crying - pre-production

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VIDEO INSTALLATION PROJECT TASK 1 ISAAC SHARP AMY JONES

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VIDEO INSTALLATION PROJECTTASK 1ISAAC SHARP

AMY JONES

TASK 1PRE-PRODUCTION & PLANNING

VIDEO INSTALLATION

ARTIST RESEARCHThe idea that I am aiming for with my video art can be related to the work of other video artists. One video artist that stands out in particular is Michel Gondry, who makes very whimsical pieces of art. A well-known example is ‘the Science of Sleep’, which Gondry describes as ‘an exhibition of sculpture and creepy pathological little gifts’. I plan to pay attention to Gondry’s work while I make the art. I have not yet drawn inspiration from any particular piece of video art, but I have followed the general idea that video art is quite extravagant, happy, and over the top, especially Gondry’s work.

After developing my idea more, I realise that it can be compared to the work of Grant Steven, particularly his piece, ‘The Drift’. In The Drift, various sentences and topics float around in space, making for an abstract way to convey a message. My idea also incorporates space, so this was the closest I could find to my idea.

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES RESEARCHMy idea will use forward projection to be displayed on a radiator. This represents the feeling of warmth that the art tries to give. There are limitations to this, as while my chosen exhibition space contains a radiator, other exhibits may not, so my art would not be displayable there. It also requires a projector, which are limited in quantity at the exhibition space. All wires will have to be hidden for health and safety reasons, and the art cannot be excessively bright, as it uses a very bright colour scheme, which could distract people viewing other pieces of art.

In preparation, I conducted research on video art that uses forward projection. Pieces would often use projection for artistic effect, and I learned that wires must be completely hidden, for safety reasons. The projector must not face any viewers at the exhibition.

PRODUCTION RESEARCHMy chosen exhibition space is at the art gallery within York College. I will conduct further research on the area later into this presentation. I then focussed on my target audience.

The target audience for my art, which I call ‘Crying’, was very general to begin with. Most viewers would be fans of art to view ‘Crying’ in the first place, as it will be shown in art exhibitions, though it will also be uploaded to YouTube. In order to create a more specific target audience, I conducted research to find out which age group visits art galleries most. The Renaissance North East published the following information, using their own research:

“Nationally, [art galleries] have a fairly old visitor profile compared to the population as a whole. Around 13% of visitors nationally are aged 24 or under, whilst 27% are aged 55 or over. This trend has been particularly pronounced in the North East, where 10% of visitors are 24 or under, and 33% are 55 or over (Matty 2004).

Children (aged 15 or under) make 26% of visits to UK galleries, and the number of visits made by children has risen by 3.42m since 2000/1 (MORI 2004) (Ipsos MORI 2005).”

This confirmed my assumption that older audiences visit galleries most often, though I have realized that a lot of children also make visits. Children may not understand the meaning of the art, but this can be explained by written information at the display area if I feel the need. The colour scheme of ‘Crying’ is most appealing to children, so I have chosen a target audience of 10-15, while also making an effort to appeal to the adults accompanying the children.

RESEARCH SUMMARYHaving conducted research on other video artists, a potential target audience, the exhibition space, and the method of installation, I am able to go into depth on my idea. The art will draw inspiration from Michel Gondry and Grant Steven, it will be aimed at older children, and it will be exhibited via forward projection at York College. I have also considered the costs of production, which I will explain further into this presentation.

IDEA GENERATIONIdea 1 – ‘Crying’

A large pulsating sun tilts on an orange background, while waves of people run around underneath it as a form of worship. The art will be projected onto a radiator, to represent warmth. I call it ‘Crying’, as a direct contrast to the sheer happiness of the art.

 

Idea 2 – ‘Cower Before the Towering Flower of Power in the Shower’

A single flower is planted in a green field, before it gains an engine and flies into space like a rocket ship. The flower makes it all the way to space before burning up. A new flower begins to grow in its place. This represents the power of dreams, and also a new beginning. The frame would be very thin, like the flower itself, so the installation would be presented on a thin screen, such as a Smartphone. As the idea of a flower turning into a rocket ship seems quite silly, the title of the art is fittingly stupid.

PROPOSAL

WHAT WE ARE PLANNING TO MAKE AND HOW WE INTEND TO ACHIEVE IT

INSTALLATION SYNOPSISFor our piece of video art, we wish to create the video that we proposed in the hypothetical brief, which we called ‘Crying’. This revolves around a large, pulsating sun that expands and shrinks on top of a bright, orange background. This will be animated, though the art contains a strip of real footage along the bottom, which shows a string of people worshipping this sun in an over-the-top manner. The art would play for 25 seconds, before it loops, and plays at a faster speed. Every time it loops, it becomes faster, and the sun makes larger pulsations. ‘Crying’ will play for two minutes in total. It has been designed to loop again for exhibition purposes, so the sun will return to its original size at the very end.

This idea is closer to the works of Grant Steven than Michel Gondry, due to the usage of space.

INSTALLATION SYNOPSISHowever, since making this idea, we were given a brief, which the art must follow. It must represent new media technologies and culture, and it must also represent either identity in new media technologies, or space, time and motion. Although ‘Crying’ was not imagined with this brief in mind, we feel it fits the brief, albeit in an abstract way. Major companies such as Apple can release a new version of a product, even if it is remarkably similar to the previous version, and fans will immediately swarm for this new piece of technology, as if they worship the company. In ‘Crying’, people worship the sun in a very wacky way, so it is practically the same as the way fans will worship a company for even the most unimportant update to technology.

In this way, ‘Crying’ is suitable for the “new media technologies and contemporary culture” section of the brief. We also believe that ‘Crying’ can be a visual exploration of space, time and motion;

The sun will take up more and more space on the screen throughout ‘Crying’, and the sun is the central piece of space itself. As the video art goes on, the worshipping becomes faster and faster. This ties back into the technology aspect, as new product releases from large companies have become more and more frequent, and fans have become more willing to spend high amounts of money on these products over time.

Both the sun and the crowd represent motion. The sun is continuously making bigger and bigger motions, and the crowd is making a movement to show their love for it.

AUDIENCE RESPONSEThe way ‘Crying’ represents technology is not obvious to many, but this can be explained on a sheet or plaque of information, like most pieces of art usually have beside them in exhibitions. Besides the technology it represents, ‘Crying’ will also represent warmth, and how much everyone loves it. It is called ‘Crying’, because it is a direct contrast to the content of the art. Knowing that the art is called Crying, an audience may expect a sad piece, but will instead be enlightened, possibly moreso than they would if the art sounded happy from its name. An audience may begin to associate the act of crying with this art, allowing the thought of crying to become more positive. As ‘Crying’ is a piece of video art that must loop, which people could start viewing halfway through, it completely ignores narrative, focussing solely on expressionism.

The idea does not intend to be very thought provoking, as the ideals can be provided beside the art, and to an audience, ‘Crying’ will come across as little more than a large, stupid sun. We are instead focusing on visual appeal, and the main response we want from our audience is happiness, though they may wonder what the message is, if the message is not given to them in advance.

PRODUCTION CONSIDERATIONSWe have not yet considered how we will transport our equipment to the venue, but as we will travel with the other artists, we hope that everybody’s equipment will be transported together. The exhibition space is within York College, so it is only a short distance away, and does not require transport via car. This allows us to visit the venue whenever we please, and get an idea of the layout of the room.

The art can be made very cheaply, as our venue for the installation does not require payment from us, and the production of the art can made done at a very low cost, if not completely free. We have enquired about the availability of a projector and radiator at the venue, and have been told that they should be available.

PRE-PRODUCTION AND PLANNING

GROUP ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESOur production group consists of two people: Isaac Sharp and Amy Jones. We have divided our work so that we can both work on our specialist subjects. As the resident artist of the group, Amy will work on the actual art of the installation, and will draw the sun and anything else that needs to be made from scratch. Isaac, the director of the art, is working on the planning documentation, and will edit the art. We have both conducted research on similar ideas, the work of other artists, and how to make our art succeed.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULEProduce a table of when and where you intend to do the planning, filming and editing of your production. You should have a broad timeline from your tutor and the assignment. Build you plan from this, including specific tasks, who is doing them and when. Work to deadlines, but allow time for problems and amendments.

FEBRUARY WEEK 1–4: Isaac; Research, pre-production

Amy; Research, create artwork

MARCH WEEK 1–2: Film and edit ‘Crying’

MARCH WEEK 3: Exhibit the final piece in the gallery and online

MARCH WEEK 4 – APRIL WEEK 1: Complete evaluations.

MOOD BOARDS

STORYBOARDS/SKETCHES/VISUALISATIONSo far, we have designed two suns that we may use in ‘Crying’, drawn by Amy Jones. They both aim to be incredibly happy, but each have a distinct style. The sun will need to expand, shrink, and rotate throughout the art, so I would prefer the sun to have rays like the bottom sun, although it should face forward like the top sun.

As ‘Crying’ is just one continuous shot, we have not made a storyboard. However, it will look roughly like the image below.

LOCATION INFORMATION

The exhibition space is within York College, making it very easy to access and view. Travelling will not require transport by vehicle, and all artists will arrive on foot. To the left is a plan of the room, and where in it ‘Crying’ will be displayed. The space is on the third floor, so if we put our equipment on a trolley, we can move it upwards in a lift. The space may get cramped if a lot of viewers and exhibitors are in the room, so wires will create a big tripping hazard, and the room will become hot. The radiator in the room is partially covered up by other exhibitions, but this is not a problem, as it makes ‘Crying’ feel more like a side event, which we mentioned in the proposal.

RISK ASSESSMENTSRISK ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN PROVIDED OUTSIDE OF THE PRESENTATION.