nicco miranda

This commercial by Nike is a video that I constantly refer to when in need of inspiration or motivation whether as an artist or athlete. The video seamlessly integrates both video and still images to create a cohesive depiction of the power of the human body and soul. The commercial combines feats of athletic achievement with some seemingly unrelated imagery to showcase not only what i means to be human, but what it means to have passion, and to never give up. This piece never fails to make me want to push myself both creatively and athletically. 

Dick Annegarn "Soleil du soir" (par Michel Gondry) 

This video is yet anoter example of incredible patience and meticulousness. Each frame seems to be hours apart, making the creation of this video extra time consuming. The precision accuracy required to achieve the desired look is also quite admirable, considering each frame was shot so far apart. What people manage to create with enough time and dedication is always astonishing to me, especially when the result is as good as this.

When considering the whistle with a built it flashlight, I kept reverting back to the concept of "disruption". The title Spectre Symphony was meant to reflect how 'ghosts' and other paranormal phenomena create disruptions in photographs, videos and other forms of electrical equipment. This was further emphasized by the static noises found scattered in the audio. The ghostly lights and how they create compositions of their own represent the 'symphony', which is reflected by calmer sections of audio.  

Each sequence of frames experiments with different methods of achieving long exposures of light. Variables included the light source itself, whether the light was blinking, the number or color of lights, the movement of the camera, and the focus of the lens. I attempted to separate sections of the video by adjusting the frequency of the light sources in accordance with the pacing of the audio. 

Being familiar with just how long stop motion animation can take, makes this video incredibly admirable, as it is a stop motion video within a stop motion video. What immediately comes to mind is the amount of planning that this must have taken, and how many "test runs" might have occurred in order to ensure success. 

This video takes advantage of a variety of three dimensional planes, and is quite clever in how it does this. For example, the scene where the boy is swimming, and the photographs are being displayed in the sink showcases a high level of detail and wit. It is evident that this video was created with lots of patience and love. 

Final Version:

http://digital-locker.design.yorku.ca/3006Af12/niccom/02/

Processs Work
Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Version 4 
Version 5 

The end credits for the horror anthology V/H/S was particularly interesting to me because of how it juxtaposes audio and video. The video makes use of the aesthetic of old VHS tapes, and while normally associated with low quality video, there is a certain charm about how it is combined with the audio. The video quality is very raw which compliments the violent nature of the footage itself. This in combination with the upbeat dance punk elements of the song work to create a beautiful mashup of old and new or gritty and refined.  

The details of the video are sacrificed in favour of creating an overall feeling and emotion of chaos and anarchy. The use of repetition to match the audio was also particularly well done.

Renderings

15 Words

Red, Loud, Light, Security, Outstanding, York, R@pe, Unsafe, GoSafe, 
Sanitary, Branding, Keychain, Whistle, Contact, Disposable

Mind Map

Creative Brief

01 Title – possible name, working title
Disrupt.

02 Overview – description of concept
- Highlighting the theme of disruption for the sake of attention
- Things that stand out amongst a crowd
- Having something to say

03 Key Message – what specifically do you want your audience to learn from your work?
- If you create enough of a disruption, people will notice. (Perhaps creating too much noise all the time will cause people to ignore you)

04 Research – background, relevant information about topic
- "The whistle is an ancient instrument, apparently originating in ancient China around 5000 years ago, and making its way to Europe in about the 11th century. In Ireland there is evidence of whistle players in early literature and on the medieval High Crosses. Bird-bone whistles were played in the 12th century in Viking Dublin."

- "Although a flashlight is a relatively simple device, its invention did not occur until the late 19th century because it depended upon the earlier invention of the electric battery and electric light. Conrad Hubert received a US patent in 1903 , number 737,107 issued August 26, for a flashlight with an on/off switch in the now familiar cylindrical casing containing lamp and batteries."

05 Visual/Conceptual References – images and ideas that inspire your concept
- Stop motion + Light painting
- Tablet + Photoshop + Rotoscoping

06 Audience – who is the intended audience and how this will be considered in project?
- Ages 16-25; Those with a particular interest in design, animation and fine arts

07 Content Planning – what content will you include and how will it will be structured?
- I'm thinking of an anthology of scenes + styles of animation that deal with things that are both red and disruptive in some way (red whistle, stop signs, dynamite stick)

08 Technologies /Materials-  technologies/materials used for any level of production and the strategy to learn/research them
- Using the whistle itself as a light source (or other light sources, such as an iPhone)
- Photo cameras and Video cameras, for a combination of standard video and stop motion.
- Tablet + Photoshop

09 Bibliography – any sources used in work
- http://www.thewhistleshop.com/beginners/history/history.htm
- http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/flashlight.htm

 Storyboards

The Johhny Cash Project is a mass collaborative rotoscope music video that caught my eye a few years ago. I had previously never seen such a project undertaken before, and since I had experimented with digital rotoscoping, I was fairly curious as to what the capabilities were with regards to video and animation. I found it to be an interesting showcase of perception, as each frame was painted by a different artist. There is an overall story being told in the film as a whole, and even more individual stories that are told in each individual frame. 

 I also think there is an interesting relationship with how much time one might have spent painting a frame in comparison to how much time it is actually on screen for. A frame almost loses its identity to the video as a whole, but yet gives the video an infinite potential for interpretation.