Real Life Transformers

Introduction

Ever since the release of the Transformers in 2007 I have been in love with transformers. While the movies have not been entirely successful and have many faults they do bring on some very cool ideas. One of the ones that I thought of is what if we could bring those transformers to real life. 

Some of these transformers exist already such as the BMW transformer which can be found here:

When it transforms it can only move its arms and head and there is no explanation on how it is powered so it is assumed it is just a normal car engine. However what is we could make it walk, talk and drive all in one? That is what i've come to find out. 

The Transformer

There are so many transformers out there. From Optimus Prime to Megatron every Transformer has something to transform into. Seems a little far fetched and science fiction. However it could become a reality soon. 

The main problem presented now is: The ability to be powered and the ability to move while in robot mode. It would take a massive engine to create a robot that could walk for more then 10 minutes. It would use up very much energy to stay balanced and moving at the same time. So i created a solution to being able to move. 

Now the next problem is the shape of the transformer and where the parts go when he transforms. As a car there will have to be a very small interior as the rest will be made for parts for the transformer.

Car Mode

The car that I have chosen as an example is the Jeep Wrangler. It has a very blocky and simpler design which will help in the robot mode. For the most part it will not have an interior. It will be remotely controlled form a human operative. They will control all of the movement that the transformer does and the driving. 

Since transformer robots are so dense so then the car will have to be dense as well. It will look like a normal car from the inside but will have no interior. The undercarriage will be put mostly iunside of the car to protect it from outside damage.

Robot Mode

It will be more similar to the old G1 transformer designs than the new Transformers. The old ones are much more simpler and will fit more to modern technology. They have a blocky design which will help for simplicity. 

The front of the car where the hood and engine are will be where the chest is while in robot mode. The arms will fold out from the doors and join with the chest section of the robot. The wheels will remain where they are and be one of the main connectors between the the arm and chest. Imagine a Jeep Wrangler. The arms would form from both the doors, folding into each other using hydraulics and gears. 

Since the arms will have to be larger than an average door the interior will contain part of the arms. 

The legs will be in the back and be made into the interior of the car. At first it will only be the lower part of the legs and will then use hydraulics to push the rest of the leg out.

Movement

Once it transforms the wheels near its feet will move towards the center of the foot similar to Sideswipe's design in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformer: Dark of The Moon.

In robot mode it will not be as swift and will be as swift not as fast however it will conserve more energy while moving around.

Summary

It was more simple than you think to create a transformer. You can use a normal engline that would be in a normal car. It will have to more powerful but will be effective. Hydraulics will be used for the transformer to move in robot mode. Most of the interior of the car will be filled with the necessary hydraulics to transform. 

Napoleon Dynamite Recreation

The Scope

My group wanted to recreate a popular High School movie known as Napoleon Dynamite. While not directly recreating the trailer we created are our by using the shots and storytelling from the original trailer.

Process 

We started by watching the trailer multiple times to see how we could recreate the original trailer with our own equipment and our own actors. One member created a storyboard by taking screenshots from the trailer and adding audio cues and time stamps. we used the school and another members house to try to fully recreate the trailer. 

Learning Process

A few things that I learned along the way are quick pan shots to create a blur into a shot. There were also a few professional skills that I learned along the way. I learned how to work under pressure when scheduling conflicts come up or when people decide to back out last minute. We had to cut out an entire section because we couldn't get the necessary actors to do it. 

Changes

Some things that I would do differently are starting earlier with my project so that my group would not become as stressed as we did. I would also do m multiple takes so that we could create the right feel in our trailer. Some things that I would do the same is the natural lighting that we used. It worked better in our favor than I expected. I would also do the overall recreation the same because I thought that it was recreated very well.