Research into Stop Motion Films

I found this film by just searching stop motion in YouTube, and was really intrigued by it. I looked into it, and found it took 3 months planning, 4 days shooting and over 6000 post-it notes! I found the dedication and effort quite inspiring and I will try to do that with my own work where possible.




I found this film again by searching stop motion in YouTube. I think they've used stop motion to create this music video in such an interesting way, and it has inspired parodies and many other similar videos. It was created using 2096 still photographs. It has become such a hit, they have now broke it down back into still images, and are selling and exhibiting them!



This film is really amusing to watch. I found it the same way as the others, and viewed all of the makers stop motion films to find a lot more like it. It was created with around 912 images, with an oil-based clay called Belgravia.







For this, the actors changed shirts over 100 times each, taking individual pictures of each unique shirt. The designs on the shirts are not photoshopped. They are real shirts for each frame of animation. The video was exported at 30fps, while the T-shirt animation moves at 6fps (with a few exceptions where it moves faster) So, for each shirt, they took 5 pictures, so the animation of them moves at 30fps, but the T-shirt animations move a bit slower. They used 222 T-shirts and it took 2 days to make!



This is an ebay stop motion viral, produced by Matt Keily. It took around 1000 images to make it. This is a very simple yet effective stop motion video, and goes to show you don't need fancy models and equipment to create such a good video.

Location Photography and first attempts at Stop Motion

Location Photography

Location photography is where you go to the subject, not bringing it into a studio. This can be taking pictures anyway, for anything, as long as you are going to a location to do it. We will experiment with location lighting sets, where we learn how to use the kit and how effective and useful it can be. For this we went downstairs in college, and asked passers by to have their portrait taken, and we did get quite a few people agree after a bit of persuasion! We chose an interesting background, and set up the lighting equipment with the camera straight in front of the model, and a light to the left of the camera. We experimented a lot with the strength, angle and softness of the light until we got an effect we were happy with for portraiture. In the end, the light had an umbrella on it so it was a bit softer, and it was on a high strength. The light was facing away from the subject so the reflection from the umbrella was directed to it. Overall I was happy with the effect given and all of the pictures turned out very well.

Health and Safety on location

There are a lot of things to remember while on location, because you may be in public places. The main points are as follows:

• Stay out of public walk ways
• Keep the equipment away from anything unstable
• Do not take the equipment out in the rain unless it is fully covered
• Be aware of the public and keep theirs and your safety in mind and all times
• Do not eat/drink around the equipment
• Be aware of the equipment (trip hazard)
• Keep the batteries away from any liquid
• Do not have more cables in than necessary

This stop motion film was created by moving m&ms between each shot to make them appear to be moving. They go from a smiley face, to a sad face, to swirling and then back to the original smiley face. I think it is very effective because it is fun to watch and does appear like the sweets are moving. We chose to put this sound to it, because it made it feel dramatic and magical, and this works well because sweets don't often move themselves! It took 18 shots to create this, each showing for 0.2 seconds. If we were to redo this I would add more frames in between so it appeared more smooth.

This film was created by moving a small toy along a wall, until it reached Katie where she looked shocked/scared by the toy howling. We added the howling noise by recording the howl of the toy in iMovie, then placing it half way through the 5th frame. It took 6 frames to create, with the first 5 frames showing for 0.4 seconds and the last frame 4 seconds. By having the last frame longer, it allowed the full howl to be played, and emphasised the main point in the film. If we were to redo this I would add a lot more frames so it was smoother, and add other things happening so it was more interesting.

This film was created by moving Haribo sweets, so it looked like a story. The original Jelly Baby gets his head knocked off by the other, who then gets eaten by the frogs who played a sideline role in the first half. The frogs appeared to change colour before they become a main part, which was done by switching frogs in each shot. It took 15 shots to create this film, but it could have done with more to make it more smooth. It also could have been more interesting if more happened within the story line, and if the pictures were more in focus and from a better angle. The shots each show for 0.2 seconds, however it would have looked better if this was faster, but this was the fastest setting. We added the sound of lively music to make the film seem more energetic and it went well with the bright colours.

This film was created by taking a picture everytime part of the McDonalds was eaten. It took 30 shots to create the film, and each is shown for 0.2 seconds. I think this amount of time works well so you can clearly see the food disappear with each image. If i was to redo this I would use a tripod so the camera was in the same place each time, it doesn't look very smooth and this takes away alot from the film. The sound was added to make the film seem like it was almost an adventure. I think it makes the film a lot more fun and interesting to watch.

Introduction to Stop Motion

Stop motion is a film/photography technique, where you take lots of images then play them really fast as a movie, so it appears the whole things was shot as a film, not as seperate images. You can create a lot of really interesting effects with the technique and I will research into previous stop motion films to find out more. I have been asked to experiment with stop motion, and I will then be making one final film.

Developing idea's, shoots, and final work

I have decided to create a set in the style of The Smiths as I think it is very effective and I personally like it. For the album cover I am going to use a found image, as the band did, and have the band name along the side in a colour picked up from the image. For the poster I am going to use a picture from the shoot in black and white, maybe with a green hue to it to match with the one coloured style. For the band photo's I am going to pick the best from my two photo shoots and edit them in the house style.

This is the album cover I have created, using an image found via the internet. I added it to a square background and left enough space for the text. I used the dropper tool to pick a dark colour from the image to use for the text and stretched it to fill the space. I really think it works for the style I went for, and although it has no relevance whatsoever to the band or it's music, it all flows very well. If I had more time I would take my own picture in a similar style.

 This is from my second shoot and it works really well for making the artist look strong and confident. He is in a natural environment which creates a pretty setting, but there are strong lines which cut up and down the image emphasising the seriousness the band feel about their music. It combines media image with attitude in a subtle way. The facial expression is severe yet fairly blank, preventing the viewer from feeling pressured. I particularly like the variety of tones and how the light shines from behind the trees. I had the artist framed in this position so the lines were in the right place, and he was still clearly the main focus. If I were to retake it now I would consider taking it from lower down as I really like how the leaves look on the ground and they could have been used more.

 I tried to be a little more creative with this image and it has worked very well. I used a long shutter speed to capture his motion, and it has made a very eery yet artistic effect. The surroundings are very strong and linear, which contrasts with the ghost-like character. It is definitely enhanced by the lack of colour, which would make the figure quite tricky to see. It also adds to the general atmosphere. I think this works well for the band as it captures the viewers attention immediately as it is out of the ordinary yet not ridiculously unrealistic that it causes a lot of questioning. Also it is common in this genre for the artists to use very creative artwork in their album booklets or promotional images.

 I have added a slight green hue to all of this images to stop them looking too contrasty and to go with the house style. I think it softens them a lot and as this is the bands first set of photos, I don't think it would be appealing to the audience if they came across as too strong, as this might be misinterpreted for cockiness. It is essential to let the viewer see the people in the band, and to make them feel like they could associate themselves with them, not to initially bombard them with pressuring messages.
I have included aspects of all of my ideas, by having some final images that are fun, some that just show the band member stood there, and then one that is quite artistic. I feel it matches the bands attitude very well as they wanted to be seen as playful but serious about the business. It also works with the genre as it is very common for rock music to have a quite artistic approach. 

This is my poster image and I found it very difficult to achieve what I wanted, even though it looks really simple. I am not very good at placing text onto image and I spent a lot of time messing with the size and placement to stop it looking tacky. Eventually I settled with this as it took up a lot of the blank space without being too big it overpowered everything else. I changed the colours to fit the rest of the style and decided on this image because it was the most suited to being in a poster. It had blank space to accommodate text and was strong by itself. It does not effectively show the band member, but that is not necessary as a poster is specifically bought, meaning the buyer is already familiar with the band.

Research and Initial Ideas/Experiments

 My Artist Profile:

Name: Cake or Death

Role within music: Guitarist/Drummer/Songwriter

Genre: Rock, Metal, Alternative

Attitude of artist: Fun/playful, serious about music

Chosen house style: Bold clear fonts, dark colours with one bright - Red
Next gig date: 26.08.11

Mayday Parade


Mayday Parade are an American band from Tallahasee, Florida. They have a unique style mixing genres such as rock, alternative and punk with strong lyrics and melodies. They easily combine playful energies with strong emotional songs to create an image which appeals to a wide range of people. Because of this, their promotional images range from colourful cartoons to some quite somber images. When doing my work I will analyse the image my artist is trying to portray so I can work with all aspects to give a true and wide representation, and also it gives me more room to be creative with my images and idea's.

Flyers

I have found a selection of flyers used to promote Mayday Parade and their tours/gigs. They range from quirky colourful cartoons to band photo's and artwork. As I am not confident with graphics I will create my flyers using predominantly photographic techniques, and add simple yet effective graphic techniques when writing the information and laying out the flyer.

Posters

Most of Mayday Parade's posters are fairly simple, they incorporate the bands logo and general style in a clear yet creative and attractive way. The bottom image is the most recent, where the band has tried to expand from the usual house style of black, whites and warm colours, and make themselves attractive to new audiences and appear more modern. I think this has been successful as it still maintains their attitude and fits in well with current styles. 

Album Artwork
This is Mayday Parades CD covers in chronological order. You can see how the house style was created in the second cover, which was their first full album, and is continued in the following. In their most recent release, the EP 'Valdosta', the general cartoon and graphical style is the same, however the character with the umbrella has been lost, along with the colour scheme. I think they have pulled off these changes, as there is still a clear style, especially as the logo and it's positioning has remained the same from the second cover onwards.

Location Portraits
The location portraits and promotional images for Mayday Parade range from fun and casual, to posed and serious. A number of backgrounds are used such as cities, graffiti'd walls, party rooms and parks. They represent the band well, and show their playful yet serious attitude towards their music, which is an energy alot of audiences will be attracted to. When taking my images, I will do a number of shoots, to capture as much of the artist as I can, to give a fair representation. I will try backgrounds such as plain walls, forests, fields and parks. 

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's genre is largely considered metalcore or melodic metalcore, combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore. Their album 'Alive or Just Breathing' has been quoted to be "a pure metal album that seemingly has ignored any fashionable trend and instead relies solely on skill and expertise to sculpt some of the meatiest heavy metal since the glory days of Metallica and Slayer."

Flyers

These flyers clearly hint at the genre Killswitch Engage are. Often the colour scheme involves dark colours and red, which creates a style connected with the band. In most, there is a photo of the band member which flows well with the information to create an attractive and easy to read final product.

Posters

The posters for Killswitch Engage are very simple, and designed for purposes such as bedroom walls etc. The more graphical posters include only black grey and a single other colour (blue/red) which creates an attractive and bold look, which makes the band logo stand out and capture the audiences attention. The bottom image is a photograph, which is dark and simple, which keeps in with the general style, and effectively shows the band and their attitude/genre.

Album Artwork

Killswitch Engage's CD covers are very dark artistic. I will be making my covers more photographical, but will experiment with graphic techniques and other artistic styles. There is a clear style throughout them all, and again use only a minimal amount of colour. 

Location Portraits 

Through their band photography, Killswitch Engage effectively communicate their attitude and genre/style. The first image is very humerous, and this is a fair representation as a few members of the band are well known for their comedic attitude and general lack of worry of how silly they act. The other photo's clearly show the bands genre, and use backgrounds such as walls, wood and old corridors. I will do a more humerous shoot with my artistic, to emphasise the playful attitude and image we want to express.

The Smiths

The Smiths were an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Although they never charted very well they have a strong following and are still widely listened to today, even after splitting up in 1987. There music spoke about real and political issues, and the band had a lot to say. They avoided wishy washy songs created just for the sake of it, and spoke with meaning and passion, which won and lost them a lot of fans!

Flyers and Posters

The flyers are very similar to their album artwork. They are grey-scale with one colour instead of b+w, and very contrasting. They are mostly old images of slightly irrelevant things that they have opinions on. Their style in all artwork is exactly the same and it works really well for them.

 

 

 

Album Artwork

I really like their album covers as they look really effective, and as soon as you see them (if you are slightly familiar with the smiths) you instantly know what it is. This is why having such a strong house style does nothing but good, if it links well enough to the band and is somewhat attractive.

 

 

 

 

Band Portraits

It is clear their band images were very simple, and were all black and white with just the band members stood together. The locations range from streets to studio's but nothing of real interest or relevance. One thing I have noticed is they look very confident and almost smug in the pictures, which is something I definitely need to get across as most artists are very confident in themselves after so much time in the limelight. 

 

 

 

 

Initial Ideas

From my research and the information I have on my artist, I have a rough idea of what I aim to do.

-For the album cover, I want to create a quite artistic look, and experiment with idea's such as multiple images put together to create a single cover. I also might try techniques such as painting, or creating a painting effect in postproduction.

-For the flyer, I will make up a gig for the artist, and advertise this. It will include an image of the artist, with clear information in the chosen house style. 

-For the poster, I am going to use a photograph from one of the shoots with the artist. This will then bring familiarity to the image as the audience will have seen similar images before, but will be effective and creative to suit it's purpose.



-For the location portraits, I am going to do a number of shoots. I will do some serious, and some playful, to show all sides of the artist. I am going to do the shoots in some woods, a park and in a disused area such as an alleyway or out of use warehouse etc.

Album Cover Research

  Album covers range from being simple photographs to complex graphical pieces of art. I aim to mix both, and take very simple photos, and use them with other artistic techniques so I can be more creative and experiment with a number of possibilities. I am going to try putting the images onto a polaroid film template, or just onto a number of square pieces of card, and then take a picture of that. I am also going to try using just one simple photograph, and edit it in an abstract way. I have noticed in most album covers, the band/artist isn't present in this genre, so I am going to avoid  that.


Possible subjects:

• Guitar
• Stacks of books
• Cake
• Drawn scales with objects on
• Cake being eaten with message underneath  

First Experiments

 

To make this cover, I first took four images of different sections of the guitar from slightly different angles. I got the idea for this from Dawoud Bey's images where he takes portraits of multiple people, by taking the photos of different sections separately so when he pieces them together they don't match together. I then created the background by typing the band name and fitting it across the top, then copy and pasting the layer and moving it down repeatedly. Then I increased the contrast of the four images and gave them an off-white border. I copy and pasted them onto the background and messed with the angles and positioning until I found the best look.

 I went for the simplistic look with this idea. I took a picture of four different sized books stacked on top of each other on a desk. I left enough space at the top so I would be able to add the band name. I then converted the image to black and white and increased the contrast until it looked best. I kept with the grey scale theme for the writing, and used colours from the rest of the picture to so it wasn't strong b+w's and blended well with the rest of the image.

First Photoshoot