take2

SHOOTING STARS Take 2 Nick Mitchell

For my referral i was asked to go back and look at previous assignment, i chose the Chilean miners brief to see if i can explore it further. I felt i had hit on some good points and ideas and that they could be taken deeper.

For the Chilean miners project we had to look at the news story and retell it but in another way. i decided to use image creation and photo manipulation to express it in a number of scenarios looking at the possible outcomes of the incident and how if it were different, how the story would of been portrayed and responded to.

Scenario 1

Scenario 1 is looking at how the event would of been if the Chilean public had not wanted the trapped miners to be released. In the real event there were protests and huge supprt groups for the rescue of the miners, but what if they didnt want them out? or didnt want them alive? Why would this be, possibly that the miners were escaped convicts? here are a number of photo manipulation examples for this case.

Scenario 2

This scenario is in the case that all but one of the miners didnt make it, 33 were trapped down there and only one made it out. How would the country of reacted?

How would it of been reported? Ive created some newspaper front page mock ups with what i felt would be appropriate headlines and imaging.

Scenario 3 Scenario 3 is representing the outcome of all the innocent miners remaining in the mine and not making it out alive, no survivors.

The country and the rest of Europe no doubt would of been rocked and heart broken. Millions would of responded with dedications and tributes. This is my own mock up of a tribute poster dedicated to the memory of the passed miners. With the fallen rocks, drooping flag and faded image of the miners in a happy moment i feel creates a fitting picture. Not too far off the tributes that would of existed for Americas 9/11.

Scenario 4

Another possible scenario would be to keep the event and out come the same but change the the response to it. A movie creation maybe, or a celebration illustrated through prints and posters.

The image created here presents the event as an intense incident, over dramatised and exagerated.

But if it was a celebration or representing a film about it, it would need to be simplified. With the 2 colours use and the bold imaging this poster could be turned into a possible print screen.

Scenario 5

In this case i have explored the outcome that the event was such a worldwide feature that a movie is being created retelling the story.

In a similar way to the previous scenario, expressing it in a very dramatic form, but this time instead of illustration using photo images.

This time telling the story in a horror movie fashin with the dark poster, title and scared images.

INDEPENDANT PRACTICE

DYSTOPIA...

For my independant practice i decided to look at the creation of Dystopia, and what imaging is used to create the ffeling and surrounding of Dystopia and what the definition is. What are the contrasting terms with Utopia, the apparent perfect world.

With Dystopia being the opposite of the perfect world i wanted to photograph and illustrate to manifest the appearance of an unlivable environment. An unbreathable atmosphere with torrid conditions for the human race.

Photographs taken and manipulated to represent the depression and low mood of the Dystopian world.

More illustrating. Simple gloomy colouring, no happiness or high emotions. Sketches that represent the no hope or ambition for the surviving population.

I found an abandoned asylum which had been left trashed and derelict. Nobody occupying the space or trying to improve it. I felt this was pefect imaging to link with my illustrating to help create the unlivable living condition of Dystopia.

They highlight the misery and eery depression of the surroundings so well.

With abandoned rooms and empty, creepy hallways with barely any lighting, the photography mediates Dystopia, the idea of possible light at the end of the tunnel, as illustrated here.

By combining my illustrating and photography i want visualise the Dystopian lifestyle.

With the emotion of the sketch and the evidence of destruction through the photography.

For the contrasting images of Utopia and Dystopia i asked a group of friends to create what they thought was a Utopian world, using simple materials. The result was bright colours, cheerful illustrations with emblams of peace. But what i felt most interesting was a podium apparently from which only one person from the public can speak at a time.

This is a very dictoral view and is suprisingly included in the Utopian world. It is similar to some research i did of watching the film Equilibrium in which there is one leader, one dictator and rules the public must abide with no emotion. The argument of whether that would be a Utopian or Distopian world is an interesting one with split opinions.

I tried here to sketch what i felt would be a Utopian image, i started out by drawing the opposite of the Dystopian image, a female, long flowing hair representing freedom and choice of style. A healthy look with healthy air to breathe, tattoos to illustrate no living rules to follow. Warm atmosphere and a healthy, happy environment.

But i found the lack of colour still slightly holds it back from what i feel is completely Utopian, which helps to agree with the view of the previous’ group decision of bright colour being the main inclusion.

EVALUATION Throughout these 2 projects i have enjoyed the shooting stars brief more, it had a direction for me to go in, i prefer to be lead at first so that i can go off and work with what ive been given, knowing what outcomes are expected. The problem i have with Independant practice is that its too open, and when this is the case i tend to drift off with ideas and have no focal point, as is probably evident in my independant work. My main 2 interests and strong points are illustrating and photo manipulation so i usually find a way of going through the briefs using only this. But this time in my independant work i tried to include photography a bit more to strengthen another method and an entirely new direction of work for future briefs.

I havnt found this years assignments too grabbing or appropriate for my personal interests so found it difficult to stay focused on them. But in each one i try to see where i can involve my interests and strengths and i grab onto that to explore, whilst sticking to the original direction of the brief.