Visual Narratives
Photos of Jesse (Me)
Taken by: Romar Brickersteth-Dixon
Photos of Romar
Taken by: Jesse (Me)
Story of the Day:
It was a fun class, I was very involved, bringing positive energy and good vibes to the set. I declared myself the director and took charge, making the atmosphere light and easy for everyone. I took a few pictures too, but spent most of my time mostly directing people on what to do, how to pose and enjoy themselves. I believe the best results can be achieved in a friendly, focused and fun environment.
On this day, I learnt how to keep the environment decluttered, and neat, which helps to prevent tripping and falling. I also learnt the importance effect of good lighting in a set and how to safely handle the equipment without damaging it or getting burnt from the hot bulb.
I think being the Director was the best thing I did because I was able to lighten the mood, making it easier to overcome the awkwardness people feel sometimes.
These first 4 pictures below were not colour-corrected.
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These next 4 pictures were colour-corrected and slightly adjusted to match.
The first 4 images in the story of the day were not edited, they were simply converted to a PNG file format and compressed to save space due to their large initial size. The last 4 above were edited and colour-corrected using Photoshop.
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WEEK 2
Introduction to Photography Part1
Exposure triangle
Photography is evident in all aspects of life as communication, documentation, expression, creation & recreation, art.
For Example:
The Internet, Games, Newspapers, Photographs, Posters, Television, Advertisements and many more.
The word “PHOTOGRAPH” in Greek translation goes as follows:
- PHOTO – meaning LIGHT. Another word to use this ideology, similarly applied differently is PHOTOSYNTHESIS for plants because plants need Light.
- GRAPH – which means to plot information based on observation, or of provided data. In other words, means TO DRAW.
So in a nutshell, Photography means the art of Drawing Using Light.
For a good photograph to be achieved, three things have to be taken into account. These 3 things are referred to as the Three Pillars of Photography. These three pillars are the Exposure Triangle.
They are:
Shutter Speed.
Aperture.
ISO.
SHUTTER SPEED
Refers to the amount of time your camera’s shutter stays open, exposing its sensor to capture light. The longer the amount of time your camera sensor is exposed to light, the blurier your photograph will be. Vice versa, The shorter the amount of time your camera sensor is exposed to light, the sharper your photograph will be. With shorter times on the Shutterspeed, you find you can capture fast-moving objects trapped in time like the doves illustrated in the third picture below, towards the right side.
Example of a slow Shutter Speed gotten from: webpage
Example of a Fas Shutter acquired from:
https://www.coroflot.com/mikeybotta/Shutter-Speed-Gallery
APERTURE
Refers to the hole in your lens that can open to varying sizes depending on the settings currently in use, and close to capture the specified/required amount of light.
Aperture has several effects on your photographs.
The most obvious is the brightness, or exposure, of your images.
Aperture controls how much light (the volume) comes through the lens and hits the sensor (or film), but it doesn’t just affect the exposure, it also plays a key role in other photography aspects, such as the depth of field (DOF), the sharpness, and the final result of your image generally.
The larger the aperture you use, the shallower depth of field you’ll be able to capture, meaning more areas of your images will be out of focus and less sharp. Conversely, the smaller the aperture you use, the greater the depth of field you’ll see in your image, meaning a bigger proportion of the image will be in focus.
Image acquired from: Webpage
With the same logic in mind as above, an aperture of f2 is LARGER/WIDER than an aperture of f16.
Depth Of Field (DOF)
DoF is the distance between the nearest and furthest elements in a scene that appears to be sharp. The DoF depends on the aperture, focus distance, focal length, and sensor size.
ISO
Refers to the sensitivity of your camera or film to light. A lower ISO value means less sensitivity to light, while a higher ISO means more sensitivity
Before ISO, there were previously two film standards in use, called ASA and DIN. Both were combined into ISO as the standard in 1974.
ISO stands for “International Organization for Standardization”, and is one of the three pillars of photography (the other two being shutter speed and aperture).
ISO 100: This is the best choice for shooting outdoors on sunny days — the brightest situation you’ll likely be shooting in.
ISO 400: When the lighting is still good, but less intense — like indoors by a window or outside on a cloudy day — a slightly higher ISO is ideal.
ISO 800: If you’re shooting indoors without an additional light source like a flash, you’ll be working in this range.
ISO 1600 or higher: When it’s dark out, or if you’re shooting indoors with dim lighting, you’ll need a high ISO. If movement is involved, you’ll want to pair that high ISO with a fast shutter speed, as well.
Note:
f = focal length
HOMEWORK
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WEEK 3
Camera Lenses
Prime lenses vs Zoom lenses
Angles Of View
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HOMEWORK
Extreme Close Up (ECU)
An extreme close-up is the most you can fill a frame with your subject. It often shows eyes, mouth and gun triggers. In extreme close-up shots, smaller objects get great detail and are the focal point.
Close Up (CU)
You know it’s time for a close-up shot when you want to reveal a subject’s emotions and reactions. The close-up camera shot fills your frame with a part of your subject. If your subject is a person, it is often their face.
Medium Close Up Shot (MCU)
The medium close-up frames your subject from roughly the chest up. So it typically favors the face, but still keeps the subject somewhat distant.
Medium Shot (MS)
The medium shot is one of the most common camera shots. It’s similar to the cowboy shot above, but frames from roughly the waist up and through the torso. So it emphasizes more of your subject while keeping their surroundings visible
Cowboy Shot (CS)
Cowboy Shot, frames the subject from roughly mid- thighs up. It’s called a “cowboy shot” because it is used in Westerns to frame a gunslinger’s gun or holster on his hip.
Medium Full Shot (MFS)
A medium-full shot frames the subject from roughly the knees up. It splits the difference between a full shot and a medium shot.
Full Shot (FS)
A full shot frames the entire person from head to toe.It emphasizes subject as a whole and what the suject is engaged in with its surroundimg.
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WEEK 4
Seriality and Sequencing
By sequencing images, you can create a flow, a rhythm, and a tension that builds up to a climax or a resolution. Image sequencing can also help you communicate complex or abstract ideas, simplify information, and persuade or inspire your viewers.
It’s important to remember that there isn’t just one correct way of sequencing pictures. There are many, and it’s very subjective. Building a story is possible by theme, by using pictures to illustrate a preconceived narrative, by form, texture, colour or even mood.
If you want to suggest stories and create narratives within your work, in any form of presentation, sequencing is an essential part of the process.
By bringing photographs together to form a sequence, you can begin to create a rhythm between your photographs.
Placing two images together can drastically change their meaning, and through a photographic sequence, you can create moments of surprise and intrigue while keeping the viewer engaged and moving through the work.
I compile the above 4 pictures in a sequence to my liking. Where they either share a colour, shape, texture or streamline.
WORKSHOP
Practising Using Cameras
We went out as a class to a park/nature field and took multiple pictures which I have attached below.
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PHOTO STORY-LINE
My first attempt at story writing before implementation. As this is only a rough draft and a test, the idea might change for what I will be using for my assessment.
MEEK–STRONG
Story of the strong and unphased.
- JoJo is walking down the street with a book in his hand. Minding his business.
- He’s from a rough neighbourhood but tries to stay on the right path.
- Hes suddenly attacked with a sweeping slide.
- Jojo hops over his attacker, still engrossed in his book.
- Jojo is unphased because hes knows hes strong and doesnt need the drama nor try to prove a point.
- A second attacker joins the fray with a right hook.
- Jojo effortlessly dodges, still engrossed, still unphased.
- Jojo generally avoids violence when it’s himself.
- BUT when he sees a friend being harassed/in danger.
- He’s protective nature kicks in.
- He reacts to save them.
- He’s thanked by the stranger.
- He walks walks off. Continuing his book.
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WEEK 5
The basics of photography composition
What is Composition in Photography?
To describe composition in photography is to talk about the placement of objects and items, and not just the main ones, within the frame of your photo.
Why is composition important in photography?
By arranging the visual elements within a frame a viewer’s eye will automatically be drawn to the most significant and interesting parts of the image.
There are a few techniques which can be used when composing a photograph:
-Rule of Thirds
-Leading Lines
-Diagonals
-Framing
-Figure to Ground
-Fill Frame
-Centre Dominant Eye
-Patterns and Repetition
-Symmetry
-Golden Spiral Rule
-Forced Perspective
Rule of Thirds
Leading Lines
Diagonals
Framing
Figure to Ground
Find a contrast between the subject and the background.
Fill Frame
Centre Dominant eye
Patterns and Repetitions
Patterns are aesthetically pleasing, but the best is when the pattern is interrupted
Symmetry
The Golden Spiral Rule
The golden spiral rule is derived from the golden ratio (also called divine proportion), which is much more intertwined in our lives than we realize. To visualize the golden ratio, consider the rectangle below.
The lower right intersection of the red lines is pretty close to the tight curl of the spiral.
This image focuses on the child, dominating the image in the foreground, larger than the adult mother.
Forced perspective
What is forced perspective?
Forced perspective is a technique which manipulates human perception by employing optical illusion to make objects appear larger, smaller, farther, or closer than they really are. By viewing the correlation between scaled objects and the vantage point of the camera or spectator, human visual perception becomes altered.
How to do forced perspective:
- Place subject closer to camera for a much bigger effect.
- Place subject farther from the camera for smaller effect
- Use a wide angle lens (anything less than 35mm)
- Use a narrow aperture such as f/16
Victor Doyle – Forced perspective !
HOMEWORK
Experimenting With Forced Perspective
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WEEK 6
Darkroom
WEEK 7
Workshop Application (Portraits)
WEEK 8
Storyboards- and Visual Narratives in Photography
Camera Angles
Different types of camera movement
Camera movement is a filmmaking technique that causes a change in frame or perspective through the movement of the camera. Camera movement allows cinematographers and directors to shift the audience’s view without cutting. Specific types of camera movements in film also can create a psychological and emotional effect on the audience. These effects can be used to make a film more immersive and engaging.
Examples of types of camera movements in film:
Pan
Tilt
Push in
Pull Out Tracking shot
Pan
The camera pan directs a camera horizontally left or right. The pan camera movement is typically achieved with a tripod head, but can also be done handheld or with a stabilizer.
Pans are often motivated by a character’s actions. They can also be used to reveal new information to the audience.
When done quickly with speed, the fast camera movement is known as a whip pan. Whip pans are one of the best camera movements to add energy to a shot. Whip pans can be used between two characters rather than cutting to establish a more energetic connection
Tilt
Camera tilts are just like pans, only vertical. Tilt camera movements direct a camera upward or downward. Camera tilts can be used to give a character dominance in a shot or to reveal new information to the audience. Tilts enable filmmakers to capture the verticality of a film in moments of awe and spectacle.
Steven Spielberg’s style uses the tilt often. In one of Spielberg’s best movies, Jurassic Park, he uses the tilt when first introducing the dinosaurs. The camera tilt perfectly captures the emotions of the film’s characters while eliciting awe in the audience.
Push In
A push-in moves the camera closer to a subject typically with a dolly camera movement or Steadicam. Push-ins can draw the audience’s attention toward a specific detail. Filmmakers also push-in toward characters to try and infer what is occurring internally. This can be a reaction, thought process, or internal conflict.
Pull Out
The camera pull out is the exact opposite of the push in. A pull out is a smooth camera movement that moves the camera further away from a subject. This movement causes the subject to grow smaller while simultaneously revealing their surroundings.
Pull outs can be used to reveal setting and characters. Emotionally, pull outs can highlight a character’s isolation or loneliness. Stanley Kubrick uses this to detach us from Jack in this scene from The Shining.
Tracking shot
A tracking shot is any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended amount of time. Tracking camera movement often follows a traveling subject, though they can be used to simply show off the scene. Check out our breakdown of the best tips to shooting better tracking shots.
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Examples of the types of camera movements include:
TILT
Tilting is a cinematographic technique in which the camera stays in a fixed position but rotates up/down in a vertical plane.
PAN
In cinematography and photography, panning means swivelling a still or video camera horizontally from a fixed position.
PUSH IN
A push-in moves the camera closer to a subject typically with a dolly camera movement or Steadicam.
PULL OUT
TRACKING SHOT
StoryBoard Research:
Mad Max Fury Road, storyboards by Mark Sexton (2015)
The fourth instalment in the Mad Max franchise was a long time in the making. Director George Miller had been working on it going back all the way to 1998. Mark Sexton, who drew these awesome storyboards, worked on the film as a Lead Storyboard Artist between 2000 and 2002. Due to a combination of productional difficulties it would take another 13 years until the film would be released.
Every image in the film was carefully thought out in storyboard form. (The final storyboard existed out of more than 3500 panels) The film notoriously started without a written script and was actually ‘written’ in storyboards, Miller felt that the film had to be put together visually because it is easier to design action that way. This visual way of scripting helped to make Mad Max an iconic piece of visual storytelling.
Jurassic Park, storyboards by Dave Lowry (1993)
These storyboards from the iconic final raptor sequence in Jurassic Park, were drawn by Dave Lowry. Lowry is an incredibly experienced artist who has worked on more than 70 feature films. He is a regular collaborator of Steven Spielberg and has worked on all Jurassic Park films, including 2015’s Jurassic World.
Steven Spielberg himself doesn’t have a background as a graphic artist, but he still likes to brief storyboard artists with rough sketches of his shots. Even when a director is not a skilled draftsman, it is not uncommon for him or her to do sketches that are then turned into storyboards by a sketch artist. It is often very helpful for both the director and the storyboard artist, because it forces the director to think about the best way to visually tell the story. Like Ridley Scott saying that his talks with the storyboard artist are almost a preparation for the actual shoot, these rough thumbnails are a first step towards the final image.
WEEK 9
Portrait Pictures For LinkedIn
In today’s class, we practised taking professional portrait pictures for our LinkedIn profile. We used techniques we learnt in week 7 to take these pictures.
WEEK 10
Workshop And Implementation
Today the class was left to experiment, and get creative with things available in on set. We used whatever we could find to make interesting pictures.
WEEK 11
What is Animation?
Animation is when illustrations or objects which come alive on screen, through what seem like moving pictures but in actuality are a combination of still images. Many techniques are used to manipulate images to create the illusion of realistic motion.
The 12 principles of animation:
1. Squash & Stretch: Used to depict weight or flexibility, such as flattening a ball when it bounces.
2. Anticipation: Prepares the audience for upcoming actions, enhancing realism.
3. Staging: Focuses on clear intentions and strong compositions for easy recognition.
4. Straight Ahead Action & Pose to Pose: Sequential drawing for spontaneous or planned movement.
5. Follow Through and Overlap: Continuation of body parts’ movements after stopping, and sequential movement of body parts.
6. Ease In & Ease Out: Ensures natural acceleration and deceleration in movements.
7. Arcs: Emulates natural arcing motions for smooth and realistic animation.|
8. Secondary Action: Supports and enhances the main action for a more lively performance.
9. Timing: Distribution of frames to convey speed and weight convincingly.
10. Exaggeration: Pushes movements further for added appeal and realism.
11. Solid Drawing: Accurate depiction of volume, balance, and anatomy in 2D or 3D animation.
12. Appeal: Combines techniques to create charm and connection with the audience, emphasizing memorable character design and relatable features.
Phenakistoscope:
A phenakistoscope is a historical optical object that creates the illusion of motion. It typically consists of a spinning disk with sequential images or drawings arranged around the centre. When viewed through slots while the disk spins, the images appear to move, creating a simple animation effect.
RESEARCH
Ray Harryhausen: American FilmMaker, The man who brought myths to life
Ray Harryhausen (born June 29, 1920, Los Angeles, California, U.S.—died May 7, 2013, London, England) was an American filmmaker best known for his pioneering use of stop-motion animation effects.
Harryhausen grew up in Los Angeles, acquiring a love of dinosaurs and fantasy at a young age. His parents encouraged his interests in films and in models, and he was inspired by the cinematic effects in such movies as The Lost World (1925) and King Kong (1933). After seeing the latter, he began experimenting with marionettes and stop-motion animation, making short films in his parents’ garage. At about age 18 he met noted animator Willis O’Brien, with whom he would later work on several projects.
-Britannica
Jason and the Argonauts -1963
Jan Švankmajer: Czech artist, Puppeteer, Animator, and Filmmaker
Jan Švankmajer (born September 4, 1934, Prague, Czechoslovakia [now in Czech Republic]) is a Czech Surrealist artist, puppeteer, animator, and filmmaker known for his dark reimaginings of well-known fairy tales and for his avant-garde use of three-dimensional stop-motion coupled with live-action animation. Some critics hailed him for privileging visual elements over plot and narrative, others for his use of dark fantasy.
During the 1950s Švankmajer pursued an interest in theatre and puppetry. He studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1950 to 1954 before enrolling in the puppetry department at the Academy of the Performing Arts. He also worked at a marionette theatre and other theatres in the city. It was through this theatre work that Švankmajer discovered an appreciation for film, and consequently he began a cinematic career. His first short—Poslední trik pana Schwarcewalldea a pana Edgara (1964; The Last Trick), in which two magicians participate in a heated competition of skill—gave evidence of his early interest in stop-motion.
Jan Švankmajer (born September 4, 1934, Prague, Czechoslovakia [now in Czech Republic]) is a Czech Surrealist artist, puppeteer, animator, and filmmaker known for his dark reimaginings of well-known fairy tales and for his avant-garde use of three-dimensional stop-motion coupled with live-action animation. Some critics hailed him for privileging visual elements over plot and narrative, others for his use of dark fantasy.
During the 1950s Švankmajer pursued an interest in theatre and puppetry. He studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague from 1950 to 1954 before enrolling in the puppetry department at the Academy of the Performing Arts. He also worked at a marionette theatre and other theatres in the city. It was through this theatre work that Švankmajer discovered an appreciation for film, and consequently he began a cinematic career. His first short—Poslední trik pana Schwarcewalldea a pana Edgara (1964; The Last Trick), in which two magicians participate in a heated competition of skill—gave evidence of his early interest in stop-motion.
-Britannica
Virile Games’: Jan Švankmajer’s work of football genius
Stop Animation Workshop
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WEEK x
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ASSESSMENT 1
My Story Board and Idea
Title: PANIC
The MC (Main Character) is deep in sleep probably from staying up late the night before. I chose this colour to depict the absence of her awareness. The act of silence, and self lost in the moment.
The alarm starts to ring. As its the only thing active in this scene, everything else is in black and white.
The MC is facing the alarm but still trying to hold on to the last moments of their sweet sleep.
The Awakening. Startled, the MC opens her eyes, hearing the alarm ring, but taking a moment.
Realisation. The MC instantly remembers she had a meeting she could not miss and takes swift action.
You may be in a hurry but you must never leave the house dirty. The MC hurries to brush, bath and carry out her morning routine.
Presentation is Key. The MC, though in a hurry, must make sure they are presentable at the meeting.
Cant leave without this. Then grabs her presentation files to head out.
The Mc is out the door, and closes it as she leaves the house.
The MC grabs the door to her car.
The Final check. The MC has one final look to confirm she is presentable before setting off.
The MC sets off on her journey.
Confused on arrival. The MC calls the team as she wasn’t informed about any changes on the meeting date.
ASSESSMENT 2
Studio Photo Assessment
For my second assessment, I had a make up artist who is also my classmate, her name is Roshik Ijaz. We discussed my idea and helped to bring it to life. I was going for a pop art look and she did a great job handling my facial design.
The camera was set to ISO-100, F5.6 aperture, and a shutter speed of 200. My colleague Shay Cohen and I had a shoot on the same day, and this setting was pefect for our separate shot. As I am the model, I took the poses i wanted to depict and they pushed the trigger to capture the moment.
All the images were edited in Adobe Lightroom to bring out the colours I was going for.
In this photo, I was going for the centre eye, whilst trying to capture it within the U-frame of the guitar.
Another variation of the centre eye. This photo is meant to depict the emotional state of the musician, the feeling behind the music in my mind.
Music also makes me happy. Even though we may end up breaking a few guitars in the process of creating good music. It becomes worth it at the end.
You should never be shy to express yourself. Let your true feelings be known. do what makes you happy and do it with a smile. Here i am using the Rule of Third in reverse, leaving one third to the left empty.
Here I was creating parallel lines, with me intersecting in the middle, using the Symmetry method.
In this photo I was aiming for the golden rule, starting from the top right of the photo, spiralling downwards, and up to my face, whilst also observing the rule of Third.
Here the white and black lines on two of my fingers are the same colour as the black and white lines on my face. When you love something, you hold on to it tightly and never let go. Here I was going for the Centre Dominant Eye.
ASSESSMENT 3
STOP MOTION
For my stop motion I chose to experiment with something I love, which is dance and music and a bit of humour.
I took over 400 pictures for this project because I had to restart a few times to get it right.
Below are the final images I took which total about 224 pictures which I compiled using an application on my computer. I have just under 8fps with a total of 30 seconds for the length of the video. The video is located at the bottom beneath these photos.
Stop Motion Pictures Below
