Movies with BAD CGI effects

I feel like I have continuously focused on the more generic, and obvious aspects of art but what just occurred to me was that there is so much more. Why have I not been talking about films or radio or music? Aren't those all part of the term 'art.' My point being that I feel as if I have delved into the inescapable route of looking at something in one perspective.
I know and this new perspective of mine is just making you go all:

Ha ha ha...funny right? This is my fatigue speaking. Nonetheless, I assume that a majority of the population has watched a movie, and one with special effects. Some movies have excellent CGI whereas others make you want to slowly walk out of the room whilst slowly shaking your head. Movies are movies, we pay ridiculous amounts of money for them (like the other day I went with a friend to a movie at Westfield and we wanted to sit in the VIP seats. Well, we ended up spending £35 on the chairs.) So isn't it fair enough to say that we expect to be intrigued, impressed, emotionally touched by what we are paying to see. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. 

This little Youtube clip by WatchMojo.com's channel displays in a consecutive sequence the worst CGI used in movies. Surprisingly (or I was surprised) even high budget movies, screen pictures that we always assume to have the best of everything (the best actors, the best scenery, the best camera shots/directing) can have the most dire and diabolical movie effects. 

But there is a reason why some movies may have cheap looking effects:

THE MONEY :)))

What does CGI cost?

Some companies charge $5,000 per second for their work on a movie etc. This is why cartoons, movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Spider Man 3 etc. are so expensive to make. These films run into the $100,000,000+ range in their budgets! So it really is no wonder why some films simply can't afford the full cost of good movie effects.

Sadly it is an expensive world we are living in, and mostly everything today that is good quality, worth seeing, or worth our time is the most expensive thing. 

Time is Money and Money gives Results.

Sources:

http://gif-my-emotions.tumblr.com/page/5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZlOn9V_MmE

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/money-gif

Has technology changes us as a people?

If someone were to ask you if technology has changed you as a person from the moment you began to use it to the current day, what would you say? That it has, or has not?

Now we all know about the site called debate.org where people can add in their say on various forums, and debates that they may find interesting.

Well...has technology changed us as a people? Has it made us more narcissistic? More conscious? More anxious as we are so easily notified about the horrors that continue to occur in the world every single day?

90% said YES. 10% said NO.

http://www.debate.org/opinions/has-technology-changed-us-as-a-people

Note: all below quotes are submitted anonymously. 

YES:

"It has made us rely on off-storage memory. For older folks -- remember how you'd memorize phone numbers before cell phones? Now it's the same thing with everything, Google being the cell-phone analogy. We're offloading memory storage and memory filtering off the cloud, be it Google, Bing or whatever. Doesn't make us dumber, but reliable on instant internet access. Kind of scary."

NO:

"No I think we have just become more of what we are and have always been and generally will always be. Humans are inquisitive by nature and our inquisitiveness has led us to the brink of destruction. We want to know absolutely everything but unfortunately we don't want to use our knowledge to create a better world, life, or existence first. Mankind's imaginations are continually evil. Technology is great when it is used to promote unity, goodness, health and safety." 

(I must say I am left slightly confused by the person who argued NO's argument)

We use technology in schools now, we use it in our art, science, math and history classrooms. Where do we not use it now? In the shower? I mean seriously...

Sources: http://a.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/fastcompany/imagecache/inline-large/inline/2013/03/3007034-inline-inline-facebook-nbc-what-difference-8-years-makes-st-peters-square-2005-and-yesterday.jpg

Personalised Questionnaire For You

1. What first springs to mind when someone mentions the word, "art"?  
A. Paintings, that sort of thing...
B. Sculptures
C. Amateur artists standing around a fruit bowl and discussing its various qualities
D. Money
E. None of the above

2. What first springs to mind when someone mentions the word, "technology"?
A. Computers, cameras, gadgets, the lot.
B. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and other considered 'tech' billionaires
C. Impossibly hard to figure out software that you recently installed into your computer
D. Apple, Google...
E. None of the above

3. Cost of the most expensive painting ever sold?
A. $258,000,000
B. $300,527,000
C. $140,000,000
D. $136,000,000
E. $98,456,907

4. Cost of the most expensive computer? (note: don't think only of the thin laptops you use)
A. $15,000,000
B. $9,000,000
C. $890,580
D. $250,000
E. $103,222

5. Why am I asking you these questions?
A. To avoid writing yet another blog in the bog standard format
B. Make you think?
C. I just like putting this all together when suffering from a bad cold
D. Both A and B
E. None of the above, I'm just being random

Answers (not incl. 1 & 2): 3A (The Card Players by Paul Cézanne) , 4A (NASA Quantum computer), 5D.

A 3D Chocolate You

I was passing through Harvey Nichols on my way home today and saw a group of people standing around this rather peculiar stand that seemed to emit quite a strong blue light. I walked over, bearing the pain from my heavy bag, and saw several creepy looking figurines made out of chocolate. I asked the girl who was standing by the "MiNi-YOU" presentation, "what on earth is this?" and she said, "you can create a 3D miniature of yourself...and you can even get it done in chocolate." Unfortunately I neither love myself that much nor adore chocolate enough to actually order one. Nonetheless it seemed like quite the unique idea.

http://mini-you.co.uk/

This guy looks incredibly creepy and I can't imagine having the creation sitting there on my dining room table, staring at me, and thus making me feel undoubtedly uncomfortable. He reminds me of those chillingly porcelain dolls that you see in most psychological horror films. 

Now begs the question, how does it work? 

3D Printing went from being a major yet hardly talked about idea to a product that an increasing amount of schools, companies, and households have begun to endorse. Now when I first saw these 'things' or 'creepy looking 3D miniatures' I looked at it in a rather comical way:

One could possibly order one (remembering the 1 week waiting period): should you be infatuated with someone, or possibly be some sort of stalker and get that persons 3D miniature.

Or: should you love yourself to the degree that you must get a 3D miniature out of chocolate, signifying that you are simply good enough to eat.

Or...: that you get an either serious/funny gift for your friend/loved one for a certain holiday, be it whatever it is.

BUT, it is not cheap.

You obviously want the 10 inch one right? Also I never understood why designers, or stores price products at £159.99 or in this case, £399/£499. Why not just say £160...£400....£500. I remember someone saying that £399 looks cheaper than £400 but honestly to me it does not. What a £0.01 difference? Or, £1 difference. You may think differently, yet this is just my opinion.

Yumm....right? 

This is essentially art, yes it is. For it involves thought, stress, ideas, work, physical/tech involvement and a product that is down to a single (or multiple) persons effort. 

Coming to your local Waitrose soon...;) (not really I don't know) but it is at Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge right now as I write (19 March).

http://mini-you.co.uk/

L.

I Love the Serpentine

The (new) Serpentine Sackler Gallery (along with the old/original one) in Hyde Park has to be one of the most eclectic, and unique galleries that I have ever seen. Almost hidden away inside one of my most favorite parks in London, Hyde Park, the gallery never ceases to amaze me every single year. It is one of those galleries that deserves the attention it receives, it deserves the patrons and donors that contribute their time and effort into the gallery being what it is today. I remember attending a viewing of their very 'earthy' exhibition by the artist Adrián Villar Rojas, smelling the earth, the soil, the mould that encompassed the overall feeling that one felt as he or she stood in that one red brick room. One must also not forget the absolutely astonishing parties they throw annually during the summer, I mean if you want to know what a real 'London Summer Party' is - then the Serpentine Gallery provides exactly that. It is most memorable in my mind when 2 summers ago, I first heard about the singer Iggy Azalea when she performed during that one night.

Fun.

To the left of the bridge is the older, original Serpentine Gallery that holds so many memories thus far and to the right is the new Serpentine Sackler Gallery (designed by Zaha Hadid) that is as equally beautiful.

When you have time and if you are in London and if you also happen to be around Knightsbridge, Kensington or be it wherever you are just walk by and take a look. It's worth it.

Every year, the Serpentine does these amazing exhibitions that aren't simply those, "oh look a massive painting with a black dot in the middle...oh my god...that is...that is amazing..." or those, "I can really see what the artist was trying to do when he decided to place the chair upside down and balance an apple [a Fiji apple to be specific] on top of it all...wow..." No. That is not what the Serpentine does.

The Observer said it was, "The most beautiful gallery in London" and that says something given it isn't one of those mediocre papers that finds delight in writing about people who like to spend the majority of their day getting hair extensions.

(this was last years statement) - every year they introduce a new foreign architect who builds a 'statement' as I like to call them, of which needs to be finished by the time of the Summer Party.

I get it if you're not even remotely interested in the arts or the art world but simply the look of it all is amusing to say the least. 

L.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00419/129571339_01_419497b.jpg

http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/

A Woman Finds Her Voice

I can see. I can speak. I can walk and run. 

Think of one essential habit that you are able to control, to experience, or to understand. Then think of what it may be like should you be rid of that essential part of your life. Say you are an artist, and you use your fingers as a way to paint your artwork or a songwriter yet are unable sing your own songs. How would you react in that initial moment of shock? Would you regret not having dashed to the easel and painted that magnificent image you saw in your head yet kept postponing the idea simply because you were either too preoccupied or were concerned about more significant tasks at the time? 

Branching off of this thought is my discovery of a nonverbal 28 year old woman who has finally figured out a way to get her voice back. But how, one might ask. The iPad. 

Dixon, 28, has struggled with a multitude of health issues throughout her life and had no way to express her feelings or needs until her parents and therapists endlessly strived to teach her to read and eventually type one letter at a time when she was six years old. Now, Dixon has published a book of poems and paintings entitled, "Under the Silence is Me - How It Feels to be Nonverbal."

Dixon can now communicate, and write her poetry freely through the use of her iPad, something she was unable to do so beforehand. I thought this was amazing for imagine loving something so much, and finally being given the ability to fulfil that love of yours. To me it is Dixon's strength and perseverance that has brought her to where she is today. I take stories like these for I hold such a great respect for really young individuals who are able to surprise others through their achievements. And like I said in one of my previous posts...Give Respect where it is due.

:) L.

Sources: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/local/nonverbal-poet-artist-gains-voice-through-technolo/nd7hq/

http://www.weighthacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ipad.jpg

Color Blind

Are you color blind? Ever thought of what it may be like to be color blind? I, for one, am not but I have always been intrigued by what makes us color blind.

Color blindness affects 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women worldwide.

For more: http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/causes-of-colour-blindness/

How does it happen? Causes?
It is usually a hereditary condition, which means that you are most often born with it. It is not a disease, it is does not halt anyone's abilities from doing most daily activities. But it is an interesting condition.

Branching off of this topic...apparently a high schooler's research may aid color blind users online.

This is a legitimate video that tests to see if you are color blind.
People say only the experts, those with the experience, know how to research a debated topic or find the cure to something, or even create anything worthwhile. I do not believe this.

This bright Indian high school student researched methods and ways of making visual content more accessible to color blind users.

Did you know people with normal color vision are called trichromats? (I didn't)


Want to know the different types of color blindness?
1) Anomalous Trichromacy (color blind to some extent/"faulty" vision)
2) Dichromacy (the way people see red, green or blue mixtures - confusing different shades)
3) Monochromacy (example in the image below)

I am always interested by the things in the world that have the potential to disable a small (or big) fraction of us from going about the same lives.

"Now...how does this relate to art?"

I don't know about you but unless I am sketching, my art usually involves color (and lots of it). I do not want to come across as all-knowing or arrogant but I don't think I would be able to do the same type of art as I do if I had for example monochromacy...

This is why I took interest in this 17 year old girl named Animesh Tripathi as she has been investigating algorithms and on how to effectively adjust the color schemes we see online. This is where I feel it is necessary to pay respect where it is due. :)

http://mashable.com/2014/03/01/color-blind-computer-users/

Babies and Technology

I've decided that maybe once a week I shall write a post that does not entirely concern art but still involves technology.

Should people shield their children from using iPhones, iPads, basically anything that involves a touch screen? What would this lead to? How would the parents that allow their kids to use the family tablets/gadgets whatever you call them, react? Dun dun...I don't have any children so I couldn't really give my own expert opinion on what 'I think is best for my child' but I do have an opinion.

When I was really young I used to watch my favorite kids shows on the television (albeit they don't exist anymore) and this was a way my parents could keep my busy. Taking care of a little one is a very time consuming task, I experienced this when I was left to take care of my baby cousin, Vladimir. Pulling at my t-shirt, asking countless questions, claiming he was hungry every 5 minutes and then deciding to go on a rampage around the house for absolutely no reason. But then I decided to pull out my iPad, play a few games and then what happened? Vladimir stopped running around the house, came over to me, and asked, "what's that?" with this look of deep intrigue/amazement in his eyes. And what did I do? I gave him the iPad, and taught him how to use it (even though Vladik as I like to call him, is quite the smart little boy and pretty much figured it out for himself). 

10 minutes later, I waited for the call of my name, for the demand of something or someone, for a complaint, a question, a random noise - but nothing. I walked over to the bedroom to find Vladik sitting there playing Plants v. Zombies. Is this for real? 

This is where I understand the argument for when parents say, "it keeps the children busy," but when I go into restaurants, cafés, or other public domains and see no interaction b/w the kid and the outside world, that is when I begin to question things. 

Maybe I should buy Vladik this for his next birthday? Haha, only joking...

This little chair/portable iPad set is actually called an iPotty. Ridiculous name I know. This caused controversy when it was released, but it is still on the market, which means that some people are actually buying it...

Small inventions like these just simply continue to astound me - was I hiding in a hole in the ground when the world of baby technology burst onto the scene? One minute they're not using our phones + iPods, and the next they all are!

I know that my kids have a technology-filled life ahead of them, and tech will continue to have a plethora of benefits. But for young kids, my hope is that they'll benefit from simple pleasures in the real world first. 

That is what Jeana Lee Tahnk said when she expressed her opinion about this whole fiasco. What is your opinion? Is it good? Bad? No opinion? Or developing one? Think about it.

http://www.rossdelantar.com/the-danger-with-kids-and-micro-transactions/

http://mashable.com/2014/03/01/baby-tech-protection/

Don't always believe your eyes

We look at everything in our lives and (most of the time) expect those things to be real. But what if people began to create images/objects and even buildings that weren't actually there or even real. When I looked at the following images, for many I thought, "I would think that was a real place" with only a few crossing the line into the surreal world for me.

Now I don't know about you but these images look pretty realistic to me and I have a tendency of being overly critical about certain topics and matters. I'm always saying, "No I don't believe that," or, "That. Is. Fake." It's not that I lack a creative imagination, or have an overly analytical brain...no...it simply means that I pay attention to detail (even though sometimes to my disadvantage).

I have been teaching myself how to further my skills in Photoshop so I can create illusions or surreal images but I find myself struggling at the 3D imaging stage. How on earth am I supposed to create a 3D image from scratch?! I have so much respect for these people who can create such beautiful pictures of places and people that don't even exist. But it also makes me sad for sometimes you are presented with such a beautiful looking beach or resort, and you think, 'I want to go there next for holiday' - so you go to travel agents such as Kuoni or whatever you happen to use, search various parts of the world and then...you find that there is no such place in the world. It's what happened to me once I saw a picture of a resort in Bali that looked so blissful and idyllic yet the only problem was that the person who created the picture had taken an image of a mediocre resort, photoshopped it into what he believed to be the perfect resort. 

These ones bordered on surreal/fake for me though,

                                   

This type of work is apparently called '3D Rendering' where people used 3D software to create architectural designs of places around the world. Now all I need is someone to very slowly explain how they do this to me for it would probably take me a decade to learn myself. 

Also, apparently every single picture takes around 2 WEEKS to create. The site I took this from, www.mashable.com, had 29 of these images so that is around 58 weeks of work, or 406 days or 1.1 years. A very long time when you look at it that way, and to think that when you're simply scrolling down the page, you can so easily skip past an image that took so long to create. 

There are more images on the mashable site but that would probably be saved for another post, also some of those images include surreal figures within very realistic surroundings - so they are only slightly different to these. 

Sources:

Photo 1 - Marc Gruber-Laux

Photo 2 - Tolgahan Gungor

Photo 3 - Gilvan Isbiro 

Photo 4 - Juan Altieri 

Photo 5 - Studio Aiko

(Talking about Studio Aiko, if I were to design a house or apartment from scratch I would definitely get them to do it for me - go to their site http://www.studio-aiko.com/ and to the portfolio tab and click 'architecture' and you will know why I like them so much)