Animation Project : Part 1 of 2

First storyboard in process. My original idea "Detention"

Image of my "angry teacher" character for my 'Detention" idea.

Group idea generation.

Basic animation techniques in class. Told to draw an image representing "Zeitgeist".

Sketch of a character from a Pendleton Ward short before the creation of "Adventure Time"

Tracing of previous image - classroom activity.

More tracings and moving the subject - basic motion

Further tracings, of Kyles work this time. The idea was for this to either transform to or from the camera.

Idea generation within group work. Leonard the Ostrich, early idea sketch.

Further idea generation, setting sketch for introductory frame.

Interim Evaluation:

This week we entered the animation stage of our course. I generally felt uncomfortable with animation as I have no previous experience and was a tad apprehensive about what may be assigned to us. With Chris we tried idea generation through automated writing technique and had a brief look into stop-motion animation. Upon my research this week I have studied the history of animation and have also researched the principles of animation and studied further animators that provided me with entertainment already without me realising (Family Guy, Adventure Time etc.) I also have been exploring story structure and have reinforced to myself how imperative story is within film. We have been assigned into groups to create a 30 second animation for the following Friday. I have enjoyed learning about animation so far, but I have my concerns about how long our project will take to make. As a result of this I will scrutinize our time management.

Bladerunner

Introductory synopsis in opening scene.

Sky-high view of the city, buildings look futuristic and also sinister.

The first view of a replicant within the film. Shocking scene with impact for the audience.

Visually beautiful depiction of the futuristic city, the blue is a calm and relaxing tone. Flying vehicles, many new concepts for the audience to behold.

First view of the Roy Batty, leader of the renegade Nexus-6 replicants. Shadowing on his face creates a sinister mood.

Los Angeles 2019 looks more like a futuristic times square. Amusing Coca Cola product placement.

Shot of the "Voight-Kampff' machine. Used as an interrogation tool on suspected replicants, where their retina activity is monitored during questioning to measure empathy. An interesting concept

Racheal, also a replicant was the latest experiment of Eldon Tyrell. She has his niece's memories implanted and previously had no idea that she wasn't human.

Roy tracks down his creator, Eldon Tyrell and kills him. Shocking scene, the thumbs in the eyes are sure to grab a reaction from the audience.

In pursuit of special agent Rick Deckhard, Roy smashes his head entirely through a wall. He looks menacing, an alarming image along with the darkness in the room.

During our introductory week, our class was shown the 1983 Sci-Fi/Thriller Bladerunner, as it is relevant to our subject of memory. I initially missed this and caught up in my own time. Bladerunner tells the story of special agent Rick Deckhard on his latest assignment to find and "retire" (kill) a rogue set of human-looking robots (most people couldn't seem to tell the difference) that were created to be 'off-world' colonization slaves and were illegal on earth. Deckhard is introduced to Eldon Tyrell (creator of said replicants) who subsequently introduces him to his latest experiment Rachael. Eldon Tyrell invites him to try his 'Voight-Kampff' (interrogation machine) and see how long it took him to detect that she wasn't human. It later emerged that she didn't know that she was a replicant prior to meeting Deckhard. Rachael had the memories of Tyrell's niece implanted into her which interested me. I found this concept interesting as it is actually something I have pondered about many times before; technlogy and it's advancing speed, newer types of transplants that may be possible etc. I found the concept interesting as it prompts you to think about how deceptive memory can also be. False or fake memories fabricated by the brain are not uncommon and the idea of actual memory transplants is very interesting. I am also impressed by the cinematography within the film, and how sleek and smooth the frames are given the age of the film.

Photography Project : Part 2 of 2

 Photograph of Crit in session.

 Test shot for final image & further contact sheets.

 More contact sheets from the process involving my final photograph.

 Final image during manipulation process within Adobe Photoshop Software.

Final image with layers and changes displayed.

 

 Resizing image for test prints as per the brief.

 Photo ready for test print. Levels, brightness and contrast manipulated beforehand.

 Other image from last week being edited in Adobe Photoshop.

Error while printing during test print process, almost looks like a happy accident to me.

Jpg image of one of my photographs from last week. The prints did not do it justice.



Evaluation Summary:

During the past 2 weeks we were assigned the brief of capturing and presenting a final photographic image relating to our previous future memory brief. We were also taught various techniques of manually controlling our cameras and also about the technical aspects of composition. I initially found this project quite challenging but I had more ideas every day and not enough time to execute my experiments which was a problem, but the good kind. One negative aspect was the lack of working printers within our learning facility, which made the printing of test shots and final images very tedious and challenging at times. The brief showed me how much I appreciate photography without putting much thought into it initially. I was happy to present my work at the crit and believe I have improved with my analysis of other peoples work and am finding it easier to find meaning and significance within a photograph.

Photography Project : Part 1 of 2

 Grandad's old radio - An idea I worked on based off of my previous memory project. This is a close up of a dial of my grandfather's old radio. I took this photograph and chose this particularly of it's relevance to the project. I also like the fact that it looks like a mechanical eye in the way that I've framed it, one saying that comes to mind "Your eyes are the window to your soul" - Also if you look closely you can see the reflection of me taking the photograph, which is the creation of a new memory itself as well as the photograph itself. I chose this image today to bring for the interim crit due to its level of depth and relevance. I may proceed with this idea and experiment further with different angles, different ISO and better framing.

 Guitar Strings close up - my girlfriends guitar, extremely close up using manual focus. I like how mysterious this image is and enjoy the contrast between the strings and the inside of the guitar.

 Guitar Strings close up 2. The same as before but closer, and darker due to the ISO change.

 Guitar Strings shot 3 - An image from further out and a brighter image due to the ISO change. I enjoy how pale the white looks and the texture of the wood, I also like that the shadow covers most of the inside of the guitar.

 Guitar strings shot 4 - same ISO as shot 3 - but a closer view allowing less to be seen.

 An image of today's work - A contact sheet, a printed copy of my grandfather's clock image and an image that I enjoy that I brought into the crit today.

 Gutter shot 1 - Another idea I was experimenting with was sequential imagery. I began taking shots of my gutter every day to see how many cigarette butts would be added. A good way to monitor bad habits as well as showing progression and new memory.

Gutter shot 2 - same as one with ISO change and shutter speed change

 Gutter shot 3 - Another shot with ISO change and shutter speed change. Clear lack of focus

Gutter shot 4 - An even brighter image due to the ISO change. I eventually abandoned this idea as I found it extremely difficult to focus manually, I also have had stronger ideas and decided to explore those with my time instead.



Interim Evaluation:

This week we have been assigned a new photography project and have been briefed to produce 1 final image that ties in with our recent future memories. We are midway through this project and had an interim crit today. I enjoyed the crit but found it hard to analyse some photographs at first. I have had numerous ideas which I believe is a good sign of my creativity flowing and my mind adjusting to the demands it is being given.  I have yet to establish my clear idea as of yet and have been experimenting. I am enjoying this process but at the same time I am feeling the time constraints and am eager to make a final decision in good time for me to create my final image in a comfortable manner.

A Week's Work

Test shot of my egg from the classroom. I was exploring my camera and using manual focus, playing with the ISO and Shutter Speed.

 Egg shot outdoors, near Ravensbourne. Using a silver light reflector.

 Egg shot with silver light reflector. Still tweaking my manual focus.

 Outdoor shot, egg in hand. Clear signs of wear and tear showing on the egg.

 Shot from underneath a tree, a change of light souree

 Shot from underneath a tree 2.ISO change. Test shots

Studio Shots using Tungsten lights. Egg was placed on the table, we worked as a group and shot the egg from different angles and changing light locations.

 Studio Shot - Tungsten light, with a new egg. Depicting a murder scene as the group task

 Studio Shot - murder scene, angle 2

 Studio Shot, Idea 3 - Attempting to illustrate the egg equivalent of a car crash. Not a success.


Weekly Evaluation:

This week we were introduced to photography. We were given lectures by Amanda and Tom and were educated on the various aspects, uses and the history of photography. We were also shown how to use our digital cameras manually and manipulate the shutter speed, the ISO and manual focus. We then formed into groups to take test shots using various light sources. I took photographs using a reflector, a diffuser, in daylight and in studio using Tungsten lights also. While we were in the studio using the Tungsten lights, we were formed into groups beforehand and began creating as many different shots with our egg(s) expressing as many different moods and emotions as we could. Our group generated some substantial ideas and we ended up choosing the idea of using the egg carton as a bed, with 2 eggs inside with tissue as the covers, placing a red gel sheet over the camera, creating a scene for the red light district. Although I found it difficult at first I began to enjoy generating ideas for this task. With the studio shots I began gathering ideas for my project already. I found it hard initially controlling the camera using manual focus as I found it difficult at times to see how truly sharp the subject was due to my poor eyesight. I generally found it difficult to use the camera manually at first but reading the manual soon helped me adjust smoothly.