Used Universes and Immaculate Realities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob Rehak
Keyword(s):  
Pop Culture ◽  
Star Trek ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
George Lucas ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Mind Set

One of the biggest changes in franchise building has been the refinement of digital tools for previsualizing special effects. This chapter explores the creation of the original Star Wars (1977), focusing on George Lucas as a techno-auteur whose use of animatics was central to creating the film’s world. Beyond production design, however, previz enabled Lucas to extend his authorial brand to encompass the contributions of other artists and pop-culture influences, minting originality out of appropriation. The chapter considers Lucas’s “Special Editions” of the late 1990s as examples of the previz mind-set, noting parallels with the design networks and creative fan productions around Star Trek.

scholarly journals A Filosofia da Liberdade na Saga de Filmes Star Wars – Parte 2

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 563-590
Author(s):  
Alex Catharino
Keyword(s):  
Ludwig Von Mises ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
George Lucas ◽  
Von Mises

O artigo analisa a Filosofia Moral e a Teoria Política que permeiam a saga de filmes Guerra nas Estrelas, do cineasta George Lucas. O autor relaciona a queda da personagem Anakin Skywalker com a ascensão do Império Galáctico e discute alguns temas da estória que podem ser apropriadas como metáforas explicativas de algumas propostas teóricas da Escola Austríaca de Economia, em especial das ideias de Ludwig von Mises e de F. A Hayek.

scholarly journals TRAVIS DURDEN, MYTHS AND IDOLS. GWIEZDNE WOJNY W ARTYSTYCZNYM ENTOURAGE’U

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Katarzyna BALBUZA
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Modern Art ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Star Wars

The project Myths and Idols, by the French photographer Travis Durden, came into being in 2015 by means of digital technology. The artist processed photos of nine selected modern sculptures, mostly related to ancient matters, in order to provide them with the attributes or heads belonging to the heroes of the famous Star Wars saga. The sculptures chosen by Durden for his project had been created by European artists (French sculptors and one Italian master) and they are exclusively of an early modern provenance (arising from the Renaissance, Classicism, and Neoclassicism). Not a single work of ancient art is included. However, the classical (ancient) art itself became an object of the Parisian sculptor’s interest in terms of taking early modern art into account as the artists of the latter patterned themselves on ancient samples and picked up ancient subject matters. Likewise, Star Wars in turn constitutes a product of the American pop- culture frequently referring to motifs which had originated in ancient culture. The article discusses all nine photo collages and the whole project is being interpreted. Myths and Idols offers an example of the double reception of ancient culture – the early modern and contemporary ones.

Close Encounters: Genre and Context

2016 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Jon Towlson
Keyword(s):  
Science Fiction ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Greek Mythology ◽  
Art Cinema ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Encounters ◽  
Human Need ◽  
Science Fiction Films

This chapter discusses the genre and context of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). It begins by tracing the emergence of science fiction in literature and in cinema. The chapter then looks at how film serials popularised pulp science-fiction cinema in the form of rocketships, ray guns, alien invaders, evil intergalactic emperors, and damsels in distress. One can see them as the inspiration for the likes of Star Wars and the myriad superhero blockbuster movies that continue to dominate Hollywood today. In 1968, Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey returned science fiction to its origins in Greek mythology. It is perhaps the first example of ‘transcendent’ science-fiction cinema, exploring the human need to place trust in a force larger than ourselves. In the early 1970s, science-fiction films were more overtly concerned with identity and environment, and how both were increasingly shaped or misshapen by technology. Meanwhile, post-9/11 has seen a move towards intelligent science fiction as a bankable commodity within Hollywood. Part of the genre's continuing appeal is, of course, the showcasing of state-of-the-art cinema technology within the sci-fi narrative. Special-effects technology has evolved in line with cinema's own development.

The 60-Minute MVP

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-386
Author(s):  
Doan Winkel ◽  
Justin Wilcox ◽  
Atul Teckchandani
Keyword(s):  
Hypothesis Testing ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
Technical Expertise ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Mind Set ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Critical Aspects

The 60-minute minimum viable product (MVP) exercise teaches critical aspects of the entrepreneurial mind-set and lean start-up methodology, namely, the iterative process of hypothesis testing through the creation of MVPs. In 60 minutes, with no prior technical expertise, students will work in teams to design a landing page, create a teaser video, and set up a way to gather information from prospective customers. The resulting low-fidelity MVP can subsequently be shared with prospective customers to gauge interest and be used as a starting point for the hypothesis testing process used in the lean start-up methodology. This is an immersive exercise that activates students, builds confidence, and teaches important entrepreneurial principles.

scholarly journals The Force Is Strong with This One (but Not That One): What Makes a Successful Star Wars Video Game Adaptation?

Arts ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 131
Author(s):  
Matthew Barr
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
George Lucas ◽  
John Williams ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Old Republic ◽  
Space Opera ◽  
High Degree

The Star Wars films have probably spawned more video game adaptations than any other franchise. From the 1982 release of The Empire Strikes Back on the Atari 2600 to 2019’s Jedi: Fallen Order, around one hundred officially licensed Star Wars games have been published to date. Inevitably, the quality of these adaptations has varied, ranging from timeless classics such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, to such lamentable cash grabs as the Attack of the Clones movie tie-in. But what makes certain ludic adaptations of George Lucas’ space opera more successful than others? To answer this question, the critical response to some of the best-reviewed Star Wars games is analysed here, revealing a number of potential factors to consider, including the audio-visual quality of the games, the attendant story, and aspects of the gameplay. The tension between what constitutes a good game and what makes for a good Star Wars adaptation is also discussed. It is concluded that, while many well-received adaptations share certain characteristics—such as John Williams’ iconic score, a high degree of visual fidelity, and certain mythic story elements—the very best Star Wars games are those which advance the state of the art in video games, while simultaneously evoking something of Lucas’ cinematic saga.

scholarly journals Canon wars: A semiotic and ethnographic study of a Wikipedia talk page debate concerning the canon of Star Wars

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Fan Communities ◽  
Media Objects ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The One

This article examines how Wikipedia editors who are also members of fan communities attempt to assemble articles on the ‘canon’ (i.e. the aspects of a fictional universe that are held as official by fans) of media objects of interest. Derived largely from an ethnographic study and semiotic analysis of the Wikipedia article ‘Star Wars canon’ and its accompanying ‘talk page’, this article argues the following: first, an article’s talk page often serves as its ‘heteroglossic preconscious’, functioning as a space in which fan editors can debate conflicting versions of canon. Once a definition is agreed on, the article itself is edited to reflect the consensus, and in the process becomes a monoglossic representation of the ‘One True Canon’ in the eyes of Wikipedia fan editors. Second, authority plays a major role in the creation of articles on canon, with the sayings of the author (who is often seen in the light of a quasi-deity) being revered. Authority, however, can be shared and even subsumed by institutions, leading to disagreements as to whom the final authority really is. Third and finally, the opinions of these authors are heavily cited on talk pages to allow editors to participate in the aforementioned authority of the author, ‘win’ talk page debates, and thereby establish a Wikipedia article that details the ‘One True Canon’.

scholarly journals The Empire Tweets Back? #HumanitarianStarWars and Memetic Self-Critique in the Aid Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 205630511988865
Author(s):  
Peter Chonka
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
Digital Culture ◽  
Culture Studies ◽  
Still Images ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Shed Light

In 2015, a series of memes appeared on Twitter under the hashtag #HumanitarianStarWars. Combining still images from the original Star Wars movies with ironic references to humanitarian/development jargon and institutions, the memes presented a humorous reflection on the modern aid industry. While memetic content has become an increasingly scrutinized area in digital culture studies—particularly with regard to unbounded and anonymous online communities, and popular discursive contestation—this article examines #HumanitarianStarWars to shed light on the possibilities and problematics of social media auto-critique undertaken by “insiders” in a particular professional realm. Keeping in mind critiques of the racial and imperial connotations of the (Western) pop-culture mythology itself, the article explores the use of the Star Wars franchise as a vehicle for commentary on an industry at work in the “Global South.” It highlights an ambiguous process of meaning-making that can be traced through the memes’ generation, circulation, and re-mediation. Although the memes provide a satirical self-reflection on practitioners’ experiences and perspectives of power relations in the global development industry, certain tendencies emerge in their remixing of this Hollywood universe that may reinforce some of the dynamics that they ostensibly critique. The article argues that examination of the ideological ambivalence of an institutional micro-meme can yield valuable insights into tensions playing out in professional social media spaces where public/private boundaries are increasingly and irrevocably blurred.

Creative Process in Hollywood: The Role of Imaginary in the Creation of Mainstream Movies

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (Fall 2018) ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Silvio Anaz
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Creative Process ◽  
Movie Industry ◽  
Star Wars ◽  
Complex Combination ◽  
Blade Runner ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Creation

The creative process in Hollywood’s movie industry is the result of a complex combination of symbolic elements arising from imaginations of screenwriters, directors, executives, marketing experts and producers. This article analyzes the anatomy of the creative process inserted in the logic of production of major studios. The earliest scripts of three movies—Back to the Future, Blade Runner and Star Wars: A New Hope—and their theatrical movie versions are compared to find some patterns in the formation of the imaginary during the creative process in mainstream productions. The theoretical approach is mainly based on Gilbert Durand’s theories about the imaginary.

An Analysis on Virtual Material Making and its Application in 3D Animation Designs

2011 ◽  
Vol 211-212 ◽  
pp. 1172-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Fang
Keyword(s):  
Computer Games ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Pop Culture ◽  
3D Animation ◽  
Special Effects ◽  
Animation Industry ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Design Software ◽  
Materials Used

Three-dimensional animation is one of the greatest contributions made by computer sciences to the animation industry. The 3D animation has been widely used in movie special effects, commercials, computer games and computer-based education (CBE), and has become a well-known form of art in the world's pop culture. The rapid development of 3D animation also brings about fundamental changes in the materials used in animation production. This paper gives an introduction of the virtual materials in 3D animation, as well as the tools needed and methods of making the materials using 3D animation design software, especially Maya.

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