Sky Arts #2

QR from Leigh Harrison on Vimeo.

Carrying on from the previous Arts Ident I decided that I'd like to look more at After Effects and how I can manipulate imagery to create something new. From my research project I had been looking more at QR codes and I wanted to try and incorporate these into moving image in my research project and so extended this to my client work too. I personally haven't seen anything like this before used in advertising where the entire peice is composed of a barcode

Sky Arts #1

For my first Sky Arts potential submission I created a light painting based upon my research. Which can be found here.

Light Night - client ident 1 from Leigh Harrison on Vimeo.

This idea originally came from my research for club night visuals. I was inspired by the lighting effects used in the footage I was watching and decided I wanted to reflect this in my client work in some form. During my research I came across long exposure shots which created 'light paintings'. Through various experiments I found that I could achieve this effect using a timed flash and 7second exposure time on my camera. I originally intended to use a separate flash which was controlled however due to money I couldn't use that. To compromise I ended up using the flash on my phone which when set to an interval worked really well and allowed me to get the desired images. I would have liked to have experimented with a proper flash but as I didn't, I can't compare the results. The backdrop of the logo came from my location research - when I decided on the light painting I needed an area which was well lit in low light, wouldn’t be too busy as I would be taking long exposures and need there to be little interference and as I had to bring the home made light boxes with me the location needed to be easily accessible by foot. I considered the Arboretum and various places in the city centre but ultimately decided on the steps of Newton building as the lighting worked really well and allowed me to get the result I wanted. I took the background image on a long exposure then attempted to use the light boxes to create the logo, however when I was using them outdoors I just couldn't get the same effect as my initial experiments. To rectify this I decided to retake the logo shots at home and digitally composite the logo moving in after effects. I used Photoshop and after effects to initially help the logo to look as if it was part of the original image, and then to animate the letters to be inconsistent and have a DIY aesthetic. Overall I'm pleased with the final outcome, it would have been more satisfying to use all original images rather than have to composite but I've wanted to get more familiar with After Effects and this forced me to experiment and get used to the program.

Illamasqua

While doing work (and looking for a treat for when I finish it) I just noticed this banner on Illamasqua's website which features a moving photograph effect.

And also a make up model with braces, a brave move from a beauty company. Illamasqua do have a reputation for being forward thinking and risky in their promotion and styling. A nice change to see someone average in the beauty and fashion industry, especially in a luxury brand.

Artefact #1 & #2

For my first artefact I showed a group of 5 volunteers two QR codes one which linked to my blog and a second one which linked to the photo upload page of a private Facebook group which I created.
(Left image links to this blog, right image links to private facebook group image uploader)

The requirements from each participant were based on certain criteria which I felt met my target audience of regular club goers. Under the age of 32, regular user of technology to find out about events, and an owner of a smartphone which was capable of scanning a QR code such as iPhone, Android or Windows phone. Each volunteer was shown the examples and explained briefly what a QR code is and how they work, then asked to scan the code and fill in a short survey. The survey was as follows:

Artefact 1 Response Sheet

Please answer the following statements by circling the appropriate answer.
I was already aware of what a QR was (either through recognizing the barcode or through using one previously)

Yes                         No

I found the use of a QR Code easy to comprehend

Yes                         No

I had noticed QR codes used in advertising before

Yes                         No

I found the software (e.g. Google goggles) required to use the codes on my phone easy to download (if needed) and use

Yes                         No

The software worked properly first time with no need to try again

Yes                         No

I feel the QR served a purpose

Yes                         No

I found the process of accessing webpages easy through scanning a QR

Yes                         No

I was able to upload an image using the link provided on the QR code

Yes                         No

I would feel confident in using a QR code in the future

Yes                         No

Through this exercise I found that the all of participants who were mixed gender and aged between 20 and 22, were all aware of the QR code and had noticed it being used in static advertising, although some were not aware of the name. They were also unsure of the possibilities and how the information was accessed. All of them found the various soft wares on each smartphone easy to use (using iPhone, Android and Windows phones) and had no problems with scanning larger and more complicated codes. They also managed to upload images to the private Facebook group which I created to test if the average smartphone was able to cope with larger codes and more complex tasks. The thinking behind this was that at an event a code could be scanned in, which members of the public could then upload their photographs to a social network, in this instance a Facebook group which can then be accessed by other people who attended the event/who are members of that group or 'like' a specific page.

I feel that this artefact was successful and my findings have lead me on to try and place a QR code in motion and see how well it works. I have previously put motion behind an existing code in the short footage here which worked and was able to be scanned. However I'd like to push this and see if it works when animated.

Sky arts test piece

Testing how layer masks work with existing footage, uploaded in very low quality as was familiarising myself with different codecs and formats.

I'm intending to film different painting techniques and place them behind the sky arts logo for one of the final peices.

Sky Arts first peice

This is the first ident I created in response to the open brief for Sky Arts. I used light painting/photoshop to create a 20 second clip in which the only stipulation was that the logo must form no longer than 12 seconds into the clip and hold for 8 seconds. I'm pleased with how it turned out although I know it's not perfect.

Vice 'Monsters' Editorial

It's been a long time since I posted something just because I liked it. But I came across this Vice Editorial today and thought it was too good not to share. Shot by Saga Sig with illustrations by ZISKA, AC BANANAS, Margot Bowman, Stefan Schwartzman and Jessica Cole. The editorial combines street style and lifestyle perfectly.

Arts experiments

Ideas for settings

I've been thinking about where I want to set my lightbox and how it's going to interact with the surroundings, I rediscovered these idents used to promote The Warehouse Project, a seasonal night club in Manchester, for it's 2010 season.

This made me think of the stairs of Newton which are lit up at night, which could be a prime location to set up.

Long exposure tests