Media and Photography. Unit 18.

Media
Here's the one we've been waiting for! The reason we joined the course!
We sat in the T.V. studio listening to Jamie's mini history of film. I felt pretty lost at first as he jumped around the idea of cave paintings. I had a moment of realization and understood everything he meant by everything being a hand or a buffalo. From now on I'm going to refer to this idea for all of my work from now on. (After the roundabouts...) Is the piece showing myself, a hand, or is it showing my view of the world, a buffalo. We then went on to discuss scratch film as that is what we intend to create by the end of the second day.
So I scamper off to Youtube, even if it is "the devils work", and start looking at scratch film.
Here is the first one I found.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J-D3CKYyYE
In my opinion, most of scratch film looks the same. Its just some scratches and some colours dancing on the screen. I watched some of the other scratch films that are suggested on the link above.

Photography
We drew with light.
We were given a camera and a torch in a dark room and told to play. Not the tutors words, but that is what it felt like. We used the torch on an Iphone and began taking pictures of plugs moving the light and camera. These were a bit naff. We then focused on the alarm lights in the ceiling. I was getting better as I experimented. We tried adding some motion with a few shots of James running and a few of me spinning in the air. Working in these conditions really strained my eyes and I'm glad we had a break.
After a break we moved out onto the corridors of the building. Taking pictures of white on white.
Pictures will be in part 2...

Unit 18.

Wednesday the 25th!

We talked as a class about the 6 week assessment. Jamie told us what would happen and what we would be asked. What have we done?  What have we enjoyed? What is our exit strategy?
 He gave constant reassurance of how awesome the group is but I feel out of my depth at times. I enjoy the idea of making films but I don't know how to get there.

These are a few quotes that I noted from the speech.
"Do work. Don't worry."
"Dolphinholme is great, it will give you stuff!"
"It's a chance to make mistakes with-out blowing a unit."
"Art is for people"

I noted these down because they made me think about what I was going to be doing for the next year. I start next Tuesday and I don't feel ready yet. I'm getting there though. I plan to write a script for Dolphinholme but I have no idea what! Something set on a farmland and with little of a cast. Now I just need an actual idea!

New thing!
I have volunteered to join a fellow student film a short on how farmers are struggling financially due to the current purchasing power of the big supermarkets.

Sunday. Unit 16.

So today is one of my days off.
Wrong.
I'm always thinking about shots and camera angles.
I have found myself on Youtube as many a person will. I'm subscribed to a few film related channels, rather than it just being all funny cats...
http://www.youtube.com/user/indymogul?feature=watch

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmL4IQ5yHK9DiVW3_2Mf2MA

Hopefully these two channels will help me on my work over the years.
How?
Well Indy Mogul has lots of videos about how to film on a budget. From a simple mic taped to a mop handle to a more complex device to make a realistic throat cutting device.

Belated Media on the other hand talks a lot about the writing. He goes into what went wrong and how it could be improved. He has currently done this to a couple of the Star Wars films, but I'm sure he will do more that I can take tips from.

Even more Fine Art and Textiles. Unit 18

Due to an issue with my bus, I missed the train and was an hour later for college. Upon arrival I quickly continued my textile work. I wasn't too sure what to add to it, I don't really like it that much. I grabbed some grew thread and began to sew across the red and green print lines. Why grey I hear you ask? Because it is the first colour that comes to mind when I think of The Reef. Here is the final piece in all it's glory...

Also, here is what the back looks like.

Why don't I like it? It looks really messy. It is visually noisy. The quality of the sewing is low and the colours make me think of Christmas or Gruul(Magic the Gathering). It does not make me feel the calm feel I get from looking at The Reef. In my opinion this has only two good features. 1) The grey hand stitching on the 'chin' of the print. 2) It clearly shows that I had a go at everything I was offered.

Fine Art now!
Pretty much continued doing the same thing as last time. Taking two images and combining them. Here are the rest of them.

So firstly we have 'Let There Be Light". It is slightly creased as it was too big to fit in my folder. Why did I make it?  Because I thought it was a little clever. How does it relate to The Reef? A figure looking towards the light, weather it is for hope or so that he doesn't have to look at the monsters in the dark.
Next is the 'The Big Headed Statue'. I'm not really sure what to say about it. I think it looks alright. It doesn't have any link to The Reef. Same with 'Big Bird' and 'Full Time Mum'.

Fine art and Textiles. Unit 18

The day started with fine art. We were shown works of art by Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richerter and John Stezaker because these three all used photographs as a base for their work. From these artist we were to create our own piece of fine art using photographs we could find. After a bit of a rummage though the boxes of magazines I found a clothing advert. I decided to add a small landscape in-front of the woman and this is the result.

How does this link to my work with The Reef? What I see in The Reef is a godlike figure above a chaotic sea. Here I see a godlike figure causing a milking vengeance. It also has a clash of old with new, something I might try to add with other pieces of work.

 Here is my 2nd piece. I Thought it would look good to mash these two cars that were in the same advert. Again it has a clash of old and new. I'm not really a big fan of it but it's a step towards my final work.

Textiles was a lot more hands on. We were quickly taught how to mono-print. Here is my first attempt of hand drawing The Reef into a print.

I then did the same but from a tracing of my photograph of The Reef. It was quite hard to trace the image because the photocopied image was very dark.
Here is the print and the tracing.

I then printed onto fabric using the traced image.This turned out much better than the others because I had less ink. Leaving the lines crisp and clear.

I then tried sewing. I felt like I was doing it wrong some how so I quickly moved on to using the Bond-a-web. I did the rookie mistake, forgetting that the shape I draw on the Bond-a-web will be reversed. So now my cloud looks more like a heart. I then used the sewing machine to secure the blue fabric. I'm sure I have drawn circles with straighter lines...

Time for another print. This time it's green and slightly up and to the left of the last one. Again I had too much ink. Opps. It adds to the messy look...
You might also notice that the bottom corner is now missing. I accidentally sewed it to the back of the blue cloud-heart. Textiles doesn't seem to be my thing. :P

Wednesday and Thursday! Unit 18.

Wire Frame

I have made the 3rd and final piece of my wire series. I messed up the frame again, I made it wonky. It will be fine. I thought about which pieces needed to be on top. I thought though the process and where I went wrong last time. It isn't a problem having a wonky frame. I'm sure it happens to most guys their first few times. I added the moon and cloud line, same as the other two.  Some how this one is much smaller than the others even though they are all based on the same image.

Paper Art
I started by looking though a few of the books at college. Although I didn't make note of which...
I found a few artist that I liked the work of and I'll look at them more over the weekend. While I was looking at these artists I had an idea of what I could do for The Reef. Aggravatingly I was unable to start this as I was gunned with agitating inconveniences. Firstly my college I.D. wouldn't open the door to the computer room. Then my computer froze as I opened Photoshop. And finally after I sorted though all that, the printer wouldn't print. I'm tired, hungry and annoyed. I can't be bothered. I'll come back to this later.

Print Making
We started off with a short talk from our tutor and as he showed us the rooms and stages involved in print making. I didn't really enjoy it. Print making is messy. I also couldn't use my picture of The Reef as it was to dark and wouldn't work properly, fair enough. I used an image that the tutor gave me. I gave it ago though, here is my first attempt.

It came out alright I think. The image is clear and the only problem is the two 'go faster stripes' across the top. I then made a small collage from different kinda of paper. I used this as a base for my next print.

This looks really messy and cluttered. I think I'm ever to do print making again I will stick to a clean background.

3D Sculpting pathway. Unit 18.

Today I learned how to Spot weld. It is easier than tying your shoes. You get the two pieces of metal, cross them over and crush them with the Spot welding machine. Just remember that it is hot and sparks will fly. I actually hurt my self on the safety goggles and not the fiery spark box.  (I nipped my finger on the hinge bit)
Here is the health and safety hand out: (Sorry if it's hard to read.)

Now the creative stuff. I was a little slow to start but with a quick chat with our tutor and a very simple 2D face, I had an idea. I made a frame using the copper coated wire. I then welded pieces of smaller wire to the edges. The wire was then bent to create a small section of The Reef. I did intend for the frame to be rectangular but in my haste I welded the two longer sides together. So as you can see I made it square(ish).

I removed the two smaller pieces of wire from the frame, I felt that they looked out of place and ruined the simple and peaceful look I wanted.


After another talk with the tutor I decided to make a set of 3. These could be hung in series above each other or in-front of one another. When all 3 are made I plan to shine a light on them and see the shadow it casts. I will then take pictures and draw from the shadows.

This is the 2nd piece I made. I kind of rushed making the frame on this one causing it to be wonky.

This is the two pieces on top of each other. Giving a bit of an insight as to how the lines match up.

The Reef initial response. Unit 18

While I was at the museum I drew two quick sketches. Building on the idea of a man in the clouds.

 This was my first attempt. My peers told me it reminded them of the Easter Island stone heads. As you will see with the next pictures I focused on just the face rather than the entire piece.

This time I tried to use less detail on the face and tried to give the feeling of losing your mind. It just looks like he has straw hair. I'm not too happy with these two pieces but they are just the quick first responses.
I had a quick look at some of the new cards from a game I play. (Magic the Gathering) I found this art and decided to do something similar.

I plan to add more to it. I'll try again at making him lose his mind. Maybe even give him a body...

Blackburn museum visit. Unit 16.

Wednesday the 4th.
September.
As the title suggests we visited Blackburn museum. I felt a little lost at first, but then I was drawn to this. (Sorry for somewhat bad camera.)

The Reef.
I was drawn to this because it seemed empty at a first glance. Paintings like this usually have some ship or galleon as a focus point. I quickly noticed a face with-in the clouds and I was hooked. Unfortunately my mind didn't spiral off with 1000s of ideas of how to respond to this piece. I'm just fixated on the mindless cloud man.