During semester B, I have not only worked to improve my animation skills but I have also taken the time to ameliorate the methods I use to find inspiration and learned how to study the work of animators and artists that influence me. This module encouraged me to look for inspiration in other artists and reflect upon their work, and as expected, that did influence my own work.
The practice module’s lecture about “Non-linear time and space” and my research led me to learn about new cinematographers, photographers, animators and directors that helped me appreciate different perceptions and theories in art and allowed me to develop distinctive visual styles and innovative formats. They each, as artists, develop their own world and find something to differentiate them from the others, something unique in the characters or environment or stories they create. And I have borrowed bits and pieces of them to start building my own world. My “Non-linear time and space” project was inspired by an Australian ad. While working on it, I got to improve my cinematography knowledge and learned new editing tricks. The final output consisted of 53 different shots that my colleague and I filmed in the streets of London. On average, four shots were cut to fit in one second. The short was meant to be very fast and flashy to the audience’s eyes. Throughout the 30 seconds, the two characters maintain their positions at the centre of the screen and give the feeling as if they are one person walking across the street. This short was entertaining and engaging with the audience, as each shot makes them feel that the two characters are getting closer to them.
Art has always been a part of my life. As a child, my favourite thing to do was to sketch, colour or paint something. That carried over into my adult life. My love for strong colours continued as I started painting digitally later in my life. Paul Klee, a master of color and tonality, is one of the painters who inspire me the most. Most of his work reflects his humour and has childlike quality. His paintings reminded me of my own childhood. Now that I am older, I explore his paintings and appreciate how he experimented and mastered colour theory. Looking at his work taught me to give more importance to detail and to light and dark values that provide appealing contrasts to my artwork, animations and paintings. I have been encouraged by his devotion to his art to venture in methods and techniques, to experiment and find new ways to express myself. I also noticed that Paul Klee progressively separated colour from physical description and started using it independently, which made his paintings become more abstract. Finally, Klee’s work has been described as “alluding to poetry, music and dreams”, three things that are very dear to my heart and that always find a way into my work. In the pre-production portfolio and storyboard, my design and drawings were inspired by Klee’s work: for example, the childlike hand-drawn lines that form the borders of the portfolio.
When I started thinking about my major project, looking at John Lasseter’s earliest short-films has also been a great source of inspiration to me. Lasseter believed that a short animation will only be successful if its story captivates the audiences; the rendered frames are not behind the success. He was one of the first animators who emphasized on “memory” in 3D. The topic of memory is very meaningful to me and has been affecting my artistic conduct. My short film is about a father and his relationship with his daughter. Throughout the film, the father is having continuous flashbacks of the moments they spent together.
I was inspired by the lighting concepts in “Toy Story”, especially by how the first scene was warmly lit, to represent a child’s memory of his first playtimes. My interest in coloring and my reflection on Lasseter’s work has given me new dimensions on how to use colors to reflect the mood I want in the scene. I learned that colouring is as important as any other aspect in the scene. I was also inspired by Sharon Calahan, lighting technical director in the film, his work helped me realise how much lights can add visual interest to the film. It can create drama as they would in any live-action film. Andy's room, for example, has high-key, warm lights to create a happy, friendly, safe place. In my environment concept of the piano scene, I used very warm colours, mainly orange to create my atmosphere. I found out that colours are very necessary to represent emotions and memories.
This practice module enabled me to develop creative practical skills in the 2D and 3D field, as well as it has also taught me to look at other artists’ work and explore it closely, before I start to create anything. I learned that inspiration is extremely necessary in every art work because it opens up the mind and the heart and give both new ways to express themselves. I appreciated the freedom to create whatever I wanted to create, and learned to plan my work schedule and process better in order to finish on time.
Since I chose to make a short 3D film as a major project in Semester C, I need to focus my learning on gaining more technical skills in the 3D field, especially in rigging, skinning and animation. I want to be more engaged in my independent study, continue research, keep looking for more influences in artists’ work, develop and invent new ideas and concepts. I desire to explore my creativity more and more. The spontaneity and freedom in creating my own animations has been very exciting and fulfilling. I want this module to allow me to challenge myself, my mind, and to create my own new world of communication based on imaging and animation.
