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hulloitsdani · 3 months ago

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In today's episode of cleaning out the wip backlog, we got an attempt to reimagine the Alfonse brave alt that got totally derailed by the Elden Ring DLC soundtrack! I have been chipping away at this for MONTHS now, and will probably continue to do so, but I think it's at a stage where I am willing to share it.

But uh, to say that I only drew this would be a big fat lie. So if you would be so kind, come with a journey under the cut as I show you some of the methods to my madness.

With me? Awesome. Let's get a little weird.

So I initially intended this to be a one and done drawing. Similar to the outfit prompts. I had an idea and only intended to make one illustration of it. Since it was on the brain at the time, I wanted to reference the Miquella and Radahn shot from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. That resulted in this sketch:

Fun! I had a good time with this one.

So during the time of Alfonse's Brave alt release, there was conversation about how, despite how pretty the art was, it was not quite fitting for Alfonse's character. And I was inclined to agree. Alfonse had a loaded relationship with his dad, and giving him an alt that was strictly him in his outfit didn't work in the same way it did for a character like Ike. So I was playing with how to solve for that here, went through a few options that aren't visible anymore, and came to the conclusion to keep the silhouette but change the details. Alfonse, a not very tall or buff guy, didn't really look right in Gustav's chest plate. So I threw on the dragon scales back on and things started falling into place. Neat!

Problem: I didn't really want to be working on this sketch anymore. Happens. Sometimes you reach the maximum amount of fun you're going to have with a piece and it's healthier to just leave it where it is. But I was still having fun with the idea of a Miquella and Radahn power dynamic with Kiran and Alfonse. Maybe not as fundamentally and delightfully fucked, but running with the idea of how bad it might be for everyone involved if Kiran was able to put their friends under contract.

So here is when I opened up a new file and started brainstorming.

So is the premise for this au(?). I guess this is an au! Cool! Idk I was just having a little bit of fun. This is also as clean as these sketches are gonna get. If messy doodles and thumbnails are your thing, you've come to the right place.

So something I wanted to explore right away was how, unlike Miquella and Radahn, both parties are still somewhat mentally present in this new state they're in. It gets a little weird, as Kiran is in Alfonse's head so often that it starts to become unclear where one starts and the other ends. But they're in this predicament because their loneliness issues got the better of them. Overriding the other's thoughts and presence would defeat the point. So they'll have moments where you can see them... separate, for lack of a better way of putting it. Where Kiran will pop up from their apparent malaise and check if Alfonse is (physically) alright.

Next up is spectral arm time. I imagine that Kiran has a jack pot of different powerful abilities, but they're not a fan of using them. Got this visual in my head of them summoning these hands to cover more weapon types, but doing so makes them physically recoil. The force of it tries to push them away, but it can't, so they come back to rest, more winded than before.

These marketable plushies are often bought together please do not separate!!! Idea here being that if enough damage is dealt to Alfonse to knock him down, Kiran will get PISSED, grab the axe, and go nuts. A little spooky considering that it wasn't clear that they could leave Alfonse's side up until that point. Is definitely the most emotion we've seen on them so far too. But while in their frenzy, Alfonse, upon realizing the god on his shoulder is gone, will grab the bonds connecting them and pull them back. Very desperate moves from the both of them. Rational thought has left the building.

Last but not least, hey this looks familiar! Found the sketch for initial illustration. Neat! Genuinely forgot that I initially sketched it here, and then copied it elsewhere to make a full illustration. But that's her!!! That's the bones!!! Kinda crazy looking at it now considering how long I've been tinkering with this one.

Also I couldn't fit this anywhere, but before I forget, Kiran can't really see? They're having an Everything Everywhere All At Once moment where, if not grounding themself via Alfonse, they will be blinded by the infinite amount of everything their divine domain now ties them to. So they look out of it a lot of the time because... well they are. Alfonse is seeing for the both of them.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! This was rotating this in my head for a while and I'm glad to have it finally out there :D

#Ironic that I ended up doing the outfit prompts for Kiran. This was technically the first one I did lol #Guys digital painting is hard! Hurts my brain a little. You can tell because my layers for this are a god damn nightmare #More than 20 layers is very gross for me. This was... significantly more than that. Owie my brain...#But it's done! Yippee!#Don't got much else to say atm but feel free to ask about stuff! I might have answers.#art tag #feh #fire emblem heroes #fire emblem #feh kiran #fe kiran #kiran #feh summoner #fe summoner #feh alfonse #fe alfonse #alfonse #kiralfonse

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sketchoco · 6 months ago

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Spooky Month: Ruff Month

“After going through a difficult time, Skid and Pump were ready to celebrate Spooky Month. However, with some support and advice from his sister, Pump was more aware about how he and his friend often come across danger and became more cautious. What he doesn’t know is what danger is awaiting them… and it will be ruff.”

Mixing two hyperfixations together. Mainly, the current focus is the RRB and the Hatzgang, but k thought that it would be cool to have a fan made thumbnail

Hope you guys like it!!

#Ruff Month #spooky month #skid and pump #skid spooky month #pump spooky month #powerpuff girls #rowdyruff boys #brick rowdy ruff boys #boomer rowdy ruff boys #butch rowdy ruff boys #crossover #artists on tumblr #sketchychoco

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officialoacus · 3 months ago

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This was originally meant to be a thumbnail for the 2024 Halloween event in the fan-made Spooky Month Roleplay on Roblox, but due to procrastination, lack of motivation and having lots of school work to focus on, i decided to instead make it another fanart in the vein of the Spooky Month episode thumbnails, as it's currently a small little trend as of the time i'm writing this. I apologize for not finishing this in time for October, so please enjoy.

Maskslicer (the villain in the background) created by Zold1, make sure to check out Spooky Month Roleplay but only if you want, okie.

#spooky month #thumbnail #roblox #spooky month fanart #spooky month oc

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sunny6677 · 2 years ago

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Made another Spooky Month AU.

It's titled "Spooky Month: A Few Years Later."

Part 1: Skid and Pump, Episode 1 concept, and Summary.

TWS: TRAUMA MENTIONS, TRAUMA IMPLICATIONS, CULT MENTIONS, SUPERNATURAL OCCURENCES.

Summary: The AU takes place a few years later when Skid and Pump are in their teen years. Skid and Pump haven't had any crazy adventures for a while now, since after episode 5, they were basically forbidden to go without Lila to basically anywhere alone again. But one night, they decide to be dumb teenagers and sneak into a seemingly abandoned building, and end up stealing a suspicious key. Little do they know, for whatever reason, this key seems to be bringing them bad luck, and thus, their spooky adventures are back again. But this time, the spooky adventures are worse, and more horrifying than they used to be.

Skid: Skid has become more smug and teasing over the years, and has a rather dry sense of humor. He's currently going through kind of an emo phase, but that isn't important. Skid can go a little far with his teasing without meaning to sometimes though, and if he realizes it, he will usually apologize for it. But he is also very intelligent, and has very good survival instincts. Skid is also now skilled at the guitar, for whatever reason.. also yes, he still does love Spooky Month, just not as much anymore. He also doesn't dress in his skeleton costume 24/7 anymore either.

Pump: Pump has become more chaotic, and playful. He's very overly blunt, and will often come across as rude without meaning to. He likes going on adventures sometimes, but he's also a bit of a coward when it comes to the spooky stuff he isn't used to. He also swears like a sailor, and is very loud. He also tends to get into verbal fights with Susie a lot. And when danger comes, he will usually hide behind Skid. And yes, he too loves Spooky Month too, but not as much anymore, and doesn't dress up in his pumpkin costume 24/7 anymore.

Designs:

I also had a concept for how episode 1 would go in this au, I even made my own fan made thumbnail for it.

Basically, in this episode, Skid and Pump would decide to be teenagers, and would end up coming across this abandoned building that they heard was haunted. The two of them decided to go in(sneak in), curious to see if it was really what people said it was. The two would sneak around a bit, and would tease eachother and joke around with eachother. But then, supernatural occurrences would start to happen. Such as a figure of a ghost-like little girl peeking around the corner, ghostly voices of children, disembodied laughter, doors slamming on their own(Pump would probably get locked in on accident, and Skid would literally have to bust the door down to help him.). Pump would probably be scared out of his mind, and Skid would reassure him that they would get out of there as soon as he checked one place he didn't quite explore yet(Skid is scared too, but not as much as Pump.). Pump would probably follow behind Skid, very nervous and scared and desperate for protection. Skid would then check the room he didn't explore yet, and would find a mysterious and suspicious key laying on the ground. It looked to be harmless, so Skid would probably take it, and would lightly joke around in an attempt to cheer Pump up. But then, as the two are joking around, a mysterious and intimidating cult member shows up. Pump begins to shout scared but aggresive insults at the cult member, while Skid stands in front of him protectively while confronting the cult member. After the cult member would speak to them in an ominous and almost unhearable manner, the power would probably conveniently go out, and the cult member would begin to laugh manically while chasing after them in the dark. Skid and Pump would only manage to narrowly escape the building and the cult member, not stopping their running until they finally get back into Skids car. Skid would probably frantically drive home, saying he would report what happened to the police. Later on towards the end of the episode, the police would probably say they found no one there, and would most likely think they were pranking them, no matter how hard Skid and Pump tried to explain it. Skid and Pump would obviously be upset about this, but Skid would be more focused on comforting Pump about what happened, since he's probably traumatized now(Skid is also probably a little traumatized). The episode would end with Skid in his bedroom, holding the suspicious key in his hand while observing it, before shoving it into his drawer.

#spooky month #spooky month au #read the tws #skid and pump #pump and skid #skid spooky month #pump spooky month

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zombiedeers · 2 years ago

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Spooky Month - Podcaster's Possession

A fake thumbnail for a fake Spooky Month Episode based around, from left to right, Dallas, Judas and Lin (@ghostypeppers @pastelprince18). The general plot of the 'episode' below the cut.

The spooky kids get invited onto the podcast belonging to Dallas, Judas and Lin, and during it, they have to cut the podcast episode short because of possession from the cult taking over Dallas and Lin's mind and bodies. No longer quite being 'themselves'. Judas has to keep Skid and Pump safe from his close friends through rather Home Alone-esque means while hopefully not truly harming them, while the two kids are oblivious through the most of the episode and almost get harms way several times either due to the traps Judas set, or nearly encountering Dallas or Lin.

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catrinita-jadez · 2 years ago

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I've seen people make fan-made spooky month episode thumbnails and I wish I could do that.

But.

I HAVE NO MOTIVATION, I DONT KNOW HOW TO DRAW IN THEIR ART STYLE.

AHHHHHH.

But I'll do it soon!

It'll be called "upon the graves"

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huemanity2019 · 7 years ago

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Huemanity ‘19 FAQ

GENERAL

What is the calendar going to look like?

Huemanity 2019 will be an NBC Hannibal inspired art collab calendar featuring 36 artists.

The calendar will be 11x8.5”, spiral bound with full color illustrations on the month and calendar pages.

When and how is the calendar going to be sold?

We will open the pre-order via tictail on October 15th. We will offer calendar-only orders as well as bundles with our three postcard designs!

After the pre-order ends, we will print in bulk via smartpress. If there is enough interest, we may run a second pre-order later on!

Who are the mods behind this project?

@nim-lock is a NY based illustrator interested in skeletons. Their work focuses primarily on normalizing queer existence in society. Feel free to check out their cannibalistic children's book, Wendell the Wendigo!

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TUMBLR | TWITTER

@carrioncrowned is a med student and hobbyist traditional artist who may or may not have a slight obsession with flowers, anatomy, Hannibal and watercolor.

MAIN BLOG | ART ONLY BLOG | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

@miasmatik is a freelance artist with a background in scientific research, as well as a passion for all things neon and spooky. They have kindly agreed to join us for the artist selection period as a tie breaker vote!

TUMBLR | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

Where does the money go?

Most of the cost will go into producing the calendar and affording the contributor copies. Of the remaining proceeds, 20% will be donated to a LBGTQIA+ charity (TBA) and the rest will be distributed between the artists. Last year, we were able to give $493.50 USD to Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary !

I have a question that wasn’t answered by this FAQ. What can I do?

Either send an ask to the official blog, a DM to our twitter account or send an email to [email protected]

FOR ARTISTS

APPLY HERE | INFO | SCHEDULE

Can I still apply to the calendar?

YES! Applications are open until August 5th, and you can apply until the very last day!

What does the ‘portfolio’ question mean? What’s it good for?

The portfolio is so the mods can see what kind of art you make! You can post a link to

a website

an art only social media account

an art tag

any other link where we can easily find your art!

How are the slots going to be assigned?

We are NOT assigning the slots using "first come first serve". There is going to be a selection based on your submitted portfolio at the end of the application process, decided by the three votes of each of the mods.

Depending on how many people apply, we may not have enough space for everyone. Please don’t take this selection personally—we don’t mean to hurt or exclude anybody, but unfortunately space in a calendar is limited.

You can improve your chances by selecting multiple options AND checking yes in the "backup artist" field; that way, if your preferred slot becomes available again, we may be able to offer it to you!

I’m nervous about applying because getting a rejection would seriously damage my self esteem. What should I do?

This is a decision you need to make for yourself. We want this calendar to be a fun project for everyone, so we‘d advise you to think carefully if being rejected would be just a minor disappointment to you, or a major insult that would make you question the quality of your art.

Please be kind to yourself and know your own limits - it’s okay to be vulnerable when it feels like people are criticizing something you’ve put a lot of effort and creativity in, but it’s also okay to admit that you’re currently not in a position where you want to deal with these kinds of situations at all!

We will absolutely try to be as objective as we possibly can (taking into consideration that we’re just fans ourselves) and give everyone a chance. We will not be selecting based on fandom popularity or follower counts!

CONTENT RULES

Color palette / theme

While there ARE colors assigned to each slot, we’ve decided to permit artists to use a full palette in their artworks. That means you CAN give Hannibal red eyes and a blue tie even if your assigned color is yellow, but it has to be immediately obvious what your assigned color was.

Some ways to tell if your idea fits the bill:

have you altered the color in a way that it’s not easily visible (too dark, too light, too desaturated)

does it look too similar to another month’s assigned color?

if you scale your image down to a small preview, is the eye immediately drawn to your assigned color?

if you’re still unsure, send a thumbnail or WIP to the mods and ask!

Hannigram, yes or no?

Fuck yes, but it’s absolutely not mandatory. If you want to draw gen Hannibal or a different ship, go ahead! Please be aware that the mods are all Hannigram shippers and we will be donating parts of our proceeds to an LGBTQIA+ charity, so if that kind of content bothers you, this may not be a fitting project for you.

Nudity/sexual content

Artistic nudity is allowed, but please keep it (relatively) SFW. No showing the goods, no fondling over the clothes, no cum etc. - nothing we’d have to cover with a fig leaf!

Gore

NBC Hannibal is a show with a canonically high amount of gore - as with last year’s calendar, we don’t want the illustrations to get too graphic, but feel that banning it entirely would be a disservice to the aesthetics of the show.

Therefore, aesthetic gore is allowed.

For reference, please consult the example images attached under the cut (for content warning reasons) or ask the mods!

‘Aesthetic’ gore

‘Hard‘ gore

#huemanity calendar 2019 #cannibal calendar #FAQ #Hannibal #cw gore #artist information #cw body horror #cw blood #cw death

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almasexya · 6 years ago

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Horrorthon 2018

So I've decided to go through as many Netflix horror movies as I can this month, provided I haven't seen them before, and give my take on them, out of the hopes that there's still some good stuff out there yet to be discovered.

With that out of the way, tonight I watched Terrifier, aka that one where the thumbnail is a scary clown man. Terrifier is at heart a slasher, which comes with all the baggage that entails, but the performance of David Howard Thornton as the titular Art the Clown elevates this one beyond your average "unstoppable guy murders people" movie.

I didn't take notes during this one so I'm writing directly after I watch it since things are fresh. Basically the gist is that Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) get stranded after a party, run afoul of Art, and then the murdering starts.

There's plenty to like in this one if you can handle the gore and violence against women that's unfortunately common in the genre, so I wouldn't blame anyone for skipping it on those accounts. And make no mistake, this movie is downright nasty, with enough blood and guts to satisfy anyone who's into that sort of thing. I must reiterate again, this is one of the goriest movies I've seen in years by far. There's a lot of great tension in this one too, with a particular scene in a pizza parlor as a real standout, with not a drop of blood shed the whole time.

The movie was made with a small budget, but director Damien Leone put the money where it counts, and none of the effects look cheap, in fact it's quite the opposite. The movie does have a bit of a washed out, over saturated look to it, but it's only evident in some scenes.

I honestly can't tell if the movie is a love letter to slasher tropes, or if it's just leaning on them, since it commits to most of the old favorites without really commenting on them. There's your classics, like characters making dumb decisions to further the plot, a setting that is primarily comprised of spooky hallways, garages, and warehouses, and a seemingly invincible antagonist, but Thornton is having so much fun as Art that it makes some of this more tolerable, though I'll never get over characters who run away from the murderer after incapacitating him, instead of, you know, finishing the job for their own safety.

All that said, Terrifier is a fun diversion if you're a slasher fan, and there's a lot of care put into this one, whether it be into the shot composition or the acting and presentation of the titular clown. If you're not a slasher fan, this one isn't going to convert you, it's just going to make you wish you could get that 90 minutes back.

Anyway I hope this was cool to read, let me know if you're into this sort of thing, if I get enough interest I'll try to get on an actual schedule. I'll also tag these as "Kraig's horror marathon" for those of you who aren't interested.

#kraig's horror marathon

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sinplasm · 2 years ago

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Wanted to draw my own spooky month thumbnail with my oc

(This was made 2 weeks ago so sorry if it’s trash)

#spooky #spooky month #spooky month pump #spooky month skid #spooky month oc #spooky month thumbnail #spooky month edit #spooky month fan made #art #digital fanart #digital art

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sleepyskunk · 7 years ago

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Deconstructing the 2017 Movie Trailer Mashup

Why deconstructing a mashup? Because these videos are often perceived as a random mess of pretty images from movie trailers. While that’s absolutely true, there’s an opportunity to explore themes and also pay a few obscure tributes to elements that don’t belong in the video itself but that are generally widespread within pop culture. These montages have been going on for a few years now, and it’s hard to edit the footage in a way that won’t feel reminiscent of one of the many great retrospectives put out by other talented editors in years past. I have to say that trying to build a narrative with all that footage has now become more enticing to me than to highlight the moments that made the year in cinema within their proper context. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Someone on Reddit commented: “starting off with GEOSTORM, that’s a bold move!” and it didn’t even cross my mind. The shot was exactly where I wanted to go right off the bat - a blend of childlike wonder and eerie caution reminiscent of earlier Tim Burton films. The track was composed for a television spot called “A Wonderful Day” from IT and it showcases major Danny Elfman influences. Thus, this was my small tribute to the Burton/Elfman collabs happening under snowfalls like EDWARD SCISSORHANDS or BATMAN RETURNS. I loved the contrast in dialogue from PERSONAL SHOPPER which was such an under-appreciated indie film this year. Every mashup has its horror section, but I am gently sneaking you in by the supernatural door this time around. It’s just innocent enough to deceive those who hate horror.

Childlike wonder flawlessly captured in one shot, from the lens of Matt Reeves. I can’t say I connect emotionally with his APES movies, but the quality control on every frame, CGI or otherwise, it pretty much above and beyond all industry standards. That facial expression is exactly what I needed, you can tell she’s not too sure whether she’s safe or not but without feeling properly scared either. This is like the part in the original POLTERGEIST where kitchen chairs are moving on their own and the family still thinks it’s kind of fun. Kind of.

KING ARTHUR is the best type of release when it comes to trailer mashups because 1) it had a fantasy undertone 2) it was tracking poorly and 3) it went way over budget. Big studios know months in advance if they have a major bomb on their hands, and they have two choices at that point: either stop spending a penny on it and dump it for a quick theatre run and VOD release (more common if the movie didn’t cost that much) or, like in this case, spend extra millions of dollars to sell the shit out of that movie on opening week-end before everyone realizes it’s bad. Those extra millions go towards CGI money shots like the one above, which is really meant to make the marketing more attractive and oh dear lord, did KING ARTHUR have some last minute money shots to offer or what? It was a joy to pick and choose from its nine trailers.

This is where I put my cards on the table, whimsy never happened and I am taking you all to creepytown. That shot from ANNABELLE: CREATION is one of the many that upstages the featured evil doll in that wonderful movie and the film’s cinematographer Maxime Alexandre reached out because he was happy so much of his work was featured. You never know in front of who your videos can end up and industry people are keen on celebrating the year in film, especially if their own works are included. This is just a top notch unsettling shot clearly inspired by THE SHINING (the girl’s dress and the way her arms look lifeless.) On a side note, I always manually add all sounds including that floor cracking. If anyone reading this is starting off editing mashups, I promise you one thing: using professional, isolated, studio-recorded sound effect packages such as BOOM library is much superior to the original trailer track (unless you get a clean sound within the trailer.)

Another random insight (if you’re interested in making your own movie mashups) is to try as much as possible to avoid that one marketing shot everyone recognizes. You can revisit a memorable moment but going straight to the most oversold shot of a film hurts you. While you’re eager to make everyone relive the most epic imagery of the year, some value gets lost when a studio bombarded the same shot over and over and you go for it. Two quick examples: Giant hologram JOI pointing at Ryan Gosling in BLADE RUNNER 2049. I wanted that moment, but the original side-scroller shot was so overused that I went with her from a closer angle (see video thumbnail). Another example is that uncomfortable sniffle from Daniel Kaluuya in GET OUT which I favored over the super overplayed mouth open crying paralyzed shot from every marketing piece. In both cases, I assume you know which shots I am referring to without having to show them. Trying the alternative makes us relive the moment without its obviousness. It gives that other shot they didn’t choose its moment to shine (and more often than not, it’s just as effective.)

Someone’s not getting much sleep. A CURE FOR WELLNESS is a gorgeous-looking film no matter what you think of its bizarre plot points. I spend much of the first segment flirting with the creative key points from IT. One I tried to play around with is the idea of Pennywise as a half-real/half-fiction monster, and how similar to Wes Craven’s A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET his realm of terror extends. A few winning concepts in both films: 1) He isn’t real but he can really hurt you so you have to stay on your guard at all times and 2) Only a select few have been cursed with having to deal with him, adding a psychological layer to an already spooky premise. Dane Dehaan looks like a kid from Derry, or Elm street if you prefer, whose mental focus seems affected by the fact that he saw something, and his friend saw him too. Meanwhile, I throw in a completely out of context quote from Vanessa Redgrave which ties in that mysterious “sickness” from Verbinski’s film.

A shot from PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN from a trailer edited by Kees van Dijkhuizen Jr. for Annapurna Pictures where he works as an in-house editor now. In 2015, I talked about Gen Ip’s storytelling approach and last year I praised Matt Shapiro’s famously epic crescendos, so this year, let’s talk about Kees a little bit because I find all their influences fascinating. My first observation is how far his much-adored Cinema series has taken him, and that one of the top production houses in the business (if not the top, sorry A24 and Fox Searchlight) hired him so he could bring his own distinct style onto their major features. The whole trailer mashup craze started off only a few years back and so many editors were recruited right off YouTube to turn their passion into a livelihood down in Los Angeles. I can think of at least six editors whose names you’d recognize and who are now living the dream, and I consider this to be really inspiring because none of them initially got into it thinking something like that was ever possible. (side note: I also moved to L.A. and was poached by a trailer house but prefer to keep things on the low-end until it’s been long enough. I wouldn’t want to jinx it.)

The second observation about Kees is how much influence he’s had on every mashup that gets uploaded on a daily basis every December (me included) - I will link his Cinema series below. Instead of pairing clips into a horror bit, an action bit, a laughing and dancing bit, a kissing and crying bit, Kees was always out to create new feelings and nothing ever seemed more important than proper flow. Many shots would pop-up that you would never expect thematically, images of moving objects like a breaking glass transitioned with a girl’s hair waving through the wind (also see the lie detector in the previous shot.) He would connect nature documentaries right along with major superhero blockbusters and the movements flowed so perfectly that nothing ever felt out of place, quite the contrary. He was the best shot curator we’ve ever seen, and the order in which he put them together was beyond logic and predictability. Imagine “One Perfect Shot” but with 275 perfect shots back-to-back. If you want a prime example of what I’m referring to (random objects and flow), check out 2:49 - 2:52 from his Cinema 2011 (links below). Kees set the bar so high that attempting an end-of-year mashup certainly felt foolish at times, but hoping to improve made the editing process all the more inspiring.

CINEMA 2008 | CINEMA 2009 | CINEMA 2010 | CINEMA 2011 | CINEMA 2012

So apparently, they have the internet and flat-screen TV’s in RINGS but landline phones are still a thing. Quite frankly, I haven’t seen RINGS and I bet it’s aggressively ordinary, but how retro horror is that shot? Paired up with the voice of THE SNOWMAN saying “Mister Policeman” it’s a throwback to Nancy being terrorized by Freddy in the original Nightmare of Elm Street (minus the tongue.) I was also pleased with the aesthetic of HAPPY DEATH DAY, clearly the product of horror fans who grew up during the low-budget slasher craze of the early ‘80s. It’s got MY BLOODY VALENTINE written all over it (meanwhile their poster was paying homage to APRIL FOOL’S DAY.) Retro horror, in all its disturbing practical gore glory! Rick Baker, Tom Savini, how much we missed you in our modern times where only a few major productions have enough VFX money to escape the uncanny valley (and even then... *cough* JUSTICE LEAGUE.)

I always tend to edit right on tempo, which means switching shots at the exact moment the music beat tells you to. But over here, I thought this elevator drop from FLATLINERS looked so frenetic and out of control that I started it half a second before as if the beat couldn’t keep up! Like in cartoons when the car accelerates so fast that it takes off but their eyeballs are standing still for a little fraction. This whole mashup sequence is meant to be a little cartoony and tongue-in-cheek. To anyone who found this to be disturbing (and yes, I heard from a few viewers who said it was too much) I must admit that it wasn’t my intention. I won’t apologize for my work, people choose to watch if they want to or not. But if I really tried my best to scare the crap out of you, I can assure you THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE wouldn’t have made the cut.

Now channeling a CHILD’S PLAY vibe thanks to this retro television shot from the highly underrated BRIGSBY BEAR. A kids program works well as an element of fear because it’s supposed to be a safely protected zone of positivity and care, just like a doll or a clown for that matter. Once that turns on its head and begins to attack, you basically have nowhere else to hide. It also makes for great contrast, and Andy Muschietti must have had an absolute blast this year incorporating this component into his remake of IT. The bear costume was one of the many shots that wasn’t from a horror movie and yet I used to great effect in this section. I know there was a new CHILD’S PLAY movie this year but sadly, it didn’t hold a candle to the Hitchcockian original.

“At the end of the day, people are out for themselves.” That’s not true, and only people who are out for themselves could believe that. Because if you’re weighing low on the morality scale at some point in life, you still wanna go to bed thinking you’re a good person. So if you can’t justify what you did, the best logical next step is to convince yourself that human nature is to blame, that everyone else would have done the same as you. Ask people who were charged with insider trading on the stock market, they’ll always say “everybody was doing it.” I could refer to a certain World War to keep hammering that point but instead, I’d like to point out the interesting contrast between this and Part 3. I try to disprove that very statement by showing in the finale that everything we do that matters is for others, and others are the only thing that matters once everything else has come and gone.

The KING ARTHUR studio spending extra millions of dollars to sell the shit out of that movie on opening week-end before everyone realizes it’s bad money shot festival continues. EPIC! In fact, that shot is so gorgeous, you could place it anywhere in any mashup ever and it would probably work.

Having a bit of fun giving a more literal visual cue to IT’s “We all float down here” with Guillermo Del Toro’s hypnotically beautiful THE SHAPE OF WATER. However, it’s not the tudum tssshh, get it? movie connection that works here. It’s the underwater sound effect and the incredible sound mixing by trailer house Buddha Jones so that Georgie’s voice seems to come from the bottom of the ocean. This is likely the best sound work you’ll hear in the entire mashup, and I didn’t mix it, the editors behind that teaser trailer did. In fact, their work was so effective at scaring people that it earned twice the amount of views on YouTube than what Avengers: Infinity War received. A fact Kevin Feige will likely never admit.

That moment when you realize your manic pixie dream girl wears white socks! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I've used vulgarity in the past but not every year, depends whether it brings value. Some of you may remember “Game on, c***suckers” from KICK-ASS 2 in 2013 or “Nap time, motherf***ers” from COOTIES in 2015. Perhaps there’s another guilty pleasure at play here, however, which is that feeling of pure creative freedom. As mentioned earlier, not everyone digged the horror undertone of this year’s Part 1 and that’s okay because it went exactly where I wanted to go and no compromise was made. No client notes. No studio revisions. No censor beeper (which makes it worse because we seek to find out what the word was.) If you get into professional careers that are creative in nature, you’ll find that teamwork, compromise, and not taking anything personally are all essential components for success. But when the movie trailer mashup comes around, I report to no one. And that moment from THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI is one I wanted included as soon as the red band trailer came out.

This shot comes from a small movie you should seek out called MY NAME IS EMILY starring Evanna Lynch (aka Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies.) The film was directed by Simon Fitzmaurice who was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (ALS) a few years ago, the debilitating disease for which the viral ice-bucket challenge was based on. He wrote the screenplay for this movie while his body was entirely paralyzed, and the only way he could communicate with the cast and crew while shooting the film was through eye gaze technology. There was a documentary following his brave journey that played Sundance called IT’S NOT YET DARK. Check it out if you need some real work ethic motivation and want to feel truly inspired about overcoming challenges. Much better than THE DISASTER ARTIST which is a spoof about a millionaire with no talent who mistreated the people who worked on his film. Okay, it’s still very entertaining and James Franco is hilarious but I don’t get a ‘never give up’ vibe from it, more like ‘maybe this isn’t for you.’

With the second segment, I was going for a British Gangster film vibe, hence the music cue Main Offender by The Hives. No movie captured that feeling better than Ben Wheatley’s FREE FIRE this year. I find the criminals in British movies are equally as clever in their quips as they are dangerous and often have the appearance of fair, well-behaved citizens until they have a reason to go mad. Jon Hamm’s performance in BABY DRIVER was also a textbook definition of that archetype, because all the build-up scenes where he acts friendly and discusses music with the titular character only bring an element of surprise at the end of his arc (spoilers: he’s not that nice in the end) I am aware that BABY DRIVER takes place in America but it’s directed by a Brit so it counts!

If Kubrick only knew his famous jump cut from 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY that connects a flying bone to a space shuttle would lead to this fifty years later. What a shit show jump cuts have become! But they’re fun, and let’s be honest here: 7 minutes of serious quotes about life would get a little heavy. The way you edit jump cuts is the same way to solve a puzzle with over a thousand pieces. Extract dozens of short action clips onto your timeline and try to make them fit with one another over and over until you’re entertained. I mean, the music stays the same in the background, all I am doing here is deciding which projectile this pair of underpants from CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS will become. The answer was a tranquilizer from the underground mall chase sequence in Bong Joon-ho’s excellent OKJA. Maybe we should try one really long domino of jump cuts one day. Should take forever to edit, but how much fun would it be?

Did you know that Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander was a professional ballet dancer before she started acting? Work ethic applies in everything you do. When you hear about successful actors, you often discover people who are world-class at delivering under pressure and dedicating themselves to their craft with an insane amount of work. Acting is hard and yet so many people think they can do it, which makes it even harder. At least ballet puts constraints right off the bat, you need flexibility and a specific body frame. Part 3 is about finding your passion AND putting in the work. Just finding your passion is hard! It’s not always the bottomless pit one could hope for, especially when it becomes a real job with hours upon hours of work. Many people don’t even know what their passion is, they know what they’re good at but don’t love it. “Without your passion, it’s very hard to find our place in the world.” I don’t think you need your income to come from your passion in order to find said place, but I wish everyone that many of the limited hours they have each day goes towards their passion, and not towards something that feels like a waste of time. Wanting to wake up has everything to do with what happens after your first cup of coffee. Put your time towards something meaningful to you, even if it’s only on evenings and week-ends and you’ll never make a penny from it. If you love animals, volunteer at a shelter. If you love to travel, just GO!

But what happens when your family conflicts with your passion? Would you leave them behind to pursue your dreams? We all remember the tragic scene from DEAD POETS SOCIETY where a young scholar gets forced by his father to become a doctor instead of his passion and commits suicide. And then we have this year’s COCO, Pixar’s big comeback, where music is prohibited in Miguel’s family but it’s all he dreams about. But that conundrum doesn’t even have to be confrontational in nature. What if you wanted to work in a low-paying field like online journalism because it’s what you love but your single parent (who always took care of you) became sick and needed you to take care of their treatment. What happens then? What comes first? I humbly try to answer that later in the segment, of course.

We always told you Daniel Radcliffe... you’re special. That’s why you have a scar on your forehead that looks like a bolt... Just kidding, poor guy. I look at Mark Hamill in THE LAST JEDI and keep thinking that if studios are still a private enterprise in 40 years, some new Harry Potter movie will come out in which an old bearded Radcliffe will be teaching at Hogwarts. (PS: he keeps making bold choices, so much so that I am willing to watch anything he’s in.)

A man’s reach... (or woman, btw) should exceed his/her grasp. Words from a poem by Robert Browning, suggesting that, to achieve anything worthwhile, a person should attempt even those things that may turn out to be impossible. The downside with attempting the impossible is two-fold, however. 1) You may spend your life trying and never succeed. 2) If you do get there after so much sacrifice and effort, the world will expect you to do it again, or to keep doing it at the same level or better. If you won a Gold medal at the last Olympics, what are the expectations for the upcoming Olympics? That’s where passions and dreams enter a darker road, one many people choose to avoid altogether. But whatever happens, it’s worth the risk as long as you have the one thing along the way that’s a hundred times more important. And that thing is...

...people who love each other! Look at this guy, he just figured it out!

Kate Mara in MEGAN LEAVEY really seems to be the one thinking out loud in this shot while we hear a quote from THEIR FINEST. I had a blast with the Freddy Krueger references earlier but this is my favorite part. Audiomachine make the best tracks to bring that crescendo to its proper peak. You can say this part of the mashup is more in my comfort zone. And the influences from Kees that I discussed earlier can be felt here. Some shots of objects and landscapes that aren’t thematically connected but keep a nice flow. I also handpicked the best cinematography of the year all at once here. MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS was a damn pretty movie, then SHAPE OF WATER, then THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS, then OKJA. Every shot looks like a million bucks. Notice the use of paper, letters and ink. I want to see you again, a character from EVERYTHING EVERYTHING writes on a sheet.

Family comes first is nice, but along with family comes conflict and distance at times. Things we said that we regret. Times we let each other down, or weren’t there when we needed to. All the papers dropping from the bridge, all the shots that refer to letter writing, that’s where I was going with that. Not always obvious because it moves so damn fast which is why I do this deconstruction blog post every year!

The final big lift from Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! Also, the first frame I added onto my AVID timeline. This is how I organize my work basically. I pick the right songs, then I identify the exact moments in that song where a big moment should happen - if you use trailer music, it will be crystal clear what those are. And then I try money shots in each of these spots over and over until one really, really fits. Then, I ask myself how did we get here, how can I get to that point? And build around these big moments. The second shot I added into the mashup was the little girl in Part 1 under the bed who points to another version of herself sleeping in her bed and says “Shhh! That’s not me.” I put that in right when the music stopped, it became a big moment, and then I built around it in order to get there. Every editor works differently, but I am just sharing how I personally prefer to do it. Back in 2012, the first clip I added onto the timeline was “I have an army. We have a Hulk.” from THE AVENGERS which means I’ve been editing this way for five straight years.

Those letters of reaching out to people you care about. Apologies or wondering how they’re doing. Flying everywhere around Winston Churchill (that’s my dog’s name, he’s a Pembroke Welsh Corgi!) I guess you should always be the one to reach out in difficult situations with important people. The mistake is to not reach out, or convince yourself that they were dragging you down and you’re better off without them. That’s rarely the case, and you’ll never get over them when you know that’s not the case. Maybe they will reply someday, maybe they never will. But you swallowed your ego and you decided to give it one more shot. That’s the bravest thing we can do in this life, and I hope you’ll see it that way if the time comes. Happy New Year! Achieve your passions, take care of the ones you love and make it a wonderful day! (Halle Berry: “Aaaarrh!")

- Sleepy Skunk

#2017movietrailermashup

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evergreenreviews · 7 years ago

Text

Top 20 Songs of 2017

Spotify Playlist

Long post under the cut

20. ‘Laps Around A Picture Frame’ - Broadside

In my AOTY post, and throughout this year, I commended Broadside on their ability to write fun, upbeat songs, so it surprised me that ‘Laps Around A Picture Frame’, one of the album’s darker tracks, ended up making this list. This song is more interesting - both musically and lyrically - than a lot of Broadside’s other work, and it still really stands out to me as a fantastic piece of songwriting.

19. ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’ - Shawn Mendes

If I had any sort of shame whatsoever, Shawn Mendes would be my guilty pleasure. As it stands, I unabashedly love his music, particularly this song. It’s considerably less depressing than pretty much everything else he’s ever written, and it’s an unbelievably fun and catchy song. I dare you to listen to ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’ without at least tapping your foot.

18. ‘Guilty Melody’ - ROAM

ROAM has got to be one of my favourite current pop punk bands, and I remained loyal to them despite the disaster that was Backbone. That loyalty paid off because their second LP, Great Heights and Nosedives, is full to the brim with great jams, none more so than ‘Guilty Melody’. Although the two singles that came out before this one were also really good, this track was the one that restored my faith in ROAM. It’s pretty much a perfect pop punk song, with an unerringly catchy tune, solid lyricism, and a vast improvement in singing ability from both vocalists.

17. ‘The Line’ - Foo Fighters

Although Concrete and Gold was generally a disappointment, ‘The Line’ is an absolutely fantastic soft rock song. It’s super laidback and chill, the melody is simple, which to me (as someone who knows nothing about rock instrumentation) seems to complement the slightly more intricate instrumental parts, and it sounds more like Foo Fighters than anything else off this record.

16. ‘The Last Of The Real Ones’ - Fall Out Boy

While I will readily admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Fall Out Boy’s new sound, this song is brilliant. It’s a great electro-rock anthem while remaining a recognisably Fall Out Boy song. The keyboard part works perfectly under the melody, which is simultaneously very simple but also quite interesting. I also love the contrast between the anthemic chorus and comparatively relaxed verses.

15. ‘One Foot’ - Walk The Moon

After being absent for a year or so, Walk The Moon returned in September with this indie pop bop. ‘One Foot’ has all the hallmarks of a classic WTM song - it’s super upbeat and very catchy with a solid melody and instrumental and synth parts that work perfectly underneath the vocal line. While it may not be the next ‘Shut Up And Dance’, it’s a fantastic pop song and the perfect tune for Walk The Moon to return with.

14. ‘All My Friends (feat. State Champs)’ - Hoodie Allen

It may surprise you to see a hip-hop song on this list - I feel the same way - but this song is just too good not to include. While ‘All My Friends’ may not be Hoodie’s best song, the way he and State Champs manage to blend their very different sounds is incredible and works surprisingly well. From the hip-hop beat during the verses to the almost breakdown in the bridge and the build-up to the explosive last chorus, every aspect of this song ties in wonderfully with the others and creates a very interesting and very fun song.

13. ‘Scatter My Ashes Along The Coast Or Don’t’ - Seaway

While I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite song off Vacation, ‘Scatter My Ashes...’ would definitely be in the top three. It’s a ridiculously fun song, with some not so fun lyrics hidden under the upbeat melody and catchy riffs. It also features Caleb Shomo of Beartooth on a fantastic guest vocals spot. His voice works so well on this song and complements the Seaway boys’ perfectly, and it really just gives the track that extra boost.

12. ‘The Man’ - The Killers

I’ve never really listened to The Killers that much, and I think I only listened to this song in the first place because of Brandon Flower’s bicep in the thumbnail for the music video on YouTube. But thank god for that because ‘The Man’ very rapidly became one of my favourite songs. It’s got a lyrical theme that I’ve never seen before, as the band explores what it means to be a “man”, and it’s all laid over a funky 70s-esque disco beat with a fantastic melody.

11. ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ - Ed Sheeran

This may be a slightly sappy choice, but I’ll admit that I love a good romantic ballad, and by God if ‘Hearts Don’t Break Around Here’ isn’t exactly that. I feel like this song didn’t get the credit it deserved and was kind of brushed aside in favour of ‘Perfect’ but from day one this was my favourite track off Divide. It’s a perfect relaxed, stripped back, typical Ed Sheeran love song with very simple instrumentation and a gorgeous vocal melody that I can’t help but sing along to.

10. ‘Bad Behavior’ - The Maine

Lovely Little Lonely is made up of wall to wall jams, and none more so than lead single ‘Bad Behavior’. It’s an irresistibly fun song, that you can’t help but dance along to, and it’s impossible not to smile when you’re listening to it. It’s an incredible pop rock song, with that alternative edge that The Maine do so well. You might worry that after 10 years they would’ve stagnated, but this song is proof that The Maine are better than they’ve ever been.

9. ‘On My Own’ - Niall Horan

On an album full of beautiful ballads and acoustic slow jams, ‘On My Own’ stands out as the most upbeat song of the lot. It’s an Irish folk influenced anthem for the happily single, about having fun by yourself when you’re young. It may not be Niall’s strongest vocal performance on Flicker, but it shows the diversity in his writing and provides a welcome interlude from all the slower songs on the album. It’s another song that you just can’t help but nod along to, and perfectly blends the style of pop rock on One Direction’s later albums and the folk and country influences of Niall’s solo work.

8. ‘Soap’ - As It Is

This is arguably one of the most musically diverse and interesting pop punk songs of the decade. ‘Soap’ is a spooky, sinister, slightly aggressive track which is totally unexpected of As It Is. It probably wouldn’t sound out of place on a gothic horror movie soundtrack and is a fascinating take on the genre. The vocal performances from both singers are fantastic, with Patty effortlessly transitioning from the subdued verses to the almost screamed choruses. The guitars in the intro perfectly set the tone for the rest of the song, and the rumbling bass sounds incredible under everything else. ‘Soap’ is, without a doubt, the standout track from January’s okay. and possibly As It Is’ discography in general.

7. ‘Drowned In Gold’ - Boston Manor

This is a very late addition to this list, seeing as it only came out earlier this month, but in the space of 24 hours it had already pushed its way up to this position. I reviewed ‘Drowned In Gold’ when it was released, and all of the sentiments in that post still ring true today. The “choose life” lyrical structure of the verses is still one of the most interesting writing techniques I’ve heard in a while and I really can’t get over the creepy sound Boston Manor manages to create with the instruments in this track, and the musical progress they’ve made in the past year.

6. ‘Hurt’ - Trophy Eyes

This is probably the most depressing song on this list, and easily one of the most emotionally evocative. ‘Hurt’ is Trophy Eyes’ first release since their album Chemical Miracle last year, and you can tell they’ve put that year to good use with immense improvements across the board. The most noticeable improvement is John’s vocals. As far as I can remember (correct me if I’m wrong), this is the first song on which he’s only done clean vocals, and he sounds better than I ever imagined he could. ‘Hurt’ almost has a kind of stadium rock type vibe to it, and I, for one, love it.

5. ‘Praying’ - Kesha

‘Praying’ is the eagerly anticipated comeback track from beleaguered pop icon Kesha, and the perfect song to show not only how she’s progressed as an artist, but also the struggles she’s faced the past few years. The song alludes to her legal battle with her producer, but it is mostly a song about personal growth and overcoming your struggles. It’s a beautiful stripped back, piano-laden ballad which really lets Kesha’s immense vocal talent take the spotlight. ‘Praying’ is an incredibly powerful song, which has the ability to draw a huge amount of emotion from its listeners - if you haven’t cried listening to this song, you’re probably not human.

4. ‘Gone’ - Knuckle Puck

I don’t think it’s any secret that I love Knuckle Puck, but if you’ve been following this blog for a while and read my review of Shapeshifter, it’s also no secret that I wasn’t its biggest fan. However, I absolutely adore ‘Gone’. It may just be because it was the first thing to follow the hugely disappointing Calendar Days/Indecisive release earlier this year, or it may be because it’s a brilliant song. It has attitude and a certain aggressiveness that I love. It’s got the lyricism we’ve come to know and love from KP, and it’s unbelievably catchy. The duel vocalism works amazingly on this track and the slightly dotted rhythm in the guitar riff provides another interesting layer to the instrumentation.

3. ‘Atlantic’ - Grayscale

I can honestly say that this song has been the soundtrack to my 2017. Grayscale very quickly became one of my favourite bands this year, and their album Adornment was even my Album of the Year. ‘Atlantic’ is definitely what one could refer to as an anthem, with a powerful chorus that contrasts perfectly with the relatively chill verses and bridge. It’s a very mature sounding song, showcasing a writing ability far beyond what one would expect of such a young band, although there are a couple of very minor issues in the vocal line. But overall, this song is a brilliant piece of writing that I can imagine aging very well.

2. ‘Out Of It’ - The Story So Far

The excitement that I felt when this song dropped truly cannot be expressed in words. I still feel the same excitement every time 'Out Of It’ comes on, and I don’t think I’ve skipped it once since adding it to my playlist. It doesn’t stray too far from the classic TSSF sound, and probably wouldn’t sound out of place on The Story So Far. I love the change in rhythm between the verses and choruses, which isn’t something I’ve really seen that much in this type of music, and the punchy tune is just perfect for the attitude of the song. It’s just a shame Parker Cannon still can’t annunciate his words properly.

1. ‘In Bloom’ - Neck Deep

From the day ‘In Bloom’ was released I knew it would be in competition for my favourite song of this year. After listening to it maybe 4 or 5 times in a row, it was promptly named my favourite Neck Deep song and I stand by that decision. It’s the most musically interesting song they have released, and it’s so unique from the rest of their work. It showcases so well the improvement Ben has made in his vocal performance over the past couple of years - did anyone see that high note coming? - as well as the progress that the band has made as a whole in terms of their songwriting ability.

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