Cohort 1
Studio D
In-Class Emotive Lighting
The Perfect View- The 3 point lighting set up is a classic set up. This set up plus the pose our model was in makes me think of society's idea of perfection.
The Other Side- This picture greatly contrasts The Perfect View. If The Perfect View was society's view of a person, The Other Side would be the pressure the person feels when trying to uphold that look and feel of perfection.
Elegance- Purple is a color often associated with royalty. The angle of the photo also makes the model look bigger and implies a higher status. The lighting, angle, and posture, all work together to create this look of royalty being viewed by their followers.
Absence- Like The Perfect View and The Other Side, this photo and Elegance contrast each other. The green overhead light is creepy and it keeps the room dark, allowing only the model to be seen. The posture and neutral emotion mixed with the creepy light makes me think their mind and body were separate. When I look at this picture, I think of this royal figure trying to escape reality, being constantly watched, or being brainwashed.
Stealth
By taking the photo through a staircase I was able to manipulate shadows and emphasize on the Shifty definition. The stairs covering the eyes play into the definition of “hide.” Also the model wearing the hood of the hoodie and keeping her hands in her pocket while standing in front of an apartment creates the feeling of “theft.”
4D Artwork Analysis
The movie Black Panther has a subtle and delicate way of using the elements and principles of design and 4D, showing the director and team's masterful understanding of the elements/principles and how to use them.
One of the main things that stood out to me was the use of musicality. Throughout the movie the music matches the setting of the scene with African drumbeats in Wakanda, hip hop/pop beats in America, and even having the language of the music match where in the world the movie is taking place. The movie also makes the classic marvel music fit during fight scenes by mixing it with African beats like during the casino fight scene.
On top of musicality, sound was something that had a lot of attention to detail. From the sharp sounds for Sword swings to the “power down” sound of the energy shooting weapons; every weapon had its own unique sound. The sound team also made sure to not miss even the smaller “less important” sounds like shovels and sand falling during the scenes when T’Challa was being buried in sand.
The Energy of the movie was well balanced, building up climatic scenes well and giving enough cool down for audiences to catch their breath before the next big part. The movie also intertwined energy in fight scenes as well as dialogue. I’d argue that Killmonger revealing to the elders that he was N’Jadaka, N'Jobus son, was just as high tensioned as some of the fight scenes.
One of the ways the movie built up tension and energy was with causality. Most of this movie was cause and effect. Zuri killed N’Jobu so Killmonger killed Zuri, Killmonger killed crain so W’Kabi joined Killmonger, and so on. Every time something big happens in this movie the audience wonders “what will this person do now?” and that was a great, simple way to keep the audience engaged.
The Architecture in each scene was beautifully chosen/made. The casino seen early in the movie at first glance was just that, a casino. After looking into the scene though I think that layout was specifically chosen. The two stories and very open layout made it a good spot to have a fight scene. The cave/lab Shuri worked in also was shaped well for a fight. The long cave walls mimicked the rock walls around the waterfall where T’challa fights M’Baku and Killmonger. The train in the middle of the cave also allows for a closed off place for the final deciding fight to take place without interruption.
Thanks to the interesting Architecture, we got to see lots of different camera movements. During the casino fight scene, the camera constantly moves and swings around to see our three main characters fight their individual fights. Before the fight starts we get a few over the shoulder and reverse over the shoulder shots varying in looseness and tightness, emphasizing who’s most important.
The movie also uses elements of design like color and texture. When we see the vibranium being transported we see many different shades of blue and the flow of the colors gives the feel of a smooth & flowy texture. During the casino scene our three main characters have clothes with different textures or bright colors, like red, making them stand apart from background characters.
A Daily Vibe - Experimental Film
After looking through the clips I decided to create a video that showed "the perfect day." My video was on the shorter side of the requirement, being only a minuet fifteen. I wanted this to feel like a condensed version of a day and adding too many clips would have made it feel crowded and like a jam-packed day. I put an instrumental song over the entire video, helping to create the tempo and flow from one clip to the next. The Music is also relatively calm which plays into the theme of a perfect day and keeps the energy low and calm too. Each shot does a hard cut to the next, with walking and driving shots showing the changes of scenery. This was done to keep my time short while also trying to not confuse my viewer when large changes in scenery happened.
Thaumatropes
Metamorphosis
In Class Experiment
Stop Motion Final
This video starts with a few extreme close ups showing a girl preparing the way we see people prepare for a race. We then get a medium close up shot followed by a full of the girl taking off. As she flies down the sidewalk, we see full, extreme wides, and an over the shoulder shot, guiding us along with her. when she makes it to where she was going, we pan up and look over to a confused boy watching her.
I think the first few shots really set the scene. We see our character do familiar moves and it lets us know she's preparing to run (or fly). I also think the camera work really made this piece come alive. The different angles we see our character in allow the viewer to feel like they're moving with her or watching her irl.
You & I took an opposite approach than the previous video, using only 2 types of framing (wide & 1 close up) but multiple scenes.
The animation follows a couples many adventures, changing the background to signal the next scene. One thing I really loved about this animation was the fluidness. There were many different scenes and outfits yet there's was never a cut to black moment. This video also uses mixed animation styles (pixilation, cutout & object) which was helpful to see since i plan to do the same.
"Coco" is told using two main shots, a close up of Coco and an extreme wide of Coco's backyard. Throughout the animation there is not much movement, but we see the seasons change as Coco awaits her owners return.
I think the way this animation was done showed the passing of time really well. This animation was also simple compared to the others on the list, but it still has a strong story line.
Tease is one continuous wide shot of a bird playing with a ball.
Just like You & I, Tease was very fluid. Everything from the bounce of the ball to the birds feet moved really smooth and I think this is the biggest thing this animation has going for it. Like Coco this is a more simple animation but I think the simple theme of a bird just playing around worked and made for a nice short animation.
Kindness had about 5 scenes and used so many shots from extreme wides, to extreme close ups, over the shoulders, and even two shots.
This was by far my favorite animation. I honestly just have to appreciate the time it took to make. The figures were very detailed, changing the facial expressions and more. There were also so many different camera angles which i'm not used to seeing in cut out animation.
SMAI Digital Exhibition
Discuss your logic and rationale for your exhibition layout
As I was choosing my 7 pieces I wanted to choose a variety that showed the different things I've done in this past year. The two drawings are both in very different styles one being charcoal and gray scale while the other was bright and colorful using 6 different colors. Each 3d piece also shows off a different skill set and the ability to work with multiple materials. The four photographs let the viewer see what I do outside of class and how I am still working on my intended major and craft while still working on other things in school. As for the placement of each piece there was just a lot of moving things around until I was satisfied with the look. None of my work is huge so there was no need to use more than a wall. I put the cake towards the corner because I didn’t want it blocking other pieces and it’s still big and bright enough to not get lost in the corner. The three photos are a series so I wanted to keep them together but because of their size I chose to stack them instead of have them side by side. I placed the single photo next to the series and put the flower/book sculpture in front of it. Having both these smaller pieces close together took up more space and they didn't get washed out by the bigger pieces. I felt the two drawings contrast each other nicely so I chose to place them together and lastly the altered book was placed on a pedestal on the end to take up the extra space and make the wall seem full.
Identify and discuss the best 2 artworks in your portfolio and one piece that needs more work
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My best two pieces are Inescapable and untitled (data). Inescapable is a series of photos shedding a light on the stress the black community feels while watching the news. I think this piece is one of my best because of the story I was able to capture and the overall mood/tone that I was able to set with the pictures. The saturation of each picture is low, really using the shadows to create the narrative. The figure's face is dark, almost blacked out, in each of these pictures to show that it could be anyone. The newspaper walls create a sense of being surrounded by the news and the old tv connects the current day problems to the past.
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Untitled (data) is another one of my best pieces. I absolutely love the movement I was able to create in this piece. The ribbons work well together looping over and under each other and the slightly dull colors helps the piece not be overwhelming. There are a few pieces I need to go over and make smoother but I love the transition between values and shadows when the ribbons twist.
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I think Waves of 21 needs more work. When I draw I do a lot of sketch type lines but when working with charcoal you have to commit if you want those darker values. Overall I don't think I got the contrast I really wanted In this piece. If I were to do It again I would go in harder with the charcoal and try to get those really dark values. I also would try to add more texture to the water and clean up the details in the trash.
What is your presentation missing? What do you need to work on over the summer or next fall in anticipation for the SMAI? For some, this may include the presentation practice - to get more comfortable talking about your work with others in a professional context.
I think my presentation would benefit from a bigger piece. All of my pieces are small to medium but I think that adding some bigger pieces will not only push me but show that I can work on multiple scales. I also think doing some touch ups to a few of my pieces will be beneficial. When I was looking back at the pictures I could see little spots and marks that could be smoother, a simple fix that will help me out. Lastly I think there could always be more presenting preparation. Knowing myself i'm going to be very nervous during my SMAI and so being prepared to answer any questions should help calm my nerves and prevent me having to come up with answers on the fly.