Mentor Meeting 2

Had a second meeting with Lynn just to discuss my submission for Pre-production work.
Showed my images, liked.

Wanted me to look into the planning and development of cities.

Talked about what was needed for the Concept development document

Will meet again on Wednesday to discuss going forward

Collage Moodboards

I wanted to make some moodboards of the type of future city landscapes I appreciated but Lynn suggested that I attempt to do it as more of a collage, seeing as compositing is likely to be at the heart of this project.  It's been a lot of fun!
I tried making a collage of different elements to get a feel for how landscape could be altered.  I tried using different colours and backgrounds and I drew people and characters on top to get a feel for some kind of human presence.

In the first one here I wanted to show a more prosperous future with a well developed extension to the city in the river and windmills in the river itself harnessing power in a clean and efficient way.  In the second, I tried to paint a picture of something a little more bleak, with technological advancements for sure, but added surveillance equipment and urban decay.  Couple this with people of varying privilege or fortune who appear a little closed and shifty and things begin taking a more sinister slant.  I think the second option has more of a personal narrative, revealing more about the people and society than the city, whereas the first reveals a lot more about the city itself.  The warmer colours in the first images make for a more whimsical picture, whereas the greys and blues in the second, coupled with the wet ground, make things in the second seem a little bit more unwelcoming and dreary.

I'm not quite sure what it was I was trying to achieve in the first one, but it was actually my first attempt at making the collages in this way.  The images were made by adding elements from a real photo I had taken with stock backgrounds or other people's versions of a futuristic landscape.  It worked in creating a colour palette similar to typical modern sci-fi films but doesn't really say much in the way of narrative.  I tried to add a bit more in the way of story by scribbling some sketchy lines on top.  I liked the style of this but it developed into simple silhouettes in the later images which worked a whole lot better.
In the second image I wanted to capture the essence of a world kind of impersonal and superficial, all neon signs blazing with the hustle and bustle of daily life yet with a touch of the industrial.  More people might have made it seem busier but I liked how isolated the positioning made everyone appear.

Mentor Meeting 1

I have been assigned Lynn as my supervisor.

I have just submitted my research proposal on 1st.
We met to discuss the aims of the project.
Signed my extension
Agreed to get some photos and start imagining how to change the environments.
How do I imagine the future?

Post Proposal Post

I actually found going through the process of writing that proposal to be kind of useful in figuring out what I am trying to research (it's almost like that was the point...).  At the very least I mean it was useful to help me structure my chain of thoughts regarding the issue.

Here is the gist of it from the abstract:

The purpose of this research is to identify the scope of the role visual effects play in the communication of narrative in film, either directly or indirectly.  Visual effects are used readily in many genre of film in the enhancement and creation of environments and characters to the effect of creating realism, fantasy and spectacle.  This research begins by discussing the attraction of this spectacle before moving on to look at how effects are more central to the idea of narrative than might be apparent.

To some, when visual effects are obvious and eye catching, they often run the risk of creating distraction.  When they are subtle, they make for a more perceptually real and believable experience for the viewer - much like good set design, costume or make up.  Certain films lend themselves more to the use of visual effects such as fantasy, science fiction and action films and as a result audience opinion can be divided on the merits of these films from a narrative standpoint.

Looking into concepts like mise-en-scène will benefit this project by serving to put the subject into the context of pre-visualisation and design, which should allow for a greater understanding of how contemporary visual effects are able to serve and enhance the depth and breadth of an overall narrative in ways that may not have been possible in the past.  This research should lead to the development of several media tests utilising effects techniques, which will convey a broader narrative across the whole.

I stated the aim of the project was:

To explore ways of expressing narrative through the use of visual effects and develop a series of images or short video media tests expressing an understanding of the concepts and methods involved.

Objectives:

1. Examine the use of Visual effects in film and determine how they support the narrative.
2. Carry out media tests to determine a framework through which digital visual effects artists may operate within a film production pipeline.
3. Create media tests by altering existing environments to create a cohesive sense of narrative across the whole.

Hopefully that will give me a better idea of the way the project is going.  I need to try and figure out practical tasks that can help explore these things.

First I need to get my concept development submission prepared and arrange a meeting with Lynn to go through what I need to get done before the Christmas break.