Typography: Inherit the Wind

Typography: Inherit the Wind from Youtube

This weeks reflections - w/e 16 Dec 2007

Last week of college before Christmas!

Finally got into the Headstart website and got all the information I need to complete my task, now I just have to do it.

Did our first lot of filming for the 1 minute video brief. I decided to put a very rough draft of it together to see how things fit and having seen it so far I have decided that I need more "rat cam" - a longer run in about the same amount of time to add a bit of action. I also have decided that the pan up the signpost is too slow and doesnt stay on the actual sign long enough, so the plan would be to speed the pan and linger longer on the signs. The other pieces fit together reasonablywell. I still have the blood ripple effect and smoke to video. I have also decided that I want to include a visual beating to match the sound and by visual beating I mean a pulsing effect by lighting a certain area of the map. The reasoning behind this is that I feel the beating heart will having nothing to attach to, no visual queue and all the other actions have a sound. With these things in mind I will be reshooting some scenes, this time keeping sound in mind (ie footsteps etc).

The piece is far from finished and I want to re-iterate that this is just a draft, dummy run and that there are pieces missing and still to be included etc. The purpose of this was to piece together the video that I have shot to see how well they fit together and to get some practice of shooting video (first try ever!) so please keep this in mind.

This weeks reflections - w/e 9 Dec 2007

Where has this week gone? To say I have done alot wouldn't be correct although I have spent alot of time doing it.

I have tried a number of times to get the Headstart work completed only to be foiled at the username and password stage - very very frustrating. I am also struggling to find websites and places around Manchester for the VRF. I have made some progress with the title sequence brief and came up with a couple of alternatives, having taken inspiration from a title sequence from "The Illusionist" and "Rear Window".









Watched "23" last night starring Jim Carey, very interesting opening credit sequences using typography. I have a screen capture below.






On Friday I went to the German Christmas Market (yes my primary reason was to get some of those little pancakes!!) and came across a stall selling artwork made up of typography and images from around Manchester and printed onto canvas. The artists name is Sarah Mitch. I found this website about her click here
And here is some samples of her work.

interesting design websites

http://www.clipstampfold.com/

Book Review - The Somnambulist

ISBN: 9780575079427

Jonathan Barnes

The Somnambulist

Publisher: Gollancz

Paperback 288 pages

Date of publication: 22/02/2007

“Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. It is a lurid piece of nonsense, convoluted, impausible, peopled by unconvincing chararcters, written in drearily pedestrian prose, frequently rediculous and wilfully bizarre. Needless to say, I doubt you’ll believe a word of it.” What is the reader suppose think if this is the opening paragraphy? Not knowing what to make of it I read on and was taken into a dark, sometimes disturbing London at the turn-of-the-20th-century. Our protagonists, Edward Moon and his companion, the Somnambulist, are introduced to us as a result of a murder, first of two, which occurs only pages into the tale. We are drawn further into the tale after realising there is more to these grissly events than meets the eye. Along the journey our protagonists meet the wicked albino Skimpole, a kind of reverse psychic , Cribb, who claims to be living his life backwards, amiable assassins Hawke and Boone and the activities of a secret government agency known as the Directorate. Our narrator occassionly interupts his story to engage the reader directly, offering opinions and suggestions and as the events unfolded this style of storytelling started to make sense.

website links for CS

Guiness ad: Hands
http://www.guinness.com/gb_en/Hands/

Guiness ad: rugby
http://www.guinness.com/gb_en/rugby/

Art Deco
http://www.vam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/1157_art_deco/postcards/postcard.cgi?action=view&cardID=474ea3a374b826dc51df

Pioneer tv (Surrealism?)
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pna/v3/pg/top/cat/article/0,,2076_310069651_491052619,00.html

Cadbury/Phil Colins/Monkey (Dada?)
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy52yueBX_s

David Lynch (Surrealism/Dada?)
http://www.thecityofabsurdity.com/

Paul Kidder (Expressionism)
http://www.kiddergraphics.com/index.html

Chinese wall paper (Expressionism)
http://www.chinawallpaper.net/pro_e.html

http://www.inthehabit.com/
http://www.inthehabit.com/

http://quentin.vijoux.free.fr/
http://quentin.vijoux.free.fr/

http://www.johnclang.com/ (Expressionism)
http://www.johnclang.com/

Fluxus/Dada?
http://fluxuswest.blogspot.com/2006/02/3-historical-objects.html

Fluxus directory
http://www.fluxus.org/12345678910.html#new

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

This weeks reflections - w/e 2 Dec 2007

This week we have started our new brief, a title sequence, opening sequence or trailer of exact length. I have gone with The Somnambulist and have started to read the book. I chose this topic because of the interesting images possibilities - dark, grungy, violent and set in 1830's London.

Initially I started collecting and viewing title sequences for movies so get some ideas on the use of image, video and typography.

After starting to read the book I thought of images which I found it difficult to get down on paper and so started to create a college of existing images as placeholders and this has helped alot. It has focused my thinking on sounds, sequences and exactly how to get the mood of the book across to the audience.

Below are my initial mood boards. I like the first three for the text overlaying a old map of London, especially the text sizes. I like the second set of three for the simplicity of the shot. When I look at the images I can almost hear the footsteps on cold wet cobblestones.



I have now started to look at the fashion of the time and scouted a couple of locations for potential video work. I have also been thinking about the sounds that I can use, Im sure the RSPCA will forgive me for harrassing our cat so that I can get some hissing sounds :)

I am really enjoying this project so far and taking heed of the lessons learnt from my previous brief I am really pushing for a strong concept.

ABC's but not as we know it....link to website

Once started an ABC photography project, to get all the letters of the alphabet without using typography.


Got some of them, but these are much better!

http://www.davidairey.com/alphabet-photo-art-gallery/


Found another one

http://designarchives.aiga.org/?s1=2|s2=1|eid=3220

Brief Reflective Summary: Self Portrait - Nov 2007

Finally, its handed in and completed!! This 30 second animation self portrait has really pushed the comfort zone around.

The hardest part of this brief was the topic, focussing on myself. I didnt want to keep to the superfical but then found it difficult to communicate the "sum of my experiences, both good and bad" concept.

The two parts I would change would be the text mask and the conflict scene. Instead of using one font I would use several which related to the words and I wouldnt have used the space invaders idea for the conflict. Instead I would have had more stills of myself pushing, punching, hugging etc.

I did like the clean look of the animation and I believed the audio matched. I used my time wisely and was able to meet the original deadline.

For best practice I would now look at the story boards and final sketchbook while in development with an eye for the final presentation.

I didnt find any of the software hard to learn (FCP) and was able to use Photoshop to do everything I wanted to.

This weeks reflections - w/e 16 Nov

The majority of this week has been spent working on the design brief - Self Portrait. We were given an additional week to complete the brief and this has allowed me to spend more time on the presentation material. The A3 board for the storyboards, screen captures and the "highlights" sketchbook.

I am not convinced I have a strong idea or that it has been developed to its full potential but I am not sure how to push it further. The tutors seem happy with what has been produced so far. I am feeling better about the course and what I am producing than I did last week. This I feel will all change on Wednesday at the crit.

I have also been searching for material for the Contextual Studies brief. Something I will have to concentrate on this coming week. One thing I have learnt so far in the 8 weeks of this course is there is no such thing as down time. There is always something to be getting on with and that includes the "extra curricular" work which we are always suppose to be completing. If you don't it will bite you in the butt later on when you run out of time.

I am looking forward to seeing what the next brief will be about.

The Big Yellow "Tide" TV advertisement - stop motion animation

Saw this on TV and recognised it!!

This is the TV advertisement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx0UNWYlidg

and this is the making of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxqMRnIrN8E

Film Review - Spirited Away

After following her parents into the spirit world where witches are in control and rule with a gem ringed hand, Chihiro (Daveigh Chase) has to find it within herself to become more independent, more assured, more respectful and resist the evil Yubaba (Mari Natsuki). Forced to work in a bath house to remain human and save her parents, Chihiro is befriended by Haku (Jason Marsden) and together they embark on this wonderful and inspiring journey.

It works on a multitude of levels; a social commentary on Japan (both the youth of Japan and the ecological impact development has had - The Last Samurai was filmed in New Zealand), a homage to ancient Japanese mythology and a moral film for both children and adults. But most importantly, it is a simple story brilliantly told by a great filmmaker. Hayao Miyazaki (director and screenwritter) has taken the time to develop the characters to the point where you forget they are animated. Hayao’s style of animation doesn’t feel like it was created on a computer, there is the feeling that this is personal and this allows you to geniunely have affection for the characters and the situations they find themselves in.

The soundtrack for this film matches perfectly and the actors/actresses have done a wonderful job in bringing the characters alive on the screen.

Spirited Away was the first Studio Ghibli movie I had seen and been a Studio Ghibli fan ever since, Spirited Away is now one of my all time favourite movies. I keep coming back to its simple yet effective storyline, wonderful animation and beautiful and visually inspiring artwork. For 125 brilliant minutes I am transported to another world, a spirit world. Fantastic!

This weeks reflections - w/e 4 Nov 2007

This has been a somewhat frustrating week. Monday was particularly frustrating and I ended the day with more work and an overwhelming sense of sinking.

I don't feel that I have made any ground with my self portrait piece, still not sure if the concept is a strong one, although I have almost finalised the artwork and will be starting to put the artwork into FCP because I am so very aware of the looming deadline. The text over the face concept has worked well and only hope it works in FCP. I have had some thoughts on the audio which I think will work better with the storyline. It will be a combination of music samples and audio I have collected from friends and family. After watching tonights fireworks I have thought of another idea for the battle scene - just think 24!

I contacted EY earlier in the week to see if I could pick up some work, particularly the Beyno magazine. Unfortunately I was too late and have asked that I be considered for the April issue. I have also asked that they keep me in mind for any other design work.

Having finished Alex's task on Elements and principles I feel I have a better understanding of these concepts, it just seems to take me forever to get anything done. Out of all parts of this course I feel Contextual Studies is my weakest. I handed in my work on Wednesday, we shall see I guess.

Review - Turner exhibition at Tate Modern Liverpool

The Tate Modern Gallery is very well planned. The art is well layed out. Covers three floors with the Turner Exhibition on the top one. The pieces are spaced out over these floors and each come with a small and susinct explanation of each piece. The Gallery wasn't overly crowded although there were several groups visiting.

The best piece I felt was the installation by Hunter. It was very disorientating, but why did I like it? I actually interacted with the piece, it engaged my interest. With the other pieces I was reading the text, looking and left wondering if I would ever get the concept of art. With this particular piece I was interested to see what was in the next box. This interaction with the art was then highlighted even further by the next piece I saw. The bear in the museum. I stood there watching the film and found my mind wondering off elsewhere. I didnt feel connected or interested to find out what was going happen next. I understood the point of the piece, that bordom is how the caged animals feel.
I also liked the series of images of a man showing parts of his face often distorted or drawn over. Why did I like it? For one of the pieces, a picture of is nose, I felt it portraid the difference between what his nose actually looked like and what he felt his nose looked like. He felt his nose was larger than it actually was. Something I can relate to.
The final piece I liked was a large black and white photograph of an overgrown cemetry with a path leading off into the distance. I have a general like and interest in photography rather than paintings, maybe because I feel I can succeed at photography. My eye was drawn into the photo and up the path deeper into the woods. I recognised this piece showed line and direction - the principles of design that Alex talked about.