Every piece of art has a similar creative process: Conception, research, planning and creation. We use fashion in a very different way to how we use film or a painting, yet we it all follow this simple structure.
I love that The Art of Making, Red Dress celebrates another art form, not to mention the use of graphics to document and explain the creation process of the clothing. It’s different, sleek and beautiful, just like the designer’s final product.
Simple, to the point and celebrates a type of art beyond film and animation- architecture. I think it beautifully celebrates some of the world’s most magnificent buildings and their creators while using the art deco style to exhibit each building. I like that so many artistic styles and topics are combined to make this short film – plus it manages bring such a global perspective into a seemingly simple short.
During the month of March
I’m talking not talking about painters such as Picasso or sculptors such as Michelangelo, I’m talking about a style of documentary film. Documentary film is defined as recording and documenting a process, an event or an aspect of life. There are no rules as to how artistic the storytelling process is. Often we see documentary as a combination of interviews and b-roll such as we see on the news, but there are many ways to tell a story. So this month, I’m looking at the alternative type of documentary- Art.
What would you do if you couldn’t hear the way you used to or as everyone else does? I like that this film addresses a topic that many of us don’t often think about, if ever. It turns sound waves into something visual and transports the audience with ‘normal’ hearing capabilities into the worlds of three individuals who can’t hear the way that most of us can, yet music is a huge part of their lives.
You’ve probably heard of this film a lot recently because it’s been nominated for an Oscar and won awards at Sundance, so the fact that I’m talking about it probably doesn’t seem all that surprising. But I really do love this film and I think that it deserves all the praise that it’s receiving.
The Golden Globe Awards have come and gone, the BAFTA Film awards are in nine days, and the Academy Awards are in 23. Actresses squeeze themselves into elegant gowns, fashion critics go wild and we hear the immortal words, “And the (insert award name here) goes to…”.
I think it’s safe to say:
To celebrate, I’m dedicating February to documentaries that I think deserve an award or two- some already do have awards And if you are wondering, I have seen all of these films all the way through- I’m not just going off of the trailer.
Let the ceremonies begin!
I’m taking a break today from the theme “Fresh Start”.
I am by no means a designer, but I do have to be able to do my own graphics for some of my films. I was fortunate to have a designer help me with the graphics for “Out of Print“, but usually I’m on my own. With that comes many creative decisions including: color, typeface, layout etc.
For color, I like to take inspiration from this great site called Design Seeds:
I love that there are so many color palettes that I can take inspiration from – I haven’t found one that I didn’t like.
I’ve never copied the colors exactly, instead I take inspiration from them when I’m choosing my colors for whatever I’m putting together. What colors inspire you?
A clean slate of perfect snow becomes a state-of-the-art ‘skate park’. The camera work is gorgeous, but even better, this video shows a side of terrain parks that we don’t usually see.
Bring on the ski season!
This quote comes from a film that people either love or hate… and most people seem hate it. I find this quote inspiring, and I try to remember it when I’m working on my projects.
“But for me it is about finding out something about a place and something about yourself. And when you get off the beaten track, that’s where you find what there is to find.” – Richard in “The Beach” (2000)
When you edit your own video projects, you have to be able to design your own graphics. Text can be a great way to get information across and I definitely use it, but I like the text to enhance the image on the screen. I have to consider the typeface, the placement within the image and what kind of special effects I may need to enhance the look of the text.
I’ve been playing around with different effects:
My attempt at stamped metal…
I probably won’t have the need for this effect in the foreseeable future. I suppose it depends on what I decide to tackle next.
A more typical design for video
Ok, so you’ve probably seen this kind of thing before- hopefully with some more depth of field to draw the eye in. When I put these together, I made these for print. For video, it would probably have some sort of animation involved. That’s for another time.
I wouldn’t call these works of art, and I would probably spend more time on these if they were made for the silver screen. Plus, they would move and play with the light – if I’m lucky. But for now, I’m figuring out what else I can do- you never know when these skills could come in handy.
emfirno 