ITAP Part 2-Genius of Moving Image Questions Part 1

THE WORK OF SAM TAYLOR WOOD QUESTIONS:


Genius of Moving Image Questions Part 1

1.List two specific key relationships between Sam Taylor Wood's photography and film work?

Sam –Taylor Wood’s work expresses a juxtaposition of photography and moving image, her work purely consists of people and the emotions that people and the state of being. The photographs she produces examine through the highly emotional scenarios, and the social or psychological conditions in terms of a split between being and appearance.

2.How does the use of multi-screen installation in her work reflect narrative?

The use of multi screen installation in her work reflects narrative in a way that shows it is constructed rather than one that is being dictated to you. By piecing it together it can result in dysfunctional narratives that sometimes don’t work, but film is highly influential in her work as her influence is based on idea that film makes you feel as if you are entering a magical mystery tour of someone’s mind, which is what she interprets in her work.

3.What other photographers use film as an integral part of their work. List two with examples?

Gregory Crewdson an American photographer who makes images in small town America, he is best known for elaborately staged scenes which are quite dramatic and cinematic, although his work doesn’t consist of moving image, his photographs filmic settings that feature often disturbing but surreal events.

Another photographer who recently integrates film as part of his work is my favorite Fashion photographer Tim Walker; he brings all the fancy and intricate scene-making so fundamental to his renowned fashion photography. His first short film‘The Lost Explorer’ is an exception to his creative work.

4.Research three other Video artists and explain their working philosophy?

1. Tim Burton an American filmmaker and artist, is famous for his dark, quirky themed movies such as Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and Alice in Wonderland. Burton’s work is expressed through artistic visualization which he had discovered in his childhood, through his sketches and photographs Burton brought together all forms of art and cinematic ephemera to his films. His strength lies in his unique style of thematic fantasy life and emotional core that is captured in his work, it creates a sense of feeling of being in a dreamscape or in someone’ s mind is his visual theory that is integrated in his work.

2. Another filmmaker is James Cameron, who from early childhood had a huge interest in science fiction stories and fantasized about the making of motion pictures. This is what his main focus to the day is. He integrated his interests of science and art into his work which makes his work unique and effective, his films create a sense of a dreamscape of a world that revolves around science fiction, and his films like Terminator, Titanic and Avatar explore his unique interest. 

‘I love the idea of being in another world and anything that transports me to another world is what I’m interested in’- (James Cameron).

3. Guillermo Del Toro is a director, producer, novelist, screenwriter and designer. He is best known for his creative fims such as Hellboy and Blade, his films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy and war. He has always had persistant interest in fantasy and drawing monsters from his imagination. He has made action hero comic book adaptation to historical fantasy and horror films. His interpretations of mythological creatures and monsters is higly influenced within his films he believes monsters have multiple values and how you use them determines how they are portrayed as symbols of great power. He believes that all creatures, like angels and demons, vampires etc are characters that are living breathing metaphors which he has created from his own personal beliefs and values on life and religion.
As a screenwriter Toro beleives that 50 percent of narrative is the audio/visual storytelling, screenplay is the basis of it all but doesn't tell the movie it tells the story but doesn't tell the movie it tells the story but doesn't tell the whole movie. A lot of the narrative is in the details.

5.Show an example of a specific gallery space or a specific location where a video artist or film maker has created work

specifically for that space and been influenced by it?

An example of a specific location is Alnwick Castle, it has been used in number of film and tv programs including the book adaptation films of Harry Potter by author J.K. Rowling and producer David Heyman. It is probably best known as being the location of Hogwarts, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The exterior of the castle is used for the exterior of Hogwarts shots, the famous Quidditch match and the broomstick lessons is set within the ramparts portrayed in scenes from the harry potter movies. It has also been used for other featured productions such as Elizabeth Taylor and Robin Hood the Prince of Thieves. It's an imposing place and can help you imagine the area around to be considered the famous town of Hogsmeade.

ITAP Part 2-Genius of Photography Questions Part 1

Genius of Photography Questions Part 1

1.What is photography’s “true genius”?

It is the way a photograph can make us react towards a particular image and how it can intrigue us, one image can create a range of emotions, which is incredible considering a photograph is a reflection of life.

2.Name a proto-photographer.

Henry Fox Talbot

3.In the 19th century, what term was associated with the daguerreotype?

"Mirror with a memory"

4.What is the vernacular?


It is a way of communicating with an audience.

5.How do you “Fix the Shadows”?

As Aberlardo Morell did in 2006, you need to transform a room into a camera.The hole in the curtain was the aperture, the room= the body.

6.What is the “carte de visite”?

A carte de viste is a small photograph of a person that has been taken almost like a formal portrait and are very posed, these photographs are often swapped between friends & family. The process itself would usually allow the photographer to take eight portraits taken at a time and then allowing the customer to have eight photographs.

7.Who was Nadar and why was he so successful?

Nadar was a french artist, he was one of the first photographers to give his work a signiture style, his work was also inspired by other types of art such a painting, as at the time photography wasn't necssiarely considered an art form.

8.What is pictorialism?

A style of photography that was popular in the 19th and 20th centuary, it became a popular movement due to the rise of the kodak brand, it made photography available to everybody, and focused more on the moment/the aesthetics rather than the art form and process of photography.

Image and Text

Principle 1.Image And Context

The message and meaning of an image can change dramatically,depending on it's context and background information.This photo by Alexander Gubin is really interesting and highlights this principle.
This photo is very conceptual and has a cold feeling to it because the background is slightly blurred and it looks like it hasn't been taken in the daytime because you can see a small amount of light hitting the girls face.

The image is very striking as it makes you think what it's about and the whole concept behind it.It could be showing poverty or homelessness or simply what the culture is about in that country.The photographer is from Russia,so I'm presuming the photograph might have been taken in Russia as the girl in the photograph is also wearing a Russian style hat.Because of the light blue coloured background,it gives a cool feel to the image.So it might also be very cold there.

I also like the dark effect of the image,because it looks as if the girl is in an empty deserted street all on her own.You might question the fact about wheather she has to fend for herself.

Principle 2.Image And Text

The message and context of an image can also change when text is added.Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist.

I find her images very thought provoking as they make you wonder what she is trying to portray.They also have a sense of humour added to them.

I particularly like this image as it makes you think about what the two women are trying to say when engaging with the audience.In terms of visual communication,they are saying they have nothing to fear.

The fact that they have been photographed in wearing just their underwear,makes us think that they are saying that "this is who we are,and we are proud to be women"

Also the fact that they are not wearing any clothes on,suggests to us that they are very comfortable with themselves and in their own skin.I think the main intention of this image,is for people to think who they are as a person and what makes them happy about the person inside them.

Like the text says "The Innocent,have nothing to fear" they are normal people who don't have anything to fear and are just being themselves and are totally happy with who they are.

Production For Visual Communicators

Principle 2.Essential Milestones

I think these events in history would be the most significant as they have changed the way,visual communicators have produced work and also the way we use these things ourselves.


The ten key developments in the production of Graphic Work:

1- 618-907,4th-7th Century,Tang Dynasty, wood blocks were cut to print on textiles and later to reproduce Buddhist texts.

This would be the earliest known printed book, that had been printed for use in religious scripts.Printing is an important thing we have,as we read all things that have been printed on such as magazines,newspapers and also important documents.

2-1462,Biblia Pauperum,Tradition of picture Bibles beginning in the later Middle Ages.

The first edition which was printed using movable type was printed in German, in Bamberg in 1462 by Albrecht Pfister.

3-1568,Flat-Bed Printing Press,First assembled in Germany by goldsmith Johann Gutenberg.

He was the first to make type from an alloy of lead,tin, and antimony.This produced a more durable type that produced high-quality printed books and was more suitable for printing.

4.1796,Lithography a method for printing on a smooth surface.

This invention has allowed us to be able to print higher volumes of prints that have been used to produce posters,maps,books,newspapers and packaging.

5.1837,Chromolithography a method for making multi-colour prints.

This type of printing comes from the process of Lithography.This type of printing is one of the most successful colour printing methods developed in the 19th Century.

6.1907,Screen Printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil.

Screen Printing is also a stencil method of printmaking in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the mesh onto the printing surface.It is also known as silkscreen, serigraphy and serigraph printing.

7.1964,Dot matrix Printer is a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth,or in an up and down motion, on the page and prints by impact,striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper.

Until the 1990's they were by far the most common form of printer used with personal and home computers.

8.1969,Laser Printing it's a common type of computer printer that rapidly produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper.


9.1976,Inkjet Printing,This type of printing creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper.The concept of inkjet printing originated in the 19th century, and the technology was first extensively developed in the early 1950's.

10.2003,3D Printing is the process of creating three dimensional objects from digital file using a materials printer, in a manner similar to printing images on paper.


Principle 5.The Experts

The expert that I find most inspiring is Paul Rand.
Paul Rand is very influential in the world of Graphic Design and corporate identity and branding.He is best known for his corporate logo designs.He has designed corporate logos for IBM,UPS,Enron, Westinghouse, ABC, and Steve Jobs, NeXT.

Paul had a very successful career and started working by creating stock images for various newspapers and magazines.In his early work his designs were featured on the covers of Direction Magazine
,which he produced for no fee.

Although Paul was famous for the corporate logos that he created in the 1950's and 1960's,his early work in page design was the source for his reputation.

He became art director for the "Esquire-Coronet" magazine and then took responsibility for Esquires fashion pages.

The cover art for direction magazine was a big step for the "Paul Rand Look" that was not yet developed.

Even though Paul's corporate logos look simplistic they have a rather distinct creative edge to them,this is what really appeals to me and that's one of the reason's I really like the way Paul engages with his audience.Visual Communication like this has the ability to sell and advertise products that will make other people appreciate design in this form.

The one piece of Paul Rand's work that I like the most is the "Eye Bee M" poster that was designed for IBM in 1983.I like the design aestheics of it and the simplistic form in the way it has been designed.He has a lot of knowledge in Design,Corporate Identity and Branding that shows he is a real expert in this field of work.

Development of Ideas And Structure In Moving Image

Principle 4.Visual Development:Visualising Information

I have chosen this image by Charles Joseph Minard who was a French Civil Engineer known for his inventions in the field of Information Graphics.

I think it's intended meaning is to inform people about some sort of information in a clear and visual way.

The intention for this piece of work is to tell and show people the losses over time of French army troops during the Russian campaign.

You can tell it's some sort of chart/information graph because of the lines and grid graph which tells you that this is a piece of information graphics informing us about something.
You would find this piece of work in a historical book telling us about past events in history or maybe a scientific book.You might even find it in a maths book because it is a graph.

The lines are very bold and there are some thick bold lines going across the page and also numbers and other information at the bottom.There is also a block of grey going across the page which stands out against  the black thick line that is also running alongside it,which seperates the graph.

The targeted audience might be people from 18-30,as some young students might encounter this sort of thing while studying a subject such as Maths or Science at University.Lecturers and older people might also come across this if there job requires working with Information Graphics.

It would also be targeted at people who have probably studied or heard about the "Russian Campaign" in 1812.The signs which tell us that this is a piece of Information graphics,is the fact that their are a small amount of numbers running on the bottom of the page from left to right and also lines going across the page which would tell us that this is a graph.The words "Temperature Chart:Celsius on the left,Fahrenheit on the right" also gives us another indication.


Principle 3.Pre Production:Character Design

I have chosen the character "Harry Potter" to write about.I think the character of Harry Potter has been created so that he looks like any other young boy,so he fits in with the rest of the cast.The character is a wizard who is an Orphan who goes to live with his aunt and uncle because his parents died when he was born.

He hides a secret which is a scar on his forehead,which resulted in him not dieing.The character relates to the other charcters in the story by becoming friends with them when he enters another world,which is infact the "Hogwarths School Of wizardery and Witchcraft" which he has just started attending.As it is also a boarding school,he is able to bond more with the other characters throughout the story.

Harry Potter goes from being a normal boy who is living with his aunt,uncle and cousin to finding out he is a wizard who has some interesting powers that he does not know of.

He also encounters some problems along the way,when he meets an enemy who is jealous of him,called "Draco Malfoy"He doesn't find that a problem as he has his two friends "Hermoine Granger" and "Ron Weasley" who are their for him.

At the beginning of the story,Harry is quite a shy boy,who then comes out of his shell,when he comes face to face with other problems along the way.This is when he finds out that a character called "Voldermort" killed his parents and his also after him.

Harry Potter is the main character of the story who is the "Protagonist"who experiences conflict.Voldermort is the "Antagonist",the character in the story who is the cause of conflict.

The way the character "Harry Potter" is dressed and acts,and also the way he talks,Stereotypes him as the "good guy" in the story.

When the dialogue at the start of the story shows us that Harry is quite shy and doesn't talk much and also the fact that he doesn't have much of a life living with his aunt and uncle,gives us an insight about him and what kind of person he is.

Production & Outcomes

Principle 2.Delivery-By choosing from a myriad of platforms,Illustrators/Creatives select an appropriate format.

I have chosen this piece of work by Sara Fanelli.I think it's intended meaning might be for the cover of a children's book.

Because of the way it looks and the delicate light coloured background you can tell it is an Illustration.

The intention for this piece of work is to look at it and read into it more,it may be something that you would find on the front cover of a picture book or a small Illustration that is put alongside a pizza menu.It could also be found in a shop,where they are selling a large size print that someone would buy to put up in their house.

The Illustration piece looks very creative and really draws your attention to the small sized type on the top left hand corner.The small Illustrations that cover the entire page are very detailed.

Because of the characteristics of the Illustration and the fact it looks quite "playful" you can tell that it has been designed for children in mind as they would like it.This is because it looks very colourful and has a lot of imagery on the page and not much type.

I would say that the targeted audience would be from 4-10 as children this age would appreciate the Illustrations as they look quite cute and nice.

I think it would mainly be targeted at the female gender as young boys might have an interest in other things such as sports,dinosaurs,cars.etc The colour of the background has been kept quite neutral,I think it's like this, so the small Illustrations that are going across the page won't get hidden and will be able to be seen clearly by children who are looking at it.As they will take notice more of the carefully detailed Illustrations other then huge amounts of text that are put on a page.

Principle 4.Testing-Illustrators/Creatives disseminate their work through published work,galleries,websites & blogs,creative & social forums.

I have chosen this piece of work done by the artist Simon Peplow.
It is an advert that was designed by him for a USA print advertising campaign called "SOYJOY,Fortified with Optimism"

I think it's intended meaning is for people to have a look at the advert and go and buy the product.This piece of work falls into the  category of "Illustration/Graphic Design"

I like the way the Illustration has been used to advertise the product as it gives it a fun look but still looks professional and grabs peoples' attention.

The intention of this piece of work is for people to go out and buy the product and try it out.The Illustration looks quirky and colourful and also very lively,because it's not boring it draws the target audience in to take a look at the advert.Basically the whole point of the advert is for it to inform us.

I would say that the targeted audience would be 20-35,so young professional people,or people who like Illustrations.This also appeals to people who have an interest in marketing or advertising, as seeing this advert would probably give them some inspiration for their own work.

The fact that their is a picture of the product being advertised next to the Illustration tells us that it is an advert/poster.The other signs which tell us that it is an advert is the fact that their is some small amount of writing at the bottom.There is also a quirky slogan being used at the top which is in a very bold font which adds to this.

I think this is one of the ways in which some Illustrators get their work published is by having them in advertising campaigns or having their work published on numerous sites and blogs for other people to come across their work and have a look at it.

Five Principles For Visual Communicators

1.Legibility

I have chosen this visual piece of work done by kuntzel+deygas.I think the intended meaning is advertising.Because it looks quite graphical you can tell it would fall into the category of Graphic Design/Animation.I think the text is legible because the typeface is very clear and easy to read.The font size is also quite big allowing the targeted audience to be able to read it from a distance.

The intention of this piece of work is for them to think about what it may be about and for them to maybe watch it and do some research into it.

I think the visuals capture your attention alot because of the way the Typography in the movie sequence forms and then gets transformed into something else and just continues to flow as you continue watching the movie sequence.Also the way the colours have been used makes the Typography legible is the fact that black and white on a pale blue background stands out very well as they are both contrasting colours.

You also see a combination of yellow used with black and white,I think the fact that this bright colour has been used is because it stands out and gets your attention.The combination of only having 2-3 major colour combinations being used keeps the simplicity of the sequence as to not make it clash or over empower it.

The targeted audience would probably be people from 18-30,this is because the design of the movie sequence looks very fresh and modern.I also think people who have an interest in advertising,Graphic Design and Moving Image and generally young creative people who work in that industry would be targeted for them.

The signs which tell us this might be targeted towards young professional creatives in the industry is the fact that bold graphics have been used and also the way the Typography used is very well thought about and how it's been creatively put together so it fits in with the whole sequence.

2.Researching the Content