Sunday, September 26, 2010
Reference
for the glass orb, specifically the ones where the image on the other side of the ball are upside-down.
Reference
Reference for the opening room. Each of the studies featured in this article belonged to famous thinkers. Ideal reference for this piece.
Below are specific rooms from this article that more closely resemble what I'd like the room to express (shown in no particular order).
Below are specific rooms from this article that more closely resemble what I'd like the room to express (shown in no particular order).
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Inspiration
Dreamland
Edgar Allan Poe
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE- out of TIME.
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.
For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.
Edgar Allan Poe
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE- out of TIME.
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.
For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
colorscript
This past Friday I caught Will Weston, our graduate level figure drawing instructor, discussing colorscripts after class. He mentioned that on a professional level, each color represents a "moment" of the film. Because my film has only ten "moments," a traditional colorscript looked a little plain, so I decided to create an alternate form of colorscript. I lined up a still from each shot of my animatic sequentially in photoshop, stretched it vertically, and then motion blurred it vertically as well. Here's the Result:
I feel that this was a quick and dirty way of showing the progression of the film. It moves from a lot of contrast to less, and from colorful to gray - two main themes of the film. Something to keep in mind while moving on to the concept work for the final paintings.
I feel that this was a quick and dirty way of showing the progression of the film. It moves from a lot of contrast to less, and from colorful to gray - two main themes of the film. Something to keep in mind while moving on to the concept work for the final paintings.
weekly update
The most rewarding part of these past few weeks has been creating these "conceptual images" and assembling them onto layered billboards in Maya for my animatic. To see the amount of depth that can be achieved with such simplicity gives me a lot of motivation to make really polished and layered final images. In a sense creating this animatic has been a highly condensed version of how I anticipate running the entire production.
However, I'm not yet happy with the pacing of the film, haven't added any real transitions between shots, and am not set on the current ending. This merits another pass at the animatic, which will be considered final by October 19th.
Looking forward to sticking to my production schedule and getting some more work done.
However, I'm not yet happy with the pacing of the film, haven't added any real transitions between shots, and am not set on the current ending. This merits another pass at the animatic, which will be considered final by October 19th.
Looking forward to sticking to my production schedule and getting some more work done.
Monday, September 20, 2010
production timeline
15% - September 21
• 2nd Animatic completed
• Begin working on concept sketches
• Composer secured
30% - October 19
• Final animatic completed
• 5 concept sketches completed.
• Composer working on score.
45% - November 16
• 10 concept sketches completed
• Rough score completed
50% - December 8
• Layers of concept sketches set up in Maya
• Room set modeled and textured
60% - January 18
• 3D elements modeled and placed in scenes
• Particle assets ready to render
• 3 matte paintings ready to render and composite
• Room set lit and ready to render
75% - February 15
• All 9 matte paintings ready to render and composite
• Start rendering.
90% - March 22
• All elements composited together
• Picture lock
• Score completed
100% - April 26
• 2nd Animatic completed
• Begin working on concept sketches
• Composer secured
30% - October 19
• Final animatic completed
• 5 concept sketches completed.
• Composer working on score.
45% - November 16
• 10 concept sketches completed
• Rough score completed
50% - December 8
• Layers of concept sketches set up in Maya
• Room set modeled and textured
60% - January 18
• 3D elements modeled and placed in scenes
• Particle assets ready to render
• 3 matte paintings ready to render and composite
• Room set lit and ready to render
75% - February 15
• All 9 matte paintings ready to render and composite
• Start rendering.
90% - March 22
• All elements composited together
• Picture lock
• Score completed
100% - April 26
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Conceptual Animatic
foreword: I have labeled this a "conceptual animatic" because it only expresses the idea of the film and suggests what each shot will look like.
a "visual poem" of sorts
note: the camera will pull back to reveal that the fog at the end is inside the crystal ball. We exit it after having entered it in the beginning. This will be changed from how that shot is now - the crystal ball appearing out of the fog.
a "visual poem" of sorts
note: the camera will pull back to reveal that the fog at the end is inside the crystal ball. We exit it after having entered it in the beginning. This will be changed from how that shot is now - the crystal ball appearing out of the fog.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Animatic Stills
Three still images from the latest (and final) animatic I've been assembling. These are layered images that have a good amount of depth when the camera starts moving.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Points of Reference
Being that all of these images are iconic I feel that it could be useful to reference them in this project.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Treatment
Finally. Inspiration strikes. Here is the idea (albeit a rough one) that I have started to develop for structuring the film. I'll upload the "conceptual animatic" soon hereafter.
A room with a man sitting at a desk in a cluttered, antique studio, with his back faced towards the camera. At no point is his face visible. On a windowsill near where he is sitting is a crystal ball on a stand. The camera slowly pushes in towards it, eventually cutting to a closeup of the crystal ball. Like a Magritte painting, nothing is outside the window but a clear blue sky.
The camera slowly pushes in further, into the crystal ball and through it.
With no point of reference to sense motion, we see nothing but the sky until a bird flies into the frame. Seen from the distance, it is flying upside down, as if the screen were flipped vertically.
The camera tilts down to reveal the first environment, which is right side up despite their not being an edit indicating any sort of flip after seeing the bird.
_
The following images will be shown sequentially, with the following themes governing the order that they are shown.
- clear > obscured
- colorful > monochromatic
- contrast > little contrast
- open air > dense atmosphere
-Environment 1: A river flowing through giant rocky outcroppings the jut out of rolling mossy hills. Void of any tall plant life. The water seems to glow from the presence of minerals. Light punches through the mountainside, raking diagonally across and slightly towards the screen. Deep space, possible farmland. Shepherd with herd up in the hills somewhere. Morning light. Vibrant, fresh colors – yellows, blues, greens, warm earthtones.
-Environment 2: A hilly mountainside covered with houses, reminiscent of those of San Francisco. Clouds are billowing over the hill like a tidal wave, encroaching on the clear blue sky. Slightly futuristic structures. Interesting foreground elements blocking parts of the frame.
-Environment 3: A view of the Amazon. Huge trees. View of forest canopy from the outskirts of an elevated place. Large twisted branches. Vaporous mist rising from the hillside. Jungle. Vines. Pan down through vines and cliffs. Mayan temples scattered through the distance.
-Environment 4: rain lifting from city streets after a sun shower. A massive cityscape seen from street level. Buildings disappear into the bright grayish yellow sunlight. Purples scattered in.
-Environment 5: near the entrance of a cave with snow blowing in and from cracks above. remnants of fallen temples are seen semi-buried by sheets of ice. Trees growing inside of the cave. No leaves. Surreal huts, like those etched into the mountain side in center, raised to the middle of the space. Blue light glowing from beneath the cracks that run down into the earth’s crust.
-Environment 6: Factory plant with lots of smokestacks releasing huge billows of black smoke. Looking up at huge skyscrapers that disappear into the afternoon sky. Futuristic, tangled city.
-Environment 7: Dust storm. Ancient Egyptian ruins can be made out. Glowing orange light from light bouncing off of sand particles. Sweeping wind. Only parts of building visible.
-Environment 8: Hazy sunset upon a city. Think santa monica at dusk. Can barely make out silhouettes of buildings near and far. Pale orange and yellows.
-environment 9: can barely make out the silhouettes of mountains by the shoreline. Like image posted on blog with seagull.
-environment 10: fog pasing in front of lens, with light barely able to penetrate through.
-crystal ball, at first barely visible, hovers towards us from deep within the fog.
A room with a man sitting at a desk in a cluttered, antique studio, with his back faced towards the camera. At no point is his face visible. On a windowsill near where he is sitting is a crystal ball on a stand. The camera slowly pushes in towards it, eventually cutting to a closeup of the crystal ball. Like a Magritte painting, nothing is outside the window but a clear blue sky.
The camera slowly pushes in further, into the crystal ball and through it.
With no point of reference to sense motion, we see nothing but the sky until a bird flies into the frame. Seen from the distance, it is flying upside down, as if the screen were flipped vertically.
The camera tilts down to reveal the first environment, which is right side up despite their not being an edit indicating any sort of flip after seeing the bird.
_
The following images will be shown sequentially, with the following themes governing the order that they are shown.
- clear > obscured
- colorful > monochromatic
- contrast > little contrast
- open air > dense atmosphere
-Environment 1: A river flowing through giant rocky outcroppings the jut out of rolling mossy hills. Void of any tall plant life. The water seems to glow from the presence of minerals. Light punches through the mountainside, raking diagonally across and slightly towards the screen. Deep space, possible farmland. Shepherd with herd up in the hills somewhere. Morning light. Vibrant, fresh colors – yellows, blues, greens, warm earthtones.
-Environment 2: A hilly mountainside covered with houses, reminiscent of those of San Francisco. Clouds are billowing over the hill like a tidal wave, encroaching on the clear blue sky. Slightly futuristic structures. Interesting foreground elements blocking parts of the frame.
-Environment 3: A view of the Amazon. Huge trees. View of forest canopy from the outskirts of an elevated place. Large twisted branches. Vaporous mist rising from the hillside. Jungle. Vines. Pan down through vines and cliffs. Mayan temples scattered through the distance.
-Environment 4: rain lifting from city streets after a sun shower. A massive cityscape seen from street level. Buildings disappear into the bright grayish yellow sunlight. Purples scattered in.
-Environment 5: near the entrance of a cave with snow blowing in and from cracks above. remnants of fallen temples are seen semi-buried by sheets of ice. Trees growing inside of the cave. No leaves. Surreal huts, like those etched into the mountain side in center, raised to the middle of the space. Blue light glowing from beneath the cracks that run down into the earth’s crust.
-Environment 6: Factory plant with lots of smokestacks releasing huge billows of black smoke. Looking up at huge skyscrapers that disappear into the afternoon sky. Futuristic, tangled city.
-Environment 7: Dust storm. Ancient Egyptian ruins can be made out. Glowing orange light from light bouncing off of sand particles. Sweeping wind. Only parts of building visible.
-Environment 8: Hazy sunset upon a city. Think santa monica at dusk. Can barely make out silhouettes of buildings near and far. Pale orange and yellows.
-environment 9: can barely make out the silhouettes of mountains by the shoreline. Like image posted on blog with seagull.
-environment 10: fog pasing in front of lens, with light barely able to penetrate through.
-crystal ball, at first barely visible, hovers towards us from deep within the fog.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Music
Because the score will be important in heightening the emotional impact of the film I've been giving it a lot of thought. After watching Koyaanisqatsi the other night I fell head over heels for Philip Glass's score. So good. I borrowed the soundtrack from USC's music library and have been listening to it a lot since then. It helps to turn the spectacularly mundane (people crossing a street) into something that's just spectacular. I haven't looked for a translation of the lyrics yet, but they seem to hold some sort of religious significance, especially the segments that feature the pipe organ. It's the way that the music is paired with what's on screen that lets you know that what you are watching is important.
I would like to capture that similar sense of weight, but combine that with the fun sounds of Daft Punk. Mark Mothersbaugh is the first thing that came to my mind when the possibility of mixing those two styles occurred to me.
This description might be a little jumbled but in essence all of the names mentioned are those who I hope to draw inspiration for the score from:
Philip Glass (specifically his work on Koyaanisqatsi)
Mark Mothersbaugh
Daft Punk
I would like to capture that similar sense of weight, but combine that with the fun sounds of Daft Punk. Mark Mothersbaugh is the first thing that came to my mind when the possibility of mixing those two styles occurred to me.
This description might be a little jumbled but in essence all of the names mentioned are those who I hope to draw inspiration for the score from:
Philip Glass (specifically his work on Koyaanisqatsi)
Mark Mothersbaugh
Daft Punk
Inspiration
I've selected (for now) ten films - 5 animated and 5 live action - to use as inspiration for my thesis:
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Mulan (1998)
Ratatouille (2007)
Akira (1988)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Metropolis (1927)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Last Emperor (1987)
The idea is to pick and choose certain elements from each of these films to contribute to the work that they inspire. For example combine the colors of the Prince of Egypt with the lighting of Barry Lyndon.
I checked out more dvd's from the library than what made this list. Out of the ones that I have watched, I was blown away by The Prince of Egypt (thanks to Ezra for letting me borrow his copy - how could the library not have this?!). So good! I usually have trouble with musicals but it worked for me here, and the art held the level of inspiration that I need all of the films on my list to have.
my favorite moment of the film. surreal:
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Mulan (1998)
Ratatouille (2007)
Akira (1988)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Metropolis (1927)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The Last Emperor (1987)
The idea is to pick and choose certain elements from each of these films to contribute to the work that they inspire. For example combine the colors of the Prince of Egypt with the lighting of Barry Lyndon.
I checked out more dvd's from the library than what made this list. Out of the ones that I have watched, I was blown away by The Prince of Egypt (thanks to Ezra for letting me borrow his copy - how could the library not have this?!). So good! I usually have trouble with musicals but it worked for me here, and the art held the level of inspiration that I need all of the films on my list to have.
my favorite moment of the film. surreal:
Workflow
My goal is to create 10 finished matte paintings. 7 will be stills that are separated on layers to allow for parallax with camera moves, and the other 3 will be projected onto modeled geometry to allow for longer camera moves and a variety of angles to shoot from. For all ten i hope to integrate dynamic elements (i.e. snow), as needed, to add more life to each.
THE PROJECT WILL PROGRESS AS FOLLOWS:
(Note: All ten paintings will start in the same way)
Conception(1) > Research(2) > Thumbnails(3) > Refined concept sketch(4)
(1) Conception: brainstorming ideas for what the painting will look like, where it will be set, etc.
(2) Research: Gathering material that will be used as reference in the development of that painting, for example, finding images of specific architectural styles.
(3) Thumbnails: Rough sketches and small compositional studies that begin to visualize the concept.
(4) Refined concept sketch: A more complete rendering that, although rough, will forecast what the final painting will look like in color and composition.
At this point three of the ten refined concept sketches will be selected to be continued in a 3d environment
The process as continued for the 2(1/2)d paintings:
Rough matte(5) > Finished matte(6)
(5) Rough matte: a refined version of the concept sketch that incorporates photographic reference for texture.
(6) Finished matte: The painting brought to completion.
The process as continued for the 3d paintings:
Establish layers(5) > Rough matte(6) > Build geometry(7) > Project in maya(8) > Add elements for necessary effects(9) > Refine matte(10) > Composite(11)
(5) Establish layers: Determine the depth of the image as it will exist in the 3d space of the computer. Separate layers in photo shop, painting behind each to account for what will be seen due to parallax caused by camera movement.
(6) Rough matte: a refined version of the concept sketch that incorporates photographic reference for texture.
(7) Build Geometry: In Maya model any elements of the painting, as needed, and set up cards for two dimensional projection of separate layers.
(8) Project in Maya: Link images to their projections, performing test renders with camera moves to be able to assess the current state of the image, as it exists in three-dimensional space.
(9) Add elements for necessary effects: creating assets (smoke, snow) that will later be composited into the shot.
(10) Refine matte: bring the current painting to a finished standard within the context of the shot as it currently exists.
(11) Composite: Add all of the layers together, making any necessary color, lighting, or other adjustments.
THE PROJECT WILL PROGRESS AS FOLLOWS:
(Note: All ten paintings will start in the same way)
Conception(1) > Research(2) > Thumbnails(3) > Refined concept sketch(4)
(1) Conception: brainstorming ideas for what the painting will look like, where it will be set, etc.
(2) Research: Gathering material that will be used as reference in the development of that painting, for example, finding images of specific architectural styles.
(3) Thumbnails: Rough sketches and small compositional studies that begin to visualize the concept.
(4) Refined concept sketch: A more complete rendering that, although rough, will forecast what the final painting will look like in color and composition.
At this point three of the ten refined concept sketches will be selected to be continued in a 3d environment
The process as continued for the 2(1/2)d paintings:
Rough matte(5) > Finished matte(6)
(5) Rough matte: a refined version of the concept sketch that incorporates photographic reference for texture.
(6) Finished matte: The painting brought to completion.
The process as continued for the 3d paintings:
Establish layers(5) > Rough matte(6) > Build geometry(7) > Project in maya(8) > Add elements for necessary effects(9) > Refine matte(10) > Composite(11)
(5) Establish layers: Determine the depth of the image as it will exist in the 3d space of the computer. Separate layers in photo shop, painting behind each to account for what will be seen due to parallax caused by camera movement.
(6) Rough matte: a refined version of the concept sketch that incorporates photographic reference for texture.
(7) Build Geometry: In Maya model any elements of the painting, as needed, and set up cards for two dimensional projection of separate layers.
(8) Project in Maya: Link images to their projections, performing test renders with camera moves to be able to assess the current state of the image, as it exists in three-dimensional space.
(9) Add elements for necessary effects: creating assets (smoke, snow) that will later be composited into the shot.
(10) Refine matte: bring the current painting to a finished standard within the context of the shot as it currently exists.
(11) Composite: Add all of the layers together, making any necessary color, lighting, or other adjustments.
Thesis 2.0
This summer I interned at Zoic Studios in Culver City and Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank. Although they were very different, both led me to the same conclusion - my current thesis project was taking me down a path that I was not fully committed to.
With "Megahertz," roughly 80% of my time would have been spent on very specific and technical parts of filmmaking that I have very little interest in. I saw myself with a mediocre project that would quickly be forgotten. Since this realization I have been developing a new project that is far more innovative, and challenges what I'm capable of in a direction that I'm excited to take.
At it's core is a series of matte paintings. With the environments that these will create I will 1) create a film, 2) exhibit stills in a gallery, 3) compile all of the artwork into a picture book, and 4) author a website.
1) The film will be the focus of this thesis. As this idea has not yet been approved by the faculty, the structure of the film is still being molded, but here are my initial thoughts:
-The images will be photorealistic, but inspired by work that isn't. I'll be studying traditional animated films from Disney, Dreamworks, and other studios to inspire environments that appear to exist, but are in fact as purely created and heavily designed as a still from, say, The Prince of Egypt.
-The film will be similar in structure to Koyaanisqatsi. The images alone will tell a story unique to how it is perceived by each viewer. I'll be working with a composer to arrange a score that helps guide that experience.
-I would like to convey specific moods through composition, color, music, etc., but, again, not a specific story. The intention behind this is to rely upon the power of sight and sound to invoke an emotional response. Whether or not that happens will gauge the success of the project.
2) The gallery will include high quality, framed prints of the imagery from the film. The score will accompany the pieces subtly in the background. I hope to create a similar experience for the viewer as the film has, but in doing so gain an understanding of the ways in which the inherently different context changes one's perception.
3)The purpose of the picture book is to openly show the process that goes into making these images in addition to opening another dimension for the story to exist in. With a film the director controls the pace at which the audience experiences the images. However with this type of book the role is reversed, and the viewer controls the pace at which they flip the page and subsequently experience the story that these images tell. I find the implications of this experiment to be worth exploring as the integrity of an image to the mood or story that it is attempting to display will be put to the test.
4) The project's website won't be so much a portfolio as it will be an interactive experience. My knowledge of making websites is limited to Dreamweaver, but with the help of others I hope to recreate the film on a level that involves input from the viewer more directly. Ideally it would allow the viewer to explore each environment as if they were in it, but with budget and time limits this might prove to be too difficult - we'll see.
I feel that this project is much better suited to the ways in which the film industry is changing, and will allow me to further explore this while simultaneously contributing to it. While I will always love film - there's nothing more satisfying than watching a great film - I want to take the time that I have here at USC to create work that doesn't just exist on a screen, but that encompasses a greater variety of formats. This is central to USC's core beliefs - as film students we're required to study subjects unfamiliar to our major - and in doing so the idea is that we enrich ourselves and the work that we produce. That's the reason why I came to USC, and the reason why I feel so strongly towards approaching my thesis as I now am.
With "Megahertz," roughly 80% of my time would have been spent on very specific and technical parts of filmmaking that I have very little interest in. I saw myself with a mediocre project that would quickly be forgotten. Since this realization I have been developing a new project that is far more innovative, and challenges what I'm capable of in a direction that I'm excited to take.
At it's core is a series of matte paintings. With the environments that these will create I will 1) create a film, 2) exhibit stills in a gallery, 3) compile all of the artwork into a picture book, and 4) author a website.
1) The film will be the focus of this thesis. As this idea has not yet been approved by the faculty, the structure of the film is still being molded, but here are my initial thoughts:
-The images will be photorealistic, but inspired by work that isn't. I'll be studying traditional animated films from Disney, Dreamworks, and other studios to inspire environments that appear to exist, but are in fact as purely created and heavily designed as a still from, say, The Prince of Egypt.
-The film will be similar in structure to Koyaanisqatsi. The images alone will tell a story unique to how it is perceived by each viewer. I'll be working with a composer to arrange a score that helps guide that experience.
-I would like to convey specific moods through composition, color, music, etc., but, again, not a specific story. The intention behind this is to rely upon the power of sight and sound to invoke an emotional response. Whether or not that happens will gauge the success of the project.
2) The gallery will include high quality, framed prints of the imagery from the film. The score will accompany the pieces subtly in the background. I hope to create a similar experience for the viewer as the film has, but in doing so gain an understanding of the ways in which the inherently different context changes one's perception.
3)The purpose of the picture book is to openly show the process that goes into making these images in addition to opening another dimension for the story to exist in. With a film the director controls the pace at which the audience experiences the images. However with this type of book the role is reversed, and the viewer controls the pace at which they flip the page and subsequently experience the story that these images tell. I find the implications of this experiment to be worth exploring as the integrity of an image to the mood or story that it is attempting to display will be put to the test.
4) The project's website won't be so much a portfolio as it will be an interactive experience. My knowledge of making websites is limited to Dreamweaver, but with the help of others I hope to recreate the film on a level that involves input from the viewer more directly. Ideally it would allow the viewer to explore each environment as if they were in it, but with budget and time limits this might prove to be too difficult - we'll see.
I feel that this project is much better suited to the ways in which the film industry is changing, and will allow me to further explore this while simultaneously contributing to it. While I will always love film - there's nothing more satisfying than watching a great film - I want to take the time that I have here at USC to create work that doesn't just exist on a screen, but that encompasses a greater variety of formats. This is central to USC's core beliefs - as film students we're required to study subjects unfamiliar to our major - and in doing so the idea is that we enrich ourselves and the work that we produce. That's the reason why I came to USC, and the reason why I feel so strongly towards approaching my thesis as I now am.
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