Interview observation
I watched an interview with Billie Eilish to observe how an interview (similar in tone and atmosphere to my own) has been shot.
There were certain tropes I observed that are common in other interviews too, such as the opening with the empty chair which the interviewee then sits down in. This could be something I show in my own animation.
It’s also interesting how the camerawork leaves some negative space, which I think adds an element of introspection to the interview, in light of her words. She frequently looks off camera, which again adds to the idea that she is thinking about her past, rather than seeing what is really around her.
Making a Storyboard: Alex Chiu
I wanted to improve my storyboard-drawing skills, so I decided to look into the advice and outcomes of professional story artists.
I started with Alex Chiu, who has worked with the likes of Marvel, Disney and Nickelodeon. She suggests watching films in order to observe how shots are framed and composed. She also says that it’s important to sketch quickly and accurately.
She sketches out the main components in the scene without adding too much detail. I also noticed that she adds details such as facial expressions and lighting, which weren’t something that I had really thought worth including before. The addition of basic dialogue may very well come in handy for me. I’m going to have to create my storyboard in close conjunction with the audio I have created, while potentially editing the audio alongside it so that they can fit together well.
Creature Comforts | Nick Park
Creature Comforts, originally a short film by Nick Park, was turned into a series by Aardman studios. The show uses recordings of interviews carried out with the general British public, as the voices of animals. Park re-contextualises, for example, people being interviewed about their living conditions, as animals talking about their living conditions in a zoo. The result is hilarious and quintessentially British.
Obviously, the style of clay stop-animation is very work-intensive and I’m not sure it’s achievable in the limited time I have. Also, the comedic, light-hearted tone is quite different from what I’m going for.
However, there are still other elements of the animation which provide helpful inspiration to me. For example, I really like the idea of taking a recording and creating a character based off of the voice alone. Creature Comforts takes a whole range of accents and creates characters based off of that. I of course only have one recording, but this research prompts me to think beyond the idea of this being my grandad speaking. Instead, it could be a wholly different character.
I also really liked the emotiveness of the faces, and I think that’s something I could emulate.
Lastly, I liked the interview format. Initially, I was thinking in terms of a narrative flow, because that’s what I’ve done with animations in the past. This reminded me that the recording is an interview, and I could very well carry that across into the animation.
Slaughter of Innocents (they might be guilty of something) | Kara Walker | 24.03.20
Slaughter of Innocents (2017) uses black paper cut outs to explore themes of violence towards women and racism in North America.
A lot of the imagery is quite graphic, considered offensive, nightmarish, or disturbing by some viewers. Walker says that the silhouette lends itself to the subject matter, in that it prevents the viewer from getting a proper look at what is going on. The narrative in the work is so graphic and direct, yet the viewer can’t get a proper look at the faces and expressions of those depicted.
The theme of the work is very different to my own, but there were a few features that I liked. I liked the lack of linear narrative structure, which creates a sense of chaos. There are so many different narrative being presented, some of them factual and others allegorical, all quite open to interpretation. I like the use of symbolism, such as the ship, perhaps a slave ship, and the broken egg, perhaps symbolising lost fertility, or the futility of having children born into slavery.
I wonder if this use of symbols could come into play in my work. The use of silhouettes takes away some opportunities to convey information, which must be supplemented in other ways. Symbolism could be a way to do this.
Tom Eckersley
Tom Eckersley was a poster designer throughout the 20th century. His work is instantly memorable to passers-by due to his use of flat, dynamic shapes.
The drop-shadow adds definition to the object in this 1969 poster design for TFL. I like the subtle visual puns included in the design, like the little London Underground symbol hidden in the screw holding the scissors together, or the text which has been cut in half by the scissors. The clever thing about the latter pun is that the phrase “cut travel” is just as easy to understand as “cut travelling time,” and so stands on its own. The poster works well because its message can be absorbed at a glance, but its interest is prolonged through more subtle elements, the longer it is observed.
This poster was designed for the government’s 1963 Keep Britain Tidy campaign against littering. Like the TFL poster, the colour scheme is red, white and blue, a palette which is relevant both to TFL and the British government.
Eckersley keeps the silhouette of the man very simple, save the hat which was a popular accessory for British men at the time, and adds character. Thus, he has grounded it in the time in which the poster was created. I think this would be a helpful element to integrate into my own work. When communicating to a target audience, how can include visual cues which allow the viewer to associate themselves with the message they see in the design?
I also like how Eckersley integrates text and image using the technique of screen-printing. The blue and red ink have overlapped on the letter ‘I.’ The resulting block of colour draws attention to the hand picking up the piece of litter. It’s a clever manipulation of a traditional technique, using what might in other contexts be considered a mistake, to his advantage.
Westfields Stratford | site research
Westfields shopping centre was opened in September 2011 alongside the Olympic Park, in celebration of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. It is a monument to the commercial age, a shrine to the gods of consumerism, and a place often frequented by school-age teenagers of all shapes and sizes.
Because of its recent opening, the shopping centre hasn’t acquired a very long history. However, it’s name crops up in the papers every couple of years for various upsets such as small riots and knife crime-related incidents. Notably, a couple of years ago there was an acid attack that put several people in hospital, that was believed to be part of a gang initiation process. Even so, it’s not a particularly dangerous place. There are high rates of muggings and shop-lifting, but that’s exactly what you’d expect from a huge shopping centre.
The shopping centre is considered a London landmark, and has provided a considerable number of jobs to locals, but equally has been criticised for gentrification, and taking away customers from local businesses.
Every Christmas, Westfields’ light display is turned on, accompanied by performances by pop artists the likes of Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
There is also a huge Vue cinema, numerous places to eat, and a bowling alley, which further attract large numbers of young people.
Dear Data | Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec
Dear Data was a year-long project created by two illustrators, Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec. Each week, they would send one another a post card documenting one particular aspect of their week, from the number of times they looked at a clock, to their relationships with their partners.
I noticed from the video created by Somerset House that they seemed to keep journals of the information before visualising it onto the postcard. From this, I began thinking that perhaps I ought to think more carefully about how I use a diary/journal. What information should I record? And in what format?
This project was particularly relevant to my project, since it explored the observation of small every day things. This is a practice that I myself wish to focus on, since I think mindfulness and appreciation for every day elements are important in finding satisfaction.
John Mcnaught - Birchfield Close
Birchfield Close is a 2010 comic book by John Mcnaught, which explores a sunset on a peaceful suburban street, tugging at our own memories of childhood and tranquillity. The novella does not feature a narrative, but instead slowly and subtly explores the sights and sounds experienced by the two main characters from their rooftop. There’s a real dreamy sense to it, especially conveyed through the neutral, limited colour palette and silhouetted shapes.
Relating to my project, I was interested in how Mcnaught has chosen to slow the pace down, to give space to each moment in the evening. Sunset is such a brief and transitory time, but Mcnaught gives it weight and importance by creating a whole book about it, and allowing the character’s imaginations to expand beyond what they see right in front of them.
I am particularly inclined towards exploring the necessity of appreciating that which we take for granted. Inspired by Mcnaught, I will consider how time can be sped up and slowed down through design, and how the smallest moments can be given worth.
Mark Titchner
Mark Titchner is an artist who works primarily in public spaces, in a billboard format. His work usually features bold text on an abstract, graphic background, and the content of the message is typically something inspiring about being the change you want to see in the world.
Titchner comments in an interview with Jackarts that he likes the idea that his work can change in meaning according to the person seeing it and their life situation. The interpretation can also change based on the current political situation. In a time such as now, when our lives are so different to what we’re used to, a billboard also plays a different role. People now only really go outside to get food or essentials, or to go to work if their job is essential. We spend so much time queueing outside shops, avoiding interaction as much as possible. Because of this, a billboard can provide a distraction. One such as Titchner’s may even provide encouragement.
It would be interesting, I think, to take into account the current situation of my country in relation to my work. I haven’t really reflected it in my work so far, but I think some of the messages I have been exploring would be applicable. Right now I think a lot of people are living in hope of the future, trying to escape from the now. I myself do feel like I’ve created this image of my future that perhaps is naive, but it helps me cope with my current boredom.
On the other hand, it’s interesting to think bIllboard as a form of advertisement, and how that may be subverted. In a way, as children we are sold a bright future with phrases such as “follow your dreams.” What would it mean to instead be sold the truth? That we won’t necessarily achieve our dreams, but that that will be alright? That it’s ok to change, to make sacrifices, even to settle?
How to Draw A-grade Storyboards | The Media Insider
How to Draw A-Grade Storyboards
I watched a tutorial by the Media Insider, who used a scene from Jurassic Park as an example in how to storyboard.
He exemplifies two forms of storyboarding, one which is more text-based than the other. He notes that all the info the camera crew, director, etc, would need on set, needs to be included in the storyboard. This includes lighting, focus, transitions, movement of the camera etc. Some of these I won’t necessarily have to deal with due to the interview format that I am hoping to emulate. I think that I prefer the more image-based storyboard, since I tend to think more visually than textually.
I think that I need to consider how the ‘camera’ will move in my animation, since the slow pan of the camera is pretty typical in interviews.
Last Leaf music video | OK Go
The Last Leaf music video was directed by Geoff Mcfetridge, and features a stop-motion animation burned into toast. McFetridge says that the process involved first designing the animation in under 2 weeks, then exporting the frames as files to be burnt into expired bread. I really like the combination of 2D and stop-motion animation, although I don’t really see the connection between the song and bread. I think this might be an avenue to explore, perhaps using certain objects that have become part of my visual language for this project, such as cakes, as more of a canvas than as characters.
I like that at certain points in the video, the animator has used several slices of toast in one shot to create multiple ‘screens.’ It’s a nice use of the material and something the bear in mine for later.
Wayang Kulit | 24.03.20
Wayang Kulit is a form of shadow puppet theatre originating from Indonesia.
The stories told often originate from Hindu mythology, although they may be retold in a way to engage the current audience. The puppets are moved around behind a linen screen while a light shines through the create a silhouette. The set-up is quite heavy with religious symbolism of the eye, the puppeteer as a kind of god, etc.
The puppets themselves are very complex and stylised in their design. Even though their colours won’t be seen during the performance, they exist as beautiful, vibrant objects on their own. I’m really taken by the character design, and how the artist chooses to convey certain traits through caricature.
Even though the designs are complex and detailed, the way that the puppets move is in fact fairly simple. The puppeteer is able to manipulate the characters in skilful ways, but the mechanisms which allow movement from the main joints of the body, seem quite basic. I wonder how I could convey motion in my own work? How can I convey character through design?
Theatre of Shadows | Christian Boltanski | 24.03.20
Boltanki’s 1985-2000 work features marionettes, hung like a mobile, their shadows projected onto the walls at a much larger scale. There’s something a bit creepy, magical, even ritualistic about them. I like the idea that the viewer is invited to create their own narrative from the work, and this is particularly effective because of how evocative the images are.
I’m interested in how hand-crafted the marionettes look. They create interesting shadows, but the models themselves are very tactile. This, I think is very tactile. I wonder how, in my work, I could make the object casting the shadow more interesting to look at. Perhaps, if I continue using the imagery of food, I could create something that looks really good to eat? Or really pretty?
Noma Bar
Noma Bar is an Israeli-born illustrator and graphic designer. His work features visual puns and double entendres, and often takes a political turn, perhaps due to his upbringing in the Gulf War. He believes in removing all details besides what is necessary, creating very concise imagery.
The above design focuses on the topic of gun violence. The use of red is very minimal, and therefore more impactful. Bar uses the tradition colour palette of red/white/black except that the white here is slightly off-colour, suggesting dirt or grime. The effect is more gritty than a palette using pure white.
The above design is simply called “Escape the Weather.” I like how Bar uses a very simple and subtle detail - the slightly bent tip of the umbrella - to suggest a bird in flight. The image is intriguing because is forces the viewer to make the final step - the draw the final comparison. I think this ‘gap’ is crucial to what makes Bar’s work so effective. It’s definitely something that I’d like to develop in my own work.
Keep Calm and Carry On | poster design
This iconic poster, originally made in 1939 by the British Ministry of Information, has been recreated in the form of “keep calm and....” to the point of becoming a meme. It’s definitely got very British associations, which I am perhaps concerned might conflict with my message.
However, I like the format of using minimal imagery and large, quite plain text. I think it could be very effective in my project with the right message.
I want YOU for US army | Poster research
This 1917 poster by J. M. Flagg is an interesting research point since it’s iconography has since become so iconic. The format is instantly recognisable and has been referenced countless times in pop culture.
The colour scheme is of course very patriotic, which encourages me to think about the symbolism of my colour scheme. Yes, red and black are the standard colours used in graphic design, but how else can I use colour to convey my message?
I’m also thinking about reproducing the format of the pointed finger and the “I want...” because of how recognisable it is. However: a) I’m a little worried about how forceful it might seem, when I don’t want to be forceful. The whole point of this project is that teenagers need to think for themselves instead of being told what to do. And b) I’m not sure teenagers today would get the reference. For sure most adults would, but perhaps it’s fading from relevance?
Barbara Kruger
Barbara Kruger’s work typically revolves around the themes of feminism and consumerism. I like the directness of her frequently controversial messages.
The imagery that Kruger pairs with her text is always very striking, often taken from magazines, and thereby tapping into her criticism of consumer culture. She employs a very minimal colour scheme of black, white and red which accentuates the impact of her message. Red/white/black is also a typical colour palette within graphic design.
Her Forever exhibition is particularly relevant to this project as an installation.
The extensive use of text is overwhelming, especially paired with the bright white lights and the monotone colour scheme. By covering the whole room in text, Kruger wholly immerses the viewer in her message.
The Happy Show | Stefan Sagmeister
The Happy Show is a partially interactive exhibition which has been put on show at many major art museums around the world. In the years prior to the exhibition, Sagmeister took up research into happiness statistics and how to cultivate happiness. The resulting set of installations delivers infographics, for example on the happiness levels of married, divorced and single men and women, accompanied by handwritten comments from the artist himself. It also features other typography-based elements, such as the huge monkeys carrying truisms, and light-up self-help phrases powered by a bicycle, while chewing gum dispensers are used to measure the happiness levels of visitors. Overall, the exhibitions appears very full-on, with a whole host of activities that visitors can partake in. The overarching colour appears to be yellow, unsurprising considering that this is a colour often associated with happiness.
I was struck by the nuance of the exhibition, in that not only is it a data dump and a data collection point, it also ensures the enjoyment of those in attendance. Interactive artworks such as this are a sure-fire way of creating interest. It really is a show, intended to entertain, an idea that many art exhibitions do not seem to be so focussed on.
I like the concept of the outcome itself forming the basis of someone’s enjoyment. The exhibition intends to ‘make happy,’ not just to be a visualisation of the main causes of happiness. Parts of it are a little eccentric and ridiculous, like the gigantic apes, which is also an element which I liked - there’s something entertaining about a sight so over-the-top.