Category: Unit 6

During the production process of this project there are many things that I have planned. Using this throughout we will be able to look back and see what needs to be done next and be able to see whether we are completing it in a professional way.

Lighting – As a team we have decided to use harsh lighting throughout the filming process as we believe that it matches the theme of darkness and fits the mood perfectly. This will also allow us to be able to edit the shadows to be as dark as we need in premier pro.

Costumes- The costumes that will be used will be of a dark shade but also fit the look in which a young teen in the present time would be wearing. This will be because the audience in which we are targeting is teenagers to young adults as they are most at risk of suicidal thoughts.

Makeup- The makeup will be very basic as the shadows will be harsh which will make it hard to be able to see the makeup at all.

Props- The props in which we will be using will be a noose as this will be part of the end story and the theme of suicide. Another prop that will be used is a sofa as we are trying to show what the stereotypical room for a teen is in the modern times.

Equipment- The equipment that will be used is a canon camera and also a tripod so we are able to get extremely steady shots throughout.

The place in which we will be shooting is the studio as we are able to get the most accurate and precise lighting throughout. As a team we have decided to use me as the model in the animation as this way we are able to show that not only women cry and feel this way but also that it’s okay to feel like your lost and depressed as a male.

Above are the notes that were taken about the sounds that we need to record for this animation.

In todays lesson we took stock portraits this allowed us to be able to practice and give us the opportunity’s to use these images in future projects. Below are the images we based them of and the images that were taken.

In this task we were set a challenge to create an animation by drawing a ball on a blank piece of paper by using graphite. This form of animation is called squash and stretch, this form of animation gives the illusion of weight and volume to a object.

The class and I were introduced to this form of animation as it is simple to complete and a good introduction to the subject of animation. As this was my first time doing animation I believe this was a good introduction and has taught me many techniques that I will be able to introduce into this terms project.

As we begun the task we had to begin by drawing a single circle which we later rubbed out after taking the photo, we then drew another two circles using the same process. Later into the task we begun to space out the circles to create the illusion and then it got to the ending of the process of the first section in which we had to draw the ball again but it was squished, this gives the illusion of the ball landing and hitting the floor.

After completing the first section of the process we did it again but with shorter distance on the bounce, this shows how the ball is slowing down to eventually stopping completely or going out of the frame. Below is the image of the end product and also the video attached. 

 

 

Squash and stretch- Gives the illusion of weight and volume to a subject.

Anticipation- Prepares the audience for action and increases the realism of action.

Arcs- Human and animal always move in arcs.

Ease in and ease out- The subject needs time to slow down and speed up, drawings between two extreme poses provide the subjects with grater realistic movement.

Appeal- animated characters need to captive audiences. complicated character faces and lack of symmetry often make it difficult for audiences to connect.

timing- more frames create slower action, whilst fewer frames create faster action.

Solid drawing- Adds weight, volume and 3d illusion to the subject.

Exaggeration- presents the physical features or elements of a character in an exaggerated form.

pose to pose- works for highly emotional and dramatic scenes. involves drawing a few key frames for each actions, followed by filling in the intervals.

Staging- communicates the primary mood, action or scene. Animators, Johnson and Thomas defined it as “the presentation of any idea so that it is completely and unmistakably clear”

Secondary action- emphasises and supports the primary action. whilst providing scenes with great life.

Follow through- farers to parts of the subject that continue to move after a completed action.

Today we were set a task to create images using ink manipulation. This meant were using coloured inks (like black and red).

In this we had to add a small amount of ink into different cups and then using pipettes we dabbed the inks onto a piece of paper. Then using different tools like straws to blow on the ink to move them around the page we also used sticks to smudge and then also paper towels to smudge the ink.

These allowed us to create different textures and test new styles of art. This will allow me to be able add different forms of art and styles to future projects.

Using this art form I would like to incorporate it in different ways to  add a different style to each piece of work. The introduction into ink manipulation will allow us to produce artwork around different images and add something new that people haven’t really seen before.

 

Fragment-

Chuck Close-

This photographer uses the technique of fragments this is done by adding different textures and colours to fill In the picture. This could be used to add different moods and reactions for different people depending on how they view it. This could be used to extend the image or focus on a certain point of the image the the creator wants you to mainly see.

 

This artist also does things like this using tiny textures that without zooming in you would not be able to see as they are so tiny. This adds a sense of mystery and confusion about what you are seeing. The face that the model is using has a sense of anger and sternness, but the artist is using bright colours to balance this out.

Multiple exposure-

Tamara Lichtenstein-

 

This photographer uses multi exposure to create beautiful images with cool toned colours involved, this creates a light hearted and joyful mood. She also likes to use nature as a main part of her theme

Using natural themes as the background is done quite a bit as it can create such an incredible image. The models she uses are mostly women I believe this is done to show what is assumed as beauty.

There is a contrast between the images I chose as I assume that one shows love/romance between two people but the other creates a sense of loneliness and sadness as the models in the first image are shown to be kissing where as in the second image the model is shown to be very straight faced and has a sense of sadness.

Ink manipulation-

Dawid Gajewski-

 

This artist uses ink manipulation in a interesting way as he uses it to tell a story. From my perspective as the audience I feel as though he uses this technique to portray emotion and depression, I see this as his art is very messy which I believe is his interpretation of someones mind.

The model on the right is wearing a dark lipstick which matches the theme of darkness and sadness which allows us to feel the ‘pain’ that the model is portraying. The neutral expression on the face of the model matches this theme perfectly as it matches the theme of darkness and sadness which is portrayed in this image.

The image on the right compared to the second image uses many bright colours which I believe is connected to old age and loneliness and potentially even Alzheimer’s as the messy and destroyed nature of the piece of supports this.

Mood board-

 

 

Suicide note-

Dear the ones I love,

I can’t begin to thank you for the most amazing life that you’ve given me, I fear that you’ll spend time that’s worth living on the ‘why’ but I feel that this was the only option.

The life I’ve lived was a life of lies and sadness but you were my light that gave me a bit of hope in the darkest of times, without that this would of happened a lot quicker. I feel like I’ve let you all down by being selfish but I know it had to be done without this my pain would of carried on.

During school a lot of things happened that you didn’t know about, during year 11 I was walking to the toilets and I was attacked I was punched and hit this was all due to me being gay. I wonder if being straight would of made my life better and I wouldn’t of had the hardships that I’ve gone through. You’ve supported me through it all and accepted me for who I am, but not everyone has I’ve been bullied and hurt, I’ve been left to cry alone when I didn’t want you to know how bad It really felt.

I hope you at some point understand why this happened and why it had to happen and you must understand this was none of your fault you helped me and made me carry on for just a bit longer, I love you and always have you are my life and my joy and I hope you remember all the good times we had and never let all the bad things over shadow our amazing life together.

To my friends and family you’re all beautiful and amazing, I hope I’ll look down on you from where ever I end up and watch as you live the life you deserve. Please I beg live a life of joy and adventure and never take a moment for granted.

Love Alfie

 

 

The initial idea for this project is to visually create a suicide note with words and potentially art on the screen. This will be effective as it will have a meaning and will also be a eye opener for many of the people watching this project.

The type of animation that we have decided to use is photographic stop motion as this fits with the theme and darkness that we are using. This type of animation will be good to use as it will allow us to be able to tell a story and create a timeline of events that occur throughout this animation.

The reason for us creating this type of animation is that it is a conversation starter for many of the people who believe that this issue of suicide and depression doesn’t effect people and that it isn’t real. Suicide and depression can effect people closest to you and sometimes not knowing about this can cause the situation to be worse for the person suffering from these illnesses, the final outcome can be worse than what it would of been if someone can just see the signs.

Another one of my ideas was to link this project to LGBT+ issues like depression, bullying and suicide as this effects a huge amount of the community. The LGBT+ community has one of the largest rate of suicides, this is huge but still people are ignoring and not taking it seriously with will just allow this issue to carry on and effect many more people.

The lighting for this project will be harsh lighting that’ll create strong shadows so that when it is put into black and white we only see part of figure but what we do see has a lot of detail. This will link to the idea of sadness and loneliness that can be caused by depression and suicidal thoughts and how it can lead to the end of someones life.

The audience that this animation will be targeted towards is mostly teens and young adults as they are mostly affected by depression and suicide, we are also targeting the LGBT+ community as they are hugely at risk of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts.

 

 

This risk assessment will be used throughout the production process of this challenge, this will allow us to be able to make sure that this flows safely without injuries.

 

This week we had been set a challenge to create and produce both photography and a  video on the subject of food and whilst taking into consideration the background, subject, aesthetic and also a new term for most of the class which was bokeh (this is the blur that a light thats been caused by the lights being out of focus).

The video that my team and I completed I believe didn’t go as well as we had imagined it in our heads. A part of this was due to that filming isn’t one of my strong points, but this task has allowed me to earn new skills and also has let me see what needs to be done better next time. One of the things that I need to gain more practice in was the dolly, it was not steady and quite jumpy, as it was my first time using one there is room for improvement. Attached below is the video.

The pictures that we had taken I believe were the best part of it and the end product was exactly how we imagined compared to the video. We decided to take inspiration from Tumblr and the style that is used from a lot of the accounts.

In these photos we tried to use textures in the donut, flowers and books to make a contrast between these. This works because there is a dynamic between all of the different object. Bellow you will find our inspiration and also our end products.

 

 

I enjoyed this project a lot, and I would be interested in trying this again at a higher level with more theory behind it so I can learn more about this subject. It would be fun to revisit this in the future once my skills in both photography and videography have evolved, this will allow me to be able to experiment with different skills to add more of a effect that will further this skill.

This challenge has allowed me to be able to practice new forms of photography and videography that will allow me to be able practice these in future projects. This project has challenged me, taught me many new skills and allowed me to explore a new subject that without this challenge I wouldn’t be able to try.

As a whole this project has been a success with only a few things that need to be improved on in future challenges/projects.