Waking Life

[eXhale]

This other thread (www.vjforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=944) about softwares to vectorize videos reminded me of the movie "Waking Life" I saw recently, did anyone else see it too? :) It was filmed like a regular movie but it has then been vectorized with lots of crazy effects, which would have been almost impossible with a regular movie. The expressions on the faces of people is often exaggerated too. To see for yourself check the large amount of screenshots here (www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/).

http://www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/JPEGS/AlexJones.jpg
http://www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/JPEGS/JasonTwo.jpg
http://www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/JPEGS/Eamonn.jpg
http://www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/JPEGS/PennyEye.jpg
http://www.flatblackfilms.com/WakingLife/JPEGS/RandyMan.jpg

The images don't really show all the effects though, almost all the layers are moving all the time, everything is very fluid. It just can't be compared with Disney animations because here it all comes from real life actors. I think it's the first time a whole movie was made like this.

As you can see on the images above, the "style" of the animations change all the time, which can be a bit disturbing at first, but it's very interesting since you can see everything that is possible to do with Flash animations (I don't think Waking Life was made in Flash but it could have been) and it's of course all low-budget techniques so they could easily be used by "VJs" to get new, original content (well more easily than the traditional hollywood effects, anyway).

What do you think? :yep:


PS: Oh and what is said on the movie is also VERY interesting (although it somehow lacks action), that's why I saw the movie in the first place... so that's another reason to watch it. :)

[elbows]

I think its called Rotoscoping. In the old days it was done by painting on film, like the original Lord Of The Rings movie.

[wellREDman]

wow that film looks good,
how recent is it?
ie is it likely to be available on video yet
(i dont do cinemas)

[Anyone]

yeah, it's been out for a while now, prob a year, check this out:

http://www.wakinglifemovie.com/

NE1

[eXhale]

Yup I have it on DVD, got it one month ago...
The official website was down earlier but it has some videos online.

Elbows, why is it called "rotoscoping"? I don't quite see what it means...

[eXhale]

Oh they have a forum dedicated to how the movie was made :) you were right elbows it's called rotoscoping... if I got it right, nothing was generated by a computer but it was all hand-made by lots of different artists (which is why the style never looks the same) on a software created by the director of the movie.

http://www.wakinglifemovie.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?forum=2&100

[vjpixylight]

yea ,I have seen it on DVD as well... Did you happen to notice that each new scene starts out with a high data rate and resolution, then after a few seconds it seems to settle into less colors and a lower resolution?

I really think that more of this kind of video will start being made with flash and rotoscoping, and is what got me started vectorizing some of my video...it is pretty cool..the video is great, a must see if you are into animation...

[vjpixylight]

hey if any of you budding animator VJ's are interested in some rotoscoping softs, here are a few...apparently the software used in Waking Life is custom soft, and not yet available, but you can get some similar results with these softs...


1. Studio Artist - Mac based rotoscoping soft: http://www.synthetik.com

2. Commotion- Less automatic than Studio Artist.
http://www.commotionpro.com/

3. Poser -Using the motion capture files and exporting to flash. Really cool underutilized method.
http://www.curiouslabs.com/

and if you are Mac bassed, alot of tutorials and methods can be found at:
http://www.toolfarm.com/


:)

[eXhale]

Damn... this Studio Artist soft is awesome, why is it Mac only?? :shake: I think that most of the videos shown in their gallery wouldn't work with VJing because they are too detailed, but it surely opens a whole new world of possibilities.

I didn't notice any difference of quality with the DVD, but I'll check again next time I watch it ;)

[LEVLHED]

hey, that was a good movie!

I was at my local video store this afternoon browsing the dismal selection of latest DVDs, trying to decide on which of two (probable) peices of crap to rent/watch this eve.....when (suprise of suprises) I noticed Waking Life on the bottom of the rack!
If you hadn't said something about this movie eX, I might've watched Changing Lanes or some other typical Hollywood bore...instead I was treated to a unique visual feast that actually had plot/content that I found intellectualy stimulating! Cool.


of to bed so I can see if I can turn the lights on and off ;)

[PilotX]

I had forgotten about waking life, after seeing it in the cinema, until we did a set recently using Virtual Painters Collage filter for After Effects. It produces an effect that is similar to some of the scenes in waking life, kind of similar to the second picture, but not as clear an image. Its meant for photoshop, and causes problems sometimes in premiere, just exiting or crashing the program, losing unsaved work (it sometimes does this partway through saving) but is slightly better behaved in After Effects

info available here: www.livecraft.com, for sale ($45) on http://www.jasc.com/products/vpainter/

Would like to have a look at the mentioned packages, but no MAC and $999 for commotion 4.1 pro ($499 for commotion 4.1) or $349 for poser is a bit rich (we've just bought a new lappy - no funds for a while).

Waking Life was one of the best films (both visually and as a film) that I've seen for many a year. If you enjoyed the content and lack of character-led plot, then you should also check out Slacker by Linklater (who directed waking life) - not visually impressive, but interesting as a film.

If you've not seen waking life, whether you like films or not, you should watch it for the look alone. If possible rig it to play on a big screen. The effect is so much the better for it.

Tom
SyZyGy Visuals

[wellREDman]

i went to try and hire it but its not out yet in the uk,
why are we always last to get shit like this?