Re-Memberberry me

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Welcome back.

Another exciting week and a lack of work due to another Typhoon. Luckily this one isn't as strong but it's gonna hit us straight on.


But, Typhoon Megi isn't strong enough to stop me. Lots of cool stuff happening so let's get into it.

A few years ago I really enjoyed a video game called 'Remember Me', clearly, from the same Deus Ex mold this game's core feature was to allow players to rewind scenes and change other NPC's memories to effect the scene in play. Straight out of Ghost in the Shell, this game not only had a great story, fantastic visuals but also a nice game mechanic.  It's actually very revolutionary and raised the bar for in performance and quality. Like a lot cutting edge games which help drive game engineers to excel, this one also slipped under a lot of people's radar. 'Rage' is another one to check out. It used incredibly diverse textures, a new realistic physics engine, could run at 60fps, had large draw distances, and fantastic animations. They nailed the art direction and it looks just like the concept artwork. All this back in 2011.

In 2013, Remember me was released. This has all this and more. The combination of prebaked lighting and dynamic lighting was working perfectly, the sense of realism was breathtaking.





Recently I found this article whilst researching some materials in unreal Engine. I would really recommend reading it if you're interested in the game or the technical aspects.

https://www.fxguide.com/featured/game-environments-parta-remember-me-rendering/



As I previously mentioned Ghost in the Shell above, it would be a missed opportunity not to talk about the new live action film trailers. There is a lot to debate and we haven't seen very much at all but maybe it's just enough.  The cast seems a good choice, yes it's a Japanese anime and maybe Hollywood is white-washing, but if they don't then very few people will go and see it. Japan has had decades to make their own but haven't. Let's see what the American's can do. (Please don't mess it up)

At first glance, it seems a bit low budget. But this is just a teaser. I'm sure the use of robotic limbs and Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility will come into it soon enough. 





I've been a fan of GITS since it was first released in the UK in the first wave of Manga distribution. That was quite a while ago and it's stood strong through the years. Ghost in the shell works on several layers for different people. 

The original comic book by Masamune Shirow had a lot of cyber-space technology and introduced the concept of body swapping, ghost hacking and digital intelligence.  It just took its self seriously and followed the rabbit hole. It took the blade runner concept and expanded upon it. In a big way.


The comic is very different from the original 1995 anime movie, it's sexy. The Major is a feminist's nightmare and an otaku's dream. Not only is she passive aggressive, witty and curvy, she also is reckless with intelligence. Sounds great, now combined that mental image with lots of up shots of crotch and ass, bouncing cleavage mixed with tight clothing and guns. Perfect.



The 1995 anime focused more on the Human condition and philosophy. It is a masterpiece.

Ghost in the Shell, Stand alone complex brought them back together. IG Production did a fantastic job on the animation, balancing the up shots and a deep and thoughtful provoking storyline.




The beginning to the 1995 anime film is legendary with the scene depicting the assembly of a female robot. The audio resonates as a spiritual and meditative religious experience. in 2014, digital artists recreated the original title scene in live action. It's amazing. Check it out below. 



http://www.otherfocus.com/ghost-in-the-shells-intro-recreated/


This week I found a new artist called Emilie Stabell. She is from Denmark and works as an environment artist at Media Molecule. I really enjoyed her work and was very impressed with the blend of 2D and 3D. I love the stylized imagery and believe that this medium will be used more and more in the future. From immersive storytelling, comic books to simple everyday photography.




Zach Montoya is a freelance illustrator and concept artist, I discovered his work on Valiant Comics. I love the muted colour palette and classical style mixed with unreal elements. A great inspiration and reference. Awesome work.




http://conceptartworld.com/?p=31774

http://zachmontoya.com/






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