I was going to wait to do this post but I can't sleep so thought now would be a good time.
For this I wanted to do something different. Rather than reflect on the past year I wanted instead talk about the future.
I have this feeling this year is going to be a big one not just for me but for my friends as well. I would also like to impart some words of wisdom going into the New Year based on what I have learned this year.
The most important thing I could say is don't change anything for anyone. Not personally, creatively, or intellectually. Be who you are and do as you want.
Also, fail! And fail a lot. I don't mean this to say don't strive for success. But our failures are what shape our success. Don't be afraid of messing up every now and again. It's how we learn. Wear your failures like badges of honor. Because without any of those failures we would not be who we are. So let me rephrase. Failure shapes our character and points us in the right direction.
Always pursue your dream. I've met too many people this past year who talk about doing something but never actually do what they say. Don't talk and take action. It's the ones who act instead of talk who change the world.
So those are my words of wisdom.
I would also like to take this moment to express my passion for something I've discovered this past year.
I have learned that I really enjoy in some way mentoring those who do not yet have the knowledge I have about animation and storytelling.
And while I do not yet know everything, this blog is going to change this year. I am going to do a weekly post as much as possible about storytelling and how animation plays into that. So that perhaps someone who finds it can learn something. Because if there is anything I have learned this past year is animation is not about gags and gimmicks. It is about telling a story. A story that an audience can relate to on a personal level.
As Ed Hooks said during the class I attended. "Empathy is the most important thing an audience needs to feel for a character. Without empathy, the story fails."
So with that. Happy New Year. Let's see what this next year brings. :-)
Good night all!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
25 years of The Legend of Zelda- The Timeline and History (warning Skyward Sword spoilers)
So it pretty much goes without saying that The Legend of Zelda game series is my favorite of all time and is a big part of my life. And with 25 years of LoZ and my recent completion of Skyward Sword, I decided to write the history and a timeline of what I consider the core games in the series. Note, this is my personal interpretation and Skyward Sword spoilers are in this so if anyone has not played Skyward Sword yet, stop reading now and listen to this song instead!!
Skyward Sword is essentially the origin story the entire series is based upon. This would be the game where everything started. So as it has been said in many games, the goddesses; Nayru, Din, and Farore came from the heavens and created the world and when they departed, they left behind the Triforce. The three goddesses entrusted the Triforce to the Goddess Hylia to ensure it was protected.
After some time had passed, the demon king known as Demise sought the Triforce for himself and threw Hyrule into civil war. In order to prevent Demise from obtaining the Triforce, Hylia used her powers to seal him away in the Sacred Grounds and as a result she took a mortal form. Before doing this she created the Goddess Sword and tore a chunk of land from Hyrule and sent it to the sky. The essence of her power would be contained with the newly formed Goddess Sword.
The last surviving Hylians now only vaguely aware of these events now lived in Skyloft. The same piece of land Hylia sent to the sky in order to protect the Hylians from the demon infested world below. It would be sometime in the future that Demise in his imprisoned form would begin to break free. During this time, childhood friends Link and Zelda are celebrating Link's recent knighthood in Skyloft. Zelda goes missing having fallen to the ground below. Link discovers the goddess sword in Skyloft and is guided by the sword's spirit known as Fi. Entrusted by Hylia to guide the Hero of the Goddess, Fi helps Link on his journey to find Zelda and stop the demon lord Ghirahim from reviving Demise in their time.
As events unfold, Link using the Flames of Nayru, Din, and Farore gives the Goddess Sword it's full power and creates the Master Sword. It is also during this time that Zelda is revealed to be the mortal form of the goddess Hylia. Zelda enters a sleep that she will not wake up from until the destruction of Demise. Link is now tasked with finding the Triforce and wishing for the end of Demise so that Zelda will awaken. Link discovers the Triforce in the Goddess of Hylia statue in Skyloft. The statue and the Triforce fall to the Sealed Grounds below as the wish for Demise's death is granted.
Ghirahim knowing that is Zelda is awake and Demise has been destroyed in the present takes Zelda through the Door of Time to the past to revive Demise there. Using Zelda's spirit and nearly killing her, Ghirahim succeeds in reviving Demise. Ghirahim's true nature is revealed as he is the spirit of Demise's own twisted version of the Master Sword. Link battles Demise in order to save Zelda who is dying as Demise continues to consume her spirit to sustain his life. Link ultimately kills Demise but not before Demise places a curse on Zelda and Link that a reincarnation of his hatred will be born and Link and Zelda's descendants will never be free from pain and suffering.
Link's quest completed places the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time to never be used again and Fi enters a neverending sleep within the sword. Link and Zelda decide to stay in Hyrule rather than return to Skyloft. It is likely this Link and Zelda of whom the future Link's and Zelda's descend. During this time Link and Zelda build Hyrule Castle and construct the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grounds to conceal the new location of the Triforce.
Events seen in Twilight Princess leading to Ocarina of Time
After a thousand years of peace, the people of Hyrule begin to once again fight for the Triforce. The ones seeking this power became known as the Dark Interlopers. With the assistance of a mysterious man known as Ganondorf, the Sages were shown how to defeat the Dark Interlopers. The Sages ultimately banished the Dark Interlopers into the Twilight Realm where they became humbled and know as the Twili.
Ganondorf had now gained favor with the King of Hyrule for his help in banishing the Dark Interlopers. The King's daughter however did not trust Ganondorf and believed him to have more sinister motives. The King's daughter Zelda sent a Kokiri boy known as Link to open the Door of Time and retrieve the Master Sword so Ganondorf could be stopped. Once Link now known as the Hero of Time had opened the Door of Time, he was sealed away for seven years. Ganondorf knowing what Zelda was up to followed Link until the Door of Time was open and Ganondorf now had complete freedom to take the Triforce for himself and usurped the Kingdom of Hyrule throwing the land into darkness and polluting the once sacred Golden Realm into the Dark World. It had now become clear that Ganondorf was the reincarnation of Demise's hatred and the curse placed so many thousands of years ago was coming true.
After seven years, Link awakened from his slumber and with the help of Zelda and the other 6 sages, Ganondorf was sealed away within the Golden Realm but not before vowing his return. This chain of events would later become known as the The Imprisoning War. After Ganondorf's defeat, Zelda used the Ocarina of Time to return Link to his childhood to live the seven years he lost while sealed in the Golden Realm.
It was this that would cause the timeline to split thus creating two parallel Hyrule's each with it's own history. The first of these would be the Hyrule of the adult Zelda timeline. Zelda having sent Link back to live out his childhood had a terrible side effect. The line of descendants for Link had now been broken. When Ganondorf did as he said and broke free from his seal, this time no hero appeared to stop him. The people of Hyrule prayed to the goddesses and those prayers were answered with what was known as The Great Flood. The people of Hyrule took to the mountain tops and made homes for themselves and has time passed had forgotten the blood stained history of Hyrule.
It was now that an aged and weary Ganondorf would once again break free from his seal and search for the descendants of Zelda and Link. Zelda would soon be revealed to be the pirate girl Tetra with Link now becoming the Hero of Winds. Together with the help of the King of Lions who actually turned out to be the past King of Hyrule, Ganondorf was defeated for what appeared to be the last time as the Triforce was used to wish for an end to the curse that had been placed on Link and Zelda so many years ago by the Demon King Demise.
The other history of Hyrule that would occur would be a direct result of Link's return to childhood. Link as a child now knew the full events that would occur and warned the King of Hyrule of Ganondorf's deception and true intentions. After telling the King of this, Link set out on a new quest where he found himself in the land of Termina and battling against an ancient demon known as Majora. During Link's time in Termina, the Sages were conducting an execution of Ganondorf. In a cruel twist of fate, the Triforce of Power became Ganondorf's and the execution failed which resulted in the death of the Water Sage. The remaining Sage's banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. The same place where the Dark Interloper's had been sent during their bloody quest for the Triforce.
It was in the Twilight Realm that Ganondorf would find a puppet in the downtrodden Twili Zant. With Ganondorf's power, Zant was able to take over both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm and transform the Twilight Princess Midna into an impish manifestation of her former self. Midna found the new Hero of Time and took him to Princess Zelda. The Princess explained what was happening though none of them were fully aware of the power and rage that fueled Zant. It was now clear that the Master Sword would once again be needed and Link removed the sword from the Pedestal of Time in the ruins of the what was once the Temple of Time.
With the Master Sword in hand, Link traveled all across Hyrule and to the Sky to discover the keys that would take him to the Twilight Realm. Once in the Twilight Realm, Link learned Ganondorf was behind everything and defeated his puppet Zant. Link then proceeded to Hyrule Castle for one last confrontation with Ganondorf. After a long battle, Ganondorf was defeated once again and this time seemingly for good. But he would still return one last time.
Sometime long after Link and Midna said their goodbyes and a new line of descendants had been born, Hyrule was enjoying a time of peace. This peace would not last with the arrival of a mysterious wizard calling himself Agahnim. This mysterious wizard began sending the descendants of the Seven Sages to the Dark World that had once been the Sacred Realm. The Hero of Time would once again return to thwart the evil that was now taking over Hyrule. Traveling between both Hyrule and the Dark World, Link learned that Ganondorf had once again returned. Link would follow Ganondorf atop his pyramid within the Dark World and battle him in one last fight. After Link was able to defeat Ganondorf, the Triforce was once again Link's to make his own wish. Link made his wish for the return of peace to Hyrule and the end of the curse that had been placed by Demise all those years ago. With that, Ganondorf was now finished and Link returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time where it would sleep forever....
The End
So yeah, there is my interpretation of The Legend of Zelda's history. I know I have left the original Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link but I do not consider them core games as I think they were made before a definite history had been established. So if anyone reads this, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
After some time had passed, the demon king known as Demise sought the Triforce for himself and threw Hyrule into civil war. In order to prevent Demise from obtaining the Triforce, Hylia used her powers to seal him away in the Sacred Grounds and as a result she took a mortal form. Before doing this she created the Goddess Sword and tore a chunk of land from Hyrule and sent it to the sky. The essence of her power would be contained with the newly formed Goddess Sword.
The last surviving Hylians now only vaguely aware of these events now lived in Skyloft. The same piece of land Hylia sent to the sky in order to protect the Hylians from the demon infested world below. It would be sometime in the future that Demise in his imprisoned form would begin to break free. During this time, childhood friends Link and Zelda are celebrating Link's recent knighthood in Skyloft. Zelda goes missing having fallen to the ground below. Link discovers the goddess sword in Skyloft and is guided by the sword's spirit known as Fi. Entrusted by Hylia to guide the Hero of the Goddess, Fi helps Link on his journey to find Zelda and stop the demon lord Ghirahim from reviving Demise in their time.
As events unfold, Link using the Flames of Nayru, Din, and Farore gives the Goddess Sword it's full power and creates the Master Sword. It is also during this time that Zelda is revealed to be the mortal form of the goddess Hylia. Zelda enters a sleep that she will not wake up from until the destruction of Demise. Link is now tasked with finding the Triforce and wishing for the end of Demise so that Zelda will awaken. Link discovers the Triforce in the Goddess of Hylia statue in Skyloft. The statue and the Triforce fall to the Sealed Grounds below as the wish for Demise's death is granted.
Ghirahim knowing that is Zelda is awake and Demise has been destroyed in the present takes Zelda through the Door of Time to the past to revive Demise there. Using Zelda's spirit and nearly killing her, Ghirahim succeeds in reviving Demise. Ghirahim's true nature is revealed as he is the spirit of Demise's own twisted version of the Master Sword. Link battles Demise in order to save Zelda who is dying as Demise continues to consume her spirit to sustain his life. Link ultimately kills Demise but not before Demise places a curse on Zelda and Link that a reincarnation of his hatred will be born and Link and Zelda's descendants will never be free from pain and suffering.
Link's quest completed places the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time to never be used again and Fi enters a neverending sleep within the sword. Link and Zelda decide to stay in Hyrule rather than return to Skyloft. It is likely this Link and Zelda of whom the future Link's and Zelda's descend. During this time Link and Zelda build Hyrule Castle and construct the Temple of Time in the Sacred Grounds to conceal the new location of the Triforce.
Events seen in Twilight Princess leading to Ocarina of Time
After a thousand years of peace, the people of Hyrule begin to once again fight for the Triforce. The ones seeking this power became known as the Dark Interlopers. With the assistance of a mysterious man known as Ganondorf, the Sages were shown how to defeat the Dark Interlopers. The Sages ultimately banished the Dark Interlopers into the Twilight Realm where they became humbled and know as the Twili.
Ganondorf had now gained favor with the King of Hyrule for his help in banishing the Dark Interlopers. The King's daughter however did not trust Ganondorf and believed him to have more sinister motives. The King's daughter Zelda sent a Kokiri boy known as Link to open the Door of Time and retrieve the Master Sword so Ganondorf could be stopped. Once Link now known as the Hero of Time had opened the Door of Time, he was sealed away for seven years. Ganondorf knowing what Zelda was up to followed Link until the Door of Time was open and Ganondorf now had complete freedom to take the Triforce for himself and usurped the Kingdom of Hyrule throwing the land into darkness and polluting the once sacred Golden Realm into the Dark World. It had now become clear that Ganondorf was the reincarnation of Demise's hatred and the curse placed so many thousands of years ago was coming true.
After seven years, Link awakened from his slumber and with the help of Zelda and the other 6 sages, Ganondorf was sealed away within the Golden Realm but not before vowing his return. This chain of events would later become known as the The Imprisoning War. After Ganondorf's defeat, Zelda used the Ocarina of Time to return Link to his childhood to live the seven years he lost while sealed in the Golden Realm.
It was this that would cause the timeline to split thus creating two parallel Hyrule's each with it's own history. The first of these would be the Hyrule of the adult Zelda timeline. Zelda having sent Link back to live out his childhood had a terrible side effect. The line of descendants for Link had now been broken. When Ganondorf did as he said and broke free from his seal, this time no hero appeared to stop him. The people of Hyrule prayed to the goddesses and those prayers were answered with what was known as The Great Flood. The people of Hyrule took to the mountain tops and made homes for themselves and has time passed had forgotten the blood stained history of Hyrule.
It was now that an aged and weary Ganondorf would once again break free from his seal and search for the descendants of Zelda and Link. Zelda would soon be revealed to be the pirate girl Tetra with Link now becoming the Hero of Winds. Together with the help of the King of Lions who actually turned out to be the past King of Hyrule, Ganondorf was defeated for what appeared to be the last time as the Triforce was used to wish for an end to the curse that had been placed on Link and Zelda so many years ago by the Demon King Demise.
The other history of Hyrule that would occur would be a direct result of Link's return to childhood. Link as a child now knew the full events that would occur and warned the King of Hyrule of Ganondorf's deception and true intentions. After telling the King of this, Link set out on a new quest where he found himself in the land of Termina and battling against an ancient demon known as Majora. During Link's time in Termina, the Sages were conducting an execution of Ganondorf. In a cruel twist of fate, the Triforce of Power became Ganondorf's and the execution failed which resulted in the death of the Water Sage. The remaining Sage's banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. The same place where the Dark Interloper's had been sent during their bloody quest for the Triforce.
It was in the Twilight Realm that Ganondorf would find a puppet in the downtrodden Twili Zant. With Ganondorf's power, Zant was able to take over both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm and transform the Twilight Princess Midna into an impish manifestation of her former self. Midna found the new Hero of Time and took him to Princess Zelda. The Princess explained what was happening though none of them were fully aware of the power and rage that fueled Zant. It was now clear that the Master Sword would once again be needed and Link removed the sword from the Pedestal of Time in the ruins of the what was once the Temple of Time.
With the Master Sword in hand, Link traveled all across Hyrule and to the Sky to discover the keys that would take him to the Twilight Realm. Once in the Twilight Realm, Link learned Ganondorf was behind everything and defeated his puppet Zant. Link then proceeded to Hyrule Castle for one last confrontation with Ganondorf. After a long battle, Ganondorf was defeated once again and this time seemingly for good. But he would still return one last time.
Sometime long after Link and Midna said their goodbyes and a new line of descendants had been born, Hyrule was enjoying a time of peace. This peace would not last with the arrival of a mysterious wizard calling himself Agahnim. This mysterious wizard began sending the descendants of the Seven Sages to the Dark World that had once been the Sacred Realm. The Hero of Time would once again return to thwart the evil that was now taking over Hyrule. Traveling between both Hyrule and the Dark World, Link learned that Ganondorf had once again returned. Link would follow Ganondorf atop his pyramid within the Dark World and battle him in one last fight. After Link was able to defeat Ganondorf, the Triforce was once again Link's to make his own wish. Link made his wish for the return of peace to Hyrule and the end of the curse that had been placed by Demise all those years ago. With that, Ganondorf was now finished and Link returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time where it would sleep forever....
The End
So yeah, there is my interpretation of The Legend of Zelda's history. I know I have left the original Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link but I do not consider them core games as I think they were made before a definite history had been established. So if anyone reads this, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Dialogue shot blocking/final
Here is the final blocking pass of my last character animation assignment for the semester. I'm rather proud of it and amazed at how well it is looking. Time to take it to the final polish. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)