Thursday, December 3, 2009

Conclusion

Time management and planning skills were more that adequate for this brief. The only real test was perhaps a test of patience when it came to trying to unravel the book itself. The only thing that would be changed if the brief was given again would be trying to avoid the unavoidable bad luck experienced when it came round to shooting both the main idea and the back-up idea. Besides that, all went well.

This assignment did give more experience in using film. It is not a preferred medium, however it does result in broader knowledge when it comes to image making. More work on film will be undertaken.

Evaluation

The initial reaction to the assignment was a very negative one and it did take a while for it to be enjoyed. Having jumped in headfirst it was soon clear that there were a lot of possibilities for different directions and styles to be used.

The assignment was researched thoroughly. Trying to gather as much information on the book as possible from as many different sources as was available. This however proved to be very little help in deciding where to go when it came to planning for a shoot.

The idea arose to examine previous book covers and to use them to try to gain inspiration. Analysis of those did indeed provide some ideas. Combine that with a reexamination of the research on the book brought to mind one good idea that could be adapted and simplified depending on time, props models, and any unforeseen occurrences. Further development arose through looking at black and white images of pub scenes.

Overall the research and planning side of the assignment went well. The book is known to be quite intricate and confusing at the best of times, so it is no wonder that inspiration was hard to find. A book as complex as that is difficult to sum up in one composition.

With the problems of locations, model and props, the main idea and back-up ideas could not be shot. This left the last-resort idea as the only option. It was staged simply and carefully, so it could easily be repeated if needed. The idea was perhaps too simple, but there was little choice.

The results were however very pleasing, there were a number of good images to choose from, even after those that were unsuitable were removed as options. The editing was kept to a minimum so the film quality of the compositions remained.

Final Covers

Below are the six final covers that have been submitted into the competition:












Editing the images

Each of the suitable images was in turn dropped into the template. Each was resized and repositioned to make best use of the space around the text. The levels, brightness and contract were then altered to bring the best out of each composition. Dodging, burning and cloning was undertaken to highlight details and to remove any unwanted details or imperfections.

The resulting composites were saved as psd’s for possible future editing. When happy with them each final submission was then flattened to a jpeg ready to be entered.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The Results

When the films were collected and the prints examined, it was clear that the idea of the still life had been a successful one. Although not all the compositions were focused as intended and in a number of cases they images were underexposed, the shoot produced a number of good images. Please see the contact sheets below.

Film1:


Film2:


The strongest of the photographs were selected and examined for how well they would fit in to the At Swim Two Birds template. The result of this is that one or two images were unsuitable to further editing. Either the focus of the images was too big in the frame or the text fell where the froth of the pint was and re-sizing it could not help.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The shoot

The simplicity of the idea meant that very little could go wrong. 


It was staged in a bedroom, with a dark covered draped between 2 chairs to form a dark background to the composition. A small table was place in front of the cover. 


On the table was placed the Guinness, the 2 birds and the manuscript with pen. The scene was lit from the left side using an adjustable brightness lamp.


The camera was set up on the tripod. It was set to f.4 and a shutter speed of 2 seconds. The brightness of the lamp was altered to keep keep the light readings within a suitable range.


Both the height and distance from which the compositions were taken was altered, as was the arrangement of the objects on the table. At one point one of the paper birds was placed into the pint glass, sitting on the froth of the Guinness.


Once both roles of film had been shot the scene and camera was tidied away. The next day they were dropped in to be developed.

Ready for the shoot?

Everything was set for the shoot, however everything that could go wrong has done. The planned locations have fallen through. The back-up plan which was to shoot in the home of the model using the props he has agreed to lend has gone belly up do to an unforeseen illness. This has left the idea up in the air.


Luckily there was a last-resort idea. This now has to be used as there is little time left for much else, given that the film needs to be process and the images need to be edited in photoshop before the deadline in 8days time.


This idea is to set up a simple still life with a pint of Guinness, two origami birds and a handwritten manuscript with a pen placed on top.

Important: Something to keep in mind

When setting up for the shoot and composing the photographs, it will be important to keep in mind the layout of the book cover. The images have to fit inside a set template. The template can be downloaded from the website.


The template is shown below:


Although the compositions can be altered in Photoshop the template cannot be altered; no drop shadows or outlines around the text, no nothing.


This means that the image has to be composed so as not to blend in with the writing, it has to be readable for it to be considered.


The focus of the composition cannot be behind the text as this would affect the strength of the cover when it is all composed. It is pointless coming up with a good idea if when it is shot it cannot be seen or the imagery is misinterpreted.