Conceptual

Introduction to the Conceptual unit:

In this unit, we as juniors were required to express ourselves abstractly

and to use our communication skills to answer the overarching question of

this unit,

“How can I use unconventional forms to express myself?”

This unit, specifically, challenged us to create projects that were risky and that

required more effort to create something expressive and unique. These methods we used

varied heavily from photos, to paper, to charcoal, and even to the use of sand. Our freedom to

express ourselves was assisted through the use of many different applications such as:

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premier Pro, and Adobe Animate. This

unit taught us the value of time and how to properly manage it. That sometimes it is better

to take less risks than you are capable of managing, but also to take more risks than you

usually would. Additionally, it taught us the versatility of adobe softwares and how to properly

use them so that we can further our expression.

 

 

Photo Haiku:

Picture of wild flowers through metal fence
Innocence through broken glasses

In the Photo Haiku assignment, we randomly chose two slips of paper that combined to make a concept statement (I am exploring the feeling of….through the experience of….). I was given, “I am exploring the feeling of depression, through the experience of making music”. I interpreted making music as living our lives as we are each making our own unique paths. So I was this as a loss of innocence where our happiness is lost under our depression which I represented in the picture to the left. The wild and free growing yellow flowers are trapped by the rough and rusted iron fence. With my picture and statement in hand, I worked to create a video that represented the underlying voice of the photo haiku. Using my knowledge of Premier Pro, I created the video below that I feel represents the voice of my haiku.

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Using Premier Pro to Edit Photo Haiku
Creating a Photo Haiku Video

This assignment taught me how to express myself, because I was given freedom to use any picture I took that fit my message and creative freedom in the production. I was able to express my imagination through color choice, text placement, and my own voice to mimic the intended voice of the haiku. This assignment also taught me how to use Premier Pro and how to edit voiceovers and using fade-ins and outs. After this assignment, I feel like I’ve grown better at expressing deep emotions through photos and placement of objects or text.

 

 

 

Freedom and Spoken Word Poetry:

In our English class, we were required to write, present, and record two poems that we feel are

our best and more expressive. The poems I chose were my free verse poem and my spoken word,

which are the first and second links you see respectively.

 

Exquisite Corpse Poem:

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Screenshot of Using Adobe After Effects
Process behind using Adobe After Effects

In the video above, fellow freestyle students and I made an exquisite corpse video from an exquisite corpse poem. An exquisite corpse is when you take part of something someone else made, added onto it, and then passed it onto someone else who would continue building from the one line/u=image above it. In this situation, someone used a line from their poem as the beginning and we passed the paper around the table as people added to the line above it solely. Then we each recorded the line we contributed, created a picture that represents our line, and compiled it using the other lines and pictures from the other students in our group. This all culminated into the video you see above!

 

 

Poetry:

Click here for Spoken Word

Click here to see the spoken word’s poetry explication

Blend Modes:

Juxtapose of Bird Eye Shot of Red Book

Juxtapose of Darkened Picture of Water Hose Spraying WaterBird's Eye Shot of Red Book                                             Darkened Picture of Water Hose Spraying WaterLow Shot of Brightened Red Book

                                                  

 

Brightened Wide Shot of BackyardJuxtapose of Wide Shot of Backyard

Overlay of Two Identical Red Books With One in the Right Bottom Corner and One in the CenterJuxtapose of Opaque Book

 

 

 

 

 

Ankle Shot of Brightened Night Sky With Moon

Juxtapose of Ankle Shot Looking at the Moon and Night Sky

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overlay of Shot of Tall, Dark Trees Over Shot of BackgroundWide Shot of Darkened Backyard

Almost infinitely long page that recaps human history lays crumbled on the floor

Juxtapose of Water Hose Spraying WaterHighlighted Picture of Water Hose Spraying Water

Juxtapose of Bird's Eye View of Brighter Red BookBird's Eye View of Brightened Red Book With Darkened Background

Shot of Darkened Portable BuildingsJuxtapose of Darkened Portable Buildings

The Process Behind Photoshopping Images

 

This project use of Photoshop was valuable as now I am given the tools not only to be able to manipulate lighting and colors to convey moods in images, but now I know the skills to do this manually using camera settings. By changing things like the aperture or ISO or the angle, I know how to create the perfect image that is able to convey certain feelings from the imagery.

 

 

 

What Animation Students Have Been Up To:

This quarter in Animation, we learned how to use tools and skills that did not require the use of tablets or softwares. Things like paper cutouts, hand drawings, and sand. This was important as it allowed us to experience and appreciate the use of old techniques before the introduction of computers, the internet, and softwares. It also allowed for the expression of our individual artistic style that we could corroborate into our animations.

Exquisite Corpse:

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Flipbook:

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For this production, I used a light box to replicate shapes and used their colors and movement to convey meaning rather than using words. Then after coloring and tracing, I took individual pictures of each frame and then compiled it in Premier Pro to create the video you see above.

Direct Techniques:

 

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In this production, I put red sand in a clear box and put a light box underneath it to make the image stand out. Then I took individual pictures of shifting the sand to convey movement in the sand. Then after all the pictures were taken, I compiled it all in Premier and created this video.

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For this video, I used my hand and paper fragments to create a video that used principles of follow through, staging, exaggeration, and arcs. I took individual pictures of hand and used it as a transition to paper. Then I took my pictures and added them into Premier Pro to create the video you can watch above.

 

 

Phenakistoscope Wheel:

Screenshot of creating a phenakistoscope gif
Screenshot of creating a phenakistoscope gif

In this gif, I created a wheel with 16 individual panels (as you can see above the screenshot) and then took a picture of it against a black background. Then, I uploaded the image to Photoshop and cropped it to make the wheel perfectly centered and then a square. Then I cropped out the background using a clipping mask and then warping the image. Finally, I created an photoshop animation timeline, took individual pictures of each frame, compiled the images, and then exported as a gif.

 

 

This entire animation unit taught me the valuable lesson of taking the advantages of extra school time and also how to manage time properly. As if you did not optimize the time spent in each class, you were sure to fall behind. Additionally, this taught me how to use different programs and also different techniques that expanded the way I think about creating projects and how each style affects the mood of your animation.