Prop Design Diary

Marrisa on

 

For the prop design unit, my partner Eunchae and I were responsible for designing the “death buddies”. They are puppets, and we did some background research on this particular prop. We spent 1 class doing background research and brainstormed many possible ideas.

– We figured that the “death buddies” can be referenced as dementors (from the movie theories Harry Potter), they are ghost-like creatures that does not have bone structures, the outstanding features of their body are their wings.

  • From a artists aspect, we recognize that materials such as ripped fabric stripes would be a perfect suit for their wings. We also developed methods to attach all of their structures together, to ensure that parts wouldn’t fall off.
  • We collected sticks from the set-design workshop, because we believe that using recycled materials would cost less waste. The sticks also had a suitable weight, they are not too heavy to carry around

-What we considered about this prop before we start making it was/-To what extent do you think your product addressed functional and aesthetic needs of the production?

  • first, they are puppets, and they are used for interaction with the audiences. We have to consider about their size and the weight of each puppet. If cast/crew members are going to hold on to them and move in the audiences, the weight of each stick shouldn’t be heavy, it should be a suitable weight to enable people to carry it and run with it without feeling very tired.
  • second of all, the outline/shape of the puppet needed to be determined, we weren’t sure about what the puppets actually looked like, therefore we went on the internet to research for some references. I was very anxious about not being able to have a actual reference. But Eunchae encouraged me to feel free to draw out my ideas.

-What challenges did you face when making the props? How did you respond?:

  • Our puppets needed many steps to create, and when we finally got all four of their heads taped to the stick using a very complicated taping method that we thought was going to work, the tape started to fall off the stick. We realized that the material of the tape does not stick of to plastic. I was very frustrated at first, because when you see something you spent alot of time and effort working on fell apart; i struggled to figure out a solution to resolve it.
  • I didn’t give up, on the other hand, Eunchae and I started media testing. we taped different tapes (paper tape, duck tape, metal tape, clear tape, double sided tape) on a wasted piece of plastic pipe (which is the cut off part from our sticks), and from a few trials of testing, we decided to use metal tape, because it is able to grab on the stick with very tight attraction.

-What new skills did you learn while working? Be specific.

Through the process of making my prop, i learned the importance of asking for feedbacks. Because props are made to serve for plays, when making props, i realize how important and essential it is to ask for the directors feedback. For example: are the measurements suitable? is the chosen color of the fabric relating to the theme color? is there any texture or function requirements?

These feedbacks received helped me improve and refine my prop for more than one time, and this skill also enabled me to produce a prop that is “effectively” serving the play. because i always kept in mind that my aim is to make a prop that will enhance the play.

 

standard 5: meeting

standard 9: mastering

 

 

 

My theater & stage & backstage journey entry

Marrisa on

We began our stagecraft journey with 2 tours of the ES & HS theater! there were many crucial, unknown, and surprising structures inside the theaters that we unmasked throughout discovering the stage, fly floor, rooftop, as well as underground risers. These constructions and systems built the theater into one, complete space. in order to present each stage, each performance, many parts of the theater needs to be manually utilized! here are 5 introduction to 5 important parts of the theater

Catwalk:

  • Lightings can be controlled here where the light goes straight towards the stage
  • for dropping special staging effects
  • for crews to move across booths, fly floors, and to connect a pathway for crews working on top

Control Booth/Space

  • a very crucial part of each stage/theater, because this system controls on/off of each machine, raises and lower speakers, sends signals to different parts of the theater in order to collaborate the crew

Fly space

the space above the proscenium arch (stage frame that is visible from the audience’s perspective)

  • it is a system created by strings, and ropes, and all the way connects from the floor level of the stage to the mountain top.
  • controlled to rise and decrease to drop/ raise curtains, dropping props or hanging actors/actress/crew members, scenery, stage effects

Cyclorama (could also be referred as cyc)

  • it is a plain, usually natural white-colored piece of fabric backboard
  • the plain piece can be used to project scenery (using a projector)
  • also used to create a unified background for stage building (set)

Stage Craft: about me

Marrisa on

I’m really interested in costume design, I’ve worked with graphic designing projects as well as visual art workshops. I really hope that I will be able to produce something for the play, either a nicely made prompt, or a sewed dress. I believe that this process would be really engaging. I am concerned about not having the skills for wood crafting or metalwork, however, I will try my best to practice and achieve these skills through our course. When I was a kid, I used to go on youtube and search for DIY items that I can make for my barbie dolls, I tried using pipe cleaner to made scraps for them.

Identity Unit-

Marrisa on

What makes a particular photograph a portrait?

The lens are focused on a particular/particular objects that represents identity of that object

•Are Selfies Portraits?

A selfie is a portrait, “selfies” are a self-taken portrait using a device. Nowadays, people usually use smartphones or devices such as cameras and laptops to capture photos of themselves.

•What should or shouldn’t be included within a portrait?

A portrait could include a subject ( a person, a group of people, animal, flower, object) to focus on. Portraits can be done in multi-media such as in a painting, in photos, structured as a sculpture. Portrait could be in black and white filter, or it may include mixed colors in order to create a strong visual impact

•What makes a “good portrait?”

A good portrait can not be defined, as long as the photographer believe he/she’s photograph is worth being valued, it is a good portrait.

•Can a portrait consist of a small detail only, such as a close-up of a hand?

I believe portrait can be any type of photos that has a focus, wether if it’s picture of hands or pictures that focuses on animals or people.

•When does a more abstracted representation cease to become a portrait – for example a blurred figure, or a photograph of a person that has been torn, ripped or faded?

These abstract portraits not only exhibit the objective its self, but ripped or faded background creates the atmosphere of a different mood.

•Is it possible to represent a person photographically without them being present in the image – for example, through a Still-life, an arrangement of inanimate of objects? And if so, can this continue to be called a portrait?

It is possible to represent a person, but possibly only his identity. The use of objects allows us to have a general understanding, or guess about how that person might be like (gender, age, nationality, hobbies, etc.) WIthout the person being present in the image, it may be possible to construct their outline using collage and canvas.

•Does a portrait have to be a single photograph? How about a sequence of images?

Portraits can be represented in a sequence of photos if they focus on the same storyline. A sequence of photos might even allow viewers to get a deeper understanding rather than displaying one photo.

Identity Unit- Portrait Mind Map

Marrisa on

Statement of Intent

I want to develop more techniques when taking portraits. I will be focusing on the identity of the objective in my photo. I plan to take sets of self-portraits and create various collages on different facial features. One collage will be my actual self-portrait, and one collage will be piecing close-up shots of my eyes. I will be identifying more artists who might inspire me when I start on my next identity project.

Set 3- Abstract- Contact Sheet

Marrisa on

COLOR-CODED LABELS

BLUE PHOTOS (satisfied)

The photos marked blue are the photos that are outstanding, overall, they not only fit my desired vision but also showed my point of view to these everyday objects as a photographer. These photos are mostly telegraph poles, I chose to focus on them as one of the main objectives in a few photos; mainly because they included elements of abstract photography, such as alignments and lines, also because I am able to spot a few of them every day when I’m on my way to school.

Telegraph poles are clear in alignments but the stricter is complicated, this fits my vision of taking industrialized constructions, although I wasn’t able to capture anything like that however constructions like telegraph poles, pine trees, glass cups, street lights also inspired me.

When trying to take pictures of telegraph poles, it was important to be able to capture their actual structure, I struggled on how to make those telegraph poles look more three dimensional

For example, the glass cups, since my color tone is based on one black and white filter, I realized how I was able to capture the glossy texture of the cups, and whenever I convert the pictures into black and white, the glossy reflection will always create the brightest part of the photo, and that is exactly what I needed when it comes to black and white photos, because the dark, pail color tone, a beam of white light on objects is like the finishing touches to my photos.

GREEN PHOTOS (More satisfied)

The green photos are mostly marked because they are a set of photos I captured in the CBD area. I was able to capture these photos in different positions. Viewing the building in different visions, and moving my camera around the area to capture different angles. I was hoping to show the difference in one building between day and night. I achieved this goal by focusing on the changes in the street lights ( turned on/off )

In this photo, the street light of one corner of the CCTV tower is on (7:45pm)

In this photo, the street lights are about to turn on but it was before sunset.

Day light- Polluted day

Overall, my photos were able to fit my vision and there had been some great outcomes, I am very satisfied with these pictures and had learned many photography techniques.

Critique Red Photos- Set 3

Marrisa on

MOST SATISFIED

PHOTO 1

This photo is divided into two parts. The first part is the white circle that can be clearly seen. That is a lamp. This is the decoration of the lobby of the J Hotel Beijing.

The white aperture is highlighted by the black and white filter. Although it is hard to tell that the aperture is a lamp, due to the contrast between black and white, the hanging decoration in the background contrasts with the lamp. The remarkable detail is that the decorations that hang from the ceiling are made of plastic sheets, and not only do they radian but I also noticed that each individual decoration is made up of two different colored plastic sheets. One plastic sheet is darker, one is whiter. So when I turned my photos into black and white, the color difference between the plastic sheets showed up

PHOTO 2

Because my photos are in black and white, I noticed that there are many different shades of “black”and “white” when it comes to taking pictures. Because objects have their original colors, and they might all have different colors, therefore when I convert them with a black and white filter, they still form different tones. This photo is also made up of two objects, one is the three cans/bottles placed in the center of the picture. The other is three heat lamps around the jar.

Looking at the original picture of the photo, I thought it was ordinary at first because both the bottles and the lamp formed the same color tone. There was no contrast in the picture, so the whole picture did not look very prominent. I didn’t even know what the focus of the picture was until I made it black and white.

I carefully observed the shapes and lines of the objects in the pictures, and found that some of their shapes were blunt and round, without edges and corners, and smooth（The cans）

And some are very square in shape, with clear edges and lines, cut color contrast is also obvious.

The light emanating from the heat lamp is the brightest white-ish color in the photo, compared to the heat lamp itself, which is a black square. My favorite part is the reflection on the table, I didn’t notice the looming shadow when I looked at the original image, but when I turned the photo into black and white, my attention was immediately dragged on to the reflection of the heat lamp‘s wire fence!  Now that in this photo, I observed so many abstract elements.

PHOTO 3

In this group of photos, I took a lot of structured photos near Guomao. This photo is the one I am most satisfied with, I did not repeat the previous shooting Angle, I changed the camera position. In the other photos, I focused on the skyscrapers. In this photo, I went to the residential area in the back and took the Guomao Building in the crack. And a lot of companies live in those buildings, so I was able to zoom in and get a picture of each window with a different pattern of curtains, which was really interesting.

When we look at the building in the back, we can see that I took the photo in the afternoon when the sun is setting, and the reflection of the sun on the glass immediately becomes the brightest color in my photo. The entire outer space of the building looks smooth, with a uniform pattern of glass

Guomao Tower became my background this time. Although it was blocked by other apartment buildings at the bottom of the layer, its strange structure and material were not blurred, but still clear and sharp. This makes the comparison of the three buildings in my photo. The building on the right has a deep stroke, while the building on the left looks soft. Because of the halo, the Guomao building still looks very clear at the back.

 

Vision of My Set 3 & Artist Analysis

Marrisa on

For this second set of photos that I will be taking for the Abstraction unit, my vision is still inspired by Albert renger-patzsch. I will be focusing on everyday objects. Albert started his career with shooting straight photography, however, his focus changed throughout time, he soon became a photographer who focuses on new objectivity. His photos were famous for their focus on natural form objects and industrialized constructions.

Albert’s photos have a uniform color tone, most of the photos are black and white toned, and sometimes Photos are yellowed, and these uniform color elements allowed viewers to recognize Albert’s work. Patterns also appeared often in most of his work; buttons, stones, rocks, iron-made structures, etc.

Lubeck- Albert Renger Patzach

created between about 1925–1928

This photo was named after the taken where it was taken- Lubeck, Germany.

The patterned stones, however each stone is unique. Detail of a cobblestone street is rich in details and the texture is very obvious to identify.

Photos that focused on Industrialized areas, the alignment of iron tubes outstandingly creates very 3-Dimensional structures. Adding on to the very representative tone of Albert’s style, the photos were able to seem like they are rich in texture even though they quality of these photos were not as clear as photos that had focused on objects in very close up shots.

Albert’s style of capturing photos in high quality when focusing on singular objects(such as glass,cups, textures) and in contrast with the blurred and lo-fi when it comes to wide shots really inspired me. Because this way, as a photographer, we are able to create more abstract photos since the quality and the angles of each photo is different!

This photo is named “Glaser” -Albert Renger Patzach

It was created between about 1927–1928

Brief Description: “Two stemmed and two stemless glasses with strong shadows cast towards the lower left.”

 

Abstraction- Photo Safari

Marrisa on

 

NUMBER 1-

EXAMPLE 1: this is a wall in my house, the different textures on the door’s border creates the structure of picture number 1.

EXAMPLE 2: this is the floor of my bathroom.

EXAMPLE 3: this picture is the bottom of the design lab door, the texture of metal/iron and wood contrasts, one seems smooth and hard, one looks patterned and uneven.

EXAMPLE 4: this is the school wall, I love this picture because the colors are out school color.

EXAMPLE 5: This is actually a corner of the wall, it’s a turning point, but in this photo I took, it looks more like a 2-dimensional surface.

 

EXAMPLE 6: this was actually a random shot in our film classroom, but the tone of the light creates the structure.

NUMBER 2-

EXAMPLE 1: this is the floor in a hallway, the reflection of a square shaped LED light created the a unexpecting image.

EXAMPLE 2: this is an on/off control/switch in my bedroom doorway, at first I was worried if the half-shaded part was going to affect the picture’s quality, but however, it turned out okay.

NUMBER 3-

EXAMPLE 1: these is the printed patterns in one of the curtains of the room.

NUMBER 4-

EXAMPLE 1: This is the vanitation pipe on the ceiling of my room.

EXAMPLE 1: this picture I took in my dining room, I was laying on the table, trying to picture the perfect circle. I really liked how the lightbulbs created a fading circle of light.

 

This is a wardrobe in the storage room, the lines (texture of the surface) are very unique, the alignments are similar to the one in the example picture.

Mattress and holes on the football field creates little holes, these dots form the style of polka dots, this element of dots is a very element in pop art. We can find it printed on everyday objects

EXAMPLE 1: This is the football goals net, I identified squared shapes on it, this is one point of view (looking up to the sky)

EXAMPLE 2: This is also the football goal, but it is taken from the view of top of the net to the ground.

EXAMPLE 1: This bag, I believe it’s used for keep food fresh, the pattern on this bag surface creates lines.