Update on animations

3 versions of a short animation have been produced for Ken’s speech. (Ken stage 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3)

Each time a new experiment creates a serendipitous result. I am more aware of key words in the animation, have highlighted these and my ability to time the work and leave words out has improved. I have started to use transcription convention in the narrators speech and wonder whether to just use typography in a very simple, understated way, without the visual clue of the email interface. The more my narration is played down, the more emphasis is projected onto Ken’s speech and
the intonation of voice.

If the narration appears in the same place and is neutral apart from the phonetic symbols or transcription convention, the greater the contrast will be within the animation of the speakers.

An accidental occurrence has really helped the scale of the work, importing the
large scale letter ‘t’ (which had been created by ink and roller) appeared too large,
I moved the position and noticed that the background of the letter seamlessly transmogrified into the handwritten letter background. Travelling down the letterform gives the viewer a visual clue to the broken voice, fading quality and overlapping conversations about to emerge. The ‘L’ shape also helps to frame important words in the narrator’s speech ‘ blindfolded’.

To develop the work further, I would like to explore, how Ken’s words stop, (the glottal stop) and present this as ripped words, screwed up paper or use the road marking ‘stop’ signs to highlight his abruptness. More key words need animating such as ‘white’ ‘strong’ and ‘in a mug’.

In terms of the laughter I will look at mark making, or organic shapes, similar to Len Lye. These could be ink patterns and could interweave between Kens laughter and the narrator’s. The formality of the digital text needs to break down as the composed professionalism of the interview dissolves into peals of laughter. Reviewing Oscar Fischinger’s animation will also be relevant to this part of the animation. In the animation foe Radio Scotland , ‘Foggie Bummer’, Barnbrook uses lines drawn directly onto film, and the lines intertwine and become fluid and mesmorising. If the representation of laughter has to be typographic, which letters or symbols would suit this? Perhaps the tilde or cedilla would be relevant, or a combination of letters and symbols? The form should be organic and not severe or straight, there must be curves and links, an ampersand?

Jonathan Barnbrook will be running a 3-day workshop in the next week. I will be attending this and hope to have the opportunity to discuss his work in more depth, to aid my understanding of his processes and methods.