Neil --> Exploring the work of other Video Installation artists

Exploring the work of other Video Installation artists 

I’ve chosen to explore Sam Taylor Wood and Bill Viola as they both have quite different video instillations. The first artist I looked at was Sam Taylor Wood with “Still life”. This video lasts for 3.18 and was created by a single camera at a mid-shot of a bowl full of fresh fruit next to a pen. The way it was set up makes it look like a finished painting, with the old-fashioned looking background and then the vibrant colours from the fruit, and where the video may have been edited, Woods has dulled the colours from the fruit out which is what makes it again have this painted look. But what takes it back to looking more realistic is the pen next to the bowl, as it doesn’t have the painted look so reminds me it is a real video.

The name of the video basically describes the theme of the video itself as it is a still life showing a bowl of fresh fruit, and a pen next to it. There is no music as it wouldn't really be necessary and may ruin the artistic style to the video. The theme is to show how things change over time and is just a still life of the fruit basically decaying over time, showing how something so nice can go horrible. The video shows all this grey mist-like substance coming off of the fruit throughout the video and the fruit go all grey and fall apart slowly, getting lower to the bowl they are sat in. The video is also sped up, to show the fruit decay in a shorter period of time, but it doesn't look like it is sped up due to it really happening so slowly, it just looks like normal speed.

This could influence me with my video instillation as I like the fact it plays with time and how she edited it to show how it doesn’t stay the same. I like the fact she used something from nature not manmade and the video wasn’t hectic and in your face, It was very calming to watch and was interesting to see what happens to fruit after a period of time, if that was in your house you wouldn’t notice it change like that, you would see it in jumps, with this video you get to see just what happens, and it is quite off putting in a way as it makes you not want to eat fruit. I don’t like the video very much but I like how it was created as it was quite artistic and different to other videos.

(I couldn’t find a review for this video)

The next video instillation I am going to look at is Sam Taylor Wood’s “A Little Death” This video is very similar to the "Still Life" instillation in the way that is shows a life form change over time, but this time it is with a once living animal; a Rabbit next to a piece of fruit on a table, which again links to the still life as it was fruit used in the original. The video lasts 4.56, and again it is a single camera at a mid-shot facing the rabbit and the fruit on the table. The camera is a bit further away from the Rabbit and piece of fruit this time, being that the Rabbit is much larger than the bowl of fruit, and to get it all in Woods would have had to position it differently. Again is has this painted look about it, but not so much as the first one. She definitely dulls the colours of the image down to give off more of an “old” effect, which works as these videos play with time.

The name this time doesn’t exactly state the theme of this video, it does in the fact it is about death, but the Rabbit was already dead before the video was shot, so it is more about after the death than death itself. Again with this video there is no music as it is unnecessary and would take some of the effect away from the video. The theme of this video is basically just showing what happens to a creature after is has lived its life, what happens to it after a period of time. It basically shows the Rabbit decay. As the Rabbit starts to decay, you see the rabbits skin start to do what looks like vibrate, describing it, it looks like a little mole is travelling through the rabbit by the way the skin is moving. As time passes you see the Rabbit slowly fall apart and become quite disfigured. It is a sped up video otherwise again as I said previously, it would take too long to show. By the end of the clip all is left is some skin and the fur off of the Rabbit.

Another’s opinion on the video:

http://www.ravished-by-illusions.com/post/7010985038/a-little-death-by-sam-taylor-wood

A genius work by video artist Sam Taylor-Wood: Take the most simple scenario you get, waive all additions like sounds or visual effects and create nevertheless a breath-taking film.
While painter of the 17th century created immutable pictures of objects in their most beautiful moments, Sam Taylor-Wood refreshes the traditional work of still life and tells simple a story about the transient nature of life.
The camera catches a dead rabbit which is decomposed rapidly before our eyes, while the mellow peach beside it stays untouched all the time. In an odd, beautiful way it shows how fast a once living being can disappear without any possibility of changing it.

I agree to some extent of this review how she is refreshing and unique which is good as she doesn’t follow everyone else and it’s nice to see someone do something different, however I wouldn't say its “beautiful” and I think it is quite distressing watching a beautiful creature decaying into nothing and think it is quite a sad clip as it shows nothing is beautiful and stays the same forever.

This could influence me on my video instillation as again it is about nature, and nature and animals is a favoured topic of mine, however  like I said previously it is quite distressful and horrible to watch the creature decaying and becoming disfigured. I don’t particularly like the video because of that, is doesn’t have the grace to it like “Still Life” does and I didn’t find it as fascinating to look at, in fact it was much harder to watch. I also dislike this video due to it seeming fake in parts as I don’t understand how during the quite long period of time it would take the Rabbit to rot, how the peach is still intact like it has just been left there moments ago, next to what is left of a Rabbit? It seems quite unrealistic and maybe it wasn’t even really made just edited well.

The other artist I am going to look at is Bill Viola, whose videos are quite different to the ones I've looked at previously. His first video I looked at was “The Reflecting Pool” which lasted for 6.55, a fairly long video instillation, and is similar to the two video instillations I looked at from Woods in the fact that it was made a single camera shot showing the same image throughout the clip. It is a very artistic shot of a beautiful woodland area surrounding a pond. A background noise of crickets, running water and just everyday woodland noises is added to give it a pretty, elegant effect to it. It seems like something from a film or a dream in the sense that it is such a pretty scene and has a grace about it. It basically shows a man walk up to the pool slowly, come up onto the steps, and for a fairly long period of time he doesn't move at all. Then suddenly he goes to jump into the pool, and he freezes up in the air, he has stopped moving like he has been paused. You see ripples in the water like the man jumped in, or something has fallen in, however nothing is there in the water. The scene in the water also changes as the video goes on, before the man jumps into the water, the water is clear and you can see the reflection from the trees and bushes in the water, however for a long time when the man is frozen in the air, the water is much more blurred and there is not as much of a refection. Soon the the clear reflection comes back again as you see the shadow on the pool of the man walking away. After that two figures appear reflecting in the water but not on the ground, they walk around the edge of the pool to the other side and there is ripples where they should be in the water but nothings there, during this the water goes cloudy again and they disappear with the ripples. After that when it starts to get dark, the water is  quite dark now, and in the light patch of the water a figure appears, the figure from the beginning of the clip, and stands in the same spot again from the beginning, but only reflecting  as the figure is not on the land, the light follows him as he walks off and once he is gone the water lights up again. Then the same figure then gets out of the water and walks off in the first direction he came from and it fades to black.

I think this is why it has the name “The Reflecting Pool”. It’s not anything to do with the man jumping into the pool, the theme is about showing the effect the man has on the water, and how the reflection changes by movement, it’s about showing the outcomes of his actions not him actually doing it, and that is why Viola doesn’t show him jump into the pool as your eyes will be diverted into watching his movements not the grace of the water. There is no soundtrack to this video, again like Woods video instillations, it would ruin the peace as it is not needed and would take away some of the beauty from the video. The background noises finish the video up nicely and create this really pretty scene. The theme of this video instillation is movement.

Another review on the video:

http://melissamarcus.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/the-reflecting-pool-bill-viola/

To me, his work is an investigation of life- his own life and the things that every human experiences- birth, life, death. I don’t know what “The Reflecting Pool” is about is his words, but I have made my own observation. I think that reflection in this piece means memory and illusion. I see a representation of reality vs dreams/memories, and the present vs past with the human figure standing outside the pool, and then the other figures that appear, but only in the reflection. I do kind of agree with this statement as you could interpret it in a way of someone’s imagination as they are not actually on the ground, just as a reflection, so you could say the pool is someone’s mind and what they picture and think about. It then carries on saying: The figure becomes frozen in time as he is about to cannon-ball into the pool and the reflecting pool begins to transform. The movement of the ripples in the water changes, the lighting changes, and we start to see images that are only reflected and not there in real life. This is more of an observation than an opinion. But when I watched it I only really thought of how actions of the man partially affected the water, and not the people and what their significance is, due to Viola making sure no people were visible outside of the water, however reading someone else’s opinion I would agree in saying this could be someone’s imagination or a strange dream and the people are important but are distant in the mind hence being in a reflection, and the ripples and cloudiness could suggest that these people make the mind of the person think and effects the person which is why there is ripples in the water.

This could influence my video instillation as it shows that small things can have big effects, it could help me if I wanted to do a video instillation about movement and I like how much effort was put into the small details of the clip such as the ripples in the water. I really liked this clip as I thought it was very calming to watch unlike “A Little Death” which I couldn’t wait for it to be over, this was pretty and artistic in the way at first when the man jumped, you focused your eyes to see if he would move again, but by the end you were watching the rhythms of the water and the reflections. This could influence me if I wanted a video instillation based on averting the viewer’s eyes onto things they wouldn’t normally look at.

His other video instillation I looked at is called “Acceptance”. It’s a short clip only lasting for 2.03, and is different to the other three video instillations watched due to the fact the camera moves around a bit, like it’s an amateur cameraman, however I think the camera is supposed to do that as the video itself is quite uneasy and there is a struggle trying to be brought across in the video. Again it is a very artistic clip but not in the same way as “The Reflecting Pool” it’s more showing the beauty of humanity, this time instead of the little things and nature. However from watching these two videos of his, I have noticed that Viola has a keen interested in water and the beauty and delicate things that can come from it, so you could also say this video is about water movement. This video instillation shows an out of focus person in the darkness, not much going on, and as it gets clearer you see that it is a naked women being showered by water, the more water that is falling onto her the clearer she gets, when she gets quite clear you can see that her expression is like she is crying out for help, she looks miserable, like she is struggling. The woman starts to calm down, and as she does so, less water is pouring on her until she is completely calmed, her expression has changed to a much more relaxed tone and she turns to face the camera and starts to move towards it, by the end she is completely clear and all the water is gone.

The name "The Struggle” links to the video instillation as I think the water is supposed to represent pressure, due to the woman showing a struggle and upset, the more water pours on her, and this could suggest the pressure to be accepted by others or even herself, and the water is representing that barrier the woman has, and when she started to accept herself the water disappears (the stress). Again there is no music in this video instillation, just a noise that sounds like wind, again like the other three video instillations, music may ruin the idea that Viola is trying to get across. In this video light is also important, the more the woman accepts herself, the more light is on her, and the fact she is surrounded by darkness could suggest that she is alone, especially at the beginning as there wasn’t much light on her either, however like I aid previously I think the video is more about her accepting herself, which is why light hits her only.

Here is another’s view on the video:

http://nochovka.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/interpreting-bill-violas-acceptance.html

At first, we are seeing a female figure appearing somewhat out of focus. The subject passes through a water stream and emerges in focus. The setting appears un-interpretable at first. But I believe I understand the message, and part of the message is given away in the title itself. I can agree with most of that statement however I had an idea of what is was about after watching it the whole way through, I thought it was interpretable as soon as I saw the last minute. The review carries on saying:  The female subject emerges from the darkness, out of focus and into the light. The beginning and end points of her movement slightly signify a path which symbolizes moving from something undesirable to something worth struggling for, in this case from darkness to light. I can agree with this as it shows her start of struggling and the end like I said previously she is calm and heading in a new direction. It carries on saying: Falling water symbolises a barrier, an obstacle that needs to be defeated, and there is no alternate path around it. Water also symbolizes vulnerability- a cold and unpredictable force that makes the passage both uncomfortable and dangerous. I agree with the fact that water symbolizes vulnerability as when there is water on her she is clearly struggling, and once it is gone she is calmed and in the light, however I disagree with the water being an obstacle itself, I think it’s an anagram of her emotion being shown in a way we can understand. But after reading this review I think I understood the meaning of the video instillation quite well.

I did not really enjoying watching this video, as artistic as it was it was quite boring and at the end I found it awkward to watch due to the fact the woman was naked, however I liked the concept of the video and thought it was quite creative in using water to portray an emotion, as water can be a very strong substance in great forces and so can feeling unaccepted. This could influence my video instillation as it inspires me to focus on a particular thing and show how it is important to me, not to focus on a lot of things in one, as too many things could cluster the video. It has inspired me to definitely do something based on movement.

Matt - Job roles

Director

What are they?

Film directors oversee everything on a movie set and have to portray that in the film. It’s their interpretation of the script that they are given script that makes the film what it is so the director is a really important role in production.

What they do:

A director's work begins in pre-production, when he works on casting and the script. He oversees filming and designs every scene again from his interpretation. He coaches the actors/actresses with their performances. In post-production, he oversees the editing of the movie and cuts it together to what he thinks works best.

Who they work with:

Directors work with the actors, set designers, costumers, editors and lighting technicians. They deal with everyone from the makeup artists and tech workers to cinematographers and art directors to make sure everything is how they want and imagine it to be.

Some directors are also producers and script writers. James Cameron for example, wrote, produced and directed “Avatar”

What a director should bring into the role/skills:

Directors must have an artistic vision and creative skills to develop an engaging and original film. If you don’t have an artistic and creative mind it would be harder to picture something without it being right there in front of you.  A director should have a commitment and a deep passion for filmmaking, along with the ability to act as a strong and confident leader.

Directors must have the confidence to make major decisions, but must also be able to communicate, and to collaborate with other members of the team e.g. the producer or writer. And a director should obviously have good communication skills and interpersonal skills.

Directors also must inspire and motivate the team to produce the film they have envisioned from the script, they need the ability to keep the team spirit going. They need an understanding of the filmmaking process and all the job roles involved in getting a film from start to finish, from both technical and creative points of view.

They definitely need attention to detail and to not forget the minor things, such as continuity errors, even if small, and they should have the ability to remain calm and think clearly under great pressure.

Qualifications/Experience

While there are numerous training courses and reference books on directing, formal qualifications are not necessary to become a Director, you could have great qualifications but if you don’t have imagination, determination and an artistic eye, you wouldn’t make a great director.  Studying the art and craft of directing is important, but the role can only really be mastered through practical experience.

Writing a screenplay, directing one's own short film or an amateur play, are all good starting places. Extensive industry experience is also crucial to this role; up-to-date knowledge of filmmaking techniques and equipment is vital, as is learning how to work with actors to create a performance. 

As many Directors work their way up over many years from entry level positions, getting work experience as a Runner on a film set or in a production office is an ideal starting point. Observing successful Directors at work, whilst immersing oneself in the practical process of filmmaking, are vital first steps on this fiercely competitive and highly challenging career path.

Producer

What are they?

Producers are the main people involved in television, film and video industries.  A producer will oversee each project from start to finish and may also be involved in the marketing and distribution processes

What they do:

Producers arrange the funding by maybe asking around for finance, getting to know people who may be able to help a project and are responsible for keeping the production within the allocated budget . It can include going to meetings and setting up advertising and funding campaigns to get the particular project.

Who they work with:

They work closely with directors and other production staff on the shoot.  So therefor they would work closely with the director. They also hire key staff such as the director, as it’s their film so they get to decide who they want to bring the film to life.

What a producer should bring into the role/skills:

Producers first of all must be good businessmen, they need to be able to secure finance for the production, which involves mixing with a variety of people, “bribing” and convincing people to sponsor and give money towards the film. They need to motivate the production team and guide the director in the right lines, in doing so a producer would need excellent communication skills to keep the team working to the best standard and with high spirits.

 They also need to be creative visionaries, with the ability to spot and deal with potential problems before they materialise they would need to be creative also when it comes to choosing the right director and actor/actresses, they will need to have the eye to know if they will play the part in their role right. They would need to work well under pressure whilst still motivating the production team. They need an extensive knowledge of cinematic narrative and a thorough understanding of all the creative processes of filmmaking as they are in ultimate control of the overall planning of the production including sales and distribution.

The Producer's responsibility for the project continues for as long as the film is shown globally. They need to be organist when preparing the film, whether its advertising the film or selling it to others. They need to keep to their budget so have a good knowledge of money and how much things are in the film business, whether it’s hiring the director, or writers, or buying equipment or sets.

They need to know the latest health and safety regulations in the workplace and ensure the compliance with regulations of codes of practice.

As the Producer will already have worked in the film industry for some considerable time they will have the necessary driving licence and valid passport.

Qualifications/Experience

There are no set qualifications for a Produce, however, as the head of a team of both accounting and creative personnel, the Producer has to have an extensive understanding of the nature of film production as well as a strong grasp of business and financial issues. He/she must have experience of working in the film industry, preferably as part of the Production Team to have an understanding of how everything works.

Script editor

Who are they?

A script editor plans, coordinates, or edits material for publication. They may review proposals and drafts for possible publications. A job as a Script Editor falls under the broader career category of Editors.

What they do:

A script writer basically reads the copy of a script to look out for things such as errors in spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure.  They can rewrite and edit a copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.  They have with the development of the story or content ideas.

They oversee the publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements. They also arrange and make sure that copyright is sorted.

Who they would work with:

A script editor would work with the writer as he will go over what the writer has written and maybe add ideas.  They may also work with the director, to show them the final script and to go over with the director what works and what doesn’t or what they need to change.

Skills

Script Editors should have a keen insight into all aspects of screenplay tone, including genre, style, structure, character, plot, action and dialogue. They must understand the various development stages, including, premises, synopses, beat outlines, step-outlines, treatments and rough drafts.

They should also have a keen understanding of how to use the dramatist's tools, including comic irony, suspense, mystery and dramatic tension, and of the different ways that screen works affect audiences. The best Script Editors provide Screenwriters with a different perspective on their story, as well as reminding them of the production company's requirements, and the market for films. They need shrewd interpersonal and negotiation skills, and must be capable of liaising effectively between Screenwriters and Producers or Development Executives.

They need to be able to work with the writer and other script editors, to get the final outcome, so they need to be flexible, so good communication skills is important in the role.

Qualifications/Experience

Script Editors are usually highly educated graduates, and experienced Script Readers, with proven analytical skills, who have taken an industry script editing course. They may also have attended a number of Screenwriting Courses, and should have a comprehensive knowledge of the dramatic and screenwriting theories used by Screenwriters and Producers to guide their work.

TIM --> Similarities and differences in the posters chosen

The posters are similar due to lighting is a major part in all three of the posters, they all use light to create suspense or to outline or show up a particular thing in the poster, "The Strangers" Used candle-like light to light up the protagonist, to show her body language and expression on her face, "Memento" used light to outline the characters on the posters face, using more light with the main character Lenny, maybe to show him in a good light, and the other character on the poster has light only on her face, dark surrounds her, again like I said on the posters review, to maybe suggest she is a bad character. And with "The Machinist", light is used to highlight the posted note so your eye goes to that first. 
Another similarity with each poster I reviewed, is that each one has a tagline creating suspense and adding effect to the poster, Mementos saying "Some memories are better left forgotten" The Machinists one saying "Trevor Reznik is four letters away from the truth" and The Strangers saying "We tell ourselves there's nothing to fear, but sometimes we're wrong"
All three posters, have bold, standing out font, to highlight the title of the film, and they all have the main character or characters names of the film on, to promote the actor/actresses and if they are well known it may promote the film too 
The differences are, firstly each poster is set out differently, Memento uses the use of photographs to cover up the poster, with the characters in as it relates to the film, it is very cluttered with a lot to look at, however The Machinists poster is very plain, with just the title and a posted note generally to look at, and The Strangers poster is pretty much what looks like a screen shot with a bit of extra colour added on to create suspense, so they are both very different but still effective.
Another difference is, the fonts may be bold, but Mementos font is in black whilst the other two are in white, and The Strangers uses a bit of effect on the font where as the other two don't.

Task 2 --> Research

Task 2 – research

War Horse

War Horse is a major motion picture of 2012, automatically a must-see due to being made by Stephen Spielberg, this automatically meant that people of all ages wanted to see it, due to him being a well known director, so automatically is being promoted is a positive way. The story is about a young boy called Albert has a close relationship with his Horse who his father sells to the war for cavalry, he enlists to serve in World War I to look out for his Horse and to protect it. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on, where he is reunited with his Horse once more after it being on a struggle of a journey.

 It started off as a book called “War Horse” by a man called Michael Morpurgo, this is how it started. It was for ages 9+ and was first published in 1982, and is known as a classic war story. So it was originally made for the younger target audience, however I have read if before watch the movie and felt it could be for adults too, due to the good storyline and the emotion and information of the war that is brought into the book. It was popular enough that the book has also been made into a play adapted by Nick Stafford. The play also called War Horse and was staged at the Olivier Theatre, National Theatre in London. The production opened on 17 October 2007 and was met with critical acclaim with its use of life-size puppets of horses from the Handspring Puppet Company won an Olivier Award, Evening Standard Theatre Award and London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for design. In February 2010 it was revealed that the play would transfer to Broadway in New York City, New York, United States. This is really what promoted it into being a film, due to it being as popular in book and as a play; it was so carefully thought out as a play that Spielberg decided to make it into a motion picture.

I would definitely say it’s a family film, due to the storyline is more for the family, there isn’t much violence in the film as Spielberg left a lot of it out from the book, so it could be lowered down so children could see it, there is only a bit of violence within the first half an hour of the film, when the war starts, generally after that it is more about showing Albert’s and the Horses journey in the film, the people they meet and where they end up, more than the war itself, which is why the target audience of 12A suits the film. However maybe it should have been a 12 not a 12A due to there is some violence and it may upset children to see dead Horses and people throughout the film and could be seen as disturbing. There is no sex and nudity in the film at all, however there is like I said previously violence and gore, frightening/intense scenes and a bit of alcohol use and profanity, so that is why a child under 12 has to go with a parent, as it is up to the parent if they want their child to see this.

It is also campaigned for Horsey lovers or people who are interest in WW1 and respect the people who were involved, due to showing the viewer what is was like for them people, and to also open up viewers eyes into how in those times, Horses were a big part of man kinds lifestyle, and how without them a lot would have been more difficult and different, such as Horses were used to carry carts with the dead or injured it, so they could be looked after or put to a resting place. They really used having a Horse as a main character to advantage, having posters and backgrounds to download with the Horse in, making sure the trailer and images are filled up with the main Horse is, to make Horse lovers want to come and see the Horse in action

Due to by the time the film was nearly out in cinemas, it was widely known, it had its own Facebook page, which automatically promotes it as Facebook is used all over the world, and this is positive as people get to talk about it on a page, looking at trailers and pictures to get them excited. It has it’s own official website: http://www.warhorsemovie.com/# which is really well created and really gets excited into viewers as again is has screen shots, and all the latest trailers, it also has information about the film, for example a more in detail plot , and you can download screensavers icons profile pictures for things like Facebook etc, so you really get to feel like you are involved and it really promotes the film and makes you want to see it. Alongside with the very touching trailer, saying how good the film is, stating reviews and getting the audience excited over the film, they especially used the fact it was made by  Stephen Spielberg to really  boost potential viewer numbers as he is so well know and has done some credited work such as “Schindler's List” that near enough everyone has heard of, so when his name is mentioned people automatically assume that it will be a must-see film.

 However it could be seen as negative as people get a close insight into everything about the film, and maybe information could be spilled through into the media industries and the public find out quicker, so the film isn’t as anticipated as it should have been, due to a lot of information is already known to the public so they know what to expect.

Recently, Spielberg has taken his attention to the younger audience film, producing thing such as “Reel Steel” “Super 8” and “The Adventures Of Tintin”.

“Super 8” and “The Adventures of Tintin” in particular were widely campaigned; they both had their trailers always played in the cinema, to help promote the film. Tintin in particular was showed on TV and even a game was made to advertise and get more fans for the film, so people with all consoles could play the game and  it would make them want to watch the film, or vice versa. Also to help promote Tintin, they synergized with “McDonalds” and with the children’s meal, “Happy meal” they came with Tintin toys, this really boosted up the fan base, as children would either watch the film and then want to collect the toys or get a toy and want to watch the film after, so both companies would get a profit and it would get more viewers for the film.  

With “Reel Steel”, there was the trailer, that really got you into the idea of the film, but again for children, action figures were sold in shops such as the ultimate toy shop “Toys R us” making a child want to collect all their favourite characters of the film after watching it or vice versa.

And with all of these films mentioned, they had their own Facebook page, and an official website, they were on other social networking sites such as “Twitter” So like War Horse, they were all well promoted and you could easy find information about them, or really get into the film, talking about it on social networking sites, of having desktop backgrounds on your computer of the film.

And again Tintin was a comic book, so Spielberg takes an interested in stories, and bringing them onto the big screen, after doing it with Tintin, people may have wanted to see how he brought the War Horse book to life, so in doing so having done it previously could promote War Horse.

TIM - Deconstructing thriller poster

Task 1 --> responding to the brief

I am going to do a poster, and a website. I decided to do a dvd cover as it’s a chance to be creative and show some ideas. And then I decided to do a website to back the dvd cover up, and to give out some information about my poster for the audience so they know what my film is about a bit better.

In my poster I will include my actor/actresses names in so the audience know who is in it, to get them known and to show them credit for being in it. I will possibly have a slogan, a lot of thrillers such as “The Machinist” and “The Strangers” have slogans at the top of their poster, so I am considering having one myself. I will definitely have a picture or a screenshot from my thriller used for the poster, preferably the main setting in my thriller as it is relevant and gives the audience an idea of the setting so they can start asking themselves questions. I will not include any credits or the company name on the front as I think it will get rid of some of the effect of the poster.

In my website I will include images from my short thriller, again to promote my thriller and so viewers can have a look through the pictures so they can see what kind of things happen in the film. I will provide information provided from myself including what the film is about e.g the plot, on basic notes so not to give too much away, to let the viewer have a bit of an idea as to what my thriller is about. I will describe the target audience encase anyone is unsure if they want to watch it, they will have an idea of what violence or gore for example is in it, to determine if they want to watch it or not. I may put  the codes and conventions in of my thriller, again so viewers have an idea. Information about the actors/actresses so viewers can get to know a bit about them, and finally who did what in the thriller, giving them some credit as to who did what.

TIM- How to burn a screen on the light box.

How to burn a screen on the light box.

You will need your screen you have left in a dark room, the light box, and a positive film that you put under your screen.

Before anything else, the first thing you should do is turn the light box on, like an energy saving light bulb, the longer it’s on before you use it, the more powerful it is, so turn it on at least an hour before you want to use it so it has plenty of light energy.

Get your screen out of the dark room, and make sure that it is ok to use, looking to see if there are any drips and if so, remember to avoid them when using the positive film. Make sure the vacuum switch is not turned on as for health and safety reasons it would be dangerous if you tried to open the lid and the vacuum is on, as it could shatter the glass which could get in your skin and/or eyes. Also make sure the UV light isn’t on, as if you lifted the lid up and it is on it could blind you if you look into it. If both of these things are not turned on, open up the lid, and place your positive film onto the glass. Place your screen on top of the positive film in the place you want it to be, avoid putting it on any drips.

Make sure it is lined up exactly how you want it to be, and shut the lid of the light box down onto the screen. Once it has shut properly, lock the lid with the two clips on the side of the light box, and turn the vacuum on, it will suck the rubber on the lid down to the glass, and hold your screen and positive film in place, so when it “bakes” it doesn’t move the screen and you have a wonky stencil, like when tracing.

Once the vacuum is turned on and into place, you can then turn the UV light on, to do this you press green “start” and hold down  the "starter" on the far left for 5 seconds, it counts down in light not in time. During this time you just have to wait for it to “bake”. You can tell when the UV light is on, as the bottom of the light box has a blue light coming off of it. Once the light timer has gone down turn the vacuum off and press cancel just to make sure the UV light is definately off, and you can open up the light box and get your now baked stencil ready to use for printing.

TIM - CYMK

CMYK is used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CYMK refers to the four inks used in some color printing:

• C=cyan
• M=magenta
• Y=yellow
• K=key (black)

The reason this is considered a “subtractive color model” is because the higher percentage of cyan, magenta, and yellow you smear onto a white sheet of paper, the less amount of light that will reflect through, ultimately creating a black (in this case, smudge) on paper.
Why is black referred to as the letter “K” in CMYK?  Allegedly, the K actually stands for Key, as in the key plate used by a printer. It was referred to as the key plate because it generally contained the artistic detail for a piece.

The advantage of CYMK or CKYM is that you had a code to follow, its easier for someone to know what colours to use first and to follow a guideline with a good outcome.
The disadvantage of this is it won't work for every image, this is more for a realistic print, and using it for things like patterns may not give out the same outcome as patterns tend to be bolder.

TIM- How to successfully screen print

When printing with the finished stencil.

Once you have used the light box, and baked the stencil onto the screen with the light sensitive emulsion, your stencil will be on the screen as a greeny colour. You use the jet wash to wash off the green and then the screen where the stencil is goes more clear.
Get your acyrlic, whatever colour you fancy, and put it in a pot ready for when you need it, you will also need a palette knife and a squeegee board the size of your stencil, and an extra empty pot for when you hold your screen up so when the acrylic is on the board it doesnt go all over the newspaper and potentially ruin your print.
Once you have done that, you then either put newspaper on a flat surface, or you can use a board and put newspaper on (tape the newspaper to the surface so it doesnt move) and place your screen on the newspaper, draw a clear thick line around the screen so you know where to place it down when your print your stencil onto another material.
Also make sure you have some newspaper next to your screen to put the acrylic covered sqeegee and palette knife on to stop mess.
Then either get a piece of plain paper, or whatever you want to use, and place it under the screen where the stencil is, and when you have put it in place place some tape at the bottom and mark where to place the piece of paper for when you print your stencil.
Put the pot under your screen and let it rest on that so it is up at an angle, and then underneath your stencil, using the palette knife get some of the acrylic out of the pot and place it in a line under the stencil, not on the stencil just underneath and put the palette knife on the extra newspaper, then put some of the sqweegee board so when using it it has some on already so therefor easier to spread.
Put your paper in place where you left your tape so it is just on the top of the tape. move the pot away from the screen and place the screen on the newspaper in line with the line your drew around the screen before, so everything is in the right place and your screen wont go off the paper you are using. Then with the squeegee board, hold it in both hands at a 40 degree angle facing you, and with some pressure pull the sqeegee up over the stencil, making sure not to get the boarder of the screen as it is an inconvenience, harder to clean and can cause a mess, register your sqeegeem which means when you get past your stencil, push back a little bit so the emulsion goes behind and when you lift up you don't get acrylic everywhere. put the squeegee above the acyrlic, and at the same angle pull back towards you again and register once more.
Once you have done that put the sqeegee on the extra newspaper, and lift up your screen, if the paper has stuck to the screen do not worry, just gently pull back the piece of paper so it doesn't smudge, and there is your stencil printed out onto paper. Put the pot back under the screen and let it rest on that once you have more the paper away from the screen, again for less mess.
When you have finished make sure to clean all equipment and put newspaper in the bin.

NEIL - video installitation youtube videos

1968-"THE ALPHABET" by David Lynch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpxXx5Qf4HA

It lasts for 3.45 and is a random sequence involving the use of the alphabet. It starts off with children singing the beginning of the alphabet to what looks like a women laying in a bed. It uses a mix of animation and real footage throughout the video, the real footage being in black and white, and the animation being a mix of colour and black and white, mainly using bright colours such as orange and red. The only time the alphabet is shown is through animation of them appearing in one shot, and near the end of the video when the girl in the bed is doing strange movements as the letters appear. The video is very strange and doesn't quite add up or flow. it is very random.

"SAND ART" by Kseniya Simonova
on Ukraine's Got talent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOMgDbcA84A

This video lasts for 8.33 seconds and isn't a formaly made video like the first one due to the fact it was on a television program so was just a recording of a live event not a proper made short film/video. It shows Kseniya Simonova in "Ukraine's got talent" using sand as a base to create pictures that mean a lot to her and show emotion alongside music to go with the mood. It shows the audience and judges react to the different images such as crying, showing that some had more meaning behind them. The atmosphere she was in was also quite dark, using dimmed lights and candles to create that more creative effect.

"TELLING LIES" by Simon Ellis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5nN6wemb_8

This is a  British short video only lasting 1.27. And is a blank video only showing writing on screen as people are talking o the phone. The background is black and it uses red and white font as the people are speaking. As the people are speaking the words come up to join the tone and speed of the persons voice. However sometimes what the people are saying doesn't come out the same on the video, it comes up with what the person is thinking, such as one guy is asking another if he slept with his girlfiend, the man is saying no but the words on screen is saying yes.

"THE KISS" by Kye Wilson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLWN78oMCEA

This video  was directed by Kye Wilson and Deniese Callender. It lasts for 6.59 and is an award winning set of five 60 second video pieces. There all basically figures in this silk like material trying to relate to one word that the certain clip is called. The first one being called "resurrection" showing what appears to be a women under this material, first a panning close up of her legs under this material, and she is still, then it is a mid shot showing the whole figure moving slowly around in this material, then at the end once again a close up, but this time panning the upper body with no moving. There is whipsering going on throughout this clip. The second clip is called "Virus", and again it shows a women under this material, appearing to be struggling slightly, the clip of the woman doubles and another version of the women forms into the original, creating weird shapes before it fades out. There is an kind of heart-beaty music going on in the background. The third clip is called "trace" this one is quite black only showing the top half of a person in this cloth, moving their head from side to side gracefully alongside outside noises such as crickets and a graceful music. The next clip is called "the kiss" and the name sums it up as it is a man and a women under the cloth kissing to slow music. The clip sometimes has two version of them over the top of each other at the same time. The fifth clip is called "scream" and shows the top part of a women under the cloth at a really fast pase going from side to side to very static music that matches the struggle and pressure clearly coming from the figure like they are screaming. As the sound gets more static and louder you start to see the womans face through the cloth untill the end there is no cloth just the women moving her head from side to side screaming.

2001 - "STILL LIFE" by Sam Taylor-Wood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIzXWGcb3u0

This video lasts for 3.18, and is what it says, a still life showing a bowl of fresh lovely fruit, and a pen next to it. There is no music, just the image basically showing the fruit decay over time, showing how something so nice can go horrible. The video shows all this grey mist-like substance coming off of the fruit and the fruit go all grey and fall apart, getting lower to the bowl they are sat in.


2002- "A LITTLE DEATH"  bySam Taylor-Wood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIl9rO9sURE

This video is very similar to the "Still life" but with a Rabbit next to a piece of fruit on a table. The video lasts 4.56 and basicaly shows the Rabbit decay. As the Rabbit starts to decaya you see the rabbits skin kind of vibrate, it looks like a little mole is travelling through the rabbit by the way the skin is moving. It is a sped up video otherwise it would take to long to show. It shows it travelling through the body and you see the animal slowly fall apart. By the end of the clip all is left is some skin and the furr off of the Rabbit. The only thing that confused me with this clip, is how the peach is still fresh next to a completely decayed Rabbit?

"HYSTERIA" by Sam Taylor Wood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKAA9lgxges

This video clip lasts for 8.16, and is basicaly a close up shot of a womens face in front of a black screen. It is a silent clip all you have is the video and the whole clip just shows this women laughing hysterically over something unknown.

Ukrainian independence Building Wide Projector Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo9XpnsLlmk

Unknown who made this video. It lasts for 5.50 and like the "SAND ART", it was a live recording not a short film. It is basically a big building being used as a giant prop in which a projector is playing around with the building using light and other animation. In this video you see things like the pillars being lowerd by the projector and balls dropping out the top, all projector work, you see things like a dog projected to be walking on the top of the building, and also different parts of the building being lit up at different times. This was obviously made in a proper sequence as it was cleverly thought out and more animation as built up as the clip goes on, a lot of thought went into the sequence.

Six minutes of stuff getting destroyed
(in super slow motion)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snD1b-om5xw

Again another clip in wich the creator is unknown. This clip is 6.49 and throughout the whole thing you have very clever images of different objects getting destroyed, the first one being a pot dropped onto the floor, soon as the pot his the floor this slow bassed music starts up. Some of the clips of things getting destroyed are very clever, where they are all slowed right down you get to see the object break apart and some of them look quite pretty and you really get a good look of what something looks like when it gets broken. Every time something is destroyed, right at the end the clip is sped up to normal speed. One in particular that is quite shocking is when a man karate chops a block of concrete, you see his hand bend right foward and ripple and it is quite horrible to see. There is a lot of different things, from close up of objects to showing people do something with an object, however not every clip has something breaking. You get to see a good variety of colours so the video is quite vibrant.