Blog Post - My Standpoint

“May the lessons we learn from history, and the stories we create, connect constructively with the chaos and complexity that is the ever evolving experience of each participant” (Smythe, 2011) This is a quote I found that emphasises the importance of history which is something that I really want to express in my stop motion film ad it am looking into the design stream of cultural and context. I decided on focussing on the idea of the importance of design history and how it has influenced and let us into the design we see today. Especially within the digital age we live in today so often people are to busy looking into the future and what is coming next to remember that it is just a necessary to look back and appreciate what has got us this far.

In my design I want to express my viewpoint by having the history of design re created out of sculptures made from the pages of books. Using the knowledge I have learnt from the 171 design lectures each of the sculptures will be somehow be significant to the design eras we have studied starting from the Greek Parthenon to the digital era of technology such as ipods and phones that we live in today and a sculpture to represent the future to show that history, like technology is constantly growing and developing. I also want to hint at the idea that the digital era we live in is distracting us from the importance of history by making us focus to much on the future. To show this I want to incorporate a person who is distracted by technology (e.g. ipod or phone) and therefore leave the book which all the sculptures will come out of behind, however, to symbolise the greatness of history the person will then come back and retrieve the book to show they have remembered.

An example we looked at in class of how history has influenced design of today is the Parthenon verses the Iphone. This connection stretches from 400BC to today however the influence of the classical style of the parthenon on the Iphone is apparent in the simplicity, straight lines, and monochromatic color pallet. This is a prime example of why history is so vital to the survival of great design.



References:


Smythe, Michael. 2011. Random House Group. New Zealand By Design.Print

My Story Board

Made by using black paint and pen on an actual book

Mindmaps

These are my group and individual mindmaps on cultural and context design brainstorming words and features that could help with inspiration of what to do for my stop motion film

Developing - Setting

 after talking to tutor, I have decided that I need to put some more thought into the setting of my film – as it is going to be visible and therefore needs to be relevant. Ideas so far are:

·      In the design studio – this is relevant as the film is about design, and this is easily recognised. But I think this is potentially unrealistic, as will be hard to find the time to film, and hard to find a time of which the design room will be empty enough for me to film.

·      In the study room as Weir House – this is a good location, as there are lots of simple, blank areas. This will link in the idea of someone studying and forgetting the book. But may seem a bit too general.

·      Outside in an abandoned looking area, would hold a lot of symbolism about history being abandoned but would also be very difficult to work with paper sculptures outside

Development of Ideas (following test clip)

I have altered and developed my idea, so now I want it to begin with a person rather than going straight into the book. The person will now leave the book behind, which represents the idea that the history is somewhat abandoned. However, I want to have them return at the end of the film, to portray the idea that history is importance and needs to be remembered. 

Test Clip 2

https://vimeo.com/44222309

Here is another test clip showing my new beginning – with the idea of a person leaving the book behind. After showing it to my tutor and discussing it, we decided that it needs to be shortened – as the main focus of the film needs to be on the actual sculptures themselves. 

Processing Ideas...

This is one of the videos we were shown in class, but is the one that influenced me the most. The use of the graffiti drawings inspired me as it made me realise the amount of drawing techniques I could sue when I make my own film. It also showed me where I can have drawings interact with elements of the real world.

3 second Test Sample

https://vimeo.com/44222201

This is my 3 second test clip which shows a very small portion of my overall idea. This clip shows the way in which my book will open and sculptures will begin to appear. This clip has been made on Adobe Premier - it is my first attempt at using this programme. It is just a rough idea of my overall movie.  This clip starts to show my idea of the importance and influence of the history of design, as, in my final clip, the book will represent a "history book" of design, and out of which sculptures relevant to various design eras will emerge.

Final Stop Motion Video

https://vimeo.com/44221985

The link to my final stop motion video. I am pleased with the way it expresses my design statement of the importance of design history and how we should remember what an influence it has been on design today. 

Sound sourced from freesfx.co.uk

freesfx, (2011) timelaps,

retrieved from: http://www.freesfx.co.uk/soundeffects/music-tracks/

MUTO

http://vimeo.com/993998
This is one of the videos we were shown in class, but is the one that influenced me the most. The use of the graffiti drawings inspired me as it made me realise the amount of drawing techniques I could sue when I make my own film. It also showed me where I can have drawings interact with elements of the real world.

History of Stop Motion

To come to a final idea I have investigated the history of stop motion to help give me inspiration for a final idea. Stop motion began in the 1990s and is an idea that is almost as old as film itself. The idea of stop motion can be credited to Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton who first used the technique in 1897 for The Humpty Dumpty Circus. The main idea behind their creation was for inanimate objects to appear to be moving as if by magic.

The idea of using stop motion appeals to me as it seems to be a more design approach to film making as it allows far more artistic license in the way you design the process. I appreciate this as it means I could bring in painting, drawing or sculptures. All aspects that would be harder to bring in to a movie done simply on a film camera.

Ideas for final film.

This short stop motion produced by Colenso BBDO and animated by Andersen M Studio as a film for the NZ Book Council is one of my key inspirations that I plan to use in my final film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jyXJTlrH0

The idea of using a book as the main setting of my film strikes a chord with me as I am an avid reader as it is. The use of literature is an element I would love to include in my final project.

Blog 5 - Locovisual

                                  The Old Government Building, Law Building, 2012


The Old Government Building, located on Lampton Quay, is a perfect example of a building that has been strongly influenced by neoclassical design. Built in 1876 it now houses the Victoria University Law Library in is southern wing. It is also well known for being one of the largest all wooden buildings in the world despite appearing to be made completely of stone.                         

The Government building was constructed during a time where the neoclassical style was very popular for large and important buildings as it was associated with politics, power and solidity. Classicism was the style specifically chosen for the Government building to “convey strength and stability in a young country undergoing rapid growth and change.” (http://www.doc.govt.nz/)
The Government Building was designed to appear powerful and functional to promote New Zealand’s confidence in the Governments ability to lead their Nation

It is easy to recognize the neoclassical influence on the Old Government Building as it incorporates the follow features used to describe the neoclassical aesthetic;
“simple, yet beautiful style with clean lines and subtle accents in the form of metal decorations or carvings. Classical architecture is also often built on a grand scale, with imposing columns and large arches to demonstrate the skills of the builders.” (http://www.wisegeek.com)
The symmetry of the building, monochromatic colour pallet and minimalism in the decoration forms the simplicity and rationality associated with classical design.
The use of coulombs and triangular roofs creates a direct association with the greek Parthenon, a design structure from the 5th Century B.C, that is considered the baseline for all neoclassical design. This shows how classicism was a style that was designed to be timeless rather than just a temporary trend, even today the Government Building still had the effect of appearing powerful and important. The choice of white as the colour for the Old Government Building would also of been influenced by the Parthenon as it suggests that it is made from marble which is what classical structures such as the Parthenon were made of.
The Government Building has now been standing in the neoclassical style for nearly 140 years.

                                     The Parthenon, 2010

                                     The Government Building, 1910


Bibliography:


First Image - Old Governement Building, Law Library Entrance,
Self Taken, May 2012

Department of Conservation (2011), Historic Government Buildings, History of the Government Buildings 
Retrieved from:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/historic/by-region/wellington-kapiti/wellington/government-buildings/history/  on 29st May 2012


WiseGeek (2012), What is Classical Architecture?
Retrieved From:
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-classical-architecture.htm on 29th May 2012


WondersTube (2010) The Parthenon, Greece
Retrieved from:
http://wonderstube.com/world-wonders/forgotten-medeival-mind-world/105-forgotten-medeival-mind-world-wonders-the.html on 31st May 2012


H. Plimmer (1910) Government Buildings, Wellington
Retrieved From:
http://www.wcl.govt.nz/heritage/architecture.html on 31st May 2012