Lab Session 26/10/11 PART TWO

The second part of the lab was to using our mobile phones to take short videos of objects related to a given word or phrase. This turned out to be a lot more difficult that it sounded, yet I feel I captured quite interesting objects from angles I would not necessarily have filmed if I wasn't given this starting point.

Points and Lines

In the video below I focused on the lines of the wall. I moved up and down slowly, and then looked at the effect if I moved right with the vertical lines. I like the texture of this wall also and feel that it creates quite a confusing video.

This video films a more literal approach to a sign saying 'Test Point'. Instead of a point being like an arrow, this point is a place where people know to meet. I then slowly turned the camera left to film the lines of the bricks on the walls, hence a point and lines.

Space Within

I found this one the most interesting. This video is filmed in front of a vent where you can see only slightly inside. It was quite creepy and especially dark, with a thick layer of dust. It is a space that is never accessed yet still exists within the wall.

Light Reflection
For this one, I filmed a translucent window which had many different light sources shining through it but because the glass is quite thick and 'bumpy', the effect was quite interesting. It makes the viewer confused and creates quite and eerie atmosphere in a way you don't know what it creating the light and shadows on the other side.

At first, in the video below I was looking mainly at the reflection of the tiles as I sped along with the camera. However, it could also be interpreted as lines as has quite an interesting effect.

Time Progressing

Below is a video I took to represent time progressing. In front of me, I could see a wind turbine-like mechanism on the roof of the building. As the wind blew past it, the turbine moved which to me represents time progresses extremely quickly. However, when viewing the footage back on my camera, the turbine is extremely difficult to see. I need to remember to take into account the low resolution of my camera and how not everything visible in front of me will be able to be seen on camera.

This particular video is simply of leaves blowing in the wind. This represent time progressing more slowly. I wanted the viewer to feel a sense of calmness when watching it so that hopefully they do not realise how much time has passed until the video is actually over.

Shapes and Forms

This video shows the different shapes and forms you can find in just one small space. In this short video, you can find pebbles of all different shapes, sizes and colours as well as leaves, sticks, dirt, grass and mud.

Lab Session 26/10/11

In today's lab session, we completed many exercises to get us thinking of ways we can generate ideas. The first exercise was to write down in 5 minutes an event that happened to us in the past two weeks, detailing as many visual aspects of it as possible. Below, I wrote about the recent event where my iPhone got stolen from my bag whilst I was shopping in Uxbridge. After writing this down, we then created a story board for it. This was quite difficult as you had to draw yourself looking from an outside person's perspective. You also had to pick what the most important points were in your story before drawing the scene from an interesting angle.

  

In the storyboard, the first frame was an image of me filling in my lottery numbers. I put emphasise on the sign which read £20million. At the end of the story, this could be quite comical as that money would have come in very handy! The second frame is of me trying on a dress in the mirror. Although it wasn't there, in the mirror I wrote the word 'fabulous!' to show how I was having a positive day and feeling good about my new purchase. Frame three is an image of me and my friend laughing, looking relaxed and casual having lunch In frame 4, it shows me and my friend heading towards Wilkinsons while in frame 6, it shows someones stealing from my bag. I decided to draw an 'Extra Value' sign to emphasise how inexpensive the items in the aisle were. It's ironic that I should lose such an expensive phone in one of the best value aisle of the shop. The last frame is of me close up with my hand to my head, thinking how stupid and unaware I was to not notice!

The second exercise was quite similar yet instead of a recent event we have to remember one of our dreams. My one was quite terrifying in a sense there was a character, which appears to resemble the woman from 'The Ring', that was approaching me slowly and I had no way of escaping as I couldn't find my keys to open the door. I enjoyed this exercise yet I found it quite hard to remember my recent dreams; this one was from many years back.

Our last drawing exercise was the one that I enjoyed the most. We had to write down the first words that came to mind when a sentence was read out. Sometimes the words would be completely random and nothing you would ever have come up with without this sudden impulsiveness. We then had to create a story using all of these words which at first seemed to be extremely difficult but later on became quite interesting. I created a scene with objects in it that I would never have originally put together. I really want to look into this way of generating ideas more as I feel it is highly effective.

 

Lilies

Below are a few photographs I took which I feel are really successful. I like looking at things close up; I feel that they become much more interesting.

Quote on a napkin I found in a restaurant