Assignment Writeup

The Last Tree from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

I am not the greatest typography artist; not even decent to be honest. However, I feel that Weingart gave me a direction to take my assignment that works with my strengths while still helping me explore typography in my own distinct way. I used type to create environments, characters, and objects. In the animation, I wanted the forms created to show more than the objects used to make them. Having said that, they are still easily readable, making it easier to use letters as texture... much like the stubble on the face of the woodcutter.

I wanted to provide a unique take on the relationship from the lion and the mouse. Instead of the lion needing the mouse's help after freeing him, the wood cutter is left with one tree to stand under after completing his daily duties. This project was born more out of introspection than anything else. I thought about those whose job is to kill these trees for our personal benefit, like the mouse as a hearty snack for the lion. It would only seem natural to seek shelter under the very tree one is about to cut should there be a spontaneous downpour. One could argue that that is their purpose, but it is still a little startling to think about.

There are a lot of things i think can be improved from this animation. It could be shortened definitely. There are also a couple of awkward camera movements that could be rectified. In regards to the narrative, i am trying to work with somewhat longer works, just to help boost my own storytelling skills. That said, I can make a confusing story if not careful. I know this animation is not a direct interpretation of the lion and the mouse, but still supports the moral at the end.

Is this animation easily interpreted?

Essay: Wolfgang Weingart

Wolfgang Weingart was born in Salem Valley, Germany in 1941. His family knew very little of the arts, yet he still found himself interested as a child in his early teens. His interest sprouted from typography studies he conducted as an apprentice in Stuggart. Working with a professional hand typesetter encouraged his commitment to learning typefaces. Although he was very meticulous in understanding the mechanics behind type, he studied typography at the Basel School of Design years later. It was at this school that he discovered his greatest influences and inspirations. His most noteworthy teachers were Armin Hoffman, and Emil Ruder, the two that introduced Swiss typography - also known as international style - to him. Much of his art created demonstrates their influence in various ways. in 1868 Weingart went on to teach at Basil with an approach he describes as being more about the "process of learning " as opposed to the "philosophy of teaching."

As the decades passed, the International Style began to show its age, and Weingart began to work on new ideas post-modernist approaches, creating his own personal version of swiss typography, "New-Wave Typography."

As an artist, he was more concerned about the quality of the type itself while maintaining its purpose, as opposed to one or the other. He prided himself in striving to make the viewer aware of the painstaking care and consideration put into each design. His work within International Style typography was supported by a belief that "all typography should be unobtrusive and transparent in order to clearly communicate the design's message." In short, he wanted his type to be noteworthy as well as serve its function well.

Beyond teaching at the Basel School of Design from 1968 onward, he has taught at a number of other schools across the world in the last 30 years. These include Yale's summer design programs from 1974 - 1996. His work has been in countless exhibits and galleries the world over. Some of his art has been adopted into permanent displays in the world. His work within typography has earned several design award from the Swiss Government. In 2000, he published "My Way to Typography," a monologue that provides an in-depth look into his life, work and influences. He goes on to mention some of the things he misses from his childhood, and his take on the current state of graphic design as an art-form. In addition to everything else, he received an honorary doctorate of fine arts from MassArt in May 2005.

Although he is known to use color as well as texture in some of his images, the works that attracted me the most to his style of typography is within his "Typography Process Series" In particular, nr 4 (Typographic Signs) and nr 5 (Typography as a Painting) are my favorites. He manages to take the characters entirely out of their usual context, instead creating forms that work more as objects within an environment. It inspired me to create my typographic experiment, working as he did with black and white, although also implementing textures as he sometimes does in his work. Where he would take words in these "Process" works and re-contextualize them, I intended to take characters from our alphabet, constructing objects and forms that are familiar to us. That said, his breadth and range of typographic styles is really inspiring. He works in any color scheme, with any layout , and still makes it easy to read without being too simplistic or complex.

*links to his work*

(Typography Process Series)
http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=6289

(More color and texture)
http://balladora.blogspot.com/2007/03/wolfgang-weingart-works.html

(My direct influence)
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A6289&page_number=3&template_id=1&sort_order=1

http://www.jameskurtz.com/2009/04/03/graphic-design-legends-and-rockstars-wolfgang-weingart/

Mr. Drug Pusher (Masking Experiment)

Mr. Drug Pusher (masking experiment) from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

"Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid."

This animation is inspired by one of Aesop's more obscure novels, The Goat and the Goatherd. The story warns those who conceal the unlawful acts they have committed. Their deeds will catch up with them, and usually in the worst way possible. This moral manifests itself in my animation as the drug pusher, like many criminals, believes that his acts will go unnoticed by the authorities. He disappears from the cops with a laugh, yet his escape is only a figment of his imagination.

The more i read these fables, the more I realize how violent and hardcore some of these stories can be. There are a lot of stories that follow the "predator, prey, superior human" formula. I wanted to replicate that formula with the characters in my animation; The bystander, the drug pusher, and the police.

This animation's a bit longer then my others, accommodating for my desire to work with changing emotions and facial expressions. I also wanted to experiment with multiple patterns and textures within the animation to distinguish between different spaces and feelings. Masking helped add to the "sinister" nature of Mr. Drug, letting him appear out of nowhere and disappear just the same.

The Rookie Sniper

The Rookie Sniper from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Now that we have learned how to use the cameras, I wanted to experiment with creating a production with multiple camera angles, and multiple cameras that reflects my topic. I also wanted to experiment more with silhouetted characters who are still identifiable when not in profile, as well as depth of field. (did it work?)

I was inspired by the moral of The Wolf In Sheep's Clothing to make this short animation. It states "harm seek, harm find," meaning that the pain one searches to inflict becomes the very pain that is done onto oneself.

We have plenty of rooftop assassins in our time. Eventually, one of them will get a little too bloodthirsty and fall from the building they are on. The desire to kill undetected can consume an individual, as it did the wolf, and the sniper in my video.

Writeup: Parenting and Loops Demo

A Tale of Two Construction Workers (DEMO) from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Since we have the opportunity to work with loops, i wanted to begin experimenting with articulated puppets for what i would like to expand into a bigger project. This is the opening shot of an idea i'm currently fleshing out based on the Grasshopper and the Ant, a fable that favors hard work and planning over procrastination. Here, i'm trying to portray two characters, who are very different in their mannerisms; one works late into the afternoon, while the other sleeps and waits for work to finish.

In regards to my focus this semester, the aesthetic is a bit more traditional, relying more on black solids, as opposed to my previous animations where other accent colors were used to enhance character design. I tried to focus more on characterization through action, as opposed to relying simply on looks.

While the puppetry is a bit simple, I think the little i have, combined with the camera angles I use is beginning to help distinguish between the two characters on screen. There is one little issue i have, where the characters will pop for a splt-second during the loop animation. Beyond that, I'm still thinking of ways to introduce viewers into the environments I create, but using the 3D layers is helping push the depth, especially when zoomed in.

3D Layers Project Writeup

Test with Null Objects and 3D layers from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

For this test, I wanted to experiment with one of the other stories I wanted to work with, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf." In its current iteration, the boy dials 911, calling the police to his area. As he hides in delight from those he pranked, a burglar appears, and shoots the boy.

It's a working idea, and I plan to revise it a bit, making things seem more logical as they happen.
I wanted to use the 3D layers and null parents to slowly reveal parts of the environment and the setting. Some shadow puppetry artists play with the distance of the characters to the light they use to project sihlouettes to give the viewer a sense of depth. I tried to simulate that here.

The null layers are used to move specific parts of the environment, almost like a working camera.

Response and project revision:

After Effects Project 1: Revision from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

Upon reading my original proposal, I realized there are some things I forgot to clarify. In regards to my desire to develop a form of puppetry that is American in nature, I wanted the products of my research to reference the other cultures I studied. I mentioned a couple of these cultures in my island. I'm especially interested in Chinese, Greek, Javanese methods of shadow play. In each project I might try different aesthetics, referencing other cultures.

I wanted my work to reflect a more urban influence, with cityscapes, and a feeling that the world reflected is one very familiar, very modern in regards to technology.

The stories I'm currently thinking of working with include The Tortoise and the Hare, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Lion and the Mouse, and one of the more obscure Fables, although I am not currently sure which i want to use. I am open to the idea or reinterpreting these lessons for modern day viewers, and am currently thinking of ways to further those goals, while keeping the overall morals intact.

Proposal and Video:

Project 1:

After Effects: Project 1 from Michael Shaw on Vimeo.

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• Topic: Shadow puppetry as an art from.
• Stories
• Subject Matter
• Inspirations
• Aesthetic
• Cultural Philosophies (Religion? Entertainment? Govt? Rebellion?)
• Technique and beliefs
• What I hope to gain:
• Insight on tried and true storytelling practices.
• Studying their subject matter and techniques to expand upon the techniques I can use to tell stories.
• Work within and expand upon an aesthetic I a interested in.
• Project Ideas?
• Reinterpret older story styles? (Try to replicate aesthetic in After Effects, or add to it?
• Both can be investigative.
• Reinterpret Aesop's Fables
• Modern aesthetic, modern america.
• Could use facets of older shadow puppet stylings in addition to my own.
• Major Sources:
• Javanese: Wayang Kulit
• Chinese
• French
• Thai
• Greek

Proposal:

My interests in shadow puppetry originally began with an admiration for the aesthetic, the use of silhouettes to tell stories. Upon conducting research, my interest has expanded into the way stories are told through shadow puppetry - the characters they create, the types of stories they tell, as well as the inspirations for these stories. Learning about different countries' interpretations of the art form has inspired me to explore all facets of shadow puppetry this semester, with respect to its original purpose, telling stories with morals.

For my own interpretation of this art form, I look to Aesop's Fables; tried and true narratives, with morals that share a common ground with the stories from long ago. I want to work in my own aesthetic, however, using modern America as the backdrop for any story i reinterpret. I would be interested in exploring more traditional visuals with respect to individual countries as an aside, but my main goal is to create what i consider to be an American interpretation of shadow puppetry.

Workshop

Similar Ideas:

Sihlouette

Marionette

Animate

Darkness

Projection

Ghost

Figure

Doll

Rigging

Skeletonn

Giving Life to the lifeless

Posing

Re-enactment

2-D Shape

Simulated Depth

Ominous oppression

Skeletons in closet

Cast over

Enveloped

Shade

Twilight

Contour

Profile

Shape

Remnants

Trail

Opacity

Model

Control

Minion, tool pawn

Stooge

Instrument

Movement from above

Movement by another

Outclassed

Something to nothing

Pulling Strings

Lack of control

Echoes

Footprints

Digital Puppet

Ritual Story Telling

Performance

Chains

Fate

Opposite Ideas:

Illumination

Freedom

Free will

Static

Volume

Living

Master

Jointless

3-D

Optimism

Visions of grandeur

Transparency

Lack of animation

Representation vs actuality

Tangible Action

Twilight

Low Contrast

shades of grey

intelligible profile

live action entertainment

spontaneous action

hollow form

formless

gaseous

liquid

focus via camera adjustment

death, snapshots

spectate

choice

indecisiveness

powerful

inconclusive

misinterpretation

destiny

liberty

misdirection

toy

defiance

anarchy

independent

Visual metaphors/ contrasting visual metaphors:

Composite Image Writeup

I decided to expand upon my shadow puppetry idea for my first project. There are a bunch of cultural styles that I can use as fuel for my studies. When conducting research, I looked into the reasons shadow puppetry is used in societies around the world and the subject matter their shows focused on. All of them shared a common interest in two things - religious storytelling and moralistic narratives. Although their themes have similarities, the overall aesthetic reflects the distinct culture of the production. I feel this is a place i can start working from.

I want to make modern interpretations of "old-school" Aesop Fables, working in the tradition of shadow puppeteers across the globe by exploring characters in settings akin to America.

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My first project in regards to this is my rendition on the "Tortise and the Hare" . Th-Pe main characters are substituted with cars driving down the freeway. I chose a Ford Mustang and a Toyota Prius, mainly for their performance records inregards to speed and effectiveness. However, what is more important is what they do in my first animation, which is outlined below:

-Prius driving down the street.

-Mustang pulls up behind it, trails Prius closely in hopes of speeding up. Honks in frustration.

-Switches lanes, speeds past, screeches to a halt at a red light.

-Prius pulls up next to it.

-Light turns green, mustang peels out, driving very fast.

-Camera follows Mustang until it crashes into a nearby speed limit sign.

-Prius passes car, keeping steady pace.

Long story short, it's my take on American drivers who rush to get where they need to be, yet get hindered by red lights and the rules of the road. Slow and steady wins the race indeed... and keeps people from getting in car accidents.