Introduction
The Visual Narrative Project challenged me to communicate my ideas and art in a different way. The goal is to have the viewer has to understand what is going on visually without any written explanation. Visuals also allow your art to have more of an impact that written words at times. For example, if I were to describe the illustration above, it would not have the same impact as seeing it.
Story
In English, we started off the assignment by reading flash fictions by authors like Langston Hughes and Chet Williamson to get inspiration and see what a flash fiction looks like. The challenges with writing and brainstorming was writing a big change in the character that could happen within the one page. It had to be a deep and emotional change that the protagonist needed, and you had to bring the conflict to a climax. For making the audio version of the story, I edited it in pro tools. Adding sound effects matching with the story to make it immersive for the listener, I also had to edit plosives out of my voice and make sure my breathing couldn’t be heard. I did not realize how much I breathed before having to edit it out!
Narrative 1
Taking a scan of the room to reassure himself, he realized he could not keep auditioning only to watch someone of his likeness star in the film a year later. Picking up the manuscript, he skimmed through the lines that he had more than memorized, holding onto it for reassurance. The waiting room was brightly lit with the lights regularly placed across the room, but far between each, just enough room between each to have shade. He was almost falling out of the black plastic chair, lined up across the halls with people looking exactly like him but more confident, more talented. Same wavy black short hair, eyes, lips, except better. Probably don’t bite their nails either. It was quiet enough in the hallway to hear his own thoughts, the only interruption being the judge with curly hair stepping out of the room every few minutes to call out names, leaning halfway out the doorway with her stilettos, as the dull dinging of the elevator ushered in new D-list actors . Her voice was clean and professional, as if already prepared to give bad news. He bit his tawny gold tooth, knowing that’s something at least he could say he had, possessed, owned, without others claiming it. She read out his name, mispronouncing it, standing up and walking over to the audition room, crossing his arms so the tear in the leather jacket he dug out of his closet from high school for the audition remains concealed.
The room surrounded him with mint green with a cream accent wall where he was performing, a window with a tall door separating him and the judges. The studio panel light to his sides made him squint, but it was reassuring knowing that he was properly seen.
Standing there for a minute, the judge on the right with bug eyes said through the mic, “Ready when you are.” He realized he had been standing there for a minute now, crossing his arms and tonguing his gold molar reflexively.
One sentence into his audition, the judges had turned their mics off and were talking to each other while sneaking glances back at him. Noticing he had stopped speaking, they turned their attention back to him and told him almost pitifully that they appreciated his time. Just like that, he was done. How could they even see what he could do? His ability could not be judged within one line! Tonguing his gold tooth once more, he asked to read it again, but was shortly interrupted by the judges once again, firmly, with the bug-eyed judge glancing at the security button. Embarrassed and realized he overstepped, he left wishing he never came in the first place.
In the elevator back to the first floor, there is one other person standing there with him, and suddenly became aware that his being swallowed in his phone and leaning off to the metallic rail makes him look aloof, but does not have enough energy to interact to care. Unexpectedly, the tall man in the elevator with him with a clean cut expressed how he seems perfect for the role if he just puts himself out there more. Demanding he act out the manuscript, he unknowingly complies despite his fear of being judged (the ironic part of him being an actor). Halfway through, he is surprising himself with how in depth he gets into the complexities of the character. Before he finished, the dull ding! Of the elevator and the red “1” signaled his time was up. Smirking, Mr. Clean cut swaggered out before he could even ask for his name or thank him for his help, and how much it meant to him.
Illustrations
In Digital Media we started learning how to use Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator is different than Photoshop as you can expand and crop an image and it would not ruin the quality of it. With Illustrator we created an exquisite corpse illustration and clothing art with the Illustrator project. For the exquisite corpse project, each of us had an art board that we could draw anything on, the only restriction being we couldn’t see the other persons drawing before uploading it.
Final product!
Design
In Freestyle, all our classes are integrated. Using our narrative from English, we were challenged in Design to create a creature based on the characteristics of the protagonist in our narrative. For example if our character was loyal for one of the features we might choose to draw dog paws. It helped me gain a grasp on Adobe Illustrator and an appreciation for those who use it in the Design world.
Behind the scenes in making the creature
With the background added/made
Using Adobe Photoshop and our camera, we took photos of things in nature/everyday life that looks like letters of our name. In Photoshop I edited it to be black and white and added borders onto the sides. Personally the hardest letter to find for my name was N in Avani.
Using the Narrative from English, we used studio lights and our camera to take a photo representing our protagonist from our story. Props from the story were used to visually communicate our story/character. For my story, my character is in an audition so I used a leather jacket and a script as that what he was supposed to wear for the audition. The lighting was used to convey his mood.
