The prompt for this initiative post was pretty broad, so I decided to write on something that has inspired me recently. I’ve been taking the Alternative Animation course for the past two weeks and in this weeks class we were given free reign with modelling clay and some webcams. After spending about fifteen minutes struggling with terrible webcam quality, I decided to just get started. Below is what I produced:

It was extremely time consuming as the tree was very small and the slightest movements could change the entire layout and ruin the flow of the project, the leaves especially were tiny and proved to be a huge pain when trying to place them correctly and realistically. However, the software we use is called Dragonframe and it has a feature called Onion Skinning, which allows you to see the silhouette of the previous position/photo that you took, so it helps you move slightly or adjust back to the previous position if a mistake is made, which is extremely useful. It was the most fun I’ve had in a class in ages, probably because I felt truly creative and like I was achieving something.

Inspired by this class, I went into my local $2 shop and purchased some modelling clay for $2.50, to play around with and test out some ideas for the final stop-motion project we have to create. 

I don’t really plan on doing my final project using clay though, this was more a means to get used to the medium. Our teacher actually showed us a really beautiful example of stop-motion which I’m thinking of emulating, it utilised oil paint and because oil paint is very wet, easy to move around and takes a long time to dry, the artist was able to shift the paint around to continuously tell the story, while taking photographs to capture the motion. It’s a really interesting technique and one that I think would be extremely difficult to get right, but because I have quite a bit of experience working with oil paint I’m going to give it a shot. If the assessment turns out alright, I want to see if I can make a longer film rather than one that’s just a couple of seconds. I’ve been wanting to enter a competition like Tropfest for years now and because it’s such a hassle to source other crew members, actors, equipment and all the differing facets of filmmaking you have to consider, perhaps animation is the way to go. It’s certainly the cheaper option, as I already have a DSLR and Mic, so the only real expenses would be the art supplies and some proper lighting equipment (perhaps borrowed from uni?), as consistent lighting is key when doing stop-motion.

The principles and practices that I’ve learnt in film classes can still be applied, but it could also become amalgamated with the fine art skills I gained from attending a Steiner school growing up. I feel like I’m on a mission to find my niche, the thing that I find the most enjoyable that I can shape into my career. This is one of my tests toward that end.