Progress Presentation 2 - Reflection

After lots of researching, worrying, sleepless nights into trying to hone down my semiotics plan, through subliminal messaging to visual metaphors over the past few weeks, I thought I'd found what I was looking for.  It was pointed out that I had found a better, simpler research topic now.  I was also challenged on my visual metaphor of my pocket watch idea.  To recap, my idea of the pocket watch as it floats through space at the beginning and ending of the piece is to represent on the conscious level, the possession of the Captain and to suggest the time period.  On the subconscious level my idea is that it's a metaphor for hypnotism as the whole piece is about perception, is it or isn't it real, hallucination or spiritualism, ghosts or illusion?  It was suggested in my presentation that this is just referencing.  I tried to explain that the pocket watch's hypnotism plan was the subliminal level and that it only came across as referencing because I had given this information over already, but i'm not sure i communicated this well.  Since then I have tried to find some reference material to back my idea up.  At present I am reading "Metaphor & Film" by Trevor Whittock which is proving to be invaluable.  There is a quote of Aristotle

"It is proper, to derive metaphors... from objects which are closely related to the thing itself but which are not immediately obvious"

my reasoning is that the pocket watch is closely related to hypnotism but not immediately.  If i was to swing it in front of the viewers face then that would be the relation (or the reference as it was challenged) to hypnotism, which isn't the intended visual act.
Reading on into the book, it states an argument for visual metaphors that:

"...metaphor challenges the received catergories by means of which we realize our experience, may metaphor not be setting up false connections and weakening our grasp on the real world?"

this also reflects my idea of the hallucination and what is real and what is not.

Having only recently decided on the actual visual style, and now being abstract, it was stated by a couple of people that they couldn't visualise the outcome, or that it kept changing.  I'm going to be frank that I was under the impression that the whole process is about evolving an idea and to let it change and grow and not to have a definitive structure from the start and be unswayed into developing it.  So I really didn't understand where the problem lay at this stage.  For me the visual developing comes from the testing and design, the pre-production process which has only just started, so to be honest I have no idea if there is a problem in these comments.
I do have a concern about one other comment regarding the Exposition.  As this is a big chunk of my project and part of the whole concept therefore I am needing clarification that it is possible for the installation of a projector rather than just being shown on a computer monitor.
So summing up, the stress levels are pretty high at this stage already.

Semester 1 - Crit Week

Hosted the second meeting of the semester for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students last Monday.  Things went smoothly again, people were chipping into the conversations and giving advice where needed.  Some good art and ideas coming from everyone.
Reflection on myself, as I said in my post of the 1st meeting I will only try to spur people into talking more if I feel their presentation is lacking, but I'm not going to push them as i want to maintain a pleasant atmosphere where people can feel relaxed and then open up more.
The subject of sketchbooks came up, where one member of the group felt awkward and uninspired about having to draw in separate sketchbooks for each module, which broke his flow.  I too have noticed this problem so i suggested he tried separate sheets of paper and then at the end of the semester binding the appropriate work to their module into hand made sketchbooks.  Coding was another concern of a few in 2nd year with the Entertainment Design module.  I just tried to reassure them that as artists they didn't need to be worrying too much in this area, and that if in future they were to work with coders, which they will in semester 2 and 3rd year it was that they knew a simple understanding of how it works so that there weren't too many frictions between artists and coders.  Also if they're worrying too much at the start they will always see coding as an enemy and therefore steer clear of it in future, but coding can enhance some art projects and so they could miss out.  So taking away the worry at the start they could eventually take on coding on their own terms and try out methods gradually.
So to sum up from my view, the meeting was good and didn't seem like a chore as it sometimes had in previous years.

Presentation 2

Honours Presentation 2

Visual Styles

Trying to draw together visual styles from other people's ideas/work to help generate ideas for my own.

Steering clear of photorealism that I originally thought I would try to create.  instead the idea of playing with refraction, lighting and moving textures within Maya have come to mind.

Concept Artwork

The Captain of the Merchant Ship (charcoal)

The Captain's pocket watch (pastels) that i envision starting and ending the piece, that will be a visual metaphor for hypnotism which Carl Jung suggests the mind of psychics and mediums can do to itself under trauma or stress, hence the hallucinations and visions or premonitions

A plasma ball (pastels), an inspiration for maybe the set and hooking up the psychic to the ship

Visual Perception Concepts

Originally i was thinking down the line of photo-realistic but have been recently convinced that it isn't my natural way of working.  as much as i love the beautiful realistic work of others it takes years to perfect and right now i'm not at that stage and being a critic of my own work i wouldn't be happy with imperfections that i would see and so would everyone else.  it's also been pointed out my previous animation work has been verging on abstract, which would be the comfortable route to go as it would alleviate the work load and giving more time to concentrate on the semiotics (subliminal messaging)

As the story is based around ghosts and psychology i'm looking into the visuals and what makes us question or perceive from what is not quite right

In Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl i like the idea that the realm of the dead is seen in the living just by using the the light of the moon and the two exist visually together

This picture shows the idea that things can be perceived differently just by a certain angle

This image show that we can see extra perceptions from something we didn't expect or what we thought was chaos

we can also change scale to play and amuse

these also remind me of what horror and spooky films play on, the power of suggestion and our individual perception.  we naturally feel uncomfortable by things we can't or can only partially see or cannot rationally explain.  our minds try to fill in the gaps.

Subliminal Messages - Narrative and Homage

As in an earlier post i mentioned the scene in Sin City of Kevin on the porch was paying homage to the original comics, this can be regarded as subliminal messaging.  This is one of the areas i'm interested in as it directly links to an original narrative that causes an emotional response even if previously known or in this case one that i hadn't until after i checked it out.

Having recently watched the final episode in this series of Doctor Who - The Wedding of River Song i can see now the whole of Doctor Who has been paying homage and also using subliminal messaging to propel the stories and the whole series.  Like a detective show, the clues are actually in the visuals.  whether it's part of the set, the audio (the cloister bell especially) or characters, they are all interwoven and gradually become clear at the very end or when you look back.  The "question" that has been unanswered during this story and was supposedly taboo has been there right from the start in 1963 right under our noses "Doctor who?" this not only pays homage but also opens up to another series of stories, such as finding the answer or actually understanding the question (as in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
guardian.co.uk-doctor-who-wedding-of-river-song

subliminal messages can also be see in links to spin offs such as The Sarah Jane Adventures and Torchwood

Subliminal Messages - Lady Gaga Videos

ok, so what have i been doing for several days?  well apart from reading, reading and reading i've been trying to define my project aim and one objective.  for me semiotics is just too vague, not really explaining my concept well enough and not honing down on what i want to convey in my animation.  i looked again at subliminal messaging, perception and stimuli.  i'd sort of brushed it aside earlier because the first thing that came to mind was the ethics and conspiracy theories, which i wanted to steer clear of.  then thinking about it again and looking deeper into it, everything we do is steered by subliminal messaging, body language being a natural culprit.

so i went to look for this within the entertainment industry, i'm trying to ignore advertising because i'm not trying to sell anything, only entertain.
the first port of call was a random google search and the first thing that took my eye was the theories behind lady gaga's video for "Telephone"
The first thing i read was this: vigilantcitizen.com/musicbusiness/the-hidden-meaning-of-lady-gagas-telephone/
ignoring the conspiracy theory part i was impressed if these were hidden messages that Gaga and Jonas Akerlund were implying throughout.  I started understanding where Lady Gaga was coming from as well.  i have completely blanked her because i assumed she was just another mainstream pop act that is manufactured no matter what these "icons" say to the press and their fans.  with gaga also, as people would say "trying too hard", being outrageous in all she does, is she trying to communicate around the pigeon hole that pop has put her into?  is she screaming for her own identity?  and are most of us just putting her into the "mad" section because we haven't deciphered what she's trying to say because she's not conforming to the standard pop that we have been told to accept?  hence the messages in her videos
eonline.com/news/lady_gaga_on_telephone_its_hidden

Audio - Soundtrack Ideas

Been thinking about the music for a while.  To start with i was thinking of a mixture of Holst and Pink Floyd influences.  The link with Holst being The Planets and Pink Floyd giving it a spaced out twist.

Now scrapping that idea after reading more about Victorian seances.  Majority would start and end on hymns and prayers and would use several musical instruments.  I was also listening to Dead Can Dance just randomly the other day and forgot how powerful Lisa Gerrard's voice was.  They are also able to create a huge spiritual sound using simple organ voices.  Enigma springs to mind with their Gregorian chants as well.

Also looking into Victorian music halls and seeing what instruments were popular at the time and tying the two ideas together to create a piece for my Victorian Ship Captain.  The audio to me is extremely important for my animation as i'm hoping it will create a strong emotional piece when coupled with the visual

Psychology in Films

ok throwing these down as samples of psychology used in film that have stuck in my mind.  the first two are Sin City and The Others.

Watching Sin City a few months back for the first time sparked this thought off.  Near the end of the film, the character Kevin (Elijah Wood) is seen on the porch reading his bible.  Having previously been killed earlier in the film, i was first confused but then apprehensive as to what was to come next seeing as i knew what he was capable of.  Found out since it was homage to the original comics that the image of Kevin on the porch was flashed up to determine the location.  But still it still had the spooky horror reaction in me that i liked.

The Others is another film that stuck in my mind due to the fact that i only got the twist right at the second before it was revealed.  i won't say anymore for spoiler reasons apart from... genius!

the film that let me down was The Bone Collector.  I was looking forward to a good "Whodunnit" but one camera shot told me half way through.  When all the police were around Denzil Washington's character discussing the next move, the camera went to the doctor treating him.  at this point where all the focus should have been on the investigation i wondered why the shot was on the doctor, unless he was part of it all.  it was too obvious and i lost interest in the majority of the film after that. 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Received a copy of Arthur Conan Doyle's book "The History of Spiritualism".  It intrigues me that a man of medicine and creator of Sherlock Holmes who was all about science and physical solutions should turn strongly to Spiritualism in the later days of his life.  Is this something that most people do?  Is it a panic reaction to the fear of death as the time gets closer?  I'm running with this idea at the moment as it makes the idea of my Captain turning from physical to spirit throughout the animation.  As his impending doom gets closer he himself becomes a believer from fear, a last minute resort

Pitch Presentation 1

Pitch Presentation 1

Alexander McQueen's Pepper's Ghost Effects with Kate Moss

Found this while finding out more about Pepper's Ghost.  This was done in 2006 for Alexander McQueen's Fashion Show.  Kate Moss appears as a ghostly figure manifesting on stage and then disappearing the same way.  The more I see of this effect the more i want to use and play with it.

Semester 1 - Pitch Week

So, now I'm managing a pitch/critique group.  From previous years, it's been a mixed experience for me.  I've noticed that if people are open to discussion then some good feedback can be gained, but this hasn't always been the case.  So as this was my chance to manage it i wanted to definitely maintain a good conversation level for each member's pitch.  Having said that i didn't want myself to be the sole voice and to force inputs.  I don't believe i have the right to say what is the best method to use because everyone has a different method, pace and style of working.  All i can do is offer up experiences that i went through and suggestions or tips.
Timing of the group i believe went well.  Everyone seemed to get a fair time to pitch with a fair amount of time for feedback without needing to push or limit verbally, which helped to maintain a relaxed atmosphere.
I was impressed and intrigued with some of the ideas that people had for their modules, even the topic of projection mapping and holograms came up briefly which i found quite strange as i'd not long blogged on here with similar subjects.  spooky...?
All in all for the first meeting the group seems like it could be beneficial to everyone involved throughout the year.

Powering a Ship Through Space Using Ghosts

Having the idea of the Victorian space ship being powered by ghosts I've tried to think how I can show this visually and also how to be more scientific or technical about the details.  As ghost hunters believe that power drains or electromagnetic fields (EMF) cause ghosts to manifest I thought the reverse could be used for my Victorians.  They could use mediums/psychics to drawn the power from the "otherside" to use as the source for their ships.
After reading some Victorian ghost stories today I remembered Faraday's Cage and Tesla's Coils both Victorian inventions.  Faraday's cage was to protect from electrical charges.  Tesla coils produce them.  Having a slight Dr. Frankenstein moment I wondered what if i reversed the ideas and put (hypothetically that is) Tesla Coils inside a Faraday Cage and hooked them up to a medium/psychic which was then rigged up to the ship.  This could create the visual implement i need to base the story, also adding more Victorian references.  These could also add to the audio effects/semiotics within the piece.

 

Exhibition Influence Ideas

As my project considers perception I want my final animation to stand out from just the standard animation projected on a wall or played on a monitor.


1st Idea:  Several months ago someone showed me the video of Ralph Lauren's 4D Experience of which I am extremely grateful to her for, as it blew me away.  It's opened my mind up to how I can showcase my work in a new way and I'm not restricted in the usual flat screen manner

2nd Idea: I have also come across is a 3D Holographic projection, derived from a Victorian trick called Pepper's Ghost first demonstrated in the 1860s by John Henry Pepper, which could tie in nicely with my narrative.

AG1064A: Professional Practice - Personal Statement

Proposer:  Julia Gompertz

Student Number:  0802230

Programme:  Computer Arts

Specialism(s):  3D Environment, Modelling, Animating, Audio Production, Direction, Lighting, Compositing

Personal Statement:

I would like to create an animation that utilises and pushes forms of communication and semiotics within the narrative and the mise-en-scène elements, drawing interests from psychology, science and the supernatural.

Inspiration and Interests:

Psychology:  Understanding the mind and the reasoning or the unexplained.

Communication & Etymology:  Languages or symbols in various forms fascinate me.  Whether it be social situations, science or religion.

Science:  How we understand the Universe and what lies within it, but still learning new things everyday.  How people have invented and created what we have before us.  Like an old fashioned Blue Peter “make” with things just lying around you, but on a mind-boggling scale.

History:  Understanding where things came from or re-learning things that have been forgotten.  Going back as far as you can to see the origins and where the paths actually led or changed course for specific reasons.  Also the art of historical periods, how fashion and styles have changed throughout

Theatre/Film:  The romantic nature of the process.  The work involved (scripting, direction, acting, set, lighting etc.) to produce entertainment for the human mind, but also knowing what, why and how it's entertaining.

Music/Audio:  The storytelling or emotional communication through audio gives me images in my mind.  Everyone is different therefore a huge range of images could be gained from the same piece.  In a sense we are all directors of our imagination.

I find it hard to communicate through speech a lot of the time, so my interest or motivation is to communicate my view or ideas through my work.

Career and Creative Aims:

I always said if I would have been born with brains I would have been an Architect.   The next best thing for me would be 3D Environment Artist.  As I’ve progressed through my degree I’ve had a strong pull towards Motion Graphics or Animation.  Having a varied background in Audio Engineering and Theatre Studies I still like to keep a keen foot in the door of lots of roles and Motion Graphics seems to let me do that.  Eventually my dream would be to obtain a Masters in Direction so that I can draw everything together.  Dream job, that would be creating/directing/ producing music videos, but I’m always looking for something new or different to push myself further.  Science/Historical/Fictional based films/title sequences would be other choices.

Current Skills and Abilities:

Traditional Art:  Includes life drawing and landscapes, mainly in pencil, charcoal or pastel, but open to other mediums such as ink, acrylic, watercolour and gouache.

Physical 3D Models:  I created a number of model sets using my own bare hands, these were initially for a stop motion animation project back in the 90s where home technology for 3D animation was limited for a tight budget.

Technical Drawing:  A qualification in technical drawing and reading abilities.  Studied the subject instead of Latin at school where I gained the understanding of perception and lighting.  Within my HNC of Technical Theatre Skills, my ability to read and produce design plans for sets, props and lighting in stage production grew stronger.

Audio Engineering:  I have spent various years studying the technical side and also many more years on the creative side.  This not only includes music but also radio production.

Digital Art:  Having started on my Amiga 500 many years ago at school I have changed and developed on many platforms, including Windows and generally now on Apple Macs.  Originally my main work would have been 2D and very standard animation, but as technology has risen so high between then and now, being able to create digitally in 3D has pushed my work beyond my initial dreams back in the Commodore days.

For projects I currently use Photoshop, Maya, Final Cut, Motion, Logic Pro and recently After Effects.

Skill Gaps:

Modelling & Textures:  These are definitely areas where I want to progress.  I want to keep pushing what I can achieve visually.  I don’t think there will ever be a point where I will down tools and say I can’t achieve any more in this.  There are too many competitors that wow me with what they achieve and they are the ones that inspire me to produce better work than I have previously.

Direction:  As stated previously I would like to gain a Masters Degree in Direction.  I would like to build as much foundation as possible towards that goal, which means gaining as much knowledge in the areas of lighting, cameras and narrative direction as I can.

Project Aim & Objectives

like it says on the tin Project Aim & Objectives... click the link for the highbrow stuff

Early Inspiration of Communication

The Two Ronnies have been a huge inspiration to me as they were fantastic wordsmiths and have allowed me to seen things from different perspectives and play in imagination from a very early age.
One of my earliest memories of communication techniques... still as great as it was the first time i saw it

Narrative Research & Basis

List of publications for research towards the storytelling and background.  My aim is to tie in Rene Descartes' Mind-Body Dualism philosophy with a belief in ghosts and a convincing fictitious scientific approach

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark - Carl Sagan

The Dead of Night: The Ghost Stories of Oliver Onions - Oliver Onions
Table-rappers: The Victorians and the Occult - Ronald Pearsall
In A Glass Darkly - Sheridan La Fanu
Ghosts by Gaslight - Troy Taylor
Parapsychology Revolution: A Concise Anthology of Paranormal and Psychical Research - Robert M. Schoch
Servants of the Supernatural: The Night Side of the Victorian Mind - Antonio Melechi
Meditations and Other Metaphysical Writings - Rene Descartes
Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense - Jack Dann, Nick Gevers
A-Z Parapsychology - Jane Henry

Mind Map Mk.II

Easier to use and add to Mind Map Mk.II

Intrigue

Pretty much everything intrigues me.  Science, History, Religion, Beliefs, The Unknown, Philosophy, Psychology... 

The Whole Universe

Motivation

I want to try and create something spectacular on the eye, to be able to entertain and make people think as well as see my work.  Recently I've been blown away by a pieces of work by Environment Artist, Barbara Witkowska.  All CGI, but looks so real and stunning.  It also puts a narrative into my mind and I start thinking about scenarios and other elements that would tie into these environments

Barbara Witkowska work

Inspiration

Music inspires me the most.  It's like reading a book, the images form in your head.  As the music progresses the images form a story in my vision.  As with aroma, certain smells trigger personal memories, certain sound as well trigger images from the past, therefore the brain stories played out from the music being heard produce very personal lines of thought and in turn everyone will see different things.  My main inspiration in music has been Toyah.  Her background in theatre, acting and performance makes her music have a strong narrative and she never shies away from the crazy or insane letting the listener visualise rich images

Early Mind Map

Starting point of ideas noted down and linked.  As my idea is to link the elements with the animation this means lots of connections.  As this is an early stage more thoughts will be added as the project progresses.

Initial Narrative Concept

As I have interest in both History and Science I would like to combine the two.  Intrigued by Steampunk, my ideas for the narrative are Victorian’s with the means of future technology

The Influences:

I am also interested in some people’s obsession with the realm of the dead.  Ghost stories fascinate me along with the unexplained.  Watching shows like Most Haunted has given me a few ideas.  Victorians were also attracted to communing with the dead, but only saw this as entertainment, a mere parlour game.   Ghost hunters tend to believe that sudden drains of energy such as batteries in cameras or electrics as in lighting is a sign of pre-manifestation of spirits, they use the energy from this world to communicate with ours.

I have read Warhammer novels for a good number of years.  Within Warhammer 40,000 they have the idea of powering ships across space with the use of Psykers.  These are individuals who harness power from “The Warp” (an immaterial dimension).  This to me is like a reverse of the belief of psychics, mediums and believers.

Taking on the idea of the Victorians progressing mechanical industries at a huge rate in the 1800s and also believing themselves to be superior to the majority, for example they defaced a huge number of architectures and artistic objects from various cultures believing they shouldn’t be seen by “civilised” public.

The Narrative:

All these have lead me to a narrative of a Victorian Merchant ship in deep space.  They have decided to plunder the galaxies for raw materials to advance their expanding industries.  Their parlour game of the Ouija Board has lead them to discover how to rip the power from the realm of the dead and to use it to power their ships through space, naïve or regardless of the fact they are torturing these souls.  One thing the Victorians could/would never overcome was nature.  They come face to face with a Black Hole.

Rewind back to the summer:

Growing up watching fantasy and sci-fi I have been immersed in television such as Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Blake’s 7.  My first idea was to create a completely futuristic idea of freedom fighters in space and using the same technology as my Victorians.  So in fighting for freedom in their reality they are enslaving souls from another existence in doing so.   I have steered away from this line for a couple of reasons.  a) Freedom fighters in space has been done and b) there’s not much basis behind it.  Apart from a bit of swash buckling in space and the hypocritical Goody Two Shoes it’s a bit reminiscent of a Wendy House in a breeze

Initial Technical Concept

Where to start?

 

A lot of this first post might not make a lot of sense as structure maybe all over the place prior to a mind map, but I’ll just type as the ideas I’ve had filter back through my head

With a start in theatre production, storytelling is the major part of my work.  Creating characters, scenarios and backgrounds that have definition and lead towards an entertaining narrative are the bulk of what I strive to do.  Added to this I try to weave partially hidden communication and messages whether through ancient, modern or futuristic symbology

Pushing the semiotics further into my next project, my vision is to use the various elements within an animation, such as lighting, sound, sets and character to each carry their own part of the hidden message.  Imagine an orchestral piece of music, where there are various sections of the orchestra but all playing their parts in the music and all talking to each other as if in a group conversation.  My goal is to make these animation elements communicate with each other and carry a message as part of the main narrative