The Video: Gregor

Check out "Gregor" on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/165597259

Although it is quite different from what I had originally imagined, I am happy with the result of my efforts. Sometimes it is better to let the medium take over and allow room for change. This way both the project and the idea can develop and evolve. This is a lesson I have struggled with this semester in both my Digital Art and Sculpture classes, but I think I'm starting to get it. After Effects has been a lot of fun, especially now that I am more familiar with the software.

Gregor's Final Moments

So close to finished! I have one "scene" left. I have just knocked off Gregor's head with a clipart apple. Once his head rejoins the rest of himself and the apple rolls away, a violin will begin playing, just as it does in the book. (In the book, Gregor is also seriously wounded by an apple tossed from his father, though it lodges in his back and not his face).

Gregor's sister's violin playing precedes Gregor death the next day. The music has a profound impact on him, and is perhaps the culmination of of his new-found humanity within his cockroach body. No way could I leave out this important theme! The apple was mostly for fun--that's my favorite part of the video so far--but this is for symbolic significance.

Gregor's World

Having so much fun playing with effects in Adobe After Effects; there are so many! For a while I definitely got lost in all the cool and strange built-in animations to place on objects, but I have returned somewhat to a place of sanity.

I've been watching some of Monty Python's Flying Circus lately and I have no doubt that Terry Gilliam's animations and the general tone of the show have continued to inform my work. Of course, it does help that Kafka's stories reside somewhat in that realm of the strange and unidentifiable, and the medium I have selected of a sort of digital cut paper surely contributes as well.

For a while I had stalled on this project. My excitement dwindled as my original idea faded and I became less excited about the software. Now that I have re-established a direction, I am in a much better place and in fact almost finished!

Bringing Gregor to Life

Stalled out on the project for the last few days. I made a photoshop document of a cockroach to separate all the body parts into layers for easier animation. This I can import into Adobe After Effects and access each layer individually to move the legs, antennae, etc.

Learning After Effects on my own has been a bit of a challenge, but the software is somewhat similar to Premiere so it's going ok.

The greatest obstacle has been the dilemma of how to proceed. I somewhat regret that I am not creating something physical, like a print, and I feel lost as far as how to convey the story. Suddenly it feels like I can envision a 2-D product more easily than the planned video.

I have two ideas I am debating between.
1. Students walks across Hoval as the background becomes slowly covered in painted brushstrokes rather than reality. This will signify internal change, a change in perception of one's environment.
2. Student falls asleep in Dinand, has dream of turning into cockroach, wakes up to find it wasn't a dream at all.

Gregor in Real Life

I want to make a video interpretation of Kafka's Metamorphosis.
It will either be a GIF or a short animated film. One plan is to use "Gregor"'s surroundings to convey the internal changes in his mind: while still human, the surroundings will be photo-realistic. When a bug, the setting will shift to paintings, e.g. van Gogh's "Bedroom". I would also like there to be a transitional period during which painted props begin cropping up in the photo world. In Kafka's story the alteration is abrupt, but it might be nice to have this overlap.

My other idea is to animate the transformation process from man to bug. Perhaps a bit more visually challenging, I'm not sure. Going to play around with After Effects and see what I can do

Should be lots of fun, lots of work, and lots of thinking.

Meanwhile, I am also working on a sculpture inspired by Steppenwolf. So much books!
Maybe next will be Gogol... an overcoat, a nose...

FCO Final Edit

The video is finished! This project has been awesome--thanks again to Ivan and Joey for acting, and to Colby for lending his voice for the intro! I'm sad that it's over but happy with our final product.

Here's the link for the final version of Feeling Checked Out: https://vimeo.com/161192692

Animation!

Continued Editing

I realized that the first video upload has a lag in the last close-up. Looks like I nudged some of the frames over to create a gap in the visual footage but the audio just keeps going, so they end up disjointed. I have fixed that, and changed around some of the sound effects as well, including adding a news broadcast jingle at the end while the Interviewer's footage fades out, and trying to make the voiceover a little louder.

I also tried to sharpen the close-ups of the Interviewer, but that mistake in focusing took place during shooting and it's too late to turn back. Still, the video is coming along very well.

Finally, I need to make my cut-paper animation sequence and figure out where to place that, either before the title sequence or at the end of the video, but I don't want it to feel like a hasty add-on if I choose to put it at the end.

Should I throw in an "And now for something completely different?" to really push the Flying Circus theme? I haven't decided.

Video Edit 1

Here it is, the first edit! Again, still planning on adding an animation, but looks good so far.

https://vimeo.com/feelingcheckedout

Editing and stuff

Now that filming is done, it's time to edit! I am having a lot of fun with Premiere so far and have started finding sound clips on various public domain sites. The footage is already so much richer with just a few of these peppered through.

I am using one take out of at least ten... I lost count after a while but all our work was worth it. (Thanks again guys!) Since the interview is just one scene, I have added an intro sequence. Currently I have a short clip with a voiceover to introduce the checking-out-emotions concept, and a brief title animation. The voiceover is great, I asked a friend who already has a deep voice and I even slowed it down a little too.

Next, I want to make a short Terry Gilliam-style animation out of cut paper. I have a couple cutouts ready but have not yet taken the photos for it. I'm excited though! Once I add that, the Monty Python theme will come through more.

Commence Filming

First day of filming done! I also have a rough title sequence in place and am working on a short cut paper animation in addition to really try to fit with my Monty Python theme. After shooting today, I think I have moved away from the genre a little bit but that's alright, it was definitely a good starting place.

I also learned how awkward my writing can be when read out loud. Oops. It's alright though, I don't mind improv as long as the plot gets across.

The Plan

I am hoping to get most of my footage by the end of the weekend. First thing will be to play with cameras in Dinand and see how that goes, to make sure I will be prepared for when I am standing in front of my two actors and have some clue of how to shoot a video.

In Dinand, I want to get some shots of the stacks, people checking out books, whoever is working the desk, and maybe the facade of the building and people walking in and out. I want to have plenty of footage to choose from for final editing. Better to have too much than not enough.

Next step: choose a classroom to function as a news studio, find a time when it will be open. I will also need to make sure there isn't too much ambient sound, and for that reason Millard is out of the question.

I will need to check out at least two video cameras from the studio library so I can cut between a shot of both actors and do closeups. Ideally I would have three: the central cam, and one for each character. My hope is that the interview can be just one continuous take, even if we have to practice a few times first.

Script: First Draft

FEELING CHECKED OUT

SCENE 1

shots of students checking out books from Dinand with titles=emotions. Students walk into library straight-faced, walk out with exaggerated expressions/mannerisms.

VOICE OVER: In a world where emotions are of a limited supply, we must plan carefully for the future. Making the wrong choice at the checkout counter could ruin everything…

SCENE 2

INTERVIEWER and JEANNIE JO are in a news studio (classroom). Both are seated at a table, angled toward each other. INTERVIEWER is wearing jacket and tie. JEANNIE JO is played by guy in a wig.

INTERVIEWER: (Fade in theme music, camera zooms in on INTERVIEWER and JEANNIE JO) Welcome to this episode of “Feeling Checked Out”. Today we are here with Jeannie Jo, who is here to tell us about her frustration with Dinand Emotional Archive. Jeannie Jo, can you tell our viewers your story?

JEANNIE JO (very bubbly): Of course, I’d love to! So a couple days ago, I was supposed to go out to celebrate the release of my latest short film, “Tampoon”. (Camera zooms in on JEANNIE JO) If you haven’t seen it yet, you totally should! (Camera zooms back out, JEANNIE JO smiles and continues). Anyway, so I wanted to exchange my COMPOSURE, which I had checked out a few days before then, since I would be presenting the film at the festival—I mean I didn’t want to be making a fool of myself onstage, you know, and I had thought about EXCITEMENT, but that can be so unpredictable, so I went with COMPOSURE—anyway and instead I wanted to get a copy of MERRIMENT or something, cuz I was going to a celebratory dinner with my boyfriend and our mutual friend Luke later that day.

INTERVIEWER: But that didn’t work out for you, did it?

JEANNIE JO (still smiling): Oh no, it totally didn’t work out at all! Yeah I went to Dinand, just like any other day, to check out MERRIMENT or maybe even generic old HAPPINESS or whatever I could find, but apparently it was Thousand Days Ball or something that day so all the positive feelings were already off the shelves. (JEANNIE JO beams at camera)

INTERVIEWER: Right. (Glances into camera, back at JEANNIE JO). Yes, well, were you angry at Dinand after that?

JEANNIE JO (still smiling continuously): Oh, sure! In fact, I even checked out ANGER at that point. But then I was stuck with that for my celebration dinner (cut to instagram photo of JEANNIE JO flipping off camera between smiling friends). It was still a fun night but I was very rude to our waiter, and my poor boyfriend still hasn’t forgiven me.

INTERVIEWER: Is there anything else you’d like to add before we are out of time?

JEANNIE JO: Just that I’m so glad you had me here today, really, I’m just so grateful. Of course, since happiness was out last week, I put in on hold for whenever it was returned, and now that’s what I have today (giggles). And isn’t it just a lovely day? That is a great color on you, it really is--

INTERVIEWER: --Thank you, Jeannie Jo for your riveting story. I am sure many of our viewers can relate. (Camera cuts to JEANNIE JO, still smiling, waving).

INTERVIEWER: (Camera solely on INTERVIEWER). We have all had times when our feeling was checked out. Fortunately for me, deadpan is almost always there (brief awkward pause). Right. Please join us on our next episode, when we hear from a young woman unable to fall in love because of Dinand’s disorganization. This has been “Feeling Checked Out”. (Sound cuts out, zooms out, INTERVIEWER shuffling papers, theme music).

The Beginning

The premise: the campus library system is no longer for books, but emotions. What happens if your feeling is already checked out? Hopefully frustration and disappointment are stocked accordingly.