matildavnelson
- Oct 27, 2020
- 5 min read

PRE-PRODUCTION: IDEA & VISUAL DEVELOPMENT.

Updated: Dec 7, 2020

Now that I have a 'concept' I need to develop the visual representation and narrative.

I started storyboarding some visual ideas I had, and writing down some of the scenes I'm thinking of making.

After making this small visual experiment with the projector, which didn't work for me, I decided I need to:

-Project onto objects and textures, to allow the environment and and the projections to be 'one', feel part of the same bigger picture. I'm going to use existing frames within the environment to project onto instead of creating a new one by projecting onto the wall.

-I also feel that the live action showing Gisela's experience of reading the book looked too much like CCTV which isn't where I want this to go. The end however, with the multitude of instagram swipes was more interpretive which is how I feel the Visuals of this project should be going.

Projection mapping:

Testing animation within live action:

From this point I am still attached to the idea of having all the projection works be joined to a single narrative. I wrote earlier in my sketchbook that I wanted to start with scenes of what represents a 'personal bubble' such as the bed, the shower and a characters household, moving slowly towards the depiction of several external bubbles of experience. Starting on the individual scale and then looking outwards to 'society' and look at how we interact with each-other within our own singular bubbles of experience. So ending on scenes that depict several projections happening at the same time or composited together.

What I don't know, is what I'll test:

I don't know whether I want the scenes to be joined up by live action, forming a continuous story line that flows in and out of projected animation. In this case the animation could be seem as more of a performance. Or whether I want to make stand alone scenes of projected animation which form a much looser narrative, but can be seen individually as installations. The main aspect I am interested in challenging with my project is whether I am animating for viewers that are behind a screen or for viewers to witness in real time.

To decide on this, I am making a short storyline integrating projected animation within a live action sequence:

ARTIST RESEARCH TONY OURSLERS:

CHANGE OF PROJECT!!!

Sketchbook pages showing development of project:

Note: Another reason why I'm deciding to change my project from a film to installations is because, the 'alive' quality of projection and projection mapping is lost on camera. The most exciting aspect for me was to be able to walk around an object that was animated, changing the way we view animation and redefining what we term 'screen'. I like how projection mapping animation makes media more tangible.

Storyboarding for new scene of broken femur:

- So... From his point I know that I am making 'scenes'/sculptures/installations that are animated through projections and portray a sense of 'bubble' of experience, isolation and a lack of 'shared reality'.

I am quite attached to the broken femur analogy, because it shows that no real empathy and therefore civilisation can occur without physical presence and contact between people, which is especially relevant to today.

This is why I am going to keep this as a narrative that I will develop into a physical animated installation.

Why a real person is lying on the ground:

I want to emphasise on the distance 'screen connectivity' creates between people, and I think getting the viewer to watch a screen (the animation) projected onto a person who looks hurt, lying down on the floor, without helping them but more interested in the visuals that are projected onto them ironically materialises the physical separation the screen creates between people.

I'm allowing the animation process to be quite intuitive, expecting much of the visual imagery I've already laid out to change and develop as time goes on, it is the idea, the loose narrative and the installation itself which is driving the making and experimentation.

Testing the interaction between real life person and projection:

I've animated a very small scene of the animation, where the hands start to morph into animals and I've decided to test what this would look like being projected onto a real person to see whether it is effective in creating a contrast between the 'real' and the screen.

Result:

I do like the effect of the hands on the physical person, it looks like the hands are actually stroking, but I would also like to add other textures at some point so that the projection could be 'guided' and at different levels and reliefs.

DRAWING OF INSTALLATION

SECOND INSTALLATION

After I experimented with projection mapping onto the bowl, balloon and tape, and researching about the artist Tony Oursler I was inspired to make a projected sculptural installation without anyone in it, solely objects. I decided to mind map what this sculptural installation would be about:

A key aspect of the feeling of isolation is the mind. one can be surrounded by hundreds of people and still feel lonely. I summed up in my mind map that to me 'isolation' and the bubble this creates around an individual; is a lack of new input, a restriction of stimulus that can lead to no new thoughts. the lack of 'input' leading to loops of thoughts, and repeating thought processes which may slightly evolve in response to the mind dissecting them but is restricted to what the tendencies and information the mind already has.

With this installation I want to 'visualise the isolated mind'. Representing thought loops through looped animation and projecting these onto an object or several objects.

I thought about what i could project onto, looking at the objects around me, and the bowls and plates in the sink seemed like a good idea because it has the aspect of 'festering thoughts' metaphor for dirty dishes left in the sink, also technically the projection mapping into the bowl was very effective.

Testing projection mapping into water containers:

WHAT IS THE ANIMATION CONTENT FOR THIS INSTALLATION???

To be able to represent 'The mind' through animation I started with research:

Quick storyboarding and colour pallet:

I've decided that I don't need to storyboard further this installation, because I'm not concerned with the timing of the animation or a well defined narrative. I have a loose narrative which I have put forward and I will use this as the base for the animation process, but I'd like to leave a lea-way for change and intuitive decisions when animating. I want to animate as I did in my 'dream' clay-motion scene, where I would metamorphose the plasticine from figurative object to the next with no real idea what the object would be until it became it. I think this process of animating would reflect also the 'stream' of thought and constant change property of the mind. I will use the 'drips' of data and information as a base for the imagery I will be representing and the specific property of each 'container' of the mind to inform the kind of movement that I will be animating.

Testing best way to projection map:

AE VS MAYA

MAYA