(Computer Graphic Imagery and the Grammar of Film Making ‘Carlos Manuel de Almeida FIGUEIREDO, Assistant FA/UTL~ Technical University of Lisbon Lisboa PORTUGAL, figpte gmail com, Carlos Manud de Almeida Figueiredo, Graduate im Architecture by Faculdade de Arquitectura of Technical University of Lisbon in 1986. Post Graduate in Habitat Architecture by Faculdade de Arquitectura of Technical University of Lisbon in 1999, Assistant in Architecture Department in Faculdade de Anquitectura of Technical University of Lisbon since 1992. Teaches, Computer Assisted Design in Courses of Architecture, Urban Planning Interior Design, Design and Fashion Design. PHD Cinema Student in Communication and Arts Department University of Berra Interior since 2008, the presentation and discussion of PAD work will bein june 2008. Responsible for Audiovisual Team in Faculdade de Arquitectura of Technical University of Lisbon since 2000, Abstract: The scenic and cinematographic space consists on conception, construction or adaptation and use of spaces and atmospheres that will work as support of the action, narrative and cinematographic dramatizing ‘This way, the aim of present work is to study and analyze the devices of the cinematographic Language in paradigmatic movies on the cinema trying to find their correspondents in movies accomplished exdusivey by graphic computation, as well as to compare the scenic spaces ppresentin both cases, ‘The structure forms and attributes of those spaces, as illumination, colour, texture, or special effects, the framing and composition, the scenic and architectonic image are inseparable of the staging that elapses in them, being intimately related with the demarcation, figuration and the characters’ acting with the saapt premises and with the techniques and navative syntax that structure the shots or sequences, that will tell about the action and the scenic space itself where ittakes place The movies syntac and ther language, that has been used in several ways, transmitting different speeches along the history of the movies, adopted different approaches and ways of looking, as away of creating meanings, represent and communicatethem, as Art ‘The graphic computing imaginary provided the image synthesis and with it an alternative or complementally technical way of producing films. The representation of the scenic space and cinematographic will result different, but what is assumed and is intended to confirms that the wholerhetorical and dramatic context as well as the semantics of the movies and of the scenic design, their methods, techniques, conception and expression are linked, staying valid and present However, although the aspects in analysis are presupposed at stat to be common in the film directing the way of putting them in practice and what is obtained with them is not probably the same In what measure and how graphic computing imaginary simulates and applies the techniques and methods of film making? It isin this perspective that we will bry to understand how can it patiaipate in the speech of film and in the representation of the scenic and cinematographic space INTRODUCTIONIn the animation films by means of computer graphic imaginery (CGI) it easts a more stylized and illustrative quality, with roots in the cartoon, that gives even bigger relevance to the prinaples of composition and perception of form and space There, everything is built and samulated, from the nature to the sceneries, or the actors to the illumunation. Nothing is real ‘Therefore the spectator has to base himself still further in those principles than he needs to in the livemotion picture to give senseto what he sees. Effectively, the production of films with CGI continues to involve all the Arts - literature photography, painting theater, acting music, achitecture or catoon -, just as it haypened already with movies accomplished by conventional technical means, Bang the CGI based in prinaples founded on the real world and in the ats, these remain essential to itself and its application. ‘This profound dependence in relation to the consecrated atts, as well as in dation to the natural and humanized world, implies that most of the prinaples that are valid for the motion picture production and directing become also true for the digital virtual world. This is true for characters or for the space that they inhabit. In order that a digital model constitutes itself as a character or as a space, it has to be fat as Dbaievable and authentic, wehave to feel init its own identity. CGI must turn back to the nature and man's world, because itis in relation to this reference that we measure everything So the expectations the spectator has are based on his ovn life and experience and must be met. We must also accentuate the characteristics that we want to emphasize, exaggerating them alittle aswell astomake avangementsto enhance the volume form and depth of the digital modal It ests in the animation films by means of CGI an attempt of reproduction of the forms and characteristics of the objects and phenomenon of our world, without how eve to intend a simulation of a world that we can take as our own, It is rather intended to create a world in witch the characters and the fiction of the argument can edst, supporting thar plot and personalities, and the events as they unfold. This world of fiction reports to our in countless aspects, that we use to anchor our understanding on him However, this world attans is own identity, and we never identify it has our own universe. It just has some similitude in multiple aspects. In most of the atmospheres and spaces, mainly in interiors, the anti-natural character of the cartesian spaceis surp assed, and itis created init a certain kind of life of t's own. COMPUTER GRAPHIC IMAGINERY AND THE GRAMMAR OF FILM MAKING 1. CGI Animation Movies and Motion Pictures:the Creative Process ‘The understanding of how to represent the depth in atwo-dimensional plan - as apainting or drawing - was one of the most important developments in the at history. The processes to reach such end and the objectives that took to the quest of this representation keep changing along the time but this development stays the foundation on which the applications of graphic computation were built (Watkins 201) ‘An gression wall succeeds in the threedimensional and digtta vitual would will be reached with a combination of technical fea, care observation and deep artistic knowledge. In every moment are placed the digital atist subjects as where to act or what methods to use to obtain theintended effect. In the search of an aesthetic answar in the drawing and compostion "Arthas been and continues tobean evolutionary process. (.) All of themethods used to depict rel or anyetical three dimensional occurrences on a twodimensianal plane have bem nev steps in new directions.”forhis digital work, the atist should look, before more, for the inherent prinaples of the motion picture and cartoon’ (Watkins 2001) ‘The aesthetics, be it in the domain of the digital or traditional, justifies a great pat of the decisions in the production design and in the conception and planning of a CGI film production’ (Ablan 2003). The question that she should be placed in the ereative act should not behow it seems, but ovnit feels. For this approach it is fundamental a deep and inquisitive knowledge of the several Arts* (Ablan 2003), such as in drawing painting catoon, picture or movies, added by a profound observation of thenature and of the human society. The traditional techniques of these Arts can and must be applied in the digital world Toy Story, the first film created entirely by CGI, has involved an attempt of applying old forms of seeing and of representing with new mems. Although the techniques of digital animation and synthesis image are central in the film, the new representation form produced is also due to the contact and exploration that it had before with established forms and aesthetic conventions’ (Darley 2000), ‘There are a lot of analogies among the creation of images in the computer and filming of veal action. In this last case, the seenery and the props have to be built and painted; in CGI contect they are modeled and mapped with textures, The real actors perform according to the directives of the director, while to the digital characters life is given by the animator under the guidance of a effects supervisor's or an animation director The stars of the film, sets and locations have to be lighted up in an appropriate way, the same happens with digital models and sets. The same analogy is applied to the own film: in a film of real action or by CGI, the camerahasto film, sequence after sequence, before the movie can be seen by an audience ‘The digital artist is not just an animator. It is all an entire creative force from behind a production in course. It is who does things happen. Therefore, he needs to know more than how to model, texture, to light up and photograph his created virtual space He needs to think in a global way the senpt, the sets, the actors, the narative - just as he a director makes, translating the argument for the visual lmguage of film’ (Darley 2000) In the similar way, the aspects that should be present and solved in a shot created by CGI they should be ts composition framing and action direction, as well as the balance of the light and shadow produced the staging and narrative along the scene the continuity and lines of the characters’ action It is placed not only a subject of aesthetic sensibility but also another issue quite fundamental: that everything makes sense to the observer The cinematic transcription of the history will feed the emotions and the dialogue of the actors, helping the director to decide what shots to use The perfect compromise of shots, dialogue and script will maintain the [We] veil deal with aestheticiesues of 3D and composition (.) analyzing trends in motion picture and animation, We wall look at design ismues and the ideas behind effective comp oition,” "Aesthetics, by definition, ie a guiding prinaple in matters of artistic beauty and taste; it's the artistic sensibility that guider the production designer and director im setting the look of afm.” "Many animators have backgrounds on the traditional arts, such as painting, drawing or acting. I's often thought thatthe techniques weed in there mediums are obsolete in the digital realm, but this couldn't be further from the trath, computer imaging does not produce there new forms of image all by steel We mast also explore the particular kinds of contactst ha with established aesthetic conventions and forms.” "For beneath the desire to produce successful entertainment lays a deeper preoccupation with the computer synthess of realistic amagery. This faranation with achiewing the appearances of prior amodes of representation - [a the] cinematography - by other manne is one of the central objectives of the film and computer graphics industries,