Sunday, 7 December 2014

Human Landscape Project

This was a collaboration project between Film and TV and Performance costume. The brief for the project was to create a film that is based around the human body. A very broad topic indeed. We basically began by throwing ideas around on the first day. Also we all showed an example of our work to eachother so we had a better understanding of everyone's abilities before we got started. I brought a couple visuals to show what I was thinking we could do. I liked the idea of using the body physically to create a story.





After a heavy bit of brain storming we decided that we wanted to use the body as a set for our film and from there we went away and came up with our own ideas ready for the next meeting.

I liked the idea of animating onto the body in stop motion and was inspired by this film by Emma Allen. I cant quite remember everyones ideas but mine was to create a film about a virus taking over the body and we could create scenes inside the body of the virus taking over. Everyone had similar ideas of the body being taken over and eventually we came up with the idea of a man dying after being terminally ill. We wanted to explore the idea of the body being a trap and through death he was liberated from this. We wanted to convey nature taking back the mans body and we would show this by having vegetation grow out from his body as he gradually passed away, eventually he would end up in the "heaven" of nature.
I began making animation tests for the stop motion vegetation to grow on the body





We wanted the film to look quite ethereal, and what is more whimsical than toadstools!?

I made and array of plasticine toadstools that would grow on our actor




I thought that these animations would look quite nice with a macro lens so I booked one for the filming days.
So next was the task of finding actors, we needed a uncaring caretaker and an old man. I hope my Dad wasn't too offended when I asked him to play the elderly terminally ill gentleman (which he couldn't manage to do because of work). After loads of asking we managed to secure both actors ( who carried the film incredibly well!) 

We also had the task of prop finding. It was my job to locate a wheelchair. I really struggled to secure one for various reasons and in a blind panic I made this hilariously bad wheel chair from a deck chair, straws and duck tape
 But! Luckily I managed to book a proper one so disaster was averted! 
(The face of wheelchair attaining victory)

The first day of filming was in our forest location for the heaven scene. I helped with lighting and managed to get a few macro shots of real mushrooms.




Here are the macro shots



Then I combined the model mushrooms with a real natural background



After that we tried to record some sound, we even trecked all the way up Arthurs seat to try and get some peace and quiet.......Unfortunately there was a bloody bagpipe player going hell for leather somewhere and he disturbed our silence. Some how we managed to get some sound recorded

(I was incredibly pleased when Sam lead us through masses of jaggy nettles......)

The second filming day was Stop motion day! well I'll call it night because we could only book the location for after 6 so we were filming till about 10 at night. I was pretty nervous because I had to get the animations done right first time and in the timescale of 2 hours. It turned out fine though so I was pretty chuffed. 






here are the scenes








Then it was time for some editing! which only took about 2 sessions 

and finally here is our completed film!


Group B - Fade from ECA Animation on Vimeo.

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