LBM WEEK 6 DAY 1 AND DAY 2 - Metamorphosis Project

Over the weekend we drew out a storyboard together so that on Monday we could directly start using the lightboxes to draw as much as we could. This was the first time I have ever used I lightbox before since I did not have the opportunity to use one in my old school in France. It took a little bit of time to get used to but by the end of the day I was used to it. I quite enjoyed this technique and I am tempted in the future to possibly use the lightbox again for a different project. The only struggle with the lightbox was to create pans, and I had to do quite a bit of visual research to get the effect I wanted. I took pictures around people and also pictures of different pan effects that were quite tricky to draw out.

We discussed only having one sound during the transformation part which would be a sound of a heart beat to add tension to our film. The rest of the animation would be silent.

LBM WEEK 5 DAY 3- Mood Boards

This day consisted of creating mood boards to provide further inspiration for our work, and furthermore find collaborators for this piece of work. I had already decided to work with Louis O'Shea because we had the exact same idea that of instead of having human Gregor turn into a bug, we would have bug Gregor waking up and having been transformed into a human. He also wants to be an animator and so we combined both our ideas and created a mood board.

Fig 1: Louise and Louis's Mood Board (2013), Louis O'Shea

We also wanted to recreate the scene where Gregor grips onto a picture frame which is a symbol of gripping onto reality however we were not too sure how to combine both of these ideas together. After group discussions we figured out how we would combine these two ideas together: We would concentrate on the picture frame scene and add in a transformation when Gregor drops the picture frame as he 'let grip of reality' and turns back into a bug.

We also decided on the technical plan. We would create a short 2D animation film drawn out frame by frame using a light box.

LBM WEEK 5 DAY 2- Life Drawing

This second day of the project consisted of a full day of life drawing which I absolutely loved. The day was made even more interesting as the model would pose in different 'creature' positions which I found great for animation. It helped me to imagine even more the metamorphosis of Gregor, and especially visualize how he would have twisted and turned into his new bug body. After reading the short story 'Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka I decided that I wanted to animate Gregor turning into a bug, or even an alternative metamorphosis of his bug-self transforming into a human while having him act like a bug. The life drawing helped me to break down the movements of metamorphosis and to open up my imagination to different transformation ideas.

LBM WEEK 5 DAY 1 Metamorphosis Project - Trip to Brighton

Today we went to on a day trip to visit Brighton University's gallery which was showing some of Jan Svankmajer's work. I absolutely loved the sculptures he created which were made out of different animals. It reminded me greatly of Joan Fontcuberta's 'Fauna' exhibition where he also does a similar thing. I felt that his work here is centered on metamorphosis. He even, for example, transforms 'Alice in Wonderland' into his own animation piece.

During this day I took a lot of photographs and I also collected quite a few items found along the beach which should be quite interesting for future use in character design work. The different textures and shapes of seaweed were in particular intriguing.

LBM WEEK 4 DAY 3 Transcription Project Final Outcome

I was honestly not very happy with the outcome of my own project as I thought that the image moved too much and I was not at all satisfied with the visuals. However, when I showed it to my critic group I was extremely surprised with the audience's positive response. They really enjoyed it!

I struggled to find a suitable sound for this animation, and I only added some sound at the end, which was an explosion. I wasn't too keen on this because it seemed like my stop motion film was a silent. However apparently this added emphasis to the end of the film and even surprised the audience which was a good thing. They also really liked the visual work I put in with the background colour and the materials which the character was composed of. I know that I need to work on my filming technique and I also need to work on the type of sound that I use.

LBM WEEK 4 DAY 1 Transcription Project

I commenced the day with quick storyboards to aid the planning of the exact story I wanted. I then moved onto character design. I did some research on Parkinson's Disease and found out that the majority of people whom have it are elderly. I started drawing the character as a human and soon decided that I wanted to experiment using different kinds of material as I saw in the 'Saint Jerome' sculpture. I used various items such as screws, paper clips, needles, springs and drawing pins to create the character. However one of my main concerns was trying to keep all of the items in place and also attempting to keep the character looking elderly.

Fig 1: Character Design (2013) Authors Own

LBM WEEK 3 DAY 3 Transcription Project Crits on Ideas

After having chosen the specific piece of artwork I wanted to transcribe I decided that I wanted to take a risk and to create a stop-motion animation for the first time.

In Michael Landy's piece ' Saint Jerome' I loved the idea of mechanics and so I decided I wanted to create a character made out of screws and paper clips and try to make him move like a robot. My initial idea was to make the character be a puppet and not be in control of his body however, during the crit I was told that I needed to find a reason for the character not having control over his body. After a long discussion with the other students in my group I finally came up with the idea of having my character have Parkinson's Disease which would explain why he cannot control his body.

LBM WEEK 3 DAY 2 : Gallery visit for Transcription Project

Today we had a day trip with the Media Production group to The National Gallery. We were told to choose a specific piece of artwork from one of the galleries which inspires us. We were then told we had to transcribe the concepts from that specific piece of work and create our own work out of it. I really enjoyed the 'All Saints Alive' exhibition. I have never seen anything like it before. My favourite piece from Michael Landy's work was a sculpture entitled ' Saint Jerome '. This specific piece of work was about a saint called Jerome who legend says ''used to beat himself with a rock to prevent himself having pure sexual thoughts''. What I liked the most about this sculpture was how it was built out of mechanical parts to be able to make the sculpture move but also it was made out of carvings of saint-like torsos and hands which I found a very interesting mix put all together. I also chose this specific piece because of the underlying concept that we are unable to control our bodies. I really liked this idea and decided that I wanted to transcribe it into a short animation.

In the late-afternoon we went to see a film called 'The Selfish Giant' (2013) by Clio Barnard. I thought that it was an extremely truthful and touching film. The story was original, and the scenery seemed natural which added to the reality of this film.

LBM WEEK 3 DAY 1 : Merging with Media Production.

Today was the first day merged with Media Production. We were given a day project called 'Radical Idea'.
In our groups we had to find or invent a radical idea and present it at the end of the day to the rest of the class. We had to gather information and create a believable piece in order to persuade the rest of the class that this radical idea is real. The presentation was to last for five minutes.

In my group we started to brainstorm and think of any radical idea we had ever heard of. We then chose the radical idea of  'The Big Red Button' which is where the government can at anytime push this big red button which would blow up each country with nuclear bombs. However this idea quickly changed to the theme of ghosts! We wanted to prove the radical idea that ghosts exist. We were going to show this through a series of photographs with blurry parts to them which would be the ghosts. However to make this idea more original we thought about showing it from the ghosts point of view and possibly trying to demonstrate that two different worlds live in one world and we do not even see it.

We decided upon that idea and used the means of photography to prove this theory.

Criticism passed to us was that we need to do more background research to have 'reliable' proof.

LBM WEEK 2 DAY 3 : Critics about the final outcome of project 'who am I ? '

I was quite nervous about showing my work for the first time to my new pathway classmates. However I was also very curious to see the different ideas and techniques they had used for this project. Everyone had a different idea and interpretation to this project which I found interesting. I especially liked the fact that everyone in my group used different animation techniques.

The criticism that I was given was that I need to work on the sound in animation because this would add a new dimension to my work. Also my sketches need to be bolder. However on a positive side, the tutors said that I had very good and original visual idea and interesting drawings which I should continue to work on.

Fig 1: Extract From 'Who Am I ' Project (2013) Authors Own

LBM WEEK 2 DAY 2 : Learning about storyboarding

During this day we were shown a presentation about the importance of storyboards and the different types of storyboards that exist. From this presentation I now understand the process of storyboarding. Storyboarding is a visual representation of your ideas. It is also a first draft and you need to be prepared to cross certain storyboards out and replace them. This is why storyboards tend to be messy and understood only by the storyboarder unless it is to be shown to somebody else. A storyboard is  how you start to form your idea cinematically, and you transform your storyline ideas visually. It does not always have to be finished because it is more of a working plan than a final piece. Storyboards are essential to a film production because they help to identify problems which the production may entail. A storyboard also helps with camera angles which are extremely important to clearly tell a story. Comic strips are a final finished piece of work and not a storyboard.

When storyboarding you always need to have this question in your mind : ' What reaction do you want your viewer to feel ? And what action in the frame will reveal that? '

We were then shown an extract from a  film called ' Once Upon a Time in The West' by Sergio Leone. We analysed each frame to interpret what is both happening and what is going to happen. I learnt that close ups make us feel closer to the characters and so framing is extremely important while storyboarding. The Rule of Thirds is often used during the extract to help the film flow naturally.

Fig 1 : Extract From ' Once Upon a Time in The West' (1968) Sergio Leone

In the afternoon we continued working on our 'Who Am I ?' projects.
I was halfway through my animation for the second part of the project however for the first part of the project, I was struggling to transcribe the interview format into an original animation and so after a great deal of thinking about different ideas, I decided that I would animate a response to each question I asked the people I interviewed.
We were encouraged to use new equipment for this project so I borrowed a tablet and a sound system from  the CLR.

LBM WEEK 2 DAY 1 : Learning how to use Final Cut Pro

During this day we were taught the basics of Final Cut Pro. I have already used this program during my previous two years of film studies, however I am pleased to say that I did learn quite a lot during this day's tutorial.

Our tutor for the day explained to us the importance of file management and also how to save the files from Final Cut Pro properly. I learnt the importance of backing up files. I have now bought an external harddrive and shall continue to backup my work.

In the afternoon I learnt about the basic filming rules such as the 30 and 180 Degree Rules. These basic rules help you during the editing process and also aid to make the film flow and seem natural.

LBM WEEK 1 DAY 3

The end of the week consisted of us being taught the basics of animation and demonstrating to us the different kinds of animation which would inspire us with our work.  We were introduced to a program called IStop Motion if we wanted to use it for the 'Who Am I' project.

I was quite inspired by Kristian Andrews' work. In particular his animation entitled ''Bald Dad''. I thought that his storyline was very honest, and the fact that he drew each frame one by one beautifully in coloured pencils inspires me to one day be able to do the same. I also like the way his frames are very fluid and intertwine into one another to form a new image. I thought that the use of simple colouring pencils was very effective.

We also had a look at other animators' work such as Jan Svankmajer and Chris Shepherd's 'Who I Am and What I Want'. I found this work very original and raw. Chris Shepherd's work illustrates the possibilities of the 'Who Am I ' Project very strongly.

We were then given the chance to carry on working on our projects individually and start forming ideas for the afternoon critics.

For the first part of the project I want to create a storyboard and I am now sure that for the second part of the project I will create a 2D animation piece. I continued the day storyboarding and thinking about what technique and software I was going to use to animate my story.

LBM WEEK 1 DAY 2 : Introduction to our two week project : Who Am I ?

The day started with an introduction to our two week project entitled 'Who Am I ?'.
We looked at different photographs and videos to help us understand the project and inspire us. We were told to look at this project differently depending on what we want to specialise in.

In the afternoon we worked individually to develop initial thoughts for the project and we were also introduced to different kind of cameras that we would be using in the future.

My initial project thoughts were begun by thinking of the different people I shall be interviewing and the different questions which I would ask them. I decided that the theme of memory would be something I would focus on.

Each memory has a story and each story has different characters. It is through the story that we can understand the characters. I thought that using memories through different stories would be a novel way approaching the project. The memories will be about me, so I will be able to find out how these ten people perceive me to in order to get a better understanding of who I am.

LBM WEEK 1 DAY 1 : Photography work : Learning how to manually use our DSLR cameras

Today was the first day of Lens Based Media. The day started later than usual because of the storm going through London. We started off the afternoon by looking through different photographic images and trying to understand how they were captured from the technical side of photography, such as variation in the ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Our tutor Tom defined what these terms are for and how they work with the DSLR cameras depending on what effect you want in your image.

We then experimented with our cameras by changing the aperture and shutter speeds while using different kinds of lightings to take portraits of our fellow classmates.

Fig 1: Experimenting with Lighting (2013) Authors Own

Fig 2: Experimenting with Lighting (2013) Authors Own

I found this quite difficult because we were a lot of photographers around one model and so it was hard to achieve the angle you wanted for a picture.

I was not at all pleased with the outcome of my images. I will, however, carry on taking photos to improve and get used to my camera.

Exploratory Stage Review

I have immensely enjoyed the six week exploratory stage at Ravensbourne.

The exploratory stage was extremely varied and packed with subjects that were new to me; and I feel that I have gained an insight into many aspects of design, media and fashion in such a short period of time.

Since this was the exploratory stage, I pushed myself with experimentation to try and develop my work as much as possible because I know that I might not possibly get the chance to do some of the projects I did during those six weeks ever again.

I am very happy that I got the opportunity to explore and discover these different pathways. I ended up choosing Lens Based Media. I hope to continue experimenting to truly discover and develop my work.

Graphics WEEK 6 DAY 3

Our last day of graphics involved finishing our weekly project which was to design a future poster for an exhibition about ourselves in 2033. We had to think of ideas and design them throughout the week and then create the final piece Friday morning.

As I know what I want to be in the future I already had a theme. It was just the type of theme that I found quite difficult to decide on. I had to go through three completely different kind of techniques which I developed and started but I wasn't pleased with the layout of any of them or the ''type'.' For my first idea I wanted to make a collage, the second idea was using photoshop however I did not like the outcome of it at all. Finally I decided to go with something simpler and minimal and I did not like those sketches either as I felt like the page would look too empty for a poster.

I started doodling in my sketchbook and quite liked the owl sketches I did and so I decided to convert them into a whole poster. I then added the exhibition title ' Louise Animations'. I am quite happy with the outcome of my poster, especially as I struggled to find and develop an idea that I aesthetically liked. I am quite glad with the final turnout of my poster as I experimented with many different things.

Fig 1 : Dafts of Poster (2013) Authors Own

Fig 2 : Second Draft of Poster (2013) Authors Own

Fig 3 : Final Version of Poster (2013) Authors Own

Graphics WEEK 6 DAY 2

The second day of graphics consisted of experimental work and an introduction to typography in Graphic Design.

The day began by watching a video with Milton Glaser, an American graphic designer, best known for the I ♥ NY logo. He also designed the logo and packaging for ' Brooklyn Brews'.  Milton Glaser spoke to us about his work as a graphic designer and how he goes about working. We then watched a video called ' Radical Design, Radical Graphics' directed and produced by Andy. This video introduced the importance of typography in our everyday lives. It also brought us back to the past with French propaganda posters of May 68 '' Nous Sommes le Pouvoir'' - Beaux Arts. The important role of typography during this period was clear.

Fig 1:  Les Beaux Arts Affichent Dans la Rue ( 1968) Beaux Arts , http://www.dijonart.com/ 

Our task of the day consisted mainly of experimental work. We were then given the task of recreating letters from the alphabet using as many techniques as we could and without drawing them.  I thoroughly enjoyed my experimentation with relief impression.

Fig 2 : Experimentation with relief impression (2013) Authors Own

Fig 3 : Experimentation with relief impression (2013) Authors Own 

Fig 4 : Typography experimentation (2013) Authors Own 

Fig 5: Typography experimentation (2013) Authors Own

Fig 6 : Typography Experimentation (2013) Authors Own

We then had to make small boxes and put a word into that box using the lightboxes. I had never used a lightbox before and I found it quite nice to use since it's very effective. I chose the word ' mystery' because it's the first word that sprang to my mind. I aimed to create something quite bold and simple but that stands out. I am not really sure if I like my design as it's quite minimal compared to what I usually produce and so I found it quite different. 

Fig 6 : Poster Idea 'Mystery' (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7: Different Poster Ideas(2013) Authors Own

Graphics WEEK 6 DAY 1

I began the week of graphics not knowing what to expect since this is the first time that I have explored graphics as a subject. This week taught me about the different kind of graphics that exist, and highlighted the importance of graphics to portray a message and meaning to an audience.

We started the first day by listening to Martin Luther King '' I have a dream '' Speech August 28, 1963.

http://youtu.be/HRIF4_WzU1w

This speech taught me that graphics play a huge role in propaganda and getting messages across clearly.  Martin Luther King's speech inspires me to have my own dream.

Our second task of the day was still life drawing of portraits using different drawing techniques. I enjoyed this task as a lot of experimentation was included and it was fun to draw people that we see every day. We used four different drawing techniques : Drawing with our eyes closed, drawing with our mouths, left hand and a linear drawing (I had never used linear drawing technique before). Each drawing came out in a different style; abstract, graphic, neat  and messy, which I found interesting as I am used to seeing myself produce one kind of drawing style, so I was quite surprised and happy to discover this.

Fig 1: (left) James drawn blind (2013) Authors Own.
Fig 2: (right) : Dan drawn by mouth (2013) Authors Own. 

Fig 3 : Katie drawn using left hand (2013) Authors Own

Fig 4 : Linear self portrait (2013) Authors Own

Our last task of the morning was then to draw someone's ear in 15 minutes. I drew Brandon's ear. I experimented by using different coloured pens which I thought might show a contrast between the darker and lighter parts of the ear. I am quite happy with what I produced as I took a risk by using these colours.

Fig 5:  Brandon's Ear (2013) Authors Own 

Fig 6 : Ears (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7: Ears (2013) Authors Own

During the weekend, we had been given homework to collect 10 images of famous people. In the afternoon we were told we had to create a collage of a face out of the images we had collected over the weekend. I honestly found this task quite difficult. I found the concept of cutting up final images and putting them all together to create a new one quite difficult because all of the images were already finalised so I wasn't really sure where to cut or where to put what. I experimented with lots of different collage placements throughout the afternoon. I am quite happy with how my collage turned out however I do not think it looks like a proper real life face but more like something imagined, since my character has three arms...

Fig 8: Collage of Face (2013) Authors Own 

Fig 9 :  Viewfinder Drawing (2013) Authors Own

3DD WEEK 5 DAY 3

We commenced our last day by designing five miniature models of  bridges constructed out of A4 paper. This was a prelude to our afternoon task which was to create a real bridge in groups.

Fig 1 : Bridge 1 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 2: Bridge 2 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 3: Bridge 3 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 4: Bridge 4 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 5: Bridge 5 (2013) Authors Own

For our real bridge we were handed the following items, 30 bamboo sticks, 6 sheets of cardboard, some tape and elastic bands. The bridge had to span two tables which were placed approximately three metres apart. Furthermore it had to be able to support a miniature electronic model car which would test the bridge once it was finished.

My group decided to build the frame of the bridge first, and we opted for a classical suspension-type style.

Fig 6 : Bridge Frame (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7: Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7 : Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 8: Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 9: Bridge (2013) Authors Own 

I thoroughly enjoyed this task, as we had to think quickly given that we only had two hours to construct the bridge and working as a group was fun.

In our group, everybody actively participated and contributed and the end result of this was that our bridge was very stable.

Fig 10: Outcome of the Bridge Task (2013) Authors Own

3DD WEEK 5 DAY 2

On our second day we had to design and then build spaghetti sculptures which must hold four balls per person with the option of working in pairs. Again I worked with Daniella Avanzi. In the morning we designed the spaghetti sculptures in our sketch books while waiting for a free space on the glue guns.

I found it quite difficult to manipulate the glue gun whilst holding the spaghetti because the spaghetti would break easily in the lucky event that you were not burned by the glue gun! Although fragile I noticed that curiously the spaghetti would bend because of the heat.

We decided upon a triangular sculpture design.

Fig 1 : Spaghetti Sculpture ( 2013) Daniella Avanzi  

Fig  2 :  Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Daniella Avanzi

Fig 3: Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Daniella Avanzi

Fig 4 :  Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Authors Own

Our next task was to try to protect our piece by using one sheet of A1 paper and three sheets of A4 paper. We decided to scrunch up the paper and fill in the body of the sculpture as much as possible to add structural rigidity. At the end of the day, our tutor tested each of our protected sculptures with a basket ball to see if any of them were fit for purpose. Unfortunately ours was not basket ball-proof!

Fig 5 : Filled Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Authors Own

Fig 6 : Filled Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7: Filled Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Daniella Avanzi

Fig 8: Filled Spaghetti Sculpture (2013) Daniella Avanzi

3DD WEEK 5 DAY 1

I was extremely excited for the 3D week as I would like to study for a degree in 3D animation. I also was curious to explore and learn other creative possibilities in 3 Dimensional Development.

Our first task of the day was to transform different sketches into designs. For example, our favourite fruit into a rabbit hutch, 10 dots into a house plan etc.. This process helped open up my imagination for the last sketch, which was to design an MP3 player. I really enjoyed this task and I am happy with the outcome of my sketches because they are each very different to one another. The methodology used to create these sketches really worked for me and taught me that design ideas can come from anything.

We then had to create and design something that would hold a water bottle (three quarters full of water) 20 cm off the ground. We were only allowed to use one sheet of A1 paper and a strip of tape the length of my elbow to my hand. I found this task quite tricky, because of the weight of the water bottle, and found that the most effective support was achieved by simply scrunching up the paper. Although far from a beautiful design the water bottle was successfully held up ... until the teacher tried it out!

Our task for the afternoon was to create an object which would support our own weight. We were allowed 4 sheets of cardboard each. We were also allowed to work in pairs if we wanted to and so I decided to work with Daniella Avanzi. First we decided to create a bench for two people, however mid flow we decided that the structure would support us better if we turned the piece upside down. Our bench morphed into a tall stool.

We found this task quite difficult because of the carboard restriction, which meant that our stool was not quite large enough to seat two persons.