The final video.



The original video which I rejected due to worries of it being confusing.

Went along to the art block after creative writing class, and experimented projecting onto water. Instead of using the white fix tray, there was a transparent one, and Rob suggested we used that, sliding a sheet of white paper underneath. I have to admit, that originally my ideas for projecting onto water, weren't that creative. Basically my tick boxes were i) tray of water ii) good angle from projector iii) ripple effect for the scene link. But Rob gave me lots of good ideas, trying things out with canvas and mirrors, and coming up with interesting reflections. After adjusting the focus on the projector, it turns out that the quality of the video is fine. The sound was good, too, so I'm really pleased with how the film's turned out.

Deciding on how the installation was going to be, took a while. I realised that projecting downwards would be almost impossible, unless you have someone stand and hold the projector at that particular downwards angle. In the end, the tray of water sat upon two stands/benches, and we carried on seeing what other ways we could come up with. To be honest, mostly it was Rob whom came up with the variating ideas. I was content with just having the boxes ticked, but when we tried something, and it seemed to look amazing, I was really inspired to try and find the best way to get that ripple effect. There was the idea of projecting from underneath the tray, and Rob put a sheet of photographic (we think?) paper/plastic into the water, to see what effect it'd make. The film came through but it was a bit too dark, and I think there was a strange greenish tinge to it.

So the sheet went, and I got back to projecting onto canvas, only this time, with the projector pointing from under the tray. That way, we could see the ripples in the water with the movie, which was perfect. The only things left I had to adjust, was the positioning of the structure (had to watch out since some people had already marked out where they want everything to be) and the angle of the projection. I kept using blocks of wood to try and get the projector resting at the perfect slot, since one of the problems, was with the grooves in the tray itself. They form a large cross, which cuts up my movie, so I end up losing the impact at key points of the film. I kept trying to position the projector just right, so the footage would be shown closer in, and between the grooves, avoiding the distraction.

After a lot of chair-to-stool swapping, and fumbling with chunks of wood later, I managed to get a good angle. The only thing I regret, is not being able to project the movie bigger, as I feel impact would increase along with the size. I liked the idea of projecting onto the ceiling, but since it's a very uneven surface, the footage would end up really broken up, although, that also created an interesting effect, if not relating very much to my theme. Another experiment I liked, was to simply project the film at an angle against the white wall, creating a long, skewered picture, which seemed rather dramatic, but there'd be no ripple effect, which is too important to ommit.

In the end, I found an unoccupied space and Rob helped to put up a clean, blank board onto which I could project, resting against the wall, with the tray of water infront, and the projector underneath. There was actually one last question, and that was how I was going to create the ripples. Messing around with the water gave the idea of simply flicking droplets onto the surface, though I'd have to watch the projector. Another thought was to 'have a leak', as suggested by Rob, from above, so that there'd be occasional droplets into the tray. I thought about filling up a balloon with water, and pricking it to make that 'leak', but I'm too scared of the thought of it coming undone, and falling down, splashing and getting the projector wet. Wouldn't be wanting that! I picked up that see-through sheet of card/plastic, and just wafted it gently at one end of the tray to create small waves. It looks pretty good like that, I think. And since I'll be standing there, I might as well dabble my fingers in the water at the appropriate times to create alternating ripples. After all, you can't time and control a leak!

After some consideration over the sequence I had put together for the final film, I realised I had to make changes, despite having already burnt copies onto DVD. I had to re-think the actual sequence, since I noticed that combined with the poor quality already, the jumpy scenes will cause too much confusion as to what is going on. And since I want to show how this virtual reality can be an impressive, convincing immitation of nature, and natural emotions, I decided I would have to select two key footages, where there is time given to the viewer to absorb what is actually happening; enabling them to follow a hint of a storyline containing emotions they can relate to more easily. Therefore, I have chosen to feature two parts, evolving around two pairs of important characters; the first pair are the parents of the last, creating a link. I chose not to use any visual editing to join the two sequences, using sound as the key in bridging the relationship. In fact, the whole thing is dependant on the sounds edited, to reinforce emotives. Watching a 3D animation alone may not trigger emotional reactions from the observer, since to them, it may only be a load of polygons. But when it's done well, and combined with an evocative soundtrack, it should create an impact and get more of a reaction. I hope to show my peers at the projection, that digital reality can be just as touching as real life, despite it being an echo of realism.

Okay, now that I've burnt my new film onto DVD, I need to grab lunch, and then squeeze in another experiment with the projection installation at the art block. Last time, we tried projecting onto water in a smallish blue tray, which wasn't very effective, since the test image couldn't show up clearly (probably because it was blue, but Magaret slipped in some white paper though it didn't really help). I spotted a big, white tray in the back where they make prints at the end of class, in which they keep the fix. I asked and so long as I don't break anything, I should be able to borrow it for projecting onto. I think I still want to use a ripple, and that is to link the two scenes, expressing the idea that the parents' lives 'rippled' out, influencing their children's. For the rest of the time, the footage will be on still water, which ties in with the whole idea of a virtual reality, I believe.

Reality is solid, therefore, land. Water is not solid, and yet reflects what is real. Therefore, water can be seen as a metaphor for the virtual world.

To create that ripple, I think I'll put the tray into that trolley on wheels I spotted in the studio..if it's still there, that is.. and just move the trolley by its handle gently. I need to see if the ripple will bounce and carry on, though.. I can't have it distorting what happens! Okay, got to go now or I'll never have the time to test, with creative writing class at 2pm.