26th Feb.
I feel that this piece on reflection needs some focus on the actual edit process of the clips. I begin to see some of the strengths of using only video clips as opposed to stills. The animation was due to how time consuming it was going to be, to run at 6 frames a second, which I have found ok in the past, just about, it has a kind of stop motion jittery edit then. But now see that this allows me to create the gaps, if I was holding a still image for that long, it would seem more static, but find that there is lots of movement in 4 frames of this video, as I am trying to line it up with the reveal, with the moment they pull the paper away. So over the length of the video, it does create an interesting tableau if all those who got involved and took apart and give them a shot almost dancerly phrase, of four frames, so a lot more can happen in four frames than i thought. Hence, I began with still frames and only thom, then made it still with single photos, but getting others involved, but now find, that the GAP for the participant to come though, in the work and to prise open the animation, while still maintaining the rhythm, is to use, short filmed segments.
Moving from location to location works, because of the eidt, I didn’t try to hard to recreate the hot exactly, but instead we were a bit further away than we needed to be, so know if I zoomed in on the eidt, I could move the shot around them, to line up the different occasions – thought he walking is lots better than the flying. It just has more movement and the frames come together more, flying is a bit hit and miss. I am also using the changes of location to show the blower in full, and the end of one location, to show the person stepping away. This seems fine. I originally thought of some kind of video wall, but when experimenting with theat and make a web page to view such a structure, the relative similarity of the windows and the activity, without the narrative through line, did not work aesthetically I thought and this work, is really frame after frame sequential.
Most of the frames are pretty strong, and you can see the image. I do find though that it needs lots of different people in it, am finishing up wth just Thom at mo, and this isn’t really grabbing me. I also wonder about what kind of music I can put into it. Also saw a photo from the angel inn, and it is like the video we are making. Maybe should start with a shot there.
Doing the eidt shows me how people do improve as they do the undertaking, and that osme start of hardly casting an image, but after a few frames seem confident, they wish to keep going till they have achieved the shape properly, so it is a drive, though the challenge.
FOr instance with one shot, I noticed that over the frames, when the light hit it, the angel actual became illuminated. So just over a few seconds, the light levels can change.
3rd march
Gone back into the gateshead college bit, I am now putting in some of the shots I took on the iphone, as parts of the documentation, as small codas, that lead into the main blowing shots. So now breaking the locked of camera with some more handheld. Also been using After effects, to clean up the frames, take out the excess condensation on the windows, I could have left it, but it confused the imagery I felt and drew the eye away. Alos how close is it needing to be, as if it was a big projection, I’d leave it with the animation happening in just a part of the screens, but have now going in 200 percent, to make the animation more central, and moved the frame for this as well. I like the whole image, but the animation too small I felt.
I am also now putting in the location as a text insert, not just to say where it is, but hoping this gives an idea of the journey the image is making. I have also in the end, selected a few of the angels, to bring to the fore by effect in the balance of the contrast and brightness, though not as many as I thought,a s most are visible.
9th march
So one good thing, that I have found, is that yes we wiped the window, but unfortunately I wanted them pulling the card away, but now found, that using a mask, I am able to take the cleaned up bit, afterwards, and put that around the scene with the card being pulled away, so I have finally overcome the problems of the condensation around the image, as if it was all planned, so less After effects and mor Premiere. In face this is probably a really good use of an actual garbage matte, when you cut out stuff around, by putting over a mask.
10th March
So have a kind of edit, I decided in the end, that perhaps it wasn’t about a perfect animation, but by bringing the people into it, and even my own commentary that it became about us and the participants trying to make this animation work. So the opening up, of the narrative, the small elements that prise apart and don’t orchestrate tightly, but come together loosely, and leave the space to show the collection of those inthe work, though orchestration crates a semi not quite animation, with the figure not that tight, but falling apart at times. It is always difficult to know how close to get, if this was an installation, then possibly having a small figure animated on the side of the screen is enough. It fits with the notion of the margins and the figure being on the edge of the frame. I tried numerous sizes of frame, and could not come to a conclusions. I do find it when the figure is large, that it fills too much of the frame, and prefer the effect of the figure at the side of the screen.
I also find in some sections, that the people and the animation do come together better, perhaps this is in the parts where they are further away, so you get the whole body of the person it seem sto build up a rhythm, and it is almost like a juggling act, like the person is suspending the figure, or at any moment the animation will come crashing down and fall apart. I do find though the walking is better than the flying.
So for participatory arts, with animation, it is a Stop-Start animation. Did i find the right balance, in the length of frames, in the size of the image, and in the amount of shots to cut away. I tried many.
So the actual edit was very different from others, but showed a form of orchestration in that it used bits of footage, of the same moment, and brought them together in the same part of frame. So while consecutive and though time, it also bought bits together in the same moment to crate the effect.
research 