Individual Sequential Images Project

I have created a series of sequential images as part of an individual project which I have collectively dubbed "Consumption".

Below is a rough storyboard of the process.

I took several preliminary shots to find an appropriate angle to photograph the subject before settling down to this low-angle. For the props themselves, I filled the bottom of the tin with miscellaneous items to elevate the snacks and inserted thick-folded paper in various pockets in my wallet to enlarge it before taking them out for every shot. I used Paint.net to compile the photos in a 2x6 grid by copying and pasting them. I tried to create a grid with no borders, but it looked disorganized so I tried spacing them 50 pixels apart. This looked too small, so I spaced them 100 pixels apart. I contemplated only using the tin for the shots, but then I thought of adding a wallet that shrank to enforce the "consuming" theme.

The idea behind this is that as we "consume" food, we also "consume" money from our wallets. This is presented by a biscuit tin and a wallet on a table. As the tin is filled with snacks until it overflows, the wallet becomes smaller as money disappears inside. The idea is a simple idea, no "deeper meaning" to it, just that in order to consume (food), we must consume (money). I was inspired by Duane Michals' "The Dream of Flowers for its still-life-ness and close shot of the subject.

Sequential Images

This post is to recap on the process of a group project by me and Weronika Hennig on Sequential Images.

A sequential image is a set of pictures of scenes that show subjects performing a variety of actions that create a sort of story.

This is the result of the project. The image depicts someone cleaning a window when he got bored and decided to play around with his mop. Unfortunately he hits someone in the face as he was swinging it like a warhammer.

I originally envisioned myself swinging the broom like a staff, but we found that the motion doesn't translate well as still images, so we thought of a different action for the broom.

The images above are some of the shots that were taken for the initial shoot. I actually performed the twirling movements of the broom as it was captured on my phone's burst mode. As you can see the "twirling" action only look like I am just moving the broom around rather than actual action. Weronika was stepping back as I performed the final twirl that should stop in front of her face. We, and one of Weronika's friends who came to help shoot, suggested we take a different approach that won't harm anyone by accident.

In the end, instead of actually performing the stunt and twirling a broom, we decided to mime a more "amateur" style for the broom stunt. The fourth picture depicts me thrusting the broom while kicking before I "swung" the broom around. In the final shot I placed the broom closer to Weronika's face to make it seem the broom is just to her face and about to hit her. I didn't put any symbolism or message into this, I just thought it was funny.

Hello World!

Welcome to [REDACTED] Studios. I am a student in De Montfort University in Leicester, England. This blog will be used to record processes and ideas of my projects during my Digital Arts International Year Zero.

I am mainly a story writer and I sharpen my skills by writing fan fiction and I have interests in sci-fi television series such as Transformers and Power Rangers.

One of my main inspirations come from Kamen Rider, or Masked Rider in English. It is a Japanese live-action television series that is currently running under different titles from 1971 up until now. The series is produced by Toei Company, who is known mainly for creating many anime such as Dragon Ball, with some writers from those anime writing certain series of Kamen Rider.

Pictured above is the titular hero of Kamen Rider Zero One, a series running since September 2019. There have been many other series before this one with different characters and designs. Main elements of the series include young men being called to action to fight evil as Kamen Riders, belt-like devices used to access their armour and equipment, motorcycles, and monsters that they fight. This may sound familiar as you may think of Power Rangers, who themselves are adapted from another Toei Company production: Super Sentai. My interests were eventually pulled into Kamen Rider after researching about Power Rangers.

What interests me about the series is not just the design of the suits, but also the philosophy of the shows themselves. These philosophies include generosity, friendship, hope, morality, human nature, helping others, war and peace, etc. In short, the designs pulled me in, but the story is what really inspired me to create.

References

- Hero Club, July 17 2019