll win: Oppenheimer

Best Cinematography

Who I want to see win: Poor Creatures

Who'll win: Oppenheimer (lol again)

Best Visual Effect

Who I want to see win: Godzilla Minus One (because what they did with the few resources they had? WOW)

Who'll win: no idea? Marvel? The Creator? idk

For the other categories I have no idea and it becomes too technical for me x')

#maybe Barbie will win for decors of costumes?#also for film editing I couldn't even judge that one x')#oscars 2024 #personal

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ryo-maybe · 2 months

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That one post about Capcom going the extra mile with the animations in their first 3D Phoenix Wright game but it's about Bioware going hogwild with the cinematography afforded by all the resources they had for ME2

#busting it down textual style #what a massive delight every conversation in this game is

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scrimblie · 9 months

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Helpful Art Resources

Bases

my Bases

References

Gallery of AI Generated Faces (faces + expressions of many ethnicities)

Humanae — Angélica Dass (similar to above)

Animal Photo Art References Search (animal head pose references + skull)

Skulls: A Sketchfab Collection | California Academy of Sciences

Bodies In Motion

Reference Angle (human faces reference angles)

Earthsworld (interesting expressions and faces)

Virtual Lighting Studio

Shotdeck

William Nguyen - MALE HEAD, LIGHT REFERENCE TOOL

Sketchfab (all kinds of 3D models that you can view for reference)

Cut out people - VIShopper (several people in different poses)

Warmup/ Gesture Drawing/ Tutorials

Practice Tools for Artists - Line of Action

Drawabox

Ctrl+Paint

FZDSCHOOL - YouTube

Quickposes

Wysp - Get inspired. Practice. Improve your drawing skills!

Inspiration

Visual Library: Character Design Boards

Flooby Nooby: The Cinematography of "The Incredibles" Part 1

General Art Advice

Studying Storyboarding on a Budget

A Short Guide to Freelance Rates. Simple formulas for making sure you… | by Xavier Coelho-Kostolny | Medium

USEFUL LINKS FOR ARTISTS

Misc.

The ultimate guide to turning your art into a product - Kingston Creative

https://reasonandempathy.tumblr.com/post/161857111756/pixars-22-rules-for-writing

Community | World Anvil

Anatomy Figures – 3dtotal shop

#art resources #art help #art advice #art bases #bases #resources

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gibbysupremeacyisreal · 11 months

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Profiles. 1

Y/N; Cinematography major

-Obsessed with cats

-Takes 100000 pictures of her friends

-Minghao and Joshua are her besties

Minghao; Fashion major

One of the most popular people on campus

Joshua and Y/N's bestie

Cheol anti

jun flirts with him 💀

Cheol; Psychology major

Tired father of 13.

Y/N's older brother figure

Therapist of the group

terrifies most people on campus

Soonyoung; Biology Major

everyone thinks he's a furry

growls at people

y/n's guard dog

convinced he's a tiger.

Joshua; English major

• Minghao and Y/N's bestie.

• So done with his friends

•Not afraid to be brutally honest

Seokmin; English Major

•doesnt know how he ended up in the friend group

•^^save him.

• friends with basically everyone

• rants on Twitter

Jun; Human resources Major

• flirts with Minghao

• the most random mf ever???

• doesn't try but is the funniest in the group

+ Y/N's priv: Followers: Joshua, seungcheol, minghao, wonu, vernon, mingyu and seungkwan

Previous / Next. / Masterlist

#seventeen smau #svt smau #woozi smau #jihoon smau #kpop smau #smau #woozi fluff #jihoon fluff

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urcadelimabean · 9 months

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They Cloned Tyrone was REALLY good. The acting was fantastic. Go see it on Netflix! A few things really stick with me. (Spoilers.)

When Fontaine sees the tape recorder and says something like "I really need you mama." That was......excruciatingly painful and haunting. John Boyega did a fantastic job here and everywhere else. Elements of the movie and especially this scene reminded me a bit of the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire, except here the illusion has been shattered. And it HURTS!

A number of reviews have said that despite the great acting, cinematography, comedy, etc, that it didn't deliver on being scary. While I can agree that the movie didn't feel like a typical horror movie that tries to scare you with its music and lighting and general ~scary~ vibe, what it did evoke was still pretty fucking scary - a modern Tuskegee Airmen conspiracy. Fontaine feels so existentially trapped and hopeless in the Glen and that IS scary. It is more than scary - it evokes despair. Same with the idea that all the attempts to control the Glen have ultimately failed and slow annihilation - genocide - is the path that has been chosen for everyone that lives there.

Another thread I found running through the film was "scientific racism" aka racist propaganda masquerading as science that can't conceive of Black people being smart enough or determined enough to figure out what is going on and fight back, which is very much how the men in lab coats behaved. A number of moments in the film, for example Fontaine faking his own death, illustrated the irony of white people "seeing what they want to see" - in other words being unable to imagine they are going to be outsmarted.

I loved that Yo-Yo emerged as a brave and resourceful hero when the other two were unwilling to step up to the plate, demonstrating how wrong Charles' judgements of her had been earlier in the film that she was just a dime a dozen.

If there's one thing that I felt needed to be explained or justified more, it was the mind control bit with the trigger phrase. I guess I'm just not a big fan of this sci fi trope, and while I can easily accept implanted memories, I'm not sure why I can't quite suspend my disbelief for the "winter soldier" type stuff. Still, it didn't detract much from the movie, and I guess it's not actually that far off from "implanted memories."

#They Cloned Tyrone

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romanceyourdemons · 7 months

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outcast (2014) is part of an interesting subgenre of historical action film where a small handful of white warriors from a distinctly historical point in european history find themselves in a vaguely historically defined china, where their resourcefulness and protagonist appeal make them central to the political life of the endangered chinese protagonists. other films within this subgenre include dragon blade (2015) and the great wall (2016). in my personal opinion as an audience member, outcast (2014) is by far the most fun of the three, and by far the worst. its script has good moments but moves between them at a jerky pace that implies a rough post-production, and hayden christensen and nicolas cage both bring their unique charms to their roles, acting at 110% across from a very standard subdued liu yifei performance that i don’t think meshed very well. the film has a 4% on rotten tomatoes, but is a very fun watching experience, and in particular it has some very nice if not groundbreaking fight choreography and cinematography. turning now to the film’s relationship to the wider subgenre, the genre is dogged by frequent and hotly debated claims of white saviorism, and i feel that identification is more apt for this film than either of the others i have cited. it does self-consciously and rather clumsily attempt to invoke and subvert various american literary tropes about china, with the white protagonist having an opium addiction and wowing the chinese side characters with his martial prowess; however, these moves do not make up for and indeed in a way highlight the fact that china is just sloppily researched set dressing and a source of side characters for this film, with the characterization and motivation of the chinese characters simple and not particularly well-incorporated into the film’s themes. you can tell without even looking at the credits that this film had the fewest chinese voices production-side of any of the three films i cited. outcast (2014) is an enjoyable adventure and an interesting entry into its genre, but it is notably unambitious with its concept and blinkered by the limits of orientalist white savior narratives, leaving the film ultimately lacking

#let me tell you my brain has been through the microwave so much recently #that when a plucky 14 year old hunted by assassins started following our scruffy substance abusing wandering ex-warrior protagonist around #asking him to teach him martial arts #i started trembling in my fucking chair #That Happened To A Guy I Know Once #ryddles

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shiveringsoldier · 9 months

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I wrote an 1100-word review/essay about Dunkirk (2017) on a whim. Please enjoy.

-All we did is survive.

-That’s enough.

I don’t know if I can truly articulate just how much I adore this film, but I’ll try.

I’ll start with the tone. The tension is palpable from the first frame to the last. Even in the seemingly calm moments, the unease remains. Something seems off, or you sense the possibility that at any moment things can go horribly wrong. One can only sustain a suspenseful tone for so long, and Dunkirk is the perfect length for it.

The score and sound design do a lot to maintain that tone. The first two or three times I saw this film, I quite literally jumped at the first round of gunfire. The scream of the Stukas is terrifying, and the screams of soldiers under attack are jarring. Even when things are quiet, sound is a dead giveaway for things to come, whether it’s the barely perceptible rustle of an oncoming torpedo or trickles of water escalating to a flooded ship. The score is more about mood than melody. The use of tritones and the Shepard tone illusion add to the unease and tension, and the momentary triumph in the score as the little ships arrive feels so incredibly earned. This even continues through the end credits, with the score beginning with the more triumphant music and ending with Shivering Soldier’s leitmotif.

The cinematography is immaculate, from the aerial shots to the close-ups to the lighting to the blue and yellow color palette. I like the different timelines and the way they all come together for the climax and resolution. Everyone in the cast delivers a top-notch performance. And the minimal dialogue is so realistic. I love that there are no eloquent speeches or monologues. I love that we hear Churchill’s speech not through Churchill’s mouth but through a monotone reading from an exhausted Tommy. Collins and Farrier only communicate in compliance with RAF protocol. The communication among Tommy, Gibson, and Alex is largely nonverbal, mostly through glances and nods. The most verbal characters (Mr. Dawson, Peter, and George) are the ones who have known each other the longest. The first time I watched Dunkirk, I don’t think I noticed that Gibson hadn’t said anything until Alex pointed it out, but I guess that goes to show the effectiveness of the minimal dialogue.

A common criticism of the film, at least in 2017, is that the characters are poorly defined. I have never shared that issue. Despite the lack of extensive backstory – and, in some cases, the lack of names – for everyone except the Dawsons and George, I found myself deeply invested in every character the first time I saw this film back in July 2017, and I have found myself becoming even more invested over time. One video essay I saw says the characters in the film are defined by their actions, and I think that’s a very accurate assessment. We see that Gibson is resourceful. Collins is not as experienced as Farrier. Farrier’s stoic veneer occasionally cracks. Shivering Soldier appears to have been confident and practical prior to his traumatic event. Commander Bolton is calm and authoritative. Colonel Winnant keeps his composure despite his growing stress and despair. Tommy is aware of his surroundings. Alex is prone to paranoia and low self-esteem. Plus every character is driven by the inherently human need to survive and/or to help others. All of this is more than enough to get me invested.

Speaking of help, this film is filled with small but impactful moments of kindness. Tommy helps Gibson bury a body, and Gibson offers him water once the deed is done. Civilians offer food, tea, blankets, life jackets, and words of encouragement to weary soldiers. Soldiers treat dead bodies floating in the water with deference. Collins greets Peter with “Afternoon” after Peter rescues him. Mr. Dawson’s first action after rescuing Shivering Soldier is to ask him his name. Peter later lies to that same soldier to protect his feelings. No one can do anything to make this horrible situation go away, but everyone does what little they can to make the situation a little more bearable.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk at some length about Shivering Soldier, my favorite character from this film and one of my favorite characters period. He had my heart from the moment I saw him crouched atop the hull of the sunken ship, and my love for him has only grown over time. He doesn’t get a name, but he does get his own track in the score. We have only a vague idea of the trauma he’s experienced, but the flashback scene tells us it must have been something truly horrific. I’ve heard a couple of people say they didn’t even realize it was the same character at first. It is horrifying to think about his journey from escape to near death to rescue only to be forced to return to the hell from which he so desperately needs to escape. And as someone who survived multiple traumatic events in a span of about 13 months, I find myself relating almost uncomfortably to him.

I can’t speak highly enough about Cillian Murphy’s performance. He may not have terribly many lines, but he tells you everything with his eyes and his body language and the way he retreats into himself and recoils at the slightest provocation. I love that his panic builds up gradually rather than all at once. You know that it’s only a matter of time before he reaches his breaking point, and there’s nothing you can do but watch. And despite his inadvertent killing of George, I adore how sympathetic the film is to him. Mr. Dawson is so kind to him and tells George (and the audience by extension) that the soldier is traumatized, not cowardly. When Peter lies to the soldier and says George will be okay, Mr. Dawson nods approvingly. And when Mr. Dawson notices him trembling after the last-ditch Stuka attack, he helps him up and gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder. I don’t know, it’s just refreshing and comforting to see a traumatized character portrayed with such humanity and treated with such compassion.

This film is about a catastrophic defeat and people trapped in this hell when attempt after attempt to escape ends in disaster, but there is kindness to be found even in these horrible circumstances. And I just find that moving. And that’s why, despite the endless anxiety this film gives me, I consider it a comfort movie. I will never tire of it.

#Dunkirk #Dunkirk 2017 #.txt #*#dunkirkposting

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vegancrunchwrap · 5 months

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Disney's "The Princess and the Frog" Did the Same Twist Ending that "Frozen" is Beloved for, Five Years Before Frozen Premiered

In "The Princess and the Frog" (2009), Tiana marries a wealthy prince for love. The prince offers to help Tiana achieve her dream of owning a restaurant before AND after the wedding. The movie doesn't end with a "happily ever after", and then we never see the couple again. Rather, we see Tiana working, and her husband, the prince, supporting her and continuing to let her shine. The restaurant is even called Tiana's Place.

The thing that makes "Frozen" (2014) such a critically acclaimed classic is that the princess is saved not by a man, but by her sister. How is this different from Tiana using her resources to own a business as a black woman in the American south during the 1920s/30s?

Tiana and her story deserve that same shine. Is it just because there was the specific mention of a sibling relationship in "Frozen"? Is it because the cinematography was better quality? Or is it just that no one really paid attention to "The Princess and the Frog" because, lol a black princess...? This frustrates me to this day! Give Tiana her flowers!!!

#princess and the frog #princess tiana #frozen #Anna and elsa #feminism #disney #essay #opinion #rant post

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mysteriouslybluepirate · 1 year

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Stilts(2019 Short Film)Watching Con-Tent for #? Days cause I need serotonin

Pre thoughts. The fact that we all make short jokes about Con makes this a necessary watch for me.

It's 7 minutes long. I would love for you to post your interpretation of it before you read mine, I want to see what y'all think.

vimeo

It's 7 minutes long, just watch it before you read. This won't make sense otherwise. It's really fucking cool. A whole concept and world is built in a short film.

Also, below is an updated Con Ranking list including all the stuff I've watched! (Not this, it's just too short to fairly rank)

As usual, thanks to my mutuals who have seen this?

(special thanks to @kimmy2364 for the gifs)

@gydima @dianetastesmetal @ivegotnonameidea @treesofgreen

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Hey! that looks like Montana!

Also, walking on stilts is hard as fuck. As a stage manager, I did Little Mermaid and we had 2 Jellyfish guys on stilts. They almost broke their ankles multiple times. Not fun. It's impressive that the actors pulled this off.

Alright, so there's a society that walks on stilts?

Love the aspect ratio btw.

You are not making any progress on that at all my guy

Hi Con! Oh, giving disapproving father vibes.

Love the som just screaming in the background

Yeah, father, go check on him

I just love how this looks! Everything is just so tall, with so much empty room in the house. So fucking unsettling!

Earthquake? Monsters? Why is the world-shaking?

Love the TV with a whole channel of feet. Is he trying to see how 'normal' people walk?

Love Con's grunting in the background.

The number of questions I have.

OOHHH Shit. It's a whole society of people who walk on stilts?

So??? Why does she(the sister) accept him?

ARE THEY GOING FOR THE FOOT ITSELF???? WHAT?????

WHY IS THERE BLOOD?????

Okay, this is giving, Religious Trauma, moving out of cult vibes.

Love the laughing.

UH, The way the son stumbles! GOD! The kid running without his stilts! That's exactly how people look when they step off of stilts after walking for a few hours. Just like how people look odd after taking off rollerblades, it takes a bit for your brain to catch up!

OH SHIT! DAD'S RUNNING AFTER HIM! RUN KID! ESCAPE!

GOD! Con using crutches to go faster with stilts is just so fucking Cool! makes him look like a creature!

I'VE SAID IT ONCE AND I'LL SAY THIS AGAIN! Con needs to be in more horror shit(ignore the 130k horror OFMD thing I wrote, I am unbiased and correct).

AHHH! FATHER'S ACCEPTING!! He probably knows his kid will never come back, but his kid will be happier for being gone. GOOD FOR HIM!

THE STACE! The dad looks so fucking alone watching his kid leave.

AHHHH!!!!! HE JUST WANTS WHAT'S BEST FOR HIS KIDS!!!!! Fuck, look at him! SMILING!!!! Encouraging her, even though he's scared. AHHHH!!!! I HAVE EMOTIONS!!!!! The fact that the credits are just over a long shot of Father trying not to cry!!!!!!

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OVERALL:

Due to this being 7 minutes long, I'll just wrap up with my interpretation.

The fact that there's a whole system where you must get chosen to get your stilts removed. You can't just want it, you need to be chosen, it has multiple interpretations.

Growing up in a cult and you finally decide to leave? Sure.

Kids finally leaving the nest and questioning their parent's view of the world? Yeah.

A family in poverty watching as their kids are finally given the resources to leave and grow up happy? Yeah!

Did some filmmaker have a really cool idea for a dystopia/horror world and built characters around it, Yeah!!!!!

BUT Con playing a stilt dad who just really fucking wants what's best for his kids is so GOOD! You get the sense that, while he doesn't want this for himself, he really just loves his kids.

I really fucking liked the cinematography and set design. They made a hospital feel off-putting and alien. The costumes! THE HOUSE!!! AHH!

I really fucking loved it for what it was, and want to see a whole movie/novel about this concept. Why is the exit an air hanger? Is that hospital linked to their society? Do they always need to ask to be let free? It's all just so cool.

Con's performance was just amazing, it has depth without any dialogue. He reads as sad, and scared, and proud and AHHHHHH!! It takes a lot to get me emotional, but they did it in 7 minutes and very few words. LOVE IT.

(Updated ranking)

#con o'neill #con oneill #Stilts (2019)#AHHH!#Good shit.#Vimeo

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