My Initial Idea is:
1) Take a series of photographs.
2) Print each one out.
3) Trace over the images with pencil/paint/charcoal etc.
4) Photograph the tracings.
5) Put them in the timeline in order to form a short animation.
Ideas For Story line
Instead of using people, I was thinking that i could use inanimate objects to play the parts of the characters. Things like shoes, food, flowers, toys, cars.
I could give the objects Random Professions/Personalities/Fears/Ages and work on a story that could fit them all in.
Here are some links to clips that I have watched, it will give you an idea of the sorts of things I would like to do, in relation to both the techniques used in the editing process, and the ideas I have for the story line.
-Pencil Drawing Animation
-Animation using white board
-The OOglies Cbbc
-Art Explodes on Shoe
I am considering using a few different objects, the main characters being shoes. Each shoe having a personality. I will photograph them whilst on people so the movement is smoother and I have more freedom. When I am tracing the images, however, I will only trace the shoes and any props available.
I began looking at different types of shoes and what sort of person would wear them. From that I could build their personality.
Environments
I have been thinking about shoes and the environments that you would see certain types of shoes. For example: Heels in a disco, Wellies in mud, Trainers on the grass, Baby shoes on a blanket etc..
I then thought about props I could use to work with the shoes and give them a bit more personality. You could accompany trainers with a football, or a skateboard. You could accompany kids shoes with a hop skotch ground etc. Using props could build the character and set the scene. This gives viewers a better feel for the character, and because this character is an object and not a person, this is important.
The Life Cycle
I thought about the human life cycle and how I could use shoes to communicate this idea. There might not have to be any dialogue as if it looks as visually effective as I would hope then the series of Images will speak for themselves.
BABY---TODDLER---CHILD---TEENAGER---YOUNG ADULT---ADULT---ELDERLY
I need to find shoes which will clearly show that these are indeed the shoes of a teenager, and those are clearly the shoes of an elderly person. What do we wear at each stage in our lives.
I also need to remember that the scale of which I film each stage is very important as if a babys boot is the same size as an adults shoe then the viewer is going to be extremely confused and the idea will not be communicated effectively.
I will begin to work on this by taking photographs to see which way I could set up each scene. Before I take my own photographs I would like to look at some photographs other people have taken of shoes and the scenarios others have used shoes in.
1) 'Splish Splash' 2006 by Mailyn Minter
2) Kenn Duncan
3) by KK+
4) Little Shoes by January
5) By Timur 1970
6) By Libra Photographs
Each of these Images are quite visually effective, my favourite is definitly the first one, 'splish splash'. It is an unusual way to photograph shoes. It is also very unique and creative, but also suitable to the feel of the image. It is easy to tell which shoes would suit each year group.
Image 1 would be a young lady.
Image 2 would be a father and a daughter.
Image 3 would be a teenager.
Image 4 would be a baby.
Image 5 would be an adult man.
Image 6 would be an adult woman.
I am going to be tracing over the stills, and so I need to decide which type of media I will be using when drawing the sequence. I have decided to look at some other peoples drawings and paintings of shoes as inspiration.
1) Turkish Shoes by Luna Jaffe
2) By Constance Posey (Fashion Designer)
3) By Joanna Said So
4) By Mark Schwarts
5) By Andrea Joseph
These images are all excellent peices of work by some extremely talented individuals. Each Image uses a different Media.
1) Pencil Drawing.
2) Marker Drawing.
3) Biro Pen Drawing.
4) Water Colour Painting.
5) Ball point drawing.
I also would like to look at some videos where shoes were the subject matter and also, where similar techniques are used to the ones I aim to use.
Drawing Animation Shoe
This is an Animation using a Shoe as Subject Matter. It is basically just a stop motion peice of someone drawing a shoe and a few other interesting shapes. It doesnt have a story line but looks good.
Ecco Shoes Animation
This is an Advertisement for Ecco Shoes, Its quite a creative Idea and shows sort of the day in the life of shoes. Giving shoes a sort of personality, a similar idea to my own.
Shoes- Life Cycle in 37 Seconds
This is a great clip to put up here as it gives you a better idea of what sort of thing I am aiming to do. Although it is not exactally the same idea, it is very similar. My technique will be different and I will be using sketches instead of images.
The Pen story
This is a lovely clip. It shows the life cycle of a person through stop motion which is exactally what I am trying to do. However, instead of using people and photographs, I want to use shoes and people.
Sketchy- Ball Point Pen Animataion
I think the same sort of technique was used here as the one that I aim on using. I know this is a bit sketchy but I actually think it looks better because of that.
I thought I might take some photographs of different types of shoes and put them in a senario. In the Images below, I am the model and the photographer and so some shots were quite tricky to say the least, however i found the challenge quite fun.
Late Teen
I feel this image shows a sense of outsoor adventure and also has a playful feel to it.
20/30's
This Image, and the following image is seductive and because of the mens clothes, looks like there is a man hiding somewhere out of range of the photograph. I could use this for part of my sequence and also brings to mind the power of suggestion, which could be useful.
20/30's
30/40's
These shoes are more for a middle aged woman. The heels aren't as high and the pose is not as energetic, however it is still quite a powerful image.
Teens
The use of colour and props make it clear that this person is in their early teens. The legs folded and the way the model is sitting on the floor is so relaxed that you would definitly get the vibe that it comes from someone who is younger and more relaxed.
Late teens/ early 20's
Funky, bulky, extremely high shoues show a person who is still extremely energetic and playful, I think this image works quite well as it is as though the model has quite a bounce in their step.
30/40's
This shot is very girly and womanly but glamerous at the same time. The props, again are quite effective and make the image alot more interesting. It suggests a woman getting ready for a night out.
20/30's
Again, quite a seductive image.The clothes scattered on the floor suggest a story behind the picture and the suspicion that the woman is not alone.
Teens
This image is quite energetic and playful. It just reminds me of my younger days where fashion was not as important as comfort and durability as we were always running around causing trouble. I think this image displays this really well.
Next, I decided to put the images into a sequence of yougest to oldest. Now, in the final film there will be alot more content and it will be alot more organised. This exercise was basically to have a look at what way the shoes could be filmed. Props that I could use to put across a certain feeling and atmosphere to each age range so that it is clear to see. I also wanted to try out different techniques. I had origionally thought that I would hand draw each slide and scan them into the computer, however this may prove extremely time consuming and take away from the sort of detail that i may want to add. So I tried photoshopping each slide and adding the colouring pencil filter to still allow for that artistic feel. I might not necessarily use this effect but it is now and option.
Here are some Raw Images I have done, they have not been edited, they have just been changed due to different settings on the camera.
I think my next step is to take a series of similar images in the same environment, with the exact same lighting and possibly the same postioning, the only thing that will be different would be the camera settings. This will be an experiment to see what sort of effects that I will get.
Before I do this I wanted to look at another photographer who has used a similar idea of using herself as her model and also taking the photographs herself.
Cindy Sherman is a model, photographer, stylist, makeup artist, and all at the same time. She works alone in her studio, creating roles for her character to play and then photographing herself in these particular roles.
Here is an example of her work.
An Animator that inspired me is a man called Frank Mouris. He created a film in 1973 called 'Frank Film' which I found especially good. It is basically a series of pictures and magazine cut outs that he collected througout his life. It is eccentric, colourful, confusing, morbid, but I really like it. It is a story about him and his life, there are two voiceovers which can be quite confusing, but as the film plays, it begins to make sense as you begin to realise the connection between the Images and the Voiceovers. As it is a stop motion peice and relates to his own personal life cycle, i think it is quite a good film to look at in regards to my own project.
(Go to this link to see the film)
Here are some stills from the film.
Back to my work:
Here are some peices I have done, work in progresses at the minute. There is no sound as I am working with a music student, Nathan Macintyre, he is providing the music for me. I will speak more about that further on down.
I have filters added which i might take out, and the finishing touches are still to be added as well as a few more scenes, which are in the editing process.
My Music Student.
What I have asked him to do:
The Life Cycle Of Shoes
I would like you to compose a peice of music, or sounds for roughly 3 minutes of footage themed 'The Life Cycle of shoes'.
The Moving Image peice will show images of shoes from the age of a baby to the age of an elderly woman, and everything in between.
I would like the music to begin playful and childish. As the clip goes on the music should change to relate to the scenes, allowing the music or sounds to suit each age group being shown.
eg: Rock for a Teenager etc...
I want the end result to be quirky and fun.
I have great expectations for Nathan's music! The stuff I have heard so far has been exactally what I wanted for the peice and so Im very glad I have enlisted his assistance.
This is a more tweaked version, i took out the filters and i think it looks alot better. I need to add the ending and the music and that should be it finished.
Final Peice with music
