Using colour to represent sound

Cruz-Diez Foundation (2019) What is a Physiocromie? | Carlos Cruz-Diez. 29th March Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMnBoQcsbo (Accessed:26 Jan 2022).

Carlos Cruz-Diez - Colour Inspiration

Diez makes dynamic representations of complimentary colours which shift as the viewer moves around the room:

"Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Physichromies play with our perception of colour. The term “Physichromie” was coined by Cruz-Diez by combining the words “physical” and “chromaticism.” Chromaticism is a musical technique in which pitches, or sounds, are combined. The Physichromies are visual manifestations of the idea of chromaticism; they combine colours instead of musical notes."

Constellations.artinterp.org. 2022. Changing Colors: Carlos Cruz-Diez’s Physichromie | Constellations. [online] Available at: <http://constellations.artinterp.org/education/lesson-plan-carlos-cruz-diezs-physichromie/#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9CPhysichromie%E2%80%9D%20was%20coined,colors%20instead%20of%20musical%20notes.> [Accessed 26 January 2022].

These 'Physicromies' have been inspirational in my thinking process for how to present the colour (and sounds) in BIG SMOKE. It is interesting that he coined the term as a mixture of chromaticism and physical. Chromaticism is a term used in music for notes, pitches and other elements of music being blended. 

I hope to bring the element of sound in this term back into fruition. Maybe by adding the bars of colour to the motion of music in the film, the mixture of colours and motions created would make the sounds more dynamic (rather than using a glow or block colours. Using this technique feels right as Cruz-Diez derived his concept from a principle of sound. 

I will be mimicking this by creating audiovisual effects with these ideas. Different colour crossovers could have different connotations and represent character dynamics. As I have established that my characters will be represented by different colours and connotations, this aesthetic could work very well

Physicromie Experiment

Below is the trailer and a clip from a BFI film, Beats. Reflective of the death of the Acid house scene in the 90's, Beats represents similar antiestablishment themes to Big Smoke, treating authorities as enemies and parties as protests. There is imagery within this film, such as the industrial and modernist aesthetic in the film. applying this visual could be a nod to the climate of the 90's, which is somewhat reflective of the political climate I reflect in my film.

However, I am mainly commenting on its use of colour. The film is black and white for its entirety until the end. At a euphoric moment in the film (shown below) colours pop into the screen. At first subtle, they begin to takeover in a truly climactic way. I hope to achieve similar effects within my film; being minimalistic with the colour until it is needed for dramatic effect. Keeping the way colour is used in mind will make all the difference in the resonance of the film. A detail this simple can make a massive difference (as it did in Beats).

I was wondering how I'd animate sound in a synesthesic way. Through this research, I am beginning to have ideas of how to execute these. I have a plan for some test animations.

gh0s1(2020) UK Beats 2019 Trip Scene. 3rd July. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwfuCp04xQ0 (Accessed: 26 January 26)

Altitude Films (2019) BEATS | Official UK Trailer | Altitude Films. 5th April. Avaliable at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o2xteiJt94 (Accessed: 26 January 26)

Colour

Colour

From my colour mood boards of the last trimester and Adobe colour wheel, I have made gradients to see different hues I can get. The pallet has RGB features and I am confident they will be complimentary if used well. The brightness works well as much of this colour will be used to represent vibrant sound and will light up the world. Experimenting with different brightness and saturation is important, as is testing how I may animate these sounds.

 

reading - THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL STRUCTURES IN MUSIC PERCEPTION

 

p.211

p.211

p.212

Production To Do List

 Created in the previous trimester, this table outlines all the scenes within my film with regards to animation and background movement and also special requirements within the film such as reference footage and 3D reference models. In line with studio film production, colour coordinating similar aspects of the film help with making sense of the locations and animation requirements.

Expanding on this, the requirements here must also go in line with the backward planning objectives I have outlined. There are elements of animation and background design which I wish to improve. Namely these are software base but also require the practice of frequent drawing. Therefore, while carrying out the production, attention to improving my skills is also important.

I seek to merge these lists together so that the skills I learn directly impact the parts of the film they would influence.

reading - THE MULTIMODAL EXPERIENCE OF ART

Theoretical Perspective

Multimodality is diverse throughout the senses. There are many crossovers to be made so grounding myself in a selected number of sensory combinations is essential for the sake of keeping a cohesive argument.

p.356

Commentary on the intensity of music being met with more vigorous visual cues as the film and music progresses would mirror this observation in the context of music video/visuals. 

p. 357

Having different temporality between sound and image running on the same timeline could distort the modal crossovers...

GOOD WORD - Diegetic - In a film, diegetic sound would be heard by the characters and within the story, rather than targeted toward the audience.

Having a commentary on ways of perceiving an artistic piece multi-modally is valuable for the dissertation and film production. I am continuing my consideration of applying different cognitive methods to gauge reactions from my audience. By keeping records of the process of layering the sound and image and by applying some principles within this paper, I am narrowing down what needs to be achieved in my investigation. This will also aid my audiovisual storytelling methods.

For example, in Nanay's case study of choreography, applying motion at a different speed to the music playing can influence our multimodal perception. Alike to Chion's studies it brings into consideration the temporality of the senses and how this can be manipulated to different effects. Having sound and image at odds with each other can achieve certain effects such as surrealism and confusion. I can apply this to the scene with a strobe light. I believe it would be effective to juxtapose the fast moving light with slowed motion, it will be useful to my practical thought process for research and also the aesthetic for the final film. 

Considering the case studies within this paper works in my favour as well. When previously looking at visual stimuli for music, much of my studies had been on A/V, or application of visuals with digital precision and aesthetic. by comparing my work to dance choreography allows me to focus my studies on character movement and its relationship with the music, rather than abstract, code like apparitions.

How can gestural animations improve cognitive interaction to musical visuals?

How iterative processes in music video production can improve visuals and multimodal engagement with music

Nanay, B. (2012) ‘The Multimodal Experience of Art’, British Journal of Aesthetics, 52(4), pp. 353–363. Available at: https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=2bb61908-ad78-3b79-bf9f-3e4c0fcce695 (Accessed: 20 January 2022).

.

Animating Skills Refresher

TV Paint

This is my preferred animation programme. Drawing out the motion rather than manipulating software to my advantage works better for me as it relies on drawing skills rather than skills on software. The film will require compositing skills additionally which will be done in After Effects. For now I consider getting my character animation skills up to scratch to be most important. This video has served as a refresher course, reminding me of how TV Paint works, especially in personalised ways to make my animation process comfortable, efficient and clean.

- Tips on cleaning up lines and line smoothing. I am keen to add more consistency with my animations. Making sure lines meet and are coherent makes a cleaner animation and a less arduous process of colouring.

- Colour coding frames helps differentiate between in-betweens, key frames and follow throughs.

- Clean up on key frames first makes for better animation

HELCH

HELCH is a mysterious graffiti artist. Before looking into him further I thought there would be some way to reach out to him. It doesn't seem as easy as I thought. There is some controversy surrounding this name including an article about upsetting the Queen by ruining her view from Windsor Castle. Many consider this artist as a delinquent. Maybe he is. Nevertheless, I have grown up seeing this tagline all over the country and I think his branding is impeccable. Despite being an annoyance to some, this is arguably the exact kind of creative protest form I am looking for in my film. He is also recognised by a great many people. He may be impossible to reach but the idea of contacting street artists would give the backgrounds within my film a flare of creativity, while crediting these artists and providing familiarity for those who pay attention to street art. It is an element of the film I may pursue further. If I managed to collaborate with successful street artists', there is a mutually beneficial opportunity in having their work feature in the film.

Obank, N. (2019) The most recent Helch target has upset the Queen [Photograph]. The Sun

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9804811/what-does-helch-mean/

The Experience Economy - Pine & Gilmore

This concept was originally proposed by Janine in one of my Core Modules presentations as a relevant research topic. The idea of having a commodity (a piece of music for example). Adding an immersive element to it gives added value. An example of the experience economy is cinema: People would not pay for admissions if the film did not immerse you. People pay for the experience of sitting down with the lights off, watching on a big screen and listening on a surround sound system. In comparison to home viewing, the cinema creates a much more memorable experience. There are ways to incorporate this into my film. I am continually finding more ways to make the film engage the senses. Using the idea of multimodality that I am researching, I want to find ways to make Big Smoke as immersive as possible. This will also have benefits for my extensive research module.

Initial quotations

• Commodities are fungible, goods tangible, services intangible, and experiences memorable.
• no two people can have the same experience, because each experience derives from the interaction between the staged event (like a theatrical play) and the individual’s state of mind.
• Just as goods and services result from an iterative process of research, design, and development, experiences derive from an iterative process of exploration, scripting, and staging—capabilities that aspiring experience merchants will need to master.
• Impressions are the “takeaways” of the experience; they fulfil the theme. To create the desired impressions, companies must introduce cues that affirm the nature of the experience to the guest. Each cue must support the theme, and none should be inconsistent with it.
• The sensory stimulants that accompany an experience should support and enhance its theme. The more senses an experience engages, the more effective and memorable it can be.
• The mist at the Rainforest Cafe appeals serially to all five senses. It is first apparent as a sound: Sss-sss-zzz. Then you see the mist rising from the rocks and feel it soft and cool against your skin. Finally, you smell its tropical essence, and you taste (or imagine that you do) its freshness. What you can’t be is unaffected by the mist.

Pine, B. and H Gilmore, J., 1998. Welcome to the Experience Economy. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: <https://hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experience-economy> [Accessed 6 January 2022].

This makes me think about screenings of the film. Ideally, at the very least, I would want a good sound system and similar settings to that of the cinema like darkness. These would be relevant to the themes I represent; the film takes place at night and features dance music. Further to this however, as my film follows themes of protest through arts and creativity, screening at exhibitions and music events would also be effective. This would fully engage multimodality. It would also leave audiences with an experience of the film rather than simply viewing it. The experience economy is therefore an exciting concept for me and I will be looking into it further in regard to my film and extensive research work.

P3

P3

P4

P4

P5

P6

GOODS TO SERVICE:

Goods are the tangible commodities which are used by consumers. With industrialisation, these goods are produced much quicker and with less people. Goods production makes up roughly 20% of the economy in the US, where service makes up 80%, ultimately making the US a service economy.

Where do music and experiential events fit in? The experience provided at such events are the main attraction. Merchandise can be sold but it is seen as secondary. The goods and service aspects are less predominant with musical experience because less physical commodities are being sold.

Interesting to consider in the age where the planet's resources are limited. Can selling experiences minus tangible products be a sustainable selling point for certain industries?

Action plan

Breaking the next 12 weeks into 3 sections (4 weeks for each), I have made a plan of actions in the best chronological order I can understand thus far. This list is subject to editing and contains elements of practice to work on throughout. This will help me with knowing what practices fit at what times as I continue to do tests and learn more about contemporary animation practices.

First actions:

• Contact HELCH (consider other artists)
• Develop website
• Experience economy
• Reference footage
• 3D reference

Second actions

• Multimodal research
• Synesthesia research
• Animation tests

Third actions:

• Find appropriate animation festivals

Continuous actions:

• LinkedIn Learning (at least a lesson per week)
• Watch 2D animations for inspiration
• Life drawing every fortnight
• Physical Sketchbook
• Animation tests
• Notes on sound design
• LinkedIn development
• Regular interactive Instagram posts

Backward Planning

Stepping into the next stage of the MA and production process, backward planning has been introduced. By setting an ultimate goal for after completing the course and keeping the requirements of the 703 module in mind, A set of actions has been defined for the next 12 weeks.  This allows us to not only tick the boxes within the course, but aids us towards our career aspirations.

2 months after completing the MA

-Film entered into festivals

-Online portfolio developed (website/social media)

-Continued brand identity and engaging work shown

All in interest of having a thriving freelance career with work reflecting my interest of music and animation. Also working with clients who allow a degree of freedom and creativity. Through correct branding, I hope to hit my desired target market of highly creative musical outputs through illustration and animation.

Before backward planning, the Gantt chart served as a rough guide for what to do. However predicting these actions in a timeline going forward was difficult because there were many aspects of the preliminary process to organise. Setting this goal and working backwards from there has already clarified the next 12 weeks for me. Below I have specified the specific actions required for this module which will steer me towards my post MA goals. 

The next task will be to arrange them on a timeline, but having specified what I need to do adds simplification to the task. It also makes performing the tasks less daunting because I have outlined my goal from the start. This is a new outlook from simply filling a Gantt chart with rough ideas of what I need to do.

Next 12 weeks

The module focuses on experimentation with practice: Ensuring the film communicates well, looks great and moves further towards a finished piece. I have refined my goals into 3 categories:

Technical skills

Drawing/animating frequently will be important for advancing my knowledge of motion, crucial to 2D animation practice. Enhancing my knowledge of colour and lighting in animation will be useful with generally well thought out shots. Learning more skills on After Effects and TV Paint are generally useful. The more I can learn, the better. Learning more about working with music and animation for my current production will aid future music based projects. I will also work on my knowledge of 3D. This will probably  manifest in physical models rather than Maya for instance. Building in 3D and using real life references are always useful to enhance animations.

Actions: LinkedIn learning, watching 2D animations, animators talks, life drawing, sound reacting visuals, A/V, 3D model building, ref footage

Networking skills

Entering the Big Smoke film into festivals would help considerably with entering my chosen field within animation because I would be selecting appropriate festivals and awards to be nominated for. An element of collaboration could also provide exposure. I have been thinking about featuring artists' work within the film. Artists who share similar themes of protest through creativity. The film could then essentially be an exhibition as well, adding to the experience of viewing this dystopian world. Continuing to graft and release work is also important. ~Refining my social media to a professional level, continuing to add content and reach out to people on LinkedIn and developing my website, which still has elements of improvement to be added.

Actions: Find appropriate festivals accepting admissions at appropriate times and add entries where possible (doing this before finishing the film would be helpful to know so the entry can be made quickly). Contact HELCH. HELCH is the first of the street artists I would like to include. He is UK based, his typeface is nationally recognised and collaborating with him if possible would be great. Create new website using Wix or similar (material has been produced but formatting it into a portfolio would help with branding and exposure. LinkedIn development, interactive and regular instagram posts (where my work currently gets the most exposure). Develop showreel when film is made.

Research skills

I need to focus my research topics to a concise level. Sound and image accompaniment is still high on my agenda. I wish to look into music production techniques. So far, the animatic has been made and the music over it. As I make a second draft of the film out of the animatic, sounds and images will be more synchronous using timing in TV Paint and After Effects. I would imagine after that the music will be developed further. I want to see how this practice develops my understanding of multimodality and sound design. I also want to compare this to the animated music video industry. Continuing to find other methodologies and ideas is also essential. I have a few preliminary readings to get me on my way.

Actions: Continue reading Visualising Research for methodology ideas, read into the experience economy (recommended after one of my presentations because it focuses on turning a commodity like music into a multi sensory experience, adding value to it), continue to note elements of practice which could inform research like working with Heath on sound design, read into music video production, read into multimodality wherever possible, look at synesthesia, contact the people I know who have it to get insights, continue to find sociopolitical and sustainable elements to feed into the narrative of the film

PRESENTATION 2