HmEx Week 4:

Reflection:

While class this week didn’t feature any new content from the lecturers, it had a plethora of presentations from my peers. Unfortunately, I was feeling unwell during the first class, so I was unable to see the pitches, it was a delight getting to see the work I did see in the second class. What I found interesting was the ways students would take their chosen word and interpret the brief in the own way. One classmate was also doing their project based on surrealism, while taking an AI generative approach, which I found incredibly interesting in furthering my own skillset. I approached him during the break in class to discuss our projects and understand the ways he manipulated AI through photoshop to provide, what I found, to be a compelling use of AI animation. He explained to me that through utilising the object selection tool in Photoshop, that you could experiment with different prompts, while retaining the original structure of the image to create surreal works. He also, like myself, had utilised an image sequence to base his frames off, and in our discussion for the sound mixing, I thoroughly enjoyed how he timed his SFX to the transitions between the different states in his videos. The sharp, static crushing audio in his prototype served to feel almost perspective shattering as it rapidly cut to different visual states for the objects in the video, creating this feeling of being torn from reality. This demonstration got me really excited in thinking about my own personal approach towards my project and the directions I can explore with the relationship I want my audience to have with the soundtrack. While I feel my current soundtrack is compelling, especially with the positive response I got from the class and my tutors, I wonder if there is a way I can elevate the transitional states, or better synchronise music to the visuals on screen. In expanding on this train of thought, something I’m currently thinking about is whether Pharos is going to fit within the scope of my project, as the visuals are quite dominant, and the lights could result in the audience’s attention being split from the work. While this would be great if I wanted to create an excessively stimulating experience, I feel this would take away from the video, as it would be hard to keep it in perspective if, for instance, someone was focusing on the roof. With my next visit to The Capitol, I aim to see what the overall relationship the audience will have with the video and lighting system combined will be like, before making any decisions on whether I drop it from this project.

Research:

For my research this week, having been inspired by the animation approach of some of my peers, I wanted to approach a deeper dive into some of the most revered animation works that are currently present. For this week, I wanted to explore Spiderverse’s cinematic approach to storytelling, and how I felt that it makes creative use of individual frames that contrast against the established environmental tone to bring greater emphasis to specific scenes. To support my understanding, I read a Spiderverse analysis done by Kendall Hamby, where she discusses “why audiences are affected by the colorization of the film or comic”. In further reading, there was a quote that stood out to me, where Illustrator, Molly Bang, discusses in her book how “specific elements such as… color… seem to call up the emotions we felt when we experienced actual… colors… It is these ‘emotions attached to remembered experiences’ that seem to largely determine our present responses” (Bang 73), and how it “enables us to see both patterns and elements” (Bang 80). I then proceeded to explore a scene in the second film wherein the main character is being pursued by the antagonist, and during his emotional defiance, the use of high contrast brings greater emphasis to his emotional state, providing the users a mutual understanding of his empowerment (4:16 – 4:50). While this scene is not an exploration of surrealism, part of my work aims to develop a level of empathy through the audience in communicating emotional states, and seeing the use of high contrast in individual frames has inspired me to think about the ways I can utilise sharp changes in the environment to forcefully evoke emotional reactions from the audience.

Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. Chronicle Books, 2016.

Kendall Hamby “Using Color to Capture an Audience: How Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Changed the Game” 2023, https://imagetextjournal.com/using-color-to-capture-an-audience-how-spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-changed-the-game/

Still Image Examples

Progress:

Having now developed my understanding of how emotional responses can be evoked from colour and contrast due to memory, has given me the opportunity to think deeper about the use of colour in my project. I could draw upon on my own understandings of colour, and then experiment with creating still moments to manipulate the audience’s emotional reception to specific scenes. While this week was focused heavily on my presentation for class, and furthering some of my animation, I plan to conduct an emotional response survey to some of my peers. In this coming week I will develop specific images that emphasise a specific colour, and survey feedback on the types of emotional response they have. This will help me develop some of the imagery for my project and deepen my understanding to how successful certain colours could be in evoking emotional states, such as feelings of despair, and horror as it continues down the descent. Feedback from class brought to my attention that the lighting in Pharos could take away from the experience, and, following feedback from my last Capitol display, I have made some slight colour adjustments to make the hue lighter. I haven’t had much time to explore a deeper, handcrafted lighting experience, though I have begun to explore alternative music tracks that I could build a separate Pharos piece in my spare time if I end up having some availability. In wanting to retain the focus on surrealism, I found two tracks that caught my attention, one being called “The Last Song” by Emi Evans, and “Growing Wings” from Nobuyishi Sano. Both tracks communicate the surreal, through repetition, vocals, and synths, which I feel would be an exciting exploration by using the lighting system. Syncing flickering lights with the dramatic pauses, and transitions throughout the tracks would be able to create a deeper state of internal thought, where the audience can be constructed to imagine their own narrative.