Josh asked Tom and I to help out with camera work for his documentary film, which I was very excited about as I find his project really cool and something I'd be really interested in! It meant we got to tag along and watch the performances and meet some band members which was super awesome! More film - wise it allowed me to test my camera skills on the EX1 - camera being something I haven't really been on other than in workshops and my own personal projects etc. It was nice being able to try something different and go a bit out of my normal comfort zone from roles that I've become more acquainted with. I had a great time and hopefully helped Josh a tiny bit on his way to accomplishing his amazing project!

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Inframen is a series of portraits using an infrared technique that reveals blemishes that lie under a dancer's abused skin such as scars and sun damage. The photographic process strips away the dancers' outer shell, exposing hidden flaws - the surface of the skin becomes a metaphor for the dancer's inferiority. It represents the relationship between the strength of the body and the fragility of the soul while using male dancers subverts the heteronormative idea of emotionally suppressed masculinity. 

"I use this infrared technique to challenge the model's beauty and find a great intimacy. You are seeing what is already there but it reveals and emphasises these marks."

I think this is a great inspiration for looking at male dancers and challenging the male stereotype. In Inframen we can see that despite their beauty and strength, there are flaws underneath and that everyone has them. This relates back to our film to try and subvert the idea of men always being these strong, fearless characters that are meant to protect, and in reality are just as susceptible to "flaws" as women, despite that this may be seen to be overlooked. 

After our brief tutorial with Kathleen we discussed about what gender we wanted the dancer to be and how this would effect what we are trying to say with the piece. We thought how it would be interesting to use a male dancer as a subversion of stereotypes. I wrote this brief summary to outline the new idea for the film : 

A 5 minute contemporary dance film featuring a young man, aiming to explore and challenge the male stereotype of having strong, fearless characteristics by contrasting with a quivering wreck. The choreography is based around an analysis of anxious states and the movements they create, their exaggerated sounds creating a sort of rhythm. This will be done through the use of live action and animation, in which the dance represents fear and panic, while the animated branches reflect pressure and problems, ultimately closing in on the dancer. 

I also came up with a revised mood board, as previously the focus was very much on women, while now we want to concentrate on men and how they can be viewed through the camera. 

Stylistically we still want the visuals to be black and white, consisting of a light grey background. This is so we can contrast with the much darker vines and branches. 

I thought as the production is giving a life to the characters, that I'd do the descriptions in an interesting, related manner - giving them mock interviews as if they are publicizing "Through the Medium" as the actors. This allows a further reflection of the medium, as they are essentially having a mini, even more realistic interview, about their role in our film in which they are interviewed about life on set. I feel their answers give a bit more away about their characters and attitudes, particularly to those who haven't seen the script. It serves as kind of a written teaser to our film. We thought this would be useful to put on fundraising sites, publicity pages and even as flyers to put up / hand out, as it is quite a fun part that plays off the rest of the entire work. Even if we don't use it as something public in the end, it's useful for us to look at to make sure we know as much about the characters as possible (their back story) to assist in putting their lives into their models in the best possible way.  Once the article was written, we turned it into a magazine style design and layout to add a bit more of a realistic interview vibe, that can be seen below, in the fake magazine Animation Nation : 

Clay was born on the 22nd July 2015. From a very early age, Clay was handled with a lot of love and care by his creators assembled with the most delicate of touches. After initial problems with his balance, requiring assistance to stand alone to prevent toppling over, he established a close bond with his human animator counterparts who he relied and worked with to rectify the problem into a more stable condition. He became a popular character within the workshop, and as a result grew to be a very social and friendly being. Clay considers himself to be a professional actor and takes his roles very seriously, however he always has time to hang out and have fun with the rest of the crew on breaks. Despite never gloating, if questioned, he will quietly confess his dreams of one day being the first animated character to attend the Oscars.

Here is a brief interview with Clay to get to know him better before the release of "Through The Medium."

Interviewer : How would you describe yourself? 

Clay : ...Oh...tough question! Mmmm...let me think. I'd say I'm a pretty patient character *chuckles* 

Interviewer : *chuckles* Well you'd have to be! 

Clay : Yeah definitely! It's a massive part of the job I'd say. I like to think I'm pretty chilled, the key to establishing a good work ethic is just to be friendly and have fun with the job. It's nice being able to have a few laughs every once in awhile with these guys *points towards film crew*

Interviewer :  Sounds like you have a lot of fun on set! Do you bring that into your personal life too? 

Clay : Yeah I would say so. I like to get a bit of socialising in behind the scenes as well, there's perks to working with some of your best friends! Seriously though, it is important to take a lot of breaks throughout production, especially when you're standing all day like I am. It's essential I get my stretching exercises in - it's part of the risk assessment! Off set I also enjoy watching a lot of films to draw some inspiration into my performances, although to be fair I like to incorporate a lot of my own style into the roles as well. 

Interviewer : What do you think of "Through the Medium"?

Clay : I really love the concept of the entire film. I feel like a lot of the time animated character's voices get lost in amongst the rest of the behind the scenes footage and it can get really frustrating, especially after all the hard work put in to make the performance good. I'm really hoping the film will provide the audience with some new knowledge of what it's like to be an animated character on set, working in adverse conditions when you're only a few inches tall and gain a new perspective on the film making life from a different angle. 

Interviewer : Rating out 10?

Clay : Do you even have to ask? *chuckles* 

Chip was born on the 20th of July 2015. In early stages of development, Chip had a rather unfortunate scenario with the so - called evil "Cursor" that left him muscle-less and nearly ruined his career in looking good for himself - he has lived in fear ever since. Right away Chip knew he was very athletic, and for one little CGI animation he had big dreams - to have the biggest muscles and smoothest surface in the entire of 3D space. Self appearance is a very important part of Chip's life, with around 16 hours spent in his mirror and the other 8 flexing in his sleep. However, various run downs with his Kryptonite, the "Cursor," often leave Chip in awkward situations and interrupt his  self titled flawless physique. Despite life not always going Chip's way, he knows he can always find some solace in his favourite coffee, the triple mocha frappa lacka macha chino latte and even occasionally him and the cursor manage to put aside their differences, showing it's not all tricks and games between them.

We also spent some time getting to know Chip! Here is the interview :

Interviewer : Hey Chip! How are you?

Chip : *Proceeds to fix hair in mirror* ...uuuhhh...I'm...Good...Thanks.

Interviewer : Great to hear! Can you tell the audience a bit about yourself?

Chip : *Immediately puts down mirror* Where do I begin? My favourite element of me has to be my award winning smile *Smirks* although my hair is pretty good too, perfect even! Wouldn't you agree?

Interviewer :  Yeah! Don't forget about those muscles though!

Chip : Oh trust me, I haven't. I've got a solid round of built up polygons. *flexes*

Interviewer : Nice! Do you use those muscles to stop any evil lurking about?

Chip : Mmm...there's not too much evil around here...other than the...the...the...

Interviewer : ...the?

Chip : NOOO! Nothing. Never mind...you'd better be careful or you'll soon find out! And neither of us would want that. The interview would have to be cut short.

Interviewer : Very well... If there's "not too much evil" I'm guessing the universe is a very positive place?

Chip : Definitely! How could a universe with me not be positive! Although the coffee contributes a lot of positivity, especially after a stressful day of running from...stuff...and gives me the energy to keep maintaining these dashing looks you see here.

Interviewer : And lastly can you describe "Through the Medium" to us to get a better sense of what it is about?

Chip : Sure! It's a glorious two hour feature length that delves deep inside the inner workings of my amazing body, displaying the craftsman ship of every chiseled high definition ab, my shiny radiant texture...

Interviewer : ...mmm...it's actually supposed to be a short, documentary....say around 3-5 mins?

Chip : Pfft you're wrong...that's obviously not nearly enough time to take in all of my stupendous action. You'll love it though, it truly is a work of art!

Interviewer : *Chuckles* I look forward to seeing that! Thank you Chip.