Bullying PSA

Kelsey Best

Darrin Gailey

Josh Ladwig (SP?)

                                               Artist Statement: iMovie Project

Though our generation is considerably more tolerant of differences than the generations past, bullying is an on-going problem in society. Bullying can range from physical assault to emotional abuse and any act of malice in between.  In the making of our documentary-style PSA, we hoped to spread awareness about bullying through interviews and statistical analysis. Six people who have experienced the effects of bullying shared their stories and opinions with us, allowing us to gain a better perspective on this sensitive issue.

We worked to break down some lengthy interviews in order to find similarities in content. Specific questions were asked to prompt the discussions and we organized the movie accordingly. We began each interview by asking the participant to define “bullying”. We followed by asking questions such as “have you ever been bullied?”, “have you ever witnessed someone else being bullied?” and “how do you deal with bullying?” The answers were diverse but also shared certain similarities, such specific stories and instances of witnessing bulling.

Our questions stemmed from the making of our concept map, which also influenced our storyboard. The concept map started with the idea of “bullying”, then lead to the four different areas for analysis: the experience of being bullied, the experience of witnessing bullying, kids who bully others as well as the definition of bullying. This began the catalyst from which we organized our ideas into a storyboard.

Our collaborative efforts were cohesive throughout. We all found participants for interviewing and we worked in unison to put together the movie. Separately, we worked to edit the footage so as to be time efficient. This meant cutting out unimportant speech between the interviewers and interviewees and highlighting profound statements given.

            We felt that the Wonders Cabinet was an appropriate setting for this endeavor because it is an intellectual space designed for analysis, which supports the documentary style in which we filmed. It was also a quiet space in which we would not be interrupted. However, we also wanted to work with the schedules of our participants, which meant, in one instance, meeting in a classroom space instead. We feel that this similarly worked to support the intellectual nature of our analysis of bullying. The angles of the camera worked to create visual interest and  contrast as opposed to a static viewing.

We feel that we were successful in our attempt to raise awareness by means of digital media. This allowed us to reach a wider audience through digital means of creativity. Films are a popular form of art that most people partake in and are therefore an appropriate venue for this project. In this increasingly visual and digital age, we can deliver messages that entertain as well as inform through mediums such as this. We also wanted to include music that would create empathy in the audience. This is shown in the somewhat down-trodden music that accompanies the beginning, followed by the up-lifting music at the end.

The Artmaking Strategies of Kasia Ozga

ART 335: EXTRA BONUS ASSIGNMENT

THE ARTMAKING STRATEGIES

Your Name(s)	Darrin Gailey
Artist	Kasia Ozga http://kasiaozga.com
Key Artwork	Communal Umbrella, Start Here, Paraguas Colectivos, 525,949,000 Minute Sculpture
BIG IDEA/CONCEPT What is the work about?	Community/Public Public Art    -Site and social specific
BOUNDARIES/MEDIA	Sculpture Mixed media
SUBJECT MATTER	Relationships to public spaces, public issues Sculptures reveal and conceal
VISUAL FORM	Sculpture Performance Found
KNOWLEDGE	Public Art-Historical: in space- landmarks: in time-monuments
ARTMAKING PROBLEM	Audience Physical place, where? Context
TECHNICAL STRATEGIES	Pose Drawing Photos Plaster work Size Layers Recycled materials
CONCEPTUAL STRATEGIES	Social realism. Contradiction between form, context, etc… Sculpture as an ongoing process. Creates relationships between the body, public space, and historical time.
YOUR 3 QUESTIONS:	Is there any one thing that has driven you sculptural work? Is there a difference that you can see between how people view your work in Europe      and here in the United States? Does public art carry controversy innately? Is dialogue an important part of public art?

The Deer and Fox, A Fable Jaclyn Kwiatkowski and Darrin Gailey

A fable is a story that teaches a lesson, usually using animals as characters.The Deer and the Fox is a fable created by Darrin Gailey and Jaclyn Kwiatkowski to highlight the use of animation in conjunction with stories that have morals. They do so by using Adobe Flash for animation, as well as Soundtrack Pro for music. In order to create the animation, much preparation work was done; which includes constructing the animals in Color Aid paper, and then scanning them into the computer where they were copied and pasted into Photoshop to be cut into a PNG file. Digital storytelling is an effective way to get ideas across, especially morals to children. They believe that digital stories, like the fable, are a thought provoking and exciting way to bring not only a lesson, but the idea of animation to younger audiences.

In order to create The Deer and the Fox, it was necessary to create a basic idea of the fable. First, a mind map, which was used initially to express the different ways in which stories are thought of and viewed. From there they used the concepts from the mind map to choose the fable and the way they wished to express their story. They decided on creating characters first, they used animals to portray certain personalities for instance, the deer as being self centered, the fox as being cunning but prone to trouble, the wolf as being pretentious and self absorbed, and the chipmunk as being kind and understanding. From here they created an outline for their story; the deer who is self absorbed in his small problems does not want to listen to any advice given and when the time comes to help a friend in need, he decides to mope about not being the center of attention until his friend, the chipmunk, talks some sense into him. The moral of the fable is that one should be aware of others, and not just think of oneself. They feel this story has a great deal of connectedness to children, because sometimes it is hard for them to think of others before themselves. They used animals because they feel that they are more interesting, but to give them a human- like quality they have them standing on their hind legs. The next steps they took to complete the story was by using Adobe Flash Animation.

To be able to complete their story they needed to create the characters. This was done by hand using Color Aid paper. They choose to use the color aid paper and to scan them into the computer as images this gave them a “story book”, child friendly feel though a more visceral media. After scanning in the images, they pulled them into Photoshop where the magnetic tool was used to cut them out and save them as PNG files, this created cut-out paper aesthetic. Before the images were imported to Flash, the story was separated into two halves, Jaclyn decided to animate the title page and beginning while Darrin, the end and credits page. From here they each used the PNG files imported to Flash to construct the characters. Because the images were scanned in, every body part was a separate image, which allowed for movement of the characters and expressing more human like emotions. Darrin and Jaclyn used the same background, which they found on the internet, to keep the animation concise. The background was a simple forest scene that was cartoon-like, with the cut out paper characters, it gives a more interesting feel. The animation was created using twelve frames per second, many scenes, and movie clips to animate characters as “walking” or “crying”. They used knowledge on frames, keyframes, blank keyframes, classic tweens, and AIFF music files to create an animation that is fluid and understandable. To create an overall mood for the animation, Soundtrack Pro was used to cut specific clips from Fleet Foxes to be saved as a mono AIFF file. The clips that were used help express feelings of sadness, angst, anger, and a sense of completion within the animation. Overall, Flash animation and Soundtrack Pro were effective in providing tools needed to create The Deer and the Fox

Digital storytelling is excellent way in which stories can be brought to various audiences. To be able to create a digital story two things must come together, those being a story and animation. The Fox and the Deer is an original fable which uses digital storytelling as it main medium. This medium allows for the moral of the fable to get across to younger audiences as it is able to capture attention though movement and sound. Through skills in Adobe Photoshop and flash, as well as Soundtrack Pro, the fable was able to carry a story-book feel while being still being a product of digital storytelling.

Biblography

http://abzhakim.blogspot.com/2012/08/kids-book-background.html

Fleet Foxes: Meadow Larks

Fleet Foxes: White Winter Hymnal

Fleet Foxes: Heard Them Stirring

Fleet Foxes: Blue Ridge Mountains

Fleet Foxes: Sun It Rises

Cat Soup

Cat Soup animated short film directed by Tatsuo Sato

Artmaking strategies: Element of surprise, symbols, cartoon style.

•   What is this animation about? (big idea, or theme or narrative story)

This animated story follows Nyatta, a kitten with human like qualities, on his travel to the land of the afterlife and back in an effort to save the soul of his sister Nyako. At some point in the film both siblings die and are brought back. However, initially Nyako only has part of her soul.

I think the main theme is about life after death and how we deal with that within our lives!

•   What are the main characters?

The main characters are two anthropomorphic kittens named Nyatta and Nyako. They are brother and sister.

•   What is the style?

This short film is animated in a Japanese style and is very, very whimsical! I won’t lie, at times I was very confused!

•   What art making strategies (conceptual/ technical/ visual) does the artist use to illustrate his story?  Please give an example and assess the effectiveness of the example.

I think that the use of the music in conjuncture with certain parts of the story were very effective! I also liked the “conceptual-ness” of the ending. What’s going on? Will the story continue? Is it over? You’re left with questions and I think that was a really smart move on Sato’s part.

•   How might Sato's animation help create your animation?

I particularly liked the music used in conjuncture with the visual aspects of the short film. The ways in which it used the music to help influence the vibe and feeling of the story was really impressive!

Photoshop Project!

Artist Statement:  Photoshop Project

When I was first asked to think of a “place” with meaning I immediately thought of my barn. This place is filled with memories—the good, the bad, and the all right. The memories that this place brings to me involve my mother.  The barn was her safe haven and the horses within were like her “other” children. She filled this place with her love, her very essence. I go there to experience what I can no longer experience being in her presence. I go there to remember.

The concept for post card number one falls under repetition and an idea of an idealized landscape relating to memory. The perfect landscape to me holds aspects of my mom, the things I love—my barn and my horses. We gain new memories from different experiences. We can even gain new memories from established memories. Like when we tell stories over and over again, memories change. They take on new meanings.

The concept for postcard number two falls under transformation and memory. I feel as though memory is what we make it. It is still affected by our lives and what we experience. It changes as we change. There’s a spectrum in there somewhere—from the bad all the way to the good! I think memories are sort of like a rainbow. We move from one shade to another—they are all connected. We can’t have the good without the bad, or the happy without the sad. All we can do is look back on them and be content that they happened. Without those memories, who would we be?

For the final postcard, the concept falls under the idea of reminiscing. Memory is never really lost to us as long as we remember it! I’d like to think that this idea is central to a lot of people in the world, not just myself. Memories are what make us. Thinking of our memories is so important. They can build us up or tear us down. I lost my mother way to soon and I could have let myself be overwhelmed and shut down, but instead I remember. I remember so that I don’t forget.

Postcard #1

Postcard #2

Postcard #3

Thank you for taking a look at only my second attempt at using photoshop! Any questions, comments, or concerns are greatly appreciated! 

Thanks a bunch! :)