Thursday, June 2, 2016

Blog 12

Today we completed a lot of work.

More than expected. So we are ahead of schedule.

Currently our animation is complete and we will use the rest of our time on the soundscape.

We projected the aging process using cutouts and charcoal, and concluded the imagery with animation by sand.

We also sequenced the sections together. I am in the edit lab as we speak!

My group meets tomorrow to create what we hope will be a beautiful soundscape.

After 12 hours of work, I am casually turning into one of those crazy cat ladies who walks into film festivals and sneaks her films into the screenings.

I suppose I should sleep.

Yes, I will do this. :)

Blog 11

My group and I worked hard together and successfully finished our first section of our animated piece.

After hours of adjusting minute details, I am proud of the work we have done thus far, and am excited for the remaining parts.

We ended up choosing charcoal because we wanted to create a world that is continuously adding on top of itself around the creature. 

I also have learned that I am capable of focus sans meds when it is a creative task. This was a valuable lesson for me to learn and I can utilize this to my advantage.

We added a lot of detail, not because we had to or anything, more because it was awesome and it just seemed better that way. Although I like that we had that requirement because I love detail so I was smiling in my brain.  

For the remaining days we will complete sections 2 and 3 on Thursday, 4 on Friday, and we will create our soundscape over the weekend.

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Blog 10

Today I learned that you can create a pretty solid looking animation on an iPhone.

I also learned several different methods of creating animation and was able to experiment with these in my group.

Working hands-on is a helpful way to learn. I think this is probably the most effective way to remember information.

The apple boxes and sandbags were an interesting and effective way to set up these stations and I am processing all these things to acquire in the future for my room. 

These tricks are helpful to learn for independent projects. And I love independent projects. I am very excited for my group's project, not just for the product itself, but for the process of learning these creative outlets for the future.



Monday, May 30, 2016

Blog 9 - Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

The concept of my group's animation is the cycle of life.

Inspired by the great Mapplethorpe's surreal take on his own deterioration in his final stages of life, Metamorphosis will juxtapose the life of a butterfly with the aging process of a human. The goal is to show beauty and sadness in combination.

Our plan is to use charcoal and sand to incrementally display transpiration as a living creature is fading away... We also hope to use newspaper cutouts for the human face so we can more effectively manipulate and convey the process of aging.

The piece is broken into four parts:

The first stage will project the development of a cocoon into a butterfly.

The second and third stages will follow the growth and deterioration of a human into dust (sand).

And the final stage will reveal the grown butterfly perching on the dust and coyly floating away.

Here are examples for stylistic inspiration by Robert Mapplethorpe:



And, finally, here are our collective storyboards we created together as a group.


Stage 1 - James - cocoon to butterfly


Stage 2 - Maura - birth to adult 


Stage 3 - Kyndall - Adult to deceased (dust)


Stage 4 - Dust to flight (butterfly path of action)









Blog 8

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I have learned from class is that it is okay to be interested in and driven by many things; a fusion of elements, in a sense.

I feel myself relating to this path, as I do not feel anchored to any one path, but rather, to a multitude of my passions.

I find myself connecting to the journey that leads to passion. Whether this journey is led by dance or song or performance art is irrelevant, because to me, the feeling is what truly matters.

Film-making is beautiful because in it's own lovely way, it connects many channels and transforms them into one. It can pinpoint beautiful moments and manipulate the way we perceive them; or it can take those same moments and reveal fragments of truth.

While I am ambiguous as to how I will earn my money, I find myself gagging at the thought of my mother nagging me to pursue a more conventional job. At the same time, I would like to sever my financial chain with my family to form my own self-sufficiency, so I am driven to unfold a means of living.

It is interesting the way that money controls people. Even artists nowadays seem begrudged with the burden of acquiring money, of pleasing others, of creating an appeal. Ethics and personal judgment are seemingly altered by this craving, and often, need or desperation for survival.

Passion is more valuable than money to me.

But passion in this world is being deteriorated by power. Because for some strange reason, little green slips of paper indicate power.

I think this is why it's so darn important to keep passion alive.

And happiness. I suppose it's all about finding a balance.

I also feel like 20-something's nowadays are having mid-life crises earlier in life. But it feels like this gets better.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Sound Journal - 4 - Sound in Darkness - Blog 7

Here is a sound I described in stillness.
I will call it Ghost.



A cold is present in darkness.

It feels with your ears.

A resounding sound that tells you.

It will be okay.

He likes to hide in shadows.

She likes to be unseen.

He likes to sit in corners.

She runs in alleyways.

She creates in color.

He unties his wrists.

He shakes off his bagged face.

She presents her mask.

She absorbs the pressure.

As he dissipates.




Sound Journal - 3 - Puking Sound - Blog 7

Air whispers.

Safely.

Cautiously.

It brushes against the cold of the room.

A device rumbles. Puking sound.

But not too hard.

It explodes and returns to the ambiance.

And footsteps speak. They join the party.

A secret world. An untold story.

Water drips. In secrecy.

An outlier. An outsider. An unwanted leak.

And nothing waits.

It shares its' turn.

Safely.

Cautiously.