MMVI: Your thoughts?

[Errol McGillivray]

So, here's our chance to critique something as a group.

If you haven't seen it in the cinema and you can, please watch it and let's see what you thoughts on it were.

This should be fun.

Here's mine, but please watch it before you read what I thought.

(SPOILER ALERT)

It looked like it was done with the Sims 2 and a cell shader was thrown on it.
Honestly, I was very unimpressed. Cell shaders are very difficult to pull off and not an easy fix, which is what it looks like it was used for. While 3d may feel faster to do (tweeking pre-made models and just using the same rig for most/all), it's not always the best way to go. ESPECIALLY when you want a 2d look.

I was expecting and hoping to see some traditional 2d or at least flash or something where the characters actually looked like the gaia art.

Sure, it will be more work and take longer to do, but honestly, DRAW the characters. Use 3d for the backgrounds, sure, but draw the characters. They were so expressionless.

Also, the music and sound is overpowering rather than supporting the action.

In short, the art direction was could stand to be more solid and the art director would do well to take more control of the project and make sure everything is meshing as one whole piece and the various elements aren't over or underwhelming, which really really hurts the story. (I don't even know what was going on. I was too busy critiquing. It really did feel like first or second year student work.)

This was very much like student work, which isn't a bad thing if you're handing this in to a class, but to present it with the build up on gaia? Come on guys. You can do better.

In any case, even if the art was weak in look and execution, the voice acting, music, and other things could have been better. It was weak as a whole and honestly, I've seen people in my class do better. Of course, this is a first for them so there's leeway, but honestly, the people involved should do some more research and training when it comes to this. Have one person on the team ONLY work on textures. One ONLY work on the shader. That will help a lot. And of course, the sound engineer/editor needs to work on getting the music to actually work as a supportive thing to drive the atmosphere and emotion of the story.

There's a lot of room for improvement. I'm sure they'll look at these comments and do better next time.

 

[yano vii]

I just watched it on youtube since the Theatres are over powered by full rooms and tomatoes. :[

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gtMBtEJUWEk
I use time references based on this in my crit.

[ I was expecting 2D more Gaia-like work as well.
But even though, for a 3D that was disappointing.

I'm completely oblivious to 3D work, so I can't crit as much as I'd like to.

Moira's movements look silly and clumsy.
At 2:38 she does this step-pace thing which is really odd looking.

Their hair lacks gravity. (When Louie was on Moira.)
They're faces we're almost the same expression through out the whole thing.


The script was too cliche. Much too cliche for my taste.
The voice actors weren't very good..
Moira's voice actor was bland and I didn't think the voice suited her.
She could have added so much more effort in adding more emotion.
Louie's voice actor was okay.. He could have done more though.

On the plus side:
The backgrounds were.. pretty good actually.
The sound effect were good as well.

I actually like the overpowering music.
It kept me watching it at least. ]  

[Freaksrus]

I just watched it and Ugh! It should have been so much better as the regular manga format. This new movie look leaves much to be desired. *sigh* I hear you both and it needs work.
Spoilers:

Though I get the story because I had to ignore the horrible characters. Louie only hunts animals and not humans. I knew I loved that boy for a reason. ehehe Moira is the first to see him, so he has been kept hidden by his father. Zhivago is in deep doodoo with the Von Helson family for screwing up. Louie is to go after Ian and Gambino's crew and kill them. The prophecy seems to elude to fight or flight once the flower is shown. Which means a cure for vampirism! Yeah G Corp!

Let's just say I saw better work from Poser users. You are right the movements are too akward and rushed. The backgrounds and music were very good, but agreed on the mixing. Vocals should never be overpowered by music. That's pretty basic.
 

[Votre]

Urgh. It was very bad.

Note for the following: I read the mangas a LONG time ago, and have probably forgotten a bit. Also, since I am rather new to Gaia I am not familiar with characters such as, say, the Von Helson sisters. Just so you know.

[Before I crit - everyone's saying that's Louie, but it can't be, Louie has blonde hair. It's another family, isn't it? And the black hair guy was like "ooh, Moira's pretty," and Moira didn't seem to recognize him. Either way, they didn't make anything very clear at all. I was confused, at least.

Anywho, the voice acting was pretty lame. The movements were unreal and it really did look like the Sims with cel-shading, like Errol said. Facial expressions were pretty much nonexistant. Finally, not only did the music overpower, but so did the backgrounds. They were way too intense in contrast to the characters themselves.

Personally, I think they should've stayed with the manga or made it 2D; they probably won't ever do the latter because it'll take more time and effort and might actually result in something presentable (le gasp!). So, I could just settle with half-decent 3D animation, but alas...]  

[Errol McGillivray]

You guys are great. Please, keep 'em coming. And thank you all for using white text to not cause people who haven't watched it to spoil the "experience". Heh.

I feel like I should have made this in AD as well, but I mostly wanted to see what you guys think.  

[[evangline]]

Didn't notice they had MMVI until MMVII came out.

I'd have to say I was expecting something different too. More of an gaia styled animation.

The animation was really awkward. The characters seemed rigid and it looked like they couldn't bend their arms a lot.

I forgot how the music sounded like, but I remembered that it didn't really feel right. Just seemed out of place.

Also the sequence of the film is kind of over used. Like (I think this was in MMVII though) the running and panting, then silence and a view of the scenery. And it would be switching back and forth.  

[Vena]

my critique:

I pretty much agree with the points you touched upon in your post, Errol. The 3D animation felt like a shortcut. They have such nice character designs in the 2D images and it felt like they lost a lot of it in the 3D animation. And while it does take quite an effort to produce something like that, the end quality of the movie was not really up to the standard that Gaia should output.

I also felt the story seemed really disjointed, stuff just didnt flow so well together. Its just not very clear. And regardless of how rude this sounds, Moira runs like she is trying to poop out a baby.  

[Julia Pegasus]

I have nothing left to say, for I totally agree with you guys. 3nodding I, too, was expecting something totally different from that... more Gaia-like.

Still, I like their idea of making animated shorts of the storyline: I am optimistic that the team will consider people's critiques for the next films.
Of course, if they don't I'll prefer they had stuck to the manga only domokun  

[Errol McGillivray]

Vena, best description of a run EVER.