So, I realise there have been no posts from me for some days now, largely due to the fact that I've been quite busy with completing the final animation for the celebration event on Tuesday and also because there has been so much confusion about the space I'm using at the school.
Essentially, or one reason or another there has been a bit of a break down in communication about the event, something that over the last few days I have de-briefed myself on, reflected on and learnt from!
I really should have checked that in the school everything was being communicated to the people that needed to know, from Day 1. This could have saved a lot of pain and time, for me particularly, but as long as I have learnt from this (and know I am not entirely at fault here!), then its all good.
I just want the event to be great for the students. So I get the film done today, do some final bits of marketing for the event and then get the final preps on place tomorrow.
I thought I didn't understand why there were problems occurring with the event preparation, but now I can see that its all just a huge learning curve and I have to respect the environment I'm going into and no assume I can just do the things I need to do.
Its all down to communication and understanding at the end of the day and I have learnt so much, particularly in the collaboration part of this project.
All is not lost. I just hope the event goes as well as I want it to so that the students have a sense of pride in their work.
And so to complete that work.....
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Exhaustion.
Thats all I can say right now….6 days of very hard work ensue. Looking forward to it, but need to keep my energy up. Hence the early night right now.
Many ideas about the event all in my head ready to spill out but first, rest.
Buenos Noches.
Many ideas about the event all in my head ready to spill out but first, rest.
Buenos Noches.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Terminar 2
So after completing the last of the rostrum photography for the animation cells yesterday, and starting to number, crop and paint-bucket the remaining cells ready for the edit later this week, today was the last workshop session at the school.
Only 4 of my participants could make it today so I went through the journey of the project with them in an iPhoto slideshow, to show them how far we had come.
Then we looked around the Atrium space to recce it and come up with ideas about what we needed for the Event next Tuesday.
They were a very chatty bunch today, so slightly hard for me to manage at this crucial stage!
Nevertheless there were some pretty great ideas about what we needed to have on the event day.
The participants were suggesting that I run a split screen video of the original footage with the animated footage. Then they suggested that each person who comes should have a raffle ticket on the way in and go to sit at that table with their number on it and then draw a raffle so that people win gifts.
One of them even suggested that I do my flamenco routine as well as the dancer who is booked. I feel a bit nervous about the thought of that, with a recovering back injury at the moment and having to organise the whole thing as well, there's just no real time to rehearse….
Another idea was on the back of the feedback form, there should be a picture for younger attendees to colour in …. all great ideas but I'm unsure that there's really time for them at this stage now.
So we got on with typing up the credits and the thank-you's whilst one of the participants researched some information about Carmen Amaya and another designed an audience feedback form.
I also decided to do the final project evaluation today as it could be difficult to secure time with the participants once the event has passed.
The feedback I got from the participants as usual was glowing. I think the've really enjoyed it and I have as well. There's still a lot to do for Tuesday, though, starting with a meeting tomorrow morning with the teacher and the technician to sort out the practicalities of the event and what equipment and set up I'll need next week, but I look forward to getting that sorted so I can concentrate on pushing the event and actually completing the work for it!
Only 4 of my participants could make it today so I went through the journey of the project with them in an iPhoto slideshow, to show them how far we had come.
Then we looked around the Atrium space to recce it and come up with ideas about what we needed for the Event next Tuesday.
They were a very chatty bunch today, so slightly hard for me to manage at this crucial stage!
Nevertheless there were some pretty great ideas about what we needed to have on the event day.
The participants were suggesting that I run a split screen video of the original footage with the animated footage. Then they suggested that each person who comes should have a raffle ticket on the way in and go to sit at that table with their number on it and then draw a raffle so that people win gifts.
One of them even suggested that I do my flamenco routine as well as the dancer who is booked. I feel a bit nervous about the thought of that, with a recovering back injury at the moment and having to organise the whole thing as well, there's just no real time to rehearse….
Another idea was on the back of the feedback form, there should be a picture for younger attendees to colour in …. all great ideas but I'm unsure that there's really time for them at this stage now.
So we got on with typing up the credits and the thank-you's whilst one of the participants researched some information about Carmen Amaya and another designed an audience feedback form.
I also decided to do the final project evaluation today as it could be difficult to secure time with the participants once the event has passed.
The feedback I got from the participants as usual was glowing. I think the've really enjoyed it and I have as well. There's still a lot to do for Tuesday, though, starting with a meeting tomorrow morning with the teacher and the technician to sort out the practicalities of the event and what equipment and set up I'll need next week, but I look forward to getting that sorted so I can concentrate on pushing the event and actually completing the work for it!
Working away on the event prep earlier today.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Playing Catch Up!
So hello! I haven't written in quite a few days due to sheer lack of energy, definitely not lack of enthusiasm!
I have been rostruming, workshopping, flying etc etc…..
My penultimate session with the students at Halewood Academy was last Thursday 7th November and it was a decent workshop, continuing with the photoshopping / paint-bucketing exercise and I have to say it was a girl who was the best and quickest at the exercise and it was just interesting to see how the students picked up the learning of the task.
I had one student show me an alternative way of making the background black and the figure and feet white….though I've forgotten now how he did it.
Still enthusiasm abounded in the session with one girl asking if I could go in the following day to continue the session and one boy asking if I would be doing the activity / project next year. So I think they like this project!
Tomorrow is (supposedly) my last rostrum photography day at LJMU, though I am getting very confused with the order and sections of the animation cells that I've completed…..it will be fine I hope!
As far as the event is concerned, I know that some local councillors from Halewood may be attending the event and I have booked the flamenco dancer so this week, in terms of time is crucial to finish everything on time to install for Monday and show on Tuesday.
In the meantime, I've said it many times before….estoy canasta.
Buenos Noches, amigos x
I have been rostruming, workshopping, flying etc etc…..
My penultimate session with the students at Halewood Academy was last Thursday 7th November and it was a decent workshop, continuing with the photoshopping / paint-bucketing exercise and I have to say it was a girl who was the best and quickest at the exercise and it was just interesting to see how the students picked up the learning of the task.
I had one student show me an alternative way of making the background black and the figure and feet white….though I've forgotten now how he did it.
Still enthusiasm abounded in the session with one girl asking if I could go in the following day to continue the session and one boy asking if I would be doing the activity / project next year. So I think they like this project!
Tomorrow is (supposedly) my last rostrum photography day at LJMU, though I am getting very confused with the order and sections of the animation cells that I've completed…..it will be fine I hope!
As far as the event is concerned, I know that some local councillors from Halewood may be attending the event and I have booked the flamenco dancer so this week, in terms of time is crucial to finish everything on time to install for Monday and show on Tuesday.
In the meantime, I've said it many times before….estoy canasta.
Buenos Noches, amigos x
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
And then there were...
Five! My five core participants showed for the 4th art workshop session today, which I was pleased with as this made the session much more manageable as they were very excitable today!
The activity I set them was to paint bucket in Photoshop all of the frames I had photographed and cropped yesterday, so that the inside of the drawn figures were white, and the outside of the drawn figures were chequered, so that they would be black when imported into the editing software, which was 'sick' according to one of the group.
I think maybe because this was a more focused, sit and concentrate activity, it wasn't as popular as the outlining or inking. Not that this group aren't capable of focussing, I think it being bonfire night they must have been a bit more excited and using the Macs in the library space also made them livelier for some reason.
Still it was an interesting session. I had set the group 30 images each to paint bucket, trying not to underestimate their capabilities like with the outlining exercise. But this exercise does take patience and also getting used to Photoshop and the particular functions I was asking them to use.....
One of the group is very talented at animation and it seems to have captured his imagination. In fact, he showed me in Powerpoint how to make the whole of the background black with just the white outline of the drawings remaining, kind of reversing the image we started with. I didn't even know you could animate in Powerpoint. More learning for me.
The group are happy to continue the task on Thursday, the penultimate session. I think they want to see an outcome soon.....I will show them a taster of what the amended, paint bucketed frames look like in the editing software on Thursday if there's time.
Finished the session by handing out the flyers for the event which I'm happy we've now got and will discuss with the Teacher on Thursday about the exact proceedings for the event and what help I'll need.
Despite a slightly unsettled session on the Macs, the participants still said they enjoyed the session in the evaluation forms. I just didn't have time to take many pictures of the process and anyway, only 2 of the group have brought their photo consent forms back so don't want to compromise that!
Finally, I can't believe I have finished stapling the remaining 600 odd cells ready to outline tomorrow. I don't think I'll get them all done but hope I will in time for another rostrum session later this week.
Funny how quick I've become at stapling the tracing paper to the print outs of the cells and the realisations I've had about the project and my process and how this is about my continued learning as much as the young artists. Its also amazing how the project is constantly evolving and the themes that are surfacing, particularly the idea of contrasts for example, from learning something quick / in a short space of time (flamenco) compared to carrying out a very labour intensive process of traditional rotascoping. This fits in well with my research about process and outcomes and I look forward to sharing this within the final displayed work.
The activity I set them was to paint bucket in Photoshop all of the frames I had photographed and cropped yesterday, so that the inside of the drawn figures were white, and the outside of the drawn figures were chequered, so that they would be black when imported into the editing software, which was 'sick' according to one of the group.
I think maybe because this was a more focused, sit and concentrate activity, it wasn't as popular as the outlining or inking. Not that this group aren't capable of focussing, I think it being bonfire night they must have been a bit more excited and using the Macs in the library space also made them livelier for some reason.
Still it was an interesting session. I had set the group 30 images each to paint bucket, trying not to underestimate their capabilities like with the outlining exercise. But this exercise does take patience and also getting used to Photoshop and the particular functions I was asking them to use.....
One of the group is very talented at animation and it seems to have captured his imagination. In fact, he showed me in Powerpoint how to make the whole of the background black with just the white outline of the drawings remaining, kind of reversing the image we started with. I didn't even know you could animate in Powerpoint. More learning for me.
The group are happy to continue the task on Thursday, the penultimate session. I think they want to see an outcome soon.....I will show them a taster of what the amended, paint bucketed frames look like in the editing software on Thursday if there's time.
Finished the session by handing out the flyers for the event which I'm happy we've now got and will discuss with the Teacher on Thursday about the exact proceedings for the event and what help I'll need.
Despite a slightly unsettled session on the Macs, the participants still said they enjoyed the session in the evaluation forms. I just didn't have time to take many pictures of the process and anyway, only 2 of the group have brought their photo consent forms back so don't want to compromise that!
Finally, I can't believe I have finished stapling the remaining 600 odd cells ready to outline tomorrow. I don't think I'll get them all done but hope I will in time for another rostrum session later this week.
Funny how quick I've become at stapling the tracing paper to the print outs of the cells and the realisations I've had about the project and my process and how this is about my continued learning as much as the young artists. Its also amazing how the project is constantly evolving and the themes that are surfacing, particularly the idea of contrasts for example, from learning something quick / in a short space of time (flamenco) compared to carrying out a very labour intensive process of traditional rotascoping. This fits in well with my research about process and outcomes and I look forward to sharing this within the final displayed work.
Project participant paint-bucketing a frame
Our event flyer!
Monday, 4 November 2013
Taking my time...
Today has been one of absolute ups and downs. Had a great day in LJMU Digital Imaging Department taking rostrum pictures of half of the 1348 frames needed for the animation, so only around another 648 to staple, trace and photograph!
It was a really fun and different way of working in the studio at the Uni, a lovely working learning environment.
I was quite nervous at photographing each frame, but it turned out to be a very quick process.
I was using a Nikon DSLR, which was lovely to use and I made sure I marked up where the frames had been sitting on the rostrum so that when I go back in later this week to complete the exercise, all of the remaining frames will be in the right place.
Andy and Carlos the technicians were so helpful in there and I even made it onto Andy's blog which can be found at interactive-lead.tumblr.com
Picked up around 700 sheets of tracing paper for the rest of the cell tracing that I need to do, so that will keep me busy for a few days!
The rest of the day has been spent batch cropping the images photographed today, ready to take some into the school session tomorrow and completing the event flyer which will be going to print tomorrow - ready for distribution and emailing as an invite. This has taken some time to do as it involves a very bold and bright Catalan flag!
And so to bed....I'm enjoying this process but its tiring!
Saludo!
It was a really fun and different way of working in the studio at the Uni, a lovely working learning environment.
I was quite nervous at photographing each frame, but it turned out to be a very quick process.
I was using a Nikon DSLR, which was lovely to use and I made sure I marked up where the frames had been sitting on the rostrum so that when I go back in later this week to complete the exercise, all of the remaining frames will be in the right place.
Andy and Carlos the technicians were so helpful in there and I even made it onto Andy's blog which can be found at interactive-lead.tumblr.com
Picked up around 700 sheets of tracing paper for the rest of the cell tracing that I need to do, so that will keep me busy for a few days!
The rest of the day has been spent batch cropping the images photographed today, ready to take some into the school session tomorrow and completing the event flyer which will be going to print tomorrow - ready for distribution and emailing as an invite. This has taken some time to do as it involves a very bold and bright Catalan flag!
And so to bed....I'm enjoying this process but its tiring!
Saludo!
Sunday, 3 November 2013
In the right place...
Hey, blogspot! I have missed you, but what an exciting few days filled with workshop Session 3 (Thursday), testing out the rostrum technique and finishing a draft version of the celebration event flyer (Friday) and general printing out and tracing of frames (Saturday and today!)
I shall start with Thursday's 3rd session, which was 'Awesome' as many of the participants put it. We completed more tracings and we had a guest artist in to help the participants to design a flyer.
It was another great session and actually I feel that we're all in the right place as I wanted to try and teach an element of patience to the participants through the tracing exercise and also to try and address team-working outcomes through the art work and the process of this animation creation, so we'll see how it goes on in the next few sessions.
A couple of students also worked with Sam Hatton, an animation artist who is also great at graphics, so she came in to support the creation of the celebration event flyer / invite.
I had previously met with Debbie Rose of Knowsley MBC before this session. Debbie is a Leisure & Culture Development Officer with a particular remit for Halewood Academy and we spoke about the event and the meaning behind the work and she put me in the right direction for getting contacts etc to invite to the event on the 19th, so I was able to talk to Liz, the teacher I'm working with at the Academy and we managed to get the ball rolling on a bit of planning of the event on Thursday which was great.
A great session was had by all that day with the young people really enjoying the tracing exercise and as it was Halloween, I gave them some souvenirs I had brought back from Barcelona for them and for their hard work so far!
Friday was another great day, I managed to get into a local University to use their rostrum facilities starting tomorrow. Its very modern and up to date, but first I went to my friend Sam's who has an older version to test out what I'll be doing and the result was really good, though in retrospect, when I'm looking at the tracings of the figure, I should have told the participants to traces the outer section of my outline, as there are just a few inconsistencies, but its all a learning curve, so never mind!
The flyer is also almost done for the celebration event, based upon the ideas the young lads in the session had on Thursday. I just need to get this approved before it goes to print.
Saturday and Sunday have been quite mad busy too.....lots of printing of the cells to be traced - I'm halfway through now so I just need to pick up the rest of the tracing paper tomorrow to finish that off and today I have been prepping for the rostrum session tomorrow, separating the traced cells from the original printed ones so I can photograph them.
Its all go, but I'm happy in my work and in all of the learning that I've done in this phase of the project.
More to come on that, but the last few days, it's been awesome!
I shall start with Thursday's 3rd session, which was 'Awesome' as many of the participants put it. We completed more tracings and we had a guest artist in to help the participants to design a flyer.
It was another great session and actually I feel that we're all in the right place as I wanted to try and teach an element of patience to the participants through the tracing exercise and also to try and address team-working outcomes through the art work and the process of this animation creation, so we'll see how it goes on in the next few sessions.
A couple of students also worked with Sam Hatton, an animation artist who is also great at graphics, so she came in to support the creation of the celebration event flyer / invite.
I had previously met with Debbie Rose of Knowsley MBC before this session. Debbie is a Leisure & Culture Development Officer with a particular remit for Halewood Academy and we spoke about the event and the meaning behind the work and she put me in the right direction for getting contacts etc to invite to the event on the 19th, so I was able to talk to Liz, the teacher I'm working with at the Academy and we managed to get the ball rolling on a bit of planning of the event on Thursday which was great.
A great session was had by all that day with the young people really enjoying the tracing exercise and as it was Halloween, I gave them some souvenirs I had brought back from Barcelona for them and for their hard work so far!
Friday was another great day, I managed to get into a local University to use their rostrum facilities starting tomorrow. Its very modern and up to date, but first I went to my friend Sam's who has an older version to test out what I'll be doing and the result was really good, though in retrospect, when I'm looking at the tracings of the figure, I should have told the participants to traces the outer section of my outline, as there are just a few inconsistencies, but its all a learning curve, so never mind!
The flyer is also almost done for the celebration event, based upon the ideas the young lads in the session had on Thursday. I just need to get this approved before it goes to print.
Saturday and Sunday have been quite mad busy too.....lots of printing of the cells to be traced - I'm halfway through now so I just need to pick up the rest of the tracing paper tomorrow to finish that off and today I have been prepping for the rostrum session tomorrow, separating the traced cells from the original printed ones so I can photograph them.
Its all go, but I'm happy in my work and in all of the learning that I've done in this phase of the project.
More to come on that, but the last few days, it's been awesome!
More tracing.....
And more.....
And more....!
Artist Sam Hatton working on a flyer with students
Rostrum Test / Exercise....
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