Sunday, 8 August 2021

Learning about the basics of composition and what It means to be a film maker

 


Recently I've finally managed to find some time to pick up and read this book that so many visual storytellers and creatives have recommended. So far it has been a really insightful and informative read with great easily digestible examples of what you need when creating a film. 

The key elements I took away from the first few paragraphs in the introduction is that now anyone can shoot a film with their phones and camera as technology has become more accessible and affordable as well as user friendly with high quality editing software etc. It is also much easier to learn specialized skills in film making with the aid of the internet and affordable learning.

In the same chapter the author address some key influential directors too such as: Griffith, Welles, Godard, Kurosawa and Wes Anderson just to name a few. Few of these names I have heard of and have watched their master pieces, however I am yet to discover more formidable influential directors that have made a mark in the art of film making today.

The next section of the book addresses the importance of the Visualization process, it is noted that a film enables the audience with the feeling of being present that photography or a painting cant provide. Through the visual arrangement of perspective and movement of camera. During the visualization stage the author does express the importance of being open minded during the filming and to be prepared to change and deviate from any initial storyboards or key frames. He then gives an insight to the role of a production designer and art director with clear description of their main differences during production.

Mise-en-scene is a term that I'm quite familiar with due to my earlier studies in visual communication and media in school. The initial idea that I believe it signifies is the overall design of a scene or set with a clear communication of what mood or atmosphere the visual director wants in the shot. 

It stated that the Production designer does have more of a comprehensive role than that of an Art director as they are more involved with the overall shot and flow of each scene and how the scenes is visually composed. Where as the art director will often manage the art team to come up with visual concepts for director. Gone with the wind seems to have had an influential part in the development of this role and the position of production designer has continued to be a significant role in production till this day.

 Following that the next section describes the role of the Look dev team and what their significant roles are. The teams is commonly divided into three groups, Concept Art, Plans, Elevation and Projection and finally the Storyboards and previz. There is mention of key influential production artists such as Ralph Mcquarrie and Craig Mullins who are my absolute idols when it comes to concept art and world building, along with many other great designers out there who have been a huge influence on my work.

Anyway that concludes of how much I have manage to get up to so far and with that I end this post here and continue to read on and hopefully update these entries as I intern new information.

    

Sunday, 7 February 2021

Digital Painting Lesson 7 with Bobby Chiu: Speedpainting


 



Part of the challenge for this assignment was to try and capture as much of the reference image within 20min as accurately as possible. I feel satisfied with the result however I feel I should have gone more with hard edged brush with high opacity before committing to any subtle value transitions. Twenty minuets was challenging but a good indication of where my painting time can be used more efficiently and effectively. One main thing I definitely took from this exercise is to focus on the speed of thinking and not how fast we execute with a brush but rather how we apply strokes more efficiently without having to backtrack and fix errors frequently.

Sunday, 31 January 2021

Digital Painting Lesson 6 with Bobby Chiu: Sketching (20

 

The objective of this assignment was to practice digital sketching for 20mins from reference and capture the value structure and essence of the subject.


Ref


20 min sketch

For this first 20m sketch I particularly struggled with identifying the form of the microphone and feel I should have put more time in that first. 
However I feel I got the feel and structure of the boy singing pretty well considering that I usually struggle with profiles. 
Ref:02




Sketch:02 

Overall I feel I have captured the gesture and form of this bird in the 20min i set myself. However I feel I could have simplified and give the background a bit more clarity and shape.

Ref:03
Sketch:03

The third subject matter I felt the most excited yet some what challenging as it had clear figures in the shot. I love the composition and how the values are structured, which I feel I could have pushed more and add a tiny bit more contrast and separation of values.





Ref:04
Sketch:04

The last 20min sketch I struggled the most and felt that I did not have a clear focal area. I consider it to be possibly the most challenging out of the four due to the complexity of forms and architectural environment. However i had a lot of fun and was the most rewarding trying to tackle the image.




Monday, 25 January 2021

Digital Painting Lesson 5 with Bobby Chiu

 

For this assignment our task was to paint from this reference for 7 days each day making different artistic choices and trying to gain as much knowledge. 

Day 1 was to paint the reference accurately using values from a base silhouette and practicing subtle gradation utilizing opacity and flow to apply confident smooth transitions and planes changes.
 
Day 2 was to accurately replicate the reference with good proportions and values without the aid of a base silhouette.

Day 3 assignment was to paint the reference again with limited time and less time looking at the image. It also gave me the opportunity to experiment with stylistic proportions.
Day 4 was undoubtedly one of the most challenging as it involved painting the subject matter flipped or mirrored without changing the orientation of the reference.
Day 5 bestowed the challenge of now adding colour on top of that flipped too. Which added extra difficulty and I found most challenging out of the days.
Day 6 was one I had most fun with as it gave me flexibility to experiment with proportions and have fun stylizing the shapes with out becoming to attached to the reference. 
Day 7 was the most exciting and somewhat challenging as it involved painting entirely with no reference and the freedom to paint the subject entirely any artistic integrity. It was a great opportunity to experiment with my subject matter and practice applying fundamental concepts.  

Saturday, 16 January 2021

Digital Painting Lesson 4 with Bobby Chiu: Colorizing Black and White


 

This was the second time ive have completed this assignment. The first time I attempted this class was back when I was still studying in Vancouver. I find this painting process to be some what challenging due to the fact that when colorizing the image you also need to be aware of the saturation and value beneath and may need to be adjusted to achieve the results or vibrancy I'm looking for. Each process has its pros and drawbacks however working from greyscale to colour does enable great flexibility as and easier to build a strong foundation and structure without the distraction of colour to early on. Working in values also has the benifit of a non-destructive element as you can easily adjust the tones with adjustment layers without losing detail or information underneath. Sometimes I often find my self overpainting same areas with layers of paint too many times without making a conscious decision about why I placed that colour or value. Working for greyscale helps me to break down the individual elements and gradually work the image up without getting to overwhelmed in the process.


Saturday, 9 January 2021

Digital Painting Lesson 3 With Bobby Chiu



 For lesson three our tasks was to paint using only the hard round brush on the adjustment layers with flow/opacity. Both studies limited to only hour each without any breaks was a great test of my patience and concentration to gradually build the transitions slowly and with accuracy with confident brushwork and mark making. I particularly quite enjoyed this process of painting however had a difficult time distinguishing mid tones and areas of  what should be in the light group and shadow.

Overall this was a fun exercise and a great way to revisit some basic foundations and use of the brush tool.

   

Sunday, 3 January 2021

Lesson 2 Digital Painting with Bobby Chiu



 The second assignment of Bobby Chiu's class was split into a 2 part painting exercise, learning how to apply subtle value transition using only flow and opacity to make make smooth gradation, which was also a great opportunity to practice edge control. The challenge was to utilize only the hard round brush and no soft or textured brush to achieve certain soft gradations. 

I found the flower petals and the ear to be quite challenging and feel I could have pushed the lighter tones further to increase the contrast and definition of the form to achieve a clearer graphic statement.
I found painting the flower petals to be the most enjoyable out of the three subject matters due to its range of values and the flexibility to pushed the lights and dark accents.