2. Project Concept
In this Client Project, I plan to create a set of videos which
includes landmarks of the City of York.
The style with which I will be making these short videos is paper
stop-motion, a medium I haven’t had experience in. I chose this
variant as I wish to experience, and hopefully learn, new
techniques rather than completely stay within my comfort zone.
The style also lends to the format I am planning on, with Monty
Python’s jerky and bizarre movements being accentuated by the
craft's “rougher” appearance.
3. Mind Map
This is the overall mind map that helped me connect ideas like making
the “Landmark” idea come to life using “Stop-Animation” which I hadn’t
thought of previously.
4. Mind Map - History
This part of the Mind Map was dedicated to thinking of how I could implement York’s vast
history into a product. While I decided against having a more educational approach since it
may have clashed with the more sporadic style I was heading for, I did choose to use
historical imagery as a part of my work to add to the quirky aesthetic.
5. Mind Map - Nature
This Nature idea would have been my second choice, but I believe the technical ability for it
would have taken too long to master and then produce solidly. The Kurzgesagt style is a lot
harder to replicate than expected, with them being made up of mostly simple curved shapes.
However after my practice Fox took a fair amount of time, I decided against it. Although, the
natural art of Mark Hearld did inspire my Monty Python approach quite a bit. My Photoshop
experiment on that went very well so I felt a little more confident about that route.
7. Mark Hearld/Monty Python
Nature Experiment GIF
I thought Mark Hearld would be a good choice of art to go with as he is
based in York, tying to the project's main theme as well as having a paper
appearance, fitting nicely with the technique I ended up working in.
9. Mind Map – Stop-Animation
This part of the Mind Map doesn’t have as extensive a catalogue of branches as
the other pieces, purely because it’s more a technique than a theme. I also
realised that the segment linked well into my other, stronger parts so I would
not have to struggle to come up with ideas when it could feed into others.
10. Paper Stop-Animation Experiment
While I experimented with the style in which I would do my product, I hadn’t tried out the format
in which it would be done. I decided I would follow the same narrative as the Photoshop one, with
the loop of the Fox and Bird, in this case a Pheasant rather than a Pidgeon. This is because the idea
is simple to create within the limited time I had, and it would be easy to compare how effective
the experiment was to the other format. As I produced the experiment, I made small notes on
how the work was turning out which I will attempt to elaborate on here.
To begin with, I had to find images of Mark Hearld are that would fit together. I was originally going
to do shot for shot of the Photoshop piece but when I saw a Fox that I preferred to the original, I
decided to push on with a new version of the concept. I needed a background and after a bit of
searching, thought I could just content aware one of the animals off its own art, as I did with the
Photoshop experiment. While both animals were on snowy landscapes, I thought the Fox’s was
clearer to see and had more space on it to move. After doing the editing to cut the animals out of
their respective art, I transferred them to Word so they could be printed. I was suggested to make
the background A3 for a larger surface but totally forgot to adjust the animals, so they came out
fairly small. Thankfully, they still seemed reasonable on the backdrop but I’m sure cutting them out
would've been easier had they been larger in scale.
The set up for the camera wasn’t the best as the stand it was set in meant that it had to be upside
down t be fitted in. To combat this, I was given a button device to take pictures with rather than
trying to press the button on the top of the camera. I learned that it was hard to remember exactly
where pieces were last placed so that will have to be a thing I consider when producing the
products, especially those with more parts to them. I will make sure to check the picture before,
hopefully with a better camera placement, so I can move each part accordingly. In this experiment,
I forgot to move the Fox or Pidgeon on certain frames, being too preoccupied with one or the
other. I will use the previous plan of checking to make sure each part is properly moved to the
right place, so I don’t have to take new shots. While adjusting the shots was simple enough, this
particular idea was quite a bit simpler than it shall be in the production work.
11. When I imported these images to create a video on Premiere, due to the camera
being placed strangely, the shots were automatically upside down so when laying
them out it was hard to tell which ones were the correct use. It didn’t help that the
adjusted shots were in their own set so I had to decipher which went where with
the rest. Premiere also didn’t know how to adjust the set frames of each photo so,
with some support, I managed to find out how to do each manually to seven
frames each. To get past the images odd positioning I had to manually change the
first picture and paste the size and rotation to each image. However, there were
parts of the animals entering or leaving frame that I wanted to keep in so I changed
parts of the shot. This made the background a little jumpy but I think it made a
good effect overall. I also pasted the video so that the loop of the animal’s chase
would be more pronounced. One issue I came across was that, when played, the
parts of the shots would have more jagged edges, making the video look much
rougher than I’d like. However, when I exported the video, thankfully the images
retained their smoother appearance.
I would say this experimental was successful despite having some problems, which
thankfully I could solve mostly. Although, I do wish that when it comes to the final
production I can avoid having to clear up some of the issues like having a bad
camera spot and easier cutting time. On a visual standpoint, I think it looks good,
and I hope that O can make the final products look decent too!!
Paper Stop-Animation Experiment
14. Mind Map - Landmarks
I chose the famous Landmarks of York as the main point of interest for this project as I thought
there would be more routes to to explore. Some of the places had to be cut purely because I
couldn’t muster any decent enough ideas that I could feasibly do or I would find all that
entertaining. This is the same with the bus idea, which would have introduced the historic
element, but have made the scenes too busy. I also had to decide the format, with Photoshop or
Stop-Motion but decided to test myself with doing the latter. Let’s hope I chose right!!
15. In Depth Note Taking
I wanted to create a more direct and descriptive document
which showed how I thought each idea would work and what
would be needed to make it work. While the text is a little sharp,
it was how I perceived the idea should be shown to make it
clearer when re-reading. It portrays the Monty Python work and
the different formats I could have created it in before deciding
on the final, less cluttered kind of product I want to create.
I decided to put them here as evidence for how my final idea
came to be, with a lot of trial and error in getting to it!
18. Audience
The target audience my products are aimed at are late teen to young adult,
from around 16 to 26, with the bizarre elements being the main draw. The
Monty Python theme may even attract older audiences who watched the show
when they were young, but children may not find the style very appealing,
preferring more flashy and smooth visuals.
I hope that the unexpected parts of the videos will be memorable to the
audience, therefore keeping the places in York that the videos take place in in
the viewer’s heads. I believe that overall the videos will remain fairly gender
neutral as no part of the narratives push any particular person to enjoy them
more than others. I believe this is good as it broadens the demographic of
those who can enjoy it. However, even though it is unintentional, due to the
fact I will be using some photographs and art from before the last century as a
part of my odd visual style, there may be a stereotype for more male
appearances with that time. This may not be the case as I am sure there is
more representation, it may just be difficult to find.
19. Terry’s Chocolate Factory/Clifford’s Tower
For this video I have quite a lot of ideas, so it may be
the most ambitious of the lot, in terms of movement
and transition at least.
It will begin with the map of York being zoomed into,
eventually panning out to an image of Terry’s Chocolate
Factory. The picture will probably be old since it is
currently student accommodation so wouldn’t fit the
narrative. I would have a crowd of people march out
from behind a part of the building with a literal
Chocolate Orange, looking much larger in perspective.
They would walk out of the frame, which would
become the map again, doing an Indiana Jones like
transition but very sporadically around the map.
Eventually they would reach Clifford’s Tower. I still need
to decide what medium the castle will be in, either as
an artwork, older image to match the Factory, or a
modern image, probably done by me. The crowd would
roll the chocolate up the hill, where the castle would
open and “eat” the food through the mound. Then it
would burp up the wrapper, covering the crowd who
roll down the hill and out of sight.
20. Rowntree Park
With this idea, I have already done a sort of prototype using
Photoshop so I could see how the concept of my idea looked, on
a basic level at least. There are two parts to subvert expectations
that I structured the piece around. The first is that the men who
are at least observing ,if not even controlling, the remote-control
boats are silhouettes of traditionally 1800’s men. I think I will take
a different approach the background with this video compared to
the first by using a bright postcard, further accentuating the
oddity of the gentlemen. The scene will begin with two of the
men viewing the smaller boats moving side to side, while the
banner of the postcard slides into view. A third gentleman walks
into view and a moment later, a large ship comes into view,
speeding right into the boats. The smaller boats fly into the air,
knocking the soffing gentlemen right in the head. The men
proceed to lie down and perhaps shake in fright. The ship
proceeds down the water while the final man walks out of frame.
The ship nearly reaches the end of the water, as a surprise factor,
a goose flies over who fires out a Yorkie from you know where
which blows up the ship. Along with the explosion, there will be
an image of a fireball and I may add orange paper to add more
impact. The banner and men fly off screen, ending the scene on a
humorously abrupt ending.
21. Photoshop Review
The reason the image is a little blurred is because when creating the piece, I created it in 420p
and to make it appear larger, created the GIF in 1080p. I did create this in an evening so I
would appreciate forgiveness for the mistake!
Also, the Goose and boats flying into men's head ideas was very last minute so that is why it
isn't featured in this work.
23. Bishopthorpe Road
For this idea, I will begin with a black and white image of
Bishopthorpe, presumably the 1961 photo beside this with
solemn music more than likely to drive the point that it was once
a dreary street. However, I plan to create a collection of
miniature bunting that will be draped over the 60’s picture. I will
make more than one as with the perspective, the triangles will
get smaller as they go. I may find continuity problems with the
colour of flag when transitioning but that should be excused as a
part of the sporadic movement! Continuing, as the bunting flies
in from overhead, I hope to add more of the modern, colourful
street with each portion passed, or as planned for the final part,
have the screen blocked by bunting to reveal the modern street
in full. I will try to take a picture of the modern street, with
hopefully decent weather, and a not too busy crowd so the shot
isn’t hard to put together clearly. To finish the video, I think I'll
have a final piece of bunting "cover" the screen and fade out. It's
not the best way to do so, but I think it should be better than just
cutting out. It's just a question of how to make that effect
happen with the camera being further away from the actual
scene. If I decide to use the bunting block idea for the previous
part, or the concept seems too intricate to use time on, I may just
have to use a fade out, perhaps with more upbeat music to take
a way from the somewhat uninteresting end transition.
24. The City Walls
This idea isn't my strongest, but I think it could be
interesting to create. I would have the City Walls as the
landscape, with traditional art of Medieval Archers taking
position along it as they would have done when under
attack. However, to juxtapose this normal historic sight, I
will have a couple try to get past each warrior. I am not sure
what appearance these people will take, as I thought a
modern person would look a little too out of place and any
mid-twentieth century sort of generic tourist photographs
were not clear visually. The images I have next to this are
the best type I could find, being very different but not an
eye sore. The humour would come from the characters
being very polite, with the Archers apologising for getting in
the way and the couple trying to shuffle through politely.
Then either the Archer will be hit by something, either an
arrow although that may be a little graphic, or perhaps a
pie or Yorkie to remain less brutal. This would make one of
the Archers fall over and perhaps fall off the wall. The
couple would wonder whether he was alright but shake it
off and continue walking as if nothing was wrong.
If I need to cut one of the video's it would probably be this
one, as out of the selection, I would consider this the least
structurally sound. If I do have enough time which is
unlikely, I will attempt to create it.
25. Resources
Equipment/Props/ Costume
Needed
Locations Found
Computer College/Home
Photoshop College/Home
Premiere College
Camera College
Voice Recorder Home
(Coloured) Paper College/Home
Scissors/Cutting Knife College/Home
Printer College/Home
Stand College
Ink College/Home
Map Home
26. Contingency Planning
Potential Issue Solution
Accidentally Deleting Work Saving periodically and to different locations (Cloud, USB
etc.) after completing any substantial work so if work is
shut down before saving is possible, little to no work is
lost.
Forgetting to Finish Work Set personal reminders (via phone) and have trusted
people to remind you of specific parts that were missed
or were left to start other production work. This will make
sure that all work is kept on top of.
Malware Corrupting Computer Make sure to set up and that all anti-virus programmes
are up to date to avoid any potential issues include
deleting work or modifying it after completion.
Becoming Ill If becoming ill, take time to make sure body is healthy so
production can continue quickly. If the illness is bad, try
to work from home to avoid having to catch up.
27. Contingency Plan
Potential Issue Solution
Bad Weather If the weather is too hazardous to get to College through,
alert Tutor and try to do work from home. If it is possible, try
to get a lift to College to avoid the weather.
Cutting Hand with Sharp
Edge
If, during cutting out part images, you slip and cut yourself
make sure to have tissues or plasters close by. If you don’t
have any of the necessary tools to block the bleeding, or
believe it isn’t adequate enough, alert someone who can get
better treatment.
Paper being Disrupted If the paper gets moved unintentionally on a specific shot,
attempt to collect all the parts and re-place them. You could
potentially use the previous image to draw recollection of
where it would be placed next.
Losing any Paper Pieces If any pieces go missing, especially smaller parts, print out
back up parts or have them ready to print again with a save
file of all the crucial, and most likely to be los parts.
28. Clifford’s Tower Audio
Audio How is it made? What is the purpose?
Marching My Footsteps, perhaps could quantify
using program on computer. If not
learned by then, find sound via
computer.
Crowd moving with Chocolate Orange,
trying to present weight of luggage and
quantity of people.
Celebrating Same as with marching basically to the
finest point. My “wooing” with perhaps
a family member or computer.
Crowd acknowledging achievement of
taking Chocolate Orange to Tower, let’s
watcher understand goal.
Chomping Try and record my own bite, probably
out of the Chocolate Orange!
Tower eating the food, and gives
humourful surrealism to action.
Panicking Same as the first two, with my wails of
dismay.
Signifies crowd’s panic at danger they're
in. Could be seen as dark humour
because of ridiculousness.
Smacking Floor If realistic, hitting floor with fist. If not,
then probably by computer.
If needed, provide some form of
slapstick. Could be realistic or “wacky”,
either would work to exaggerate tumble
of crowd.
Burp Coming from me I would think. Ends scene with humour reminiscent of
previous surrealism. Gives Tower
personality and memorable.
29. Rowntree Park Audio
Audio How is it made? What is the purpose?
Chortling My own set of chortling noises,
which I’ll scoff and laugh
pretentiously in.
Shows the pompousness of the Gentlemen silhouettes,
giving personality to fairly generic character appearances.
Splashing Unless I can find a water source that
isn’t teeming with people, probably
via computer.
By having light splashes, it juxtaposes the ship’s later
crashing and makes the boats seem innocent.
Crashing
Wave
Once again, no water so by
computer. Also, would be hard to
replicate sound with less water.
Adds foreboding as ship isn’t on screen before sound comes
through. Makes ship feel more powerful.
Crunching Maybe I could crush a packet of
crisps to get effect.
Trying make present the impact of the ship into the boats.
Gasps My own set of worried gasps, almost
faint worthy.
Shows the shock of the surprising scene to the characters,
perhaps making some humour out of their dismay.
Goose Honk Presumably by computer because I
don’t want to get too close to a
goose.
Shows what should be focussed on, being the goose
travelling overhead and causing devastating effects.
Falling
Sound
I could try whistling lower and hope
it comes out decently on the
recording device.
Shows the peace before the storm with the falling Yorkie.
Explosion Via computer as it would be
dangerous to attempt myself!
An overly dramatic sound to match the visual that really
emphasises how stupid the end of the scene is.
Shock Wave Same as former sound. Adds to the impact the explosion has, perhaps increasing in
volume as it gets closer, turning the screen off at its climax.
30. Bishopthorpe Road Audio
Audio How is it made? What is the purpose?
Solemn Music I don’t know how use
instruments or music programs
so probably via computer.
Shows the area in a sad area which is
amplified by the unintentionally dreary
image. It emphasises the change to modern
day.
Faint Wind My own blowing out of air. It’s used commonly to represent that
nothing is happening, or that nobody is
there. For this, it presents the stillness of
the street and how it isn’t as full as modern
day.
Swishing I could try blowing out air again
but may too difficult to do
convincingly.
Makes the introduction of the bunting
seem less stagnant by adding a fast and
pronounced sound.
Bustling Street I could try and go to record live
sound of a busy street like
Coney, but if it seems
unfeasible, then by computer.
To contrast with the previous image, it
makes the street seem more alive and full
of stuff to do, purely with the sound of
people.
Upbeat Music The same as the first point of
audio.
May not be entirely necessary with the
previous sound effect but could be used to
distinctly contrast first piece of music.
31. City Walls Audio
Audio How is it made? What is the purpose?
Polite Remarks I would do a few shortish lines to put
over each other to show the multiple
people. I could also get someone else
to do the woman’s voice if I needed
to, if not I could try to modify the
voice but that be too much work.
It creates a humorous juxtaposition, as
the archers who are ready to fight are
being courteous to a couple of bystanders
who are trying to be polite while getting
through.
Shuffling Feet Record my own footsteps, perhaps
dragging along the carpet to replicate
a proper shuffle.
Creates an awkward atmosphere through
the struggle to get past each other,
making an uncomfortable but funny bit.
Yelp (Wilhelm) While I could perform my own
scream, I think it would work better to
find a scream, preferably the Wilhelm,
online.
When one the archers gets hit, to avoid
having too much of a purely violent part, I
thought adding a comical scream would
lighten the mood. The famous Wilhelm
scream would be perfectly implemented
here and serve as a sort of Easter Egg.
Thudding While the slap stick would be online
probably, the realism would be me
stomping the floor.
Show the impact of the archer falling off
the wall. I may add a more slap stick
sound to make the scene more comical in
tone.
32. Health and Safety
Potential Issue How will the issue be avoided?
Back Aches Remain upright on the chair or don't bend over
paper scene for too long to stop potential
slouching and therefore reduce risk of back pains.
Ear Damage Lower the volume when listening to any audio
work so the ears don’t get damaged, making it
difficult to hear.
Leg Irritation Take timely breaks to walk around before or
during annoyance to release any unwelcome
agitation from standing up to look at
paper/computer work.
Muscle Fatigue To avoid having bad cramp, stretch out your
fingers to give them time to rest as well as
improve the articulation after moving paper
around for a long period.
Eye Strain Periodic breaks to relax eyes, to avoid any actual
damage that could be permanent being afflicted
on them from constantly referring to camera.
33. Health and Safety
Potential Issue How will the issue be avoided?
Weariness Give some time to rest the body and mind so that
when recommencing work, you have gained
focus and can be more productive.
Electric Shock Avoid leaving water close to electrical appliances
like computers that could spill and cause possible
electricity related hazards.
Nauseous Feeling To remain concentrated if the room is making it
difficult to breathe in, go outside to take some
fresh air.
Paper/Scissor Cuts Hold scissors by the bottom so the sharp part
cannot be dangerous to anyone and be careful
when handling both the scissors and paper when
cutting and moving.
34. Production Schedule
Week Tasks
1 Creating Paper Parts
Find images based off ideas to print off
Obtain any other resources needed e.g. String,
Wrapping
Cut out each pieces that will move and print out
copies if needed
Make sure pieces sized correctly and where they
would go on page.
Camera Placement
Set up camera equipment in right place
Make any adjustments to paper from camera view if
needed
Taking Shots
Put all paper pieces in place
Take shot of scene and move pieces for next shot
Reflection
Depending on production pace, daily or weekly
reflection on production
The positives and negatives about the production
and why
What I plan to do for later days and my thoughts on
the process so far
35. Production Schedule
Week Tasks
2 Continued Shot Taking
Take pieces out of secure location
Replace camera equipment in correct place so
scene doesn’t look different
Continue to make pictures for different scenes
Continue to check for consistency in case of off
shots
Reflection
Depending on production pace, daily or weekly
reflection on production
The positives and negatives about the production
and why
What I plan to do for later days and my thoughts on
the process so far
36. Production Schedule
Week Tasks
3 Taking Final Shots
Take out paper and camera equipment and place
correctly
Take shots for final scenes
Checking Work
Upload all work onto computer
Go through work to check for any issues
If any issues, go back and make adjustments to
shot
Recheck with new shot to complete picture taking
Audio Research
Go through each scene to work out length
Check which effect is needed for a scene and how
long it must be
Make sure equipment needed for any first hand
work is good quality
Decipher which sounds should be found on internet
Begin creating and finding audio pieces for work
37. Production Schedule
Week Tasks
4 Producing Video
Place images in Photoshop in timeline
Run through animation to check for faults
Retake any issues and then find right speed for
each frame
Export each scene as a video once happy
Audio Implementation
Once audio complete, save in computer
Place videos in Premiere as well as audio
Check that audio works in scene with length and
theme
Correct any issues with audio so it fits in video
Completing Videos
Once happy with audio, save video
Place each video on YouTube to obtain Embed
Copy Embed of videos and place in website