A DIFFERENTLIGHT

PIN LANE:

INTRO

For this project, I was sent out to look at an area of Plymouth called Pin Lane. Here I had to take observe and photos and try to connect with the site, and unpack it, looking at what is it that I have noticed, that perhaps I haven’t before.

At first, when I first visited Pin Lane in the day, I found it to be quite dull and boring. Nothing really stood out to me, in terms of visuals, as I have come from an arts/ creative media background, I’m more interested in the way things look. So I decided to visit Pin Lane again in the evening, it was also raining. The lane immediately came to life, just from being lit up by the street lamp and with the reflections of the rainwater on the cobble stone path. Looking at the reflections and light bouncing off the path, it reminded me of Claude Monet’s paintings, and the way he paints light and reflections with oil paints. Also because Pin Lane still looks quite old fashioned it was like being inside one of his paintings. I found this really interesting, how the lane could transform so much from just some street lamp and a bit of rain.

I thought as my idea for the Pin Lane project, was to look at how it transforms in different light sources and weather effects, and how different atmospheres are created from these effects, and make comparisons with different images/video’s taken in different times of the day. Also I was thinking about relating it to art, going back to the Claude Monet idea, which I think would make it more interesting and would add different angle/ approach to it. Looking at how we can view Pin Lane as a painting or an artwork, also as a metaphor because paintings don’t really change, as doesn’t Pin Lane, it is like a frozen moment/area in time as the world goes on by, its still there only being weathered, but not really being affected by the modern world in terms of being littered with shops or brand advertisements.

INTRO

INTRO

I think the ambition of my project looks at Pin Lane’s deeper levels from an artistic perspective. I like being creative and visual, so I plan to make something creative and visual out of looking at the site. Looking at something natural such as light and weather effects relates to the design project well.

For the rest of the year I would probably like to gather some decent images/footage of the site, and do more experimentation in how I can visualize/ display what I’m trying to unpack. I think I will research into Monet and styles of painting and things that will help me relate my artistic idea about ways of seeing Pin Lane as a painting, I’d like to do more experiments in After Effects and do more tutorials. I’d like to make video’s that show different techniques and comparisons with Pin Lane and come up with different ways to approach one thing

I found inspiration in a video called ’Horizontal Abstract’ and would like to try out that technique, which I can demonstrate in a short trailer. Also looking at Video Copilot, there are lots of tutorials on there which I have been looking at and trying out. I’m really keen on After Effects so my final outcome will most likely be created from that.

PROCESSES

Process 1: Looking At The Movement of Light Through Pin Lane

After taking inspiration from the ‘Horizontal Abstract’ video, I thought about how light moves and changes throughout the course of the day and wanted to show it without doing a normal transition video. I decided to try out the technique using animated masks. I went out to Pin Lane and recorded some footage using my phone, filming people as they walked through the lane. Using the two pieces of footage, which were filmed during daylight hours, I changed the lighting on one to make it look like it was filmed during nighttime, although it was too complicated to add the street lamp lighting, it still gave a night time look. I then overlaid them, and drew masks over different areas and animated them in at different times, giving an interesting effect, whereby different parts of the two bits of footage are playing simultaneously, through different rectangular shapes. It wasn’t as perfect as the original video I got the idea from, but it was mainly for experimental purposes and to learn the technique, which overall doesn’t look too bad for a first try. Also I have been looking at a plug-in called Trapcode Form, and experimenting with particles and organic movement of the particles in a space. The outcome was really beautiful.

Process 2: Pin Lane As A Painting

Being stood in Pin Lane whilst it was dark and raining, and just observing the light reflections and general activity, made me feel like it was a painting. The lane was quiet, no one walking through. As I was stood at the top of the lane near the steps, looking down towards the convenience store, the people walking past were unaware, you almost feel you become part of the lane or a picture. People in windows drawing their curtains then start to become wary of you and naturally assume you’re up to no good. I have been looking at Water Lillies by Monet and the Las Meninias, trying to look at the connection between Pin Lane and the paintings. I feel there is a relationship between them all, as the way the Las Meninas has been painted, makes the viewer become part of the it.

I saw a tutorial on Video Copilot.net and thought it was an interesting technique, whereby the camera is viewing a still image then suddenly goes into the image, like becoming part of it. I used an image I took of Pin Lane and created the illusion of it being 3D and having depth, as the camera flies through. I had to create planes and grids to add the perspective of it being almost 3D, then adding a camera to the scene and making it go forward into the image. This technique is clever and I wanted to try it, as it was different from just looking at a still, static image. It also gave me an impression of looking at a painting, and then, as if you’re somehow being drawn into it, the camera or audience goes into the painting. It could be interesting to delay the camera

PROCESSES 1

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PROCESSES

Process 3: Day to Night Transition

An idea I thought about doing was creating a day to night transition, using video footage, filming at different times of the day and then creating a transition effect. I want to show how different Pin Lane looks at different times and how it changes throughout in the day. I could speed up certain parts, maybe people walking past, and cars going past, showing the dazzles of light at the end of the lane. From this I could create a comparison video, having the same footage side by side, one in the day one at night.

Process 4: Timeline

I could take a series of photographs throughout the day of Pin Lane, and stitch them together into a sequence in Photoshop. It would represent like a timeline and how it changes during the day, or taking stills of a video and then make them into a timeline.

Process 5: Types of Light

Different types of light can have different effects on objects and create different atmospheres. Perhaps having different lighting down Pin Lane will create different moods, for example artificial light, natural light. Making a virtual model of Pin Lane and changing the light types would be interesting.

CONCLUSION

I usually go out to Pin Lane and take a series of images, and think about composition and which angles would look more interesting. I also think how I can use the images I’m taking to create something in After Effects or on Photoshop, for example, when I record some video footage, in order for the day to night transition effect to be more successful, you need to film in areas which aren’t in direct sunlight, so in areas of shadow, behind a wall, or building etc. I plan to experiment more and learn some new techniques. The great thing with After Effects, as it’s such a vast program; there are many ways in which you can approach one thing. It may trigger off other ideas and approaches, whilst working through a technique. It’s easy to learn but difficult to master.

As a final piece, I will most likely take the project into After Effects, and create a video. There are lots of possibilities with a video in After Effects, as there are so many ways to treat the video. I quite like the video horizontal abstract, it’s a simple effect but its effective, I think id like to maybe incorporate that technique into my own piece. I might also try and give a more painted effect to the video, to give the impression of the viewer looking at a moving painting, trying to achieve the same effect the Las Meninas has.

I have been doing tutorials in After Effects, and looking at different lighting effects and videos that also exist. Mainly for experimental and learning purposes, just to try and learn the effect so it will help me think of possible final outcomes for the project. I have been looking at artists such as Monet and Caravaggio, looking at they ways they paint light and reflections, and paintings such as the Las Meninas, trying and look at the audience/viewer relationship between that and Pin Lane. I think I’ve found a good metaphor and deeper meaning between Pin Lane and the way I see the space.

For my final piece I decided to go with Process 1 and use After Effects and the Trapcode Plugin, to create a video. In this video, it shows an organic flow of light particles, representing how light moves through space. The composition of the image I took, was of 2 lamp posts, near the steps at the top of Pin Lane.

By using Photoshop, I cut out most of the image leaving only a small section of where the light sources are, being the 2 lamp posts. Then using the darken and contrast features in Photoshop, I enahnced the light sources, making them stand out more. Taking the image into After Effects and creating the particle flow, and compositing this onto my Pin Lane image.

Final Piece:

CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSION

Overall, I feel my final piece shows my chosen process very well; “The way light moves through Pin Lane”. The idea was to make the particles move in a elegant and oraganic way, trying to display how I observed the light during my visits to the lane at night. I chose to have the lamp posts as the sources of light as they gave off the most interesting type of light,

I also tried to incorporate the idea of seeing Pin Lane as a painting, by making the image look more dramatic and aritistic, from using brushes and filters, giving it a more painted look. The particles looked great on a plain black background but in order to contextulize it, I added the image of the light sources behind.

REFERENCES

Velázquez, D (1656) Las MeninasThe painting has influenced my relationship and metaphor with Pin Lane.

Monet, C (1916) Water LilliesHis style of painting has reminded me of Pin Lane.

Kidger, P (2009) Horizontal AbstractHis ‘Horizontal Abstract’ video has inspired me to look at different techniques.