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I took many liberties in the “heaven and hell” theme, and basically took it as two opposing forces which ultimately don’t get along, or do they? I learned a lot from working with this kind of animation, something I had never done before.
Starting with a stop motion technique in front of a green screen, my results were sort of disappointing me. Instead, I worked with more of the still images, and in After Effects tried to construct a more 3D effect by placing elements in an artificial space. None of the characters were on location, instead, I went out and took pictures of a location simulating the perspective I wanted. I’m more versed in camera operation and so I sort of emulated that idea with some camera movements and focus shifts, depth of field and that kind of thing.
I created all the characters myself, and used food for other props which was great because I could just eat them all when I finished. The vibe was so eclectic and random, so I went with it and added chaotic texts and made it so high paced.
Some production stills:
Conceptsmall
That link opens a video which shows some of the test clips I took today. I used it as a way to see the limitations of the technique I am using. I basically took many pictures with little movement between each picture and let them last 2 frames in Final Cut Pro. I noticed that movement is acceptable, its fluid. With people, it also works, but definitely use a tripod (unless the jerky movement is wanted).
I liked how exciting the image looked with real people, however I think if I spend sometime with very peculiar objects, I can create a pretty cool set. Green screen backgrounds are also a possibility, but the matching of perspective and things may just be too hard. However, it would be cool to hide some of these claymation animations in a real environment.
“Untitled”
This sculpture attempts to hide with its neighbors in a space where what should be hidden, is exposed. In itself, it exposes its inside, the wires. When we usually pass by and ignore the little things which make our life work, this sculpture is a way to attract attention to such objects. Objects which themselves, are sculptures.
“State Fair”
What speaks state fair more than the clunky and sometimes dangerous fair rides?
After many problems with the software, I started from scratch and rebuilt my little ferris wheel. This time it worked, and I took the time to clean up the presentation a little bit. By creating a faux brand, I made the sculpture look more like an advertisement. I even changed the camera angle and lens to project size in the ferris wheel. The slogan is a little poke at the sometimes “poor taste” in sights, food, and rides one sees at a state fair.
For the sculpture project, I tried many ideas at first. Firstly, I collected many cans of one specific type with a solid color I really liked. However, after much deliberation, I plan to use the shiny side to immitate metal. I looked at my location for a long time, and couldn’t help but notice that I saw there was already a “sculpture” in place. 
The three electric pipes and boxes where very interesting. Its something which is unique to the Smith Warehouse. How it is sort of revealing the production, something which we normally don’t see and is hidden. For this reason, I decided to sculpt a replica of the pipe and box and place it next to the three, in a way, sort of camouflage it. From the top of the pipe and perhaps the plug box, I plan to sculpt some sort of “exposed wire aesthetic” and reveal the electricity behind it with the colored side of the cans.
After taking this picture, I completed the whole assembly of the box and about 6 feet of “pipe”.
For my Digital sculpture, I am building a large ferris wheel after visiting the State Fair. I saw many people drinking soda and eating food, something I relate to soda cans, so I found it relevant.
A mixture of images conjured in the minds of many of us is constructed from historical photographs, media, and history books.
Inspired from popular references and images surrounding the Berlin Wall, I began to place images in such a way to create the word “wall” in the center. The chaotic and organic nature is a starck contrast to the geometric and structed design of the wall. The word itself is constructed by many smaller words, like the bricks that built the wall. The words are textual representations of the images and include other popular refrences, particuarly music.
I approached this project by thinking of the big pop references associated with the Berlin Wall, and East Germany for that matter. I began by using a Fraktur script to spell out the word “wall”. This script, which was used until recentely in Germany and other parts of Europe, I think jumps out at people as being associated with Germany. I made the text a “place holder” so I could drop elements around the lines. Then, I plan to remove the text and let the images shape the words. I like the density, and I am subtely dropping in little alterations to some images. All my work is done digitally, but I have physical elements I have yet to scan and drop in.
I have to clean up the edges of certain pictures as I want the images to appear behind others and remove the frames of their original image.
UPDATE: Sept. 20
At this point, I have filled up all the empty space and cleaned up some edges. I color corrected some images. My thoughts now are working with overlaying a texture to the entire image. I also have to figure out what I will do with the empty “wall” text. I may draw something to place it in the space, or a border to enhance the contrast.
Final Update:
I ultimately printed out my final digital file and had two copies. With one copy, I used it as a rough draft to cut out the letters and place hand drawn words behind the empty spaces. The words are inspired by pop culture references and images of the Berlin Wall. At first, it seemed too flat, so I drew in some thick lines to simulate a shadow. This gave the edges some contrast as well. After much deliberation, I took the risk and started cutting my final version.
I had to be careful with the alignment of the letters with the image behind them. The matting of the paper to the foam board was not so perfect, as the different thicknesses of paper absorbed the glue differently, and began to bend a little. I did my best to save it and I am happy with the results.
I like how the word doesn’t jump at first, and it takes some time to read it. Each letter is built by letters, almost like the bricks in the wall.
As I saw the work of Barbara Kruger, its painfully obvious that she is using a repetition of technique in her work to portray her message. Her work most always has several banners of text placed askew-ed over a black and white image. The text, which is typeset in Futura Oblique Bold, gives precisely that, a bold look.
In this example (Untitled 1981), the background image is that of men which seem to be either “horse-playing”, dancing, or fighting. The smiles suggest something friendly. The high contrast of the image makes it seem as if it was taken from a newspaper, giving it a pop feel. Her work lies in the linking of text with image, and how after reading the text, our interpretation of the image completely changes. By saying “which allow you to touch the skin of other men”, it comes across as though its something you aren’t socially meant to do, but really want to do anyway, as if it were an excuse to feel the skin. Her other work deals a lot with the sexuality and fetish of touch and skin.
Regardless, her work is simple, abrasive and eye catching. The jarring juxtaposition of text, which makes itself uninvited to the rest of the image as though it wasn’t trying to blend at all, is what makes her style unique and sometimes humorous.
The monitor set up playing the student projects
This little set-up caught my eye. A bright HD monitor was looping several short videos made by students in the Motion Graphics course. I had no idea something like this was offered here, and the quality of the results were outstanding. I even recognized some of the artists. I started by seeing the still frame descriptions placed in the hallway around the monitor. These were sort of like little previews, a transition towards the screening. Seeing which frames each student chose to print as a representation of their animation was also a way to see what the artist saw as valuable or meaningful in their animation.
I would try to picture these slides in motion before their respective animation came up, and I think that is how they surprised me. By taking those stills and working with directions of text, flowing of images, and pacing is unique ways. Each animation had its own style and way of doing things.
Josh Lim’s work, with the use of cutout animal shapes, textures, and color was especially eye catching. I had the pleasure of talking with him in how he created this piece and where he was able to find these shapes. The bridge of something so physical and tactile, to then become digital and contrasted by the pixelating effect made the texture stand out even more.