Exploring Practce

Coming to an animation and visualisation  masters course as a choreographer has been an interesting journey so far. There are many skills to learn about..in order to make informed choices for my film and animation work. To date,skills explored have included SLR camera work,digital video camera, filming in a group..class topic -Dundee-, life drawing, after effects, brief introduction to 3D animation on Maya, and of course learning to blog!

Life Drawing
It is a long time since I last did life drawing so my first attempts were a bit rough! I felt I could only sit for a short time on the first two sessions but things improved slowly and I now feel I can concentrate quite some time.
Taking this into thoughts about animation I feel I would certainly like to do some sketches of dance to work with. I will contact Janet Smith at Scottish dance Theatre to arrange to sit in on class.

quick sketches....sept/oct 2010

I have already made a decision not to use 3D myself but have identified artists who would willingly collaborate with me should I change my mind on this. I have also made a decision to include 2D animation work and am working on my own drawing skills with this in mind. Again there are artists who would work on this with me. The life drawing is a challenge I am really enjoying, and would like soon to try to capture some quick images of movement. Perhaps the best way is to tee up a session at Scottish dance Theatre, so I will talk to Janet Smith about this. I had a phone call on Friday from a year 2 animation student who would not only like to work on some animation with me but was also an accomplished dancer herself. There seems to me an ideal opportunity to have dance/ film /drawing/ animation crossover here so later in the term we will meet up and test the water.....or maybe snow!!! as right now I am looking out at 8 inches of snow on the roof tops and hedge!!! I am already thinking of movement sequences to work with, and on Friday looked back at some of my past choreography searching for material. I will get into the edit suite and make a short clip of my work for this purpose.

Newburgh shoreline in the snow.............
On Friday I also spent 2 hours with Malcolm looking at after effects...lots of ideas there for me..thank you Lucy for setting this up.

 

life drawing ....getting there slowly!

I have tried a mix of materials to draw with. I like softer pencils but also graphite sticks. I love working witrh charcoal but have not tried to sketch figures with this yet. My tutor, Sharon should be able to help me with this!!  I have looked at animation withcharcoal and really like the effect. It seems to me this would lend itself well to dance drawings and help achieve the sense of fluidity I am looking for................   

At last I managed to buy a decent camera. I want to do some stop motion work so a camera is an essential! I found a Fujifilm finepix HS10 and so far am pleased. My first shot was this majestic tree on the back road to Sheriffmuir. The stormy weather had suddenly given way to a patch of sunshine!!

                                                                                                                                      

Norman' skates

These are not actually Norman's skates, but my dad's. They are from the same time in history and I remember my father wearing them when he taught me to skate in Dunblane's ochlochy park. When I found these in the attic, I thought of the letter Norman wrote home to his mum about skating on the ice behind his home in Canada in 1943. The war was on and my dad was a prisoner of war in Stalag 20 B in Germany.  Norman was a free man skating in Montreal!! While my dad's skates would be sitting unused at home. I thought these ice skates could be used to tell a little tale of their own!!!           

 Although I have not taken the film on ice I chose a concrete surface which seemed to me to be close to the colour of muddy ice and to sepia photos. This gives the images a timeless quality I think....

 so this is Norman working away in his studio...not in 1943 but much later..he had his new specs which he felt he had to have...his old tortoiseshell ones seemed rather old fashioned he said..            

and below is a picture of my dad, Jim, in 1943 sent from Stalag XXB on the Eastern border of Germany. Such a contrast for two cousins!!!!!!!                                                                     

 Here is a fragment of a letter sent home from Germany from my dad in 1943      

and this is a fragment of a letter from Norman to Jim in 1981. He has mistakenly called Jim his nephew!! and Jim has penciled in COUSIN!!