nick knight and seamus murphy compare and contrast

Nick Knight  and Seamus Murphy compare and contrast 

Knight is a British born photographer, web publisher and director.  Nicks journey  with photography was first seen in the public eye in 1982 when he brought out his first book , skinhead. This showing the culture in depth of skinheads using a mix of portraits and street photography type images to document this.  This first images I feel are extremely different all other projects that he under took after this.  this I think is because unlike all his other images he uses a documentary style to this showing a still deep meaning full images like his present work but these being un manuplitated really life images . This collection of images I really like though and are an eye catching collection. This I think is because the eye contact and emotion shown between knight and his subjects seem to draw you in to each individual image and the story behind this.  
The next step in his career was when he was asked by I-D magazine to create 100 portraits for the 5 anniversary issue . This is where his career in the fashion industry seemed to really begin , when from this his work caught the eye of marc ascoli who then commissioned him to shoot the 1986 catalogue of Avant garde by Japanese designer yohji yamamoto . This step seemed to lead him away from his first collection images using the skin head to now be part of the up and coming fashion industry of the 80s. through out the years after this nick then became one of the world’s most influential and visionary photographers of today. Thought out his career knight has worked his way up to now  work for vogue where he has been shooting covers since 1993 . he has photographed many a list celebrities from Victoria beckham and  yoko to his shoots with Kate moss who he has shot 14 covers over the years.  Nicks fashion work on these covers I think stands out because he shots bright bold images that have a deep out line in which you can almost follow the lines and shapes of the subject around the image which I think draws you in . I also think the way in which you can see the eye contact and emotion between him and his subject draws you into image which I think is an important skill to have as a photographer because the closer relationship you have with your subject the stronger the image I think.   
Knight has also produced other collections of images  in 2009 he released A 12 year retrospective flora , this is a series of lower pictures . in this he stunning images of flowers this images he manipulated to look like the colours were almost washing away as they changed shape and form . this I think gave the images a creepy feeling to them with them looking like the colours almost trying to escape and in doing this it changes the shape and form of the flower which to me changes to a mixed narrative with the story behind this being what ever the on looker interprets the change in form to show. To me I think this shows almost a sadness and a constant want to escape from an original form . although these are again a different style to the fashion images that he produces I think you can still see a link in his thought process with the way he transfers the colour bursts from this collection into some of his fashion portraits.  For example  in his collection War the he published on SHOWstudio . The exploding reds in this to me are almost like the ideas from his flora collection exploding out of this collection . which I think shows a strong link in his work and ideas for work. 
Exhibitions:  
Knight has had his work displayed in many of the world’s biggest international gallery’s : 
Tate modern 
V &A 
Saatchi 
He also has a permanent insulation – plant flower at the national history museum London  .   

SHOW studio – website  
Showstudio is nick knights fashion website that he started up in 2000 – The home of fashion. This in his own words “is showing the entire creative process from conception to competition”. This website is to not only for showing his latest fashion contracts and shoots . But to also show fashion films  that knight has either made himself or has collaborated with others to make. These videos are used some times to explain and document some fashion shows and collections . but the mostly as a way of showing his work other than just printing images or posting them individually on a website. This I think is a great way to show this with the videos and soundtracks that are mixed with this making them more eye catching. This website since its realise has become one of the most popular fashion based websites on line with its wide variety of eye catching videos and stills by nick and also pieces that have been collaborated with celebrities such as Kanye west and lady gaga.  
Other works 
Nick has also produces work for album covers for high end celebrities such as bjord , elvis Costello , boy George , david bowie , lady gaga , gwen Stefani , Cheryl cole  , etc .  
Music videos : knight has also direct several music videos : 
First – Bjork pagan poetry 2001 
Lady gaga born this way 2011 
Kayne west bound 2 – 2013  
This videos and other collaborated work with this artists are a small amount of the videos that are shown on show studio .  

Through out looking through knights work I have found that even though the topics in the type of images he choses to produce seem to be really distanced from each other  at a glance but after researching and studying several of his pieces I feel that you can see a strong link between his work . except for his first piece , skinheads that I feel strays from what is now seen as his colourful in your face surreal style that he produces .  for example his flower and flora work I feel links with the fashion work with the use of bright running colours. This almost looks like the colour explosion from the flora work are exploding from the subject. This I think represents the deep powerfulness that comes from his work , with the use of surreal expression with an almost abstract look . I feel that the categories of his work link in with the power and the in your face feeling weather its by using the bold bright colours or the direct eye contact between the subject and knight in his portrait work. This is one of the main things that I love about his work because the power of the image with the direct line between model and photographer seems to draw you into the image . which to me makes you study and look into the  narrative in the image and the detail . I think that his surreal images with the explosions of colour also drag you into what seems like a dream world of fantasy and surreal colours scenes.    
Digital manipulation 
Through out knights work he uses a lot of photo manipulation in out of camera editing to create his surreal images. This is one of the things I looked at after using some of his ideas for inspiration in my own work , because this links with the experimental side to my project . i feel that his images are a great example of image manipulation because the individual images that he puts together to create this blend together into one piece with no clear signs other than the surreal ness of the images to show that these have been pieced together. This I think is one of the hardest part when using photo manipulation to create images because you want to create a professional piece that blends well and doesn’t look pieced together badly.  
His work has given me some of my inspiration for my final idea with the use of the bright lighting that creates  the bold shape and clear outline that you can follow with you eyes on the back drop . I would like to use this in my own work to create bold shapes of the body parts of my models to create surreal and abstract images of the human form . but for my images I will be using black and white and not colour but I still want to give across the deep strong connection in my images that I feel I get from the sharp bold images of nicks . 

 These first three images are examples of nicks fashion photography

 Examples of flower collection

 movement collection

portrait collection 
















All the images above show examples of nick knights many collections of work nick has show these in exhibitions using printed and digital and projected insulation. as well as this he uses the showstudio site that i have mentioned earlier in which he shows video and film :  show studio web link : http://showstudio.com/contributor/nick_knight . 

links to examples of nicks fashion video : 

Seamus Murphy  

Seamus murphy  was born 1959 and grew up in ireland but is now bases him self in london. He works with as a photojournalist and also with film. His work has taken him travelling all the world for example , Europe , middle east , Africa and many more , photographing places and people . but overall his main focus  being war which he has focused on from 1994 to 2004 in detail. In doing this he produced a project in Afghanistan using photojournalism to capture not only the devastation of war its self. But also the political side and the lives of the people behind the turmoil of war.  

Film 

He has produced a series of 12 films . This collection he colloborated with musican PJ harvey to accompany her album let england shake . These 12 videos were made to link with the tracks on PJ harveys album. 

These videos I think show a clear narrative for each individual video / song , For example the film , The words that maketh murder I think  follows a narrative of a fast moving life thats almost a blur. 

This I think also shows the different sides to peoples lives and the way in which they live from the young boy going to war to then the couple dancing in what is seen as an everyday normal environment with out a care in the world. 

I love the way this shows the even though we all live in the same world. we all live such different lives and in some way dont even realise what is going on around us out side of the bubble that we call our own lives.   

comparing nick knight and Seamus Murphy :  

 After taking a detailed look in to the work of Seamus Murphy and Nick Knight, I have found that other than their use of the same mediums

. Their work is completely different in many ways. for example Seamus Murphy focuses on war photography where we works on location to photograph life as it happens, which will one day become a Historic document.

When planning his projects Seamus will have some control for example he will research or be told about situations like wars in many different countries. But from getting this information and traveling to said location he then looses all control and has to work on the spot and quickly to produce his images.

Seamus will be using natural light and possibly a flash gun, but will have his camera ready and set up for shots that will later be seen as a crucial moment that may happen whilst in the location.

Where as  in Nick Knights work  in fashion photography is at the opposite end of the scale. Because he picks his models and then photographs them in a controlled environment in a studio, where he stages his shots and lighting to make his own narrative.

 I do feel though that both Seamus and Nicks images are powerful in their own ways, as Nicks fashion images give off bright, vibrant and surreal feeling that is in your face and exciting, with the added fictional narrative.

Where as Seamus' images whilst still being in your face, are taken to push a message by using real life events and natural lighting. to compose images that are still powerful, but give a sense of sadness and anger. As you see in the real un-edited world that we live in.

These points I think are also reflected in both Seamus and nicks film work. Where nick makes short films that are based around fashion and advertising with a more conceptual look.

Seamus' short films show reality and the difference between peoples lives and world events.

Overall I eel that both photographers/ film makers push the boundaries of their work to extremes and aim to produce the highest standard of work in their preferred field.

But one does this y using bright colours, staging sets and fictional narrative (Nick  Knight) and the other uses natural and real life events ad they happen (Seamus Murphy).

Through Studying and comparing Seamus Murphy and Nick Knight I have realised that whatever medium field you are in. to produce work that is powerful and interesting enough that the people want to explore. you need to push yourself and your ideas to create something unique. 

chris maher

Chris maher   

 This series by chris maher is the zebra women stripe series in this he produces a collection of images showing the naked female form with a zebra like pattern created on the subject, this he does in a studio on a black back ground.
In chris work he uses in his own words " photography to evoke a connection with the under lying magic of life "  I think this idea is shown with the striped lighting effect that to me makes it look like some kind of circus or burlesque act which I think links with the idea of magic .
I really like the power in this images I think this is because of the way the subject is lit , because the bright front lighting that is used on the black back ground bring the subject in all her detail towards you in a way that I think drags you into the emotion and beauty of the images. This lighting technique of making the subject bright on the black back ground is something that i want to try out in my own work because im focusing on the body shape  its self this will be emphasised by using this technique.

Quote : "my figure work is not about beauty but power a women's curves speak a life "

i love this quote and I can see how this is expressed in his work that he is trying to push the shape of the women as being the main focus , but you can see by the positions that he places his subjects in that there are powerful emotions behind each in individual image that draws you in .

your body is a wonder land (inspiration for final idea )

your body is a wonderland  

These images are by photographer Allan Teger for his body of work scapes. In this collection he used image manipulation to make body parts look like landscapes. This collection of work was were my original idea for using the human body to create a piece that is manipulated to mimic not only landscapes but shapes and objects to trick the eye of the on looker .  The thing that i find most eye catching in these is the way that they tell there only little stories which I find exciting in an image. I also love how unique this collection of images , which is the kinda of art work i look for when looking for inspiration because its not something that copied repeatedly like a lot of ideas are in today age of fast pace photographer . The first image is one that I found most amazing because of the way the image photographer has set up the image to not only create the shapes to make a landscape . but also the way the water  has been used to make a sea for the dolphins that are then lit up by the light bouncing of the water.

This image i really love because of the way allen has used the lighting to highlight the curses and lines of the body on the bright white back ground so that you follow these lines that then make your mind believe that this is a land scape . he has then used an image that blend with the lighting of the first image perfectly so that the final manipulated image looks like a perfectly photographed landscape.

after looking through all of allens images from this collection  i had changed my original idea because now instead of focusing on making my images represent places and landscapes . i wanted to look future into the human form (body) its self and create images  that still desive the eye of the viewer by making them see the shapes as new unrecognisable form . but i wanted the focus of my final image to still be focused on the human form but with an abstract look . This because after looking at these images and the shapes of the body in these i feel that there is so much more to explore and create from the human body .
the thing I Think i have taken most from this images as well is the lighting affects and teh way that i wan to experiment with using lighting techniques to also change the form of the body and to draw people in as well as using a digital editing process. 

yung cheng

yung cheng 

 Yung cheng is a photographer that i found whilst searching erotic artist photography on flicker. I find is art work really eye catching and I love how he composes his images in a way that changes the perception of the form but not only using image manipulation but also by using the angle and focal length of the shot along with the lighting to create images that you have to look into closely to work out what is actually being photographed giving this an interesting abstract feel. The idea of being able to trick the on looker of the image into thinking that a body part is something its not in a surreal way , is one of the things that interests  me most with this as this is the kind of thing i want to create with my own ideas and this is one of the few photographers i have found that portray this in there imagery.  This first image is one of my favourites I love yungs  composition of the image  and the way he used the depth and lighting to create shadows that change the shapes and forms of the body. This image also links with the erotic / sexual feeling that im looking to create in my own images . I especially like how he does this in such a creative and sutlle way using a close up shot with great depth.

 In this second image  I  love the way he has used the lighting to brightly light the outer lines of the body shape , which then along with the central composition pushes what looks like a large central abstract shape so that its the first thing you make eye contact with , you then have to look at the shape in detail to realise that it is in fact a section of the human body. this i find really amazing and something that I want to show in my own work because I find the sense of tricking the person looking at the image into a sense of confusen a really great way of making art work more eye catching


I  have looked at this image in a different way to the others because although it dosent change the form to something abstract it does have a surreal feeling to it . This also shows a great example of using image manipulation out of camera . The main thing that leads me to love this image is the sense of emotion and power that come from this  , with the rose powering the way through the subject with a sense of being taken over , i also think that the use of red and the positioning of the flower gives it a sexual feel like the first image i looked at which links to the type of sutle erotic photography that I have been researching.

 

 

The final three images like previous ones above all use a mix of image manipulation / close ups and lighting techniques to create surreal images that show the shape of the body and a way in which these can be used to trick the eye of the on looker to interpret these as abstract shapes not body parts.  

This photographer has been a big inspiration to my new ideas in my work and after finding his work has made me think my ideas over in more detail to images not the same as his . but to use the inspiration to transform the concept of this into my own style of photography. 

artur golacki

Artur golacki  

Artur golacki other wise known as gouy is an artist that i came across on deviant art . his weird and wonderful surreal pieces i think link well with my idea of the human form.  I think that this is because he mixes the idea of the mythical creatures almost animal like and mixes these with the human for which gives an amazing warped view of the human form . these have really inspired me epically with the idea  of using different body parts to to create a new image that is a completely different representation.

This first image especially shows the kinda of interpretation of the body that I want to show with the image being stretched so that the parts begin to change form . to interpret this idea I want to over lay my image to create double exposed images that use parts of portrait images to be one abstract piece.

 This second image really caught my eye with the way it is lit i love the way the lighing hits sections of the body showing the outline of the body in bright detail . but still keeping the dark background. I think that the dark back ground gives a mysterious feeling as you can see where it leads , blacking out what could have been any location for the image.  the idea of the dark black back ground is something I have planned to use in my own work I want to use this so that my subject is main focus and the bright lighting that will be focusing on my subject is pushed forward by the dark back ground.

this work is really inspired me with idea and given me many ideas that i can interpret to create my own work in my own style . I first looked at artists on devant art like this because i think they show more creative ideas using image manipulation through graffic design  that I think would look cool being interpreted into a photographic project. 

my short stop motion

my short stop motion / fire truck fire 

This is my first final edit for my sort stop motion video. I used around 250 images to produce this 1 minute 7 second video .

equipment / props : 

• plastic fire truck
• wooden basket
• canon camera
• plastic car / train track
• matches  / lighter 

To set up the shot I decided to have my camera on the floor about 25 - 30 centimeters away from the subject so that this was composed with a good depth of field and also then sliding the camera along the floor kept the framing at the same height for each image as I didn't have a tri pod that would sit low enough. 
I found the filming easy for the frames that were just the fire engine moving it was when I brought the fire scene into this that it because difficult because I only had one chance to get this shot right and I would have to be quiet close to the flame to keep the shot from the same level and distance. I think this worked really well but if I had the chance to do this again I would make sure the frame was larger so that it captured the whole flame . but this was hard to judge because I had no control over the size of this.
The scene I like the most is the final scene where you see the fire truck from the back driving away , I really like this because of the blurr and depth and how along with the shot making fire truck disappear I think makes an eye catching ending.
to turn this from individual image into a video I :

• imported images into adobe premiere
• made a new sequence
•  changed the speed / duration to 18 
• then moved all images next to each other
• final set was to render as windows media file

after watching this through I think that I like the way the images have all merged to make a video piece along with the composition and depth of field that making the video eye catching . but I think the speed / duration is too slow so im going to re do this and change this to 10 sec and then if that isn't the right speed I will then experiment with other speeds. so that the clips are less jumpy.

Idea behind bondage based images

Idea behind bondage based images

 

Whilst exploring the body and it's form I have been researching Robert Mapplethorpe in doing this his images inspired me look in to the human form. These also inspired me to look at  the bondage side which has been an idea that I have had for a while, but I didn't know where to start from. The main  reason for this is because I want to explore the human form, particularly the female form. I want to show the body as an art form, this isn't me saying I don't want to show the sexual side to the female form I would like to explore aspects of both of these in images that make the on looker want to explore the idea behind the image. 

 

When planning this idea I put a lot of thought into the lighting set up and how I would make the detail of my subject stand out so I could still have a dark background. When doing this I decided to use a wooden side board covered with black sheets, I then covered the wall with my black studio back drop. I also used my bed in my second trial shoot as that was the same height and covered this with black sheets so that I could experiment with taking the images from different angles and heights.

 I would then experiment with 2 lights to get the perfect ratio between the lit up subject and the dark background, I found that using 1 fill light and a soft box worked for this. The position of these depended on the position of the subject and which part of the body I was then focusing on.
 I then decided to use HDR and Camera Raw to edit these in Photoshop and to also try cutting out parts of the body and overlaying them to create digitally manipulated image (I will go into this in more detail when up loading the images and the editing process).

The thing I struggled most with was the concept behind my idea, I knew that I wanted to take these images because I liked the way the style was something a lot of people wouldn't photograph to show to the world unless it was of a pornographic nature, With a lot of my work I like to try and go to the extreme in some ways and photograph images that show things that are hidden behind closed doors.
 For example in previous projects I have looked at Nan Goldin and tried to show my own interpretation of her work. But with this it was different even though Roberts photography made me think of an old idea I felt more of a connection in the type of image I wanted to create and the way in which I wanted to do this on a digital scale, I just couldn't put this into words. 

When I planned my first shoot I used a close friend and my girlfriend, at this point I was just looking for models that would be more comfortable to be photographed in this way (to show all areas of there body). When I did the shoot I found it easy to tell my models how I wanted them to be photographed, I had ideas for shot lighting and angles so I found this a lot easier. When I looked back over the images I loved the way they had turned out and how the different shapes and lines in the body where set on  the dark background. I was really pleased that I had chosen people that didn't have the typical bodies that are seen in shots like these in social media, But natural bodies that to me are better and show more depth, feeling and reality than an airbrushed fake image.  

After this shoot I did still have the idea in my head of still wanting to incorporate the bondage idea into this but only in small amounts, nothing that would make my images tilt more to the side of typical pornography rather than art. So I began to plan this shoot but at the same time still not being able to put into words why I wanted to do this, I just had the idea of the images in my head that I felt strongly about producing and this along side the human form I think links quite well together, by what I think makes the image more interesting and again go to the extremes of a normally quiet hidden subject.
 

When doing this second shoot I decided to use my girlfriend and do both sets of shots and not use any clothing so I could get the curves and shapes of the body with no restrictions. But at the same time as I loved the images I had taken I want to be able to explain my concept and feeling behind these rather than people  just see these as random naked images . After a lot of work I have managed to put my idea into words that I think makes sense (well it does in my head) :   

I like to put a lot of myself into my images and some times I do this with out even realising it, for example the main things in my life at that moment were my past experiences the good, bad and everything really that makes me who I am in a way that had always been my main inspiration within my thoughts and mood . 

Over the last year I have gone from an extreme high of moving away to live by myself at uni with full independence and being the happiest I have ever been . To then making a lot of bad life choices in which I put the partying life style above everything because I thought this would make me happy, what I didn't realise was that I was using this block out feelings that had built up in me over the past 10 years from the sadness and anger after nemourous different life events had dragged me down.

When I finally realised what I was doing to myself it felt like it was to late the toxins I had been putting in my body had broken me giving me curvier depression to the point where I felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel . I had to stop what I was doing and that was hard enough in its self, I was failing my course and loosing the people closest to me . So I moved back home which was even harder having to admit defeat. I think what im trying to explain is I completely lost control of my life and have now realised that you can't just do what you want all the time because eventually it will break if you dont have rules and control, the fun will always come to a broken end. 

This then leads me to my work I seem to be creating different images now im a different person because the things I did have taken me to a place in my life where even though im now in control I will never be the person I was so I have changed as a person and a photographer.  

That brings me to my most recent project in this I think I have used my girlfriend as my main subject  because she is the biggest part of my life now and was in the steps I have taken to bring my life back to a controlled balance.  When lighting the images I wanted to show her with the bright light almost coming out of the dark background because that's where she has taken me, from being broken to on the path to being fixed keeping me in line in a way . 

Even though my idea with the bondage and the human form is also based on my wanting to explore new thing and to explore the human form as a whole because the difference in peoples bodies interest  me because there all so different  and amazing in their own way.
 

I have used the bondage to represent control not only in a sexual way that will be persuasive at first glance by the on looker  but to also show the new control I have had to adapt in my life now to get myself away from the darkness of the past year. These also have some sexual relation to them but this isnt my main focus of the image. 

This is why im going to cut sections from the images and overlay them so that you have to look at the image in detail to see that there are hidden emotions behind my work. I think the mess abstract muddle of the final pieces also show my state of mind on a day to day basis and the way that I have to control my thoughts and feeling that are still hard to control with my depression.   

final project idea

Final Project Idea

 

 

My idea for my final 10 images is to explore the human form and the hidden side to artistic erotic photography and then with my research produce a close up image of a section of the body, but in doing this I will use the dark tones and shadows against the well lit areas to not have complete focus on the body its self but to explore the shapes and lines that make this.

Whilst doing this i also want to experiment with using close ups and large darks shadowed areas to make the body parts so that they are hard to identify. By doing this I think it would make an effect of the image having been manipulated so now the body would be portrayed as a completely new object.

 

For example I have found a collection on pintrest that uses close ups of parts such as the arch of the back or the lines of bum cheeks taken from a side angle  to look like the sea when water droplets and small jumping dolphins were manipulated in to the originals. Where as in my work I want to take a different path and use the lighting and angle of the shot to confuse the view of which body part they are looking at.

This I think will make the collection more interesting and put across the shape of the individual human and also give a stylish erotic feeling to the images without them being an in your face erotic image as I have found this is most common when exploring the genre and I don't want the main focus to be on the erotic imagery but more the art and form of my subject.

 

How I Will Do This

 

To produce these images I will be using my studio because I want a plain black background . so that when my subject is lit the shadows almost blend with the background, but with the outlines of the body lit to make the shapes and lines sharper to follow.  

 

Equipment

• Lamp x2
• Soft Box
• Black Backdrop
• Black Sheet x2
• Tripod
• Monopod
• Canon camera

I will use a large flat wooden side that is around waste height ( after being covered with sheets and back drop ) to position my model on. I think this would work really well  because  I can get a variety of different angled shots with the height and position of the side. This also gives me a large amount of space to work with, when positioning the lamps I will experiment with a variety of different set ups for the two lamps. I will draw a diagram of these set ups in my sketch book.

These images will be taken in raw so that I can experiment with colour and black and white as well as experimenting with image manipulation and HDR. I think this will give me a wide spec to experiment with overall.

 

Editing

 

When editing these images I will use Adobe Photoshop for the HDR and image manipulation, but I will also  use Adobe Bridge for editing raw files.

 

Image Manipulation- I will us the pen tool, masking tool, crop, warp and other effect tools that i will list and explain the process as I use them.

 

HDR- I will use the HDR effect tool on Photoshop and then experiment with different. effects and fillers in the program, as well as editing level, curves and exposure in Photoshop when the HDR image has been completed. For this I will also explain my effects and editing process for each individual image and effect.

 

Overall I will produce 10 final images to represent the changing of the human form through individual sex's and personality, by using close ups to create  surreal images that make you explore...not on the concept of the human form as a sexual element, but as shapes that can change and be identified my what the on lookers eye shows them.



stop motion

Stop Motion

 

Stop Motion is and animation technique that manipulates an object or several objects to make them appear like they are moving.

This is done by using individual Photographs (Photographic Frames), these individual images  have to show every slight movement of the object/subject and the scenery surrounding it, this is so when you place the images in to a continuous sequence it appears like the objects/subjects are moving creating a film.

This technique is most commonly used for cartoon animations that will typically be made by using the clay animation technique, even though this is the most commonly used technique, the stop motion technique can use many things ranging from people to everyday objects.

When making a stop motion animation  the key is to make sure when moving your object/subject use small steps and make sure there are no sudden movements or changes in camera angle.

This is because it will cause the sequence to look muddled and jump ,this will ruin the films effect as you will see the changes in the individual images(frames).

 

History of Stop Motion

 

Stop motion is one of the earliest techniques used when producing a video. The first recorded stop motion was The Humpty Dumpty Circus by Alber E Smith and Stuart Blackton in 1898. In this a toy circus of acrobats and animals appear to come to life, later in 1907 Stuart Blackton created The Haunted Hotel using the stop motion technique. Then in 1892-1965 Wladyslaw Starewicz animated The Beautiful Lukanida, The Battle of The Stag and Beetles, The Ant and the Grass Hopper, these were seen as the greatest films of there genre and time.

 

Clay animation wasn't used until later in the 1900's.Through out the 1900's there were many great stop motion animators for example Willis O'Brien creator of The Lost World and King Kong. Ray Harryhausen  also worked using stop motion effect in his films It Came from Beneath the Sea, Jason and The Argonauts and Clash of the Titans.

In 1960 Elliot Noyes Jr refined the free form clay animation leading to the film, The Great Cognito and the creation of  Mr Bill the Clown who featured in Saturday Night Live.

Stop Motion  has also been used in the well known Star Wars films such as Return of the Jedi.

 

One of the most famous creators in stop motion animation is Tim Burton over the years he has created many stop motion world wide hits such as...Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, James and the Giant Peach , Vincent  and the most famous of his stop motion films are BeetleJuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZtxHOfmhH4 this link shows an example of a stop motion video that uses all images to create a detailed film that looks like you in a video game . I love the way that this is put together by using simple ideas to then create detailed eye catching scenes.

 



 These are examples of Tim burtons stop motion these show the finished animations of his film (corps bride).  I have also shown an example of the models that will be use in the making of this stop motion. I have picked corpse bride because I feel that the detail and story line of this animation is one of his best to date.

 

Using DSLR for film making

Using DSLR for film making

 

Since 2008 when the first Digital DSLR Camera emerged film making have been revolutionised with the ability to produce professional looking videos in an affordable price range for amateurs and professionals .

 

Reasons why people choose to use DSLR:

They are smaller than many professional video camera's, making moving equipment and filming at fast pace easier. The camera spec still produces professional quality video.

Along with this using a DSLR creates a super shallow depth of field with the variety and types of lenses available for DSLR unlike most camcorders in the same price range that have built in lenses which then limits your choice of creativity.

 

The price range for a good quality DSLR (these normally) come with one lens and accessories is between £380 and £1000.This depends on the camera model etcetera.

This in it's self is a big price drop from a camcorder that starts at £1,500 up to around £15,000.

 

During my time experimenting with video recording I will be using my Canon EOS 500D to film a selection of short sequences at Day and Night to then edit it and produce a short film.

When doing this I will also use a couple of different lenses one is a 33mm - 55mm lens and the second one is an 75mm - 400mm lens, I will do this to experiment with a different range of depths and shots depending on the lenses capability and quality.

The editing and software most commonly used for putting videos together is Adobe Premiere, this is a professional software that's produces videos at the highest standard and is easy to learn how to use, this is why it is so commonly used by amateurs and professionals.   

 



Robert mapplethorpe

Robert Mapplethorpe

 

 

 Robert Mapplethorpe is a photographer who was based and born November 4th 1946 - died march 1989. Although he was born and raised in America  he is an English / Irish raised roman catholic .  his images all of which are black and white , reference a range of different feeling and sub categories.

• religion
• classical imagery
• erotic
• sexual
• flowers 

These categories even though they seem so different Mapplethorpe seems to mange to link these together to produce what I think are some amazing and well composed images. The images that have inspired me to produce work based on the human form are the erotic and sexual pieces. a lot of which are shown in his collection polaroid's Mapplethorpe . These are all images that he produced through out   the late 1960s and 1970s . This was also when he was working for the controversial BDSM underground scene in new York. This images I found shows not only  the erotic and sexual side to  what was seen as very controversial  images and weren't seen in the public eye. but also the way in which the details to everybody's bodies can change the way that you look at there form. This made me want  to look into this further and explore the human form and how photographing this with different composition and lighting can change the way it looks and how it is presented.

The thing that caught my eye most about his self portraits and portraits of others in the collection is the way in which curves and line of the body are bough out boldly by the lighting and are almost lit around the edge showing the detail to the form. this I would like to experiment with in my work firstly with doing full portraits that resemble Mapplethorpe . but then then to use Photoshop and image manipulation to cut out individual section to then create a an abstract piece. This in its self though  still links to Mapplethorpe work with others pieces that caught my eye for example tie rack 1969 mixed media this showing a mixed media piece linking religion and erotica. when experimenting with my work I will use the multi media technique and also the image manipulation tools that I have been experimenting with in Photoshop.