Digital Photography and Imaging | Final Project

8.6.2023 - 6.07.2023 (Week 10 -Week 14)
Caitlin Ong Lynn Dee / 0343801 / Bachelor of Design (Honour) in Creative Media
Digital Photography and Imaging
Final Project 


LECTURE

Week 10 
We learn about After Effects. And we given an After Effects exercise.
More Detail Click Here: (Week 10)

Week 11
Week 11 was consultation week Mr. Yusoff brief us about the Project 3 which is creating our E-portfolio and the Project 4: Self- Titled. The E-Portfolio consist of Project 1, Project 2, Final Project and the weekly Blogs and give us an extra video to help us understand how to use After Effects better.
More Detail Click Here: (Week 11)

Week 12
Consultation week for our final project. 
More Detail Click Here: (Week 12)

Week 13
(Public Holiday)
More Detail Click Here: (Week 13)

Week 14
Week 14 is our last class and our final project critique. 
More Detail Click Here: (Week 14)

INSTRUTION

 


Week 10 - 11: After Effect Exercise
Progress: (Week 10) & (Week 11)


Fig Animation Outcome


Final Project: Self-Titled
Progress: (Week 12) 


Idea Development

Self-Biography 
My name is Caitlin Ong Lynn Dee I am from Bachelor degree of Creative Media, and I am turning 20 in 2023.

Throughout my life I was diagnose with Asperger’s syndrome, because of that, I struggle doing daily tasks such time management and learning to take care of myself as I transition to adulthood. I also struggled with new acquaintances.  Growing up, there is an expectation from myself to become more efficient. It drove me to perfectionism. Even my school counsellor has known me for having a perfectionist behavior.

Perfectionism one of the most difficult challenges I have to face. Because I am afraid if I don’t put in my best effort I am labelled as incompetent. I continue to put in my best effort, but I often have low self-esteem as I constantly feel inept. I mostly watch cartoons to ease the stress from the real world and I look back at my childhood memory for comfort.

I struggle how to overcome perfectionism and how to take care of myself.


Work Statement
I saw an interview of a Japanese American Artist on YouTube by the name of MADSAKI. He mentions that “a perfect painting is boring”. As I heard that I find it refreshing because we live in a society where people have high expectations to the point it is hard to satisfy. And I appreciate that a famous artist like MASAKI is brave enough to go against the ideal way of painting.

Inspired by MADSAKI, I intend for my poster to have myself to be scribbled with crude drawing to reflect on a child’s drawing representing freedom, and my mental state as I was confused about my future, struggles to maintain a relationship with people and my frustration with my own academic journey.

For the tone, I intend to have a whimsical concept that childhood is meant to be happy and cheerful. It also has a hidden dark side because the idea of escapism will do more harm than good. It is important to challenge ourselves to survive in society and the high risk comes with great rewards.

I want to highlight the contrast between reality and fantasy within the poster’s theme of growing up.


Inspiration
My main inspiration is the artist MADSAKI I was inspired from his statement, that he thinks " perfect art is boring" in his interview. I was fascinated by his crudly drawn recreations of pop culture in his work. This prove that an artwork doesn't have to be perfect, and you can follow your own instincts as some of the people around can force their ideal to you. 


Fig 1.1 MADASAKI'S Interview (24/6/2023)

Fig 1.2 MADSAKI'S Artwork (24/6/2023)


Mood board 
I found some pictures on the Pinterest these are the best I could find because it I find i difficult to find the right one that suit the theme of my work. i select only 3 pictures for inspiration.

Fig 2.1 Mood board picture from Picture (19/6/2023)



3 Selected pictures for a mood board

 Fig 2.2 Three Selected Mood board picture (19/6/2023)

Sketch

Sketch 1:
I intended to take a full body picture of myself in pajamas, and I planned to have a crude drawing of my face. The phrase Picture Perfect, represents me being a perfectionist. The pajamas represent my innocence. The crude drawing displays my state of mind that I tend to weigh the importance of being a perfectionist to my wellbeing.

Sketch 2:
I envisioned taking a head shot, wearing 3D glasses. The 3D glasses give an impression of my narrow point of view that life in the movies is reflected in real life. The rain clouds represent the negative effects I have had throughout my life.

Fig 1.2 Left: Sketch 1; Right: Sketch 2 (19/6/2023)




Progress: (Week 13)

Draft 
Originally, I planned to use the 3D glasses as a projector. I then decided to scrap the 3D glasses idea in favor of anaglyph effect. I then decided to have the tone of the poster in a whimsical style, by having bright and cheerful colors as background. 

Idea Inspiration
I then understand from Mr. Yusoff that he prefers realistic images thus it was a challenge to encapsulate MASAKI's influence in my art piece. I researched a little more on perfectionism, my personality trait and I stumbled upon the book written by Sara Shepard. I then incorporated the roses motive to highlight that I look at the world through rose tinted glasses.


Fig 2.1 The Perfectionists Book Cover by Sara Shepard (29/6/2023)


Images Used for Draft 1

Fig 2.2 Original Photo (29/6/2023)


Fig 2.3 Image used for Draft (29/6/2023)

Draft 1
I was working on the composition on A4 but then I found out that is required to be 1080 x 1920px, so I change the size.

Fig 3.1 Progress of Draft A4 Size (29/6/2023)

Fig 3.2 Progress of Draft 1080 x 1920 Size (29/6/2023)

Final
The background from the drafts did not suit my personality very well, I felt the roses in the background and the bright colors are too loud for me. I then decided to change the tone of the background to a more classical rococo art style. I then switched the roses from the background to the clouds. I incorporated crude drawings on the raindrops to make reference to MASAKI's work. 

Images Used for Final 

Fig 4.1 Images used in Photoshop (1/7/2023)


Fig 4.2 Shape of the Cloud Refence (1/7/2023)


Adjustment Layer Comparision

Fig 4.3 Adjustment Layer & Filter Comparison: Left: Before, Right: After (1/7/2023)

Final Poster

               Fig 4.4 "Cut by a Rose" (1/7/2023)


After Effects Animation Process


Fig 5.1 Step 1: Keyframe of the anaglyph effect


Fig 5.2 Step 2: Keyframe of the anaglyph effect of the Head lid



Fig 5.3 Step 3: Keyframe of cloud



Fig 5.3 Step 4: Keyframe of Head lid movement 

Fig 5.4 Step 5: Keyframe of Raindrops

Fig 5.5 Step 5: Keyframe of Raindrops part 2

Fig 5.5 Step 5: Keyframe of Raindrops part 3



Progress: (Week 14)

Final Video 
After completing my poster on Photoshop, I then imported my poster to Aftereffects to animate it. I originally intended to have the top of my head to spiral off but I realized Mr Yusoff is not in favour of too much animation, thus I decided to have the top of my head fly off like a rocket. Once the top of my head is opened then the water droplets drizzle into my head. 


Fig 6.1"Cut by a Rose" Video 

Artist Statement:
Life is full of mysteries, there are things in life we have to figure out on our own. Movies can replicate real life and then to exaggerated certain areas to make it entertaining. A movie main goal is to make us immerse into its fictional world. I struggled to understated realistic scenarios.

I was fooled by the reality presented in movies that wrapped my interpretation of real life. Hence the 3D glasses I wore in this poster. I react to the movie character’s social interaction in my real life, and I found out doesn’t translate well. 

The cloud represents the negative effect on seeing the world in my narrow mindset. And the roses serve as a metaphor that I view the world through rose-colored glasses.

The crudely drawn raindrops represent that a perfect world is not perfect, and I am leading towards escapism reality.


FEEDBACK

Week 12
  • Mr. Yusoff like sketch 2 better 
  • Advise me not to think so much the meaning because it is up the viewer interpretation.
Week 14
  • The animation looks good.

REFECTION

Experience 
Working on this project was a interesting experience, Because of this Project it helps give learn more about animation. It is quite tricky to get used to it. But I had a lot of fun, since the project give me challenge me on how to express myself through animation instead of still images.

Observation
I notice was having difficulting finding the visual inspiration that is a appropriate for the theme of my work. Because my personal issues which is the project is based on is complicated to express. and there are no much resources online that is related to the tone that I am aiming for. I realize animation is the animation is all about timing, too slow it will feel draggy, too fast it will be confusing.

Findings
While Frustrating the After Effects exercise Mr. Yusoff provides us helps me to familiarize the software better it allows me to experiment on the basic features before I work on my Final Project. And I appreciate that Mr. Yusoff is considerate of us to give us another turioal video to better understand After Effects, as people like me are confuse a first when using it. 

REFERNCE


BLOG LINKS

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