Unit 59 Stop Motion Animation

Stop motion animation is a technique that is done to make an object appear to move on its own. The object is moved very slightly and photographed each time, once put together as a video it looks as it shows the movement of the object. 

Plasticine or clay is often used to create character, such as in Wallace and Gromit. 

Research-

AARDMAN ANIMATIONS-  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If_YoySf80I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IygN4SX3-c

Aardman Animations was founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. They are famous for Wallace And Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Creature Comforts.
They use plasticine to create characters and move part of in very small movements in each shot. They then used computer animation to make Flushed Away and Chicken Run. 

I like the Aardman Animations videos and films because they take so many shots for one clip it makes the video really smooth. I also like how they have made Morph, which is a simple character and made the stories interesting not using any words. In Angry Kid its good at how much detail there is in the characters.

SLEDGEHAMMER PETER GABRIEL-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q

The music video for this song was directed by Stephen R Johnson and produced by Adam Whittaker, it was made using stop motion animation. Aardman Animations where also involved in this video. The video is mainly Peter Gabriel singing with random things going on around him. There are also some other really random scenes, like the dancing chickens ( which was animated by Nick Park).

I enjoyed watching this music video because although you can tell its stop motion animation, the soundtrack fits with movement of Peter Gabriel's mouth making it look as if he was singing it then. This must of taken a long time to get right but is effective. From watching this it has given me more ideas for my own project.

Group Project-
As a group we created all the photos we needed to make a 10 second animation, this meant taking about 170 photos. We each used photoshop to make our own animation out of the photos.

How it was made:
I had already resized the photos and created a new folder for them to go in.

• Open photoshop, click window then animation
• Go to Open and select the first of your images
• Tick the 'image sequence' box then open
• The frame rate box will appear, for this stop motion animation I used 20 FPS. 
• You can then play the video
• To be able to view it on any computer, go to file then export. Exporting it to QuickTime will let you view in on most computers.

Link to SMA 1- 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0Ct8zw3kyM




10 Second Animation-

Ideas

These are some ideas I had for my 10 second and 1 minute animation. For the 10 second one I am going to use lego, I will build a lego house and make a short story with it. I'll use the Lego House song by Ed Sheeran as this would fit really well.

How I made it:
I followed the same steps as I did when creating the group animation. I took just over 200 photos. After exporting it I then opened it up in iMovie. I then added in a song from iTunes which I had downloaded before. I cut it to the 10
seconds of the song I wanted and set it to line up with the video clip. I had to adjust it a few times to get the timing to get the time of the song correct. After that I exported to a Quicktime Movie file.

Final stop motion animation:
https://youtu.be/T3m0x9FZ8NA

Evaluation:
I am happy with the final video. Taking the photos took longer than I had expected but I think the more photos taken the better the video is as it is smoother. The target audience for my final animation would be kids, this is because it is lego and quite a simple concept. From showing people my animation the response was positive, there was a story to it but not too complicated. Also the song fitted really well. The only criticism I had was that it went quick and so couldn't always tell what was going on. This is hard to improve as the brief was to make it 10 seconds, the 1 minute one will be better as it is longer and the story will be clearer.


1 Minute Animation


Research

These are 2 stop motion animations I saw on Youtube when looking for ideas for my own. I like both of them as they've used stop motion to make the video surreal. I like the effect where they look like there sliding along the floor because you can't see their legs moving. I am going to try this in my own. I also like how both of the story in each is quite simple but interesting to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPuNn80MEuU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmFXhvErLPM

Storyboard

I decided to develop one of my ideas on my mind map. I wanted to use people in my animation but wasn't sure on a storyline. I then had the idea to do a real life sims video.

I had the idea of doing a real life sims animation. Because its stop motion it will seem more like a game. Also parts like when the car appears would be harder to do with a normal video. I am going to download sim sound effects to make it more realistic. 

How I Made It:

I made the video the same as before which was by taking the photos, resizing them on Photoshop Bridge and putting them together in an animation in Photoshop. With this animation I took about 1000 photos. Because I had taken the photos in a different order to what the video was going to be I made 4 different animation and put them together in the right order on iMovie. Once I put the clips in  the right order and cut it to the right time, I added the sound. The background noise is a sims music I downloaded. I cut it to fit well with the video and fade out at the end. I also added an alarm sound effect, although this isn't an obvious sound I think it is still effective. Finally I added images to the start where the clothes are changing, I put casual wear, work wear and night wear. This just made it clearer what was going on. After I exported it as a QuickTime Movie. 

Final Animation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGXRIOiege0

Evaluation

Although I tried a few different ideas for the 1 minute animation, I am happy with the final one I chose. I enjoyed shooting the photos and editing the video together. The process of making the animation is quite long because there are a lot of photos to take, also to get all the parts of the video and sounds to fit together right it took a while to edit. I like the final film as I think it runs quite smoothly. I put the Sims screen in so that it is obvious what is going on. The story is quite simple as it is someone getting ready and leaving, but I think this is effective as it is not complicated. The one part which I think is not as successful is when the person is walking down the stairs. The target audience for this animation is teenagers as they are most likely to place Sims so would enjoy watching it.

Audiences Response-  From people views after watching it I found people found it enjoyable to watch. Also people have said they have wanted to watch it again as its fun to watch. It runs smoothly and is clear to understand what is going on. These reviews are encouraging to create more stop motion animation.
I asked 3 people the same questions on what they thought of the animation to compare the feedback.

• What did you like best about the animation? 

1.  I like how you've used the sims loading screen and music to make it clear what the video is on
2. I think how the parts of the animation have been put together is what makes it work well. It starts off with the person getting ready and then simple activities before leaving.
3. My favourite part was when the sim was walking. It looks like they are sliding on the floor and this works well.

• What do you think could be improved?

1. My only criticism would be when the words appear when the person is changing clothes. Although it is good to show what outfit it is meant to be, it doesn't look very professional. 

2. The part I think could be improved is when the person is eating out of the bowl. Maybe make the persons expression change as they eat.

3. To make it more realistic sound effects could be added. You could use the sound of the sim talking and car noise. Also if it was possible add the control panel that you would normally see when playing sims.

From these question I now know what I can do to improve. Next time I will spend more time editing the video to add more sound effects. Also I will experiment with overlays to try and add what you would see on the sims screen. This will make the animation look more professional.

Unit 24 Studio Techniques

Risk Assessment Form

A risk assessment is often conducted in a workplace to consider what could go wrong and how to prevent it. This helps stop loss, damage and injury. 

Exercise 1

In a small group we set up the studio with one light with a soft box, a reflector and a used a tripod. We experimented how moving around one studio light can change a portrait.

To begin with we tried out the effect of the reflector on the subject. The left photo is using the reflector and the right one is without. Although there isn't a big difference the reflector does add more light to the models face. So we decided to use the reflector in the rest of the shoot.







Next we experimented with the height of the light. The left photo is where the light was angled slightly down onto the subject and the right photo is where we had the light as close to the floor as it would get, then angled it up. The one with the light angled up was not as successful as it didn't light up his face as much. Along with trying a few other heights we decided the best height was just above the subject.

After we took loads of different shots where we moved the camera to different angles. I think the best angle would be depended on what type of shoot you were doing. Where the light was directly at the side of the model (left) it create a dark shadow on the other side of his face. This would be effective in showing emotion or suggesting theres a dark side to the person or a secret. Whereas when the light was in more of a corner so the light lit up his whole face. This would be better for a makeup shoot or any shoot where you want to see the models whole face.

The final thing we experimented with how close the light was to the subjects face. The left was where the light was really close to the models face and the right one is where the light was quite far away. That one was unsuccessful as there wasn't enough light on his face.








Final images

I chose these as my final images as they show the best way to use the one light. They successfully showed enough light on the face and created interesting shadow. From this shoot I have learnt how to set up and use the lights, reflector and soft box in the studio. I found out that to get the best portrait the light should be slightly above the model and tilted down towards them. The angle of the light depends on the type of portrait you want and where you want there face to be lit up.


Rembrandt portrait 

Research

This is the main set up for this shoot, I moved the light around a few times.

We set up 1 light with a soft box on and had a camera on the tripod. We experimented with the angle of the light and model to be able to get the best lighting. I tried different roles of photographer, model, director and assistant.

At the start it was quite hard to get the correct lighting but from what we learnt from experimenting last time we knew what angle was best to have the light at. I am happy with the photos from this shoot.

Final Images

The final images where successful as they show the triangle light under the eye. The photos are well exposed and correctly lit. It was difficult at the beginning to get the light in the right place to show the triangle of light, but once we found the right position it was easier. 

Photographer Research

DAVID BAILEY-

BORN- January 1938

British fashion and portrait photographer, he has been an active photographer since 1959. He started off as a photographic assistant at the John French studio and now has award winning work. He also directed tv adverts and produced some books and documentary films. His photos are normally of celebrities for magazines. 

His famous work includes portraits of The Rolling Stones and Ronnie and Reggie Kray.

Baileys first influence was Picasso, it made him realise there were no rules to art and he could do what he wanted. 

I like David Baileys work because of how much of a contrast the models are from the background. The lighting he uses creates interesting and sometimes dramatic shadows. There are few props and costume so it shows more of the models personality, it makes all the focus on them.  I like the photo on the left because of how simple and quite plain the model and her clothes are but the shadow adds more tone to the photo, making it more interesting to look at. There would of been two lights facing the white background then one to the side of her. 

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE-

Born - November 1946, Died - March 1989

Robert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer. His photographed different subjects including celebrity portraits, nudes, self portraits and still life. 

His work was known for sensitive but blunt treatment of controversial subject matter. Mapplethorpes photos are normally black and white. 

Some of his famous work is 

Mapplethorpe was influenced by Cindy Sherman, Sam Wagstaff

I find Robert Mapplethorpe's work really interesting because of you can only see parts of the subject. I think he has used maybe two lights with a snoot on to focus the light on the models face and hands. I think more than one light was used as there is no shadow, each light might of been placed slightly to the side of the face. I think this is effective as it highlights the expression on the models face. I like the photo on the right because of how simple it looks, I also like how he hasn't filled the frame with her face but left space in the image. In the left photo it is effective that he has shown his hand as well. It balances out the photo and adds more interest to the photo, the skull could be suggests something about him or his personality. I would like to try some to take some photos inspired by these images as I think they are different to the usual portraits you see. 

MADAME YEVONDE- 

Born - January 1893, Died December 1975

Yevonde Middleton was an English portrait photographer whose professional name was Madame Yevonde. 

Her work included a lot of colour and used props and costume to make these portraits have a unique style. Her famous work includes a series called The Goddesses. 

Madame Yevonde's work is quite unique and I think this works really well in portraiture. I like how colour is used in the work to create a different mood. The left photo has a blue tint to it, this give the viewer a feeling of cool and lonely. The net she is holding also could suggest she is protecting herself from something. Using cold colours for a portrait is unusual for a portrait as it makes the model look cold or ill, I think this is the effect Madame Yevonde wanted. The photo on the left has a lot of red in it. Red can illustrate love, danger or blood. The expression on the model is quite blank so it is hard to understand what the use of red is trying to portray. The middle photo is less colourful but the use of the flowers could suggest beauty. Only her face, hand and the flowers are shown which is similar to Robert Mapplethorp's portraits. I like her work as each photo is trying to show something and it makes them interesting to look at. 

After The Style Of

My studio shoot was inspired by David Bailey, the main thing I liked about his photos was the use of the white background and the use of shadow. I set up a white backdrop lit with 2 lights, then 2 lights either side of the model. I moved the lights to get different shadows.
I also had 2 models in some photos which was inspired by the famous Kray twins portrait.

Editing- 

First I cropped some of the photos so they they filled more of the frame. I also put them into black and white like in David Bailey and Robert Mapplethorpe's work. 

RESHOOT

I decided to do another shoot but using a black background to see how this changed the photo. I edited them the same as in the first shoot.

EDITED:

I like how the black background can change the photo. It gives the photo dark mood and makes it more sinister.

FINAL IMAGES

Evaluation

I am really happy with how the final photo came out. It was my first time using a white background and I like how effective it is. It makes the model stand out enhances the shadow on their face. 

My work was inspired by David Bailey because I really liked how he composed and used lighting in his work. His photo of the Kray twins gave me the idea to have more than one model in the photo. This is effective as most portraits I saw in my research had only one model in. I think it adds more interest to the image. 

I decided to try the black background aswell with these photos that the shadow on the face and hair makes the model blend into the background. The second of the final images with the black background shows this the best. This is because the model has her head tilted away and she is looking down, the shadow is hiding half her face, making the photo look more mysterious. 

Overall I like the photo I have taken in this project, I also really enjoyed taking them. If I did this shoot again I would try and get more costumes and props so I can take portraits inspired by Madame Yevonde. 

Still Life

Research




Still life definition- A work of art, mainly of an inanimate object, typically a small group of objects.

Main Principles - Each object makes a contribution
                            - Avoid symmetry
                            - Clear focus
                            - Plain backgrounds
                            - Avoid triangular and diagonal arrangements

Some still life photographers- David Parfitt, Edward Weston, Irvinn Penn and Jonathan Knowles

ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE-

Robert Mapplethorpe (born November 1946, died March 1989) was an American photographer who was known for celebrity portraits, nude photos, self portraits and still life of flowers.

Mapplethorpe has created a lot of still life work focusing on flowers. I like these photos more than his portraits because of how delicate he makes the flowers look and the way he has composed them. I like who in these ones he has focused on the petals. He uses mainly black and white or in some the petals are brightly coloured, this is effective against the black and grey backgrounds to make the flower stand out.

My favourite photo is the middle image. The purple is really intense especially against the dark background, I think this is better than what it would be in black and white. I also like how the background get lighter towards the bottom. This adds more tone to the vase and balances out the image.

Try out images:

I had my camera set up on the tripod with a shutter speed of 1/4 and f/8. I then had 2 lights pointed at the subject, the both had a snoot on to focus the light on the object. I set up a table with the backdrop going over it. 

These are the still life photos I have taken for this project. I am happy with how they turned out because I think the lighting and background was effective. Some of the photos were a bit overexposed though. 

Final Images:

I choose these as my final images as I think they have the best composition. I edited them slightly because they were a bit underexposed. 

Reshoot

I am not happy with my final images as I think they are too dark and boring. I'm going to try a more modern style using mainly natural light. I am also going to use a lighter background.

I started off by experimenting  with different backgrounds. I took some photos outside as this is where the natural light is best. I liked how the photo as it looks more natural. 

I then used a white and red background. Both were successful but I think the red was too bright, it would be better if the objects were less colourful. 

I thought that a good way to make my photos look more modern was to use a different angle. I decided to shoot the objects from above using the white and blue background. I made it so that objects represented a person, for example a traveller. I think this makes the images more interesting. 

Final Images

Evaluation

I didn't enjoy the still life studio work as much as the portraits. I found it quite hard to find a composition that worked well. I am happy with my final photos though as I think the arrangement of the objects worked well. In the skull photos I used a rusty chain which linked the objects well together. I think the photos were to dark though and not that interesting. I decided to do a reshoot to try some different still lifes. I prefer the reshoot as they are better lit and the photos taken from above are different to the usual still life photos. If I did this again I would use different object, maybe some different flowers. I would also experiment more with different backgrounds.