Here are the photographs taken for Mr Welldone's self-portrait project. A big personal 'thank you' to Yasmin Cullen for helping out with the camera work. I mostly directed the shots and posed/modelled for the character, but thanks to Yasmin for not only the camera operation, but also pitching in posture and concept ideas as well as helping me look for locations for the shoot.
The photography was not too difficult to direct, but there was still the obvious problem that I didn't know how the shot will come out like. I did, however, find suitable areas and constructed the "stages" for my character's composition. This way achieved simply through taking some test shots around these wooded areas to test light, shade, colour and background composition. However, at the time I had deleted the test shots and thus cannot be able to show them here (I think I now know what NOT to do next time and KEEP them!).
Danny Treacy is an English artist who had studied Fine Art Photography in Royal College of Art in London, as well a BA Hons in Editoral Photography in the University of Brighton.
Danny Treacy created a series of surreal photgraphs of "costume designs" titled ,Them!' The concept was taking unused clothing and other materials that one would usually find within charity shops and/or second-hand stores, and create elaborate characters from them.
I enjoy the actual look of the costumes, the idea behind the materials used and also the context of why Danny Treacy used second-hand clothing.
Treacy used clothing that had already been wore by other people, as a way of feeling "intimate" with them, in many different senses. He would wonder what sort of people could have worn these clothes before; what were they like personality-wise? were they good or horrible people? what were there lives like? All these things, as well as gender, class, age, career, were all jumbled up and pulled together by Treacy to create a series of Frankenstein's monsters!
I quite relate to this concept, but not in a way to relate to other peoples of the past who had worn the clothes before, but for more (ehe..) 'practical' sense, such as a cheap and efficient way for myself to obtain clothing for costume, and well as the surreal look of the costumes giving some inspiration for possible future character designs.
But I also relate to how Treacy expresses himself when in these costumes. I tend to feel quite intimate to the character that I have created and portrayed, and it's this thought of becoming another person that's geared me towards this being my idea for the Self-Portrait project.
For my Music Video project, I was quite nervous since it was officially the first time I would properly edited a piece of footage.
Beforehand I had only edited a 30second bit of footage that had no cuts and was primarily just to get a sense of what tools to use in the editing program. However, that editing program that I used (which was last year in 2015 in UCA Canterbury) was called Final Cut Pro.
The program used this year was called Premiere Pro, which I had no experience using. However I believe that I gained quite a lot of knowledge on how to use this editing tool, even more so than photoshop, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. (:D)
The editing software was quite easy for me to get to grips with, at least when it concerns the basics, but I wasn't confident enough yet to try something to outragous or even really too structured, so I wanted to play around and experiment with what I had learnt.
But now I had the problem with finding the right music and inspiration from another music video artist. I suppose in a sense I should have done both, but I instead focused more on the music and used the actual music sequence as the source of inspiration itself.
The music I had chosen was called Cherry Moon by the techno group, Lorn. I usually listen to this song whilst trying to concentrate on work. I wanted to do something unique (hopefully) in my music video where instead of creating a coherent narrative or a sharply cut music video. I wanted to create a piece where the images and footage would complement the music, and 'move along with it'.
The obvious problem with this is the lack of choice of what we had to use as film source, since beforehand we had to film two dance students, which was to be the basis of the video. I later learnt after that other sources could have been incorporated into the video, but it was too late and even if it wasn't, I'm not sure how I would have done so (but I'm sure I could have learnt how to).
Themes of "Cherry Moon"
The main focal point of this video whilst editing was to figure out how exactly the images was to play alongside the music, but still have some sort of intrigue and coherency for the audience. I decided to tell a very loose narrative based around the idea of relationships involving interaction. There is no direct relationship that is adressed; there is no "love" or "hate" relationship, but a sense of the simple elemnt of a "push-and-pull" relationship; how one effects the other and visa-versa. There is also a third party element, the spotlight, or the "Cherry Moon", which represents a source of otherworldly influence and a reason for these relationships to exist (e.g religion, science, love, hate etc)
Different sections of the video would show each 'characters'' perspective, including the light. and the 'finale' of the video ultimately show how they all come together.
The idea is very loose, and i wanted to keep it that way, so I could experiment more and also leave room for interpretation from the audience.
This is the final edited image used for my self portrait project.
"Attack of Wires" as I 'seemed' to have called it, is the portrayal of Mr Welldone's technophobia, a trait both me and my version of this character both share. We both seem to simultaneously hate and fear the rapid growth of technology and how its engulfing humankind and earth 'like a fungus'.
The image is a very surreal, dream-like image. It shows Mr Welldone sleeping under a willow tree, which is the pagan symbol and embodiment of wisdom. As he sleeps, a hydra-like creature made from a mass of cables, power converters and wires, with digital screens as "heads", protrude from behind the tree and spy on Mr Welldone as they surround him.
I'm really pleased with this image, being this my first real attempt at Photoshop. No doubt I may need help the next time I try this again, simply to just remember the steps I took in more detail, but i did get quite into it surprisingly once I got the hang of it.
However there are somethings I wasn't particularly pleased with once the image was finished and I looked over it again:
-The leaves and trigs on the ground were suppose to be more of a reddish-orange tint to contrast with the blue wires and cables, as well as the colour of the green pines to be more prominent. But as a result of an oversight of this and after seeing what it looks like on print, the colours look vastly muted. I suppose this could be excused perhaps, since the setting is very natural, and I guess in that sense it can still contrast with blue cables and flashy screen monitors.
-The wires themselves are not edited in the image very well. They stand out too much and are not well shaded, especially on the tree trunk. I do have trouble with shading images in general, but even I could have noticed something wasn't right, yet I didn't notice this mistake somehow and as a result left it.
I suppose, though, again this could be excused since the image itself is supposed to be surreal, but then without the stand-out colours of the surrounding environment to compliment the strange imagery, it just looks like a poor attempt to make the setting look more 'realistic', given the circumstances of the situation depicted in the image.
There was a positive aspect to this, however, in that I gained a considerable amount of knowledge, experience and possibly even confidence in how to use Photoshop. I had written down some notes, but I may need help in future projects.
Mister Welldone is an anonymous blog user on wordpress.com, with a series of entries entitled Curious Things | Come and See.
Mister Welldone is essentially a host for online horror stories, but has a series of cryptic "diary" entries where he explains his utter disgust for humankind, but wishes to attempt to teach them about the world around them, through an 'enlightening' process simply referred to as "The End".
Here is an extract from the introduction entry to his site:
Greetings and Welcome
Hello. I am Mr. Welldone. There seem to be many curious facets to this world of ours; each person seeing their own. Many seem comforted by the mundanity of “acceptable” social interaction and nocturnal inebriation. I am not. This is not for those seeking to be “safe.” This is for those who question and imagine, but not those who do so reaching for the light. This is for those of you who reach for the dark to find the secrets hidden beyond, beneath, and within the veil. What is the difference between the secrets and the veil? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps everything. Perhaps something somewhere in the middle of those extremes. Or beyond. Let’s take a look, shall we? Yes. Let’s.
This person has written several more entries throughout his site, as an introduction to each tale. As they progress, they become more bitter and dark-toned, some even down right hateful. Mister Welldone seems to have and ever-changing mood on how he feels about people.
In a way, I can pretty much relate to this person/character. I like searching for the strange tales of the unknown, but there' that part of me that kinda hates being around people and modern technology.
Since this 'creature' is never actually seen, aside from this first screenshot to appear in one of his stories:.....
..I decided to expand the character and give him some significant characteristics:
-His eye is visible to give him some human elements, so in a way he is very self-loathing, or rather is ashamed to be part of the human race, thus hides his face.
-He wears the attire typical of an English gardener in the countryside, with the acceptation of the tie. I feel that Mister Welldone would see the tie as a symbol; as a 'tag', like the ones farmers put on cattle or sheep, and see the tie as a symbol of bureaucracy, thus wears it as mockery.
-His hunched-back indicates extreme physical damage done to him, possibly self-inflicted. He had either aged so rapidly and deteriorated as a result to his incredible hatred of society leaving him 'rigid and stiff', or he may even have inflicted the suffering on himself as a for of (possibly masochistic) punishment for solely existing.
-He carries unnecessary 'baggage' of useless scraps of junk he finds. This can either be seen as an interest, or again of mockery to how he sees the materialism of humans.
-Even though, this will not be see in the portrait quite clearly, I also imagined his personality, from how he writes to also how I relate to him. He is very articular in his speech, but hates talking to anyone directly, and is collectively hateful, but will open up to anyone like-minded. He is very wise, but spends his wisdom wisely to anyone he feels comfortable talking with. He also has no real remorse or care for people in the way how most people perceive "love". He is also asexual, as well as having no interest in any sort of relationships, as his 'appetite' for that sort of thing died a long time ago.
This is my own personal interpretation of Mr Welldone, and I plan to use this persona in the similar fashion of how Charles Lathom used his.
I've chosen 'A Clockwork Orange', directed by Stanley Kubrick for my Mise-en-scene analysis.
The elements of mise-en-scene are the setting, lighting, cinematography, actor direction, props and costume.
From my research, I discovered that after the success of '2001-Space Odyssey', Kubrick wanted to make more challenging, personal film, especially considering that '2001' did not make enough money for another big budget spectacle, despite it's critical acclaim. So Kubrick set out to prove that he could create as much of a visual masterpiece in low-budget form, and the idea that set him to create such a film was ' A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess.
I chose the introduction sequence of the movie in particular since I feel that it's a perfect example for setting mise-en-scene, and for what's to come for the rest of the movie.
The Setting:
The setting of the Corova Milk Bar is incredibly surreal and serves it job in this sequences to set out the tone for the rest of the movie. The almost black background seems to represent the ominous and unsettling world we as an audience are about to enter, yet there are many essences of harsh realism that still grounds us down , to the fact that we not that this is not some fantasy land, but a dystopian world riddled with chaotic ideals.
On of the many essences is the décor of this Milk Bar we have entered; The tables and drink dispensers are fashioned into sculptures of naked woman in very risqué poses; the walls are lined with white advertisements for the drinks in a bizarre font, as well as erotic artworks that'll be seen throughout the film.
Lighting/Cinematography:
The camera work here really helps in distinguishing this as one of the most iconic intro sequences in film. Kubrick never usually seems to use the traditional fade-in transition from scene to scene in his movies, and when this type of transition does occur, it's through clever use of imagery, such as the bone thrown in the air becoming the spaceship in "2001: A Scape Odyssey". The harsh jump cut from the title cards to the very first shot (an extreme close up of Alex DeLarge's face) seems ideal since the movies purpose is to shock and be harsh, so Kubrick would never ease his audience into it and would just throw them into this maniacal world.
The way this sequence plays out is in time with the music playing over. The close up of Alex's face slowly pans back and zooms out to eventually reveal the audience the setting and the environment described. It's an exceptional use of story-telling; starting off with our "hero" and zooms out to revel his companions who we will also be following, and then gradually reveal the rest of the environment, letting us have a glimpse at the people and place-settings we will encounter throughout the film. Kurbrick used this to literally 'set' the mood for the rest of the movie, and originally the entire scene was to be static (save for the zoom out) until Malcolm MacDowell ad-libbed an action for Alex in "toasting the audience" which Kubrick allowed.
The lighting also plays a huge part in the movie, particularly with Kubrick's keen use of it, having being an experience photographer himself. The lighting here, however, is somewhat more ominous in terms with later scenes, where we are in brightly lit interiors of homes to juxtapose the horrific violent actions that take place there. Here, the milk bar is very darkly lit, save for enough light to illuminate the white writing on the black walls as well as the characters an their white attire. The most light in this scene resonates from the lower levels of the set, rather that up higher. This could be to establish a somewhat uncomfortable setting as the light is close to the characters and a majority of the objects/subjects within the set, causing the illusion of a confined and claustrophobic atmosphere.
Props and Costume:
Costumes seem to be very important to this movie in terms of creating the character visually. Almost every character in the movie is dressed to look surreal, flamboyant and over-the-top, and this will later be useful when we see more of the almost "unnatural" way of actors' performances.
However, the first characters are monochromatic in the way they dress, save for the odd and somewhat effeminate make-up the characters wear. I suppose the idea is to show that even though these are our protagonists, there are in no way associated with "good", as many will associate black and white with a dark and unhappy look, as opposed to bright colours.
The costumes on our main characters are somewhat of a dark satire on youth. In the traditional sense when one thinks of a thuggish youth, sport garments seem to be a common look. But this gangs' attire seems similar to cricket garments, a sport associated as a high class event that is much more dignified than sports such as football or rugby. I suppose this is to show they are still thugs, but have more ambition in mind than simply mindless violence. They are here to enjoy themselves in many other ways! The hats are also quite dignified in fashion to further this look. A gentleman-ly appearance to juxtapose their true intentions on how to spend a "fun night!"
The make-up is also a strange addition. Very feminine and only seems to be applied on one facial feature. This could be further juxtaposition since they are in a heavily sexualized place that is dominantly male, and that sex plays a big part in Alex's lifestyle, as well as the other male youths. But a truly sexualized garment to reinforce this idea is the exaggerated cod-pieces the gang members wear, an obvious symbol of male dominance.
Actors
A majority of the actors, save for the main lead and central focus, are posed and still throughout this sequence, as if to simulate a static image like a photograph. It's as though they are part of the scenery, and just another part of Alex's world than actual people that he feels connected to.
Alex himself is the only one moving, albeit subtle. The close up shot on his face shows his malicious expression as he stares at the audience, subtly breaking the fourth wall. Another action of this as well as portraying the ominous yet dignified personality of Alex, was as the camera begins to zoom out, he raises his glass to "toast" the audience.
Normally within this film, Kubrick didn't allow as much improve from the actors as he would later do in future projects like 'Full Metal Jacket', but he kept this scene of Malcolm MacDowell performing this action after he told Kubrick, when questioned about it, "I was letting the audience know they were in for one hell of a ride!"
