Wanted:Melody

Another short from the french school Supinfocom. The phallic aside, i think this is a decent short. As i've been working like a trooper on another piece ready for tomorrows feedback session and focussing on internal monologue since my first artefact, i think this piece typifies what is really meant by the expression. There is a real aura of subtly in the movements [in this short] that was clearly lacking in my first artefact. The slight micro-movements aid the the tone and create thinking time. The jail scene is a prime example of this. Thinking back to the hand gesture that was causing so much conflict in my work, in comparison to this it is easy to see why - and just like the feedback identified, too much information was being given to the audience. It is important to note that the comparison is part of a full production; the use of location and audio aided the internal monologue - it reminds me of Equilibrium [see video below] when he's exploring the objects of the past and feel inner emotion. So in rationlising back to that first artefact, perhaps i was thinking to hard about the story and confused the inner emotion and the outer action. 

Artefact 02

Here is my second Artefact. As discussed before the aim of this was to create a more internal performance. In the video you can see the process of development. Whilst filming myself i was listening to Bon Iver which helped myself engage with the mood i was trying to replicate. Looking at the previous post, the image there visually explains the difference between the first two artefacts.

After the offset stage i did another pass which i labelled secondary action. This was a result of the performance being too internal. Without the use of facial expression, the hands become an important tool in communicating ideas and thoughts. Prior to their inclusion i felt not enough was being communicated to the audience, unlike the first artefact in which their was too much.

Before the feedback session with my peers and supervisor, i would like to draw some early conclusions that may or may not change later. Firstly, the pacing - large gestures describe confidence; Small gestures describe  reservation. Secondly, just how much did my own physical space influence the outcome? The locations differed in size, and the distance between the camera and myself did. This relationship being a foundation principle in cinematography (Mid-shot, Close-up etc). In applying this to internal monologue issue that stands between these artefacts, was the reference footage and staging the underlying influence on the gestural spacing? 

With the finger being an issue raised in the first artefact as being too distracting, it might be worth while to produce another pass including the finger action. My supervisor couldn't tell if it was causing over-action and we were all ultimately indecisive. Now im using the goon rig* with better proportioned topology it should be a step in the direction of answering that question. Thats it for now, following the feedback session on thursday we'll pick this back up.

*I've place a basic sphere over the original head of the goon rig. Rather than remodel the face (which will wipe the blend spapes and make it inoperable anyway) it will allow me to reveal the face and thus animated expression onto the gesture at a later date.