cut

At last after a whole day...7 15 or so till now...I have a render and copies of the film in the masters edit share account. plus one in my portable hard drive just in case!! I knew it could take a long time. but after leaving it to render all night it had not...two files had skipped off line...so render two began at around 8 30 after I reimported the files. The second time around the edit computer was full and stopped render 10 minutes from the end!! The third time it just stopped...there was a small unrendered section..only the credits at the end ..so take number four finally worked and we got it in to the account,I have stopped once for coffee and had no lunch - breakfast was at 6 am!! I think the sun is shining...just as well I came in so early.

mix mix render

working today on final changes to the film. The section with Leila is  in response to McLaren's letter from America about fireflies. It makes a really good combination with the skating animation sequence. Great to nearly be there!! .

I also feel this particular piece of the final film sits very well with many dance films I have seen.

I looked at a film yesterday which uses motion graphic really well. Its the first I have seen which I feel uses the technology in a great way and something to think about collaborating on in the future. Masters peer Link has expressed an interest in my future project on McLaren and it would be great to work with him on developing the ideas we started on...

EMBRACE from Ashley Rae Pearsall on Vimeo.

progress and reflection

I have had a last tutorial with Sharon, this time in the edit rooms, and we are both happy with where things have got to. It was good to be able to demonstrate to her the learning I have achieved on the equipment ( I have surprised myself too)

Today I went on to bring the still image I created for the website together with the film it came from to make a closing seqence for my film. When I was trying to add the skating animation I realised it was not the right size when it would not render so I had to go back to the file and re size it then import it all over again as a movie! Once I had this done I then discovered how to change the aspect ratio and a good way to add something to half the screen e.g. text or animation. I also worked out how to change the colour of it tho in the end I am not sure it really works here with the skating feet....will decide at the end!!


Technical problems still...my own computer is not recognising files I have imported as movies. So not only can I not edit at home I can now not look at films either! And when I took my most recent animation to line test it the pc had switched off and no one knew the code to get into it ( the cable had dropped out) so I had to go search for Sean or somone who knew the code!

I have done one more piece of film for the opening sequence with Anya, the last dancer I had agreed to work with.

The studio has been great and I will be sad to give it up...I realise that my work probably sits mid way between film and fine art. This means different needs and I feel I have managed those well. I certainly found this an inspiring place and a better place to focus. The photo was mid way through light tests on the costume.

getting there

Having created one image on photoshop for the web I could not resist looking back at the many I have captured to see if they could be used in any way. Another huge skill for me. Also a lesson not to throw away any material...excellent for a hoarder like me!!! I will not be using this particular sequence with Mya dancing but I love it and maybe it will be part of a future continuation of Norman's letters!As a still image it captures perfectly the Hermes letter

"I do not know how to express the joy I felt"

And by a quirk of fate I read a section of Norman's drawings book and his words about  finding himself unable to say all he wanted to in words so he started using little drawings in letters. It feels to me that I am extending this idea into using dance and images in place of words.

Someone asked if there was going to be any narration...again I could quote Norman and say that words would spoil it!!

So I am getting there

I have a list of to do things each day and just work through it all...well not usually all ..some make it on to more than one days to do list! Mya's dancing has so much energy that I am glad I have two pieces of film of her and in the end I have chosen the other piece, not the one this image comes from. This will be paired with sand animation as a representation of the sea journey across the atlantic that Norman made in October 1939. I will also use Link's animated piece with wings for the sea hawk letter section. I think I need to make it a little more abstract to merge the wings and make them look less 'tacked on'. I could probably try adding some colour too.

I need to work on the swan too...and then draw up a list of credits. Actually I have been doing this as I go along, making sure I make a note of everyone who has been part of this process.

I have a section mixing water with dance and although I was sure this would be used I now have doubts. I can see my problem is what to leave out...not finding enough work to put in. A good problem to have tho...

public image

my task today was twofold.

I had to create an image for the masters web page which I felt would communicate my film well.
As I prepared to work on this in edit my share account announced it was full! I am not an expert in computer skills and it had not yet occurred to look at this every day. However now it has happened I see it is one of those learning curves that has given me knowledge which will now stay with me. Well I am hoping all the knowledge will stay of course but this is a mistake I will not make again in a hurry!! I thank my stars that it happened now and not in another week!That I was not mid edit but working on a side issue.
I duly purchased a portable hard drive which I will keep for film ( and Mac only!) and got back to work on clearing up the space. It has been useful as I would have to be doing it anyway...maybe just not now...and it serves to make me locate all my film and any material I may need in this last two weeks.

I have found it quite difficult to get rid of material tho as it is all linked...and I have alreday made the mistake earlier this semester of deleting something, to find it had a knock on effect on my other work. And although many peers decried the use of film tape that I have done...this is one situation where I was very lucky to have chosen to film this way. I have all my tapes carefully logged and indexed to use in the future!

So, the film title is settled...another change which I feel reflects the dance the letters and the emotional content...'Affectionately Yours...Norman'...and space is made on the edit share to work...I begin to sift through all my still images which I had stored over the last months for just this purpose (publicity) and try to choose which one holds all my ideas. In the end I make the choice but it is not a fantastic quality of shot so I have to do some work in photoshop to make it special. I choose a finish that reminds me of pastel or paint and sit back to scrutinise it.

I cannot get the idea out of my mind that I have to find some way to include a letter in some form...at first I try with images of me and then Norman writing and then a letter...then it suddenly comes to me!! The dancer looks as if she is writing a letter on the ice...so I set about fitting one or two letters to see what I can achieve. I use Final Cut for this in the end as I now know it so much better than photoshop!! I do not use the letter I had thought I would, but instead choose one I took at the archive which describes a Christmas film Norman made...I had noted it last week and rejected it in another phase of my project as it was taken at a strange angle. But I search it out realising it is perfect for my purpose now...as it appears to be fading into the distance. ( this I must admit was chance as the letter was two pages and I had folded it over and captured one page) I now know, as a result how to achieve this look! It is also on a whiter paper so gives me a much better resolution after working on it than the first letter and the words...Norman's...on it are particularly appropriate as they describe the animation process. He even gives a frame count...3,600 still drawings!!

I am pleased with the results but still see room for improvement. It will have to wait as time is running out to finish the film itself, but seeing this image clarifies many things about the film. And like all creative projects just as you reach the finish you begin to think about the future.

I can already see many ways forward for most of the ideas I have explored in my films. I am looking forward to sharing those ideas with the Stirling University Team and Karl the archivist. But this image in particular carries the emotion of the film and its journey, and portrays the connection between Norman, me and my research process and its outcome in terms of my creative response to the letters. In a sense I feel it is also a starting point for the next part of my journey, and by happenstance a letter arrived today inviting me to get involved with the centenary in 2014 of Norman's birth. One journey will end in two weeks and a new one will begin!!                                                       

a busy week!

This week has been a bit crazy...the first of many such weeks to come is my guess! On the 16th July I had to search for clips I could not find of Zoe...found in capture scratch...under alicia!!! Then I continued editing and the drawing for the short dance sequence I am adding as an animation. I made them into a short movie to test them.I am spending so long in edit I am frozen by the time I get home at 9.00 pm. On the 17th I drew in the studio I am using...on the wall...and at home. On the 18th I had a job interview...huge!!!...but did not get the job On the 19th I started adding the animation to the live action to test. On the 20th I did one more film sequence in the studio...the last...which went really well.That was after a tutorial in the morning...which also went well. On the basis of the work done this week it is obvious that the film is now a response to a few of McLaren's letters but in particular the ones which signify his leaving Britain for America aboard a ship I now know througjh research was commissioned to take passengers on that journey during the war.(SS Caledonia). I am really excited about having made this journey in creative process and about this new focus. This trip was huge in terms of McLaren's future as it led to his going to join NFB of Canada eventually.The letter he wrote aboard the ship ...many pages...were beautiful in the way they express his feelings. It was a parting but an arrival I believe, to himself. And after all that I had to assist my husband in the running of Big Tent!! cooking for 30 and car park duty!!

animation

The first small piece of animation for the dance sequence I am working on. I am going to include about 3 times this much and know where it is going. I have already done some work on adding it with the live action but have had some trouble getting this to be recognised on my pc. some glitch between edit and exporting to quick time. My pc has also suddenly decided it does not want to recognise all elements of quick time...Is it trying to persuade me to upgrade or have I done it wrong...Let's see!! Thankfully I managed to try it out in an animatic...

stop.... rewind

I have made another animatic which I plan to show Sharon at tutorial tomorrow. I have rendered it and looked at it and before I even show it I can see things to improve on.The music is slightly out and the first letter needs to appear later. I need a picture of an addressed envelope and to add clips from letters. After Sharon sees it we also agree that the swan animation needs to be clearer so I have to find a solution for this...I would like to have re drawn the whole swan sequence...and I will now revisit the story board for timing. I also need a second piece of sound to add at the beginning so will go source this! I have a really lovely piece of animation to add too but still looking at how best to show this. I have a list to work on...mainly looking at all the dance footage again and making sure I have made the right choices about animation additions.

edit edit edit

The main task this week has been to refine the animation methods and make sure they will work in edit!
Some successes and some failures!!
The process of taking the still images through photoshop to final cut is laborious like all other processes I have been working on lately! So, for example, the snow film...it does not look quite right in the edit yet ...but I will have another go at that next week...I still have to try inverting the whole movie... There are a few different ways to do it. I will be working on the swan animation in the same way.
Today I have tried to perfect the re sizing process for each still frame in order to get it to fit in my film. Having done that I feel I am in a better position to continue. I am adding some still images too so I needed to get to grips with this. I have also been practicing today with layering those still images and altering their quality both on photoshop and in Final Cut.
I took some extra film last week and was not sure it would work but have now tested the place I wanted to use it...It will work as long as I get my animation to fit too so I am happy with that.

The first shows the obvious join... combining the two...still image and film  I quite like it as it looks a little like I imagined the performance might look with the film shown on a gauze in front of it. One day I will try this.

Something about this still also reminds me of 'The Still Point of The Turning World' which combined dance and sand animation. 

The second is not so obvious ...but the face should definately be to the side rather than superimposed on Zoe's face!This will be a good shot to use in the book tho!

It is a long journey indeed and I feel I am getting near...but the deadline seems soo close!!

I was also quite surprised that the film with Zoe does work. This still looks so like a bird!! feathers engulfing her...hope there is a place for this bit too...but conscious now of how much will not make the final cut...and will stay as supporting material!!

animation continues

I have been continuing to draw stills to attempt to capture a whole sequence of dance. In some ways it seems a very late stage to be adding anything ...I had a short sequence already...but in other ways it is the most obvious step to take. I need to understand fully how it works and why and when it looks right...or doesn't.... It is a skill I want to take with me when I leave... so very soon. I have also always known about myself  that the more mistakes I make the more I learn. John McGhee's words ring in my ears...Do not be afraid to make mistakes!!! I have tried so many different methods of animating movement and dance in particular and I look forward to the luxury of time next year to take these ideas forward but right now there are some things this film shouts out for. I begin by adding really too much detail and realise quite fast that It risks looking messy.  I also begin to understand the work process as I pare back on detail. So it looks like a bit like this ( this was a slightly rougher first sketch)........for about 50 frames.....

And after I have done 50 or so I begin to really focus on minimal lines to convey the movement. I also feel I want to have something that looks cleaner and can work as an invertion. I would love to have the time to paint them all I decide...colour in my next film!!!

So I cut back to the minimum ...and highlight the lines I want to emphasise...and feel it is loooking better.

Again I find capturing the sense of movement comes naturally...Though I still like the sketchy feel I have in my earliest drawings and plan to do a future animation in this style. Right now I resolve to finish the film in the best way possible in the time scale and not be distracted by drawing styles...

editing

Today I look through all the material I have on the edit account and decide some serious sorting needs to be done. As I go through everything this gives me a chance to take out still images which I will use later for PR etc.
I also spend some time today refamiliarising myself with all elements of Final Cut. Cropping especially is useful for some of my theatre space footage when there are curtains showing etc.
I break off to continue upstairs with scanning.

Later after 6pm I go back down to edit and take one clip I do really want and crop and feather edges...key frame by key frame...this is hard!!! Remembering now to render everything I do and save it where I can find it easily.

I also make a stop motion animation test with photos of blank letters...so that I can add it to the animatic for timing etc.

Peer review and photography

Last week when I gave my presentation for peer review I showed this photo of work experimenting with wax. A group of worked together on this and I photographed the results, which we all agreed looked like a snow and ice landscape. I showed it at peer review partly to illustrate that I still continue to experiment and partly because only by photographing the work could we have stood back to look and thus reached this conclusion. Felix had a great idea for using this in my film. I had suggested it could be an alternative backdrop...he suggested it could be an animation backdrop and to try melting the wax slowly and filming the process. Then play the film in reverse. I think this is a really amazing idea...but I know I have run out of time to include it!!

I certainly feel I will use this idea as a still image behind a dance piece, but maybe a film would be good too!

edit reflect continue

The learning curve over the last weeks has steepened! I found myself feeling I ma at the top of the cliff but only two thirds of me are actually on top and gravity is fighting with me while I try to pull the rest of me up!!!
I have bee sortinmg through my edit files to make  sure I do not miss anything and to make it easier to find material. The drawback is of course that things go off line when I change their location but since I am also clearer about the location of things that is not as big a problem as I thought!

After testing a dance animation in the edit I went home and continued to draw more to make a decent length of piece...I find I am also progressively clearer about my choices as the final stretch approaches. I have added a few little sequences which I want to add...for example ripples...and I can see that I am going to be using this skill lots in future!!!

I am beginning to use effects more and find I am now much faster too at sorting what needs to be added and then accomplishing it. I am adding colour to norman's letters...and frustratingly I would like to have a whole lot more time to work on the whole thing. But I guess this is the whole point...to learn something which may change your path and which will provide skills to enhance your creative practice. I certainly am doing that!

A couple of days ago I had a problem with the timeline on edit...some recognition error. This is hard ...as I have no idea yet how to solve such things...but other problems are easier to fix, e.g. Have you pressed the button that says 'NOW'? (Andrew...bless him!) But mostly now it is about testing and rendering and waiting to see the result. During the wait I reflect...and write up the blog of course...and I am rewriting all my notes on editing so that I can cement the learning. I am told however that if I do not use Final Cut for a while I will forget it all...

snow and scanners

Back in the studio today rather than edit and a peer review with the group. I felt my own last week went well and I was quite surprised, when I prepared my talk, how much work I have actually done since December (i.e. during semester 3).
I disciplined myself to present mostly work which I had done recently but had to go over the whole plan since not everyone knew the story etc.

Three others presented and I think they are all looking really brilliant. I am looking forward to seeing the show!!!

And after the review I am back working on snow. I have coloured all the images and tested again. Fixing a few glitches on the way. There was a flake missing at one point...but even after I had it all in the correct sequence, somehow one frame got into the wrong place and found its way into blank frames for about 20 frames!! Of course it could not do it by itself...I must have done it...When I exclaimed 'Oh There you are!!' someone with animation experience just laughed! I guessed this was a common problem which I was experiencing. It is sorted now and onto the scan. This whole process seems unnecessarily slow. The studio scanner has to be re programmed after every scan to import through photoshop...so it is taking forever!! I cannot help wondering why it is so slow and if there is not a faster way which I do not know yet.






In fact I just went back to save my last 25 or so scans and the pc attached to the scanner has broken down completely AAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH another wasted hour or two and lost it all....

so I have scanned in the second machine (which is not geared up for animation)just to see the inversion instead!! I like the look and contiued down to the edit room with the intention of placing this slide into film to see how it would look. Unbelievably the computer in Edit 3 suddenly started to go too...it is not my day for technical genius I decided so I closed it quickly in case I lost anything, and beat a hasty retreat to the technicians for help. the scanner in the studio now has a functioning pc, and somone is going to look at Edit 3. Andrew is off sick...maybe the equipment is missing him!!

debate and description- my journey

Today I had an opportunity to debate with a group of Masters and PhD students from St Andrews university about our various projects. This was a great preparation for the presentation at the end of term. I found myself explaining my journey and expected outcome in a few different ways depending on who I was talking to. In a short space of time I changed my approach three times! I also had the chance to listen to a variety of other projects as well as talking through proposals for future projects.

It is not easy to condense a year of study into a short conversation and with my topic I find it hard sometimes  to expalin in a way that people understand. I know that in the past I have been held back by fear of this so this was a great experience. It made me examine my direction and motives too. Initially the mission was to make a dance work about McLaren, then to add animation, but all along I have asked myself the question " what kind of dancer would Norman have been?
I decided that as part of my journey I am exploring what engaging in kinaesthetic activity means to different individuals. Norman's description of skating is poetic in a way, and his writing displays an emotional, spiritual quality as do his many drawings in the book of drawing. He seemed an awkward character, and descriptions of him by others confirm this, although he liked to keep fit and to swim.

Both contemporary dance and figure skating engage body, brain and also, I believe, emotions. They do this in a very particular way especially when done to music. There is some research into this and in particular into musical activity and which parts of the brain are engaged.

I am sure the work I have done during the masters project will lead to my wanting to research into this area, as well as into Norman McLaren in more detail. The journey began with an image of McLaren's brain after all!
But part of my journey which has been very spacially enlightening and special is my drawing, and one day I would love to do more about the senses engaged while drawing dance!

horizons

All through the last few months, while I have intensified work on elements of my film, I have continued to look at horizons especially on my journey to and from Dundee. It is my firm belief that horizons have an effect on humans. We look into the distance and dream...the many ways we use the word...distant horizons also refers to dreams, new experiences and things to come. I feel that views of the horizon are therefore emotive in their nature and relevant when making a film about emotion.

This photo is the view from my road home across the Tay towards Perthshire (where I grew up).
I feel it captures the contrast between the present...clear and solid in the foreground...and the future only dreamt of...misty and soft in the distance illuminated by the sun breaking through the cloud.

Here I am in the present, but I can see possible future paths lit by by learning and experience during the masters course!

drawing continues

I continue to draw dance on a regular basis and will make this a regular part of life from now on. I am really fortunate to have such good contact with Scottish Dance Theatre and that they are happy for me to be there. Leila, who left the company recently, but who gave me time to film her before she left, and who appears in this drawing, said that it was very special to her that I was there drawing! She said that I had a good energy which she felt was an addition to the class rather than a distraction...what a lovely comment!                     

I have also begun to make notes on what the ideas are behind any session I am drawing...this really helps me to remember the emotion of that moment should I decide to use a drawing in future.                                 

cut clip edit

I arranged a tutorial session with Nilla who as a lecturer in Time Based Art but who also has dance background and understanding of what I am attempting here. I meet her in the edit room and we discuss our projects. She is working on some film footsge too of a performance she did some time ago. we talk a little about filming performance as record versus as art form.

She helps through some problems I have encountered and shows me how to find filters she though t might be useful. I amtrying to get a slightly more abstract look on some clips so we look at the luma key. I certainly see great possibility and will try it out on some of my footage. By now I ma making copious notes on all I am learning.
Both Malcolm and Nilla have also talked me through some of the shortcuts on the keyboard but in the end I choose to do it the long way round!!