#edit edit: ALSO it was a lot of improvisation and acrobatics!!

[miocortieni-blog]

feliciano spent at least 30 years with a commedia dell'arte group touring europe in the 16th century, holding the female romantic lead, isabella, for most of it until he was allowed to play zanni/harlequin and the male romantic lead, flavio, towards the end !

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #7P: Julius Caesar

yay! we’re done with the dnd builds, now we can go back to pathfinder! today on fate and phantasms we’re building Julius Caesar in pathfinder second edition! he’s mostly a fighter, but we also grab some stuff from the swashbuckler, duelist, and marshal archetypes to make sure he’s really, really good with his crits.

check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

next up: i am become death, the destroyer of worlds.

ancestry and background

caesar is human, of course! i mean duh, it would be super weird to take a human and make them not human. that’s just silly. that gives him two free ability boosts in charisma and constitution. the man’s a salesman and he’s chonky, what more do you want. at level one he becomes a versatile human, meaning we get a free general feat at level one! being a bargain hunter, you can earn income using your diplomacy, and you can also spend that time getting an item for cheap. since we’re picking this at level 1 you also start the game with 2 gp more than you would otherwise!

on top of that, your natural ambition lets you grab a 1st level fighter feat too, using your giant statue hand to get a snagging strike in as an action. if the attack hits, the target’s flat-footed until the start of your next turn or til they move out of reach. this gives them a -2 to ac, making it even easier to score crits on them! Your hand’s real big, it’s no surprise it’ll mess with people you’re fighting.

at level 5 you can sense allies, mostly since there’s nothing else i wanted here. allies that wanna be seen by you that would be undetected are merely hidden, and you can target hidden allies with a flat check of 5 instead of 11. this doesn’t help with unwilling allies, so uh. if the senate feels a little emptier than usual you should probably run.

at ninth level you become multitalented, which makes you a braggart swashbuckler. you become trained in acrobatics and intimidation, and when you demoralize a foe you gain some panache, which makes you faster and lets you use finishers, special moves we’ll get later. a lot later, since this won’t come up again til level 9.

at level 13 you get advanced general training so you too can use untrained improvisation. now your untrained skill checks get to add your whole level to the roll!

finally at level 17 your heroic presence helps you swindle- i mean, encourage- your party, so now you can cast zealous conviction on people who want it. they gain temporary hp, a bonus on will saves, and they’ll do whatever you ask as long as it’s not something repugnant.

You’re a Noble, of course, so you get another set of boosts in Intelligence and Charisma. You’re also trained in Society and Genealogy Lore. Finally, your Courtly Graces help you pull one over on the upper classes by using your Society to make an impression on nobles.

Class Levels

1. Alright, let’s get the big one out of the way. At first level you get Dexterity as your Key Ability, which bumps that up a bit and also makes using a dinky lil sword like yours a good idea! …it’s not actually that small, but for obvious reasons we still gotta limit you to a one-handed sword.

you’re also trained in a whole lotta stuff, like will saves, your class dc, advanced weapons, all armor, and of course your big list o’ intelligence-based skills: athletics, diplomacy, crafting, religion, nature, deception, survival, and medicine. on top of all that, you’re an expert in perception, fortitude and reflex saves, and non-advanced weapons.

for your actual level 1 stuff, you get an ability boost in strength, dexterity, charisma, and constitution. you gotta lift the giant stone hand to use it, but we also need to be good with your sword, and that extra flab will ward off damage. also, working on your sales pitch is never a bad idea.

you can make an attack of opportunity as a reaction if a creature near you moves or manipulates something, or makes a ranged attack.

you can also make a combat assessment as an action, letting you make an attack and recall knowledge at the same time. plus, if you score a crit you’ll get a +2 bonus for that check. you can do this once per day per creature. caesar’s more of a “big picture” guy, y���know?

You can also make a Shield Block if you want to, though we need to keep that hand open for a big ol’ statue arm later!

2. okay, now we get into the reasonably sized levels! we need something to do between Big Crit Turns, so now you can use a dueling parry as an action, adding 2 to your ac for a round as long as you have a one-handed weapon and a hand free. you also get an eye for numbers, making it easy for you to estimate a number of items to the first digit: i.e. 28 gets rounded to 30, 8,317 gets rounded to 8,000. this is great for keeping track of cash! you also get a bonus to deciphering writing that is mostly numbers, so it’s a little easier to read all of ea-nasir’s receipts.

finally, you become a marshal- they really gave charisma to everybody, huh? right now you have a marshal aura, giving everyone within 10’ of you a +1 bonus against fear. you also become an expert in diplomacy, since we’re using that for your other auras.

3. third level fighters have the bravery to become an expert in will saves, plus your frightened values always start one lower when you get them, and your successes against being frightened are always critical! you’ve already been brutally murdered by your friends once, not much else is gonna phase you.

you’re also a Hireling Manager, so you’re better at buying people. but not in the Columbus way. when you hire someone, they get a +2 bonus to all skill checks, regardless of training level. you don’t even have to pay extra!

you’re also an expert in Society for more social shenanigans. more shenanigans, I say!

4. as a fourth level fighter you can make a Dual-Handed Assault, letting you use that second hand without breaking all the stuff that counts on you not using that second hand. basically, you make an attack and increase your damage die by one step since your tiny baby sword doesn’t have the two-hand trait. I assume you’re using a shortsword, so your damage goes from 1d6 to 1d8.

you can also use your social standing to make connections in town. if you’ve already made connections the hard way, you can use a society check to arrange a meeting with important people or ask a favor. it’s good for the party to have friends in high places, and no place is higher than whatever bullshit title you came up with before you got stabbed.

finally, you can get into an Inspiring Marshal Stance as an action, using your diplomacy to make a check. on a success all your allies in a 10’ radius get a +1 bonus to mental saves and attack rolls- crits do the same but with a bigger radius. boom. charisma, done, you’re welcome.

5. at fifth level you get another round of Ability Boosts for a bonus in Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma.

if that’s not enough, your Fighter Weapon Mastery makes you better with swords, so you’re a master with non-advanced swords and an expert with advanced ones. I do not know what makes a sword advanced. does it know calculus? regardless, you also get access to the critical specialization effects of all swords. you’ll be seeing crits pop up enough, better get used to that. there’s a lot of options but we’ve only ever seent the one for sword so far since they bunched up all the launch sabers into one solid mass of swordplay. anyway, crits make your enemies get flat-footed for a round. …wait you could already do that. at will. since level 1.

uh… look, a skill increase to distract you! now you’re an expert in deception, which should let us escape to level 6 before you notice!

6. at sixth level your Advanced Weapon Training makes you a master of advanced swords. yep. sword good. kind of the whole point of your class, really.

You’re also a Confabulator, so if you get caught in a lie once lying again only gets +2 more difficult instead of +4. Also, once you’re a master in deception it’s only +1, and a legendary liar doesn’t have to deal with a bonus at all. scheming is Caesar’s one character trait, but people keep falling for it somehow.

finally, you can issue a Rallying Charge to come, see, and conquer, spending 2 actions to stride and strike in one move. if the attack hits, every nearby ally gets temporary HP.

7. seventh level fighters are Battlefield Surveyors, making you a master in perception, plus you get a +2 bonus to initiative.

to speed up even more, you can make quick contacts in a single day upon entering a new settlement, letting you use your connections. if you’re a society legend, you can even do this in a single hour.

finally, your Weapon Specialization lets you add 2 damage to expert-tier weapons, 3 to master-tier, and 4 to legendary-tier. right now every sword in existence is at master, so that’s still a pretty solid amount of damage.

8. as an eighth level fighter, if you’re using your dueling parry you can also make a dueling riposte as a reaction against a creature who critically fails to hit you, either making a strike or attempting to disarm the idiot before he hurts himself.

you can also make a Group Impression, getting four friends, romans, and countrymen to lend you their ears at a time. that number grows even more the more diplomacy training you get.

we also take a second to grab even more one-handed weapon goodies by popping over to the Duelist Dedication¸ which gives you the Quick Draw feat right away so you can attack and draw your weapon on the same action.

9. ninth level fighters have Combat Flexibility, which means once a day you can gain a fighter feat of level 8 or lower for free, and then swap it out on the next day. making a Disorienting Opening every time you make an attack of opportunity sounds nice, but the whole point is flexibility, so pick what you like.

you also become a Juggernaut, making you a master in fortitude saves, and all your successes are critical.

speaking of mastery, you’re now a master of diplomacy to command bigger crowds and run bigger scams.

10. at tenth level you get another ability boost in strength, dexterity, constitution, and intelligence.

you also gain a little Agile Grace, so your multi-attack penalty is smaller for your shortsword, so you can really get into the flurry we need for Crocea Mors.

on top of that, you can make a Discreet Inquiry to gather information without making it too obvious. “Are you dumb enough to buy this product” is a question few people would answer honestly.

now that we’re a swashbuckler (from that ancestry stuff a while back), we can add a basic flair to your combat. this lets you Antagonize creatures when you demoralize them- their frightened status can’t reduce to less than 1 until it makes a hostile action against you, or can’t see you for a full round. I’ll admit history isn’t our strong suit, but even we can tell you’re really good at pissing people off for some reason.

11. at eleventh level you become an expert in quite a few things, like all armor, your class DC, and Intimidation. You don’t use it too much, but it’s how we get panache, so it pays to be halfway decent. You can also make a Shameless Request, reducing the DC to make outrageous request, and your mark won’t hate you for doing so even if you fail.

12. a twelfth level fighters can make Improved Dueling Ripostes, so you get an extra reaction each turn specifically for dueling ripostes, even if you’re not parrying. no point wasting you reaction each round just in case someone rolls a one, right?

you’re also a Charming Liar, so when you critically succeed at lying, your conversation buddy’s attitude improves by 1 once per conversation. This also only works once per crit success, so you have to choose which person this works on.

you can even spend an action to enter a Disarming Stance, giving you a bonus against being disarmed and a bonus to disarming others. Being a saber is kind of your deal, it would suck if someone took that away from you.

13. Level thirteen is simple. you’re an expert with all advanced weapons, a master in all non-advanced weapons and deception, and a legend with all swords, mostly thanks to being a Weapon Legend.

14. as a fourteenth level fighter you can make a Desperate Finisher as a reaction, basically giving you an extra action with the press trait in exchange for not being able to use any reactions this round. that includes your extra reactions, btw. why attack three times when you can attack four times instead?

you also have Slippery Secrets, allowing you to attempt to deceive even magical mind reading effects, as well as those checking if you’re lying, or revealing your alignment.

you also gain the Advanced Flair of a swashbuckler this level, giving you some Vivacious Bravado as an action after you gain panache, giving you some temporary HP for a round. you do have a massive… attitude, after all.

15. at fifteenth level you become a legend in diplomacy, which is why you can engage in Legendary Negotiation. using three actions, you can make an impression on an opponent and request they stop fighting you and hash things out. you also take a -5 penalty to the check, but I think Shameless Request will probably kick in here.

you also get another ability boost in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma, to hopefully make that diplomacy check a little easier. your Evasion makes you a master at reflex saves, and all your successes are critical. you also have Greater Weapon Specialization, meaning all your swords get a +8 bonus to damage instead of a measly +4.

16. at sixteenth level you can deliver an Overwhelming Blow- stop laughing- which takes three actions and counts as three attacks. if it hits, you deal a critical hit that also adds a d12 to the damage. you then become stunned and flat-footed until your next turn. I know self-destructive attacks are more your wife’s thing, but it’s called solidarity.

you can also engage in Doublespeak, letting you say one thing and mean another. allies who have traveled with you for at least a week can understand what your sales pitch means automatically, and everyone else needs to succeed at a perception check to notice you’re being sketchy, and critically succeed to figure out what you’re really saying.

you can also help an ally take down a foe with Topple Foe, appropriately enough. if an ally hits someone you’re next to, you can use your big-ass stone hand to try and trip that creature as a reaction, making them prone.

17. seventeenth level is also pretty simple. you’re a master in all armor, and a legend in deception. the lord of the sales pitch.

18. eighteenth level fighters can make savage criticals- now all your swords score a critical hit on a 19. you’re kind of the crit saber of the launch crew, so now you have a lot more to play with.

you can also Glad-Hand the moment you meet someone rather than waiting for a minute of conversation. if it doesn’t work, you can just try again after a minute like normal. you need to get your foot in the door of a business opportunity before that “Miss Moolah” comes snooping around.

you can also inspire your allies To Battle! as an action or two. up to one ally in your aura can use their reaction to stride if you spend one action, or to strike if you spent two.

19. at nineteenth level you can Ride, so mounted animals always obey you when making move actions. they also act on your turn. all sabers have the riding skill, so expect to see this come up a lot.

you’re also an expert at crafting, a master with your class DC and advanced weapons, and legendary with non-advanced weapons.

20. your final level of fighter teaches you some Weapon Supremacy, permanently giving you an extra action you can strike with. why attack four times per turn when you can attack five?

you also gain a Biographical Eye, making it easier for you to figure out how to sell someone on your products. after 1 minute, you can attempt a society check to learn a creature’s profession, and where they live. a critical success can even teach you major events in their life and where they grew up.

finally, you can make a Coordinated Charge with your allies by using two actions to stride and strike. if you deal damage to an enemy, all allies near you can us their reaction to move closer as well. coming, seeing, conquering, yada yada yada.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

With an extra action per turn and your dueling ripostes, you can squeeze a lot of attacks into a small amount of time- up to four on your turn, and then as many as you can get from people critically failing to hit you. even if you can’t shoot lasers out your sword, attacking over and over again means eventually you’ll be dealing a lot of damage.

you’re also great at making money, and using your high-class influence to spend that money effectively. cash is power in capitalism, after all.

you’re good at fighting, but you’re great at getting other people to fight for you. whether that’s through persuasion or outright deception, you’ve got what it takes to bend a crowd to your will. not like, mind control, though. okay, I guess a little mind control at level 17, but still, not much.

Cons:

swords have bad range. if someone has a gun or can fly, you’re shit out of luck. unless you like, use a ranged weapon. not really much of a weakness, now that I think of it.

what is a weakness though, is the old adage- you need money to make money. while you do start off with a little extra, if you hit hard times you’re just as out of luck as the other party members.

we never actually worked on your wisdom at all, so you might get one pulled over on you while you’re pulling one over on someone else.

[rebelcourtesan]

My D&D 5E Build for Brock Samson

Brock Samson is my favorite character from Venture Bros.  He’s a 6 foot tall, mullet wearing murder hobo of a bodyguard to the Venture family.  I’m planning on running a character based off him for an upcoming campaign, Out of the Abyss so I’ve done some research on how best to create Sam Brockson for a D&D campaign.

Feel free to comment or give pointers or just use my info to recreate your own Brock Samsons for your gaming group.  

LONG POST BELOW

                                                    ***Stats***

Strength: This should be highest stat.  Brock is capable of felling men in one punch and twisting their heads around with his bare hands.

Constitution: This should be second highest as Brock can take a lot of punishment and keep on swinging.  In the first episode alone, he was able to bull rush a group of men while being peppered by poison darts, got hit by a truck, and buried alive and still rose to seek revenge. Not to mention surviving the vacuum of space and various injuries he’s sustained through the series.

Dexterity: Brock is quick on his feet and capable of acrobatic feats as he tears into his enemies.

Charisma/Wisdom:  This one is tricky.  Brock is able to detect danger when guarding the Venture Family, but he has a way with the ladies.  I would only make charisma higher unless you can put at least 13 in Wisdom.  You’ll see why later.  So as long as you have a 13 to spare for Wisdom, let Charisma be your higher stat, if not, then it must be wisdom.

Intelligence:  Let this be your dump stat.  Brock isn’t stupid, but he’s not the brightest character on the show.  Also, he tends to forego technology in favor of hand to hand combat or his bowie knife.  

                                                ***Race***

Technically, you would choose Human Variant as your race, but I would go with Half-Orc instead.  The reason being that Half-Orcs have racial benefits that would fit Brock’s abilities.

Half-Orcs get +2 Str/+1 Con to their stats.  These are stats that you want as high as possible.  They get Darkvision so Brock can see the dark for 60 ft, which lets him stalk his enemies all the easier. And they get a proficiency in Intimidation which is a must have for Brock Samson as his name tends to bring terror to the hearts of Henchmen everywhere.

And that’s not all. They get something called Relentless Endurance.  Taking a hit that reduces your HP to 0, will allow a Half-Orc to remain standing with 1 HP so they can keep on fighting.  Just like Brock Samson.

And they have Savage Attacks.  Scoring a critical with a melee weapon allows the player to roll an additional damage die and add it to the critical damage.  Perfect for Brock Samson.  

I want to build a characters that can deal more damage than what he receives.  However, if you want to play a human, choose Human Variant and put your extra points in Strength and Constitution and choose Intimidation as your proficiency skill.  For your feat, take Tavern Brawler,       

EDIT:  Choose the Outlander background to give you Proficiency in Athletics and Survival.  Brock is a physically peaked and he’s also a survivalist.  

                                            ***Classes***

  Barbarian LV 1 - 5

EDIT: Choose  skills Nature and Perception to give Brock more knowledge about nature as he tends to take sojourns into the woods where he met Steve Summers and his paramour Sasquatch.  And Brock is always on the look out for danger.

Lv 1. First, we’re going straight into Barbarian with Rage ability that grants bonus to damage and an advantage on Strength checks and saving throws.  Also, resistances to slashing, bludgeon, and piercing damage.  Which words well for powerhouse Brock.

And Brock is very comfortable in his own skin and I intend him to walk around in just a loin cloth or shorts.  So Unarmored Defense works wonders.  

Lv 2  Brock will get Reckless Attack which grants you an advantage on attack rolls at the disadvantage receiving attacks from enemies.  Brock will also get Danger Sense which gives him an advantage on Dex Saving Throws against traps and spells.       

Lv. 3 Primal Path.  Choose the Bear Totem as it will grant resistance to all damages except Psychic damage. This means that most damage is halved while Brock is raging saving for Psychic damage which makes sense as he was once trapped in a chamber that shows your desires.      

Lv 4. Instead of an Ability Improvement, take the Tavern Brawler feat.  This allows Brock to use his proficiency when attacking with improvised weapons and unarmed strikes.  Also the plus 1 to Strength or Constitution doesn’t hurt either. Or you can can go ahead and grab the Grappler feat which gives you bonuses on grabbing and attacking foes.  

Lv 5. An Extra Attack plus Fast Movement allows Brock to chase down henchmen and make them regret endangering the Venture Family. 

Fighter Level 1 - 4

Now we’re switching over to Fighter to give Brock some more boost in fighting.

Lv 1 For fighting style, pick Dueling.  It’ll give Brock a +2 to damage when fighting with a one handed weapon and no other weapons or shields in his other hand.  Like a Bowie knife.  However, if you want him to deal more damage with a two handed weapon, choose Great Weapon Fighting.  

Also with 1st level is Second Wind which allows Brock to take a bonus action to heal himself to keep on fighting in combat.   

Lv 2.  Action Surge will allow Brock to take another action to take down those monsters that need more than one hit to go down.    

Lv 3. Choose the Martial Archetype Champion. This will improve Brock’s chances of a critical hit by making 19 count as a critical which works well with a Half-Orc’s Savage Attack.      

Lv 4 Grab the Grappler feat or Tavern Brawler.

Monk Lv 1- 3

*Note: You can choose to go back to Barbarian and continue leveling there.  I chose to multi-class into Monk to give Brock some boosts to unarmed strikes and abilities that will let him tear enemies apart with his bare hands.

Lv 1  Gain Martial Arts which lets Brock attack with his other unarmed hand.  Stab with the Bowie Knife and punch with his free hand as a bonus action.  So with his Extra Attack from  Barbarian coupled with Action Surge will allow him three attacks and a bonus unarmed attack.

Lv 2.  Brock will get Ki points that will allow him to do Flurry of Blows which grants him two unarmed strikes as a bonus action  And on top of that he’ll have Unarmored Movement which which grants another 10 ft of movement speed as long as he sticks to shorts or loin cloth.

Lv. 3 Brock can deflect missiles like arrows or thrown weapons.  He can grab a javelin in mid air and proceed to wrap it around some poor souls head.  Also choose Way of the Open Hand for Monastic Tradition.  This will allow Brock to use Flurry of Blows to incapacitate enemies by knocking them prone or throwing them fifteen ft away.  Also negates their reactions.     

Barbarian Lv 6 and up

Return to Barbarian class and continue leveling from their for bonuses that will increase Brock’s damage and damage resistance.

I have considered taking levels in Rogue for the sneak attack damage, which you can do, but it’ll be stretching Brock thin as is since he’s jumping between three classes.  And Brock is more along the lines of charge in and kill everyone than attacking from the shadows.  But it wouldn’t hurt to take a level dip in rogue just to grab the sneak attack ability for extra damage dealing.

And there you have it.  For me, this is the best build for this character.  He’s able to make powerful unarmed strikes and withstand damage which makes him into a nightmarish tank for enemies and a series front line fighter.  Whats even better that he can wade into battle with a knife or light weapon or improve weapon like a bar stool leg and be just as lethal if he had a larger weapon. 

Have fun gaming, kids.       

[hypeathon]

RWBY - Volume 6, Chapter 5 Production Analysis

Vol 6, Ch 1 Production Analysis 

Vol 6, Ch 2 Production Analysis 

Vol 6, Ch 3 Production Analysis 

Vol 6, Ch 4 Production Analysis 

It can be a bit scary when I’m right on the money about something. The previous production analysis for volume 6 ended on a note pointing out how there were less names in the animation department section of of ending credits of chapter 4 compared to prior episodes. This led me to wonder if either the animators more heavily involved with RWBY would either be working on Gen:Lock at around this point in the volume 6′s production or their time and attention would be spent on a later episode. I am happy to find that it was the latter but also admittedly shocked to find that the “later episode” would be this one.

Before diving into the bit everyone has been losing their minds about, let’s briefly talk about the storyboards and camera layout in the opening scene. Despite having spent time extensively dissecting how Rachel Doda does storyboards and camera layouts in the scenes she’s assigned in the the production analysis for chapter 2, I try to be mindful not to let confirmation bias get the better of me as I’m trying to learn more about the other storyboard and camera layout artists within the show. That being said though, it wouldn’t hurt to least make a conscious presumption that the first sequence had her involvement given the cues and techniques mentioned before. A similarly-presented panning shot and blocking between characters to highlight the reveal of one of them, among other things are signs that Rachel Doda either did the boards or the camera layout for the setup of the scene and probably even the fight itself.

Okay, now to finally address the elephant in the room. Neo is back and in a redone character model no less! Of all the characters to have had a recurring appearance into the show, she has by far been given the most unconventional approach. Many fans by now are aware of the gist as to how she came to be, but for those not in the know, Neo was a character that was conceived a mere 10 days prior to the release of volume 2′s fourth episode. Her design was partially inspired by a genderbent cosplay from Sonja Carter, otherwise known as Soulfire Photography. Her semblance was the result of from is the result of Monty Oum needing an easier way to animate her and Torchwick making a quick escape according to the volume 2 blu-ray directors and animators commentary tracks respectively:

“I needed an uh, it's so backwards how like, I needed them to exit the scene like, Neo was like Torchwick's escape plan. And I was like, "oh yeah, they could get in the ship and then get away." I was like, "That's hard to animate.”  Let's just have them shatter into glass, that's simple!"

“And then we have Neo come in and do... something weird. I guess, I tried to think of it as an illusionary technique. It’s like her version of ninja smoke bomb where it’s like she gets away because she causes some sort of distraction because the umbrella is relatively fast, the ship was probably waiting.”

Her entire character was born from the kind of creative process Monty had in general. It’s something he was a bit outspoken about where he compared his own process to that of most film or animation productions, referring to the latter’s structured, step-by-step process as “baking”, while he referred to his own personal, improvisational process as “stir-frying.” Both approaches have their merits and faults, but whether or not one is seen as more favorable over the other in animation production is not the point to get across. Rather, it’s to point out how a character like Neo can come to be in the first place:

“ When I’m working on my own, I tend to run editorial and animation concurrently. I’m averse to storyboards and over-planning. I like to talk about traditional 3D pipelines as being akin to baking: everything is very deliberate and methodical. My version of 3D animation is more like stir-frying. It’s very live and in the moment. If I need a model, I make a model. If a shot or sequence isn’t working, I’ll cut it, move it, or use it later - sometimes several years later.”

-Monty Oum, interview at Creativebloq (yes, they spelled “RWBY” wrong)

So with the story of how Neo came to be out of the way, let’s talk about her in action sequences since a lot has happened in RWBY’s production between last appearance and her grand return. Up until now, only 3 people have ever had a chance to animate Neo fighting. Monty Oum during chapters 4 & 7 of volume 2 and Joel Mann and Andrea Caprotti in chapter 11 of volume 3, the latter two also animated Cinder, Emerald, & Mercury vs Amber in chapter 7 of the same volume. Without going too much into detail, my stance on Monty and how he created fight scenes have always been more conflicted compared to the general consensus. A lot of that has to do with two of the several hats he wore up until his passing, his role as the show’s initial director and as lead animator. As the director, it always felt unclear as to how much thought was considered behind the character motivations within a fight or the consequences that would logically follow after one. Something just feels off in hindsight when say, a criminal wreaks havoc on a highway by knocking away multiple cars, using a mech that’s stolen, top-secret military property and we don’t ever get a scene showing the military general’s reaction to the incident, whether or not he ultimately does anything about it. As much as I appreciate good choreography and rhythm when I see it, having the story being weaved within and around a given fight in works of fiction is what can make them engaging in the first place.

That being said, Monty’s skills as an animator were definitely made clear in the fight scenes he assigned himself to within the show. Animation in general is not an easy medium to tackle, regardless of what kind of gestures or expressions one wants to sell and creating action sequences require both the 12 principles of animation and a few other guidelines in editing and cinematography to make them engaging. In the case of the character Neo, Monty made it very evident what kind of character he wanted to portray through her body language, facial expressions and poses. She fights in a classy way, but unlike Weiss Schnee who is shown as being more consciously routine and disciplined, Neo is comparatively more sassy and provoking. She likes to push her opponent’s buttons with the way she dodges, defends and attacks. Jumping into volume 3, Joel Mann and Andrea Caprotti picked up the pieces from where Monty left off up until his passing and captured much of the same personality to how she fights. Finally, three volumes later, we have her fight with Cinder in this chapter. Not only were just about all of the same traits with Neo’s character left intact, but the list of animators involved this time around were a pleasant surprise. Matt Drury, Megan Pellino, and Joe Vick were confirmed to have animated the fight with current assistant lead animator, Melanie Stern providing some assistance by animating a couple of shots herself. I’ve gone on record in previous posts on how between volume 5 having on of the biggest waves of new recruits, the overall restructuring of animation teams between RWBY’s sixth volume and Gen:Lock on the horizon, and the staff list on the Adam Character short, it’s now more important than ever to remain aware of who will be animating any fight scene or non-fight scene. “Keep moving forward” is a golden phrase within the fan base originally uttered by one of Monty’s tweets and this mantra can be applied to acknowledging new names involved in the production rather than staying stagnant. This episode is a good example of why that’s vital.

This fight sequence was not only an opportunity to show off the return of a fan-favorite character, but it also needed to formally establish the narrative reason as to why Neo is here now. Keyword being “formally”. Yes, fans have spent weeks speculating the possibility of her character through the opening theme and the second chapter. But that doesn’t change the fact that the CRWBY have been spent several months on the production of this part of the volume and still need to make it clear what this character’s motives are for appearing again after a few years without the scene coming off as pointless fanservice. That can be especially challenging for a mute character, but Melanie, Matt, Megan & Joe made that all clear through the choreography and more importantly, the emotional action and reaction. Despite the supposed intentions to why she’s combating against Cinder, Neo is all about taunting her opponent. So it’s only natural that she would ride the line between fighting aggressively and playfully, going as far as momentarily taking out her blade via a split-second smear, all while displaying an appropriate grin on her face. This constant assault in turn escalates the intensity from Cinder’s perspective by shifting her emotions from confusion to frustration. She drops being defensive and starts swinging fists and kicks so aggressively, that her actions come off a little animalistic and she eventually gets more acrobatic and starts breaking furniture.

Though none of Cinder’s actions and reactions are displayed senselessly, despite her facial expressions and vocal cries on Jessica Nigri’s part suggesting otherwise. In the fifth episode of season 2 of CRWBY: Behind the Episode. In it, Matt Drury. who seems to have animated the bit with Neo and Cinder going at it on the bar stand, talked about applying the notion of “see, think, do”, in which a character stays keen on his/her opponent’s movements based on what the latter is going to strike with and then responds accordingly. It’s essentially something learned in Martial arts in general, even competitive fighting games apply this concept. The same use of “see, think, do” can also be seen in Matt’s previous animated sequences in the Adam Character Short. Despite wearing a mask, there are various alternative ways he goes about handling each opponent such as the gunshots in the forest sequence and the framing of shots in the Schnee Dust Company facility to help see what Adam sees and thinks. 

I could go on about how great the physical aspects of the fight turned out adding the great use of staging in certain shots and even the brief instance of Neo attacking with her hidden blade through the different colored smears and sound effects that would’ve been easy to miss otherwise. But there’s still a bit more to talk about Neo and Cinder’s conflict outside of the fighting animation. Being a mute character, facial expressions are important to get right in both fighting and dialogue scenes and when Neo’s worn-&-torn character model is shown, heartache, surprise, fear and reluctance are all emotions made very clear. Finally, there’s some 2-D visual effects, likely from Myke Chapman again, this time in the form of wind. I can only imagine the overall design of the wind column surrounding Cinder is fairly elaborate to animate, despite it being looped. But it’s pulled off really well. The wind seems to be divided in three layers: there’s the swirling wind in front of Cinder, the wind swirling behind her and the base on the bottom which seems to be animated on 2s while the former two are animated on 1s. There’s also the additional wind bursting out at the bottom when Cinder levitates up or back down to the ground. Even though I have praised the 2-D effects in chapter 3, a bit of concern was felt as to whether the timing would be played around enough by utilizing what is called “frame modulation”. To put simply, the phrase has to do with an animator fluctuating between animating a sequence on 1s, 2s and 3s, depending on what exactly is meant to be conveyed. This was what I was slightly worried about with the 2-D effects going forward, but thankfully, this one effect soundly put the concern itself to rest.

Despite the harsh criticisms being common knowledge at this point (some of which are certainly valid), I have contrarily been willing to defend the general presentation of fights in volumes 4 & 5 for at least tapping into the idea of more consciously displaying the motivation and consequences between characters engaged in conflict. That being said, both the emotional narrative and physical choreography can both coexist and this Neo vs Cinder conflict served as a great, concise example of just that. I would not necessarily call the scene a “return to form” like many fans have been quick to state. But that should not take away from the level of effort being paid off in the first half of this episode serves as a effective reminder of moving forward to acknowledge both new and recurring talent. With that said, the topic of Cinder vs Neo has been greatly exhausted so let’s move on to a different change of pace in the latter half of the episode. It’s almost night and day in terms of what to break down with the Brunswick Farms scenes. Though there is just as much to talk about, just for mostly different reasons. The latter half of the episode has more emphasis on character acting through a mixture between motion capture and hand-keyed animations, timing of staging of moments through camera layout and editing, 3-D effects for the snow, and even the sound effects taking the spotlight to capture the eerie feeling of the setting.

Speaking of sound effects, let’s talk about that. Despite, talking this series of posts being about breaking down and speculating the production of RWBY, I’ve admittedly been very negligent on the audio and mixing up until now. But the audio department’s effort definitely deserve their due this episode with Chris Kokkinos taking the helm as lead of said-department since volume... Immediately, the sounds of the winds picking up in the storm are the first things made clear to the viewer. Even though there are dissolve transitions to shots of just the snowy setting for a few seconds, with the visibility being deliberately kept at a minimum, one can’t help but be drawn to the audio of the harsh winds. Once they barge inside, the music actually drops entirely for a moment and the sounds within the household immediately come to play. The creaking and footsteps of the wooden floors increase the tense feeling that something is amiss and though the music starts again once Ruby spots the family portraits, it doesn’t fight against the sound effects for attention. Next is Kara Eberle’s well-done screaming and panicky breathing as Weiss which is probably the only moment where the vocal delivery plays a punchy part of the uncomfortable setting. That, combined with the zoom-out from Ruby and Blake entering the room to seeing the rotted, sleeping corpses serves a great reminder of why I don’t care for horror movies in general, regardless of how laughably bad they can be. Congratulations CRWBY.

Next is the scene with the gang at the living room, starting with a shot of the fireplace. It’s more 2-D effects work on the fire which is simple and serviceable, though I’m not the most fond of the... “rendering” of the soot, for lack of a better way to explain it? It’s slightly jarring to look at in that it’s made too obvious that the elements of 2-D and 3-D don’t mesh as well as they could. But it’s really just a nitpick when all is said and done. The fluctuating shadow or lack thereof is interesting however since this extends to the characters. As much as the Pencil plug-in in 3DS Max has served as beneficial to the overall shading effect in RWBY’s character models for the past few volumes, making shadow flicker in front of a stable fire does not seem to be that doable. Whether this is due to lack of a simulation feature or it being possible to do manually but too time consuming, what very likely the lighting or compositing department have done before and did again in this chapter is use a subtle flickering effect that doesn’t change the shading on the characters so much as it slightly dims the light source, being the fireplace. It’s an interesting trick and it works fine, though I’m curious whether there is at all a way to manipulate the shading itself or rim lighting if added via the Pencil plug-in. Though the rim lighting is definitely seen a bit later in a couple of shots with Weiss.

Moving on, the living room scene itself seems to have been at least partially animated by Asha Bishi since much of her tells in character acting are there. Very expressive gestures and a combination of Blake’s cat ear shifts and eyes widening with the pupils being a tad more dilated, the last of which is something that been made more obvious after the last CRWBY episode. With that said, it’s a little hard to pin down when her sequence of cuts end. Next is the cut with Blake and Yang traversing in the snow which is actually the first shot and only shot newcomer, Nyle Pierson has animated in the show as of this episode. It’s a small bit but it totally nails how Blake and Yang would go about dealing with harsh snowy winds differently with one covering herself while the other tries to tough it out. Plus the follow-through on their clothing and hair are very well handled by avoiding feeling too similar, almost distinguishing which character’s clothes are sturdier. Now would also be a good time to briefly talk about the snow effects in this chapter and in this volume in general thus far. It’s all possibly a simulation done via Adobe After Effects from the compositing team since it doesn’t really interact with the main cast themselves. One exception though may be the moment Qrow stepped inside to dry off, though it’s honestly hard to say. The snow being brushed off seem to be done by the visual effects artists, but the wet spots formed on the floor may have been composited since they fade into the ground.

Moving into the shed scene, the quiet atmosphere is consistently well-set where only the sound effects and voice acting are heard. The choice of boards and camera layout also help ease into the sense of intimacy being brought between Blake and Yang’s conversation, going from wider and more distant shots that show the entire interior to having more medium and close-up shots and then back to a wider shot to take things back to square one. The last shot of this scene especially couldn’t be any more obvious as the visual equivalent of being given the cold shoulder. The animations through the facial expressions and gestures also serve to compliment the intention of the scene. I want to say Hannah Novotny animated this, but It’s still a little tricky to say for certain since she and Asha have similar approaches to animating the same characters. Jumping into the last scene of the episode and we get a couple of neat lighting choices, particularly with the small flames from Weiss and the flashlight on Ruby’s scroll. The show is no stranger to artificial lighting via vehicles and objects, but there hasn’t exactly been a light source done as small and bright before. There’s also an interesting detail by having the shape of the light be a couple of rings. Aside from that, nothing else to add beyond the cute, comedic character acting between Ruby and Weiss at the end of the episode. Not sure who the animator was that worked on it, but it served as an appropriately small, light-heard break in an otherwise very atmospheric set of scenes.

With that, this marks the end of another production analysis for volume 6 thus far. Despite the length being only slightly longer than the previous episode, chapter 5 had more going on overall with a more varied change of pace between the two-halves of the episode. With the return of a character who has been overdue for another appearance and a setting that invites visual and audio techniques from the horror film genre, it’s a bit hard to imagine how much more absurd things will go. But based on tweets Miles Luna and Melanie Stern have been teasing, things are expected to get even more nuts. This has made me especially curious as to what the next chapter or so is going to offer. One more thing to add: I want to give a special thanks and shout-out to Changyuraptor from the RWBY sub-reddit and his Source McGourse document on practically every confirmed scene each animator has done over the course of RWBY’s production. As much as I do my best to keep track of who has done what, Changyuraptor is arguably more on top of things than I am when it comes to searching high and low for any up-to-date information of confirmed sequences in volume 6 and a couple of the animators I found out from him.

[dikshabhardwajblog]

Complete Guidance for Film Acting Courses in India

Electronic Music Programming - What is it? Acting is a talent that needs to be nurtured and polished. A lot of people venture the field but often come back empty handed. It is the lack of right guidance and contacts. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be the next Shahrukh Khan. Want to know how? Keep on reading.

Acting is an inherited talent that is also categorized as a performing art. It is the art of expressing and performing different emotions of a character. Getting better in it is an ongoing process. You can choose to do acting for theatre or in front of the camera (movies, TV shows, commercials, etc.). People often choose to do modeling for getting into the field. Doing film courses in India is another way of getting into the industry.

Here is a list of skills that you must have for becoming an actor:

·        Good stage, screen, and vocal presence

·        Ability to be in shoes of a character

·        Keeping the audience engaged

·        Good memorization

·        Excellent understanding of dramatic techniques

·        Confidence, energy, and dedication to perform

·        Creative insight

Film Acting Courses

Though doing a course in acting is not necessary for getting into the field, it is advisable to go for a course to get a better picture of the industry and how it works. These courses can polish your skills but can teach you acting as it an inherited skill.

There are many acting schools in India that offer various film acting courses. Few schools are opened by celebrities. Few of them provide a degree in acting, while others provide short-term certificates or diploma courses in acting. The courses cost INR 35000 to INR 150000 per complete.

A degree course in acting would be for a duration of three years, while certificate courses would be for maximum six months. Diploma courses are for a duration of one to two years.

Few certificate courses are:

·        Facing Audience & Removing Inhibition, Freeing Mind & Body

·        Clap Board, Ask Yourself Questions

·        Voice Projection & Voice Modulation stresses & pauses

·        Body Language

·        Acting Exercises, Mirror Exercises

·        Cinemascope

·        Getups, approaching a character, Observation, Improvisation

·        Camera Facing, Miming, Understanding Different Emotions, Mannerism

·        Discussing films

·        Biography of famous actors/actresses

·        Sound – Background music, SFX

·        Diction Exercises

·        Elements of Modelling

·        Dance – Exercises, Movement, Dance Steps

·        Stunts – Basic Ground Movements, Exercises for Flexibility, Action Reaction, Jumps & Acrobats, Choreography of Stunts, Use of Spring Boards

·        Acting in Side Roles & its importance

·        Lip Sync, Feeling the Lyrics

·        Character Dubbing

·        Synchronization of steps with others

·        Setting full song with other artists

·        Complicated Dance steps

Who can take admission?

Anybody who has the skill and zest to venture into this field can take admission in acting courses. It is not necessary to be from any particular background.

For taking admission, go to the website of the acting school you want to enroll in, contact the administration, follow the admission process, pay the fees and then you are good to go. During the course, your skills will be nurtured that will make you a better actor. It will also give you industry exposure. Some schools also give practical experience to their students.

After completion of the course, schools will invite recruiters, hence, giving you an opportunity to fetch a role in movie, TV serials or movie.

Another option is to go to the audition and give your best shot.

ZIMA is one of the top acting schools in India. They have a modern and advanced curriculum, which makes the young actors future ready.

Top recruiters

·        Zee Entertainment Enterprises

·        Aamir Khan Productions

·        Balaji Telefilms

·        Dharma Productions

·        Eros International

·        PVR Pictures

·        Rajshri Productions – Mumbai

·        Reliance Big Entertainment

·        R.K. Films

·        Trimurti Films

·        T-Series

·        UTV Motion Pictures

·        Viacom 18 Motion Pictures

·        Vishesh Films

·        Yash Raj Films

What to expect?

There are a lot of opportunities in this field but the environment is very competitive. You need to have excellent skills to break through in the industry. You can start your career from TV channels. There are many serials coming up every day. Then you can gradually make your way to Bollywood.

Salaries, in the beginning, can be from INR 2000 to INR 10000 per episode. Famous faces can fetch up to INR 50000 to INR 200000 per episode. You’ll be easy to fetch return from the investment you put in doing a film acting course.

The industry is very competitive and to sustain in this field a person needs a lot of talent, patience, and luck. Continuous hard work and dedication is the key to success.

Find out more here: 

Electronic Music Programming - What is it?

Know why film editing is important in films?

[cryptodictation]

Banda Fundo de Quintal OFC becomes successful with funny musical videos

(photo: Personal archive)

The band OFC Yard Fund (not the samba and pagode group) was formed in the municipality of Santo Antnio dos Lopes, in Maranho. With musical videos that bring simplicity and humor, they won fans on social networks and went viral on the internet. The group usually covers famous artists and the most recent, released this Tuesday (4/14), brings a version of Naked in Santos (Mamonas Assassinas). Check out:

While the vocalist sings without a microphone and editions, only in the gog, and the percussionists improvise instruments (such as ice cream boxes and jars of paint) to give rhythm to the songs, the dancers perform crazy things. In addition to dancing in a place full of mud, they use the place in various ways to elicit laughter from Internet users (they jump in the mud, perform acrobatics and knock each other down).

With more than 600 thousand followers on Instagram (fundodequintal_ofc) and more than 200 thousand subscribers on the YouTube channel, the band Fundo de Quintal OFC records the videos in the Centro dos Rodrigues Village (Zona Rural do Maranho). The training led by singer Riquelme (14), percussionist Rhuan (17) and also includes Vitor (18), Denilson (18), Eulisses (11), Jhayme (18), Matusalm (25), Joo Vitor (18) and Simo (23).

In an interview with post office, member Simo Rodrigues says that everything emerged as a joke by friends. “It wasn't planned, it was just a joke even in the backyard. Here in the Northeast there is a lot of this culture of playing in backyards. ” With great humility, he says he did not expect such success. “I didn't expect it, I never expected it. To be successful, it is only with God Himself. The next step is also not planned, it will be as God wants, ”he says.

Watch the band's most popular video, a recording T flying high (MC Poze), with 1.8 million views:

The popularity of the band Fundo de Quintal OFC is very high. According to member Simo Rodrigues, in Maranho “the popularity is wonderful”. So Paulo is also one of the states that contributes the most with followers. Without scheduled shows, due to the quarantine imposed on account of the new coronavirus, the group continues to work with the recordings for the internet and will adopt the new fashion of social networks: the lives.

On April 19, the band held a live at 4 pm on the YouTube channel. The promise of a lot of fun and music. Of concern, just one. “There is not much to invent. We will just try to count on a more or less good internet ”, points out Simo.

With the cover videos on the rise, the band has yet to start promoting the promotional CD on videos. The recording has 10 tracks, two of which are copyrighted and famous Outbreak (Tati Zaqui and Dad Bolado) and Change cage (MC Du Black) and is available for reproduction and download on the website Your Music.

* Intern under the supervision of Adriana Izel

The post Banda Fundo de Quintal OFC becomes successful with funny musical videos appeared first on Cryptodictation.

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[dusudaunord]

Things to do in Montréal February 17 to 23

It may be February but Montréal’s intent on keeping things hot this week: Off-Igloofest gets us dancing in the snow; indoors there’s art, ballet, comedy, theatre and music to keep us on our toes; and brilliant winter festival MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE kicks off with constant entertainment.

Winter festivals

In a city that’s been celebrating winter like a a pro for 375 years, this winter’s Les Hivernales 375th anniversary events have been a stand-out – they wrap up as electronic music festival Igloofest continues with Off-Igloofest on Feb. 17 – ÎleSoniq festival presents Aussie producer Thomas Jack – and on Feb. 18, an entirely free all-ages night with music from Le Matos, Hatchmatik and more along with the Nordik games (including the Slap Shot movie zone) – and don’t miss the Nordik Slide and Nordik Village on the afternoon of Feb. 19. Among this week’s extreme winter sports: race along with or cheer on the participants of the Polar Hero Race on Feb. 18 at Parc Jean-Drapeau, featuring a unique 5-km, 25-obstacle course and a 10-km, 50-obstacle course. And the wonderful MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE winter arts, culture and fine dining festival starts Feb. 23 at various locations – among the outdoor site activities to try: Curling en lumière. 

Une publication partagée par Emily Leclerc (@tomorrow_emily) le 10 Févr. 2017 à 13h08 PST

Active February

We’ve had a lot of the white stuff here in the past few weeks, so why not get outside and play in the snow – among the many free things to do this winter, try tobogganing or ice skating on the Mountain or visit Mammouth Village at the Olympic Stadium Esplanade, featuring skating, ice slides, activities for little kids and, on Feb. 18, the Snow Food food truck event. Go from tropics to boreal forests at the Biodôme and Botanical Garden (the Butterflies Go Free event starts Feb. 23!) and explore space at the Planetarium, part of the many worlds at the Montréal Space for Life. Or play a game of cricket, ultimate Frisbee or even quidditch at the Ministry of Cricket (and Other Homeless Sports). Cheer on the Montréal Canadiens as they take on the Jets on Feb. 18, the Islanders on Feb. 23, and open their practice to fans on Feb. 19 at the Bell Centre – or watch the games at one of Montréal’s best sports bars.

Food and drink

Winter weather calls for winter warm-ups: try a big bowl of pho or Japanese authentic ramen, go for a signature winter cocktail at one of Montréal’s Hidden Bars or cozy up next to Montréal’s coziest fireplaces. A cup of tea at Montréal’s tea houses might hit the spot, whether you’re looking for a Parisian café, British high tea or Japanese green. Feed your sweet tooth and spoil your inner child at Montréal’s candy shops – they’ve seriously got everything. And starting Feb. 23, indulge in the MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE winter festival’s many fine dining options from multi-course meals to workshops and food-focused tours.

Stage and screen

Sing along to the sweet pop sounds of ABBA at hit Broadway musical MAMMA MIA!, at Place des Arts, Feb. 17-19. This year’s winter-spring dance program includes Perm Opera Ballet’s rendition of Swan Lake, presented by Les Grands Ballets at Place des Arts Feb. 22-26, while 100Lux brings urban dance troupes such as Tentacle Tribe to the intimate Cinquième Salle stage Feb. 16-18 and Alessandro Sciarroni adapts the Schuhplattler traditional folk dance in his show Folk-s / Will you still love me tomorrow? at Usine C, Feb. 21-23. February is Black History Month – this week, see acrobatic multimedia production Afrique en Cirque with Kalabanté at the Olympia Theatre on Feb. 17, Black Theatre Workshop’s children’s musical Bluenose on Feb. 18, and more. In theatre, laugh along with farcical play Noises Off at the Segal Centre or Centaur Theatre’s comedy Bakersfield Mist. Comedian Amy Schumer might get controversial at the Bell Centre on Feb. 17. And in film: at the Phi Centre watch indie films and step into new realities’s Virtual Reality Garden and Not Short on Talent installation, and see Québecois films on new music in the Salle d’exposition at Place des Arts.

Photo from the Winter Exhibitions Vernissage at Never Apart on Thu, Jan 26th, 2017, where over 500+ people joined us for our seasonal celebration of diversity and culture. . The exhibition shown is Chef’s I’ve Worked For by Beaver Sheppard @beaversheeperd. . Read the interview with Beaver @beaversheeperd about his first solo painting show Chef’s I’ve Worked For, a vivid exposé of the chefs he’s worked for in Montreal’s colorful restaurant scene, in the January 2017 edition of @NeverApartMTL Magazine. . Excerpt: In Chefs I’ve Worked For, Sheppard seeks to: paint chefs who have struck a chord in my life. Whether they were upsettingly hands-off or actively suffocating me under their wings, they all tried their hardest to teach me that ‘Chef’ is simply French for ‘Master’.. . The full interview can be read online at: http://ift.tt/2kv1OE8. Link in bio (2/12/17). . Photo by Saad Al-Hakkak @facesmgmt @saadvision. . #chef #chefs #chefsiveworkedfor #beaversheppard #art #artist #performance #painting #music #video #fashion #film #culture #unity #montreal #mileex #mileend #neverapart #entrepreneur #creative #creativity #startup #nonprofit #installation #exhibition #gallery #design

Une publication partagée par Never Apart (@neverapartmtl) le 12 Févr. 2017 à 12h12 PST

Museums and galleries

Must-see winter’s museum exhibitions include the wonderful paintings, costumes and music of CHAGALL: COLOUR AND MUSIC, featuring 340 works by the Russian-French artist at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Part of the 375th programming, kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) artist Skawennati’s solo exhibition Tomorrow People explores time and identity in analog and digital forms, at Oboro. See the influential work of Montréal artist Françoise Sullivan until Feb. 18 at Galerie de l’UQAM. And at the Musée d’art contemporain, Québec artist Emanuel Licha’s Now Have a Look at This Machine documentary installation. In Old Montréal, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye provokes at DHC-ART. Never Apart’s winter exhibition celebrates Black heritage, Indigenous women and more. See artist and novelist Marc Séguin’s multidisciplinary exhibition Atemporalités at Arsenal. The comic book universe of Astérix steps off the page as Grévin Montréal unveils its newest exhibition – see Asterix, Obelix, Dogmatix and more characters among the stars and historical figures already populating the wax museum. And follow our guide to art in the “underground city” pedestrian network and the city’s most stunning churches and other sacred sites.

Live music

On Friday it’s all about vocals: singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk comes to Le Gesù, singer-songwriter Blaise Moore and Locals Only Sound belt it out at Le Bleury, and Mozart’s Sister makes the party happen at Arbutus Records headquarters. Also on Friday, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal plays a different kind of concert: two organists improvise soundtracks to short films by Chaplin, Keaton, Méliès and McLaren at Place des Arts and Black History Month Montréal presents a night of soul, Motown, funk and groove with singer Marie-Christine at Le Balcon on Friday – followed on Saturday by a soul, Motown and disco evening with Kim Richardson, and all kinds of music to dance to at Groove Nation. Also on Saturday, float along to the psychedelic rock of Elephant Stone at Théatre Fairmount, while Common Kings bring their distinctive R&B meets reggae-pop sound to Bar le Ritz P.D.B. and electronic producer Grum turns the beat up at Newspeak while Borgeous runs the dancefloor at New City Gas. Spend Sunday afternoon chilling as DJs Andy Williams and Scott C curate an afternoon of music from the African diaspora at Artgang Montréal alongside a slide show and performances by Jamaican Dub poet Mutabaruka and Clifton Joseph. On Tuesday, hip hop supergroup Run the Jewels and The Gaslamp Killer overthrow Metropolis, Imani Gospel Singers launch their album FAITH in a free event at Le Balcon, and hip hop artist SonReal and Clairmont the Second are at La Sala Rossa. Vasily Petrenko conducts the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and pianist Javier Perianest at Place des Arts Feb. 22-23 and 25. On Feb. 23, violinist Alexandre Da Costa brings his project Stradivarius à l’opéra to Place des Arts, part of the MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE program, and French acoustic reggae group Tryo come to Metropolis. For more, check out where to hear live music in Montréal.

Up next:Your MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE survival guide

  The post Things to do in Montréal February 17 to 23 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

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[thewidowstanton]

Olivia Quayle, hand-to-hand flyer and dancer, Joli Vyann

Joli Vyann was formed in the summer of 2012 by dancer and former gymnast Olivia Quayle – who is from Ringwood in the New Forest – and former martial artist and circus artist Jan Patzke, who comes from Hamburg. They worked previously with many companies, including Dragone, Legs on the Wall, Motionhouse  and Cirq'ulation Locale. Their intention is to integrate storytelling with acrobatic circus skills and athletic dance and to blur the boundaries between those two art forms.

Having premiered their show Stateless at The London International Mime Festival in 2015, they return to the event's 40th celebratory edition with Imbalance, which they created with the award-winning director Jonathan Lunn, who is also the choreographer. Joli Vyann will soon be relocating to Bristol but Olivia chats to Liz Arratoon from New Zealand, where the pair have been on a long hiking holiday. Imbalance runs from 16-19 January, 2017 at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells in London.

The Widow Stanton: Where did you both train? Olivia Quayle: Jan went to circus school in France, at Lomme-Lille, and he also did some dance training there, but before that he started with martial arts as a teenager. That was his original passion. Then he moved into circus in his early twenties. I've had a bit of a strange training really. I did artistic gymnastics competitively when I was child…

When did you start that? When I was two and a half my mum put me into Tumble Tots [laughs] because I had a bit too much energy, tearing around the house. I just loved it and from there I went on to a small local club and then a competitive club and spent my childhood doing a lot of gymnastics. I'd always enjoyed dance and when I stopped gymnastics I made a natural transition into it. First of all I went to Loughborough University and did sports science with English literature, and did gymnastics and dance as part of that degree. They're very sporty at Loughborough and you can do sport and dance with anything. Afterwards I decided I'd like to give it a shot professionally but I thought I needed more training.

So I went to a musical theatre school in Cambridge. I did the dance course but I had to do everything, the whole singing and all of that [laughs]. Looking back now I don't know why I did that. I didn't actually go to a conservatoire in England but I did some conservatoire training in Munich, just a short course, and I travelled around Europe and did some training in various places. I went to San Francisco and did some classes but my first professional dance job was immediately out of dance school. I went to Germany and got a job with a company in a staatstheater; they have staatstheaters in every town, which have a resident dance company. I danced there, pure contemporary. Although I went to a musical theatre school we did contemporary and ballet every day.

Have you had any formal circus training? No, I haven't… well, I did do some silks classes in London. I took my artistic gymnastics and throughout my dance career I kept up the acrobatics, ground-based acrobatics. Dance is such a competitive industry, you go to an audition and if you can do a few tricks it makes people watch you and gives you a better chance of getting a job. In a lot of dance jobs I did they said: "Oh, you do gymnastics, could you do this?"

How did you get together with Jan? We met in Spain as a festival. He was working for a circus company called Cirq'ulation Locale and I was working full time for Motionhouse. Then we started training together just for fun. We all shared dressing rooms and warm-up spaces and got chatting. Jan said: "Come and try to do a handstand on me." I just did one, I mean a bad one [laughs] but I managed to do one. We were working for separate companies but over the next year and a half we were touring in a lot of the same festivals, so we kept getting together and doing a bit of training, and then we actually got together as a couple.

So Jan really helped you… He's trained me in partner acrobatics completely; it's all him. We've been to external coaches; he has a Russian coach in Berlin, who we trained with quite a lot, and we've trained with the coaches at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London. He said to me: "Do you want to be a flyer?" and initially I was like, 'Well, no', [laughs] because I'd done my gymnastics. But it was really fun and the possibilities artistically were endless with mixing the dance side of things and the acrobatic side of things. My love for gymnastics and acrobatics was reborn in that way. It's very competitive when you're a child but when I was working with Jan it was fun and we were working in a circus environment with amazing coaches and I was learning a lot. So I only started hand-to-hand properly four years ago.

Why did you decide to form a company? We were living long-distance and never got to see each other. We didn't really mean to form a company, we just said: "Let's make a show together." So we made a short show and people kept asking for it. [Laughs] We were like: "Oh, people like this!" So it was a great way for us to be able to spend time together. I never thought I'd be able to live and work with the same person in the intensity we do. We're very lucky that we have that.

Tell us about the unusual name? It's actually just an anagram of our names…

Oh, of course it is! We thought it might be an anagram of your dogs’ names or something! [Laughs] …we didn't want it to be too obvious.

You worked with Motionhouse. How are you different? We're very different in that we work with different choreographers. All our work is very different in style. So for example, we have one piece called Don't Drink and Dance, which is a 15-minute street piece. It's very theatrical and very circussy and there's a little bit of dance in there but it's mainly acrobatics. Then we have another piece called Lance Moi En L'Air by a French choreographer called Florence Caillon, in which we explored relaxed acrobatics and release dance; your body is completely relaxed and you explore different ways of moving using breath and energy. It's about contradictions and whether you can be strong and relaxed at the same time. That's a completley different style.

Then we've got Imbalance, which we created with Jonathan Lunn, and that's a completely different style because it's a lot more technical. He's neo-classical, Florence is very relaxed, abstract contemporary dance. The similarity to Motionhouse and what I learned from them is contact improvisation and partner work. They do some fantastic partner work and are a contact-based company so I learned all my contact skills from them. The fantastic thing they've given us is a tool to be able to link dance and acrobatics; we use  a lot of contact to link the two genres. Motionhouse work with different companies, they do collaborations, but at the end of the day Kevin [Finnan] is the choreographer.

Tell us about the work Joli Vyann does with disadvantaged people. This part of our work is so important. For example when we go to a school the best students for us are often people on the brink of expulsion, for example; school isn't for them. But for us, they respond really, really well. Because our work is a little bit different and it's fun and it's exciting anyone can actually do it. You can break it down to make things simple so anyone can do part of what we do. I love that about it. It's a very special thing to be able to influence young people in that way…

And inspire them, I’d imagine… Exactly. We work with a lot of young people. We worked with a school for the disabled. There was a huge range of disabilities and we taught them acrobatics or if they couldn’t do that we taught them hula-hooping or juggling. We had this great experience where we taught almost every single child in that school and everyone could respond to the art. It's so important to give them that opportunity. Kids have this channel nowadays where they're supposed to go but it's not for everybody. I like to be able to offer that.

We did a really nice programme in Portsmouth where we were teaching recovering drug addicts and alcoholics. We did eight-week programmes at a time and we got some amazing responses. A couple of them said to me: "To be able to feel my body in a healthy way is something I'm not used to." One of them was very honest, she said: "Every week I think I don't wanna come, I don't wanna come and then I force myself to come and I love it and by the the end of it I don't wanna go home and take drugs because I feel my body's cleaner from it."

So what can you tell us about Imbalance? Wow, where do I start? Initially we saw a film called Koyaanisqatsi. It's an eighties cult film and shows the relationship between technology and man and nature. It's all in time-lapse. It's starts with all the very expansive natural shots and then goes through to very busy urban environments. There are no words to it, it just has music by Phliip Glass. It shows this progression from nature to the crazy society we live in today and shows the relationship man has with that.

So we were interested in this balance and imbalance of how we manage to continue to live our lives in a way that is not detrimental to our health and our minds, while staying up to date with technology and the way that things happen so fast nowadays. Technology is the umbilical cord to life; teenagers are completely reliant on their phones, you can't go anywhere without people being able to contact you. On the other hand society is also being filled with all these esoteric things, mindfulness and meditation because people need it to balance out the fact that life is so hectic and so fast.

It was such a huge subject so we whittled it down to how it effects relationships and our place in society. The show itself is actually about a couple and part of it was based on Jan and me and our relationship and when we started our company. We were busy dancing around and doing what we love in the studio but everything got really hectic and we had to learn how to do cash flows and budgets and we sat at the computer trying to do funding applications. So the first scene of us typing away madly is based on our first Arts Council application. We didn't speak to each other for two weeks other than: "What do you think about this?" or "What shall I do about that?" There was this massive disconnection between us personally because we were so involved with our computers we didn't take that time. So there our elements of our personal relationship throughout the show. 

What was it like to work with Jonathan? Ah! Amazing! He is so wonderful. First of all he's extremely inspiring as a choreographer, he's got so much experience and that wealth of knowledge so we were absolutely ecstatic to be able to work with him. Then being in the studio itself was such a pleasure because he's so relaxed. It was such a joy and we genuinely had a wonderful time and created a really special bond. We're very good friends now, which is lovely.

So the whole process was really enjoyable and also very interesting because he uses a very particular choreographic process where he uses text. He takes a passage from Othello for example, and gets us to create movement to each word and then he'll layer it, so he'll say: "Make this movement as if you were a mosquito or as if you're a chef." By saying that it brings out a certain quality of movement that then suits that particular past of the show, but at the time we're making it we don't know what's going on in his head. We were thinking: “What's this got to do with this part?” but we both totally put our trust in him and went with it and then later we’d go: "Oh yeah, that works."

How did you come to work with him? We're very lucky. We have amazing producers called Turtle Key Arts and they are wonderful. They've worked with him and produced his early work. We were doing a little performance for a Christmas charity event for Turtle Key and Jonathan was there. So we met there initially and then met again, all through Turtle Key.

And what do you like about working with Jan? There are lots of things. First of all… people always say to me: "You must really trust each other," and it's funny because it's sort of just there. I don't really think about it but I do implicitly trust him. Then, of course, being my partner that trust is deeper. We're very lucky to work in that unique way where we can use that trust and bring it out onstage.

In terms of circus he's the one who's taught me. I have the skills from gymnastics and everything else but he's taught me hand-to-hand technique. He's been a base for 15 years now and is very knowledgable. He's passed that on. And it's fun working together. We said the minute is wasn't fun anymore, there'd be no point in doing it. It's hard work as well and you have to make sure you're relationship doesn't suffer because you're working all the time, but we get to do this cool job together, which we both love.

How do you feel about being included in the 40th London International Mime Festival? I don't really know how to put it into words. We've only been going four years as a company and for us, it's… first of all as a child I was always like, 'Oh, I want to dance at Sadler's Wells', and to be able to do that with my own company for the Mime Festival is absolutely amazing. We're really, really chuffed and excited and very honoured to be part of such a prestigious event at such a prestigious venue. And apparently we've almost sold out!

Imbalance runs from 16-19 January, 2017 at the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells during the 40th London International Mime Festival.

For Imbalance tickets click here

Picture credits: Moving Productions; Gigi Giannella

Joli Vyann are associate artists of The Point, Eastleigh

Twitter: @JoliVyann @MimeLondon @Sadlers_Wells @TurtleKeyArts @PointEastleigh

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To read about other flyers see our interviews with Lolita Costet, Tain Molendijk, Beren D’Amico and Àfrica