Alexander Darabi BA (Hons) Digital Animation
Blown UP turntables taken from a Technics SL1200M3D instruction manual, really like these diagramatic drawings. I intend to animate this particular one as part of an introduction to the DJ Dark Matter website. Coming Soon!
The resulting business card made for Matt based on the original Exploded view diagram he liked so much!
Here is a quick sketch I made based on the ‘Dazzle Camoflauge’ conceived by marine painter, Norman Wilkinson, used to throw attacking WWII U-Boats off by challenging the eye of the attacker and ‘Dazzling’ them in order to make them lose their reference points of critical zones on the ship. Whether this helped camoflauge the ship is debatable, however the breaking up of the outline does cause the eye to pass over by fracturing the profile of the ship and making it less recognisable to the human eye. This technique of camoflauge is often found on the plains of Africa, where similarly, zebras are more likely to survive when they are not seen from a distance by predators. These wide-open spaces are where we rely on the profile of something to identify it, as was often the case with vessels navigating the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean. For me it throws into question our perception and also the depiction of what we see in media, when silhouettes are challenged we rely on depth and contrasts of light in order to ascertain exactly what it is we are looking at, and perhaps we are subconsciously aware of what we are looking at but it is never really confirmed in our minds.
Right now the collective VIA is in a great position to take the world by storm with some cutting edge visuals and formation with musicians and live-performers to create some mega live-sets. The promotional DVDs we have put together will be constantly updated with new installations, performances and concepts we are planning throughout the summer. These ideas include: Mapping and 3D diagrammatic projections, live performance interactive dancing with projection, interactive animation projection and also some more hand-drawn frame by frame animations focused on colour and high energy. We are also in the process of drafting the work of a new addition to the collective, David Kitson, whose vivid and slightly disturbing renditions will impact the audience in a humorous way. Below is a showr-reel of Dave’s work:
Slightly reminiscent of Cyriak Harris’ work I think in the right context this kind of shocking visual imagery could be just what the VIA collective needs. Dave is also a composer of music which is really useful when working with visuals, when different VSTs and rhythms can be attributed so different visual effects and tones.
In order to get this footage I ventured to a waterfall near the town of Penryn with two car batteries and a halogen lamp. I set up the shot by illuminating the water from above and stood below the cascading water. The idea was based on the previous photo I took in the Yorkshire dales that was a complete accident but caught the effect of light reflecting in the water spray really well. As with many of these things, the recreation was not as effective as the original but still added another dimension to the shot (movement). I then modified the footage with quite allot of post (production) using After Effects. I think the reflected version stands out as the most interesting, leading, where symmetry often captivates the eye.
Above shows the original still image taken of a waterfall at night.
Here are the preliminary sketches for the mapping technique I have developed using Maya. I have also published a step-by-step guide of how to project onto 3D origami surface: STEP-BY-STEP guide
So, continuing my experimentation with the time fountain, ardruino based programming (for interactive installations),graphic processing language, the vvvv programming language and 3D mapping, I am still trying to use all of these technological processes to create a combined interactive, projected installation. The time fountain, although I have made some major advancements with it (which I will document in the next few days) has to be dropped from the rest of my innovation project, as it is too different a concept to the other ideas to work. Instead I think a combination of the mapping and an evolving script written in vvvv (v4), a language designed specifically for video in 3D space.
I wanted to keep the card as minimal as possible, but with something eye-catching and interesting to give it some edge. I have always wanted to have a business card with just my name on it, whereby any additional details can be written on the back.
^^^^^Updated Versions^^^^^
The past few weeks I have been rendering quite alot, and now I believe I have it down to a ‘T”. For loops that are to be used in the VJing software, a codec is required to make them run with less strain on the processor. Using DXV and Pic-Video, and the resolution of 640×480, Pixel aspect ratio: 4:3, I have now have the complete library of Loops ready to go. For other formats like Laura and Charlotte’s ‘Lady in the Rain’ I suggested the DV-PAL settings, for it to be played on television, and an uncompressed Quicktime codec of photo-jpeg. This avoids any interlacing and although it will not always play in full-speed the first time, it allows for maximum compatibility, without distorting the image too much. It is also the same resolution that Laura and Charlotte were working in and therefore no up-scaling was necessary.
Laura and Charlotte have asked me to add some special effects onto the finished animation ‘Lady in the Rain’. I was only too happy to oblige, as it would improve my knowledge of after effects and I really liked the style of the animation already and thought it would be great to get involved in its production somehow. Above is a still of the final shot where I added in the particle trail behind the figure on the bicycle and the rain emerging from the rain cloud below him. I wanted to keep the effects quite subtle and not overshadow the already picturesque image behind it. I had abit of trouble masking the rain effect in the bottom of the screen, but eventually managed it by layering a few different masks.
Versions 1, 2 and 3 of the script I have built using the processing programming language. Unfortunately I am struggling to embed the Java end of the applet into blogger, hence the non-functional link in my last post. I am really pleased with the way that I have made the colour evolve with every transform (V2), but also opened up a new field of sound reactive form at different increments of the rotation (V3), this made me realise that by syncing the bars of a song with half or quarter of a turn, a different pattern will emerge from different songs. To show you what I mean by this the last v3 still displays a single clap which, when repeated, could form the patterns I am discussing. In versions 2 and 3 the pattern of the Spirograph can also be modified with the value of mouseX.
Although this is an extremely interesting and satisfying method of producing some interesting animations. I am slightly concerned at the amount of time it has taken up for a relatively uninspiring result. I am also open to skepticism that it does not really constitute animation as the drawing is fully automated through the code.