*An exploration of visuals based on the chosen poem from the assignment brief.*
Approach:
From the assignment brief: "Often we recall a memory moment, because there is a particular sound, time of day, season or smell associated with that memory. Memory moments are brief but descriptive moments we viscerally remember from our person experiences when reminiscent conditions trigger the memory or experience." For this 4-week design project the goal of the assignment is to recall a significant memory in which lighting drives what the memory holds. It will eventually be a 15-second experience in which the viewer notices and comments upon what they have seen. To begin, we created a series of 3 instances in which we thought lighting was pertinent to the memory at hand. "The foundation for the project will emerge from your willingness to engage in visualizing experience, with the purpose of building a vocabulary for describing them and improve your skills and technical knowledge in storytelling of experiences." Choices Made: Initially, I couldn't think of stories that had much to deal with lighting, as most of my memories come from what actions I was doing rather than how they would be remembered through lighting. Thinking further, though, I realize that most memories that I have did include lighting based on the location regardless. It's just something I thought less about as I recalled the instances. My initial choice was to remember moments that weren't necessarily about light, but the synthesis of light and shadow. I recalled moments where I was still, and not necessarily moving. The three stories are as follows: #1 - "I've never felt closer to the earth while holding her sun-dressed hand in Tokyo, Japan. The lustered beams of quilted light hazing from the amber peaks of the skyscrapers dissipated all sense of location and self. Spiraling through the overwhelmingly surreal traffic together in the first moments, lost and disconnected among the endless reflections, I felt free for the first time in my life." #2 - "Telephone poles punctured the sky like cracks on pavement. I was still, but the world moved around me. Each passing line ticked in my brain like a metronome. [Soft humming in the background] Melodies danced around my head to the beat of the shadows, killing time and creating memories. Eyes closed, my mind waited for the pattern to halt." #3 - "Feeling wholehearted from the fire outside in the cold white frost, I only see the teeth of my friends as we laugh about nothing. Necks arched, we blow out plumes of contentment. We cloud the stars above while our faces mixed with the embers. Later, as I find myself alone, a tear drops near the fire. It was pure darkness, the dancing swirls had no effect, a shadow paled in comparison - but that drop still burns brighter than any morning sun." Out of the stories told, I eventually ended up with using my second one. The inspiration for the story comes from many car rides in the back seat of my parents car. I usually despised the music they would play, and would put in earplugs so that I didn't have to listen. The rides would last for a few hours, usually from going to my relatives hometown in the middle of nowhere. This would make our trips there and back usually in the morning/evening when the sun was rising/setting. All of the light would shower into the car and onto my face, and I would wait for the movement of the light poles to stop. By the time they would, it meant we were arriving/departing our destinations. Inspirational Sources: Because of my previous projects using Max/Msp/Jitter, I want to incorporate sounds into the experience that is directly affected by the visuals. I'm considering utilizing repetition as the basis for this short to influence the light, and making it longer so that âI have some room for exploration with music. An inspiration that I have for this video is something from an Instagram post from an Animator (Ezequiel Torres) - rudoplayer1 on Instragram:
I really enjoy this short tidbit of music and visuals paired together. How he synced up the movement of the lines going across the screen as the beat of the separate parts of the track begin is visually and experientally pleasing to watch. I always find it interesting that more animation schools don't teach foundations of learning how to use sound. For people who are not deaf/blind, it would seem as an invaluable resource to have as they have more use for visual/spatial/audible exploration.
Questions Raised & Needs:
Next week, I'll begin with recording my voice for the narration of the short story. I'll also explore more Msp usage in the short, and consider creating my own soundtrack for the project. I want to also look online for free 3D assets if it will save me time with creating the visuals by hand. Lastly, I'll have to decide if I want to use traditionally drawn animation, as that will be the most time consuming in the long run, but in my opinion will give the project more character. -Taylor Olsen Comments are closed.
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May 2020
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