I found this video to be very helpful, as experienced Greg Zekowski  talks about being a 1st AD, how he performs the role and how he forms working relationships with the rest of the crew. 




I was browsing the internet for more information on being a first assistant director and came across a blog on Tumblr called "goingforpicture." It is run by Michelle, a female 1st AD based in Austin, Texas, to answer questions about her job role, give advice and document what she sees on set. After looking through her blog I found she had given very in depth tips on the dos and don'ts of being a Director in relation to the 1st AD (and the 1st AD's point of view on how a Director should be), similarly to Nigel's 'Dos and Don'ts of Casting' and seeing as I found this very helpful, I thought I'd have a read over Michelle's. I think this will be very beneficial for mine and Thomas' working relationship and how we have to manage things.  

Michelle's Dos and Don'ts of being a 1st AD

  • "DO learn everything you can about production. I’m not talking about “directing” or shot composition, I’m talking about PRODUCTION. The mechanical machine that runs the set independent of you. Script breakdowns, scheduling, casting, crewing, contracts, legal issues, budget limitations… these are all things that affect you as a director. So learn them. You won’t need to know every detail, but having a basic sense of how the set is running based off your vision, that will save many headaches ahead of time. Never go onto set blind of the production side of things.
  • DON’T be uncompromising. There’s an old adage that a movie is made three ways before it hits the theaters. There’s the script, there’s what you shoot, and there’s the edit of what was shot. Some things you may have loved in the beginning will possibly not work out in the edit. Be willing to let go if it makes the movie better. If 15 people insinuate that the car crash scene makes no sense, maybe they’re onto something. Let it go. 
  • With that in mind, however, DO be confident and enthusiastic as the head honcho. It’s your movie and crews respond well to positivity and confidence. I don’t mean arrogance and tongue-in-cheekiness. If you’re not genuinely excited to be making a movie, please find another job. If your presence brings crew morale down to a suicidal low, step off set for a moment and figure out what the hell you’re doing to us. We’re here to make your visions come alive and our emotions in regards to YOU as director go hand in hand with that. No one likes working for asshole bosses or directors who constantly doubt and put down their own ideas. It makes our jobs more difficult and stressful than they already are. Think of the best boss you’ve ever had and mimic them.
  • DON’T get frantic. This is a big no-no. If your assistant director is not worried about time, then you shouldn’t be either. It’s not your job to worry about those things. It’s your job to get the movie done. If you start getting frantic, the whole crew does as well, talent suffers, accidents happen, reshoots become likely, and budgets become tighter.  Let your AD do the pushing, you just concern yourself with getting that actress to cry on cue.
  • And that leads to: DO trust your ADs. I can’t stress that enough. If you can’t trust them, you need to find ones you will trust. Unless you know the person is a friend of the producer’s who has never worked on a set before, you can pretty much guarantee that your AD will know what they are talking about. Hell, you should be the one PICKING your AD. But regardless, the AD is there to take your vision and break it down into the technical and move the technical along. That is solely what they do. If they’re saying the set up cannot be done before sundown without compromising several shots, they are not saying that to piss you off. Listen to them, at the very least. It’s not a position that amateurs stick around in.
  • DON’T treat the crew like your minions. They are not there to carry you on a chair and feed you grapes. If you’re lucky enough to be on a set that affords you a few Director’s Assistants, then great. But most indies do not have this position available and the production assistants are not there to pick up your dog’s medication from Petco.
  • DO treat your crew with respect. Hell, treat PRODUCTION with respect. Nothing good comes out of a director who berates a hard working, talented crew just because a cue was missed or a light looks weird in the monitor. Listen to the requests of the crew. If the sound guy is saying that chair you love so much makes too much noise during takes, put it away. If an actor is telling you to clear their eyeline during a take, don’t grumble about being the director. Move. This is your movie, why ruin it with disrespect?
  • DON’T shut your phone off during pre-production. Ever. Expect a barrage of phone calls at all points of the day. Accept it. Live in it. You are now the Cool Kid.
  • DO learn the production schedule. Or at the very least, look at the call sheet. Have an idea of the shooting order. Always keep a mini-sides or mini-schedule clipped or tucked somewhere on your person. This helps immensely. 
  • DON’T be upset if a last minute change you wanted to make can’t come to fruition. There’s a process to scheduling that involves many phone calls, emails, blood, sweat, and tears. Sometimes we can get that bull to set at the last minute to be an awesome background item for the shot, but sometimes that bull is booked on other gigs and if it wasn’t booked in advance, you’re shit out of luck.
  • DO CREATE SHOTLISTS. Holy god. I will probably make a separate post about this. But honestly, you want to see a shoot go smoothly? Sit down with your DP and make a nice, detailed shotlist to guide through production. It’s not set in stone, but goddamn does it help. If you can’t do that, at the very least, walk through the scene ahead of time with your AD & DP. The AD can at least write down shot ideas and go from there. 
  • DON’T FIX THINGS IN POST. Green screening is not the savior. Do as much practically as possible. Compositing is a lot more expensive and time consuming than it seems and having to shoot a plate of every scene will get you behind in schedule quicker than you can yell “BOOM SHADOW!”
  • DO learn film set terminology. Know what a “blocking rehearsal” is. Know what shot names are. Know that a buttplug is a junior to baby adapter for a light stand. No, really, it is.
  • DON’T cling to the bling. IE, don’t get caught up in non-essential details because they look cool. Indie films cannot usually afford a personalized director’s chair and in reality, the AD carries the bullhorn around. Don’t bring people to set to impress them with your directing skills. Impress them with a finished movie. Don’t spend time doing interviews for behind the scenes when you need to be shotlisting, blocking, or helping an actress get her lines ready. Basically, check your vanity at the door. Greater rewards come with having a solid finished movie. If you’re in this for the look of being a director, you’re about to have your ego smashed.
  • DO pre-production. No, seriously. Attend all the pre-pro meetings. Shotlist, storyboard, breakdown like crazy. Meet with your AD as much as you meet with your DP. You’ll thank me later.
  • DON’T make the crew wait on you to do something non-production related. Unless you’re 10-1 or it’s an emergency, you are also on the clock. Put away Farmville for a few minutes.
  • DO be as communicative as possible. We cannot read your mind. There is no union “Set Psychic” position (although, wouldn’t that be AWESOME?!). If your AD doesn’t know, then chances are that the production doesn’t know either. We have no problem with trying to give you as much as you want as timely and inexpensively as possible, but if you didn’t tell anyone that you wanted zebra print sheets because of some jungle analogy you’re trying to make, you can bet your ass there will not be a random set of zebra print sheets just hanging out in the prop staging area. Tell us what you want.
  • DON’T make your cast uncomfortable. If you’re unsure whether the lead will laugh at the dirty joke about the nun and the priest, then you should probably keep it to yourself. An unhappy cast makes the crew frantic. Method is one thing, but straight up making the cast not want to come to set is quite another. This includes making suggestive comments about the talents’ bodies. Just don’t.
  • DO understand set etiquette. Yes, you’re director. But don’t set your coffee on the taco cart, don’t touch the sound guy’s equipment without his permission, and please, for the love of all that is holy, lysol the portapotty after use. 
  • DON’T continue in this role if these bullet points offend you. A good director is understanding of the production and forceful without being overbearing. But you are no god among men, so do not run your set that way. A little respect, courtesy, and communication goes a long long LONG way. "

I feel like most of these points can be relevant to being a 1st AD and a Director, such as being 'as communicative as possible' and 'don't treat the crew like your minions' and 'treat your crew with respect' as these are also a very important part of the AD's job as well.

As Michelle's blog is available to ask questions, I thought I would take this opportunity to get some direct advice from someone in the industry who knows the job role well and am currently waiting on her reply.
This was an introduction to set building and design, led by UCA's technical tutor Jim Casey. Before being allowed to touch any machines, Jim taught us about health and safety in the workshop environment. A lot of these may seem like very simple, obvious things, but they are very important to know and carry out to make sure no one gets hurt. Some examples of the health and safety rules are:

  • Wear safety goggles and apron/ workshop coat to protect eyes and clothes from harm
  • Maintain clear floor / Tuck bags under tables so no one trips 
  • Do not run
  • Do not use a machine you have not been inducted in
  • Report damage of machines immediately
  • Wear good, strong shoes (no pumps etc)
  • Do not use phones, mp3 players etc
After this Jim went around different machines each with different functions, such as sanding or drilling, and showed us how to use them effectively and safely. We were then instructed to make a simple jigsaw piece using the equipment we'd just been shown. I found this a scary (as I'm very clumsy and constantly worried I might stab myself), but really fun exercise that tested how well we'd listened to Jim and got us used to the feeling of working the machines. The whole process reminded me of high school technology class, where I'd used similar machinery before, but not for use on sets. 




My rough final jigsaw piece 


After discussing our previous updated idea with Rosie, we concluded that we should return to our original idea as we were trying to over complicate the project too much. Therefore the piece will now consist of touching different parts of the brain and simply getting a response on screen/ audibly. 

After Julia looking into the brain, she found that it is divided into four main parts that we could limit the sections of our model down to. These consist of :

  • The frontal lobe : This is located at the front. This part is associated with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition and expressive language. Damage of this section can lead to a change in sexual habits, socialisation, attention and increased risk taking. (This will be the logic in our installation - pressing it on it's own will do nothing, but pressing it alongside everything else will complete the look and bring every section together to make sense)
  • The parietal lobe : This is located in the middle section of brain. It associated with processing tactile sensory information (e.g. pressure, touch, pain). Damage results in problems with verbal memory, an impaired ability to control eye gaze and problems with language. (This is to do with emotions that can arise from for example pain. When this is pressed colours will be shown, representing the emotions felt from the visual section)
  • The temporal lobe : Located on the bottom section of brain. Important for interpreting sounds and language we hear. Damage results in problems with memory, speech perception and language skills.  (This will be the sound part. When pressed on it's own random sounds will be heard from the visual, but will not make sense. When pressed with everything else, will fit with visual to make sense)
  • The occipital lobe : Located at the back. Associated with interpreting visual stimuli and information. Damage causes difficulty recognising objects, inability to identify colours and trouble recognising words. (This is the visual part. When pressed solely will show photos focussed on fine details from journey. When pressed with everything else will show a video, associated with the photos and tie in with the other sections)
For the whole installation to come together and play in sync, the viewer / viewers must touch all sections on the model. If they only touch one, then only the visual/ audio of that section will play, therefore not creating a linear, clear result. For example, if only the occipital lobe was touched (the one associated with visual stimuli) then only the visual, moving image would appear. If the temporal (one associated with sound) and occipital were stimulated, both audio and moving image would play together, connecting the missing puzzle pieces. The more sections the viewer/s touch, the more the individual pieces from each section connect together to form one. 

The Model

Julia, looking in to how to make the brain, found an excellent reference for how our own should roughly look.


The Brain // Quentin Thurtle 

The Brain by Quentin Thurtle, is a "1Tb external hard drive in the form of a floor-standing, animated-brain scultpure. When not being accessed, it has a simple red-light pulse. When the hard drive is being accessed, it has a range of light display effects."


The piece is placed on a plastic stand, similar to how we want to place our own model on a plinth to display it. However this brain is not a touch sensitive or sound activated piece, yet is still great for our visual reference of the model. 

Visuals / Audio seen from stimulating our brain

This time we want to keep everything simplified, so we thought we would show something in everyday life such as walking down a busy road or shopping. The sounds will be from the location of shooting, such as nature, cars, general people chatter and movements. However this is something we will need to go and do tests for to see what works best. 

Meaning

The installation invites the viewer to interact with the brain, seeing it like a puzzle that needs to be completed. It also allows for interaction between people, as they can work together to piece the individual components together by touching the model, but it can also be used by a single person as well, meaning no limitations of possibilities for how it is played with. It allows them to learn about how the different parts of the brain work in unison to create the way our senses come together to create what we see and feel as human beings. However when separated it can be a struggle to complete something whole. 

An assistant director is someone who "assists" the director to organise and plan a project / film. Basically they offer support and are a right hand person to the director, so that he/ she are allowed to focus more on the creative side of the film making process. However as pointed out by the book 'Running the Show: The Essential Guide to Being a First Assistant Director' by Liz Gill, "An assistant director...is very different from an assistant to the director. An 'Assistant to' can end up doing practically anything the director wishes, from the most personal errands such as picking up laundry...to making dinner reservations"

Running the Show (2012) // Liz Gill

The book states that 'Without a first AD...you won't have a schedule or a communication system, and without these two things there's no show,' thus demonstrating the importance of the role. 

Based on various research from online and the book just mentioned, I have picked out the specific jobs that a first AD carries out :
  • Directs the background action
  • Supervises crowd control
  • Maintains good communication between the director and crew
  • Motivates cast and crew 
  • Making things happen in the most efficient way 
  • Planning the schedule and making sure it is followed properly
  • Supervising 2nd and 3rd ADs and runners

Skills Required of a 1st AD
  • Good communicator
  • Good motivator - being positive
  • Good with working in a team
  • Approachable
  • Organised 
  • Be able to multitask 
  • Authoritative 
  • Flexible
  • Calm under pressure
  • Problem solving

Initially when taking on the role, I thought I knew what the job entailed, but after researching it further I have found that it is a lot more important and necessary than I previously thought. I think I got confused, assuming the role was somewhere between the actual description of the Assistant Director and Assistant TO the Director - assisting the director when they need help, but not being as loud. However now that I know exactly what to do, I am very interested to see how I cope with all the jobs and I think I'll find this very challenging due to the fact the AD seems to take a big role in communicating on set - something that I am not so good with but really aim to try and improve. I'm hoping that I'll learn a lot from being first AD and grow my confidence with speaking out more and expressing my opinions and advice in order to help the director and rest of crew. 
After much consideration, we decided that we were overcomplicating the project by trying to come up with an entirely new concept in relation to the brain that had a meaning. Instead we went back to the original idea to try and refine it to give more depth and meaning and progress it further. As a result, we managed to incorporate the new ideas as well, however keeping the original layout and style as the main focus. 

The final work will be a interactive installation that explores the emotional response received from the brain when an external stimuli is applied, thus mapping the senses and how they react under certain conditions. The piece, in it's entirety will consist of:  
  • A physical brain
  • A screen (TV or projector)
  • Sound sensors ( e.g. microphone)
  • Kinnect ( to track movement)
The layout of the space will probably include having the materialised brain in the centre, with a projector overhead. The screen will be placed in front of this, while the kinnect and microphone will be at the side. 

Visuals (My Role)

Within the group, my role is look development and visual ideas. This means that I have to research into what exactly will be shown, the style of what is on screen and how they interact and move around.

For this piece, the idea is to have different shapes, roughly based on the actual biological components that they are going to represent. The movement of these shapes is then dependent on the visitor's actions  in the surrounding area.  If they use a single sense, such as only sound OR only movement, the shapes will be simplistic, calmer and more fluid. If too many senses are detected, this results in 'sensory overload' - an actual condition when "one or more of the body's senses experiences over stimulation from the environment." The visuals will then be faster and more disorientating for the visitor and after awhile may even stop to give the impression that the brain is shutting down. A heat map will be activated on the physical brain in the room in relation to whichever sense has been triggered. For example if someone was to speak, the area associated with sound would be visually heat mapped. This also happens for movement and when both senses have been stimulated. 
To get a sense of style for how this will look, we took inspiration initially from Biomimesis : Hyphae as referenced in a previous post. 




We hope to get the viewer interactively engaged in the piece in a playful manner, thus letting them explore and get an insight into what actually occurs in their own bodies and the feelings associated with this. For example, if installation is over stimulated with too many senses and the piece shuts down, the visitor may feel uncomfortable or worried, similar to how someone with sensory overload may feel.


Aims

The groups aims, in association with the unit descriptor, are as follows:
  • To research themes around our idea to further develop our understanding of the concepts [Maps to A2 and A4]
  • To determine whether the choice of an interactive installation is the best to illustrate our idea [Maps to A3 and A5]
  • Research and Figure out how to technically and visually achieve and create our idea [Maps to A1]
  • To effectively time plan the project, and make sure we hit our goals before certain dates [Maps to A4]
  • Make sure our target audience, the general public, understand the base of the project by making sure the presentation is clear and engaging [Maps to A5]
Idea Generation

So far we have began looking at the book See Yourself Sensing : Redefining Human Perception by Madeline Schwatzman to get some more visual references.  To discuss and progress ideas we have arranged to meet up outside of class, such as in the library or in the SU, as well as using multiple social media platforms such as Facebook and Skype when meeting in person isn't possible and in the evenings. This is useful as if anyone suddenly thinks of a new way to further the current idea, they can immediately report back to the rest of the group for feedback. Personally, for my own inspiration for the visuals of the project, I shall be researching the look of actual biological components, through the internet and scientific books and then looking into how to stylise them in a more suitable way for the project.

Learning Agreement



Last night the entire group contributed ideas over Skype to help give the project a more meaningful approach. So far we came up with two main concepts :
  • Following the theory that an ant, by itself, cannot do very much, yet a team of ants can move objects numerous times bigger than themselves. We were thinking that similarly for the nervous system, the entire system has to be working in order to carry out a task. This could be reflected in our installation by the requirement of having two or more people to activate the visuals etc. If a single person tried, there would be no response. This would put an emphasis to the audience on team work and how we can accomplish amazing things together. 
  • What would happen if the brain and nervous system was to shut down? We thought about whether we could engage the audience in this experience, by making the movement of the visuals slower and darker gradually over a period of time. This could possibly get the idea across the part-taker of the installation to appreciate being healthy etc. 
If we chose to further either idea, it will require a lot more research into those particular areas in order to get an accurate representation. Overall, we are still coming up with a bigger meaning behind why we are creating this, but I am confident we are on the right track. 
We started learning the first three lessons in the Media Composer Editing Essentials book by Bryan Castle Jr.

Lesson One 

In this, we learnt the fundamentals of starting Avid, such as launching media composer, understanding how the interface is arranged and what it consists of, creating and saving projects, working with bins and how to generally prepare to edit. 

I found the exercises in this one relatively easy and could keep up well.

Lesson Two 

This one was about basic editing, such as building sequences, using the smart tool, splicing video clips, adding narration with overwrite and adjusting sequence audio. 

I created a rough edit and found this section slightly more difficult but it was still okay. 

Lesson Three

This lesson dealt with refining the edit  and we learnt about deleting from the timeline, moving timeline segments, changing shots in the sequence and changing the length of timeline segments. 

I found this section okay as well, apart from learning about audio levels etc which I thought was more challenging. However when re-doing the exercises to improve my knowledge I hope to focus on this section a bit more to get a better grasp. 

Quick Access Key Learning Points

Key Board/ Shortcuts


Avid Interface
                                                              (source)                                                    (record)

Identifying objects 



Marking clips / Shortcuts


Other

Here is a website that shows all Avid shortcuts for quick reference.

Review

 I am going to read all lessons again at home, as well as re-do all the exercises associated with them to keep my memory fresh of how to use Avid and make sure that I understand what exactly I'm doing as using the software. Possibly looking at tutorials online would be useful as well.

After the finalisation of roles in the group I decided to do some research on what each job entails and how they work with each other to form a team. This post is an insight to do with everyone else's role in the group to assist me with understanding my own place in the production as assistant director. I plan to do another more in depth post on my own role.

Director (Thomas)

The director of a film is the main driving creative force, acting as a crucial link between the technical, production and creative teams. They act as a story teller and team leader to bring the production to life, creatively translating the script into actual sounds and images on screen as well as bringing their own style and structure. In post production, the director and editor work closely together through the technical processes of editing to reach a final cut of the film. Generally, it is thought that directors are ultimately responsible for a film's artistic and commercial success or failure. They also have to understand and appreciate the film's financial side. 

Jobs
  • May write the film's script/ commission it to be written (or alternatively can be hired after a draft script is complete)
  • Develop a vision for the finished film
  • Design a practical route to achieve what they want
  • Select right cast, crew and locations
  • Direct rehearsals and performances during production
  • Manage technical aspects of filming (e.g. camera, sound, lighting)
  • Help editor create final cut of film
Skills
  • Have exceptional artistic vision and creative skills
  • Commitment to carry through with the process
  • A deep passion for film making
  • Be a strong, confident leader
  • Capacity for long work hours, attention to detail
  • Remaining calm and thinking clearly under pressure
  • Self belief and determination 
Producer (Julia)

A producer follows the project through right from the beginning to the end of production. Generally they are considered chief of staff, while the director is in charge of the line. This means they have overall control and can even terminate the director if things are not working. Basically while a director actually makes the film itself, the producer authors it and does the work in able to make it happen. 

Jobs
  • Initiates, co-ordinates, supervises and controls all aspects of productions
  • Hires the director and crew
  • Manages film through production
  • Raises money for the film to be made
  • Looks out for material
Cinematographer (Rob)

This term generally refers to the director of photography, but can also be in relation to camera operator. A cinematographer brings the story to life visually by working with the film's director to capture the underlying story in a way that will captivate the audience. 

Jobs
  • Discusses director's vision scene by scene
  • Determines what is needed for each scene within budget
  • Hires camera crew 
  • Arranges equipment 
  • Buys film and supplies
  • Works with sound and lighting to co-ordinate production needs
  • Co-ordinates crew 
  • (On set) Makes sure each shot is set up to match the director's vision
  • Decides best combination of cameras, lenses and filters
  • Works with processing lab to make sure film retains colour and mood
  • Is a critical eye
Skills
  • Having a good artistic eye for photography
  • Knowing technical basis of photography
  • Being able to collaborate with a director
  • Flexibility and problem solving skills
  • Being able to keep up with the ever changing advances in technology

Production Designer (Lucy)

Production designers are responsible for the entire art department. They help directors achieve the visual requirements of the film, providing producers with calculated schedules offering viable ways of making the film within the required budget. Constructing an appropriate backdrop and finding appropriate locations is all a major part of the job. 

Jobs
  • Responsible for informing and realising the director's vision
  • Have to prepare detailed drawings and specifications
  • May be asked to look at scripts before production begins to estimate the amount going to be spent on art department
  • Assess visual qualities to create atmosphere and bring story to life
  • Discuss with director the best way to shoot film (sets or location)
  • Intense research into design
  • Check on construction and dressing of sets
Production Design Assistant (Joel)

As the name suggests, the production design assistant is a right hand man to the production designer. They take on roles to assist the head of design complete the job, as well as help with budgeting, preparing and construction of the set/ location.

Sound (Ulysses)

Sound designers provide required sounds to accompany the screen action. They do this by creating original sound elements, working with the director, production mixer, sound supervisor and editor. They can supervise the work of the entire sound post production as well as having a role in creating the sound during production. 

Skills
  • Good communication 
  • Imagination and creative flair to produce original sound
  • Ability to accept direction and work well with others
  • Good understanding of acoustics and knowledge of sound recording and digital editing techniques
  • Enthusiastic - spent personal time experimenting with sound
Grips (Lydia)

Jobs
  • Responsibility to build and maintain equipment that supports camera
  • Push, pull, mount or hang equipment
  • Ensure that the artifice of film is maintained and camera moves are as seemless as possible
  • Work with director and DOP to ensure positioning / movement is achievable
  • Responsible for pushing the dolly
Screenwriter (Dowan)

Jobs
  • Come up with ideas and themes
  • Research background information 
  • Develop believable plots and characters
  • Lay out the screenplay to an agreed format
  • Prepare short summaries of ideas and selling them to producers / development executives 
  • Obtain feedback on a first draft
  • Rewrite the script for the required needs
Script Supervisor / Continuity (Mollie)

Jobs
  • Continuity of storyline
  • Recording and assessing all information regarding the screenplay and scenes that have already been shot
  • Knowing if there is a need for any additional coverage or re-shoot or link shot
  • Make definitive technical decisions in a crisis / when in doubt
Camera Operator (Harry)

Jobs
  • Adjusting camera settings, lights and lens
  • Being prepared to innovate and experiment with ideas
  • Taking instructions from director of photography
  • Taking sole responsibility in situations where there is only one camera operator
  • Keeping up to date with filming methods and equipment
  • Repair of equipment 
  • Interacting and maintaining good working relationships with actors and camera crew members (technicians etc)
Casting Director

Casting Directors organize and facilitate the casting of actors for all the roles in a film. This involves working closely with the director and producer to understand their requirements, and suggesting ideal artists for each role, as well as arranging and conducting interviews and auditions. 

Jobs
  • Organise and facilitate the casting of actors
  • Assist director and producer to assemble the perfect cast
  • Responsible for matching the ideal actor to each role based on a number of factors
  • Arranging and conducting interviews and auditions 
Skills
  • Good communication and organisational skills
  • Ability to give direction
  • Being able to recognise talent
  • Good with attention to detail
  • Good memory 


Rosie told us to look at work by artist Jeffrey Shaw, as our interactive work may be similar.


The Legible City (1989) // Jeffrey Shaw

In this piece, the partaker rides a stationary bike through a simulated representation of a city composed of computer generated three-dimensional letters forming words and sentences along the sides of the streets. Ground plans of actual cities, consisting of Manhattan, Amsterdam and Karlsruhe, were used to develop it, except all of the architecture was replaced by the textual formations complied by Dirk Groeneveld.  The visitor is given interactive control over the bicycle by the handlebar and pedals, which decides direction and speed travelled and therefore the physical effort of cycling in the real world  is transposed into the virtual environment. The piece represents a journey of reading by travelling through a city of words. Depending on the path chosen, there will be spontaneous juxtapositions and conjunctions of meaning. The installation consists of a video projector  to project the visuals on to a large screen and another small monitor placed in front of the bike to show a ground plan of each city, an indicator showing where the cyclist is at any particular moment. 

The Golden Calf (1994) // Jeffrey Shaw

This installation consists of an LCD colour monitor placed on a platform. The visitor can then pick up the monitor in order to view a three-dimensional computer generated image of a golden calf on top of the platform. As the visitor moves around the piece it is like moving around the calf, if it was actually present in the real world, and they can examine it from different angles. The monitor is meant is meant to act like a window, revealing a virtual body that is seemingly located physically on the real platform. 

I also found another installation piece that I found interesting, and while it focusses more on the entire human body rather than just the brain, it is useful to take a look at other biological pieces of work. 

Primary Intimacy // Ikse Maitre

A connect is used to capture the visitor's movement, while a gender determining algorithm decides whether to form a masculine or feminine figure on to the screen. As the viewer comes closer to the screen, he or she can see the interior of their body. The piece is all about inviting the visitor to explore and gain more knowledge about themselves and how their bodies work, 

During our tutorial with Rosie, we discussed the following things.

What is the meaning behind our project?

The group needs to discuss what we are trying to say to the audience with the interactive piece, rather than just to make something that looks visually interesting.

How do we map the brain?

We have to think about how we are going to emphasise the brain and nervous system as a map. This could be shown by how different parts carry out different functions/ are related to different personality traits such as being creative.  How can we display this through the visuals and interaction?

What type of interaction will be involved?

 We need to reign down what exactly we want the interaction to be. Will it be purely sound or movement based? Or will there be a mixture of several? Which interactions will work with the piece, yet still be achievable.

Keep it simple!

 We initially planned to use several projectors and a couple of walls for the visuals, however as this is our first experience creating a piece that is interactive, we have been advised to stick to one wall. This has reminded us that we should focus this time on getting it right once before moving on to more complicated art works, and we may be able to create an overall better piece by using more simple methods.
In this meeting, we decided on our individual roles in the group.

Thomas - Director
Julia - Producer
Rob - Cinematographer
Lucy - Production Designer
Joel - Production Design Assistant
Ulysses - Sound
Lydia - Grips
Dowan - Screenwriter
Molly - Script Superviser / Continuity
Harry - Camera
Me (Lauren) / Shahid - Assistant Directors

I personally wanted to be an assistant director as it is something I haven't done before and as someone still trying to find their place in a production team, as well as enjoying being director for my own film in Reflections last year, I thought it would be interesting to try and see if I like being AD as much as directing.

Anne also gave us some feedback, referring back to our original idea of a 'world with no art'  and whether we were still going to acknowledge this in the campaign or if it was even still relevant. She also made us reconsider certain elements, such as creating a stronger character - instead of being a middle aged slob like we had intended she suggested someone more our own age to aim more towards our own generation and the pressure to buy new things.  She also said that our idea reminded her of a piece by Richard Hamilton called 'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different?'

Just what is it that makes today's homes so different? // Richard Hamilton (1992)

The piece shows how we are constantly bombarded with new, desirable items. The dull, blank walls of the background kind of seems out of place with the bright, flashy items that are in your face. 


Updated Idea

Anne's comments made us think deeper into the style we want to take and we thought about different set designs that would be achievable and also still sustain our message. While the same story will mainly apply, set changes have been made. We all liked the idea of maintaining the plain-ness and blank-ness of the set, but maybe turning it into more of a gallery space rather than just a dull living room. There will be an infinite corridor behind where the character is seated, and along this will be plinths showcasing the characters old phones (instead of a pile like we previously suggested). This will be done in post production as it is impossible to actually carry out this effect on set, especially with our budget. The end has also changed slightly - after purchasing his new smart phone from the advert he carries the phone he used to make the purchase down the corridor and sets it on an empty plinth, thus adding it to the collection (instead of throwing it into the pile/ smiling). This solved our problem of where will we get so many phones to form a pile, prevents damage to any phones we have and adds more of a twist to the final. 



After hearing all the ideas from everyone in group tutorials and discussing them outside of class, Josh, Julia, Tom and I joined together and merged our ideas and goals.

Initial Idea

We wish to do an interactive installation piece involving the brain and nervous system in the body. The brain is split into different sections, each part associating with a particular trait or certain function.



We are thinking of having some form of brain, possibly touch screen or movement sensor, in which the viewer can touch a particular area and an interactive piece will be projected on to the wall/ walls, relating to whichever part of the brain was selected. For example, we were thinking of showing electrical impulses going through motor neurones to show the function that a particular area of the brain controls. The rate at which the impulses travel could get faster based on movement of the partaker. Which wall the interactive projection could be put on could also represent the area of the brain chosen by the viewer, for example if the front is selected it could be displayed on the wall directly in front.  

Research List
  • Scientific - how does the brain work and looking more into the different sections
  • Imagery - how does the brain and nervous systems look inside the body etc
  • How to make the projections interactive using movement, sound etc
So far we have been looking on Art and Science Journal, as suggested by Julia to get some visual reference and biological background. We came across an interesting piece called 'Biomimesis: Hyphae' by Polish artist Szymon Kaliski, that kind of gives a feel as to the direction that we want to go with our own project: 

     
                                   
This interactive visual installation combines algorithm which stimulates fungal growth and cold digital aesthetics. 'People movement is tracked and changed into food that this digital life-form consumes. Lack of movement means lack of food, and fungus starts to slowly decay.' 

Also, here are some visual references we found of brain neurones that we quite liked and might want to incorporate in style wise.


The group met up again to look over the script that Dowan had created based off of our first meeting and discuss more ideas. 



Rob also suggested we all watch Black Mirror, a channel 4 TV drama that "taps into collective unease about our modern world," to get some visual references for our campaign and to get an idea of style. 



The colours are quite dull and bland, which is similar to the look we want to achieve for the film. I also noticed a certain scene that stood out to me in which a mysterious, dark fog quickly approaches a group of people in the street. They are seen standing blankly, unmoved by the danger approaching, filming the situation with their smart phones instead of running away or being frightened. This appears to be a similar comment on society to what we are also trying to convey - their emotions seem to be removed. 








Initial Idea

Originally we talked about creating a campaign film in which there was a world with no art and the consequences that would bring. In the opinion of some, there is a big emphasis on art vs science and how the art world tends to get neglected in terms of funding etc while creative jobs can get overlooked and dismissed easily rather than considering it as a serious career option. We thought it would be interesting to take art out of the equation to show how both are just as important in society. Companies require artists for advertisement, branding and designing, along with many more things, so could they function without art? Would they learn to appreciate it if they didn't have access to it? The Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw said that "Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable." Following this we thought we'd design the set with a lack of colour and depth, with empty, dusty spaces where art works used to be on the walls etc. Basically saying that without the many mediums of art, the world would be a very dull and uninteresting place. 




New Idea

The group had a meeting in the library and after a lot of discussion the idea developed into more of a consumerism campaign, but following the same kind of design as the 'world with no art' concept. The idea is to show the reliance on new technology and how customers buy products just because they are new/ trendy/ cool rather than because they actually need the item. We want the set to still remain mostly blank and dull, creating more of a dystopian world in which people only seem to care about gaining new products and nothing else to show that this could be the way humanity is going if they continue purchasing how they do. Roughly the story we decided on is as follows:
  • A man sitting alone in a relatively empty space containing a lack of personal items (yet this is meant to be his living room), fixated on a TV placed in front of him.
  • An advertisement for the new smart phone available plays in the background.
  • The man looks blankly and without even seeming to think about it picks up his current working phone and purchases the phone from the ad. 
  • Afterwards he goes on a social media site to let everyone know that he has bought the latest model of smart phone. 
  • Comments of positive reactions from what appears to be his friends are shown. 
  • He then throws his current phone into a big pile of previous phones that he has discarded to show this has happened many times beforehand. 

We weren't sure of how to end the campaign but thought that either :

  1. After receiving the comments and throwing the phone he still seems to lack emotion, however he starts to show a faint glimmer of a manic smile that quickly disappears and returns back to the previous state. 
  2. Lack of emotion continues until a doorbell is heard and we hear the mail man shout "delivery" as the person smiles/ goes to collect their new device. 

The first ending seems a lot more serious and what we are going for as it creates more of an impact to the viewer about the reality of the situation. The second ending creates a more humorous approach, but we thought that this might cause the campaign to lose the message that it's trying to convey. 



My initial idea was to randomly go for a walk to somewhere I'd never been before, and try to notice unusual things that I wouldn't  normally look for and document them through photos. These images would then have been observed and then a story written to connect all of them in an attempt to show how we can get inspiration from unlikely places and from simply visiting different areas. 

I set off on a journey in the opposite way to my usual direction towards uni, a way that I've never really travelled or explored and documented it through photos every so often. As I walked along the footpath I came across a mini forest and decided to wander around inside to see if I could find anything interesting. I thought it was quite unusual having a walkable woodland just randomly beside a relatively busy road/ path and it contrasted it's tranquility with the noisy cars driving past. 




However once I had finished taking the photos from my journey I thought more about how I don't really know the history and what has happened in those particular places before I stumbled across them. This got my imagination wandering in more of a fantasy direction, as I imagined scenarios or stories that could have happened before I arrived or stories/ myths that could be associated to the area.  So to show that each individual photo/ place on my walk had an unknown backstory I designed simple characters in my sketchbook to give them a magical, mysterious element and to show my curiosity to make believe stories that could be behind the photos.

The Final Designs 








The Design

After looking at the photo, I came up with a story/ scenario in my head based on something that could have happened and then designed characters around that. I drew these in my sketchbook originally, while looking at the photo on my laptop as I sketched to get an idea of posture and action in relation to the picture. Then each design was scanned into the computer and edited in  photoshop to remove any unwanted background paper to just leave the character and arrange in a way to make the two images fit together in a more believable manner.



These were my top seven choices to make fictitious scenarios out of, however I took a lot more photos of the unusual and quirky geographical features in the area that caught my attention as I passed. 

More photos from my walk


The fuzzy texture of this tree

The fallen tree that made a bridge over the stream

How this tree reminded me strangely of conjoined twins



The pattern of the vine-like branches 

Animals in hidden places

Reflections

Evaluation

I learnt more about taking time to observe and notice things, rather than not pay attention and to also go for walks solely for the purpose of discovering new things that could be right under your nose. Normally if I'm by myself I usually am quite effective at observing, however recently I haven't been travelling on my own as often and this task has reminded me of how useful and interesting it can be. It is easy to see how inspiration for many different art forms can come from just paying attention to your surroundings and using a little bit of imagination. 





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Lauren Fox
Third year at UCA studying Digital Film and Screen Arts
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