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Photography Research - Chloe Sheppard

Chloe Sheppard is a film photographer & filmmaker. ‘Dreamy, pastel and girl-oriented’ is how London based artist describes her work.

References : https://chloesheppard.com

https://www.lazyoaf.com/blogs/editorial/chloe-sheppard

https://www.bjp-online.com/2018/10/chloe-sheppard-film-photography/

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Film Research - Sharif Abdel Mawla

Sharif Abdel Mawla is a Dutch director with Egyptian roots, before he got into directing, he worked as a creative for international brands and agencies.

References : https://www.partizan.com/director/sharif-abdel-mawla/commercials-branded

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This is the final product for the film workshop conducted on Friday. Jasmine, Jess and I worked equally on editing, filming and concept creation.

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Film Workshop

Last Friday, me and other film students grouped together to make a film for a workshop we had with Rob. We documented the short journey of three people meeting up. In post production we used split screen to show all journeys at once.

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Animation Research - Min Liu

Min Liu is a Taiwanese motion graphics designer and animator, her style is unique and with a dark sense of humour. She plays with increased consideration for negative space and a strong colour palette to create a special and impressive visuals.

References:  https://www.min-liu.com/

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Week One+Two Evaluation

Last week began my final major project. Post briefings with tutors, I began to brainstorm what ideas inspired me and what interests me. 

I had a tutorial with Simon, reflecting back on the past projects and where I was going from here. I strongly suggested that I wanted a strong theme backed with purpose behind my project, as this is what I did in year one. Having a project with a solid concept will keep me on my toes and keep me from getting bored. I would like to experiment and play around however with the subject. Simon also gave me a list of books to read and reference, which I proceeded to take out from the library.

I’ve then researched romanticism, cinematography and photography styles I’d like to utilise. Along with this I have also created a mind map and bullet points of ideas in my notebook.

This weekend I intend to read some of the books I took out for research and take some test shots.

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Photography Research - "Scarti"

Scarti is a series of lithographs by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin. These prints originated as scraps from the the printing of a book by the artists. The term "scarti di avviamento" is a term used by Italian printers for the sheets of paper that are run through the printing press between colors to clean ink from the drums.

I like the idea of overlaying a page of someone’s favourite book or photograph over a personal picture of themselves. Many of the photos in this series have been made to look as if the lives from the two different lithographs have merged together to become a new entity.

References: www.lensculture.com/articles/adam-broomberg-oliver-chanarin-scarti

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Film Research - Mommy (2014)

The director for this film, Xavier Dolan, decided to film in a 1:1 aspect ratio for a “more humble and private format, a little more fitting to these lives we’re diving into.”

This is the type of intimacy and closeness that I will be trying to achieve with my project also. Dolan also experiments with framing and colour grading, setting the scene for each shot.

References : www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-xavier-dolans-mommy-was-756857

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Cinematography Research - Split Screen

Upon deciding what concept I would like to expand on for my project, I have been researching what type of aesthetic I’d like to pursue. I’d like it to look homemade and interpersonal with a romanticism background to it.

I’d like to experiment with camera angles and different types of film. I intend to have workshops with Rob in different types of film such as 16mm.

I’d like to see how working with split screens would work out, creating a constant movement on the screen or providing more information as another part of the screen is showing visuals

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Final Major Project Concept Construction

A quote from the author of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk has inspired me for a thesis for this new project.

“your handwriting. the way you walk. which china pattern you choose. it's all giving you away. everything you do shows your hand. everything is a self-portrait. everything is a diary.”

With spring upon us, I have been thinking about new beginnings and identity as this as seen as the season of change. As the weather gets warmer, it is easier to express yourself as there would be no need to bundle up in warm clothing. This an entry to the season of family reunions, barbeques and celebration. 

My Final Major Project from last year was based upon family and the identity we carry with us from when we are born, an identity that is passed along generations with us having no say in it. From childhood into adolescence, when humans can begin to think independently and form opinions of their own, is what I want to focus on.

For this project, I would like to look at the flip side, the part of us that we choose and form on our own. Fashion, makeup, music taste etc. The things that set us apart from everyone else and that influence and inspire us every day.

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Romanticism / Individuality

Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement which took place in Europe between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries.

The artistic revolution in the late 18th century had a large emphasis on artist individuality and expression. This concept had intrigued me and will be what I’ll be researching upon the development of my Final Major Project.

This revolution highlighted the artist's wishes and strayed from the rules and norms that had been established in the past. Architecture, literature and humanities became more diverse and original. The artists of this movement began to highlight the importance of the connection between humans and nature and how they identified with themselves. This time is also when concepts such as radicalism, liberalism and gothic themes were developed upon.

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Text, Layering and Colour

I’ve always loved experimenting with text, layering and colour. These three aspects in graphic design and film normally make a piece have a strong sense of style and aesthetic.

I’ve come up with this concept that a video will be playing whilst a piece of glass is placed over it and people write over it with a marker

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Tutorial with Simon + Research

Today I went to the library to take out some books that Simon recommended to me yesterday during my tutorial with him. I plan to analyse and read these over the next couple of weeks.

My tutorial with Simon was really useful. He gave me tips on how to reflect upon my own work in a more productive and effective way. I was given a list of ‘Reflective Prompts’ to look back on when I am stuck.

He also advised me to add navigation to my Tumblr blog as it would help with assessment.

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Progression

For my progression, I'm hoping to get an apprenticeship or an artist residency in Europe. This is the CV I've been sending out.

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Memento - Final Evaluation

Post Amsterdam, I hit a hard creative block, rendering me unable to create or even come up with a concept that seemed exciting to me. I had talks with both Joel and Gabi, both of them feeding me with intuitive feedback and help. I was given a two-week extension over the break-in which I used the time to try and get back into the swing of things. My initial idea for my Memento project was shelved as I tried to aim for something more achievable. Instead of creating a film, I have produced two animated posters. I’m hoping that for my final major project, I could delve into the initial concept I had and produce it in a style that would be satisfying to me. I created a book of leaflets that I collected throughout the Amsterdam trip. Despite my inability to sketch, I liked the idea of narrating my journey through the Netherlands through promotional posters and postcards. My research consisted of jewellery companies and illustrators. Whilst my final product wasn’t exactly how I imagined it to be, I still feel like these research pages are relevant and could be forwarded for my future project. This project was most likely my hardest yet, not because of the tasks assigned but because of the realisations, I had come to face. Being creative is very dependent on mental health and I have had to learn how to balance the two and when to know when to give myself a break. I hope in the future I can take these lessons into play and not burn myself out.

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This is the final pink version of my Precious Metal series of posters. The fonts are reminiscent of an 80′s TV show and I like that aspect of it. I wondered if anything could be added to make it more expressive however I like the minimalism.

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This is the final blue version of my Precious Metals series of animated posters. I’m liking the way they are turning out. I’ve used Adobe After Effects to produce this which is a new experience for me as I’m normally suited to Premiere Pro. But with the help of online tutorials and countless Google searches I’ve managed to come up with this.