The work we've been handed since the beginning of the year has been challenging, and I've found myself pressed for time, even though I started straight after being given the briefs. So going in order of what appears in each module pack (apart from critical studies, which has its own blog) here's a few words on how I found level 5 to be for work, the ideas I had and the problems I encountered.
This is the image that inspired me
Empathy
The second of the three projects I chose was to create a film with the intention of promoting or eradicating an issue. Since the majority of my projects this year have centered around animals and animal welfare, the idea of animal cruelty seemed a good idea. I must admit though it was one of the hardest projects I've had to complete and it had nothing to do with editing. All of the footage I found on youtube along with the stills I collected were very graphic, and even after creating the slideshow I find it very hard to watch! I put a clear warning at the start of the film so no one's shocked. Perhaps this detracts from the film itself, but considering how I felt when I watched Sue's film which is about endangered animals I think a warning is not enough to detract entirely from the message.
The Message.
This module presented the most work for this semester. Between the various film and photography assignments we had to deliver a persuasive message through our chosen mediums. Doing the work was easy enough, but at times I find inspiration quite hard to find. I've also found that unlike last year, I've had an idea, run with it, changed and added to it only to find myself doing a U-turn and doing something completely different. This has been down to discussions with Stuart, and after finding that my ideas on paper didn't match those in my mind.
Although I'm happy with the general outcome of my work so far this year, my happiness varies greatly between each project. I find I am happier with my film efforts than my photography efforts.
Percussive rhythm. We were asked to make a short video using clips of films with sounds to create a visual soundtrack. I was lucky enough to be given permission from Llandudno pier to film in their arcades. The filming was the easy part! It was the editing that turned out to be quite fiddly and time consuming, but ultimately, it was a lesson in sound, and its importance in a video.
Time lapse/compression. The thing I struggled with more than anything this semester was inspiration. When I first heard about this project nothing immediately came to mind. After considering lots of ideas I thought to be quite cliche and unoriginal my inspiration came in the window of a local charity shop. I bought 'Woody' the wooden drawing doll and he became the star of the show. Using a combination of film footage that I sped up and stop motion photography I created a sequence I am quite happy with.
This was one of the frames in part of the beach scene towards the end of the video. It turns out that trying to keep him upright in the sand was quite tricky. I am glad that in the end I managed to stay away from making something I would always have considered dull, or already done.
Greenscreen. This was one of the larger projects in the module. I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do, and after speaking to Simon Hall and getting the go-ahead, it was just a case of implementing my idea. I've never worked with greenscreen before, and if it wasn't for the lesson we had with Dave Robinson last year I wouldn't have had the first idea about where to start.
Luckily Dave and I were able to collaborate on this project and we chose to work with the charity we did out documentary on. The North Clwyd Animal Rescue. I've already written a blog about the documentary so I won't be going into it during this entry. Anyway, back to the green screen. I've learned so much just from this one project, it has been the hardest, and most time consuming but it has been a lot of fun to film and edit. Dave and I have spent many hours in Regent street and the new creative industries centre with Simon's help trying to edit the film.
I also feel that unlike some of our previous group efforts, that the greenscreen has not been rushed and that the quality is improving vastly. I think this is down to fewer voices within the group. Although I do miss being able to sit and bounce ideas around a group dynamic.
Photography
During the summer we were sent our work, and part of that was to create three images in the categories of locked-off camera (slow shutter speed and tripod) and panning shots (where you follow a moving subject, ensuring it is in focus and the background blurred). Unfortunately, they didn't mention the fact that upon returning we'd have to take one of each category and turn it into a poster campaign for a product.
I didn't think that any of my pictures could be easily turned into an advert, and the fact that no-one asked to even see our summer work when we came back means that I (and many others no doubt) could have gone back out to re-shoot the images. Had we been told that the images would need to be shot from a commercial point of view, I feel that the images might have been better suited to their real purpose. Regardless, the panning shots took me out of my comfort zone, having never done them before I think I could have benefitted from some guidance as to the technique.
We were also asked to choose between food and fashion for a magazine-style editorial set of photographs. This was where I started out with one idea before making a complete u-turn and choosing food instead.
While photographing fashion, I felt I had quite a strong set of ideas, I had clear concepts for each section and managed to photograph three out of the four requirements.
For the Earth Colours section I wanted to go for a high-fashion shot, lots of bright but earthy colours and a very casually dressed model. I was quite happy with the outcome of the shots, but ultimately they won't make it into my folder.
For the 'Jewellery Rules' I wanted to concentrate on a two-page spread of watches and bracelets, my ideas book has some examples of the style of picture I wanted to take. In the end I only completed the watch side, and thanks to my brother and Dave who supplied the watches I eventually had something I was happy with. I did try to photograph the watches on Dave's arm, but it didn't quite come out the way I wanted, so I used a rolled up piece of card which turned out much better.
The final set of shots I took before moving onto food, was 'Dressed to Thrill'. When I first thought about the category, images of evening gowns and elegantly dressed women popped into my mind. However, I didn't dwell on that idea for long. My intentions were to take photographs to illustrate the idea of dressing to thrill-in the bedroom. I found a model willing to dress in pvc and latex outfits and although I enjoyed the shoot and liked the pictures it didn't give off a message I wanted to convey. In reality, it was a little too risque! And so it was after this shoot I decided to concentrate on food.
Food Photography.
I went out to buy some fashion magazines when I was working on those pictures, so I thought it might be a good idea to do the same for the food shots. I stuck any pictures that stood out to me in my ideas book (sketch book I use for when inspiration strikes). For 'Fantastic Fruit' my first ideas were to work with poached pears but I quickly changed my mind for two reasons, firstly, I don't like pears and secondly I don't like wine, so although the idea was good, it would have been a waste of food.
Instead I thought about the title 'Fantastic Fruit' quite literally, and thought about the main problems with trying to encourage people to eat more fruit. So I went and bought a selection of fruits (a banana, pear, melon and pineapple) and made them up to look like superheros using craft paper masks and emblems.
Vegetable visions was perhaps the hardest category for me, my initial ideas included sculpting junk food out of vegetables (burgers, hot dogs etc) building on that I decided to create some art out of food. At first I had planned on taking several images and pasting them all onto one double page spread. But again, costing was what stopped me, and so I settled with one piece of art by creating a car from a carrot and featuring Celt the gerbil to make it into a pet magazine piece. I'm still not 100% happy with the final outcome, but after fiddling and tinkering with it so much I think I'd have to start over with this category to be happy.
Pass the pasta, was the most complex, and time consuming of all the food images. I had the idea of working with movement and trying to jazz the idea of simple pasta up. A while ago I watched a film called 'Cloudy with a chance of meatballs' which is a film where a crazy professor creates a machine that will turn ordinary rain into food. That was where the idea of the spaghetti tornado came from. Luckily there was a packet of spaghetti lurking at the back of the cupboard and with Chris' help and a LOT of spilled and sticky pasta we managed to make the main 'stalk' of the tornado.
Food Photography.
I went out to buy some fashion magazines when I was working on those pictures, so I thought it might be a good idea to do the same for the food shots. I stuck any pictures that stood out to me in my ideas book (sketch book I use for when inspiration strikes). For 'Fantastic Fruit' my first ideas were to work with poached pears but I quickly changed my mind for two reasons, firstly, I don't like pears and secondly I don't like wine, so although the idea was good, it would have been a waste of food.
Instead I thought about the title 'Fantastic Fruit' quite literally, and thought about the main problems with trying to encourage people to eat more fruit. So I went and bought a selection of fruits (a banana, pear, melon and pineapple) and made them up to look like superheros using craft paper masks and emblems.
Vegetable visions was perhaps the hardest category for me, my initial ideas included sculpting junk food out of vegetables (burgers, hot dogs etc) building on that I decided to create some art out of food. At first I had planned on taking several images and pasting them all onto one double page spread. But again, costing was what stopped me, and so I settled with one piece of art by creating a car from a carrot and featuring Celt the gerbil to make it into a pet magazine piece. I'm still not 100% happy with the final outcome, but after fiddling and tinkering with it so much I think I'd have to start over with this category to be happy.
Pass the pasta, was the most complex, and time consuming of all the food images. I had the idea of working with movement and trying to jazz the idea of simple pasta up. A while ago I watched a film called 'Cloudy with a chance of meatballs' which is a film where a crazy professor creates a machine that will turn ordinary rain into food. That was where the idea of the spaghetti tornado came from. Luckily there was a packet of spaghetti lurking at the back of the cupboard and with Chris' help and a LOT of spilled and sticky pasta we managed to make the main 'stalk' of the tornado.
This is the image that inspired meVine and dine was the final picture I took in this series. I had quite strong ideas to begin with but had to change them as they were no longer original. Some of the ideas written my my ideas book was to use sushi on a clean white plate with a glass of white wine, photographed from above for a clean symmetric shape. To use bite-sized morsels displayed on forks next to a bottle of wine being poured into a glass. A luxurious pudding with a goblet of wine slightly out of focus in the background. All of these ideas were valid but in the end I turned the idea on its head by photographing a plate of junk food to look very expensive along with a glass of wine with the write up asking if this is what the reader's Friday night looked like and how to make delicious, quick and healthy 'take-out' style recipes.
Design for Society
This module was designed to develop communication skills by using film and photography to convey an ethical or moral viewpoint. We had to choose three from six possible assignments.
I chose to create two posters out of a possible four, with the aim of creating awareness using striking or subtle images along with a tag line. My first was the environment agency, I looked at some disturbing images on the internet, including an albatross that had swallowed lots of plastic and other pieces of rubbish thrown away by us humans and a rusty shopping trolley in a river. Once again I had to change my ideas as they had been used by someone else, so I chose to photograph a rather graphic image of a dirty sanitary towel washed up on the beach. This time another pet of ours, the dog Indy was involved. I am happy with the outcome of this image as the message comes across loud and clear!
The second of the images I chose to do was for the Samaritans. The idea was to make the poster appeal to young adults, urging them to contact the Samaritans before considering more drastic action. I toyed with lots of ideas of subtly suggesting suicide had already occurred or was imminent. In the end I opted for a multi-story carpark and my partner Chris stood near to the edge. We did also take a shot where he had one leg up on the fence, but I felt it to be too graphic and obvious.
Design for Society
This module was designed to develop communication skills by using film and photography to convey an ethical or moral viewpoint. We had to choose three from six possible assignments.
I chose to create two posters out of a possible four, with the aim of creating awareness using striking or subtle images along with a tag line. My first was the environment agency, I looked at some disturbing images on the internet, including an albatross that had swallowed lots of plastic and other pieces of rubbish thrown away by us humans and a rusty shopping trolley in a river. Once again I had to change my ideas as they had been used by someone else, so I chose to photograph a rather graphic image of a dirty sanitary towel washed up on the beach. This time another pet of ours, the dog Indy was involved. I am happy with the outcome of this image as the message comes across loud and clear!
The second of the images I chose to do was for the Samaritans. The idea was to make the poster appeal to young adults, urging them to contact the Samaritans before considering more drastic action. I toyed with lots of ideas of subtly suggesting suicide had already occurred or was imminent. In the end I opted for a multi-story carpark and my partner Chris stood near to the edge. We did also take a shot where he had one leg up on the fence, but I felt it to be too graphic and obvious.
Empathy
The second of the three projects I chose was to create a film with the intention of promoting or eradicating an issue. Since the majority of my projects this year have centered around animals and animal welfare, the idea of animal cruelty seemed a good idea. I must admit though it was one of the hardest projects I've had to complete and it had nothing to do with editing. All of the footage I found on youtube along with the stills I collected were very graphic, and even after creating the slideshow I find it very hard to watch! I put a clear warning at the start of the film so no one's shocked. Perhaps this detracts from the film itself, but considering how I felt when I watched Sue's film which is about endangered animals I think a warning is not enough to detract entirely from the message.
Documentary
I've already made a brief blog about the documentary so I won't go into too much detail here. Unfortunately I missed being able to edit it to begin with due to personal circumstances. However, I did complete a couple of days of editing towards the end along with the narration and adding in some music. On top of filming I now feel like I've contributed as much as I'd have usually. This documentary was for animals too, in the North Clwyd Animal Rescue, I feel so strongly about this charity's goals that I'm going to be climbing Snowdon in March this year to raise money for them. My partner and I even went on to adopt a dog from there at the end of 2011.
So, in summary this has been a very hectic module with a lot more work than the first year. I'm happy with the work I've produced and despite a few setbacks I really think I've given it my all. I've learned a lot about editing in a short space of time and I've found Simon's lessons to be informative and the activities we've been doing with Colin to be a dream come true (having always wanted to develop my own photographs). There still seems to be a lack of communications within the uni but it's not sufficient to cause too much hassle. I'm very much looking forward to the next module.
