Final Post

Well, here we are. We made it to the end (thank God). Three and a bit months later and I've produced an artwork that I'm finally happy with =) I ended up re-editing my snap-shot film. I cut down the time by another 30sec, bringing it to about 1.5min. This allowed the shots to move at a faster pace, so the audience wouldn't loose interest. I'm just hoping they can still keep up lol. I also decided not to use the old, projector-like effect, as I found the loss of quality too much. This was another reason as to why I'm not going to present it on You Tube. I'm going to try and keep as much quality as possible and present it on DVD, using the iDVD application to burn. I'm also going to hand in a CD with some of the shots on it, as well as printing up some of the shots, which if I must say, came out looking really good - very professional. Overall, I've had a heap of fun dressing up and creating a world of my very own. I believe that I have captured that creepy and playful feel, that has entertained an audience very successfully. Hopefully Jenna and the Offset Team agree.

Here is my movie. Enjoy!

WEEK 10

This week I constructed my film. It didn't turn out exactly as I'd hoped - 70% of it I love and 30% of it I would have done differently. But I guess it's all just a learning process. Plus, I've never actually worked with any type of snapshot or animation film before. This experience has really got me to appreciate just how much time and effort goes into artworks like this... I ended up choosing a creepy, carnival-like piece of music, which I found through the creative commons website. I also decided to place an old style-like effect on my snap-shots - making them look old and projector-like. I think this particular effect works with the creepy world I was going for. It also plays to the advantage, that not all my shots were of a good quality anyway. But once I placed the film on You Tube the quality seemed to be even worse.. So I'm going to have to have another think about what I want to do? Maybe I'll go back to placing it on a DVD, using the iDVD program. I'm also feeling like the film is a little bit too long. It runs for about 2min, and I'm hoping to cut that back to about a min and 30sec. Just so the audience doesn't get too bored, as it is very repetitive. I think I'm going to have another crack at editing the entire film again. GGGrrrr... so confused and so much to do. Wish me luck =)
Here is the link to my film, A Doll Me, which I think needs to be re-worked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJAOlBzh6sk

WEEK 9

Hi all. The end is near, with only three weeks to go! Rush, rush, rush! Today we looked at some interesting video art. Not all my taste, but some were really amazing. I'm starting to learn that you need a lot of patience and commitment when it comes to video art. Therefore I am slowly starting to appreciate it. One of the artworks that captured my attention was I'm not the girl who misses out on much by pipilotti rist. What can I say? It was very out there! Massive statements on the female body and how it's portrayed in the media. Both her topic and style interested me. At times it was even a bit funny LOL. Here is the link to her work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsC8FKNE8fg
My own video is still coming along. I've now finished editing all my shots and have decided to change applications. I will now be constructing my piece in Windows Movie Maker, not iMovie. I think this is a much simpler program that will save on time and allow me to work on it at home. I've still got to get a move on with choosing some music! Oh no! Rush, rush, rush!
Here are some more of my edited shots for you to view. Enjoy and speak to you soon =)

Week 8

Hello, hello! Long time, no speak. Over the past 2 weeks, I have purchased all the last minute things needed before the shoot. That includes; a blonde wig, cards, plants, fake flowers and cakes. Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot, it was extremely windy, and we were unable to shoot outside :-( And I have no free-time to re-scedual, so as I've said before, 'the show must go on!' All went well though. I had lots of fun dressing up & playing the part. We spent hours setting up, taking shots, waiting for the battery to recharge, then re-doing shots. It was a long process. I was reasonably happy with the results - considering that not everything turned out my way. Here are a couple of the shots taken - both original and edited. This is probably one of my favourite shots. I really feel Blythe's creepy eyes engage with the audience. I also feel that I have accomplished creating a creepy, cute and playful world, that I am very happy with. My only downfall is the quality of my shots - some turned out a little blurry =) Next steps are; more Photoshop editing, arranging it all in iMovie and choosing the music to fit my film ???
Today in class we also looked at video art. One of the interesting pieces that I found, titled Three by Three, was created by Margeaux Walter. I related this piece to the Braidy-bunch straight away LOL. I like the idea of different characters in their own worlds. Here's the link: http://www.videoartworld.com/beta/video_421.html

WeeK 7

Time is ticken, & I'm feeling the pressure to try and get it all done. Thank God I just found out that we have two weeks off - always helps. Next lesson I will be presenting the work that I've completed, to the class - just a tad nervous.
I've recently purchased an outfit for Blythe, which is going to look so cute! Here it is: (black dress & striped socks)
So now, all I have left on my props/everything list is; a blonde wig, yummy cakes, plants, & a new memory-card.
This week I completed a written-storyboard of my snap-shot video. Each dot-point equals to one photo. All up, I need to take approximately 60 shots! These are the first 3 dot-points on my written-storyboard (to give you an idea):
- Face-on, close-up of Blythe's face
- Move out to close-up of Blythe's body (sitting on white, wrought-iron chair)
- Move out to full-view of scene with Blythe & the woman sitting on each chair, facing forwards
I also had a bit of a muck-around with my camera - taking shots of Blythe with a tea-pot. I had to be very careful about the settings I chose on my cam, because there was a lot of exposure and reflection. I chose to use no flash and an anti-shake setting. This is the original and edited shot. I know that I need to be careful of my edited picz looking too 'Photoshopped'. But I think I've done ok. I like the high use of contrast, brightness, & vibrancy - it gives it that child's-play feel that I am going for. Finally, I wouldn't mind getting some tips on how I can get the best quality out of my photos. Is there a setting? or something in Photoshop that I can use?
See you in 2 weeks =]

Week Six

Hi all. I'm back from holiz - one week just isn't enough. Today the first of the presentations began, and I was reminded that I need to get a-move-on with my work. I feel as though I've come to a stand-still, and I really need to get cracking! We also learnt how to use a WACOM (pen & pad). I found this to be very annoying and difficult to pick-up, as I've never used one before. But I gave it a go, and it did get a little easier. This is my kindergarten-attempt at using the WACOM in Corel Painter (left).

Unfortunately I was ripped-off with my Blythe doll, eBay purchase. But don't worry, I'm currently on a plan to take-down this cheat. Anyway, I had to purchase another Blythe doll, who is just as cute & creepy, and arrived in less than a week. Here she is (right). She will be getting a knew outfit - lucky thing! I'm also not 100% sure if my friend Sarah will be able to play the role of the young woman in my film. But either way, the show must go on, and I can easily take her place (with a wig lol). Next, I plan to start drawing-up a storyboard, tracking-down more props and searching for free-music. Till then, catch Xx

WeEk 5

Hi. This week was all about collage, which I discovered actually comes from the French word coller; meaning, to paste or glue. Anyway, after being shown how to use the different tools in Photoshop, I got stuck straight into making a collage of my very own. I started out with theses three images from Google Image:










Then, decided to edit and overlap, to come up with this pretty picture:
I had fun creating this piece, and I am very happy with the end result (for the time-frame it was completed in). I like that the background is soft, and that Blythe (Alice) is much brighter and bolder. I think it works well =)
Bi Bi xx
PS. Handed in assessment one and was able to get-a-hold of a silver tea-pot.