That was a good read! I'm not sure if its just me or my monitor, but i find the text in the creative partnerships section, that has the red background rather difficult to read...
Okay - I'm going to be super honest with you, because that's my job, and because it's important to be clear from the outset in regard to expectations - yours, mine etc. Don't worry, I'm not about to throw the book at you, I'm just going to suggest that your OGR captures successfully a rather lacklustre first few weeks of CGAA. I know you've got other responsibilities (the bar etc.) and I detect too that you've been struggling to engage with the actual source material of your project. I'd suggest gently that, in truth, you haven't been pushing hard enough to get past this initial block. This is a polite way of me suggesting that you're not putting the graft in, hence you still being stuck in a 'week one' sort of place with your excerpts. It's all been a bit slap-dash and casual (your reviews excepted), and I think you've been struggling to conceptualise these spaces, and your motivation in regard to this project is now lower than either of us would wish.
I'm always amazed when, in a project that is essentially asking a student to deal creatively, dynamically and originally with 'cinematic spaces' - they choose.... a corridor :( I'm going to say right now that, given the psychological and feverishly over-wrought potential of the Red Room itself, that the corridor outside of it is a 'no'. Choosing 'the corridor' feels a bit like defeatism, but perhaps expresses your struggle to see beyond the 'four wall-ness' of your spaces and concerns, maybe, about attempting more complex compositions.
All of that said - your staircase thumbnail brims with potential, and I'm guessing it's in response to some of the discussions we've had already. I want you to take heart from that thumbnail - to use it to unlock the potential of these places. Again, the interior of The Magic Shop - with all it's uncanny paraphernalia and pools of shadow - MUST be more of an eye-magnet than depicting its exterior?
In terms of picking up on the slight sinister element endemic to these sorts of spaces, with their toys and dummies, check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx7smh7YHKg
Those references suggested in a previous comment were a means of trying to free you from the idea that somehow you have to keep drawing corners of rooms in perspective from some 'non-view' as if this is a technical exercise. I want you to focus on creating a feeling - an atmosphere - of eliciting an emotional response from your viewer. That Tell-Tale Heart animation goes for a much more 'open stage + a few props + scenery' approach, and uses perspective cleverly and strategically, but isn't afraid either to admit that the spaces are 'non-real' and highly-stylised.
In short - I'd suggest - delicately - that you're thinking boringly about your source material because you're mistaking this project for a technical drawing exercise, as opposed to a platform to explore ways in which space can be represented - these are representations of space - not architectural drawings.
I want you to be much braver - and importantly, MUCH more proactive and engaged with seeking a solution to your own frustration with this project; afterall, if you were freelancing and this was the job you'd signed on for, you'd HAVE to find a way out of the conceptual doldrums.
So - great reviews, Katy, and a promising thumbnail, but ditch the corridor (do the Red Room), ditch the exterior of the magic shop (do the interior), and find a way to blow this tutor's socks off - relax a bit, create more, do more.
Finally - there's an issue with your OGR in terms of its onscreen resolution - it's very pixelated and looks a bit naff. Not sure what you did, but consult your classmates for a Scribd healthcheck.
I'm looking forward to seeing much more happening on here over the coming days. 'Be amazing' :)
That was a good read! I'm not sure if its just me or my monitor, but i find the text in the creative partnerships section, that has the red background rather difficult to read...
ReplyDeleteOGR 11/10/2012
ReplyDeleteHi Katy,
Okay - I'm going to be super honest with you, because that's my job, and because it's important to be clear from the outset in regard to expectations - yours, mine etc. Don't worry, I'm not about to throw the book at you, I'm just going to suggest that your OGR captures successfully a rather lacklustre first few weeks of CGAA. I know you've got other responsibilities (the bar etc.) and I detect too that you've been struggling to engage with the actual source material of your project. I'd suggest gently that, in truth, you haven't been pushing hard enough to get past this initial block. This is a polite way of me suggesting that you're not putting the graft in, hence you still being stuck in a 'week one' sort of place with your excerpts. It's all been a bit slap-dash and casual (your reviews excepted), and I think you've been struggling to conceptualise these spaces, and your motivation in regard to this project is now lower than either of us would wish.
I'm always amazed when, in a project that is essentially asking a student to deal creatively, dynamically and originally with 'cinematic spaces' - they choose.... a corridor :( I'm going to say right now that, given the psychological and feverishly over-wrought potential of the Red Room itself, that the corridor outside of it is a 'no'. Choosing 'the corridor' feels a bit like defeatism, but perhaps expresses your struggle to see beyond the 'four wall-ness' of your spaces and concerns, maybe, about attempting more complex compositions.
All of that said - your staircase thumbnail brims with potential, and I'm guessing it's in response to some of the discussions we've had already. I want you to take heart from that thumbnail - to use it to unlock the potential of these places. Again, the interior of The Magic Shop - with all it's uncanny paraphernalia and pools of shadow - MUST be more of an eye-magnet than depicting its exterior?
http://www.staugustinepics.com/uncategorized/theater-magic-shop-interior/
In terms of identifying colour palettes and atmosphere for this space, take a look at old magician posters (for example):
http://spyhunter007.com/Images/karlini_magician.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VChlnV7tA7o/TDDv_J7fq2I/AAAAAAAABiI/u-kVVLMP-Ng/s1600/Poster_of_Alexander_Crystal_Seer.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VChlnV7tA7o/TIVkuPI_OVI/AAAAAAAAB-k/zxIhu7pd-Hw/s1600/Flickr_-_%E2%80%A6trialsanderrors_-_Kellar_and_his_servants,_magician_poster,_ca._1894.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BUWERsI3ztc/TLS-RkrILHI/AAAAAAAAAzg/6CBWH68jF_o/s640/c16cart.jpg
In terms of picking up on the slight sinister element endemic to these sorts of spaces, with their toys and dummies, check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx7smh7YHKg
Those references suggested in a previous comment were a means of trying to free you from the idea that somehow you have to keep drawing corners of rooms in perspective from some 'non-view' as if this is a technical exercise. I want you to focus on creating a feeling - an atmosphere - of eliciting an emotional response from your viewer. That Tell-Tale Heart animation goes for a much more 'open stage + a few props + scenery' approach, and uses perspective cleverly and strategically, but isn't afraid either to admit that the spaces are 'non-real' and highly-stylised.
In short - I'd suggest - delicately - that you're thinking boringly about your source material because you're mistaking this project for a technical drawing exercise, as opposed to a platform to explore ways in which space can be represented - these are representations of space - not architectural drawings.
ReplyDeleteI want you to be much braver - and importantly, MUCH more proactive and engaged with seeking a solution to your own frustration with this project; afterall, if you were freelancing and this was the job you'd signed on for, you'd HAVE to find a way out of the conceptual doldrums.
So - great reviews, Katy, and a promising thumbnail, but ditch the corridor (do the Red Room), ditch the exterior of the magic shop (do the interior), and find a way to blow this tutor's socks off - relax a bit, create more, do more.
Finally - there's an issue with your OGR in terms of its onscreen resolution - it's very pixelated and looks a bit naff. Not sure what you did, but consult your classmates for a Scribd healthcheck.
I'm looking forward to seeing much more happening on here over the coming days. 'Be amazing' :)