16mm Film Test

I took part in a workshop this afternoon, which involved damaging, drawing and painting onto 16mm film. We used tipex, sharpies, nail varnish, spray paint and stickers to add to blank film, but then on film which was already exposed we used pins and scalpels to 'interfere' with the original images on the film reel. These created an effect which reminded me of the punk tendency to cut and stick and use existing images. It had a very obvious hand-made quality, but also the urgency and violent feel of punk videos. 

As a form of inspiration we were shown the work of Len Lye, and tried to unpin the materials he had used by watching 'Swinging the Lambeth Walk'. We decided that his hand-painted films were created using found objects, such as film sprockets and combs, to stamp and make marks. What impressed me most about Len Lye's work though was the perfect timing with every aspect of the music; it was like stepping into the mind of a synesthete.

Unexpected Inspiration!

I went to see Bombay Bicycle Club play at the Albert Hall last night and received some unexpected inspiration during the gig. Aside from the music and atmosphere being incredible, the group had commissioned animators and set designers to create a backdrop during the gig, which featured some beautiful animated videos. (All were created by Anna Ginsburg I think.)

The set consisted of five circular screens, on which the videos were projected, as well as further projections up the walls on either side of the stage and old organ pipes behind the band (a relic from the days when it was presumably a church). The animations themselves focussed on the movement of the human body and cycles within the world, such as the rising of the sun and moon in the transitions between day and night. Some of the animations were, I can only assume, rotoscoped images of the human body moving as they caputred the arc of dancers and athletes as they leaped through the air. The movements were captured and then repeated to create circular patterns (almost like mandalas made from the human form), which reflected the screen layout onto which they were projected. I managed to capture part of one of the many animations featured during the gig, which relates very closely to my research at the moment, as it shows a spiral made up of tiny human figures (cue Rachel jumping up and down with excitement at a fellow Fibonacci lover!).

The band have also used animators in their official music videos. For 'Carry Me' they enlisted the help of Grace Helmer, Jake Evans and Luiz Stockler, to work collaboratively on the animated music video. According to a post on www.itsnicethat.com, by James Cartwright, the video was originally created as an interactive piece that could be manipulated on screen, but after realising this would not work for the millions of Youtube users, they brought in Grace to create hand-drawn animations to compliment the shots. The project was overseen by Anna Ginsburg, who also created 'Luna' and 'How can you swallow so much sleep' by Bombay.

N.B. I think I have a new favourite person. Looking through Ginsburg's sketchbook washing line and showreel on her site is a way for me to spend hours of my life. http://www.annaginsburg.co.uk/index.html

Unit X - Briefing and Initial Ideas

Today we had our first group briefing for the Film aspect of Unit X. Around the theme of 'Lost Science' we started discussing what we might research for our films, and it was really interesting to see what theories have been lost to the ages and how certain cultures have put more store in alchemy/nature/exorcism etc.

 

My band of research has been geared towards the idea of maths infusing everything we do/see, which is a strongly accepted theory based around the Fibonacci sequence and the idea of the Golden Ratio. From flower petals to the formation of galaxies, this numerical sequence can be found, and the idea that there are forces governing our reality has a strong influence in science fiction and religion.

 

From this briefing it has been made clear that we need to create two films which propose opposing ideas based on a similar theme. For me, this could be the idea of a real mathematical series which relates to life (perhaps linking to particle theory and the Hadron Collider in CERN) aka real scientific research; and then alternatively, the idea of karmic forces governing the universe, nature's connectivity, holistic healing, mandala patterns etc. Or even, to contrast completely against the idea of coding within nature, I could look into chaos theory.

 

Using a pinterest board, I've started to collect imagery around the idea of pattern-making and natural phenomena. http://www.pinterest.com/rachelmcmahon10/mandalas-patterns/ However, by mind-mapping my ideas, I've begun to see just how many connections can be made once you begin to spin out from a central mathematical code. To help me understand the maths a bit more, I've been watching a few TEDtalks on the subject, which have proved not only interesting but useful too.

 

Arthur Benjamin is SCARILY clever though. I can't even begin to understand his mathemagics perfomance on TEDtalks.

Trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

For the start of Unit X, our tutors organised a trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park. We were encouraged to wander around the park and create a 2 minute film following the Dogme 95 manifesto, which followed the life of a member of our team. The rules basically comprise to create a very rough-looking film, as you are not allowed to use any special filters, effects, sound or props (unless already in the film or found on site). It all contributes to give the film the look of a home video.

 

Seeing as none of us were actors, we decided that a simplistic approach to the film (complimenting the basic rules) was the best way to go. We filmed one of our group walking through the scenery of the park and edited it later on iMovie to show her travels through the entire park in just 2 minutes.

 

I think this kind of film work is better when you are learning about camera angles/acting skills, as it takes you back to the basics of filming, so you can't rely on computer trickery to make it look good later. Although it gets you to think outside the box a bit as a film-maker by putting obstacles in your path, I'm not sure I'd like to be so strict with myself again. For one thing, I like a good soundtrack, and I think that is what's lacking in Dogme 95 films for me.

 

I loved the sculpture park though, having never visited it before, and took some photos of the art and my friends messing around, enjoying the fresh air. My favourite piece in the park was a screen erected on the edge of a large field, which showed a continous gif of a horse running. This reminded me of Edward Muybridge, whose work I researched when I was creating my own gif of a rabbit running. The idea of having animations outside in the middle of park had never occurred to me, and I am always interested in new ways film is being used as it will hopefully give me more avenues to follow once I graduate. The artwork is titled 'Galloping Horse' and was created by artist Julian Opie; it traces the park's history back to a time when there were once horses stabled there, and I think it adds some interest amongst the static sculptures.

Mr Rufus Immortalised!

Since a print workshop at the start of 2014, during which I printed an image of my pet rabbit, Mr Rufus, I have been wanting to animate him. This opportunity presented itself when I was taught how to create a .gif animation on Photoshop. I used both my new printing and computer skills to create this .gif of Mr Rufus running around.
I took many films of him running, jumping and cleaning himself, from which I edited the film I wanted. Using iMovie, I then separated out the image sequence, rotoscoped the images into a hand-drawn storyboard, and then photocopied these images onto acetate ready for screen-printing. After screen-printing the background and rabbit onto handmade paper, I then scanned them into Photoshop to create the .gif.

Final Squirrel Animation!

I've abandoned my blog of late due to a recently discovered love of Pinterest. I noticed, however that I completely forgot to post the final finished version of my squirrel animation. There a few bits that I'd like to tweak, but overall as a first attempt at animating properly, I'm rather proud of myself for creating the little bushy-tailed character and his friends.
It needs some credits and music adding, as well as possibly a quote/poem about friendship or nature at the end. Hopefully, this will all be completed before the summer so I can submit it to Virgin Media Shorts 2014.
Until then, this is the finished article...

Pinterest Obsession

Having recently discovered Pinterest, I've developed quite an obsession with the site. I find it excellent for collecting visual data at the start of a new project (as well as using it for my own projects and general research). I also love the way it organises images into a solid mood board, making it really useful for noticing connections and writing your own comments.
The link to my Pinterest boards is below.
http://www.pinterest.com/rachelmcmahon10/