Typewriter
1 was designed as an introduction to the animated visuals I had been working on
but has yet to be added to any. The feedback I had received on the test
animations was positive but it also made me aware that I had only been using
imagery in my animations, when my printed narrative was also half text. The
short typewriter video was an attempt to add something directly from the story,
so logically, if I was treating the main animation as a trailer or teaser for
the book, then the text used should be from the start of the book. There is no
typewriter used or mentioned in the story but the use of one in this manner is
a popular technique in films and television that represents storytelling and
authors, journalism and is also a visual link to the past by the use of an
outmoded piece of equipment. The piece was created quickly in InDesign, by
simply typing out one letter (plus the spaces) at a time, and taking an uneven
screenshot each time. Finally, I added the sound effect of an old typewriter to
complete the illusion.
Though
it was not my intention at the start of this module to work on so many
animation tests, the results are proof of how enjoyable it was to do so and it
seemed only right that I should exceed the brief by making a what I thought of
as a trailer for the work and hopefully for whatever is produced in the next
module. To this end, I decided to use only images from the narrative, but
allowed myself to use the numerous overlay effects in Photoshop that I had
tested in the last module. The process used to create the final video involved
the gradual layering of more and more images and textures in Photoshop, again
taking screenshots, but this time being even less careful about the size and
placement of the crop. This meant that the images in the video would be even
more warped and would jump about. I knew that this video would be longer than
the others and took it as an opportunity to experiment more and push what
I was doing. Having between ten and twenty images (plus overlay effects) to mix
together and repeat gave me a pretty broad canvas, though I tried to create
mini loops within the main body where just one or two images were the hero.
They might not be immediately obvious to the casual observer, but I was
designing the piece to be a continual loop, with figures popping up
throughout, changing shape, becoming inverted, distorted or blending in with
each other. Thanks to the effects t my disposal many of the images became
abstract, but moved by so fast (at 8.5 frames per second) that the distortions
were as much a part of the narrative as the images of the people (hopefully
fitting for a narrative about versions of the world).
The key
to not making it too fast paced or nauseating was to take screenshots that had
continuity to the frame after and the frame before. I broke this rule more than
once when I thought I was repeating myself too much, but generally there is a
flow throughout that stops the piece from being too murky but still a good
visual representation of memories and the past.
An
early version of the trailer also featured the 'I hadn't seen my friend in a
long time' text, this time incorporated into the imagery. This time it was not
as successful, due to the pace of the images it was mixed in with and the even
more jumpy nature of the frames and it was hard to follow the text properly. I
will still try to bring in a text element to future versions but here it would
have disrupted the flow of the loop too much had I started to alter the pace
for the sake of a few seconds of type.
The
final component was the music. The choice of soundtrack can radically alter the
accompanying visuals in any number of ways, but for this animation, I did not
want to have too many competing elements, and wanted something sympathetic. The
music I chose for this version was a loop of the opening bars of 'Piano Mouth'
by S. Maharba. I could have chosen any one his tracks as he specialises in
dusty crackly loops, warped samples and old vocals that are the aural
equivalent of found photography (to add to the vintage feel, the only physical
format he releases his music on is cassette). I chose the opening of this track
as it has a warped, failing sound to it that perfectly mirrors the distorted
visuals, and reinforces the idea that these are images from the past, which
have been lost or left to deteriorate. I would have loved to make a video for
the entire track but have no idea how long it would take to produce a five
minute piece or if the idea could be sustained for that long. In the case of
his trailer the sound and video have been designed to loop back round
seamlessly so that the piece can be viewed as part of the CGP hand in and
critique. Depending on the outcomes of the final module, I would ideally
like to make a piece of music of my own and cut the video to the music or vice
versa.
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