Animatics

Project Evaluation

The exhibition of my video was on the 2nd december 2009 in the college restaurant. There was a small group of people that watched the video and then filled out my questionnaire. From some of the feedback that i got most people liked watching my video. I asked what they thought the concept was and from the video some people got the idea of loneliness, some got the idea of body image and self awarness and being accepted by people for who they are, others got the idea that theres two different sides to every person and some people got the idea of how people wished things to happen. During the production stages of the video i found that really there was a different concept that was very strong, which was loneliness. This could still tie in with the perfection idea because shes not accepted for how she looks.

Quite a few people felt that the final video needed some kind of sound to it. I chose no to include any audio because i felt that there would have been a stronger sense of loneliness in the video. Other people also said they wanted to see more smiling or some better acting. Througout the video you could see the subject trying not to laugh. Another thing that people said needed to be improved was adding dialog into the film as they got confused halfway into the piece. They also thought more shots could have been included to make it longer. One person thought there needed to be more changes of clothes throughtout it too.

Some of the favourite scenes amongst the audience was the very last scene in the film. They thought that the editing where shes on the swing on her own and disappears was a clever way to end it. They liked the transition i used to make it look like she faded away. One person said that it ties in with their own views of the concept which was being invisible. They also thought there was more to watch during that particular scene so they felt as if they were more entertained during those scenes. They also said that they liked some of the angles that i used but felt that more movement needed to be involved with the camera with the video.

In the overall making of the video i found that the planning stages were the most challenging. I struggled to come up with an idea but found once i started watching other experimental videos i found that i had more and more ideas come to me. The part i enjoyed the most was the filming stages. Even though i found it hard to find the right locations and film at the right times so it wasn't raining i was able to see the piece coming together. The editing stages i found a little hard to get to grips to at first just because i didn't know how to use iMovie. after a while it became easier and i got familar with it and began to enjoy it just as much as filming it. Exhibiting the piece took a lot of time. Security and the venue all had to be sorted out and to fit around other peoples scheduals as most people were either at work or college, but overall this project has been a lot of fun to complete.

Exhibition / Installation Plan

I am going to exhibit my piece of work in the college resturant. A group of us are going to exhibt our work on wednesday 2nd december at around 7pm. A large group of people have been invited to the exhibition to look at our work. We have aimed to get people from a broad range of ages, from teenagers to middle aged people. The reason why i chose the resturant to display my video was because its very big and the room can feel very empty which wold relfect on the concept for my video. Also when the video's playing i want the room to be very dark which again is going to reflect on the way i'm portraying lonliness in the video.

Post Production Diary - Day Four

I finished all my editing today. All i had to do was to add titles and credits to the piece. However iMovie wouldn't render any new clips that i wanted to use so i had to keep restarting the programme. Eventually it rendered them and i could save the final edit.

Post Production Diary - Day Three

Today i got most of my editing finished. I managed to edit my clips together and add all the effects. However when i went to save it i had the problem of the computer not wanting to save it to my memory stick and there was no room on the Thawspace, so i had to save it to the desktop and wipe my memory stick in order for it to work.

Post Production Diary - Day Two

Today i started editing my video properly. I organised my clips together with the ones i wanted an the ones that wern't going to be used in my video. Then i started putting them in the right order that i wanted them to be in. Then i started editing the clips i wanted down and added effects. I managed to get the first few frames done before the lesson finished.

Post Production Diary - Day One

Today i imported my video onto my computer. When i started editing i found that i didnt really know what i was doing. I had never used iMovie before so it was all brand new to me. I spent the rest of the lesson working out where things where and how to cut and add effects into my footage.

Production Diary - Day Three - 11/11/09

This session could have gone better. I managed to get most of the shots in but ran out of time trying to get the shot of Becca sitting on her own at the bus stop due to a heavy spell of rain and running out of daylight. Also the two boys that were in the shot playing some friends were mucking around and giggling which meant that i had to keep filming the same shots.

However the shots i got were what i needed and it all went quite smoothly.

Production Diary - Day Two - 9/11/09

The filming took place at home. I had to get some shots of Becca reading a book, with the television on in the background. The aim was to have the lighting down low and having the lighting from the TV shining on Becca.

There were some things which could have gone better. Family members were walking into shots and it wasnt possible to film in a empty house.

Overall this session went very well and i got all the shots i wanted.

Production Diary - Day One - 5/11/09

Filming on this day took around 30 minutes. I was taking some shots of Rebecca against a plain backdrop. Originally i was going to use a whiteboard in a classroom but couldnt so i used one of the wall in the stairs. This actually worked better. It was more consistent and its going to be easier for me to use a split screen effect when it comes to editing.

The only thing i could say that didnt go to well was that Rebecca was laughing to much in the takes so i kept having to record the same shot over and over again. Also the filming was done by a window so the camera was over exposing.

365 By Lee Bamsey

365 By Lee Bamsey is an experimental video released in 2005. The video took 12 months to create and is about the use of todays technology. Lee collected and recorded all his recieved text messages for a year and decided to make a video about them making it very personal and very relative to todays technology.

This video was heavily crafted. The whole video had some kind of computer animation in the video to show how the sheer scale of how many people use up to date technology and how quick it actually is. At one point in the video there was a guy watching all these text messages fly by him and using computer animation it gave the illusion he was able to catch them.

Eulogy For Things Left Unsaid by Rob Chiu

Eulogy For Things Left Unsaid is an experimental video by Rob Chiu released in 2008. It is about exploring the different emotions that we all go through during the duration of our lives.

The concept behind it is how memories help show our emotions, whether its loss which will make us sad or the future which could make us feel intimidated, not knowing whats going to happen. Also it explores the idea of childhood and how those memories make us who we become when we grow up. It also has the idea of life cycle. We start very young not know what our futures hold for us and when were old we look back on our memories.

This flim is heavily crafted. The actual film heavily relies on audio. When it first starts you hear the words "Memories" which immediatly establishes what the video is going to based around. The voice over then reads what seems like a poem and all the visual clips then relate back to whats being said. Some of the lighting in certain parts of the film were much darker than others. This could also suggest that these are someones memories and only parts have been remembered.

Contraction by Christopher Hewitt and James Cambourne

Contraction is an experimental film by Christopher Hewitt and James Cambourne which was released in 2009. Its about the idea of how life is forced back into the man who laying unconscious on the rooftop of a building.

The concept behind this video was the idea of rebirth and the lifecycle. It shows how life can be pushed back into you by anyone as if they were giving it to you as a gift. When the women was giving the man CPR the ground shock everytime she pressed down on his chest. This could also suggest that life is a very powerful thing and that it should be valued, not thrown away.

This piece of work wasn't very heavily crafted. However special effects were used throughout the duration of the film such as when the ground started shaking. Also lighting was very key in a particular part where it looked as if the sun was shining into the camera.

Chapter 6

The audience interpretation of MUTO by Blu had a very mixed reaction. The short film was very highly crafted as the whole video was made my stop frame animation. Also there wasn't a very clear narrative to the piece so the concept was hard to understand.

Some people reacted saying they confused and didnt understand the point behind the video. However a few saw that the film had a concept of rebirth and reincarnation, which could be the underlying concept to the video.

Personally when i first watched this film i was very confused. It took me a second time of watching it through to understand some of what i was seeing. I was also very impressed because the artist had created the whole video using stop frame animation by painting graffiti on the wall. Normally i wouldn't really aprecitate what graffiti is but from watching this video it has changed my views.

I think its important for everyone to have their own perspective on the different concepts of experimental videos so we can learn and discover some of the artists ideas behind their work.

Chapter 3

Gisele Kerozene by Jan Kounen is about a group of witches who are trying to get back a stolen item from a theif. The short film has a clear narrative (Beginning, middle and end.) At the begining of the film the witches look as if their worshipping the object and one of the witches takes it. The middle of the film is the chase between the witches to get the object back and the end is how the theif has beaten the other witches but returns the object and flys away. This layout makes the film easier to analyse and understand the concepts behind it.

MUTO by Blu is a short piece made by stock-frame animation of graffiti on the wall. There isn't any clear storyline in the whole film which makes it a non-narrative piece of work. Even though there is no clear storyline there is still a sense of the circle of life within the video which could suggest that there is some kind of narrative in the film.

Experimental videos dont need to have a clear narrative to work. Having a non-narrative film could be because the artist wants the viewers to look deeper into the subject rather than have it spelt out on a plate for them with a storyline.

Chapter 4

The exhibition that i went to was called Chameleon by Tina Gonsalves at the Fabrica in Brighton. It was a interactive video installation that looked into people emotions and how they can be used to change others moods in the room.

The actual room itself was very dark and open with only spotlights on the pieces which were scattered throughout the room creating shadows through the whole room. I thought this gave the whole exhibition a very dark, almost menacing feel to it. It was also very cold. Also with the artwork being small and being hung in such a big place i think it made you feel quite small as a person. The artwork also make the room seem much bigger than it is.

If this piece of work was to be placed somewhere else like a field i dont think it would have the same effect as it did at the Fabrica. This is because the darkness seems to help portray some of the portraits emotions. When they were crying the dark atmosphere suited their mood and when the subject (being me) was crying and upset the darkness fitted my mood. Putting this in a field wouldnt make the piece seem as special as it actually is.

Chapter 2

Compared to now and the past, technology has developed so much and even now is still developing and getting better. If you compared Girl Chewing gum by John Smith to Andy Huangs Doll Face you can clearly see the difference. Doll Face is completely computer animated which Girl Chewing Gum has been created by an old camera that filmed in only black and white.

Nowadays the media industry uses black and white for effect rather than only being able to film in just that. Also editing has come a long way. Girl chewing gum has hardly any edits at all in the whole film, whereas Doll Face clearly relys on editing because it has been so heavily crafted. When Girl Chewing Gum was made the technology was deemed as state of the art equipment. This just shows how far technology has developed as Doll Face uses computers to create the actual film rather than cameras.

Chapter 1

During the past and present there have been many examples of experimental media and in someway they all have their similarites and differences. The experimental videos that i am going to be comparing are Girl Chewing Gum by John Smith, Koyaanisqatsi by Godfry Reggio and Doll Face by Andrew Huang.

Girl Chewing Gum was made in 1976 and its about the illusion that there's a director giving orders while sequencing a film. You then find out that there isnt a director and theres a man talking over a pre-recorded film. The short films gives the illusion of control.

Koyaanisqatsi began filming in 1972 before finally being released in 1982 and it stands for "Life Out of Balance". The whole film was made by stop frame animation. Its about the destruction of the world because of the advances of technology and man-made problems such as skyscrapers and the destruction of nature.

Doll Face by Andy Huang was released on the internet in 2006. This video was a computer animation about how far someone would go to look perfect. But in the end they take things to far and land up destroying themselves. It adresses the problems today with how everyone feels the need to try and achieve perfection.

There are some similarites between these videos. Doll Face and Koyaanisquatis both are about destruction in some ways. Doll Face with how far people will go to achieve perfection. Koyaanisqatsi is about the destruction of the earth because what humans have done. Also these two films are heavily crafted. Doll Face being completely computer animated and Koyannisqatsi being made by stop frame annimation. Koyaanisqatsi and Girl Chewing Gum both heavily rely on audio. Girl chewing gum gives the illusion that the director is standing there out of the frame because of how he says whats going to happen in the frame. Koyaansiqatsi relys on audio so it fits the scene. If its a busy scene then the music is going to be quick and lively whereas if its a calm scene then the soundtrack is going to be slow.

The differences between these videos could be how they are made. They are all made using different methods. Girl Chewing Gum uses video footage, Koyaansiqatsi uses stop frame animation and Doll Face uses computer animation. Also the editing style is different. Girl chewing gum has hardly any cuts during the whole duration of the film, whereas Doll Face cuts everytime a different angle is used.

Gisele Kerozene - Jan Kounen

Gisele Kerozene is a short film by Jan Kounen. The short experimental film was made in 1989. The film itself isnt very concept orientated. Instead its very craft orientated, using stock-frame animation to create the video.

The video itself is about four witches flying on broomsticks three of which are trying to get back an item which seems precious to them back. This results in what seems like a race however each of them gets killed off in the process until the theif who hands back the precious item hands it back. This is the story line that i am getting from the video.

As the video uses stock-frame animation it means that the video is incredibly intricate and difficut to create. In order to give the illusion that the witches are flying they had to take 100's of pictures of the jumping in mid-air, then link these pictures together.

Experimental Video - Chapter 5

I decided to focus my experimental video idea around the frequently occurring topics in the media. I have originally thought of the war in Iraq and how the increasing amount of troops dying is beginning to make people question about whether or not the war can actually be won. However i then decided to focus my video on how teenagers are increasingly being pressured into looking like someone their not and not being able to accept themselves for who they are.

For my video I want to have a girl who's looking into a mirror. On one side there will be the girl with no make-up on and just average clothes. I’m going to use camera angles and turn these frames upside down and during the editing stages make the frames black and white to symbolise how she's not happy with herself and she's actually looking quite plain. Her reflection in the mirror is going to show herself but very glamorous. She's wearing make-up, her hairs been done nicely and her clothes make her look fashionable. I’m going to turn these frames back to the right way up and during the editing stage make her look colourful and vibrant to again back up the idea that this is how the girl wants to look.

I also thought of putting some people in the background for the perfect looking girl to represent how she feels pressurised into looking like this just to fit in with her friends. In the reflection of the normal girl I want her to just be in a room on her own to reinforce the idea that she needs to look right to be able to hang around with the people she wants to.

My experimental video has been heavily influenced by Andy Huang's Doll Face. This video was about perfection and how no matter how hard you try you can never really achieve it.

Koyaanisqatis

The film Koyaanisqatis was created in 1982 and created by writers Ron Fricke, Micheal Hoenig, Godfrey Reggio and Alton Walpole with Phillip Glass composing the music. The duration of the film is 1 hour and 26 minues long. The word Koyaanisqatis meams Life Out of Balance and suggests that the film is based on a world with no equlibrium.

Visual Observations
During the scene with the space shuttle blowing up you can sense a real feeling of loss and visually the scene becomes very violent with the fire and debris flying everywhere. Also the frame has been slowed down to make the viewer feel as if they're with the shuttle with the fire representing the chaos of the world they're living in and the spiralling of the shuttle to represent how nothing is going to stop it and its just going to get more and more out of control.

There was also a long duration of clips showing cliffs which the camera seemed to be flying over. The duration of the clips were very long and quite repetitive which could represent how we just seem to get into the same routine everyday and it doesnt really take us anywhere.

In another part of the film the it shows how everyone is working or having to go somewhere or do something. The scenes feel very claustrophobic with thousands of people rushing somewhere or all waiting for the same thing. It also shows how everything they do is almost the same and they're behaviour becomes very "robot" like. Also it shows how because technology does so much for us now we dont really need to think, the machines do it for us. This is reflected in the scenes of people working in the factories just sorting things onto different convayer belts. These frames also show how much people do actually work and there never really is anytime to take a break, which could represent how now in the present times the world never really sleeps.

At around the 1 hour 6 minute mark the scenes change from very chaotic to very slow. They give the viewer a sense of hoplessness and despair and there isnt anything we can do about it. These frames also show the very frail side to humans and how they can be hurt very easily.

Audio Observations
Most of the sound used during the film is Non-diegetic. This means that the sound is happening outside the frame. During the scene with the space shuttle the music is very calming, which is the complete opposite of what the visual side of the scene was showing.

During the scenes showing the busy cities again the sound was non-diegetic. The music was very electronic which fitted in well with what was happening with the scenes as everyone was behaving like machines. The music could also represent how we rely heavily on technology now'a'days to keep everything flowing how it should. The music also became incredibly repetitive to perhaps validate the idea of machinery and robots.

Towards the end of the film the music changes from very fast and reptitive to very slow. It shows how eventually everyone gets worn down by the pace that things go at and they have to slow down.

Conceptual Notes
I think that the idea behind this film is the destruction of earth. Whether its through violence or how technology is taking over and how we need to find the right balance for things so they function properly. The music tends to put a new spin on how you look at each scene during the film so you see two sides to the frames.

Doll Face - Andy Huang

Doll Face is an experimental video by Andy Huang. It is a computer animated video which is about how a robot who is watching television and seems to be copying everything it sees on the TV.

The concept behind this video is the idea of perfection. It shows that no matter how hard someone tries they can never achieve their idea of perfection. It also could be addressing the idea of how more and more people are now turing to plastic surgery to be able to attempt to achieve their idea of the "perfect" body. The robot which is a key part to this video also shows how by copying everything we see in the media means that eventually no-one we will have anything unique about them, we will all be the same.

Doll Face is a very heavily crafted piece of work. The animation that has gone into it has taken a great deal of skill and time to create. The whole video was made by some kind of computer technology and the actual video is all about technology, for example; the robot and the television.

HELLO!

This is my first blog thingy! :D